Priam
Active Member
- Messages
- 39
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
I note that some members have claimed they have reversed type 2 Diabetes. This is not medically possible: all it means is that your HbA1c has been reduced to within acceptable limits. However, if you return to your bad habits of no exercise and eating pies, then it will return. But congratulations to those who have persevered with diet and exercise and reduced their HbA1c.
In my case I was diagnosed at the end of January this year, with a figure of 65, when it should have been between 42 to 48. This was surprising to my doctor and me as we are both athletes. He said he normally associates type 2 diabetes with fat people. At the time of diagnosis I was 12 st 13lb. I'm six foot tall and age 76. I've been a cyclist and fell runner most of my adult life; no longer the latter owing to damaged knees.
Before diagnosis I had embarked on my annual winter training schedule on the trainer, for when the better weather arrived, and I could get out on the road.
When I was diagnosed I was determined this was not going to beat me. I thought we had always had a healthy diet: no rubbish supermarket meals, no sugar and sugary products. We even baked our own bread (wholemeal), which we had been doing for nearly twenty years.
I must admit I like my bread and was eating probably up to six slices a day. Also, always potatoes or rice with our mail meal of the day. I could polish off a pound of grapes and a couple of bananas a day, with no problem
I started to pursue a low-carb diet and via the internet listed all the foods I normally ate (and some I didn't) with their calorie and carb and fibre content. You can deduct the fibre content from the gross carbs to give you a net carb figure.
For the first few weeks I completely cut out potatoes, rice and bread and some fruits - concentrating on protein and those carbs with low value. Most fruits, grapes, bananas, pears etc., which although may be healthy, are high in carbs and were omitted. And I weighed my food to ensure the calories were below 1000 per day and the carbs, less than 150 grams; in most cases they were less than 50 grams.
With the low carb diet and my intesive training the weight dropped off me and by the end of April my weight had dropped to eleven stone. I new that my HbA1c was coming down without any measurement (I don't have a monitor and my doctor and diabetes nurse said one was not necessary) and I felt so much better - although I had never felt that bad in the first place.
I went for a blood test at the beginning of May. My doctor, who had been impressed with my programme telephoned me with the results at the beginning of this week to inform me my HbA1c had dropped to 46, and that I could now reduce my metformin tablet to one per day.
I have occasionally indulged. During my programme I have had a fried breakfast on a Saturday and Sunday but I'm still resticting bread potatoes and rice. I seldom eat bread; no more than about two slices (and very thin - about 25 gm per slice) every couple of weeks; potatoes (about 150 grams) about once a week. My daily calorie content is seldom more than about 1200 and carbs 50 to 70 grams.
I would add, that in my view not all calories are equal when it comes to weight gain: in other words what I mean is that say 100 calories of chicken or some other protein is nowhere near the same as 100 calories of carbs. I just don't think the protein puts on the fat like carbs do. But that's just my view - and not scientifically proven.
I would emphasise that my training programme is quite extensive and may not suit most people. I do about a ten minute warm up and then two minutes hard and then one minutes rest. This needs to be done about seven times. If this is done on a regular basis (every other day) apparently the intensive effort continues to burn fat even after the exercise has been completed (you can check this on the internet). I think I can recommend that for those who don't wish to go on a complete austerity diet, my programme is a good one to follow. I have managed to get out on my bike several times since the middle of April and yesterday did 30 miles over a fairly hilly course in just under two and a half hours. It's amazing how the loss of two stone makes it so much easier on the hills.
In my case I was diagnosed at the end of January this year, with a figure of 65, when it should have been between 42 to 48. This was surprising to my doctor and me as we are both athletes. He said he normally associates type 2 diabetes with fat people. At the time of diagnosis I was 12 st 13lb. I'm six foot tall and age 76. I've been a cyclist and fell runner most of my adult life; no longer the latter owing to damaged knees.
Before diagnosis I had embarked on my annual winter training schedule on the trainer, for when the better weather arrived, and I could get out on the road.
When I was diagnosed I was determined this was not going to beat me. I thought we had always had a healthy diet: no rubbish supermarket meals, no sugar and sugary products. We even baked our own bread (wholemeal), which we had been doing for nearly twenty years.
I must admit I like my bread and was eating probably up to six slices a day. Also, always potatoes or rice with our mail meal of the day. I could polish off a pound of grapes and a couple of bananas a day, with no problem
I started to pursue a low-carb diet and via the internet listed all the foods I normally ate (and some I didn't) with their calorie and carb and fibre content. You can deduct the fibre content from the gross carbs to give you a net carb figure.
For the first few weeks I completely cut out potatoes, rice and bread and some fruits - concentrating on protein and those carbs with low value. Most fruits, grapes, bananas, pears etc., which although may be healthy, are high in carbs and were omitted. And I weighed my food to ensure the calories were below 1000 per day and the carbs, less than 150 grams; in most cases they were less than 50 grams.
With the low carb diet and my intesive training the weight dropped off me and by the end of April my weight had dropped to eleven stone. I new that my HbA1c was coming down without any measurement (I don't have a monitor and my doctor and diabetes nurse said one was not necessary) and I felt so much better - although I had never felt that bad in the first place.
I went for a blood test at the beginning of May. My doctor, who had been impressed with my programme telephoned me with the results at the beginning of this week to inform me my HbA1c had dropped to 46, and that I could now reduce my metformin tablet to one per day.
I have occasionally indulged. During my programme I have had a fried breakfast on a Saturday and Sunday but I'm still resticting bread potatoes and rice. I seldom eat bread; no more than about two slices (and very thin - about 25 gm per slice) every couple of weeks; potatoes (about 150 grams) about once a week. My daily calorie content is seldom more than about 1200 and carbs 50 to 70 grams.
I would add, that in my view not all calories are equal when it comes to weight gain: in other words what I mean is that say 100 calories of chicken or some other protein is nowhere near the same as 100 calories of carbs. I just don't think the protein puts on the fat like carbs do. But that's just my view - and not scientifically proven.
I would emphasise that my training programme is quite extensive and may not suit most people. I do about a ten minute warm up and then two minutes hard and then one minutes rest. This needs to be done about seven times. If this is done on a regular basis (every other day) apparently the intensive effort continues to burn fat even after the exercise has been completed (you can check this on the internet). I think I can recommend that for those who don't wish to go on a complete austerity diet, my programme is a good one to follow. I have managed to get out on my bike several times since the middle of April and yesterday did 30 miles over a fairly hilly course in just under two and a half hours. It's amazing how the loss of two stone makes it so much easier on the hills.
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