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LOW CARB SUCCESS STORIES

hi I have been a t2d for about 5 yrs. started on an lchf diet for a a year. before then I did mostly calorie counting and stuck with whole wheat pasta and bread when eating those carbs. . that was on my doctor's advise. my diabetes really never got better and my weight fluctuated or yo-yo'd. medication levels also increased during that time. complete frustration. I started getting serious about a dietary approach to my issues. I embarked on a lchf diet combined with IF with passion. my weight has droped 22 lbs since then and my A1C has gone down from 7.4 when first diagnosed to 5.5 now (I'm cdn). my meds protocol has not changed but I expect that to go on the same direction as well.
 
Excellent work! You've done really well (although you probably know your doctor may well not approve of LCHF!). You have likely improved your health prospects considerably and if your meds can be safely reduced/eliminated you will be saving your insurance/health service money too! Win win! Well done!
 
Delighted to hear that following a fasting blood and urine test my BG is in a normal range. I need to talk to GP about borderline cholesterol on Weds so will ask for the full results.

My low carb diet has improved my health. I am so incredibly happy about this. It means that the hard work is worth it.
 
Well done! Cholesterol is a complex/subtle subject which not all GPs understand well.
I put together the following sheet a while ago but updated it quite recently. I know it mostly talks about Keto and LDL but you may find it contains some helpful info.
 

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pdmjoker, thanks so much indeed, you must be a mind reader. Low carb is probably impossible without increasing fat. I realise I should eat more oily fish and less pork scratchings. However, I started Couch to 5k a few montgs ago and know that my health is improving. I am also on thyroxine as I have Hashimotos disease. I understand that thyroid disease can raise cholesterol. Thanks again, I do need to start learning more about cholesterol.
 
Glad to be of help. You might also find some helpful cholesterol info in the My Low Carb Journey pdf linked below in my profile, and from this recent post about a recent study: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/saturated-fats-and-health-a-reassessment.175897/
 

PDMJoker, Thanks so much for the information and well done for your own personal achievements. I feel a lot more confident about my upcoming telephone appointment with my GP now.

I needed to verify something with the GP's receptionist this morning and took the opportunity to ask for my full test results.
Although it was a fasting blood test, the cholesterol info was just basic: 6.5 = high (but down from 6.9). My Hba1c was 38 mmol/l which is absolutely amazing and has made the monumental diet change worthwhile - my starting point in August was 78 mmol/l, Type 2 diagnosis following very blurred vision.

My weight was just in the normal zone but very close to a bmi of 25 which would have taken me into the overweight category. Belly fat was an issue.

Since adopting a low carb lifestyle, my bmi is now 20, I have lost over two stone and my weight has stabilised. I am in week 10 of Couch to 5k (although repeat lots of weeks so as not to do myself any harm .... I have one good knee and one good hip) and absolutely love it.

My blood pressure has reduced significantly. My resting pulse has reduced significantly. I have lost 7 inces around my middle.

Incredibly, my terrible migraine problem no longer seems to be a problem.

I am very happy indeed with the improvements to my life. None of this would have been possible had I not stumbled across Diabetes.co.uk and all of the wonderful, supportive contributors.
 
Glad that you found the info helpful and that you feel better about talking with your GP now.

You have made super progress Bex - well done indeed!

Possibly carbs were causing your migraine problem - Dr Atkins found that numerous chronic conditions disappeared when people cut carbs.

As you probably know, a single cholesterol number is pretty meaningless since HDL is considered protective and not harmful.

This forum and its members have played a major part in my positive health transformation, too...

Great to read your positive post during these negative times!
 
@Bex72 aside from the excellent BG control and drop in your HbA1c, that’s fabulous news about your migraines.
 
Goonergal said:
@Bex72 aside from the excellent BG control and drop in your HbA1c, that’s fabulous news about your migraines.
Click to expand...

Thanks Goonergal, I feel like I am on a cloud! The migraines really were a BIG problem. I know you understand and also had success. Migraines can have a massive impact on quality of life.

I've had the call with my GP and he assessed my true cholesterol risk based on all other health indicators (bmi, waist measurment, blood pressure) to be 3.6. I'll just have a blood test in 6 months. He was really pleased for me.

I'm also very happy that the extended family that have been here for 8 months will be moving into their new home next week. It will be so good to be a family of four again.
 
I started eating this way because it doesn't separate me that much from the rest of the family. But after 2 months I entered a plateau and the weight stopped moving (I'm just going the same way now.
 
Nedion said:
I started eating this way because it doesn't separate me that much from the rest of the family. But after 2 months I entered a plateau and the weight stopped moving (I'm just going the same way now.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum! Looks like you've made a good start with diet. How many grams of carbs per day do you eat?
 
OK, here's my success story and although there is a large slice of personal happiness in the tale, I really hope that it encourages others to take control of their own conditions.

I was diagnosed Type 2 6 years ago when I was 48, with a Hba1c of 49, which at the time was the cut-off for diabetes. I weighed around 19 stones at the time and ate a very carb heavy diet.
Over the next few years I largely followed the NHS recommendations and my condition worsened rather than improved. I was constantly hungry and craved carbs like an addict, which is really what I was.

2 years ago I attended a NHS healthy eating course, which again promoted the 'wellness plate'. At the time I was on 2 metformin per day and the diabetic nurse was pushing me to up the dose to 4 per day, as my Hba1c was 89.

Totally dismayed, I read about the low-carb way of eating on this forum and started reading a range of literature. Books by David Cavin, Jason Fung, Gary Taubes, etc. I'm one of those people who really needs to understand why I'm doing something, before I can apply myself to it.

Fast forward to July 2020 and I started to follow the Michael Mosley Fast 800 diet, modifying it to limit carbs to less than 20g per day. I weighed 19 stone and my Hba1c was 79. I stuck to the Fast 800 plan for 12 weeks and reduced my Hba1c to 42 and dropped nearly 4 stones in weight.

Since then I have adopted a ketogenic lifestyle. My weight has continued to drop and my health has improved remarkable. I no longer take any metformin or any other diabetic medication. I'm now off the 2 blood pressure medications that I've been taking for nearly 15 years (a water tablet and a beta blocker). I still take a statin each evening, but I have requested a review of this in April.

Today I weigh 12 stone 12lb and my last Hba1c in February was 32. My blood pressure is as close to perfect as you can get. I think I must be the healthiest I've been in my adult life and although I feel great, I can't help feeling that if only I'd have known what I know now, much of my poor health could have been avoided. I really hope that the message starts to get through in a big way, as so many people could be helped and millions of pounds could be saved.

Thanks for reading
 
Very well done indeed and welcome to our the-NHS-method-didn't-work-but-low-carbing-did club!

With regards statin/cholesterol etc, you may already have adequate info but if not try the thread:

and this page by Bret Scher:

Bret Scher is a cardiologist and has also produced a free e-book titled "Do I Really Need to Worry About My Cholesterol?" obtainable from his site cited above.

Again, well done!
 
Also add Aseem Malhotra who is a Cardiologist at Surrey General, who also advocates a Low Carb diet. He champions the Pioppi Diet, which is a Low Carb variant of the Mediterranean diet.
 
Thanks everyone. I'm a complete convert to this way of living and I won't be changing anytime soon.

I'm going to look at those links for the cholesterol and statins debate. I've recently read Aseem Malhotra's book on The Pioppi Diet and I was astonished at some of the things he had to say regarding statins. I've also read a couple of Malcolm Kendrick books, which are equally eye opening.

I really want to come off the last of my medications, but also accept that it has to be based on what's best for me. I know there are no certainties, but when the time comes I want to be in an informed position.
 
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