Diabetes Awareness Month: I cancelled weight loss surgery and went low carb instead

Faced with the prospect of weight loss surgery, Stefan turned to a low carb diet. Ten months later he had put his type 2 diabetes into remission. Stefan posted his story on the Diabetes Forum to show how going low carb helped him lower his blood glucose levels, lose weight and avoid surgery. Back in January 2012, the 53-year-old from Hällingsjö in Sweden was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. He had an HbA1c of 99 mmol/mol (11.2%) and a fasting blood glucose of 19.6 mmol/L. He weighed 155kg. Stefan's doctor referred him for a gastric bypass and he was prescribed metformin. However, Stefan was understandably hesitant about the upcoming surgery. "Is this the only possible way out?" he said. He had previously eaten a low carb diet and experienced some success, so after reading about low carb in more detail he decided to commit. Ten months later he was on a new path. "I went on a strict low carb diet and in less than 10 months, I had [put my type 2 diabetes into remission], and had a blood sugar of a perfectly healthy person's level with an HbA1c of 39 mmol/mol (5.7%), and a fasting blood glucose at 5.4-5.6. I also dropped a number of kilos, and this without any medication, just by changing lifestyle." Nearly 18 months on, Stefan’s HbA1c remains between 38-39 and his health markers are "better than they have been for 25-30 years". He also lost around 50kg. We are sharing success stories such as Stefan's through Diabetes Awareness Month. All of the case studies we have covered so far are available on our News section. To get involved with the Diabetes Awareness Month the campaigns we are running visit our social media pages and search for the hashtag #StrongerTogether.

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