Diabetes 2 - Can I reverse it?

mrwjunk

Blood Sugar is down to 6.3 tonight.

A week ago it was averaging 12.

Went on a No Carbs, Only Eat Breakfast during the Week Diet.

900 Kcals for b.fast, 2x poached egg, 3 rashers of bacon, 3 slices of Black Pudding, Double Mushrooms and a cooked Tomato.

The Black Pudding had too many carbs so I'm replacing it with an extra egg and more Mushrooms.

At Weekends I spread 2/2200 Kcals over 3 meals pd.

Lost over 2 Kgs, but the blood sugar went 12ish, 9.9, 8.0, 7.3, 7.0, 6.3.

Can I break 6.0?

Become a non-diabetic?

Reverse my Unreversible Condition?

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nvmomketo

Probably. I know many low carbers who have reversed their diabetes, although most eat more than 900 kcal per day... You may want to rethink that low level. It would be VERY hard to sustain, and not that healthy.

How are you other BG levels? I ask because I have the dawn phenomenon. Some find their morning BG never gets really low. My fasting BG is ALWAYS my highest reading of the day. Because I am LCHF, my BG barely budges upwards after a meal. Generally speaking, my BG falls throughout the day. Because my BG is usually below a 6, I try not to worry about waking up with morning BG that have gone a bit high.

I REALLY recommend Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. His book is very helpful. Fung's Obesity Code has helped some too, but is based on weaker science.

And congrats on your success so far! T%hat really is quite wonderful!

dmkoenig

Here's a really insightful science-based video on what drives insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. Not the carb story that most people are focused on.

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/

DietPrada

I have, eating low carb. 4 years ago prediabetic and everyone in my family had type 2 by the time they were 40. I'm nearly 43 now and completely free and clear of any blood sugar issues.

macchiatto

FWIW, I reversed my prediabetes eating low carb. My A1C has continued to drop as well. I have a friend who was able to essentially reverse her T2D eating low carb and exercising. She was able to stop taking all her medications.

jgnatca

I call it putting it into remission.

kbmnurse

I am sure you meant your A1C is 6.3. If your BS was 6.3 you would probably not be alive.

earlnabby

I reversed mine in 6 months without going low carb. I eat a moderate number of carbs (150-160 grams daily) and my A1C has stayed between 5.0-5.3 for the last 3 years.

Yes, when one is diagnosed with T2Dm, you are never "cured" . . . your disease is being managed. Remember, high blood sugar is not the disease, it is a symptom of the disease. The disease itself is when the beta cells in the pancreas no longer work properly to control blood glucose.

Christine_72

I'm really curious on why some people insist that low carb is the only way to reverse diabetes, where others say they can eat plenty of carbs and also reverse it?

macchiatto

Christine_72 wrote: »

I'm really curious on why some people insist that low carb is the only way to reverse diabetes, where others say they can eat plenty of carbs and also reverse it?

Are you referring to those of us who posted in this thread or someone else? FWIW I definitely wasn't trying to say it's the *only* way; I just referenced my own and my friend's experience since that's what the OP is trying.

Christine_72

macchiatto wrote: »

Christine_72 wrote: »

I'm really curious on why some people insist that low carb is the only way to reverse diabetes, where others say they can eat plenty of carbs and also reverse it?

Are you referring to those of us who posted in this thread or someone else? FWIW I definitely wasn't trying to say it's the *only* way; I just referenced my own and my friend's experience since that's what the OP is trying.

No, in general I know for myself, if i was diagnosed with prediabetes, the very first thing I'd do is cut the carbs. Only because i have always thought that's what you had to do to keep blood sugar in an acceptable/healthy range.

My uncle had type 2, i don't know the intricate details, but he never reduced carbs and the more carbs he ate, the more insulin he pumped into himself. The disease killed him in the end..

Christine_72

Also, he was never overweight or inactive, he was a smoker and his diet veered toward high carb and high sugar, eg lots of soda, sweets and bread/bakery type foods.

earlnabby

Christine_72 wrote: »

I'm really curious on why some people insist that low carb is the only way to reverse diabetes, where others say they can eat plenty of carbs and also reverse it?

A lot depends on the severity of the beta cell burnout (aka how far the disease has progressed). Essentially, cutting carbs is the first thing to do in order to start managing it (with or without medication depending on the average blood glucose as measured by the A1C). How far you need to cut the carbs depends on the individual and how far they have progressed. It is not an absolute, but a sliding scale.

My doctor who is a Certified Diabetic Educator suggests to her patients that they start by eating no more than 180 g of carbs a day and see how that affect the blood sugar. She recommends quarterly blood draws to check the A1C in addition to using a meter. If that isn't doing the job, then continue to lower the carb maximum until you reach the best point.

Eating anything you want and using medication or insulin is the least desirable way to manage the disease.

In my case, the highest A1C I had was 7.2 which is just over the line into diabetic. Reducing my carbs a little, losing weight, and exercising worked for me to lower it to 5.0 with no medication except the first 6 months.

CynoO

My brother in law did! My sugars were high as 13 average I panicked and watched carbs and sugars after 3 months average was 7=9 still did not like the 9 I watched it as much as I could change and exercising. Now morning readings are 3.1- 5.8 I felt crappy dizzy fog brained exhausted so I had to change medications again I go back in two weeks to see what it is now.

ksz1104

You cannot cure it. You can manage it well but it is never cured. If you went back to a high carb lifestyle, became sedentary, you would eventually have issues again. I was diagnosed in July last year and I have been taking metformin. I use a blood glucose monitor to help me figure out how many carbs/what types of food cause spikes. I haven't cut carbs out completely but I am selective about what/how much carbs I eat and save the good stuff to splurge on a special occasion (I discussed this with my diabetes dietician). Also being active helps manage it, even if it is just going for a walk after meals.

you can certainly get your A1C into a normal range (My last was 5.7), but that does not mean you have reversed your diabetes and you would need to maintain whatever lifestyle changes you made to keep it in the normal range. And as you get older/disease progresses, you may have to make additional changes in the future.

mrwjunk

Apologies for the lack of science knowledge on my behalf, my Doctor says "Irreversible" & "Blood Sugar", I'm paying a medic who advises me to crush the carbs and take blood tests in the evening after the exercise. And I'm English, so American isnt my first language.

Now 5.4.

ForecasterJason

dmkoenig wrote: »

Here's a really insightful science-based video on what drives insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. Not the carb story that most people are focused on.

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/

Granted I didn't look at the sources cited in that video that closely, but I do know research has shown that there are differences between ethnic groups in how fat builds up in the blood in Type 2 diabetics. In other words, the scientific conclusion from that video may be true for some groups of people but not others.

tmpecus78

Look into Ketogenic Dieting. Epigenix (which is a 501c3 Non-profit of Quest Nutrition) ran a ketogenic study with Diabetics back in early 2016 and had some amazing results. Keto is great for regulating blood sugar levels.

https://www.ruled.me/the-ketogenic-diet-and-diabetes/