My first year of LCHF

rose petals 1

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Fantastic you are an inspiration to all Type 2 diabetics on diet only.I am about to start the Type 2 testing programme when the kit arrives looking forward to better control knowing when my blood level spikes.My only concern with the LCHF diet is I don't need to loose weight I am under nine stone so don't want to loose anymore.Has anybody yet tried the Type 2 Testing Programme if so how successful is it? Rose Petals 1
 

sanguine

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,340
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Intolerance, career politicians, reality TV and so-called celebrity culture, mobile phones in the quiet carriage.
Hi @rose petals 1 , welcome and thanks for your post :)

Regarding your own question can I suggest you start that as a new separate post in order to get a wider range of responses?
 

rose petals 1

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thanks sanguine I have been having trouble as to where I go to start a new thread.can you help
 

Southport GP

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Verified HCP
Messages
194
Type of diabetes
HCP
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
This is adapted from a presentation I prepared for my local surgery

Self management of Type 2 diabetes

My first year to April 2015

Summary
  • Diagnosed Type 2, March 2014 (HbA1c 65 mmol/mol, 8.1%)

  • No medication

  • Self-testing

  • Low-carb diet

  • Now in non-diabetic range (HbA1c 38 mmol/mol, 5.6%)

  • 20 kg weight loss

  • Improved lipid profile
View attachment 13226
View attachment 13227

View attachment 13228

Introduction and diagnosis

I had blood tests in March 2014 following reported listlessness and exhaustion. There were none of the ‘classic’ T2 symptoms of excessive thirst, need to urinate, blurred vision etc.

Diagnosis was confirmed on 24 March with an HbA1c of 65 mmol/mol (8.1%). (It later transpired that in 2008 a blood test showed I had an HbA1c of 44 (6.2%), i.e. prediabetic. Apparently the trigger criterion was different then. Nothing was mentioned anyway, pity.)

No guidance was given, I was just told this was life-changing, to lose weight (I was 90 kg, BMI of 31.5), exercise more and make an appointment to see the diabetes nurse. The earliest appointment available was for 16 April, over three weeks away. Because of elevated blood pressure (spot reading of 160/90 when blood samples taken) I was told to take two weeks of readings to take to this appointment (how? where? – at a chemist or buy yourself a meter, great, thanks).

Because of total cholesterol of 6.9 I was prescribed Simvastatin without any explanatory discussion and without my prior agreement (I never took them).

Something about me

I’ve never been one for taking medication if I can help it. The human body is often underestimated as a self-healing mechanism. A few paracetamol a year is normally more than enough for me.

I’m a scientist by training so when faced with something like this my first reaction is to find out about it and not take anything at face value without assessing it myself.

On the other hand the T2 diagnosis was a wakeup call and the kick I needed to sort my weight and well being out. Immediately I started walking for about 30 minutes every day (average).

I got on the internet and found the diabetes.co.uk website and forum; learned about carbohydrates and the impact on blood sugars; could understand the logic of low-carb high-fat (LCHF) diets; and just went for it at 50 g carbs per day – no bread, no potatoes, no rice, no pasta. Fortunately I didn’t suffer the withdrawal symptoms sometimes experienced by changing so abruptly. I bought a blood glucose monitor and started testing myself. I started losing weight straight away as I got into ketosis and my body started to preferentially burn stored fat for energy.

I also read about cholesterol and statins and determined that I wasn’t going to touch them with a barge pole.

First DN appointment

Three weeks in and I was already making progress on diet and exercise alone.

Fasting BGs were down from over 10 mmol/l to around 6.5; pre-dinner BGs in the high 5s; and BGs two hours after eating in the high 6s and mid 7s, so I was learning what I could and couldn’t eat in terms of blood sugar control.

My weight was down from 90 kg to 84.5 kg, and blood pressure was down to around 140/80.

It was agreed for me to carry on with diet and exercise alone, no medication, with a review in three months time.

Interim progress

In July 2014my HbA1c was 45 (6.3%, down from 65), so I was now in the prediabetic range.

Total cholesterol was down to 6.0, but more importantly triglycerides were down from 5.66 to 1.97 mmol/l, and HDL-C was up from 1.22 to 1.62, with total/HDL and triglycerides/HDL ratios both dropping into normal range.

ALT liver function was down from 51 to 17 iu/l, indicating a reversal of fatty liver condition.

My weight was now 76 kg (BMI 26.6), a percentage loss of over 15%, and BP stable around 125/70.

I had also invested in a rowing machine to supplement the walking.

By October 2014my HbA1c was 42 (6.0%), weight was 72 kg (BMI 25.2) and BP around 120/65.

One year on, March 2015

A picture speaks a thousand words, so rather than more dull text some more graphs follow covering the period from March 2014 to March 2015.

My HbA1c is now 38 mmol/mol (5.6%) which is within the non-diabetic range. I am still diabetic of course but I am protecting the remaining beta cell function in my pancreas as best I can, and avoiding exacerbating my insulin resistance. This is all due to carbohydrate restriction, which has also reduced triglycerides significantly, and the fat component of the LCHF diet has helped raise my HDL-C to 1.95. In this context my total cholesterol of 6.1 is of no concern to me.

The slight rises and falls in fasting blood sugar (the points are two-week averages) reflect life conditions such as work stress – but at least through testing I know what is going on.

My weight is now stable at 70 +/- 1 kg (BMI 24.5), which represents a 22% loss in 12 months; and BP around 115/65. My waist is now 37 in (94 cm) having been 45.5 in (116 cm) a year ago.

View attachment 13229

View attachment 13230

View attachment 13231

View attachment 13232


What do I eat?

I’ve done all this without any medication, and just with diet and exercise. So what actually do I eat with LCHF? This is a typical day’s meals:

  • Breakfast – cooked breakfast of bacon, eggs, mushrooms and tomato; occasionally full fat Greek yoghurt with a few berries. Tea and/or coffee with double cream.

  • Lunch – ‘tapas’ style platter, choose from salami, olives, a little hummus, guacamole, cheese, mackerel pate, tomato, salad leaves.

  • Dinner – avocado vinaigrette, meat or fish with above-ground vegetables or salad, berries and double cream, glass of red wine.

  • Snacks if necessary – cheese or brazil nuts.

  • Plenty of water. Decaffeinated tea or coffee after midday.

Selected reading


Trudi Deakin (X-Pert Health) - Eat Fat, Step-by-Step Guide to Low Carb Living http://www.xperthealth.org.uk/shop/details/p/handbook-lowcarb-highfat-lifestyle

Trudi Deakin - High fat, low carb diets and the evidence, Diabetes UK Conference March 2015
http://www.xperthealth.org.uk/Portals/0/Downloads/High fat, low carb diets and the evidence_Diabetes UK 2015_reduced memory.pdf

Dyson PA, et al. - A low-carbohydrate diet is more effective in reducing body-weight than healthy eating in both diabetic and non diabetic subjects, Diabetic Medicine, 2007

Andreas Eenfeldt - Low Carb, High Fat Food Revolution and the website www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

Feinman RD et al. -Dietary carbohydrate restriction as the first approach in diabetes management: Critical review and evidence base, Nutrition 31,1 Jan 2015, http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(14)00332-3/fulltext#bib94

Zoe Harcombe (diet and nutrition blogger)- http://www.zoeharcombe.com/

Malcolm Kendrick - book The Great Cholesterol Con and blog at www.drmalcolmkendrick.org

Jenny Ruhl - books Blood Sugar 101: What They Don’t Tell You About Diabetes, and Diet 101: The Truth About Low-Carb Diets; and the website www.phlaunt.com/diabetes

Scientific American (after meta-analysis by Krauss RM et al in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, March 2010) - Carbs against Cardio: More Evidence that Refined Carbohydrates, not Fats, Threaten the Heart
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/carbs-against-cardio/

Shai I, et al. - Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or low-fat diet, New England Journal of Medicine, 2008.

David Unwin - Diabesity: Perhaps we can make a difference after all? Diabesity in Practice 3, 4, 2014
http://www.diabesityinpractice.co.uk/media/content/_master/3963/files/pdf/dip3-4-131-4.pdf

Westman EC, et al - The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index mic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus, Nutrition & Metabolism (London), 2008.

Well done !!
Very clearly put Similar experience to quite a number of my own patients
Thanks for including the link to my work too. I hope to have something more comprehensive out in Diabesity in practice soon
 
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daddys1

Well-Known Member
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1,353
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
@sanguine, very well done, exceptionally clear, there is nothing to argue against there.

Excellent, I do hope they give you the time to let you present it at the surgery.

Neil
 
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trotskyite

Well-Known Member
Messages
104
This is adapted from a presentation I prepared for my local surgery

Self management of Type 2 diabetes

My first year to April 2015

Summary
  • Diagnosed Type 2, March 2014 (HbA1c 65 mmol/mol, 8.1%)

  • No medication

  • Self-testing

  • Low-carb diet

  • Now in non-diabetic range (HbA1c 38 mmol/mol, 5.6%)

  • 20 kg weight loss

  • Improved lipid profile
View attachment 13226
View attachment 13227

View attachment 13228

Introduction and diagnosis

I had blood tests in March 2014 following reported listlessness and exhaustion. There were none of the ‘classic’ T2 symptoms of excessive thirst, need to urinate, blurred vision etc.

Diagnosis was confirmed on 24 March with an HbA1c of 65 mmol/mol (8.1%). (It later transpired that in 2008 a blood test showed I had an HbA1c of 44 (6.2%), i.e. prediabetic. Apparently the trigger criterion was different then. Nothing was mentioned anyway, pity.)

No guidance was given, I was just told this was life-changing, to lose weight (I was 90 kg, BMI of 31.5), exercise more and make an appointment to see the diabetes nurse. The earliest appointment available was for 16 April, over three weeks away. Because of elevated blood pressure (spot reading of 160/90 when blood samples taken) I was told to take two weeks of readings to take to this appointment (how? where? – at a chemist or buy yourself a meter, great, thanks).

Because of total cholesterol of 6.9 I was prescribed Simvastatin without any explanatory discussion and without my prior agreement (I never took them).

Something about me

I’ve never been one for taking medication if I can help it. The human body is often underestimated as a self-healing mechanism. A few paracetamol a year is normally more than enough for me.

I’m a scientist by training so when faced with something like this my first reaction is to find out about it and not take anything at face value without assessing it myself.

On the other hand the T2 diagnosis was a wakeup call and the kick I needed to sort my weight and well being out. Immediately I started walking for about 30 minutes every day (average).

I got on the internet and found the diabetes.co.uk website and forum; learned about carbohydrates and the impact on blood sugars; could understand the logic of low-carb high-fat (LCHF) diets; and just went for it at 50 g carbs per day – no bread, no potatoes, no rice, no pasta. Fortunately I didn’t suffer the withdrawal symptoms sometimes experienced by changing so abruptly. I bought a blood glucose monitor and started testing myself. I started losing weight straight away as I got into ketosis and my body started to preferentially burn stored fat for energy.

I also read about cholesterol and statins and determined that I wasn’t going to touch them with a barge pole.

First DN appointment

Three weeks in and I was already making progress on diet and exercise alone.

Fasting BGs were down from over 10 mmol/l to around 6.5; pre-dinner BGs in the high 5s; and BGs two hours after eating in the high 6s and mid 7s, so I was learning what I could and couldn’t eat in terms of blood sugar control.

My weight was down from 90 kg to 84.5 kg, and blood pressure was down to around 140/80.

It was agreed for me to carry on with diet and exercise alone, no medication, with a review in three months time.

Interim progress

In July 2014my HbA1c was 45 (6.3%, down from 65), so I was now in the prediabetic range.

Total cholesterol was down to 6.0, but more importantly triglycerides were down from 5.66 to 1.97 mmol/l, and HDL-C was up from 1.22 to 1.62, with total/HDL and triglycerides/HDL ratios both dropping into normal range.

ALT liver function was down from 51 to 17 iu/l, indicating a reversal of fatty liver condition.

My weight was now 76 kg (BMI 26.6), a percentage loss of over 15%, and BP stable around 125/70.

I had also invested in a rowing machine to supplement the walking.

By October 2014my HbA1c was 42 (6.0%), weight was 72 kg (BMI 25.2) and BP around 120/65.

One year on, March 2015

A picture speaks a thousand words, so rather than more dull text some more graphs follow covering the period from March 2014 to March 2015.

My HbA1c is now 38 mmol/mol (5.6%) which is within the non-diabetic range. I am still diabetic of course but I am protecting the remaining beta cell function in my pancreas as best I can, and avoiding exacerbating my insulin resistance. This is all due to carbohydrate restriction, which has also reduced triglycerides significantly, and the fat component of the LCHF diet has helped raise my HDL-C to 1.95. In this context my total cholesterol of 6.1 is of no concern to me.

The slight rises and falls in fasting blood sugar (the points are two-week averages) reflect life conditions such as work stress – but at least through testing I know what is going on.

My weight is now stable at 70 +/- 1 kg (BMI 24.5), which represents a 22% loss in 12 months; and BP around 115/65. My waist is now 37 in (94 cm) having been 45.5 in (116 cm) a year ago.

View attachment 13229

View attachment 13230

View attachment 13231

View attachment 13232


What do I eat?

I’ve done all this without any medication, and just with diet and exercise. So what actually do I eat with LCHF? This is a typical day’s meals:

  • Breakfast – cooked breakfast of bacon, eggs, mushrooms and tomato; occasionally full fat Greek yoghurt with a few berries. Tea and/or coffee with double cream.

  • Lunch – ‘tapas’ style platter, choose from salami, olives, a little hummus, guacamole, cheese, mackerel pate, tomato, salad leaves.

  • Dinner – avocado vinaigrette, meat or fish with above-ground vegetables or salad, berries and double cream, glass of red wine.

  • Snacks if necessary – cheese or brazil nuts.

  • Plenty of water. Decaffeinated tea or coffee after midday.

Selected reading


Trudi Deakin (X-Pert Health) - Eat Fat, Step-by-Step Guide to Low Carb Living http://www.xperthealth.org.uk/shop/details/p/handbook-lowcarb-highfat-lifestyle

Trudi Deakin - High fat, low carb diets and the evidence, Diabetes UK Conference March 2015
http://www.xperthealth.org.uk/Portals/0/Downloads/High fat, low carb diets and the evidence_Diabetes UK 2015_reduced memory.pdf

Dyson PA, et al. - A low-carbohydrate diet is more effective in reducing body-weight than healthy eating in both diabetic and non diabetic subjects, Diabetic Medicine, 2007

Andreas Eenfeldt - Low Carb, High Fat Food Revolution and the website www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

Feinman RD et al. -Dietary carbohydrate restriction as the first approach in diabetes management: Critical review and evidence base, Nutrition 31,1 Jan 2015, http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(14)00332-3/fulltext#bib94

Zoe Harcombe (diet and nutrition blogger)- http://www.zoeharcombe.com/

Malcolm Kendrick - book The Great Cholesterol Con and blog at www.drmalcolmkendrick.org

Jenny Ruhl - books Blood Sugar 101: What They Don’t Tell You About Diabetes, and Diet 101: The Truth About Low-Carb Diets; and the website www.phlaunt.com/diabetes

Scientific American (after meta-analysis by Krauss RM et al in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, March 2010) - Carbs against Cardio: More Evidence that Refined Carbohydrates, not Fats, Threaten the Heart
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/carbs-against-cardio/

Shai I, et al. - Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or low-fat diet, New England Journal of Medicine, 2008.

David Unwin - Diabesity: Perhaps we can make a difference after all? Diabesity in Practice 3, 4, 2014
http://www.diabesityinpractice.co.uk/media/content/_master/3963/files/pdf/dip3-4-131-4.pdf

Westman EC, et al - The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus, Nutrition & Metabolism (London), 2008.

Fantastic job.
May I suggest that you may have done better than you think. I advocate hflc diets for diabetics, but before I knew about hflc I lost a similar amount of weight from bmi 31 to 25 using a high carb low fat diet. I was, and am now normally glycemic with an hba1c of 36 , even on 400g of carbs a day. If you tested yourself with a ogtt you may find you now have a normal tolerance of carbs. I only say this because it is good for me to know I can occasionally splurge on high carb meals and know I am not going over 7 so I don't feel guilt etc You may also confuse the gp as mine said it was impossible before I did it :)
Best of luck.
 

sanguine

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Thanks but I don't think so @trotskyite - when I occasionally do have more carbs than I should (a pub Sunday roast for instance) my BG levels tell me about it in no uncertain terms. I'm not planning on pushing the envelope further as I don't even really enjoy them when I do have them.
 

trotskyite

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Messages
104
Thanks but I don't think so @trotskyite - when I occasionally do have more carbs than I should (a pub Sunday roast for instance) my BG levels tell me about it in no uncertain terms. I'm not planning on pushing the envelope further as I don't even really enjoy them when I do have them.
That's true about enjoying carbs. I've lately noticed I am very apathetic towards ice-cream, crisps and honey nut cereal which 3 years ago were a staple part of my diet. Even though I allow myself anything I want, very occasionally, the pleasure of eating those things have gone. Luckily! lol
 
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RosieLKH

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735
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Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
Excellent and inspirational post. Just what I needed to read after a carby weekend. Many thanks.
 

ProjectMorris

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31
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Type 2
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Diet only
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Having Diabetes
Ok I am also a scientist by education and similarly sceptical without proof. I too have reduced carbs and rice, pasta, bread etc all previous firm favourites no longer feature in my list of foods. I too have had a pleasing reduction in weight 16+St to 12st 10lbs now with a target of 12st 7lbs, in six months. Regular readings are in the 5-7's blood pressure, Hba1c readings to 48 down from 93 on diagnosis. I fall off the wagon occasionally. I suffer with really dark days mentally occasionally. Ok to the point. I have been successful with a lot fat low carb diet. The thought of now increasing my calorific intake with a high fat diet fills me with a bit of concern. If you go to your doctor and say "I'm about to embark on a high fat diet" you would be unlikely to get unreserved support. My concern is that you would potentially swap one problem for another. I can't get past the possible negative impact of an increased fat diet. Arterial sclerosis, high cholesterol weight gain, heart attack and stroke. How can these be ignored? I'm not being negative but investigative. If there is argument that shows that an elevated fat diet comes without its own issues then I'd be interested to hear it and see the evidence.
 
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Mike d

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Fair comments @ProjectMorris but purely by my own experience, they make no difference at all to me. There is a lot of debate about this very subject of the forum, but I can tell you this .... what might work for one might not work for another. Helpful? Of course it isn't. Many swear by it. others do not and I can (and do) respect all opinions. I am SOOOO boring with my diet, it annoys me no end but you have to keep going and see what works for you.

As for those other "hangups", yep, I get them too so I know how that feels. I look at my sweet wife, know she's beside me and just get on with what this is all about ... life

I wish you well :) Mike
 
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ProjectMorris

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Messages
31
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Having Diabetes
Cheers, a good response and I appreciate your openness. All the best to you and yours.
 

Mike d

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idiots who will not learn
You have mates@ProjectMorris

Consider me one of them and thanks for your thoughts. I had to dig deep (still not quite got there yet but I keep trying) and without some good GOOD people on this board, I'd be nowhere near where I'm at. It is HARD work. Anyone who suggests it isn't is an idiot. What is the difference is their attitude to mine (or yours for that matter) when you witness what they do and you draw inspiration from their courage in the face of an adversity I once ignored, simply because I could. They're my "family" so to speak. They always will be. Only When we leave this place do we regret what we did not do.

Take good care Mike :)
 
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cyclist

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Messages
129
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi Sanguine

My results mirror yours and I am following my own nose instead of the advice doled out by the DN at my GP
Even the dietitian at my GP had to agree that the Eatwell Plate was not fit for purpose and that I should ignore the advice that she was legally obliged to give me...

From Dec 2014 when I was diagnosed at 16.1 my Hb1Ac was 6.5 in April 2015
Also using a 50% lower dose of Metformin than originally prescribed

22kg weight loss in the past 15 months and now weighing 75.8kgs with more to lose
10 inches off the waist (5 sizes down), 4 suit jacket sizes down and feeling amazing

All my figures have rapidly improved and are now within acceptable levels

Its great to see yourself and others supporting all those starting on the path to looking after themselves, and helping to counter some of the bad (dangerous) advice being given out by the medical professionals
 
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