Low carb works!

Taxus

Member
Messages
24
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Last autumn my GP took a blood sample and then informed me that I was top end pre diabetic or diabetic, my blood sugar was 48 mmol/mol. This was a bit of a shock, but also a wakeup call. I started tapping the keyboard, found this excellent forum and decided to keep off any medication and to follow a LCHF lifestyle. Within 6 months I had dropped from around 14 stone to 12 stone and my HbA1c was down to 42. I was on the right track!

It’s now around a year since the initial diagnosis, and I am eating low carb and keeping well away from sugar and fruit excepting a few breakfast strawberries from the supermarket and recently some blackberries picked with my kids from the hedgerows. My body shape continues to improve (I now have a waist!), my weight has stabilised at just over 11 ½ stone, the burning sensation and itching on the soles of my feet (neuropathy?) has gone, my skin feels smoother, I have more energy and a recent HbA1c was down again, it’s now 40 mmol/mol, I am now officially ‘normal’. The nurse said ‘You’ve cracked it!’

I am confident that I can keep my weight stable and stick to low carb, it’s not really that restrictive, and I am hopeful that my HbA1c measurements will keep steady or maybe drop a little further. Support and understanding from my wife and kids are key, and this forum is so good for keeping me focused and informed, many thanks to you all.
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,849
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I am coming up to 3 years from diagnosis and have found little trouble in keeping my Hba1c down - though I suspect that I have been too high for too long to be able to drop down into the 30s.
I eat LCHF and keep an eye on my weight, which is stable even though my waist is still reducing.
 

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,810
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Very well done! Keep up the good work! Good to have your family behind you too :)
 
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Caprock94

Well-Known Member
Messages
313
Last autumn my GP took a blood sample and then informed me that I was top end pre diabetic or diabetic, my blood sugar was 48 mmol/mol. This was a bit of a shock, but also a wakeup call. I started tapping the keyboard, found this excellent forum and decided to keep off any medication and to follow a LCHF lifestyle. Within 6 months I had dropped from around 14 stone to 12 stone and my HbA1c was down to 42. I was on the right track!

It’s now around a year since the initial diagnosis, and I am eating low carb and keeping well away from sugar and fruit excepting a few breakfast strawberries from the supermarket and recently some blackberries picked with my kids from the hedgerows. My body shape continues to improve (I now have a waist!), my weight has stabilised at just over 11 ½ stone, the burning sensation and itching on the soles of my feet (neuropathy?) has gone, my skin feels smoother, I have more energy and a recent HbA1c was down again, it’s now 40 mmol/mol, I am now officially ‘normal’. The nurse said ‘You’ve cracked it!’

I am confident that I can keep my weight stable and stick to low carb, it’s not really that restrictive, and I am hopeful that my HbA1c measurements will keep steady or maybe drop a little further. Support and understanding from my wife and kids are key, and this forum is so good for keeping me focused and informed, many thanks to you all.

First of all, congrats! I have had to deal with the burning sensation in the soles of my feet as well. How long did you have it, and did it just gradually go away?
 

JohnyT2

Well-Known Member
Messages
82
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Other
Nothing sounds more sweeter than reducing HbA1C levels and waist line reduction :D
Both are great indication on moving towards healthy life for a Diabetic / PreDiabetic person.

Keep the focus on, keep enjoying the life...Keep inspiring others to become healthy...
 
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Taxus

Member
Messages
24
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Many thanks to all for your kind comments and support.

Caprock, I am sorry you have feet problems, I do hope that for you too this will fade and go. I first realised something was happening around three years ago, when I started to have itchy feet and the soles of my feet felt hot. I clearly recall sitting at my desk in the office where I worked and taking my shoes off and, when no one was watching, rubbing one foot with the other to try to relieve the itching. At night my feet would feel like they were burning. The only visible signs of anything was localised peeling of the skin and a slightly mottled appearance to the skin, and on a few occasions red dots on my toes, feet and finger tips (sorry if this is too much detail!). I had no loss of sensation in my feet.

I initially thought it might be something fungal, my GP suggested it might be Pompholyx, a type of eczema. I tried canesten cream and moisturising cream, and it didn’t get worse or better. Then I had the blood test and was told I was pre diabetic, close to diabetic, and this raised the possibility that the problems with my feet might be due to neuropathy.

In subsequent blood tests my GP has included a vitamin B12 check, and it has been within the normal range.

My strategy has been a low sugar, low carb lifestyle and although the most noticeable change has been weight loss and the drop in my HbA1c readings, I am aware that my skin feels smoother, I no longer get acne spots and, whatever the cause, the itching and burning, peeling feet and dots on digits are all history.

I do think that I have been fortunate – I was diagnosed early on, before D2 had progressed far, my blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides are also fine, and I have responded well to going low carb.
 
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Stephen Lewis

Well-Known Member
Messages
207
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Hypocrites, liars, donald trump (no capitals for emphasis)
I had exactly the same problem with my feet a few years ago including taking off my shoes at work to try and relieve the itch by scratching. Had to work very deep to have any affect. After I retired this neuropathy and my A1cs gpt worse and worse until I started the low carb program in July 2018. By December I had reduced my insulin from 68 units per day to 0. I have lost 35 lbs in the last 12 months and my A1cs have dropped to 6.4 in August.
I the last few weeks my bg levels have also been falling on a regular continuing basis so much so that I have made an appointment to see my doctor to find out if I am 'cured'. My overnight average bg is now under 5 sometimes it drops to 3.5 during the night an d my 24 hour hour average is down to 5.6. If I have a sweet (candy) say a high sugar sherbet lemon drop, the bg goes up by about 1.0 to 1.5 and within an hour has dropped (pun intended) to below the previous low.
Not sure what to do as I don't want to increase my general carb intake. All suggestions gratefully received,
Meanwhile in the last couple of days my neuropathy has been improving. Today it is just a sensitive tingling. Maybe I will be back to the itchy feet soon. That will make me cheer and as I am retired I can scratch as much as I like in the comfort of my own home!
 
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Ellenor2000

Well-Known Member
Messages
91
I had exactly the same problem with my feet a few years ago including taking off my shoes at work to try and relieve the itch by scratching. Had to work very deep to have any affect. After I retired this neuropathy and my A1cs gpt worse and worse until I started the low carb program in July 2018. By December I had reduced my insulin from 68 units per day to 0. I have lost 35 lbs in the last 12 months and my A1cs have dropped to 6.4 in August.
I the last few weeks my bg levels have also been falling on a regular continuing basis so much so that I have made an appointment to see my doctor to find out if I am 'cured'. My overnight average bg is now under 5 sometimes it drops to 3.5 during the night an d my 24 hour hour average is down to 5.6. If I have a sweet (candy) say a high sugar sherbet lemon drop, the bg goes up by about 1.0 to 1.5 and within an hour has dropped (pun intended) to below the previous low.
Not sure what to do as I don't want to increase my general carb intake. All suggestions gratefully received,
Meanwhile in the last couple of days my neuropathy has been improving. Today it is just a sensitive tingling. Maybe I will be back to the itchy feet soon. That will make me cheer and as I am retired I can scratch as much as I like in the comfort of my own home!

Reactive hypoglycemia?
 

Stephen Lewis

Well-Known Member
Messages
207
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Hypocrites, liars, donald trump (no capitals for emphasis)
Reactive hypoglycemia?
Had a quick research of this and it could be. My bg just leaped from 5.1 to 7.7 with no food in 1/2 hour after hitting a low under 5.0 within an hour of a plate of calamari usually my bg goes over 9.0 with this meal.
 

Stephen Lewis

Well-Known Member
Messages
207
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Hypocrites, liars, donald trump (no capitals for emphasis)
What’s a day or 2 of eating on lchf diet please ? Just to get an idea ?
Not sure how far a T1 should go with this but I try and keep lunch and dinner below 20 gms of carbs and breakfast of about 2 gms of carbs. With snacks, my daily targets are 50 gms of carbs, 80 gms of fats and 80 gms of protein. I believe this is low carb (not ultra-low carb) and not very high fat. I do tend to increase my fats and proteins if I feel peckish though 85% to 90% chocolate helps!
 

Caprock94

Well-Known Member
Messages
313
Many thanks to all for your kind comments and support.

Caprock, I am sorry you have feet problems, I do hope that for you too this will fade and go. I first realised something was happening around three years ago, when I started to have itchy feet and the soles of my feet felt hot. I clearly recall sitting at my desk in the office where I worked and taking my shoes off and, when no one was watching, rubbing one foot with the other to try to relieve the itching. At night my feet would feel like they were burning. The only visible signs of anything was localised peeling of the skin and a slightly mottled appearance to the skin, and on a few occasions red dots on my toes, feet and finger tips (sorry if this is too much detail!). I had no loss of sensation in my feet.

I initially thought it might be something fungal, my GP suggested it might be Pompholyx, a type of eczema. I tried canesten cream and moisturising cream, and it didn’t get worse or better. Then I had the blood test and was told I was pre diabetic, close to diabetic, and this raised the possibility that the problems with my feet might be due to neuropathy.

In subsequent blood tests my GP has included a vitamin B12 check, and it has been within the normal range.

My strategy has been a low sugar, low carb lifestyle and although the most noticeable change has been weight loss and the drop in my HbA1c readings, I am aware that my skin feels smoother, I no longer get acne spots and, whatever the cause, the itching and burning, peeling feet and dots on digits are all history.

I do think that I have been fortunate – I was diagnosed early on, before D2 had progressed far, my blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides are also fine, and I have responded well to going low carb.

That's good news Taxus! Glad yours cleared. How long did it take? Was it gradual? Mine is so perplexing. I was diagnosed this April with T2. I know a year prior I was still in the Pre D range, so not a long time T2. After diagnosis I went low carb, and it wasn't until my sugars dropped that I developed this. I have no loss of sensation either. Maybe just overly sensitive feet.....hopefully temporary.
 

Taxus

Member
Messages
24
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi Caprock. Sorry for delay in replying. The itching and burning sensation in my feet disappeared gradually over a period of six months or so. It just went from being something I was constantly aware of and worried about, to an occasional nighttime irritant, and now it's gone. This happened when I was going low carb, loosing weight and lowering my blood sugar levels.
 
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