Share Your Progress!

I consider I have been very lucky with my diagnosis of type II diabetes last November 2015 just after my birthday when I turned 62 years. Unfortunately, my late mother (and her father) had type II diabetes and my younger brother has had this for some 15 years. My fasting blood glucose last November was 14.5 mml/m. I went on a low carb diet (no bread, potatoes, pasta or rice) and started and an exercise regime, which subsequently means I have lost over a stone and now weigh 12 stone 7 pounds. I monitored my daily blood glucose for about three months and it returned to normal (non-diabetic) levels within two months. I walk 3 to 5 miles most weekdays. My last longitudinal blood test (HbA1c ) in August was 37mml/m – prior to that it had dropped from 94mml/m in November to 42mml/m by March this year. Fortunately, I never experienced any serious problems with the low carb diet. I was somewhat concerned that I would not be getting sufficient amounts of “my five a day” but this only amounts to 400 g of vegetables which is completely achievable spread out throughout the day. As a rule of thumb, I tend to eat only vegetables that grow above the ground. I do have an apple every day but tend to eat this with a small amount of cheese. Initially the walking exercise resulted for the first couple of weeks of me being somewhat out of breath but this quickly passed. Personally, I would not recommend running particularly on roads and pavements as this can cause joint problems to somebody of my age. In any event, a brisk walk seems to do the trick. To be honest, I have not felt this healthy for many years. The only thing that irritates me at the moment is that my diabetic nurse is trying to insist I take statins – my total cholesterol was 6.7 initially on diagnosis and now has dropped to 5.3. I asked for a breakdown of my cholesterol readings a few weeks ago from my last test and my LDL is 3.1 and my HDL is 1.7. I firmly believe that slight changes in my diet and my continued commitment to exercise will result in my LDL cholesterol levels dropping below 3.0. I can see no logical reason to take medication if I can achieve the same results through lifestyle change which has bonuses beyond my diagnosis with type II diabetes as regards my general health. My advice to anybody is to examine your lifestyle and create achievable goals we are all different.

Brilliant result and in my opinion don't take the statin.

Had a private HbA1c as the NHS prefer to save pennies now and spend pounds later!
Result was 43, about the same as last time. The test lab doesn't know my history, I declined to fill that bit in, I just wanted the result.

But I do like the advise they give

"Your HbA1c was raised and is at a level which is described as pre-diabetic. This could be an early indication that your body beginning to struggle to metabolise glucose (sugar) correctly. We advise you to reduce your consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates (e.g. white bread, pasta, rice and potatoes) if you can, and repeat the test in 3 months. If your level remains elevated we advise you to talk to your doctor for lifestyle advice and glucose lowering medication."

Bold lettering is mine

elizabethmorrison said:

Hi ai am Elizabeth Type 1 Diabetic and have been for nearly 43 years I started having eye complications in 2012 bleeds laser etc things began to get worse I was transferred to The Heath Hospital in Cardiff where I became a patient of Mr Roger McPherson I first of all had a vitectromecty this seemed to work and had the necesserary laser treatment first check up fine then before my next check up Had a sort of roller blind effect coming down and colours yellows purples went to GP who phoned the hospital who did not appear to be concerned then luckily I had an appointment the following week my eyesight at this stage was very bad and when I had the eye test could not read the letters or even see the board I saw Consultant Registar who when looked into my left eye sai you have a detached retina and said he would get my Surgeon straight away who then confirmed it was this I felt very very frightened but thank goodness Mr McPherson said he would operate in the afternoon

I had the operation and had the gas etc but thankfully all went went Mr McPherson and his team are an amazing and I thank them all for their knowledge and expertise without them I would not have my precious eyesight I have had new lenses cater act operations Injections Lucenta this is amazing stuff

I just want to say a big thankyou to All my Team of brilliant human beings and how very fortunate we are in this country for our incredible National Health service and am now better controlling my diabetes and this helps to hopefully keep me free from these scary complications
To all of the diabetics who have had similar to me and maybe going through this at present put your trust in these amazing Opthalmologists Nurses if fact all who work on Ward 8 at The Heath thank-you from the bottom of my heart

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Hi @elizabethmorrison
just seen your profile post today on another member profile.

perhaps you could start a thread with those details........ I am sure we would have many members wishing to support ....

Almost 2 years since diagnosis - Blood Glucose then 16.5 - put on Metformin - 9 months later Metformin amount doubled and Sitagliptin added - Blood Glucose 9.0...................... Found this site, started to try low carb high fat, began to see improvements.
As of today weight loss of almost 4.5 stones - Blood Glucose HbA1c 6.2.
Still struggle to keep carbs low, still have around 4 stone to lose to get to a more normal weight
BUT - really glad I found this site - really pleased to have achieved what I have with my weight and my blood glucose readings.
Expecting text from doctor any day to say I need to go pick up another fasting blood test form and go for another round of blood tests, the last one was 9 vials of blood - but only informed that HbA1c was 6.2 and cholesterol was OK and that doctor did not want to see me!
Do not feel particularly supported by my doctor - now considering changing practices to see if it improves.
A very big thank you to everyone on this site and the site itself - without the support and knowledge here I would not have managed to improve my health.

Thank you DCUK members. Since joining, members past and current posts from Type 1's 2's and in-between have educated me and given me the confidence to embark on LCHF and remove Metformin. As a result of LCHF my HbA1c has moved from 42 to 35 or 5.4%. I always adopt a small "c" conservative approach to change, but member posts have been so reassuring and when combined with the knowledge enhancing provided links, what an irresistible education. I can actually say this site is priceless, life changing and life saving. I have learnt that not one size fits all, there are some generalisations that work for most and not to be too judgemental in the way others handle diabetes. THANKS.

Mbaker said:

Thank you DCUK members. Since joining, members past and current posts from Type 1's 2's and in-between have educated me and given me the confidence to embark on LCHF and remove Metformin. As a result of LCHF my HbA1c has moved from 42 to 35 or 5.4%. I always adopt a small "c" conservative approach to change, but member posts have been so reassuring and when combined with the knowledge enhancing provided links, what an irresistible education. I can actually say this site is priceless, life changing and life saving. I have learnt that not one size fits all, there are some generalisations that work for most and not to be too judgemental in the way others handle diabetes. THANKS.

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Well done @Mbaker
You have obviously found what works for you.

Hiitsme said:

Well done @Mbaker
You have obviously found what works for you.

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Thanks, I just wish that Doctors and Diabetic team had more knowledge about LCHF, I wasted a year eating fairly high carb, exhausting myself with over training to achieve 41 / 42, when clearly for me I required moderate carb. I didn't know that vegetables contain enough carbs for sustenance, how many people do. I have my diabetic follow up after my results in two and half weeks and will make some suggestions to my nurse....food politics is literally destroying lives.

I was diagnosed T2 in December 2015 and prescribed Gliclazide ( I've suspicion I may be T1.5 as I'd lost a lot of weight over the prevous two years) My HbA1C was pretty high at 102. The medication and adjustments to my diet ( bog standard NHS diabetic diet) helped bring my HbA1C down to 52 when next tested in July and I was quite pleased with this.
From the start I've been checking my BS fairly often and keeping a tally and graph of my running average BS and averages pre and post prandial 3 times a day. I don't test every day and when I do I don't test at every meal but rotate the tests.
Although in the couple of months after diagnosis I could see my BG undergoing a pretty rapid fall, over the summer it crept up slighty.
At the start of October I decided, after what I read on DUK and in Dr David Cavan's " Reverse Your Diabetes," to implement a much further reduction in my carb intake and my change in diet is showing very pleasing results. At the start of October my average BG was 8.11 and is now down to 7.6. I'm pretty firmly convinced that it's my very low carb intake that's doing it.

Peak of graph is early october. Lowest was yesterday.

Dave.

Yabbadabbadoo, just come back from visit to my DN my numbers are down from 46 to 35, bloods normal, cholesterol normal, weight down from 16.6 to 12.8 another visit in June and if everything ok then I could be clear..but I must say I couldn't of done it without the help of you people on this forum, I found it a bit scary when I first joined it a year ago with people talking about losing limbs and going blind and I feel sorry for people going through that kind of agony. I've worked hard to get where I am and will not slip back.

Great support and inspiration from this community!!

Diagnosed in April 16 after BG of around 16 and A1C confirmed st 59

Started LCHF and no meds and exercise, modest supplementation and IF

Today: A1C 29

BG: 4-6.5 average

Weight: 69kg - lost 12 inches on waist and around 45kg from 5 years peak

Exercise: gym 3 x wk, run 5kpw, circuit 1 hr pw - fittest I've been since I was a young man

BP, cholesterol in all its forms now in normal range and stable

Still no meds...

T2 diag arguably the best wake up call I've ever had

KevinPotts said:

Great support and inspiration from this community!!

Diagnosed in April 16 after BG of around 16 and A1C confirmed st 59

Started LCHF and no meds and exercise, modest supplementation and IF

Today: A1C 29

BG: 4-6.5 average

Weight: 69kg - lost 12 inches on waist and around 45kg from 5 years peak

Exercise: gym 3 x wk, run 5kpw, circuit 1 hr pw - fittest I've been since I was a young man

BP, cholesterol in all its forms now in normal range and stable

Still no meds...

T2 diag arguably the best wake up call I've ever had

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Oh yes, astonishing result, it is satisfying when the effort you have put in delivers the goods; my wish is that for the percentage that do the same work and don't get a proportionate result they could get specialist help.

Really pleased with how my diabetes regime has changed this year. I started on IPT in November and the difference in control is amazing

I joined the forum just a little under three months ago. I am doing moderate fat, moderate carb, and slightly below average protein. (Read my thread Protein Levels if you would like more details on diet). I just got back from my doctor's appointment-My HA1c is now in controlled range, It went from 7.5 three months ago to 7.0 with blood drawn a week ago. I lost two pounds and my kidney function has improved a little on all three measures. I'm happy.
Thank you all for the discussions, supportive comments and hugs.

It's just over three months since I started taking Metformin, and starting a lowish carb high fat diet.

I have managed to get my hba1c down from Septembers 7.5%, to Decembers 5.6%.

I have also lost weight I am down from 98.2 Kgs to 90.1Kgs. I do not want to go lower than this if I can help it as my BMI is now showing 23.9.

So overall I am happy with this and I am pleased I joined this forum as I have picked up some good tips and ideas for meals. Thank you all for this.

Here is my averages over the last 90 days, I want to get the 90 day down below 6.5.

Good afternoon I am not saying I am a success ,its early days still,but thanks to all the help,support and sound advice reeived on here ,I say a big thank ,you,the LCD has certaimly,and the advice on getting a meter and when and how to use it,it took me a while as I was frightened of seeing the results on the meter,but finally faced my fears two weeks ago.I had my first 3 month acecessment and picked up my test results to day when you consider the state I was in when diagnosed back in October 2016, with a figure of 114/12.6 m/mols and now down to 50./m/mols 6.7.

Tel call from surgery today
Please come in for a blood test
Why? I just had one, have you got the results by any chance?
Yes, I thinks thats why the Dr wants you to have another test
Can you give me the results please?
Yes, your cholesterol and BP are high
That's good, and the earth is still orbiting the sun. Do you have the Hba1c result?
Yes, that's normal
What number normal is that?
40
Thanks very much - make a note that I have declined your kind offer of further blood extraction

Thanks for all the encouragement on here everyone

40 is ok, nothing more, so I still have a long way to go. But I know I can depend on you good folk to be my crutch

I have gone past 6.5 on the 90 day daily average, now the trick is to get it down below 6.3 on the 90 days.

My weight is still around the 90 Kg mark so have not lost anymore, or come to that put it back on.

I went for my annual test for a defunct thyroid and was told that I was diabetic on 15th November 2016. Extra tests had been done. My cholesterol, which I had been told was high had necessitated a special diet, which in over 18 months had resulted in the total going down 0.1. My blood glucose was 17.1 mmol/l after lunch.
I went straight back to doing Atkins. I had put on lots of weight. I got a meter so I could see how various foods affected me. In 80 days my Hba1c reduced from 91 to 47. My cholesterol went down from 6.4 to 5.7. My fasting glucose was 6.5 and triglycerides were 2 - and I have lost 18lb.
I still have not been told what my thyroid results were, and the doctor doesn't want to see me.
I have been eating fried and roasted foods, drinking coffee with cream, eating berries, with cream, but I think that the salads and the veges are good, even if some of them were roasted. I do the old fashioned Atkins, using 'New Diet Revolution' from 2002 I think - one of the last books actually written by Dr A.
Being diagnosed with diabetes is probably the best thing that could have happened. I feel younger, fitter, lighter, stronger.

Very grateful for the information on this website. I consider that I was very lucky to feel so poorly with weak muscles and backache when my sugar was high which prompted me to see my GP. I have low thyroid and didn't know the possible correlation with diabetes and thought I needed more levothyroxine.
Diagnosed as Type 2 six months ago with a score of 84/ 9.8 this dropped to 47/6.6 after 3 months and 41/5.9 now after 6 months - my Nurse and Doctor are amazed and delighted! I have now been instructed to drop from 2 Metformin tablets down to 1 daily.
When talking to other people its amazing how many diabetics just don't know what to eat and I pass on details of Diabetes.co.uk on a regular basis - eg. to the hairdresser who thought she was helping her diabetic husband by giving him a sandwich and 4 pieces of fruit for lunch and worried that he was constantly tired and lethargic. The main changes to my diet have been a reduction in bread and potato, and spacing out fruit consumption through the day. I lost 16 llbs in weight very quickly but think I have stabilised now and am hoping I don't lose any more.
My low carb high fat diet is certainly not hard to achieve and because it is also good for high blood pressure I feel I am on the winning track for the future. Thanks to your website and to all who contribute.