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Type 2 When do the changes/improvements start happening?

c4bubbles

Member
Messages
22
Location
London
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi all,
I was warned a long time ago that I was pre-diabetic and panicked and voiced my thoughts and concerns on this brilliant site and was (and still am) very grateful for all the advice that came my way but, I buried my head firmly in the sand and did nothing and I’m ashamed to admit that it’s taken me forever to (sort of) come to terms with my situation.

At the beginning of the year I started noticing some really unpleasant symptoms, my poor body finally having had enough. Went to the hospital mid way through the year for something entirely unrelated and had a urine test where they found protein in my urine and told me to go and see my doctor. I didn’t (because I am an idiot and afraid).
Symptoms kept coming and finally something clicked when I realised my sight was being affected.
It’s taken me long enough but I’m beyond thankful for the sudden and much needed spurt of willpower.

So, for the last 5 weeks I have been testing regularly, keeping an eye on my calorie intake, lchf, no processed sugar of any kind, no rice, pasta, bread, biscuits, sweets, higher carb fruit, I’ve been keeping my net carbs under 100g but actually much more regularly under 50g per day.
But, I’m not losing weight (or inches) and there is plenty to lose. My glucose levels are never lower than 7mmol and more regularly between 8 and 12. I’m not on any medication with the exception of Valsartan for high blood pressure which I’m currently in the process of reducing from 80mg to 40mg (happy days).
I have noticed that my eyesight has improved greatly and my joints hurt less but when will the BG levels start to show improvement and surely the weight should be falling off me. I intermittent fast (16:8 - not eating until after 1pm works best for me) and the only fruit I eat are berries which don’t seem to cause any spikes. My occasional treat is a Coke Zero or a piece of 85% dark chocolate and pretty much everything I eat is unprocessed and nutritionally dense/healthy/clean. The carbs I do eat come from veggies (non starchy), berries and a daily slice of low carb high protein pro fusion bread (again, no spikes).

I’m at a loss at what else to do. I wasn’t expecting massive immediate results but after a little over a month, shouldn’t something noticeable be happening?

Apologies for the looong post and thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice.
Cindy
 
I am sure that changes have already started to happen for you but I think you answer your own question to some extent - you were diagnosed as prediabetic long ago and did nothing about it. I am pretty sure that I have been intolerant of glucose for a long time but remained undiagnosed. As a result even on less than 40 gm of carbs I have not dropped down from the top end of normal. I get BG in the 6s and even the 5s once in a while, but I am slowly working my way through the fat I had accumulated - my trousers are starting to slide down again, time for smaller ones.
I feel a lot better, look better, have more energy but I think I got a long way down before being diagnosed and it is a matter of a long slow renewal rather than just taking the brakes off and being back to full speed in no time.
 
Thanks for the response Resurgam. Very much appreciated. I’ll take slow and steady but it would just be great to see some progress, no matter how small whether BG’s or weight loss (or both). Something, anything!
But no matter what, I’m making positive changes and I’ll keep going. No choice really...
Glad to hear you’re making progress.
 
It seems like you have made a series of good changes diet wise and I think the improved eyesight and joints hurting less may well be a sign that improvements are taking place. How quick they happen and to what extent will vary from person to person. Taking into account many factors like, how insulin resistant you are, fatty liver, etc.

You just have to stick with it and kind of play around with carb levels and give it time to respond. Maybe try sticking to 50g a day for a month and see how that works or 40g.... you just have to experiment, but don't starve yourself either, that just defeats everything you are trying to achieve. Starving yourself results in weightloss, but losing weight by losing muscle mass is not the goal.

It's a journey as you know, you put the right fuel in the tank, but it still takes time to get from A to B.
 
Hi @c4bubbles

Well done on embarking on change. It’s not easy to make a big lifestyle shift but it sounds like you’ve made a commitment and a very good start.

It will take a while for the changes to be obvious. You mention that your BG readings aren’t what you’d ideally like, but have they reduced from where you started? Pretty sure they will have done, and if my own experience is anything to go by, at the start they’re bound to be a bit inconsistent as your body takes time to adjust.

If you’re eating LCHF I’d focus on carb restriction over calorie restriction - that’s one of the advantages of this way of eating. Eat satisfying foods until you’re full and then stop. I’d also say that blood sugar control is the main aim. Weight loss may follow as sugars reduce, but it’s not the main consideration. You’re already intermittent fasting, which will also help, so as @Tophat1900 says, you may need to play with carb levels and keep them a bit lower for a while to kick start things.

Do keep posting too. It’s so important to have support to keep you motivated.
 
I can sympathise- I'm doing LCHF- under 20 grams of carbs a day. My weight loss is v very slow- last week I actually put on a bit. People can say it's just a blip but it can be harder to keep the motivation when the results don't seem to follow.

Actually you have had some results eyesight improving is a huge one- that means your symptoms weren't irreversible. Weight loss (while it is great) can wait but stopping permanent damage to eyes or anything else is actually awesome- well done that is great.

Keep going and the others will follow. I am trying to make my blood sugars the focus and then after that the weight- of course I am disappointed when the weight isn't falling off but I am keeping my levels down so I'll take that for now. In a sense the weight will cause less health problems without high blood sugar levels.

Feeling your pain but congratulations on the reduced levels and the reduced symptoms!
 
Thanks all for the feedback and advice. Will keep putting one foot in front of the other and hopefully the improvements and progress that I want to see will follow.
Very grateful for this site and for the support.
 
I am currently experiencing the same thing and had exactly the same question - but I've been at this for over a month now and I have noticed the trend is going down (albeit slowly sometimes) which gives me hope. The first time I tested I got a 10.1, now I get around 6.

I also noticed that when I was getting a reading in the 5. range recently that I felt shaky, so I think there is definitely something about the body needing to retrain itself...
 
@c4bubbles & @Jam&Scones
Welcome to the forum.
A great place to start if you want the best chance of managing T2D successfully.

For me, stages to drop seemed to last a month or so...I went from 10mmol down to an average of 5+ mmol when doing my morning fasting test, between oct -jan... But your times may vary

As for the"shaky" feeling.. , I had that, too.
It's the body kicking off..It likes to protect us and it thinks the food supply chain seems to have been disrupted...it just isn't used to running at the lower numbers.

Once it realised these changes were intentional, it then began to accept the lower numbers as more normal.
 
I am currently experiencing the same thing and had exactly the same question - but I've been at this for over a month now and I have noticed the trend is going down (albeit slowly sometimes) which gives me hope. The first time I tested I got a 10.1, now I get around 6.

I also noticed that when I was getting a reading in the 5. range recently that I felt shaky, so I think there is definitely something about the body needing to retrain itself...
If you're shaky at a 5, you've been very high for a long time... It's called a false hypo. It feels and acts exactly like a real one, because your body is convinced it IS one. Only way to tell them apart is checking with a meter. Ride it out if you can, or have a little bit to eat if you must, but all in all, good progress!
 
Thanks all for the feedback and advice. Will keep putting one foot in front of the other and hopefully the improvements and progress that I want to see will follow.
Very grateful for this site and for the support.
Carbs are inflammatory (joint pain), and will affect eyesight. You might not notice much elsewhere yet, but there is something changing, quite fundamentally... Just not in the area yet where you want it to. But it'll come. Keep it up, you're doing great, even if it doesn't feel like it.
 
If you're shaky at a 5, you've been very high for a long time... It's called a false hypo. It feels and acts exactly like a real one, because your body is convinced it IS one. Only way to tell them apart is checking with a meter. Ride it out if you can, or have a little bit to eat if you must, but all in all, good progress!

Thank you! I got reading of 5.3 before a meal this week for the first time and I was surprised because I didn't feel bad :)

OP - I understand exactly how you feel, perhaps some things I have learned will also help? Low carb fruit - for me that causes the biggest spike in blood sugar more than if I ate one slice of bread in the morning that has more carbs! So maybe something to test?

I also exercise everyday (30 mins brisk walking at least) and I have found I lost weight between that and the diet - maybe something to consider? I started out small, but quickly started doing more and more...

A couple of important things I have now learned about diet are if you want your body to burn fat you need to reduce the carbs, but also increase your intake of potassium - think kale, broccoli, avocado (which is good fats AND potassium) which made me understand the dinner-plate ratio better - the half plate should be filled with potassium rich veggies.

I hope that helps. I am still learning too and it is a lot to take in.
 
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