new member
2t9nty
Posts: 1,723 Member
I figured I would share my story by way of introduction.
So I was diagnosed with T2D in October 2016. I had an A1C of 12.8. My doctor prescribed metformin and explained that this was a progressive disease and that typically patients would add a med when one stopped working. He explained issues with retinopathy, circulation and associated problems. I would end up injecting insulin before it was over, and we wanted to delay that as much as possible. He gave me the Diabetes Association diet and told me to check glucose levels twice a week and schedule an appointment in three months for another A1C. I had a form for an eye doctor to fill out an fax back with results of an eye examination.
I left the appt and felt like I had been sentenced to life without parole.
So I started checking glucose more or less five times a day and paying attention to what made it go up and down. The Diabetes Association diet was terrible for me. My readings were in the 200's and sometimes 300's after eating. I had lost some weight with The Zone in the 90's and found that fairly easy to follow. I remembered the book had information about diabetes and how this diet worked well for diabetics. I tried it and was tracking everything in MFP and checking glucose. This worked better. I finally went to LCHF and my numbers finally started looking somewhat reasonable. I have been keeping my carbs to <20 (net) per day.
Having the data helped a lot. If I had stuck with the Diabetes Association diet and checked glucose twice a week as instructed, I would have gotten a new med added at the January appt. I am confident of that. I was interested in appealing my sentence, and I did not like the road I was on. Basically I was determined to kick butt and fight this disease to the extent I was able.
I am not saying my experience is universal, but I do know what has worked for me. I am interested in data-driven changes in what I eat and do. I am going to figure out what is working for me on my own if my doctor gives me a plan that is not working for me.
My A1C in January was 6.9. In March it was 6.1. I had lost some weight and felt better than I had in a while. The LCHF was easy for me to follow, and I was getting results on the scale and with the meter. My June A1C was 5.5.
I have lost over 5 inches in my waist since May 1. It has just gone away. I had a day last week when the average glucose for my daily readings was 101. There may come a point when the LCHF stops working, but I will know because of the glucose readings. For now it is getting the job done. I will keep my eye on the data and keep options open in the meantime.
Hope this finds everyone well, and I hope your next meter reading is one you like.
So I was diagnosed with T2D in October 2016. I had an A1C of 12.8. My doctor prescribed metformin and explained that this was a progressive disease and that typically patients would add a med when one stopped working. He explained issues with retinopathy, circulation and associated problems. I would end up injecting insulin before it was over, and we wanted to delay that as much as possible. He gave me the Diabetes Association diet and told me to check glucose levels twice a week and schedule an appointment in three months for another A1C. I had a form for an eye doctor to fill out an fax back with results of an eye examination.
I left the appt and felt like I had been sentenced to life without parole.
So I started checking glucose more or less five times a day and paying attention to what made it go up and down. The Diabetes Association diet was terrible for me. My readings were in the 200's and sometimes 300's after eating. I had lost some weight with The Zone in the 90's and found that fairly easy to follow. I remembered the book had information about diabetes and how this diet worked well for diabetics. I tried it and was tracking everything in MFP and checking glucose. This worked better. I finally went to LCHF and my numbers finally started looking somewhat reasonable. I have been keeping my carbs to <20 (net) per day.
Having the data helped a lot. If I had stuck with the Diabetes Association diet and checked glucose twice a week as instructed, I would have gotten a new med added at the January appt. I am confident of that. I was interested in appealing my sentence, and I did not like the road I was on. Basically I was determined to kick butt and fight this disease to the extent I was able.
I am not saying my experience is universal, but I do know what has worked for me. I am interested in data-driven changes in what I eat and do. I am going to figure out what is working for me on my own if my doctor gives me a plan that is not working for me.
My A1C in January was 6.9. In March it was 6.1. I had lost some weight and felt better than I had in a while. The LCHF was easy for me to follow, and I was getting results on the scale and with the meter. My June A1C was 5.5.
I have lost over 5 inches in my waist since May 1. It has just gone away. I had a day last week when the average glucose for my daily readings was 101. There may come a point when the LCHF stops working, but I will know because of the glucose readings. For now it is getting the job done. I will keep my eye on the data and keep options open in the meantime.
Hope this finds everyone well, and I hope your next meter reading is one you like.
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I love a success story!
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I am happy to have one to tell. I am not "there" yet, but I am glad to be making progress.1
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"Eating to the meter" has been essential for me in getting my A1c down from 11 to 4.9. If my sugar is too high, I go and work out until it comes down, if it's too low, I eat something. Eventually my pancreas may kick the bucket completely and leave me dependent on insulin, but in the meantime I want to keep my numbers low and preserve my health.
When the doctor sent me home from the hospital on metformin and glimeperide after my diagnosis, he said I didn't even need a meter! And the hospital nutritionist said not to bother counting carbs, just to eat "three ADA carb points" per meal. That advice was whacky and would have kept my glucose at dangerous levels, both high and low, since glimeperide makes it drop dangerously low about three hours after I take it.3 -
You guys are going to put the ADA out of business.
Nice going @rheddmobile & @2t9nty - congrats on being your own best doctors (and patients)!1 -
No kidding!
It would be interesting to know the number or percentage of people who have reversed their T2D following ADA guidelines vs. those who ignored it.2 -
No kidding!
It would be interesting to know the number or percentage of people who have reversed their T2D following ADA guidelines vs. those who ignored it.
I can't imagine anyone putting T2D into genuine remission (w/o medications) following ADA guidelines! That would hardly be surprising, of course, since reversal, remission, cure, etc., is not the ADA's goal.
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No kidding!
It would be interesting to know the number or percentage of people who have reversed their T2D following ADA guidelines vs. those who ignored it.
I can't imagine anyone putting T2D into genuine remission (w/o medications) following ADA guidelines! That would hardly be surprising, of course, since reversal, remission, cure, etc., is not the ADA's goal.
True.
When I discovered I was prediabetic I was seeing an endocrinologist for another condition. Her response to slightly elevated BG and insulin was to eat morelean meats, fruits and vegetables and they would monitor it. I took that to mean that they would watch it slowly creep up.
I did the opposite. Ate more fatty meats, almost no fruit, same veggies and grains or sugars, and then never went back. I monitored my BG myself. LOL1 -
When I discovered I was prediabetic I was seeing an endocrinologist for another condition. Her response to slightly elevated BG and insulin was to eat morelean meats, fruits and vegetables and they would monitor it.
I took that to mean that they would watch it slowly creep up.
I did the opposite. Ate more fatty meats, almost no fruit, same veggies and grains or sugars, and then never went back. I monitored my BG myself. LOL
Oh, how I wish I'd ignored all the "wholesome low-fat" mantras my docs were spouting back when my BG first drifted high..... Still makes me foam at the mouth when I think about all the carbs I loaded into my body, completely unsuspicious that pouring gas onto the fire might not be the best way to put it out!
But better late than never, no question.0 -
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Right now my 14-day average (for about 5 glucose checks a day) is 98. The 30-day average is 102. I went 5 days or so with all my readings in the 90's except for a lone 103 (@ 1 hr pp) and two in the 80's. The numbers are slowly creeping down, and they have been predictable. This is the way I want things to be.
I am staying the course with the LCHF. Weight is dropping at a little more than a lb a week on average. I have been more mindful of protein the past few weeks, and I went so far as to change my macros/goals. I am trying to get 30% with the protein now, and bumped the fat down to 65%. Carbs are still at 5%, but in actual numbers of carbs, I am rarely over 10 or 15 net.
I seem to have the diet end of things dialed in for me. I think it has been remarkable how well the glucose levels have responded to what I have been doing. I am sure I could improve things with some exercise maybe. I have my calorie goal set to give me a 500 calorie a day deficit, and i may have noticed a trend for better glucose readings when I am under that goal by another 200-300. If the calories are too low, the glucose readings paradoxically seem a little higher. This may be stress on the body and/or cortisol.
FWIW, I have been very strict with the LCHF and have really only had one instance of "bad" carbs in the last few months. I had a piece of fried chicken at a church picnic. MFP said 11 carbs, but they were flour. The total for the day was still 16 I think, but I had several readings in the low 100's the next day. This may not be related, but I suspect it was because of the "bad" carbs. I am more resolved now to avoid them.
That was a long-winded answer, but progress has been good. When I think of where I started, I am very pleased. I went off my statin after a total 156 on a panel. My last total cholesterol was 203 after being off the statin for a few months. I have lost 97 lbs since Jan 2016, and the last 57 have been on LCHF. Glucose is in a good place.
That is it for now...2 -
Right now my 14-day average (for about 5 glucose checks a day) is 98. The 30-day average is 102. I went 5 days or so with all my readings in the 90's except for a lone 103 (@ 1 hr pp) and two in the 80's. The numbers are slowly creeping down, and they have been predictable. This is the way I want things to be.
I am staying the course with the LCHF. Weight is dropping at a little more than a lb a week on average. I have been more mindful of protein the past few weeks, and I went so far as to change my macros/goals. I am trying to get 30% with the protein now, and bumped the fat down to 65%. Carbs are still at 5%, but in actual numbers of carbs, I am rarely over 10 or 15 net.
I seem to have the diet end of things dialed in for me. I think it has been remarkable how well the glucose levels have responded to what I have been doing. I am sure I could improve things with some exercise maybe. I have my calorie goal set to give me a 500 calorie a day deficit, and i may have noticed a trend for better glucose readings when I am under that goal by another 200-300. If the calories are too low, the glucose readings paradoxically seem a little higher. This may be stress on the body and/or cortisol.
FWIW, I have been very strict with the LCHF and have really only had one instance of "bad" carbs in the last few months. I had a piece of fried chicken at a church picnic. MFP said 11 carbs, but they were flour. The total for the day was still 16 I think, but I had several readings in the low 100's the next day. This may not be related, but I suspect it was because of the "bad" carbs. I am more resolved now to avoid them.
That was a long-winded answer, but progress has been good. When I think of where I started, I am very pleased. I went off my statin after a total 156 on a panel. My last total cholesterol was 203 after being off the statin for a few months. I have lost 97 lbs since Jan 2016, and the last 57 have been on LCHF. Glucose is in a good place.
That is it for now...
Congrats!
Sounds like you're still losing - how far do you have to go till you've reached your goal weight?0 -
Congrats!
Sounds like you're still losing - how far do you have to go till you've reached your goal weight?
I am 14 lbs under the weight goal my doctor gave me now. When I see him in September, he may tell me it is time to maintain or set a new goal. I would like to lose another 36 lbs to get me in a better place on the weight charts and will probably work toward that regardless of what the doctor says (just being a little strong-willed and self-motivated).
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