So... where to begin. Firstly by apologising. I've been lurking as a 'guest' for a long time. I was diagnosed as type 2 Diabetes on the 10th of May 2016. I went through denial, anger, fear... all of the things. It wasn't just blood sugar that was out of control. I was. I was over 310lbs, eating terribly, drinking terribly, struggling with stress and anxiety, much of which was caused by a divorce/separation and a job that I truly hated. So I eat for comfort. Everything was bad. I'd never been slim, but I now couldn't look at myself in the mirror. I found out at diagnosis that I'd been borderline on a HBA1C blood test the previous year and no one had told me, so realistically I'd been T2 less than a year, and was sitting at a HBA1C of 55 (second double confirmation test a few weeks later of 52). I was 35 years old.
I came here as a first port of call. I was waiting for my first appointment with a diabetic nurse, and I was just trying to get my head around what was happening to me and what I could do to stop it, or more realistically, dampen its impact. I have a partner that relies on me and what scared me most of all was that down the line I'd go first (by my own hand), and that I'd miss out on more life with her as a result. So I read, I read about LCHF, I read about the Newcastle/Blood Sugar diet, and I started to make changes. Immediately removed refined carbs/sugars, and also calorie cut to between 1600-1800. Started walking a minimum of 10,000 steps a day, drinking 2-3l of water, removed all fizzy drinks apart from carbonated water. Diet sodas aren't an option as my partner is allergic to artificial sweeteners.
My nurse, who is wonderful, believed me when I said I wanted to try and do this via diet. I showed her the research on the Newcastle Diet and said I wanted to try it. I've seen what all the positives and negatives have said about it. Is it a cure? Is it remission? I just saw it as a chance, a chance to bring this beast under sharp control and give me a fighting chance at controlling it by diet alone. She got me an appointment with a GP that was looking to specialise in Diabetic cases for the area. He backed me and said he'd be willing to do phone consultations or see me if any complications arose, he was curious about what could be achieved. I was given a Wavesense Jazz to help me keep track of my blood sugar levels and avoid going dangerously low.
By the time all this had come to pass it was late May, and I had a defined goal: By my Birthday at the end of July I wanted to be able to enjoy a day with some cake (in moderation), and a few beers (in moderation), and not destroy myself with guilt or out of control blood sugar levels. So I embarked on the 8 week original plan. The weight poured off me, literally disappearing at a rate I cannot even fathom now. Whether by luck or genetics despite the rapid loss I've not ended up with lots of excess skin. By the end of the 8 weeks (during which I got very fed up of stir fry and mushrooms and my Purition meal replacement drinks), I was now weighing 210lbs. I spent a week gently reintroducing carbs in medium quantities, and staying away from overly refined products. This was partly due to my desire to keep things under control and partly because, by that point I'd lost my taste for them.
On my Birthday I tested my fasting blood sugar. Despite eating late, it sat at a very happy and reasonable 4.4. For breakfast I had a bacon sandwich on white bread. Criminal, right? I didn't test my 2hrs, mainly because at that point I was walking hand in hand with my partner through green fields on the Isle of Wight towards a beach of sand. I felt pretty damned good. That afternoon I had selection of cheese and biscuits followed by a cream tea (as I realised I’d rather have that than cake). Scones, Jam, and clotted cream. I daren’t even think of the carbs, or the sugar content. It was amazing, and with only the slightest tinge of guilt.
I’d promised myself I wouldn’t test myself, for fear of it it was above 7.8, and just test myself the following morning for a second fasting. However 2 hours later, I excused myself, went to the bathroom and tested myself. I couldn’t help it, I felt guilty.
Hands were shaking a bit and I was sweating. Pretty sure it wasn’t just the summer heat. Sample taken, meter whirred and the 2hr reading from my delicious gluttony came back: 6.2. I exhaled slowly. I went off, I enjoyed the rest of my holiday. A few weeks later I had my first post-lifestyle change HBA1C. Even with the excesses of a holiday and a return to normal-ish eating, my HBA1C came at 29. My nurse was ecstatic, and only chastised me over a slightly out of range LDL.
Since that moment I have enjoyed a balanced and mostly normal lifestyle. I’m very careful about what and when I eat, I don’t tend to eat a lot of refined carbs, for if no other reason than they make me feel bloaty. They cause my post prandials to be higher, but never above 7.8 at the 2hr mark (highest total was a 7.2 after a lot of pizza and beer when a friend visited from America for the first time in 2 years). I’ve given up cider completely, same with fizzy drinks, beer is occasional, and my favourite tipple is a nice whisky or scotch. I'm a cheap date at this weight now, and a scotch lasts me a lot longer than a beer! Fasting blood sugars remain within non diabetic range, highest they’ve gone is a 5.6. I'm using a Wavesense Jazz, which I've seen many people say reads high, but I also checked urine for glucose with dip sticks as a double measure, and nothing came up.
Most interesting lingering side effects is that my sugars definitely seem to be as impacted by my stress/anxiety for me than by diet. I've no idea if this happened to me before diagnosis because, well, I wasn't checking. Also, embarrassingly, I seem more susceptible to Balanitis/Thrush… although its appearance appears to have little connection with my diet or BS levels. So that's a whole barrel of fun. Again, more to do with stress/anxiety.
I also used to be intolerant to eggs, which gave me a stomach ache. Has done since childhood. Now I love a Ham and Egg Salad and can eat them without any negative impact whatsoever.
I allow myself occasional treats, but they are just that: occasional treats, and not the norm. I didn’t test myself at all for 2 weeks over Christmas. My weight bubbled back up 5lbs over the December period, and when I tested my fasting levels they were at 5.3. Not as good as it had been before, but it soon dropped back down when the last of the festive treats had gone, as did the 5lbs of weight. The biggest difference wasn’t what I eat, but how much of it. My stomach has shrunk.
Since January, I’ve taken up running again. A month ago I ran a fundraising 10k in 54mins flat, and regularly run 15-20km a week in 3-4 runs, with the average 5k taking me 28mins. Next up I start upper body and resistance training and rebuilding some of the muscle I lost along with the fat.
My weight has gone done further, and I’m now at a comfortable 182lbs. If it goes back up it won’t be from fat gain, it’ll hopefully be from muscle.
What sparked me to write this mammoth post is I’ve just had my results back from my one year on from diagnosis test.
Drumroll
HBA1C is at 29. All other things are within normal levels, and my weight is solidly in my ‘healthy’ BMI range. Even if I don’t believe in BMI, my surgery/GP/Nurse does! Whilst I’ve not seen the nurse yet, but she saw me when I went in to collect a printout of the results ahead of our appointment next week and she gave me a big grin, so I’m guessing she’s seen them. At this point I imagine she’ll only have my dress sense left to critique.
Based on rough starting weight of 310lbs, my initial loss through August 2016 was a reduction of 32% of my body weight. Followed by the further reduction of 30lbs I am now, at 180lbs, 130lbs lighter than my starting point, a 41% reduction in total weight since time of diagnosis. I seem to have escaped without masses of loose skin, and as I’ve started to build up muscle, some of the saggier areas are tucking themselves back. I'm from a 46" Jeans down to a 30-32". I've attached my 3 HBA1C tests from Diagnosis to present, although personal details are understandably obscured. This is the internet after all.
The big question we all see asked and argued about, and which I've asked myself: Is the Newcastle Diet a cure?
Well, I've no idea. I’ve no idea how long this will last, I've no idea how long I've staved off the effects of Type 2 Diabetes, and I’ve no idea how quickly it would return if I went back to my old super high sugar and refined carb ways. I’m not planning on finding out either, why would I even want to take that risk? I know that I've given myself a new lease of life and I'll be damned if I'm going to squander it.
I will keep checking my fasting range, I will keep exercising, and I keep an eye on my post prandials. I don't think I'm back to how I was before I ‘broke’ myself, I'm not sure that's possible, nor will any of us be until the research into the Newcastle Diet is complete and recognised.
At the moment it appears that my body can cope well with what I'm currently throwing at it. And I'm just fine with that. If I've bought myself an extra 10-15 years (arguably the length of time it took me to get to this stage) before having to deal with it more directly again... I'll take that. If something changes before then, then I'll adapt as well. I'll do what I need to do to keep this body in the condition I've worked bloody hard to achieve.
So lastly: Thank you! Thank you to all those who’ve posted here about LCHF diets, their experience with Newcastle, their fasting, their HBA1C’s, their experiences… It kept this lurker sane. There’s too many to list but you’ve been a wealth of information, hope and scepticism. Even though you’ve probably never known it.
I came here as a first port of call. I was waiting for my first appointment with a diabetic nurse, and I was just trying to get my head around what was happening to me and what I could do to stop it, or more realistically, dampen its impact. I have a partner that relies on me and what scared me most of all was that down the line I'd go first (by my own hand), and that I'd miss out on more life with her as a result. So I read, I read about LCHF, I read about the Newcastle/Blood Sugar diet, and I started to make changes. Immediately removed refined carbs/sugars, and also calorie cut to between 1600-1800. Started walking a minimum of 10,000 steps a day, drinking 2-3l of water, removed all fizzy drinks apart from carbonated water. Diet sodas aren't an option as my partner is allergic to artificial sweeteners.
My nurse, who is wonderful, believed me when I said I wanted to try and do this via diet. I showed her the research on the Newcastle Diet and said I wanted to try it. I've seen what all the positives and negatives have said about it. Is it a cure? Is it remission? I just saw it as a chance, a chance to bring this beast under sharp control and give me a fighting chance at controlling it by diet alone. She got me an appointment with a GP that was looking to specialise in Diabetic cases for the area. He backed me and said he'd be willing to do phone consultations or see me if any complications arose, he was curious about what could be achieved. I was given a Wavesense Jazz to help me keep track of my blood sugar levels and avoid going dangerously low.
By the time all this had come to pass it was late May, and I had a defined goal: By my Birthday at the end of July I wanted to be able to enjoy a day with some cake (in moderation), and a few beers (in moderation), and not destroy myself with guilt or out of control blood sugar levels. So I embarked on the 8 week original plan. The weight poured off me, literally disappearing at a rate I cannot even fathom now. Whether by luck or genetics despite the rapid loss I've not ended up with lots of excess skin. By the end of the 8 weeks (during which I got very fed up of stir fry and mushrooms and my Purition meal replacement drinks), I was now weighing 210lbs. I spent a week gently reintroducing carbs in medium quantities, and staying away from overly refined products. This was partly due to my desire to keep things under control and partly because, by that point I'd lost my taste for them.
On my Birthday I tested my fasting blood sugar. Despite eating late, it sat at a very happy and reasonable 4.4. For breakfast I had a bacon sandwich on white bread. Criminal, right? I didn't test my 2hrs, mainly because at that point I was walking hand in hand with my partner through green fields on the Isle of Wight towards a beach of sand. I felt pretty damned good. That afternoon I had selection of cheese and biscuits followed by a cream tea (as I realised I’d rather have that than cake). Scones, Jam, and clotted cream. I daren’t even think of the carbs, or the sugar content. It was amazing, and with only the slightest tinge of guilt.
I’d promised myself I wouldn’t test myself, for fear of it it was above 7.8, and just test myself the following morning for a second fasting. However 2 hours later, I excused myself, went to the bathroom and tested myself. I couldn’t help it, I felt guilty.
Hands were shaking a bit and I was sweating. Pretty sure it wasn’t just the summer heat. Sample taken, meter whirred and the 2hr reading from my delicious gluttony came back: 6.2. I exhaled slowly. I went off, I enjoyed the rest of my holiday. A few weeks later I had my first post-lifestyle change HBA1C. Even with the excesses of a holiday and a return to normal-ish eating, my HBA1C came at 29. My nurse was ecstatic, and only chastised me over a slightly out of range LDL.
Since that moment I have enjoyed a balanced and mostly normal lifestyle. I’m very careful about what and when I eat, I don’t tend to eat a lot of refined carbs, for if no other reason than they make me feel bloaty. They cause my post prandials to be higher, but never above 7.8 at the 2hr mark (highest total was a 7.2 after a lot of pizza and beer when a friend visited from America for the first time in 2 years). I’ve given up cider completely, same with fizzy drinks, beer is occasional, and my favourite tipple is a nice whisky or scotch. I'm a cheap date at this weight now, and a scotch lasts me a lot longer than a beer! Fasting blood sugars remain within non diabetic range, highest they’ve gone is a 5.6. I'm using a Wavesense Jazz, which I've seen many people say reads high, but I also checked urine for glucose with dip sticks as a double measure, and nothing came up.
Most interesting lingering side effects is that my sugars definitely seem to be as impacted by my stress/anxiety for me than by diet. I've no idea if this happened to me before diagnosis because, well, I wasn't checking. Also, embarrassingly, I seem more susceptible to Balanitis/Thrush… although its appearance appears to have little connection with my diet or BS levels. So that's a whole barrel of fun. Again, more to do with stress/anxiety.
I also used to be intolerant to eggs, which gave me a stomach ache. Has done since childhood. Now I love a Ham and Egg Salad and can eat them without any negative impact whatsoever.
I allow myself occasional treats, but they are just that: occasional treats, and not the norm. I didn’t test myself at all for 2 weeks over Christmas. My weight bubbled back up 5lbs over the December period, and when I tested my fasting levels they were at 5.3. Not as good as it had been before, but it soon dropped back down when the last of the festive treats had gone, as did the 5lbs of weight. The biggest difference wasn’t what I eat, but how much of it. My stomach has shrunk.
Since January, I’ve taken up running again. A month ago I ran a fundraising 10k in 54mins flat, and regularly run 15-20km a week in 3-4 runs, with the average 5k taking me 28mins. Next up I start upper body and resistance training and rebuilding some of the muscle I lost along with the fat.
My weight has gone done further, and I’m now at a comfortable 182lbs. If it goes back up it won’t be from fat gain, it’ll hopefully be from muscle.
What sparked me to write this mammoth post is I’ve just had my results back from my one year on from diagnosis test.
Drumroll
HBA1C is at 29. All other things are within normal levels, and my weight is solidly in my ‘healthy’ BMI range. Even if I don’t believe in BMI, my surgery/GP/Nurse does! Whilst I’ve not seen the nurse yet, but she saw me when I went in to collect a printout of the results ahead of our appointment next week and she gave me a big grin, so I’m guessing she’s seen them. At this point I imagine she’ll only have my dress sense left to critique.
Based on rough starting weight of 310lbs, my initial loss through August 2016 was a reduction of 32% of my body weight. Followed by the further reduction of 30lbs I am now, at 180lbs, 130lbs lighter than my starting point, a 41% reduction in total weight since time of diagnosis. I seem to have escaped without masses of loose skin, and as I’ve started to build up muscle, some of the saggier areas are tucking themselves back. I'm from a 46" Jeans down to a 30-32". I've attached my 3 HBA1C tests from Diagnosis to present, although personal details are understandably obscured. This is the internet after all.
The big question we all see asked and argued about, and which I've asked myself: Is the Newcastle Diet a cure?
Well, I've no idea. I’ve no idea how long this will last, I've no idea how long I've staved off the effects of Type 2 Diabetes, and I’ve no idea how quickly it would return if I went back to my old super high sugar and refined carb ways. I’m not planning on finding out either, why would I even want to take that risk? I know that I've given myself a new lease of life and I'll be damned if I'm going to squander it.
I will keep checking my fasting range, I will keep exercising, and I keep an eye on my post prandials. I don't think I'm back to how I was before I ‘broke’ myself, I'm not sure that's possible, nor will any of us be until the research into the Newcastle Diet is complete and recognised.
At the moment it appears that my body can cope well with what I'm currently throwing at it. And I'm just fine with that. If I've bought myself an extra 10-15 years (arguably the length of time it took me to get to this stage) before having to deal with it more directly again... I'll take that. If something changes before then, then I'll adapt as well. I'll do what I need to do to keep this body in the condition I've worked bloody hard to achieve.
So lastly: Thank you! Thank you to all those who’ve posted here about LCHF diets, their experience with Newcastle, their fasting, their HBA1C’s, their experiences… It kept this lurker sane. There’s too many to list but you’ve been a wealth of information, hope and scepticism. Even though you’ve probably never known it.
