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Remission?

M

MikeyU

Well-Known Member
Messages
45
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Other
Hi All,

Just wanted to share my success story with you. Been pre-diabetic for few years, about a year ago my doctor officially declared me diabetic with HbA1c of 51. I lived in denial until Christmas last year when random BG check with my mate's meter revealed 17.0. It was a wake up call. I got on LCHF diet, started exercising. In total I lost 14kg/31lbs. My BMI is now 24. Last week had a blood test done and my FBG was 5.1 with HbA1c 34.5. Fasting insulin at 41 pmol/l which according to HOMA-IR model indicates no or very very low insulin resistance.

I still get occasional higher readings, but haven's seen anything higher than 8.0, and it mostly stays in the 5.0-6.5 range (fasting and 2 hr postprandial).

I am not on keto diet, just low carbs, mostly around or under 100g a day. Eating much smaller portions, exercising 3-4 times a week in addition to daily walking and cycling.

I dare not to call this reversal, rather remission and even this is most likely premature. Personally I don't believe diabetes can be successfully reversed, remission is the right word here. As long as we keep our weight and diet in check, bye bye diabetes. But I have no illusions, should I start gaining weight and go on carbs spree again.... It'd be back in no time at all!

Cheers

Forgot to add that for couple of years I was on Metmorfin 2x per day. Last week my GP told me to stop taking it as there is no need anymore
 
MikeyU said:
I am not on keto diet, just low carbs, mostly around or under 100g a day. Eating much smaller portions, exercising 3-4 times a week in addition to daily walking and cycling.
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Don't feel obliged to be on Keto it is just one of many tools available.

Awesome job on your remission!
 
Thank you!

Just another interesting fact, like all desperate for results, I turned to all kinds of supplements, Vitamin D3, Chromium, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Ceylon Cinnamon, ACV, Omega-3 etc. etc. To be frank, I cannot say they helped much, and it seems that one of them actually did some damage. Not sure yet which one. I suspect it may have been Niacin which I took to improve my lipids. Since couple of days I stopped them all. Will wait for a week and slowly introduce back some of them, but to be honest, I don't see much difference now that I stopped them all, maybe 0.5mmol/l increase on average (mainly pre- and postprandial and none whatsoever with my FBG) but I am not really that sure...

I believe my success is due to 80% diet, 20% exercise which resulted in a massive weight loss. In my eyes this confirms Prof. Taylor's theories and findings. The key is to lose weight (by combining diet with physical exercise) by 15-20%, losing fat in liver and pancreas, which in turn restores proper pancreas functions and massively improves IR.
 
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Hey @MikeyU - what a fantastic result, you should give yourself a pat on the back!
 
Very well done! I much prefer very well controlled or in remission too, rather than reversed. It makes it sound more of a temporary thing than reversal which sounds more permanent. It keeps us on our toes to keep on the straight and narrow and to keep Diabetes at arm’s length.
 
Just had a HbA1c test done this morning, got a result straight away, 5.4/35.5. slightly up from the last one but this is mainly due to me stopping Metformin and experimenting with diet a bit. All in all, very satisfying result. As for the diet, I slightly reduced the protein intake, I was getting elevated BS for hours if I ate too much. So I slightly upped carbs (around 100g-120g/day) and fat, reduced proteins and my FBS is down to low 5-ish again.
 

Excellent news! And well done for finding a balance that works for YOU
 
Brunneria said:
Excellent news! And well done for finding a balance that works for YOU
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Thanks Brunneria! But it's not all that rosy Since I exercise a lot, I need approx. 3000 calories a day to keep my weight stable. That means eating bigger portions or eat more than 3 times a day. Both result in higher average BS. So I upped fat a lot, desserts like berries with cream, more avocados and hummus etc. Still, this morning my weight was down a bit... Very frustrating.
 
Hi, just a quick update and some observation points. Up until couple of weeks ago I was still on Metformin, I was just too afraid to stop taking. I tried couple of times to give it up but within couple of days my BG levels started creeping up, slowly but surely. So after couple of days off, I started taking it again. Couple of weeks ago I said enough, and went cold turkey. From 1000mg to 0. First few days BG went up,as expected. But then it started falling. After a week or so, was back to "normal', i.e. same as when I was taking Metformin, maybe even lower a bit. I noticed one thing though, my heart rate went down significantly. I do exercise a lot, running etc. My HR, both resting and during exercise, is down anywhere between 5 and 10 bpm. This is a lot. Having lower HR makes exercising much more efficient. And it helps to keep BG down by preventing liver from dumping (to a degree of course, all depends on intensity of the exercise etc.).

So, in my opinion and based on my observations, with normal body weight and BG in relatively normal/healthy range, Metformin does not mix well with strenuous exercise, it may cancel the benefits of exercise, which in the end may even elevate BG levels somewhat. I need more time off Metformin to confirm this but right now, it looks promising.

BTW, I'll be having a HbA1C test done in a week or so, right now my calculated value is approx. 5.4%/36mmol/m. My last two tests I got better results (by 0.2%) than what I calculated. Keeping my fingers crossed ;-)
 
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I am following the same road having been put on Insulin in February. Following an operation in July I have reduced my insulin dose from 68 units p.d. to 15 p.d. and continuing. My weight is down by over 10 lbs in a month. I just need to get back to the gym 3 or 4 times a week which I had to stop a tear ago for medical (not diabetic) reasons. Remission is the goal;
 


I am happy to hear about all your victories in controlling diabetes. A year ago I tested my A1c for the first time and it was 7.23%. So the doctor told me I am is diabetic and put me on metformin. I took it for just for a week. So after I read what Dr Jason Fung and Dr Eric Berg wrote about Diabetes I decided to stop snacking. Snacking is the worst habit for diabetics. Then I skipped breakfast and stuck to 2 meals a day. Lunch was mainly Tabouli which is mainly parsley and tomato. Dinner was low carb and light. I lost 12kg. After just three month my A1c dropped to 5.7%. Now almost a year after my diagnosis it’s 5.5. I still eat anything I like in moderation and watch my carbs. But Intermittent fasting was there main factor in lowering my A1c.

I know with a bit more exercise I can do a little better still but I agree with you that it’s mainly about diet. It’s the intermittent fasting for me. I feel I can keep on getting better despite my 57yrs of age.

I want all those with type 2 to watch Dr. JASON Fung you tube and try it. They won’t regret it.
 
Very well done and it is to be commended. Isn't it strange though, just the other evening a dietician who was interviewed on one of the news channels was saying that a low carb diet could take 4 years of of one's life. What is wrong with these people? Making statements like that without any clinical evidence shouldn't be allowed. I can attest to eating a low carb diet. Since cutting back on my own carb intake I have lost weight and reduced my type 2 BG numbers. My annual review is on the 29th of this month (August 2018) and it will be discussion time I think. Since January of this year my morning finger pricks are averaging 4.8 and at bedtime they rarely go above 0.6 mmo/l and are more likely to be an average of 0.5 mmo/l. I'm not saying I too am in remission just yet as this could mean that my management of the disease has improved - no pill changes yet. However, with the guidance of my diabetic nurse I might start experimenting with less tablets to see how it goes. The thing is, it is all too easy to say we have beaten diabetes when in fact we are just managing it well. Go back to a heavy carb diet and see where your numbers go then. I will err on the side of caution, but it would be nice to conquer this disease once and for all. It would be interesting to know what your numbers are now that you are off the pills. If you are controlling your type 2 by diet that's a good, positive thing of course, and we should all be aiming for that.
 
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