I wish I had listened to the people in this forum...

[stephenharold]

RE: WEIGHT LOSS AND POSSIBLY BEING OVERMEDICATED NOW AS I'M COMING DOWN IN WEIGHT/GLUCOSE

Hello, beautiful people at Diabetes.co.uk.

I think it's time I checked in - I have made progress since last posting here, and in between that time and now - many times I have thought about this group, occasionally checked the site for information and advice on specific issues, and now am dealing with a new one, but it's probably a sign of progress.

I have lost more weight and am in total down 55 lbs since starting my weight loss journey. I started at 233 lbs, and am now 177.8. Probably 177, as last night I attended a staff dinner, and it was a curry meal full of carbs...I didn't restrain myself too much, really. So, we'll say...I'm down 56 lbs. I was yo-yo-ing considerably until about two weeks ago when I decided to get it together and re-focus myself, back to keto eating and intermittent fasting with long stretches between mainly one meal and a smaller meal about the size of a good snack. So, I eat daily, but go long into midday before eating again and then I do dinner. That's it. Maybe a coffee with cream, maybe not.

I have been ramping up my exercise hard, as I'm seeing results and want to bodybuild/train. I've noticed now after 3 hours of dancing, one day, and then a 50 lap swim (1000m?) followed by upper body bodybuilding the next day (my normal routine is 2-3 workouts a day on the days that I workout - a workout is a minimum of about 40 min, more typically 1 hour each) that my glucose readings which have been falling all the past two weeks since dropping below 180 lbs again (my goal is to get to 130 lbs or close to). So, I'm seeing my morning fasting readings go from 138 in the morning to 118, where they sat stubbornly until I got serious two weeks ago, and now the readings have been 107, 105, and then dropped right to 98, 95 and stayed that way all day long for days this week.

Reading up on exercise and hypoglycemia, because yesterday afternoon I had a reading of 85 midday by 3 PM, after fasting much of the day but...I had an egg in the morning and coffee/cream midday...I was caught off guard by this reading, and decided to study up on hypoglycemia. It seems there is the 24-hour-effect after strenuous exercise for diabetics. Who knew? I sure didn't.

I am starting to wonder if I should be coming off Metformin and Victoza. Or off Metformin, particularly. Thoughts, folks?

Thanks,
MM

 

[Lionel12]

Can you reverse Type II diabetes? Not if you don't do anything about it. Testing and amending your diet can delay it and give you better numbers now.

Can you come off Metformin? You should figure out whether any side effects make them difficult to live with and talk to your doctor about it. If you can tolerate it then most doctors seem loathe to stop them for some reason.

The link between cholesterol and heart disease is very weak. There is a graph that shows that more people die with low cholesterol. The optimum is about 5.4 or so.

It is controversial but many people have adverse side effects from Statins. The evidence either way is very murky indeed. Only you can decide since it is another pill that the doctors hand out like sweets. I am intolerant of them.

Can you reverse Type II diabetes? Not if you don't do anything about it. Testing and amending your diet can delay it and give you better numbers now.

Can you come off Metformin? You should figure out whether any side effects make them difficult to live with and talk to your doctor about it. If you can tolerate it then most doctors seem loathe to stop them for some reason.

The link between cholesterol and heart disease is very weak. There is a graph that shows that more people die with low cholesterol. The optimum is about 5.4 or so.

It is controversial but many people have adverse side effects from Statins. The evidence either way is very murky indeed. Only you can decide since it is another pill that the doctors hand out like sweets. I am intolerant of them.

HBA1c 68 - can't be right. What measurement are you using? Mmol or mg/dl?

 

[Rokaab]

HBA1c 68 - can't be right. What measurement are you using? Mmol or mg/dl?

The HbA1c is either measured in mmol/mol (ie. not mg/dl or mmol/l) - in which case 68 is a valid number that it can be though definitely showing diabetes (48+ is classed as diabetes, 42-47 is pre-diabetes), or in an old school percentage format (68mmol/mol = 8.4%) .
Though you realise you've replies to quite an old thread.

 

[Lizzie2]

Use a book? With a writing quill and blotter?

Time to join the 21st century

Nothing wrong with keeping her information in a book and if the poster wants to use a quill and blotter why not? Whatever floats your boat.

I could use my iPad or even my phone but I designed and printed off a pile of A4 horizontal spreadsheet based on blood sugar levels before and after each meal - I eat three times a day - that I leave lying on the dining room table.along with a pencil. When one spreadsheet is finished I clip it to the others.

 

[Lizzie2]

Stay off statins, research statins or join some of the facebook statin user groups. There are very strong food and pharmaceutical lobbies that are exploiting our health. My gp who put me on the regular Simvastatin dose told me they were "perfectly safe" when I complained that I struggled to walk 4 miles and climb stairs whereas previously a 12 mile hike was my norm. Spotted I was limping and long series of test with consultant saying I would need a knee replacement as the pain increased. I was on 8 Tramadol (opiod) a day when I quit statins and had a quick recovery That was 6 years ago. I can now walk 12 miles again, I changed surgery and finally got a decent gp who found I was prediabetic. I have lost a stone with a minimum dose of Metformin and following Jason Fung's fasting advice and the advice on reducing inflamation in Giulia Enders book Gut

I stopped using simvastatin when after taking them for about two weeks I couldn’t walk from the camp site we were staying on to the bus stop across the road - previously we used to walk int town - a brisk half hour. I was also really depressed.
This was years ago before statins became given out like they are today.
I knew nothing about them until I came home and did a spit if online research - found the muscle pains but it took a lot of looking too find that depression was a side effect too. Nasty stuff.

 

[Squire Fulwood]

HBA1c 68 - can't be right. What measurement are you using? Mmol or mg/dl?

I wrote that post you quoted 3.5 years ago and had forgotten it. If you are referring to the 68 in my signature then it is in mmol and dated 2009 when I was diagnosed. The other Hba1c results show what low carbing can do.

 

[KennyA]

This is good advice. I am really curious about the scientific research about women and statins. Any idea what's out there? I felt the same way on Simvastatin. - rubbish. Terrible. I was getting leg cramps in the night and that was IT. I will definitely get more focused on this and look at your suggestions.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healthy-Eating-medicine-cholesterol-Alzheimers-ebook/dp/B078SCDMXF

Try this. It covers many things but includes a taking apart of most of the received wisdom on statins.

 

[Resurgam]

I took Atorvastatin and on at least three occasions in the small hours I was contemplating suicide. I stopped the tablets after 5 weeks, so the effects are pretty rapid.