LOW CARB SUCCESS STORIES

NéjiSaïdi

Well-Known Member
Messages
71
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Fake knowledge
We have endless debates and arguments about what constitutes a healthy diet. It seems one man's carb is another man's poision.
One common concern, however, is that newly diagnosed visitors will get mixed messages from the conflicting opinions. I have therefore decided that it's time for a wee census. I know of many members who have gained control of their condition by adopting a low(er) carb diet, but then found no further use for the forum, taken their normal blood sugars and disappeared. I would like us to gather statements from diabetics who have found success by restricting their carbohydrate intake, by whatever amount.
So please let us know if you have succeeded in managing your diabetes by restricting your carbs.
If you can supply before and after figures for diet, blood sugar readings, HbA1c, weight, weight or lipids it will all help to build a picture of how real people are getting on.
Oh, and the arguments won't be tolerated here but can be continued elsewhere!

All the best,

fergus
Mine is a success story. My labs are on display on my personal blog. Been LCHF (not necessarily Keto) for almost 15 months. Nothing to complain about, and lots of achievements to share to whom it may concern.
 

aealexandrou

Well-Known Member
Messages
117
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Exercise
My latest Hba1c is up 2 points to 38. I am so not happy about this. I am thinking of going on an extended fast under medical supervision. Has anyone else done this and what were the results ?
I don't believe an extended fast is the answer, as you will lose lean meat. Intermittent fasting is safer and allows you to take in sufficient protein and fats to retain muscle mass. I started Keto and intermittent fasting last March. I already had good HbA1c readings for T2D (I.e. 35, 38, etc), but after a year my last HbA1c was 23. I started Keto at 97 kilos. I went down to 82 kilos by November but have remained constant ever since. It's not an issue and has given me time to consider my nutrient intake with each particular type of food. I realised that my Keto at the start of the process was not the Keto that I am practicing now. Perhaps you need to reconsider what you are eating if your HbA1c is refusing to come down. Protein can also stimulate insulin, albeit to a much lower degree than carbs. Are you having enough fat? Too many nuts? Are you juicing vegetables (kale, broccoli, etc) and if you are, are you cooking/steaming them first to get reduce the lectins? It's a long process and there is a lot of trial and error.
 

gale1960

Member
Messages
11
We have endless debates and arguments about what constitutes a healthy diet. It seems one man's carb is another man's poision.
One common concern, however, is that newly diagnosed visitors will get mixed messages from the conflicting opinions. I have therefore decided that it's time for a wee census. I know of many members who have gained control of their condition by adopting a low(er) carb diet, but then found no further use for the forum, taken their normal blood sugars and disappeared. I would like us to gather statements from diabetics who have found success by restricting their carbohydrate intake, by whatever amount.
So please let us know if you have succeeded in managing your diabetes by restricting your carbs.
If you can supply before and after figures for diet, blood sugar readings, HbA1c, weight, weight or lipids it will all help to build a picture of how real people are getting on.
Oh, and the arguments won't be tolerated here but can be continued elsewhere!

All the best,

fergus
Mine is a success story. In just three months of following a LCHF lifestyle my ac1 levels have gone from 50 to 38, I have lost 21lbs, 6 inches from my waist and blood sugars have dropped from constantly being 8+ to between 5 and 6.
 
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Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi All,

November 2019 HbA1c of 74. I started self-funding Libre (T2 IDDM) in early December. From looking at the graphs, by early January I was on LCHF diet. my Feb HbA1c was 49 and I am hoping for 46 or better next time. So far lost about 8Kg and hoping to be below 110Kg in about 6 weeks (5Kg to go).

A bit frustrated with myself, I've gone out of range (3.9 to 8.5) twice today. If I could have managed to stay in range I would have had a week 100% in range.

Mark
 
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NéjiSaïdi

Well-Known Member
Messages
71
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Fake knowledge
I was diagnosed with T2D January 2019. I guess I have been diabetic for no less than a decade, not diagnosed. I refused to take medication and went low carb. In fact, I reduced carbs to a minimum and tried to maximize fat intake. I avoided any human-tampered fats and restricted my ingestion to olive oil, animals fat and naturally occurring plant-based lipids (flax seed, nuts, etc.) I can confirm that my blood glucose is well under control, the same is true of other metabolic markers (blood pressure, the lipid profile), bonus: weight loss of about 12 kgs (down from 75 kgs -basal- to 62/63). I have never had any hypos; I did have low readings ranging between 67 mg/dl (the lowest ever) and 70 mg/dl but with no side-effects. My labs are detailed in my personal blog. Ready to share experience with whom it may concern about diet and the ups and downs of a successful fight with diabetes.
 

bimsbims

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I don't believe an extended fast is the answer, as you will lose lean meat. Intermittent fasting is safer and allows you to take in sufficient protein and fats to retain muscle mass. I started Keto and intermittent fasting last March. I already had good HbA1c readings for T2D (I.e. 35, 38, etc), but after a year my last HbA1c was 23. I started Keto at 97 kilos. I went down to 82 kilos by November but have remained constant ever since. It's not an issue and has given me time to consider my nutrient intake with each particular type of food. I realised that my Keto at the start of the process was not the Keto that I am practicing now. Perhaps you need to reconsider what you are eating if your HbA1c is refusing to come down. Protein can also stimulate insulin, albeit to a much lower degree than carbs. Are you having enough fat? Too many nuts? Are you juicing vegetables (kale, broccoli, etc) and if you are, are you cooking/steaming them first to get reduce the lectins? It's a long process and there is a lot of trial and error.
hello what happens when we juice vegetables mentioned cos I do and mix with a little whey protein powder as smoothie
 

bimsbims

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I don't believe an extended fast is the answer, as you will lose lean meat. Intermittent fasting is safer and allows you to take in sufficient protein and fats to retain muscle mass. I started Keto and intermittent fasting last March. I already had good HbA1c readings for T2D (I.e. 35, 38, etc), but after a year my last HbA1c was 23. I started Keto at 97 kilos. I went down to 82 kilos by November but have remained constant ever since. It's not an issue and has given me time to consider my nutrient intake with each particular type of food. I realised that my Keto at the start of the process was not the Keto that I am practicing now. Perhaps you need to reconsider what you are eating if your HbA1c is refusing to come down. Protein can also stimulate insulin, albeit to a much lower degree than carbs. Are you having enough fat? Too many nuts? Are you juicing vegetables (kale, broccoli, etc) and if you are, are you cooking/steaming them first to get reduce the lectins? It's a long process and there is a lot of trial and error.
 

bimsbims

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
hello what happens when we juice vegetables mentioned cos I do and mix with a little whey protein powder as smoothie
 

bimsbims

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Mine is a success story. In just three months of following a LCHF lifestyle my ac1 levels have gone from 50 to 38, I have lost 21lbs, 6 inches from my waist and blood sugars have dropped from constantly being 8+ to between 5 and 6.
I just started 2 weeks ago low carb diet but can I have some bulgur with salad, beans and vegetable smoothie? my post meals is persistently 8.6 - 9mmols thanks
 

bimsbims

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I was diagnosed with T2D January 2019. I guess I have been diabetic for no less than a decade, not diagnosed. I refused to take medication and went low carb. In fact, I reduced carbs to a minimum and tried to maximize fat intake. I avoided any human-tampered fats and restricted my ingestion to olive oil, animals fat and naturally occurring plant-based lipids (flax seed, nuts, etc.) I can confirm that my blood glucose is well under control, the same is true of other metabolic markers (blood pressure, the lipid profile), bonus: weight loss of about 12 kgs (down from 75 kgs -basal- to 62/63). I have never had any hypos; I did have low readings ranging between 67 mg/dl (the lowest ever) and 70 mg/dl but with no side-effects. My labs are detailed in my personal blog. Ready to share experience with whom it may concern about diet and the ups and downs of a successful fight with diabetes.
yes please share
 
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bimsbims

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
You look so much younger. Great job... :)
please can I ask if you went full keto or still had moderate carbs I am looking to keep some bulgur and porridge oats in my diet, plus I currently smoothie vegetables with whey protein powder and the rest is carnivore and eggs and cheese etc. i have coffee with some milk and sweetener as well is this okay? I am on week 2 of low card newly diagnosed in Feb this year and bad reaction t metformin and statin thank you
 

Trace8

Newbie
Messages
1
Hello! I’m a recently diagnosed type 2 (just over a week at time of writing) but I suspect I’ve had it for some time. I’m reducing my carbs - how low has everyone else gone? How low is effective?
 

Roggg

Well-Known Member
Messages
286
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hey all. I'm going to share not one, but 3 success stories with you all.

Me:
I've been T2D for... 7 years? I've been off and on various ways of eating, and I can tell you this. When I did low-ish carb paleo early in my diagnosis, I was able to stave off the need for medications at all. When I went off that style of eating, I saw a gradual increase in the medications I needed to take to maintain my BG, until I finally drew the line in the sand and told my doctor I didn't want any increases, and I felt it was within my power and responsibility to hold the line on meds. Since then I have gone fairly strict keto, and I have seen my A1C go back into normal range (albeit with jardience and metformin). I'm ready to start reducing meds and I am fully confident that I can maintain good controls doing so.

My wife:
In the run-up to my keto diet, I watched a lot of videos and read a lot of articles and books on T2D and how to eat your way out of it. I was fascinated by a lot of it, and shared a lot of what I was learning with my wife. Although obesity is not my problem, the cause and solution to T2D and obesity both seem to resolve around managing insulin levels, and my wife has issues with obesity. I was pretty surprised when she decided to join me in keto eating. She has been very carb-oriented, and the nature of our relationship is that it would not help her at all for me to push. In the end, I think cheese and bacon probably won the day. In any case, she's been eating keto for I think about 2.5 months, and to date she has lost 40 lbs. The best part about it is, she says she is rarely hungry, and finds now that she is adapted, the keto way of eating is actually pretty easy to maintain. In fact the only time she is hungry is when fasting. She has implemented some very mild IF principles along with keto (no eating after 7pm, and skip breakfast a few times per week). She expects to lose significantly more weight going forward, and we both plan to eat keto long-term if nothing goes awry.

My brother:

My brother was recently (less than two months ago) diagnosed with T2D. He had been a long time (years) without a fasting glucose test, and when they did a routine one for his annual, they found his fasting level somewhere around 17mmol/l. I shared with him everything I've learned about hyperinsulinemia and all the things I wish I had known in the beginning. I referred him the Phinney and Fung and Ivor Cummins etc... He jumped on keto and within 6 weeks saw a dramatic reversal of not only his blood glucose, but also his triglycerides and to a lesser extent his blood pressure. He is having blood work done every 6 weeks now, and is using his meter multiple times daily. Based on the averages he is seeing on the meter, he expects to have an A1C in or near the normal range on his next test.

Anyway, I'm all-in on keto as the way forward, and I'm glad to see people I love benefitting as well. I hope this helps someone else.
 
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pr126

Well-Known Member
Messages
100
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thanks to keto diet and intermittent fasting I have been without T2D consistently for 21 months.
Weekdays 16 hours of fasting, weekends 20 hours of fasting.
Carbs about 50 gr per day.
Weight is 66.5 Kg, BMI 24.1
Measuring BG levels daily, always under 7 mmo/l or less.

Due to the COVID-19 there is no HBA1c test possible.
 
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pdmjoker

Well-Known Member
Messages
417
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
3rd July 2020 is the second anniversary of me going Keto:

Although highly motivated by health issues, over a six month period I was unable to lose even one pound with typical calorie-restriction "Eat Less, Move More". However, a strict Low Carbohydrate (Ketogenic) diet enabled me to lose 3 stone in just seven months, significantly reduce my Cardiovascular risk and reverse/put into remission Prediabetes, all without feeling starved or deprived!
For more info, please see the post here
 

pr126

Well-Known Member
Messages
100
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
please can I ask if you went full keto or still had moderate carbs I am looking to keep some bulgur and porridge oats in my diet, plus I currently smoothie vegetables with whey protein powder and the rest is carnivore and eggs and cheese etc. i have coffee with some milk and sweetener as well is this okay? I am on week 2 of low card newly diagnosed in Feb this year and bad reaction t metformin and statin thank you
50 grams or less carbs a day. 20 grams if you want ketosis. Look for Keto / lowcarbs recipes on Youtube. There are thousand of them.
There are "hidden" carbs in most foods that you think is OK to eat. Even in vegetables.

Bulgur and porridge oats is no good for keto. Look on the package for carbs, deduct fibre for net carbs.
 
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ZESTRIL

Well-Known Member
Messages
56
Type of diabetes
Type 2
3rd July 2020 is the second anniversary of me going Keto:

Although highly motivated by health issues, over a six month period I was unable to lose even one pound with typical calorie-restriction "Eat Less, Move More". However, a strict Low Carbohydrate (Ketogenic) diet enabled me to lose 3 stone in just seven months, significantly reduce my Cardiovascular risk and reverse/put into remission Prediabetes, all without feeling starved or deprived!
For more info, please see the post here
I just started my lowe carb diet I've lost four pounds in Wight in two weeks I'm so happy I've lower my insulin to ten one in the morning and one at night
 

pdmjoker

Well-Known Member
Messages
417
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I just started my lowe carb diet I've lost four pounds in Wight in two weeks I'm so happy I've lower my insulin to ten one in the morning and one at night
Well done! Keep going! :)