Fasting

[Lisa5]

Hi there.
I posted on Ask a question but no response.
I'm wondering has anyone tried fasting and has it helped with you Blood sugars?
My last HBA1C was 88mmols. I'm on 2 g of metformin and 50mds of empagliflozin which I have dropped to 25 as not tolerating. I'm exceriseing but still have a weekend treat of cards and chocolate. If im any stricter ill be miserable but I eould like to get off these meds. I've been on metformin for 15 yrs and in on my late 40s. Not great for my kidneys though aware of the research re Diabetic control.
Any personal stories welcome. No support from GP surgery so navigating this myself.

 

[KennyA]

Hi there.
I posted on Ask a question but no response.
I'm wondering has anyone tried fasting and has it helped with you Blood sugars?
My last HBA1C was 88mmols. I'm on 2 g of metformin and 50mds of empagliflozin which I have dropped to 25 as not tolerating. I'm exceriseing but still have a weekend treat of cards and chocolate. If im any stricter ill be miserable but I eould like to get off these meds. I've been on metformin for 15 yrs and in on my late 40s. Not great for my kidneys though aware of the research re Diabetic control.
Any personal stories welcome. No support from GP surgery so navigating this myself.

Hi Lisa5 and welcome.

I do go long periods without eating but only because I don't feel the need to eat. I don't ever set out and plan not to eat "until 2pm tomorrow" or whatever. It's just that with eating ~20g carb/day (from veg) and therefore relying on meals with a fair amount of meat and dairy, I don't get all that interested in any more food. I eat as much as I want to.

I definitely don't do treats. My view is that if carbs are the problem then having them isn't a treat. I'm much happier not to have the diabetic symptoms I used to have.

 

[Lupf]

Hi @Lisa5 , welcome to the forum.

Fasting seems to have benefits in many ways.
I've reduced my HbA1c into the 40s with intermittent fasting IF), and have a thread with my story https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/my-story-so-far-with-regular-updates.202342/

Note that we are all different and have to find our ourselves what works
and by working I mean it has to be sustainable.
For me IF works, I've been doing it for five years now.

Best of wishes for your own journey, as you say you have to navigate yourself.

 

[jpscloud]

Hi Lisa, I'm Type 2, medicated and quite poorly controlled most of the time due to lapses - I researched fasting and came to the conclusion it would be good for me. When I do intermittent fasting (I stop eating at about 8pm and don't eat in the morning until at least noon, often longer) I see an immediate improvement in my blood sugar levels, I have more energy, and I enjoy the food I eat so much more than when I'm simply stuffing my face all day. I have to add that when I do intermittent fasting I reduce carbs to as close to none as I can.

I haven't been able to do it long term so far, as the distractions of daily life among all the temptations and naysayers is often too much for me, but I am one of very many people with Type 2 that would highly recommend giving it a go. If you want to do a bit of research first, I recommend Jason Fung's books and you tube videos - he gives you all the facts without patronising or going over your head.

 

[shelley262]

Hi another regular faster here. Once I went keto 7 years ago to tackle my sugars I found that as I was around 5 stone overweight my body started to use its own fat stores for energy and I found it very easy to fast as I was fat adapted using ketones and my own fat for energy. I was happily able to do around a month of one meal a day so fasting 23 hours and eating in a one hour window. However as my weight rapidly went back to my normal fasting became harder for long periods so I shifted to 18 hours fasting and an eating window of 6 hours but still sticking mainly to keto these days 7 years on its more common for me to fast around 16 hours and have an eating window of 8hours. I also eat more now low carb rather than keto. I remain medication free and with a normal range hba1c. My treats too these days tend to be the high fat stuff that I was denying myself when eating low fat and becoming diabetic such as cheese and cream or full fat Greek yogurt.
Good luck and hope you can reframe your treats to be lower carb ones to help your body to become fat adapted which makes fasting not difficult - it's just a longer period without food. I have 'treats' every day within my eating window mainly low carb versions of the carby stuff so for example as it's pancake day today I'll be treating us to low carb pancakes for pudding later.

 

[jpscloud]

On the note about no support from GP surgery, it's an interesting and tricky one for health care professionals I think - I would have liked support from my GP and Dn, and asked for it when I first started fasting. I just really wanted some encouragement and advice. While they were not rude or dismissive, there was absolutely no encouragement to try it. Reflecting on that, I think it would be hard for a health care professional to encourage it as conventional training and received wisdom has long been against fasting. It's more for a specialist I think. After several months of intermittent and some extended fasts, I took my monitor in to show the results (also after blood test, major improvements in all measured parameters) and my GP was suitably impressed but at my DN appointment she coldly said "Yes, you proved us all wrong." That was not my primary goal, and I felt crushed.

I dream of the day the eatwell plate becomes the fastwell plate!

 

[Paul41]

Hi there.
I posted on Ask a question but no response.
I'm wondering has anyone tried fasting and has it helped with you Blood sugars?
My last HBA1C was 88mmols. I'm on 2 g of metformin and 50mds of empagliflozin which I have dropped to 25 as not tolerating. I'm exceriseing but still have a weekend treat of cards and chocolate. If im any stricter ill be miserable but I eould like to get off these meds. I've been on metformin for 15 yrs and in on my late 40s. Not great for my kidneys though aware of the research re Diabetic control.
Any personal stories welcome. No support from GP surgery so navigating this myself.

Hi,

I was / am pre diabetic and have kind of slipped into intermittent fasting almost accidentally.

I think there were two key moments for me.

Firstly I realised breakfast wasn’t any different to any other meal. I could and did eat things for breakfast that I didn’t use to. I mean like salad or leftovers from the previous day.

Secondly I just wasn’t hungry so I skipped breakfast. I used to think skipping breakfast was a no no but it’s simply just a meal and why eat if not hungry.

So I’ve slipped into two meals a day sometimes and that means about 18 hours fasting.

Now to be honest if I’m hungry I eat breakfast, that’s maybe 2 or 3 days a week. This routine works for me, I’m happy , BG is good and steady and I’m approaching my ideal weight .

 

[jpscloud]

Hi,

I was / am pre diabetic and have kind of slipped into intermittent fasting almost accidentally.

I think there were two key moments for me.

Firstly I realised breakfast wasn’t any different to any other meal. I could and did eat things for breakfast that I didn’t use to. I mean like salad or leftovers from the previous day.

Secondly I just wasn’t hungry so I skipped breakfast. I used to think skipping breakfast was a no no but it’s simply just a meal and why eat if not hungry.

So I’ve slipped into two meals a day sometimes and that means about 18 hours fasting.

Now to be honest if I’m hungry I eat breakfast, that’s maybe 2 or 3 days a week. This routine works for me, I’m happy , BG is good and steady and I’m approaching my ideal weight .

Yes I think you've hit the two major nails on the head there, breakfast is anytime you break your fast, and breakfast food is whatever works for you to break your fast. I've also found not eating until noon or later easy this time around, without stresses of work and caring, It's only been a few days, though so I may not be able to keep it up but I'm very hopeful.

 

[Paul41]

Yes I think you've hit the two major nails on the head there, breakfast is anytime you break your fast, and breakfast food is whatever works for you to break your fast. I've also found not eating until noon or later easy this time around, without stresses of work and caring, It's only been a few days, though so I may not be able to keep it up but I'm very hopeful.

I’ve been on this way of life since about September ( I was told I was pre diabetic in July but needed to find the path) and I’m enjoying it.

I might be a little sad but I find the science of it fascinating ! The food I’m eating is enjoyable and just good for me. I feel well and healthy.

Good luck

 

[jpscloud]

I’ve been on this way of life since about September ( I was told I was pre diabetic in July but needed to find the path) and I’m enjoying it.

I might be a little sad but I find the science of it fascinating ! The food I’m eating is enjoyable and just good for me. I feel well and healthy.

Good luck

No it's far from sad to find the science interesting! I find watching you tube videos on the science behind fasting and keto very helpful to keep me on track.

 

[Outlier]

I find it fascinating also. Knowledge is power!

 

[Lisa5]

Thank you all so much for responding to me. Ill be doing some research at the weekend. I just got off tje phone from the GP who said do you realise why we are so strict on keeping blood sugars stable if you were 75 I wouldn't be concerned. My empaglifozin has been reduced back to 20mgs and there looking at injections just not sure which one. He said at 85kg I might be entitled to it. In all honesty I wamt to lose the weight fast and get this sorted. I appreciate you all thank you.

 

[Lisa5]

Hi @Lisa5 , welcome to the forum.

Fasting seems to have benefits in many ways.
I've reduced my HbA1c into the 40s with intermittent fasting IF), and have a thread with my story https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/my-story-so-far-with-regular-updates.202342/

Note that we are all different and have to find our ourselves what works
and by working I mean it has to be sustainable.
For me IF works, I've been doing it for five years now.

I am so impressed after reading the link you sent me. Can I ask the days your not fasting what is your carb intake? And do you ever have a bar of chocolate occasionally? That's my weak spot amd crisps.

Best of wishes for your own journey, as you say you have to navigate yourself.