Type 2 Diabetes/Insulin Resistance in Men

MonicaT1972

My husband has been recently diagnosed and put on metformin to help control this.

I am asking for any tips (mainly from males) that have delt with or are dealing with this.

Is there anything that really works well with diet and fitness? Has anyone successfully reversed it and been able to come off of medication with diet/fitness and weightloss?

carld256

It's all about weight loss. Losing even a little weight will improve your husband's insulin resistance and reduce his symptoms. He should follow the standard ADA advice to begin with, lose weight, exercise, avoid sugar and simple carbs. Just doing that may bring his blood glucose down to a level his doctor is happy with.

I've been a diabetic for at least 8 years (longer than I thought), and I've successfully reversed (not cured) my diabetes with diet and exercise. I've lost 80 pounds, and my last A1C test was 4.7. The doctor stopped my diabetes medication years ago.

I follow a low-fat, low-glycemic plant-based diet. It's worked very well for me, but I know people can do well on low-carb, and the standard ADA diet as well. I really think it's mainly about eating healthier and getting some weight off.

Good luck!

Edit: And that's assuming your husband has weight to lose, as most type 2 diabetics do.

travisseger

I was diagnosed in September 2011 with an A1C of 14.2. I lowered my A1C to 5.1 by January 2012. I go next week for my latest A1C, and if it is still below 5.5, I am going to request to be taken off Metformin, as I believe it is hindering my weight loss efforts. I lost 115 lbs. prior to diagnosis, and have bounced around in the same 5-8 lbs. range ever since going on the Met.

The key for me to lowering my A1C was eating to my meter and exercise. While there are certain things all diabetics should avoid, every person is different and our bodies handle different foods differently. I am assuming he was issued a glucose meter. Use it. A lot. Make up your mind on what glucose levels are acceptable to you and figure out which foods you can and can't eat and to achieve and maintain those numbers. The first couple of months after diagnosis, I burned through thousands of test strips - testing before I ate something, then one hour and two hours after. For everything I ate for the first time. That enabled me to determine what was on my "do not eat" list. Exercising on a consistent basis is a big help also. If I get lazy for a couple of days and don't get my exercise in, my glucose numbers start to show it.

It's a continual learning process and is overwhelming at first, but it gets easier every day and soon becomes second nature. Good luck.

Spanaval

My husband was recently diagnosed as being Type 2 diabetic as well, and put on Metformin. In his case, I believe the problem is genetic, not weight. Still, he has lost over 10 pounds, and I'm hoping his A1C has gone down sufficiently for us to at least try lowering his dose. I'm kind of hoping that with diet/exercise modifications, we can get good control, although I'm not holding my breath on this (his father is also a diabetic, and rail thin, so weight does not appear to be the issue).

Captain_Tightpants

I was diagnosed 10 years ago and put on 500mg of metformin. As my A1C crept upwards that was increased to 1000mg/day, then 2000mg per day. When I hit 2000 per day I was also put on a statin and a diuretic.

Recently, I changed my eating habits, lost about 20% of my body weight, and bumped my activity level up to at least 3x per week exercise and whenever possible, daily walks. Within six months my bloodwork results came in so good that the statin and the diuretic were dropped and the metformin was back down to 500mg. I'm hoping that in 6 more months I can get off it altogther.

In certain cases, it is reversible with great control, I sincerely believe this.

Once you've gone there, the propensity for insulin resistance is always there, but I do believe if you try hard enough you can control it purely with diet and exercise, but if those sugars start creeping up, the damage can build fast, so if your husband does not have the willpower to eat clean and work out regularly then medication will still be important for him.

This is in cases of cellular insulin-resistance based diabetes. If the diabetes was caused by, or has led to, decreased functioning of the pancreas, then medication will always be needed, no matter how well you eat or how much you work out.

Please share my success story with your hubby. Regardless of whether it gets him off meds or not, a better diet and exercise routine will make him feel on top of the world.