Reversing Type 2 Diabetes
Discussion
Robertj21a said:
Good plain common sense. Just what I would hope most people would do.
FiL had started getting on top of his diet a few years ago, but that fell apart when he was caring for his sick wife. Now she's gone he's got back on top of it, stopped eating crap and learned to cook for himself and dropped a similar amount. If he could get his hip replacement done he could get back to exercise too.Phil. said:
mike9009 said:
Hi Phil,.
My dad was not really overweight and at 76, he still cycles everywhere, maintains two allotments, bell rings, plays badminton, etc. So he is very active.
His downfall, was sweet stuff, ably supported by my Mum and her puddings for the last 50 years.
So essentially, he cut out everything sweet. No sugar on cereal and no marmalade for breakfast. No doughnuts, afternoon cake or dessert for dinner. He also cut down on fruit too. He still has carbs, wholemeal toast, cereal, potatoes, rice, pasta etc. and the occasional dessert now he has been cleared.
Two of his brother were also T2, so it runs in the family. Luckily I have no chance of getting it
I think he was advised through their local GP surgery.
I think he was lucky that his T2 was diagnosed relatively quickly and his body has been able to adapt to a minor reduction in sugars/carbs.My dad was not really overweight and at 76, he still cycles everywhere, maintains two allotments, bell rings, plays badminton, etc. So he is very active.
His downfall, was sweet stuff, ably supported by my Mum and her puddings for the last 50 years.
So essentially, he cut out everything sweet. No sugar on cereal and no marmalade for breakfast. No doughnuts, afternoon cake or dessert for dinner. He also cut down on fruit too. He still has carbs, wholemeal toast, cereal, potatoes, rice, pasta etc. and the occasional dessert now he has been cleared.
Two of his brother were also T2, so it runs in the family. Luckily I have no chance of getting it
I think he was advised through their local GP surgery.
I assume from what you have said that you are T1? If so, have you tried a Freestyle Libre device and checked your response to different types of carbs?
I have been using the Libre for almost 2 months now. It has been a revelation in terms of my control. It is amazingly difficult seeing the difference in carb types as there seem so many other factors. For example, I have changed from white to wholemeal bread for breakfast and it seems too have had little effect. Also, when hypo, I have been trialling different stuff and have moved from Mars Bars to orange juice which has helped a little.
The biggest thing is when waking I notice my blood sugar's rising automatically ( dawn phenomena) and I now inject straight away before even contemplating breakfast. This has helped massively.
Still learning after 40 years in the dark....... And my predicted HBA1C is now 49 down from 63. Just need to wait for the real blood test though......
mike9009 said:
Phil. said:
mike9009 said:
Hi Phil,.
My dad was not really overweight and at 76, he still cycles everywhere, maintains two allotments, bell rings, plays badminton, etc. So he is very active.
His downfall, was sweet stuff, ably supported by my Mum and her puddings for the last 50 years.
So essentially, he cut out everything sweet. No sugar on cereal and no marmalade for breakfast. No doughnuts, afternoon cake or dessert for dinner. He also cut down on fruit too. He still has carbs, wholemeal toast, cereal, potatoes, rice, pasta etc. and the occasional dessert now he has been cleared.
Two of his brother were also T2, so it runs in the family. Luckily I have no chance of getting it
I think he was advised through their local GP surgery.
I think he was lucky that his T2 was diagnosed relatively quickly and his body has been able to adapt to a minor reduction in sugars/carbs.My dad was not really overweight and at 76, he still cycles everywhere, maintains two allotments, bell rings, plays badminton, etc. So he is very active.
His downfall, was sweet stuff, ably supported by my Mum and her puddings for the last 50 years.
So essentially, he cut out everything sweet. No sugar on cereal and no marmalade for breakfast. No doughnuts, afternoon cake or dessert for dinner. He also cut down on fruit too. He still has carbs, wholemeal toast, cereal, potatoes, rice, pasta etc. and the occasional dessert now he has been cleared.
Two of his brother were also T2, so it runs in the family. Luckily I have no chance of getting it
I think he was advised through their local GP surgery.
I assume from what you have said that you are T1? If so, have you tried a Freestyle Libre device and checked your response to different types of carbs?
I have been using the Libre for almost 2 months now. It has been a revelation in terms of my control. It is amazingly difficult seeing the difference in carb types as there seem so many other factors. For example, I have changed from white to wholemeal bread for breakfast and it seems too have had little effect. Also, when hypo, I have been trialling different stuff and have moved from Mars Bars to orange juice which has helped a little.
The biggest thing is when waking I notice my blood sugar's rising automatically ( dawn phenomena) and I now inject straight away before even contemplating breakfast. This has helped massively.
Still learning after 40 years in the dark....... And my predicted HBA1C is now 49 down from 63. Just need to wait for the real blood test though......
I imagine living with T1 is tough both mentally and physically.The Libre is an amazing and should be rolled out far more widely in my opinion.
Have you ever tried a few days of eating less or low carbs and if so, what was the impact? I ask because the likes of David Unwin the GP are reporting positive HBA1C results for T1 and T2 people when they adjust the amount of carbs consumed.
Phil. said:
Good work I imagine living with T1 is tough both mentally and physically.
The Libre is an amazing and should be rolled out far more widely in my opinion.
Have you ever tried a few days of eating less or low carbs and if so, what was the impact? I ask because the likes of David Unwin the GP are reporting positive HBA1C results for T1 and T2 people when they adjust the amount of carbs consumed.
I suspect if I did cut all carbs or went low carb my control would be easier and better. I have seen great results on the Libre forum on Facebook with others blood sugars basically flat lining. However, for me, it would be a step too far and too big an impact on my lifestyle, so I am not prepared to try it long term, unless medically I am advised to do so. I imagine living with T1 is tough both mentally and physically.The Libre is an amazing and should be rolled out far more widely in my opinion.
Have you ever tried a few days of eating less or low carbs and if so, what was the impact? I ask because the likes of David Unwin the GP are reporting positive HBA1C results for T1 and T2 people when they adjust the amount of carbs consumed.
I have done it by skipping breakfast once,.....
I don't feel T1 is as difficult as T2 despite the tribulations I have had ( mainly retinopathy, plus various hospital admissions when I was a wild teenager). I have had it since 7 years old so don't remember life without it. I think T2 is far more difficult, as after forming a life time of potentially poor habits, it can be incredibly difficult to break those habits. Also, the damage caused pre-diagnosis can be complicated, as the symptoms are not so obvious. I reckon mine was diagnosed after about four weeks.......
majordad said:
A friend mentioned a patch like thing worn on an arm that you swipe with your phone which gives the blood reading without having to prick yourself. He said there’s an App. I can’t find it using a google search, does it really exist and any links ?
https://www.freestylelibre.co.uk/libre/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwPiqzv-p6wIVWIjVCh1rrwvAEAAYASAAEgKrqvD_BwEmajordad said:
A friend mentioned a patch like thing worn on an arm that you swipe with your phone which gives the blood reading without having to prick yourself. He said there’s an App. I can’t find it using a google search, does it really exist and any links ?
Freestyle Libre. Not quite a patch. Some T1s have it prescribed. I have had one for two months and it is a game changer for me.On a recent series of programmes catching up on the Olympics they had a section that focussed on Sir Steve Redgrave. Without doubt one of our greatest Olympians and intensely fit, purely by dint of the fact that he is a world class rower. What I hadn't known was that after his fourth Olympics he contracted Type 2 diabetes. Given that, to reverse diabetes, it is suggested that we lose weight and exercise more, how did that happen to one of the fittest chaps in the world? Life is bloody harsh sometimes isn't it!
Johnniem said:
On a recent series of programmes catching up on the Olympics they had a section that focussed on Sir Steve Redgrave. Without doubt one of our greatest Olympians and intensely fit, purely by dint of the fact that he is a world class rower. What I hadn't known was that after his fourth Olympics he contracted Type 2 diabetes. Given that, to reverse diabetes, it is suggested that we lose weight and exercise more, how did that happen to one of the fittest chaps in the world? Life is bloody harsh sometimes isn't it!
He’s a bloody huge bloke and spent years chugging sugar drinks. Not terribly surprising. I bet he got quite fat quite quickly once he stopped competing. ORD said:
He’s a bloody huge bloke and spent years chugging sugar drinks. Not terribly surprising. I bet he got quite fat quite quickly once he stopped competing.
Sir Steve competed at about 16 stone I think, which isn't massively heavy for a 6ft 5in tall muscular man. I don't know why he developed diabetes but it wasn't from being unfit or overweight; he developed it before he retired from rowing when he was one of the fittest men in the world. Chainsaw Rebuild said:
ORD said:
He’s a bloody huge bloke and spent years chugging sugar drinks. Not terribly surprising. I bet he got quite fat quite quickly once he stopped competing.
Sir Steve competed at about 16 stone I think, which isn't massively heavy for a 6ft 5in tall muscular man. I don't know why he developed diabetes but it wasn't from being unfit or overweight; he developed it before he retired from rowing when he was one of the fittest men in the world. Poor lifestyle and diet does however increase your chances massively.
Chainsaw Rebuild said:
Sir Steve competed at about 16 stone I think, which isn't massively heavy for a 6ft 5in tall muscular man. I don't know why he developed diabetes but it wasn't from being unfit or overweight; he developed it before he retired from rowing when he was one of the fittest men in the world.
Interesting. Must have been a genetic outlier. Very unlucky. mike9009 said:
Also, back to the topic. My Dad was diagnosed T2 diabetic 18 months ago. He has changed diet, reduced weight by approx 10kg and is now 'normal' again. He is well chuffed.
I know how he feels...Here's something I posted on BookFace recently: https://www.facebook.com/duncreid/posts/1021736372...
Hands up who's been bored with my interminable posts of FitBit maps and ever increasing ranges, even during lockdown and the challenges presented by Boris walks amidst the temptation of Jaffa cakes?
Well let me tell you my 'Why'...
Last year, I started working with a rather awesome friend of mine. She happens to be a health coach and persuaded me into taking a bit of a health MOT.
It's fair to say I had a fair few advisories, big end bearing was shot, needing some welding and the suspension was past its best...
One of the biggies was the blood test that told me that my HbA1c reading was 51.6. That's firmly in Type 2 Diabetes territory and would've had the GP flinging tablets at me...
Fast forward to today and last week's test came back. 36.6!! That's in the normal range...
Lots of other things have improved too, liver function, visceral fat, kidney function, resting heart rate and lots of technical blood results.
It's not the end, far from it. I'm still ugly, slow & fat but perhaps just a little less so than I was.
To say I'm over the moon is an understatement. I've changed my diet, cut out the Greggs breakfasts and biased more towards plant-based, though still have some meat & cheese.
As you've seen, I've been walking an awful lot more. Back in November I was probably doing a couple of thousand steps a day and the thought of walking to the shops rather than taking the car simply didn't occur to me. Now I feel cooped up if I've not had a day of walking 3,4 or 5 miles listening to my podcasts - and with a 10 year old daughter, it's the only time to myself I get!
I even found myself doing parkrun at Crosby Parkrun - something that would've been simply incomprehensible to my 2019 self. To say I was blown away by the support & encouragement of everyone there - doesn't do it justice. Simply awesome.
The support of these people, Samantha Bentall the Health Coach and of course J & B has been incredible and allowed me to reverse the slide, make improvements and with any luck hang around for a few more years.
But seriously folk, if you're struggling with your health or fitness - JUST KEEP ON GOING, every little step helps and gets you closer to that goal. And your goal is yours and yours alone. Much Love to you all.
...and if you need a health coach, you gotta talk to Sam!
----
I'm also doing this https://step.diabetes.org.uk/pages/reid - the Million step challenge. I'm a bit light on steps recently as one ankle really hurts where the Achilles connects but I'm still moving!
Edited by Pot Bellied Fool on Tuesday 25th August 13:34
Edited by Pot Bellied Fool on Tuesday 25th August 13:35
majordad said:
Unasked the nurse today about the patch and she said it’s only for Type 1 , is that true ?
Yep, true. T1s need to control ups and downs hence having immediate results is really useful to stop short term and dangerous hypoglycaemic events. I believe T2's are looking at longer term trends of keeping blood sugars down. You can self fund Libre and many T1's have to do this as it is not prescribed to everyone.
mike9009 said:
majordad said:
Unasked the nurse today about the patch and she said it’s only for Type 1 , is that true ?
Yep, true. T1s need to control ups and downs hence having immediate results is really useful to stop short term and dangerous hypoglycaemic events. I believe T2's are looking at longer term trends of keeping blood sugars down. You can self fund Libre and many T1's have to do this as it is not prescribed to everyone.
Why the NHS differentiate between T1’s and T2’s is simply an economic decision which is complicated by the big pharmaceutical’s who want T2’s to continue to take their medication when it is unnecessary. See the brilliant work by Dr David Unwin to learn more:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/authors/dr-david-unwin
New to this thread - I have just had my blood tests back. End of March my HbA1c was 61. Today its 47. Managed this through strict low carb diet and a lot of cycling. Bought a mountain bike a month ago, and have done 350 miles to date.
Heavy going but its rapidly reduced my levels.
I had a kidney transplant in 2014 and the medication I take, as 'anti rejection', messes with the sugar levels in the blood, so Its been a constant battle to keep a lid on it. Cycling is now the way to go for me. I was swimming 5 times a week, but thats off the agenda now as I am at high risk of Covid.
I am popping out for a little ride now.........
Heavy going but its rapidly reduced my levels.
I had a kidney transplant in 2014 and the medication I take, as 'anti rejection', messes with the sugar levels in the blood, so Its been a constant battle to keep a lid on it. Cycling is now the way to go for me. I was swimming 5 times a week, but thats off the agenda now as I am at high risk of Covid.
I am popping out for a little ride now.........
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