Reversal.... It can be done... Surprised myself really

[Assegai]

Hi Guys, I started out diagnosed as diabetic with an HBa1C if 13 two years ago. I was put directly on insulin and given the doom and gloom scenario of being a diabetic. All the horror stories etc. I started to slowly change my lifestyle and started seeing positive results in how I felt as a person, fitter from exercise leaner from eating better. So I started adopting a new lifestyle. I had a monthly checkup and saw the blood sugar levels keep dropping. More encouragement! After a year I was taken off insulin because of hypo's and my new doctor basically telling me its not needed anymore. So over to oral medication. Not that I was complaining, I was getting rather tired of injecting.

So I kept up the eating plan (Lo carbing all the way) and getting more and more into exercise. About three weeks ago I went for a checkup again. my HBa1C had been stable at around 4.8 for the last 3 months, so I was taken off all medication. Its been three weeks now, and my blood sugar levels have been stable at around 4.8 -5. Exercise and diet only. I'll probably go back onto drugs or insulin again in the future, diabetes is progressive, But I know i have fought it as hard as I can and I have won.... At least temporarily. That combined with the fact that I am in the best shape of my life (32 now and embarrassingly fitter than I was at 19) has made me a happy man, I've had a couple of curve balls thrown along the way. Busy going through a divorce, Family members affected by retrenchments etc. But the one stable thing funnily enough has been my battle against diabetes. Not a battle in which I plan on surrendering.

So keep strong, keep plugging away. Hell if a procrastinating unfit IT guy can do it, so can you. :wink:

 

[noblehead]

Looks like you have things well under control :thumbup:

 

[qbix]

Well done you :thumbup: , can I ask how many grams of carbs you are eating a day now? Also what sort of exercise you are doing?

 

[milliejane]

Hi, Please can you tell me the types of food that you ate as I have trouble with rice potatoes and bread so mainly stick to bread with lots of grains in it and rarely have the potatoes or rice. I also find that oats spike my blood sugars. My nurse told me to eat baked crisps at night if I have any more medication to take that needed food with it, but these have made my sugar levels spike too. so I would appreciate it if you could give me a short list of the good foods you ate. Many thanks Sandra

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Guys, I started out diagnosed as diabetic with an HBa1C if 13 two years ago. I was put directly on insulin and given the doom and gloom scenario of being a diabetic. All the horror stories etc. I started to slowly change my lifestyle and started seeing positive results in how I felt as a person, fitter from exercise leaner from eating better. So I started adopting a new lifestyle. I had a monthly checkup and saw the blood sugar levels keep dropping. More encouragement! After a year I was taken off insulin because of hypo's and my new doctor basically telling me its not needed anymore. So over to oral medication. Not that I was complaining, I was getting rather tired of injecting.

So I kept up the eating plan (Lo carbing all the way) and getting more and more into exercise. About three weeks ago I went for a checkup again. my HBa1C had been stable at around 4.8 for the last 3 months, so I was taken off all medication. Its been three weeks now, and my blood sugar levels have been stable at around 4.8 -5. Exercise and diet only. I'll probably go back onto drugs or insulin again in the future, diabetes is progressive, But I know i have fought it as hard as I can and I have won.... At least temporarily. That combined with the fact that I am in the best shape of my life (32 now and embarrassingly fitter than I was at 19) has made me a happy man, I've had a couple of curve balls thrown along the way. Busy going through a divorce, Family members affected by retrenchments etc. But the one stable thing funnily enough has been my battle against diabetes. Not a battle in which I plan on surrendering.

So keep strong, keep plugging away. Hell if a procrastinating unfit IT guy can do it, so can you. :wink:

You have done fantastically...takes a lot of willpower apart from anything else. Have you had a recent glucose tolerance test?

 

[Thundercat]

Well done. I can only imagine how great you must feel. You worked hard to get where you are. Congratulations!

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[Sunshine_Kisses]

Well done!

 

[Assegai]

To be honest I cut carbs almost completely out of my diet, The only carbs I will eat is brown rice and quinoa maybe twice a week at suppertime. I do treat myself to the occasional sweat bread roll etc. on cheat days though! Otherwise its lean protein and veggies mostly... Oh yes, small breakfast of rolled oats to.

What helped me get a handle on carbs etc. was a small program I got called Calorie Counter, One of the many generic calorie counting apps out there. But it built up an awareness of what contains what. I try not to micromanage my carb and protein intake anymore, getting obsessive about it helps no one.(Trust me I made that mistake), rather use common sense in recognizing starch is sugar, and should be treated as such, carbs should be managed, and protein encouraged... This all of course is my opinion only, I'm not a medical professional so please take my advice bearing that in mind.

So short list:
Chicken (LOTS of grilled chicken)
Broccoli
Wild/Brown rice mix
Quinoa
Oats
Spinach
Beans
Beef (LOTS of beef)
... Wow, that's a short list... Occasional fruit and assortment of veggies combined with some meat is pretty much it.

And the occasional cheat meal, a plate of sushi, a burger, some pizza. But even on cheat days I try to keep perspective on what I'm eating for example having two slices of pizza, not the entire family size pizza lol.

As for exercise I am using programs mostly off bodybuilding.com. They have some great programs for beginners and pro's.
In the beginning I was doing lots of cardio, Stationary bike mostly, but that got INTENSELY boring at around the two month mark though. So I started using free weights, I enjoy the weight training, and have the freedom to switch around exercises if a routine get mundane. Its actually recommended to mix it up in weight training. And if I can give the ladies a little bit of advise.. Don't be afraid of weights, It won't turn you into some muscle bound FLEX magazine cover girl Give it a bash, you might be surprised at how much you enjoy it!

Right now though I'm doing "Six pack shortcuts" It sounds corny I know, but its a pretty intense HITT program that gets the blood flowing. Check on youtube.

Glucose tolerance test I have not had done though, Will enquire from my GP.

Thanks for all the replies guys. This forum has done wonders for me and I recommend everyone I meet who has diabetes to join on here for the great support and sense of community.

 

[stuffedolive]

Brilliant!
I agree about the weight training. It's apparently good for improving insulin resistance (someone more knowledgeable than I might comment there) and it doesn't necessarily build muscle - well i'm still a scrawny weakling...

 

[Anonymous]

To be honest I cut carbs almost completely out of my diet, The only carbs I will eat is brown rice and quinoa maybe twice a week at suppertime. I do treat myself to the occasional sweat bread roll etc. on cheat days though! Otherwise its lean protein and veggies mostly... Oh yes, small breakfast of rolled oats to.

What helped me get a handle on carbs etc. was a small program I got called Calorie Counter, One of the many generic calorie counting apps out there. But it built up an awareness of what contains what. I try not to micromanage my carb and protein intake anymore, getting obsessive about it helps no one.(Trust me I made that mistake), rather use common sense in recognizing starch is sugar, and should be treated as such, carbs should be managed, and protein encouraged... This all of course is my opinion only, I'm not a medical professional so please take my advice bearing that in mind.

So short list:
Chicken (LOTS of grilled chicken)
Broccoli
Wild/Brown rice mix
Quinoa
Oats
Spinach
Beans
Beef (LOTS of beef)
... Wow, that's a short list... Occasional fruit and assortment of veggies combined with some meat is pretty much it.

And the occasional cheat meal, a plate of sushi, a burger, some pizza. But even on cheat days I try to keep perspective on what I'm eating for example having two slices of pizza, not the entire family size pizza lol.

As for exercise I am using programs mostly off bodybuilding.com. They have some great programs for beginners and pro's.
In the beginning I was doing lots of cardio, Stationary bike mostly, but that got INTENSELY boring at around the two month mark though. So I started using free weights, I enjoy the weight training, and have the freedom to switch around exercises if a routine get mundane. Its actually recommended to mix it up in weight training. And if I can give the ladies a little bit of advise.. Don't be afraid of weights, It won't turn you into some muscle bound FLEX magazine cover girl Give it a bash, you might be surprised at how much you enjoy it!

Right now though I'm doing "Six pack shortcuts" It sounds corny I know, but its a pretty intense HITT program that gets the blood flowing. Check on youtube.

Glucose tolerance test I have not had done though, Will enquire from my GP.

Thanks for all the replies guys. This forum has done wonders for me and I recommend everyone I meet who has diabetes to join on here for the great support and sense of community.

Not much time for eating anyway with all that exercise! Good luck with the glucose tolerance test. You must been been diagnosed some other way (assuming this will be your first one). Just adds to the variety of inconsistent experiences & treatments we've indivdually had with the 'experts' (GPs etc.).

 

[Andy12345]

Amazing! Congrats

 

[Yorksman]

So short list:
Chicken (LOTS of grilled chicken)
Broccoli
Wild/Brown rice mix
Quinoa
Oats
Spinach
Beans
Beef (LOTS of beef)
... Wow, that's a short list... Occasional fruit and assortment of veggies combined with some meat is pretty much it.

I like brown rice in my diet. It's probably my main staple and, like yourself, I have oats for breakfast most days. Where I differ is that I have two fish days per week. I have two fowl days, mostly chicken, only two red meat days and one vegetarian day. Although you say your list is short, there's a lot can be achieved with a small number of herbs, spices and cooking methods.

No eggs?

 

[Assegai]

Sorry forgot the eggs... Yes I have those too, Quite a lot actually, me and the kids usually have a breakfast for supper day once a week , also if I have a lazy night omelets are a good choice for me. I live in a trout rich area, so on occasion we will have some trout too, not much else to choose from except if you like packaged supermarket hake :sick:

As for exercise, I usually spend no more than an hour working out. Mostly after eight at night when the kids have gone to bed. (Only chance I get really.) Amazing what you can do with a bench some free weights and a pull up bar. I have to be honest, with insulin resistance you do tend to struggle putting on "positive" weight. Especially because you can't really go the bulking diet route lol. But my focus is getting a little stronger and a little fitter week by week.

 

[mrsgreensmith]

So what kind of things do you actually have for meals, meat and veg or do you have recipes or something? I was diagnosed 2 years ago with a very high hba1c and very high glucose tolerance result, immediately put on insulin as I was pregnant at the time and been on it since. I am on basal bolus and my insulin requirements are just going up and up and I'm still getting high readings. I would love to get off the insulin, I know that it makes me hungrier. I just don't know where to start!

Cassie

 

[dawnmc]

I'm having a read of Wheat belly cookbook rather than Wheat Belly book, at the moment, there are some very recipes in loads in fact, and recipes for bread made with flax, almond flour etc. Worth a read.

 

[Yorksman]

So what kind of things do you actually have for meals, meat and veg or do you have recipes or something?

Mostly meat and veg and a little carbohydrate in the form of hard to digest starches, the so called low GI foods. For example today I bunged in the following into a slow cooker at 10 am:

2 lbs shin beef cubed into 2" pieces - makes a gelatinous gravy/sauce.
20 shallots, halved
1 bulb garlic, the cloves peeled but left whole
16 plum tomatoes
400 ml beef oxo stock
400 ml passata
4 bay leaves

That's left slowly simmering at a low heat until 7pm. All the yucky tissue on the shin beef has disappeared after 4 hours and by 8 hours the meat itself is breaking up. That's served with a portion of couscous.

An alternative might be chicken and tomato with tarragon, about 4 hours simmering on a hot plate

A good meal is lamb and barley stew: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/ ... ley-recipe

By not taking too much carbs with the main meal and definitely avoiding puddings, I have room for fruit snacks. My rule of thumb, something I learned here, was to avoid fruits from the more southerly latitudes so I stick to northern europe, apples, pears, cherries, plums, blueberries, red currants, blackberries etc. Sometimes I will have my own version of cheese and biscuits, rye crispbreads with sesame seeds and thinly sliced Wensleydale or Cheddar with thinly sliced pickled onion. I can't manage the normal crackers for cheese which tend to be made from refined white flour.

W H Smith are selling Hugh's Three Things on a Plate for £7.99 which is where the beef and chicken recipes come from. It is over 400 pages with 175 recipes. Some are no good for diabetes, many are OK and others are easily adapted:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/ ... on-a-plate

It's a good ideas book.

 

[EllisB]

Well done! You are one of the few!

The NHS approach to DM is that we won't succeed:

1. Meds
2. Tell patients off for not controlling BG
3. More meds
4. Threaten injecting
5. Insulin
6. Complications...

Even the X_PERT DIABETES course seems to follow this approach.

Thankfully my Doctor gave me the chance to change my diet and lifestyle.

 

[mrsgreensmith]

Thanks Yorksman, I am just doing my shopping list for next week so this is very useful.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[dutch1]

I have taken the xpert sessions and found them very helpful they were not threatening in any way and have managed to lose weight as well.....result all round:grin:

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[Allarepossible]

I am encouraged by this testimonial via diet and this enabled you to go off meds.

I have been injecting for nearly 3 weeks and I hate it and feel all out of sorts. I go through highs where I am able to cope with it, and lows usually after seeing the diabetic nurse, where all I want to do is curl up and cry, not eat because this spikes after meals etc. I have faith that I can be healed, as my 73 year old uncle was from this, so I am hoping and praying the same for me too. I am not fat, and have previously been following the Patrick holford regime of low carbs, and lost 3 stone in a year. I do love my desserts, cheesecakes, sponge and custard. Although I do have these in moderation, but was told by diabetic doctor that this is not always the reason for the condition and that it is usually genetic.