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Advice regarding managing Type2 without medication.

beating_my_betes said:
Yes! Using a diet plan that aligns with govt. recommendations going back at least 40 years is something my doctors seemed fine with.
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Umm, 40 years ago doctors said smoking was good for you and advertised it on TV
 
There was a model called the 'carbohydrate insulin model of obesity' but that has been disproven. Obesity (And type 2 diabetes) are not cause by carbohydrates.
 
@beating_my_betes - your BG is currently 20 which is dangerous and your BP is critically high.

'Eating the carbs' isn't improving your insulin sensitivity and your in grave danger of a serious medical emergency.

Eating fewer carbs is well proven to reduce Hba1c. Eating a heavy carb load diet when your body can't handle the glucose load, as your so ably demonstrating, doesn't help anything.
 
harbottle said:
There was a model called the 'carbohydrate insulin model of obesity' but that has been disproven. Obesity (And type 2 diabetes) are not cause by carbohydrates.
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Yes I don’t see the idea expressed here that carbohydrate causes insulin resistance, so much as that several people have found that their metabolisms were struggling with the amount of carbohydrate they were eating (and insulin resistance may have been part of that), and that reducing carbohydrate intake was a helpful strategy for them.

Others have focussed more on weight loss and have experienced something of a reboot of their metabolism without paying all that much attention to carbs.
 
harbottle said:
There was a model called the 'carbohydrate insulin model of obesity' but that has been disproven. Obesity (And type 2 diabetes) are not cause by carbohydrates.
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Unfortunately, it having never been proven doesn't change the fact that it is the prevailing message that still underpins most of the low-carb movement
 
dannybgoode said:
@beating_my_betes - your BG is currently 20 which is dangerous and your BP is critically high.

'Eating the carbs' isn't improving your insulin sensitivity and your in grave danger of a serious medical emergency.

Eating fewer carbs is well proven to reduce Hba1c. Eating a heavy carb load diet when your body can't handle the glucose load, as your so ably demonstrating, doesn't help anything.
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You keep making the same assumptions and sweeping statements. Why not ask questions instead? 😉
 
beating_my_betes said:
You keep making the same assumptions and sweeping statements. Why not ask questions instead? 😉
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I'm not making assumptions. You told us your BG and BP yesterday and these are both dangerously high.

You're refusing to seek medical help when a BP of 180/130 should trigger a trip to A&E. Your BG, if left high may well cause serious complications.

These aren't sweeping statements...
 
dannybgoode said:
I'm not making assumptions. You told us your BG and BP yesterday and these are both dangerously high.

You're refusing to seek medical help when a BP of 180/130 should trigger a trip to A&E. Your BG, if left high may well cause serious complications.

These aren't sweeping statements...
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Not doing the questions thing, then? :D
 
@beating_my_betes

Have you considered that you might be past the stage of trying to regain insulin sensitivity and that you might be too low on insulin production to manage your levels regardless of how much weight you manage to lose or reduce insulin resistance. You might even be a late onset Type1.

Metformin is not the only Type 2 medication and if you have tried it before and it didn't work or upset your system then you have the right to refuse it but at those levels you really should be seeking medical attention and a treatment plan. If your levels have been like that for the many months that you have been discussing different high carb approaches on this forum, then you need to consider a different approach for the sake of your health. It isn't a game and your diabetes will not ignore you whilst you try to prove a point here.
I really hope you will reconsider your situation as I suspect you have reached a point where you possibly need insulin, at least short term, to help bring those levels down a bit and take some of the strain off your body.
I am genuinely concerned for your wellbeing.
 
rebrascora said:
@beating_my_betes

Have you considered that you might be past the stage of trying to regain insulin sensitivity and that you might be too low on insulin production to manage your levels regardless of how much weight you manage to lose or reduce insulin resistance. You might even be a late onset Type1.

Metformin is not the only Type 2 medication and if you have tried it before and it didn't work or upset your system then you have the right to refuse it but at those levels you really should be seeking medical attention and a treatment plan. If your levels have been like that for the many months that you have been discussing different high carb approaches on this forum, then you need to consider a different approach for the sake of your health. It isn't a game and your diabetes will not ignore you whilst you try to prove a point here.
I really hope you will reconsider your situation as I suspect you have reached a point where you possibly need insulin, at least short term, to help bring those levels down a bit and take some of the strain off your body.
I am genuinely concerned for your wellbeing.
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I have considered that I'm past the point of no return. But I have to give one last ditch attempt to find out.
It's very possible that even if I do make progress with my plan that I've done so much damage over such a protracted period of time that any success will be short-lived.

What I do have in my favour is a lot of (albeit short-lived) successes behind-the-scenes. At least up until the last time i tried, I can reliably shift my numbers in a positive direction when I actually stick to the plan. More than that, after being hospitalised last year (BP much higher than now), I had a raft of tests that came back clear (Kidneys, heart liver etc.), the high BP, High BG and eye issues notwithstanding. Even more than that, I also scored my lowest A1C (60/ 7.7) since diagnosis, last Feb...and that, despite not eating under 250g carbs, per day, in years.

In the interim period, certain life upsets/traumas have ended up with me in a very anxious and depressed slump, not only self-medicating with food, but also alcohol - the latter being something I've not really done for years.

So, the assumption that my current state is as a result of a specific diet belies a much bigger truth i.e that I've not been following the plan. My results are due to eating lots of carbs, tons of fat, tons of junk and alcohol.

I am medicated. I have doctorS. And I have promised them that if I fail in my plans I will accept whatever extra meds they give me. If you consider I was unmedicated for years until last year, but now take 4 different meds, It's clear that I'm not anti-med/pharma..

I appreciate your concern. If you're on Twitter, you might be able to follow my journey there.
 
I find eating low carb, I don't get the cravings and comfort food bingeing that I did when I was eating a lot of carbs. The more carbs I eat, the more I crave, not just carbs but any comfort food. Reducing my carb intake and eating more fat has helped me manage my comfort eating and there have been numerous other quite significant health benefit to changing my diet to low carb.

I am Type 1 and on insulin so I don't need to be low carb, but those health benefits which include both mental and physical health are too significant to ignore.
 
beating_my_betes said:
I have considered that I'm past the point of no return. But I have to give one last ditch attempt to find out.
It's very possible that even if I do make progress with my plan that I've done so much damage over such a protracted period of time that any success will be short-lived.

What I do have in my favour is a lot of (albeit short-lived) successes behind-the-scenes. At least up until the last time i tried, I can reliably shift my numbers in a positive direction when I actually stick to the plan. More than that, after being hospitalised last year (BP much higher than now), I had a raft of tests that came back clear (Kidneys, heart liver etc.), the high BP, High BG and eye issues notwithstanding. Even more than that, I also scored my lowest A1C (60/ 7.7) since diagnosis, last Feb...and that, despite not eating under 250g carbs, per day, in years.

In the interim period, certain life upsets/traumas have ended up with me in a very anxious and depressed slump, not only self-medicating with food, but also alcohol - the latter being something I've not really done for years.

So, the assumption that my current state is as a result of a specific diet belies a much bigger truth i.e that I've not been following the plan. My results are due to eating lots of carbs, tons of fat, tons of junk and alcohol.

I am medicated. I have doctorS. And I have promised them that if I fail in my plans I will accept whatever extra meds they give me. If you consider I was unmedicated for years until last year, but now take 4 different meds, It's clear that I'm not anti-med/pharma..

I appreciate your concern. If you're on Twitter, you might be able to follow my journey there.
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I really feel for you - and I'm sure that the people posting their concerns about your welfare on here are doing that with the best intentions, as fellow diabetics rather than as medics.

As well as the physical support that you're receiving, can I ask if you're seeing a psychologist or counsellor? You may find that such a person (to whom your diabetes team may be able to refer you) could help you navigate the stress of juggling so many issues at once.
 
Docb said:
Yes, I did make the observation that analysis of data from T1's might help with understanding mechanisms because at least there is control of one major variable, the amount of insulin being introduced into the system. You don't have that when it comes to T2.
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With the amounted experience I’ve had as a T1. (5 decades.) Even factoring the precise dose for the carbs & protein consumed & digested. Exogenous insulin is not absorbed under the skin the same way a working (or semi functional) pancreas pumps insulin out attached to the duodenum? I read an interesting discussion a decade ago suggesting the best place to administer insulin for a T1 would be the upper intestine?
 
maredcam18 said:
My Type 2 was diagnosed during 2012 at the same time that I was training at the gym for a six-day hike in Iceland. I continued training at the gym for several months after returning from Iceland and eventualy reduced my glucose from 6.9 to 6.4.
I have never been obese, there is a family history of Type 2, and my weight at my recent annual check-up was 60kg; it rarely fluctuates.
However my HbA1c has increased from 48 to 49 and the note from the lab suggests that I discuss with my health provider the need to start taking Metformin. My telephone review will take place on Thursday 24th and I am tempted to ask for another review in six months time instead of rushing into the medication solution.
I have googled the subject of pre-diabetes and read how long-term exposure to glucose even at those levels can be just as damaging
so I would like to ask advice from the Community. I am approaching my 74th birthday and still active, recently completing 16.5 miles on the moorland surrounding my home town.
I no longer attend the gym but wonder if it would be a good idea to resume the activity. As my physique is 'skinny' it occasionally raised a few eyebrows of the 'pump-it-up' group inside the gym. I have weights and stress bands at home and do the occasional plank etc. but I tend not to be disciplined.
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I feel some affinity with maredcam18... 9 months after type 2 diagnosis and, after reducing carbs and losing 2Kg (now under weight), my blood sugar is 42, there is not much more I can reduce. Perhaps if I had maredcam18's activity level I’d get into “pre”, but I am 89 and doddery to my shame, I wish I’d inherited my mother’s genes. Advice welcome!
 
Quizzy said:
I feel some affinity with maredcam18... 9 months after type 2 diagnosis and, after reducing carbs and losing 2Kg (now under weight), my blood sugar is 42, there is not much more I can reduce. Perhaps if I had maredcam18's activity level I’d get into “pre”, but I am 89 and doddery to my shame, I wish I’d inherited my mother’s genes. Advice welcome!
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At the age you are there is no need to reduce your HbA1C any further, indeed if you are under weight you could increase your carbs a bit and make sure you are having protein and healthy fats to return you to a normal weight.
 
Quizzy said:
I feel some affinity with maredcam18... 9 months after type 2 diagnosis and, after reducing carbs and losing 2Kg (now under weight), my blood sugar is 42, there is not much more I can reduce. Perhaps if I had maredcam18's activity level I’d get into “pre”, but I am 89 and doddery to my shame, I wish I’d inherited my mother’s genes. Advice welcome!
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Absolutely agree with @Leadinglights. Far, far better to make sure you keep your weight and let your Hba1c stay where it is or even go up a bit. You have got 10 years on me but me and the DN at the surgery are happy with my HbA1c at around 50. The hassle of things I would have to do to get it down will not gain anything. If anything it would tend to make me more doddery and that is something I can do without.
 
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