32 year old type 2 diabetic

diabetesnomore32

Good day.

I am a 32 year old male and I was diagnosed with type 2 last month. I am not happy about this, but I think that my diabetes may have been caught in time to not only prevent major problems, but maybe to even turn back the clock and get rid of it. I weighed 313lbs and I went to see the doctor to follow up on my annual blood test. He told me that my A1C was 7.1, and that I probably had diabetes. He immediately put me on 500mg of metformin twice a day and I immediately made some major lifestyle changes.

I used to get very little exercise, but I now walk 1 hour a day for 5 days a week, and 30 minutes a day for the other two days a week. I have also discovered the wonderful world of tofu, vegetables, hummus and nuts. I eat two tofu hot dogs with hummus for breakfast. Lunch is salad with guacamole or hummus. Supper is more salad, hummus and nuts. I have cut out all bread, soda and almost all processed sugars, and the results have been amazing. In the last month, I have lost 13lbs. The first few pounds, were the easiest, and I lost those in the first two weeks. I have lost another 5 lbs in the past two weeks. My energy levels are up, I am more alert, I am happier, and oh yeah, my blood sugar took a huge hit. My blood sugar levels 2 hours after a meal are between 3.2-4.8. My fasting blood sugar is usually around 4.0. I am a bit concerned, but I will be seeing the doctor next week about either reducing my metformin or perhaps getting off it completely. This is what happens when I lose weight, exercise and eat well, and I am not going to stop any of these. I am also aware of the risks of have too little blood sugar and am monitoring this closely.

The challenge is that my positive changes are not temporary - they have to be permanent and I will have to eat well and exercise for the rest of my life. It is a huge change, but if I don't want diabetes, this is something that I have to do. What ultimately motivates me is not that I want to eat healthy, but I don't want diabetes to get out of control and lead to a loss of limbs, blindness, heart problems or death.

inneedofanap

Good for you for making the choice to change your life. So many people give up and accept a lifetime of medication before trying to reverse things with diet and exercise.

I have Metabolic Syndrome and I'm fighting to change my path too.

carolyn_burnham

My dad is a type 2 diabetic, so I wanted to chime in an say that you are doing a great job so far! He didn't catch it in a good time like you did, and he barely changed his diet for a long time after knowing he was diabetic, with the exception of trading sugar for artificial sweeteners (face palm). His eyesight is terrible now and affects his driving. He's also had to go to the ER on the verge of falling into a diabetic coma twice. His eating habits have shaved years off his life. Keep up the good work, and if you ever need motivation, remember my dad!

rachelrb85

Good for you on taking control! My brother was also diagnosed with type 2 diabetes around your age. He monitored his sugar/carbs, lost 80 lbs and is no longer on any medication or insulin. You can do this!

deansdad101

Good day.

I am a 32 year old male and I was diagnosed with type 2 last month. I am not happy about this, but I think that my diabetes may have been caught in time to not only prevent major problems, but maybe to even turn back the clock and get rid of it. I weighed 313lbs and I went to see the doctor to follow up on my annual blood test. He told me that my A1C was 7.1, and that I probably had diabetes. He immediately put me on 500mg of metformin twice a day and I immediately made some major lifestyle changes.
(snip)
My fasting blood sugar is usually around 4.0. I am a bit concerned, but I will be seeing the doctor next week about either reducing my metformin or perhaps getting off it completely. This is what happens when I lose weight, exercise and eat well, and I am not going to stop any of these. I am also aware of the risks of have too little blood sugar and am monitoring this closely.

The challenge is that my positive changes are not temporary - they have to be permanent and I will have to eat well and exercise for the rest of my life. It is a huge change, but if I don't want diabetes, this is something that I have to do. What ultimately motivates me is not that I want to eat healthy, but I don't want diabetes to get out of control and lead to a loss of limbs, blindness, heart problems or death.

DBM;
First, congrats on taking matters into your own hands, your positive attitude, and the results to date.
As you already know knocking down the weight and getting those insulin numbers under control are what matters most and hopefully the *whack in the head* you got is just what the Dr ordered (so to speak) - sure seems to be so, so far.

Of course following your docs advice takes precedence over anything you hear on this forum (or ANY forum), but OTOH I'd suggest arming yourself with all the facts you can and questioning any "advice" that just doesn't sit well based on what you learn.

Docs are people too (not gods), they have opinions, may or may not be up to date on current research, and certainly aren't *perfect*. Meds are almost always the first line of defense as you've already learned and it's usually much harder to convince them to reduce or eliminate them, than it was for them to prescribe it in the first place.

I'm not saying the docs diagnosis (and prescribing Met) was incorrect, and hopefully your diagnosis is correct and you'll be able to catch it in time. It's prudent though to have a back up plan B - just in case.

If meds are going to have to be a part of your future I would encourage you to first do your own research and then "educate" your doc (if need be). A (very) recently approved new drug is Afrezza (recently approved but after having gone through many years of clinical trials). Basically, it is insulin in a "puffer" (similar to those inhalers used for allergies and COPD). The most easily recognized benefit is NO NEEDLES, but more importantly are those relating to the ultra rapid acting characteristics and "quick in - quick out" qualities that the clinical trials demonstrated.

It was originally proposed to be approved only for T2D (easier benchmark) but after reviewing the trial results an Advisory Committee (selected by the FDA) recommended approval for both T1 and T2.

It's not yet readily available (final FDA approval was literally with the last couple weeks) but will be soon and, hopefully you'll never need it, but just in case hit up the googlemachine, typing in "Afrezza" or "Mannkind" (manufacturer, pharma).

My other suggestion relates to diet itself which is of far more immediate concern. You are absolutely on the right track when it comes to the "healthy" life style and diet and while I applaud your efforts and your attitude I'd encourage you to dig deeply into exactly what the definition of a "healthy diet" is for someone facing the issues you do.

Tofu and hummus might work "long term" for you (I sincerely hope they do) but many have difficulty and I know it would never "work" for me. Only point is, while there absolutely will be dietary restrictions (certain foods), they need not be more restrictive than necessary and the more food variety you can keep, the easier compliance will be, long term.

Most around these parts tend to focus on low fat/high carb diets which might (or might not) be fine for body builders (or wannabee's) but as you already know, are definitely not in your best interest. The whole low-fat thing is controversial but evidence has been mounting over the years that it's probably not in anyone's best interest.

Here are a couple links to get you started and as stated earlier it is NOT my intention to advise you to do ANYTHING that goes contrary to your doc's recommendations.
Keep an open mind regarding the information, print out whatever you consider relevant, and bring it with you on your next appointment to discuss with your doc.

You absolutely CAN "beat this" and you're off to a great start.
http://tinyurl.com/nwgzvz8
http://tinyurl.com/m8328zd
http://tinyurl.com/q6pe9us

Delquin

Hi there! Burying the spam that got posted on this board and bringing up the real posts to the top.

Did you ever watch the movie "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead?" Great flick, and it shows that we can rid ourselves of disease through dietary changes.

GlucernaBrand

Congratulations on making healthy changes and seeing positive results. If you haven't, ask your physician for a referral to a diabetes education program so that you can learn as much as possible about diabetes and how to manage it. You're making an excellent start at improving your health. ~Lynn /Glucerna

itsbasschick

i decided i didn't want to take medication, so on may 1 i started counting calories, and about 2 weeks after i started walking, and a little after that i got into resistance training.

walking has worked miracles with my type 2 diabetes. for a while i was testing my blood sugar before and after all sorts of foods and activities, and a normal speed walk - not dawdling but not power walking, either - lowers my blood sugar to normal now, used to bring it down around 40 points when my sugar was higher. that being said, losing weight has also had a great effect.

best of luck to you, and hope to see you around the boards.

deansdad101

Good day.

I am a 32 year old male and I was diagnosed with type 2 last month. I am not happy about this, but I think that my diabetes may have been caught in time to not only prevent major problems, but maybe to even turn back the clock and get rid of it.
(snipped)
The challenge is that my positive changes are not temporary - they have to be permanent and I will have to eat well and exercise for the rest of my life. It is a huge change, but if I don't want diabetes, this is something that I have to do. What ultimately motivates me is not that I want to eat healthy, but I don't want diabetes to get out of control and lead to a loss of limbs, blindness, heart problems or death.

DBM;
If you haven't already, you might want to take a look at a related thread that deals with this issue in an intelligent (and factually based) manner (as opposed to the cultists spamming with "drink the kool-aide" suggestions).

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1368663-low-carb-diabetes-critical-review-evidence-base

While the entire thread is highly informative, I'd direct your attention specifically to the *first hand* information provided by the poster "MidWest".

Knowledge is power and as you confront the challenges ahead nothing is more important.