Type 2 Diabetes and huge weight loss

[Goonergal]

I’ve lost over 5 stone and my HbA1c is now normal. However, I don’t think this is due solely to the weight loss. I think my low carb diet is the key reason for the reduction in blood sugars. I’ve supplemented the diet with intermittent fasting - no breakfast and one meal a day 2 or 3 times a week. I added the fasting once comfortable with the way of eating.

 

[Grateful]

I think that the hunger you experienced was because you cut out fats as well as carbs. If you up your fats to replace some of the carbs the hunger doesn't really happen - fats being more satiating than carbs anyway. So you may end up eating less because you feel fuller and can fast more also helping with reducing BG and weight. That's been my own personal experience along this jourmney.

That makes excellent sense. It may even be that I am "overdoing it" but, as others have already pointing out, if it works for me, that should be sufficient, for me.

There is a convenience/habit factor too. Sorry to say, my wife and I are still somewhat indoctrinated into believing that moderate fat intake is better than high fat -- despite the very interesting discussions in places like this forum.

I agree that the evidence for the "healthiness" of the low-fat juggernaut was flimsy right from the beginning. But after many decades of eating that way, we are happy with it and (unless it results in nutritional deficiency of some kind) it is hard to believe that it could actively be "bad for you."

One huge caveat however: I am now convinced that my T2D may have been partially brought on, or aggravated, by eating a low-fat diet that was supplemented by overcompensating to add excessive carbs (to make up for the calorie deficit in the low-fat diet). In my case specifically, beer, pasta, rice, potatos, bread, and all of that refined sugar I used to add to my coffee. But that is water under the bridge now.

My wife, fortunately, never had anything like the same appetite for carbs and her A1C was normal at last test. So the current setup seems to work for both of us.

 

[bulkbiker]

as others have already pointing out, if it works for me, that should be sufficient.

Exactly... I wasn't criticising but hoping to explain why you felt the hunger you mentioned..
I haven't felt hungry whilst eating this way except a few times while on an extended fast.

 

[Guzzler]

By the way @carina62 I would like to be careful to avoid giving the impression that this kind of diet is easy to implement.

For the first three or four weeks I was ravenously hungry all the time. On the other hand, I had just been diagnosed with diabetes, a nasty chronic disease (and had just read all the horror stories about it, but had not yet read the "success stories"). I was scared s***l***.

If you can try to rewind back in time and remember the time when you yourself were diagnosed with T2D, that might help with motivation. If not, there is some basic info about the complications of the disease on this website, and elsewhere. Fortunately, you already seem to have a strong desire to make it work.

Having rather unfairly tried to scare you, here is the excellent news: For some reason, after a few weeks on the low-carb diet the hunger goes away, for many people. The effect is permanent (as long as you avoid the carbs). I am not the only person to experience this: it is a commonplace effect of the low-carb way of life.

That is exactly the detail which I was looking for, the hunger that goes along with low carb if one does not sate with fats (of whichever type one chooses). I really struggled with hunger issues for the first 4-6 weeks but as you say, the hunger abates and the 'need' for snack food slowly disappears. The results of lower bg levels and lowered A1c are very satisfying, the weight loss is nice but it is secondary. It is interesting that fatty stores in the liver can be lowered within weeks, sometimes days, of starting the LoCarb or ND diet.

 

[Grateful]

Exactly... I wasn't criticising but hoping to explain why you felt the hunger you mentioned..

And it did not come across that way, at all.

Sorry @carina62, as you can see some of what goes on in this forum is banter between virtual friends. You should listen particularly closely to @bulkbiker who has been very helpful to me, and who is a champion weight-loser and diabetes-controller. The Reasonably-Sized Controller from Thomas The Tank Engine.

He is just one of many people who make this place a great resource.

 

[Pinkorchid]

That is what I did for the first two months. Even now my diet tends toward LCLF. Some examples:

• The little milk that I drink is zero-fat.
• Zero-fat Greek yoghurt.
• No cream in coffee or in anything else for that matter.
• A preference for white meats (chicken, pork), only eating beef once in a blue moon.

However there is still a fair amount of fatty stuff:

• I eat plenty of cheese.
• I have a half-avocado at lunchtime most days.
• I am fond of the dietdoctor's "keto seed crackers" which are heavy on fatty coconut oil.
• If hungry between meals, I snack on nuts and oil-pickled olives.

But by rights I should probably be deceased, or something, considering how much I have eliminated. I don't control portions anymore, and probably eat twice as much vegetables as most people.

It may be because I have a very slim frame and just don't need much energy. But on the other hand, as a teenager I was just a stringy eating machine, guzzling vasts amounts of food. I was 6-foot-4 by age 17, which is not unusual nowadays but back then made me the tallest person in the school (which was in the UK).

I have never had a weight problem always been very slim but I did loose some I didn't need to when I went lower carb.Your diet sounds very similar to mine I have semi skimmed milk in my tea and usually low fat reduced sugar yogurt no cream and a very small amount of butter but I do love all kinds of cheese so not all that I have are low fat. I don't eat red meat or anything made from it like bacon, sausages or mince so I eat mostly chicken and fish. If I make chilli-con-carne or cottage pie I use Quorn. I do eat lots of vegetables love them all .. but no potatoes now.... I also eat a lot of avocados, olives and a few nuts and I have good oils

 

[Bluetit1802]

I lost 4 stones on low carb with increased fats. That was 3 years ago. I had to increase my fats and a bit of protein to maintain, so am now low carb high fat. I don't eat fatty cuts of meat apart from bacon. (don't like meat fat) I eat dairy, red meat, chicken, liver, plenty of eggs, lots of salmon, not many green veggies and hardly any fruit apart from tons of tomatoes.

I do not think weight loss correlates to improved blood sugars to any great extent. It is the fat round our organs that has to go, not the fat under our skin. That may involve a diet such as the Newcastle Diet and variations, or low carb. Losing subcutaneous fat is a bonus if it happens. That's just my opinion. For us, controlling our blood sugars should be the priority and any weight loss a nice reward.

 

[bulkbiker]

And it did not come across that way, at all.

Sorry @carina62, as you can see some of what goes on in this forum is banter between virtual friends. You should listen particularly closely to @bulkbiker who has been very helpful to me, and who is a champion weight-loser and diabetes-controller. The Reasonably-Sized Controller from Thomas The Tank Engine.

He is just one of many people who make this place a great resource.

Wow that's most kind.. and probably very undeserved. I credit what I have learnt from others on this forum with restoring my health. Without them I'd probably be very ill by now.

 

[Pinkorchid]

I did not say there was anything wrong with it.

No you didn't but you did sort of question as to why low fat. I was just pointing out that different people do it different ways and there is no wrong way You must agree that high/higher fat is usually pushed here as the way to go and low fat is generally sneered on but if it works for those who prefer it then that is good.

 

[Guzzler]

No you didn't but you did sort of question as to why low fat. I was just pointing out that different people do it different ways and there is no wrong way You must agree that high/higher fat is usually pushed here as the way to go and low fat is generally sneered on but if it works for those who prefer it then that good.

I think you may be reading too much into my reply but I prefer to avoid yet another argument on the forum so I will leave it at that.

 

[Pinkorchid]

I think you may be reading too much into my reply but I prefer to avoid yet another argument on the forum so I will leave it at that.

I had not intention of it being an argument I was just pointing out an opinion just like you give your opinion about things so no need at all for it turn into an argument

 

[JohnEGreen]

I was 18 1/2 stone HbA1c was 64+

I am now 10 Stone thats 8.5 stone lost and my HbA1c last week was measured at 35.

Being low carb and eating only between 600 and 800 calories a day for over a year was tough going but it did the job.

Wouldn't recommend it for most people though.

 

[chalup]

I have lost 60 lbs and my last A1c was 37. Mostly keto but I was stuck for a while and decided to try the one large low carb meal a day as I knew from testing that I had high insulin. The last 10 lbs came off quickly with that. I still have 50 lbs to lose and I think I will switch back and forth between one meal a day and low carb/keto just to keep my body guessing. I think it needs to be said that women generally experience things differently than men and at different life stages. We are very hormonal and that makes a difference.

 

[lucylocket61]

For me, getting my blood sugars good was the key to losing weight. I think the idea that losing weight is the key is backwards and gives the establishment a reason to blame people for being fat, rather than blaming the highly messed up food we are pushed to eat for making us insulin resistant and triggering our diabetes.

I am losing slowly and steadily on a low-ish carb, medium-ish fat diet with very little processed food and no low-fat products. I hope to start a lower carb diet soon, once my chest has cleared up (I am coughing for Britain at the moment)

 

[dipsydo]

We are all different so some people find low carb works and others find low cals work . I found I was not hungry on low carbs and have lost 4 stone on lowish carb ( 60ish carbs ) and protein based on 0.8 kilo of the weight I wanted to be plus drinking at least 1.5 - 2 litres of fluid a day and eating 16:8 and finishing by 6pm . I have so much energy, I did find I lost weight rather erratically so lost 1 / 2 lbs a week then stuck at 13 stone for a month or so and then lost 7 lbs in a week - plateaued again for 8 weeks and lost another 7 lbs in a week . I am now stuck on 12 stone and looks like this is my normal weight so has not moved for last 3 months but as this gives me normal BMI - I think I will maybe have to accept this unless I want to go a bit more hard core. Meter indicates that blood sugars are in "normal" range .

I do go off piste some times but try not to beat myself up if I do because life is too short.I keep a food diary which I find encourages me not to over eat if I have to write it down ,. I find that I really like lowish carb - I know it not for all but works for me.

 

[TC8669]

I've lost over 4 stones (want to lose another 1.5 stone) and lowered my A1c from 67 to 26. Now all I have to do is keep the A1c in the normal range for as long as I can. I was trying to get my bgl under control rather than lose weight. The weight just fell off. For the past couple of weeks it's slowed to 1 kilo a week.

Additionally my liver function test came back as normal. (I was diagnosed with a fatty liver 3 years ago).

Hi there, congratulations on such great results. I lost three stone and my BS levels went down to 5.2 which was great. Over the last few months i put on about 10 lbs an my BS went into average 6.5-6.7. Ive just joined this site to hopefully hook up with people like you, who have had success over the longer term so that I might discover what kind of discipline and mindset is applied to keep healthy and hopefully,get off meds. It would be great to connect with you. Cheers, Tony

 

[TC8669]

We are all different so some people find low carb works and others find low cals work . I found I was not hungry on low carbs and have lost 4 stone on lowish carb ( 60ish carbs ) and protein based on 0.8 kilo of the weight I wanted to be plus drinking at least 1.5 - 2 litres of fluid a day and eating 16:8 and finishing by 6pm . I have so much energy, I did find I lost weight rather erratically so lost 1 / 2 lbs a week then stuck at 13 stone for a month or so and then lost 7 lbs in a week - plateaued again for 8 weeks and lost another 7 lbs in a week . I am now stuck on 12 stone and looks like this is my normal weight so has not moved for last 3 months but as this gives me normal BMI - I think I will maybe have to accept this unless I want to go a bit more hard core. Meter indicates that blood sugars are in "normal" range .

I do go off piste some times but try not to beat myself up if I do because life is too short.I keep a food diary which I find encourages me not to over eat if I have to write it down ,. I find that I really like lowish carb - I know it not for all but works for me.

Hi there, congratulations on your fantastic results. you really seem to be on top of the challenge and doing so well at it. I lost three stone, got into exercise and my BS dropped to 5.2. however over the last few months I've put on about 10lbs and my BS levels are now hovering around 6.5 on average. I know its still good but my goal is to get back to 5.2 and stay there for a reasonable amount of time before getting off Metformin. I've just joined this site in the hope of connecting with people like yourself who migh be interested in sharing what motivates you and how you keep your discipline etc to get such great results. I hope we ca connect. Cheers, Tony