Confusion about reversing diabetes

bulkbiker said:

Personally I check the labels on anything I buy and effectively limit that to 5g of carbs per 100g.

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This is approach comes across as very handy for when you go round the aisles picking out goods to go in the basket.

Listlad said:

This is approach comes across as very handy for when you go round the aisles picking out goods to go in the basket.

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You'll end up with a pretty healthy trolley.. my exceptions would be 90% choc and Oppo ice cream as a treat.

bulkbiker said:

You'll end up with a pretty healthy trolley.. my exceptions would be 90% choc and Oppo ice cream as a treat.

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On special offer in Waitrose at the moment!!

taunty said:

Hi
I've been trying to reverse diabetes type 2 for one year with very low carb diet and lots of exercise. I managed to get the H1ABc measurement down to 61 from 67 but then it went up again to 67 so I've been told Metformin is the way forward.

When I test on my blood strips I see that is down to 7.0 on a day with very low carb and exercise (mostly 2 + hour walks or a 30 + mile bike ride) although the 3 monthly tests come out in the sixties as per above.

I am depressed about not reversing it. Is there anything else I can do. Should I just accept that I am not going to reverse it and go on to Metformin. i tried it by the way and it made me feel really ill - very bloated and stomach ached.

The doctor said the risks of having a heart attack if i don't take Metformin are as high as someone who's just had a heart attack, or something alarming.

thanks for your advice

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Your doctor seems to have a slightly bleak view on your health. I don't agree with taking prescribed drugs (that's just my thing)
I don't agree with metformin at all here are just some side effects from it:

• physical weakness (asthenia)
• diarrhea
• gas (flatulence)
• symptoms of weakness, muscle pain (myalgia)
• upper respiratory tract infection
• low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
• abdominal pain (GI complaints), lactic acidosis (rare)
• low blood levels of vitamin B-12
• nausea
• vomiting
• chest discomfort
• chills, dizziness
• bloating/abdominal distention
• constipation
• heartburn

I was presenting at a CVD conference last year and was taking to a GP on how she helped lower her patients type-2. Her recommendation was for them to stop eating carbs after 7pm. On paper this worked for a handful of people, always an option.

But a dietary approach is always a better start. Try and keep it very simple. If you can make a food diary for two weeks, yes this is boring but important to do. Once you have done this, look at how much added sugar you are having (5gs per 100g/100ml) then start reducing this. Making one small change a month should help you build a really nice habit. Using intermittent fasting is a great tool, doing 2-3 days where you skip a meal will help force your body to bring insulin down and start releasing the stored glycogen for energy.

hope this helps, good luck

Tigernash said:

Her recommendation was for them to stop eating carbs after 7pm. On paper this worked for a handful of people, always an option.

But a dietary approach is always a better start.

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Errm wasn't her approach a dietary approach? OK maybe the wrong one but a dietary approach all the same?
Stopping eating carbs completely would have been way more effective.. cutting added sugar will have an impact sure but won't give great results surely?

bulkbiker said:

Errm wasn't her approach a dietary approach? OK maybe the wrong one but a dietary approach all the same?
Stopping eating carbs completely would have been way more effective.. cutting added sugar will have an impact sure but won't give great results surely?

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Her way was a good one. Every tool you can use is worth it, I was just agreeing with the diet approach rather than straight to medications as with some people

Yes stopping the added sugar in your diet is a much useful tool. Fundamentally we don't need to have sugar in our diets, our body makes all the sugar it actually needs from everything else we eat.
Again all tools can help, some are just better than others for some people

Tigernash said:

Fundamentally we don't need to have sugar in our diets

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You are confusing sugar with carbohydrates..

Personally I advocate not eating anything after 7pm and limited or no carbohydrates between the hours of 7am and 7am.

Jim Lahey said:

Personally I advocate not eating anything after 7pm and limited or no carbohydrates between the hours of 7am and 7am.

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That is a bit difficult for some people - I have breakfast at 6.00 as I leave for work at 6.30 and sometimes don’t get home until 6.00 so by the time I’ve cooked tea etc I’m way outside that particular window.