• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

How did you get here, how have things changed and where are you going?

Goonergal

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
13,461
Location
London
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
In a bit of a reflective mood about my journey. Strikes me that although broad principles might remain the same, the management of type 2 (probably type 1 too, but I don’t know about that) is full of nuance and change and thought it would be interesting to hear from others who’ve been diagnosed a while.

A few questions to stimulate the thoughts:

- How has your way of eating/diabetes management changed over time? Or has it stayed the same?
- Are there things you do (or don’t do) now that you would never have believed possible/even considered at diagnosis?
- Are there things you still struggle with, regret (if that’s not too strong a word) or plan on changing?

For me, although I went cold turkey on carbs and straight into keto, my way of eating (I hate the usual acronym as LCHF/Keto is far removed from any form of woe) has gradually become lower and lower in carbs with most days being as close to carnivore as I can get. Borne out of tastes changing - many of the sauces, veggies etc from my early days - tomato based sauces in particular - gradually became too sweet and less enjoyable. Equally I became more comfortable not conforming to dietary norms. Who says you need to eat shedloads of vegetables?

The biggest change however has been fasting. I thought that was a) downright weird and b) impossible and dismissed it. Having the knowledge however, was vital as the switch to a narrow eating window and then OMAD and the occasional slightly longer fast was game changing. Happened through circumstance, but the thought was planted by those on the forum at a different stage in their diabetes management.

On the struggles/change bit. Easy one. It’s the whole ‘treat’/dessert thing. Moderation is just not possible. Started out not allowing them at all for over a year. Good decision, which somehow got reversed. We’re not talking carbs, just tasty low carb things like very high % chocolate, nut butters, sweeteners and cream. That’s my area for development!

Very interested to hear from others.
 
I agree about the whole 'food as a reward or treat' thing. In the beginning I would measure time by the treats that I would allow but these days I no longer hanker for the carby stuff. It was easy enough for me as I do not have a sweet tooth but that's not to say I would turn my nose up to a M&S Clotted Cream Rice Pudding it if was put in front of me.
Sadly, I have had to curb the creamed coffee as even decaff sends my tinitus wappy so I am limited to one bulletproof per day.
The biggest changes over the last two years have been the reduction in stress about what to eat and when to eat it and the end of chasing numbers due to comparing my results with other members results. I hadn't realised just how fixated I had become on this. I am far more relaxed these days.
 
I should have added plans for the future. My plan is to listen to my body and play it by ear. What is working for me now may not always suit so I look at different strategies now so as to have an arsenal of alternative methods to employ. Complacency is not going to become a thaing in my approach.
 
1. Eating fat, always low fat things before, how wrong we all were.
2. I now do a lot of walking, never walked anywhere, always took the car.
3. Never thought I would ever like salads, avocado, olives, coffee without sugar. I do miss fruit, I ate a lot because it was healthy.
4. Weight loss, always have been fat. I have put on a few pounds recently so I will deal with that and try fasting and hope it will get rid of some of the spare flesh as my body doesn't fit my skin anymore.
5. Thyroid - on diagnosis of T2 I was on 125mcg of Levothyroxine, my dose now is 50mcg. Didn't know that this woe would affect my thyroid so much.
 
Now over 6 months in I am not the numbers nut I was.
I'm comfortably omad with extras at the weekend.
I was perfectly happy dropping back from keto to low carb for my holiday to Spain. Had a few drinks. Some papas/tappas that was delicious.
My meter stayed under 6.5 except after food and stayed under 8 even then.

I'm sure being pre gives me many advantages over t2. My system seems almost normal. I know it has a finite limit now and pick my treats.

I felt good on the beach. Nice trim 75kg. Have put some muscle on too.

I have said it before but I really do wish this had happened years ago.
 
How I got here? Years of over eating, especially carb laden foods, and I wasn't particularly sedentary, but the weight still piled on despite numerous failed attempts to stop/reverse.

How have things changed? I've always embraced change and have never had a closed mind to any idea or concept, so accepting that Carbohydrate was the enemy came easily to me. Like @Goonergal I dived in headfirst and went cold turkey from day 1. I also hate the moniker LCHF, and always refer to my lifestyle as Low Carb. Results from BG numbers and rapid weight loss proved to me that I was doing the right thing.

Where am I going? Like @Guzzler I will listen to my body and do what it tells me I should. I am under no illusions that I have done anything other than controlled my T2D, and the only thing I am certain of, is that I will do everything I can to keep it that way.
 
Well since 2002's diagnosis of type2 diabetes I've enjoyed my life and accumplished 2 live natural births on insulin treatment (after failed IUI and IVF without metformin for PCOS) and now trying hard to maintain my weight loss to fulfill bariatric full by-pass surgery in a few months time.
I'm aiming for far less obesity prohibiting me from living a long life. A far lower BMI for the nhs to support be getting older and living with the effects of my 25yrs of undiagnosed diabetes.

I know from experience that you alone are in full control of your destiny where type2 is concerned.
If you want black feet once diagnosed, it is easily achieved. Just like if you want to work towards better control, it too is achievable.
Your destiny is in your own hands, with help from modern science... of course. Even just for testing is science and not yet made as natural as we'd all like. A hand scanner without breaking skin would be ideal. Well, for me and I will assume all other active testers.
 
Last edited:
Diagnosed two years ago with HbA1C of 78, no idea why, not overweight, vegetarian diet, lots of walking, did not eat much sweet things then came along high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Blood sugars came down to 37 last year but now 45 (statins, two chest infections and a virus probably added to that). Changed my diet to about 80gm of carbs a day (still veggie - no way on earth will I eat meat or fish). I have now taken up running 3 times a week and want to keep my body as healthy as possible. I take 40mg of Glicazide a day, 5mg of Amlopodine (BP) and 20mg of Pravastatin apart from that no other health issues.
 
Goonergal said:
- How has your way of eating/diabetes management changed over time? Or has it stayed the same?
Click to expand...
Mine has certainly reduced in carbs.. "if fewer is good then none must be better" to an almost carb free life (apart from cream and milk and some choc) So far in 2019 have averaged 10.7g per day. Not completely beef and water yet but certainly 95% animal produce only.
Goonergal said:
- Are there things you do (or don’t do) now that you would never have believed possible/even considered at diagnosis?
Click to expand...
Can now walk anywhere without breathlessness. Briefly flirted with gym membership but am still far too lazy to do it regularly. Don't snore or get up in the night for wees any more!
Goonergal said:
- Are there things you still struggle with, regret (if that’s not too strong a word) or plan on changing?
Click to expand...
Still perceive some food addiction problems.. bread or bread like substances are still a huge trigger and I'm eating too much hogh cocoa chocolate for my own liking.

I now look upon food as fuel to do things and not as a "reward " or "pleasure" in its own right. Some might feel saddened by that but in my view it's liberating.. If there's no time to eat then I don't. I try to eat only when hungry rather than when bored which for me is a huge change.
 
- How has your way of eating/diabetes management changed over time? Or has it stayed the same?
My journey is a relatively short one compared to some others on here but it's safe to say that my way of eating has changed drastically since diagnosis. Like many others, in the early days I listened to the NHS advice to 'base every meal arouond a healthy portion of carbohydrates'. I didn't realise what a huge mistake this was until a little research, logicl thinking and some advice received from this forum put me on a different path. The carb/sugar links are so obvious when you think about it, aren't they? I am still very much in the numbers-are-everything stage and, TBH, I am enjoying this. So far I have succeeded to keeping my carbs below 20g per day with the occasional hiccough, but since I started low carb in January they've never been above 30. I am also very much enjoying the new me emerging post-diagnosis. Much slimmer. Much more metally alert. No longer stuck under a cloud trying to find a reason to get out of bed in the morning. So much more energetic. Basically enjoying life, which is something I haven't really done since my soul mate died 5 years ago - I wonder if this could be where I took my first steps on the path to diabetes?

- Are there things you do (or don’t do) now that you would never have believed possible/even considered at diagnosis?
I never for one moment thought that I could have Sunday roast without crispy spuds or do without my go-to meal of pasta and green pesto! I dont miss them at all now, neither do I miss bread. I also never for one moment thought I'd be able to get into a size 12, or smile quite so often as I do these days. Funny isn't it that being T2 has actually been the making of me.

- Are there things you still struggle with, regret (if that’s not too strong a word) or plan on changing?
I sometimes struggle with BG readings which can be higher than expected for no apparent reason, but I'm sure I'll get used to this and I know I can tweak my diet/routine to improve it. As far as regrets are concerned, I have none. To start with, I regretted being diagnosed but I'm over that. I'm on a bit of a mission though and the one thing I would try to change is other people. I tend to buy books for and give advice to people (who, thankfully are still friends) about diet and lifestyle. For my own personal journey, I believe nothing is impossible. Diabetes does not hang over me like the sword of Damocles and it does not rule my life, but it has become a part of me and because of that it has fundamentlly changed me. My future is fluid. Change is always on the horizon. Carpe diem.
 
Eat to live not live to eat - we should all do this!
 
Inspirational thanks for sharing..
 
bulkbiker said:
I now look upon food as fuel to do things and not as a "reward " or "pleasure" in its own right. Some might feel saddened by that but in my view it's liberating.. If there's no time to eat then I don't.
Click to expand...

I think that's rather excellent. There's definitely so much more to life than just eating and food obsessing, and I particularly love the idea of being wonderfully busy with other things to worry at all about eating!
 
I am a skinny fat who always ran miles over weekend, did loads of cardio in gym, drank veg juice with kale and spinach . I ate few fruits a day and had only brown pasta , rice in world in name of good health.

I thought I was healthy until at the age of 34 , my GP said you have impaired fasting glucose. Watch the sugar. I must have been lucky to get 6.9 on test because next year I had it 7.2. and I was diagnose diabetic.

Anyway back to how things changed, now I eat lot of fat and minimal carbs. Stopped cardio and more weight lifting with a trainer. Had lost weight from 75 to 62 and now gained back to 68. My perception for food has changed. But I also feel sad sometimes when I see rest of world stuff their face with carbs and other sugary delights and have no metabolic issues . I wonder why me.

I am living in hope that one day a cure will be found and I don't want to be damaged beyond repair for that day.

So, I watch what I eat and I monitor what it does to me.
 
enb54 said:
Sounds like a bit of something from a science fiction movie. When I closed my eyes, I was reminded of the movie "Forbidden Planet"...
Click to expand...
It scared my cat! Thank you for listening x x
 

I did the low carb gradually. No cold turkey for me. It wouldn't have worked. It took me from April to November 2014 to reach the 30g a day.

The biggest factor for me was losing all my excess weight and dropping from a size 18 to a size 10, then maintaining this since late 2014. It wasn't even an effort for me. It just fell off. This has boosted my confidence and changed the way I see myself completely.

Another major factor was the high fat bit. It was such a relief to be able to eat a fry up without looking at it as a heart attack on a plate.

Something else was learning all about omega 6 and omega 3, seed oils and other nasty manufactured oils and chemicals. I have even converted my husband, who does all the cooking.

I now eat a few more carbs but I don't count them. My blood sugars are where I want them.

I do sometimes look at others with their ice creams, baguettes, and other delights and wish I could join them.
 
Okay that is awesome and I was not expecting that, what did you make that with?!

@Goonergal

These are my experiences as follows!

- How has your way of eating/diabetes management changed over time? Or has it stayed the same?

Technically I was diagnosed a year and a half ago so it changed majorly over time, from Metformin to Metformin and Sitagliptin to now nothing at all but diet. I refused to take charge at first and just went on being the bad boy that I was and even ignored the Eatwell to my own detriment so my management took a massive U-turn.

- Are there things you do (or don’t do) now that you would never have believed possible/even considered at diagnosis?

Cutting out all sweets and drinking black coffee with no sweetener alongside watching what I eat and eating more fat! Plus the fact I am comfortable not eating that much in a day now, even just once is enough and now I am dipping my toe into carnivore territory I never saw myself going that way.

- Are there things you still struggle with, regret (if that’s not too strong a word) or plan on changing?

Yes... Honestly I do look back on my life before this and wonder why I ever let it get here but now? I am taking change of my health, making changes that last and will help me in the future plus not giving up on myself or the people around me. The biggest change was coming here and learning about LCHF and Keto and all the wonderfully supportive people. I now help to advise my own friends on their own diet and help navigate things. So yes I do regret it sometimes but I choose the channel the energy into the positives.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…