Hi I am Alison from Wallsend

[HOBIE]

Just want to suggest an alternative method of 'reversing type 2 pre-diabetes', in case it helps anyone else in the same stage to amke the decision to go onto Metaformin, or not.

The end of last year I was warned I was pre-diabetes, but since then I haven't really done anything to help myself I guess, and about a month ago they said my blood sugar was way up and out of control and I had to start Metaformin. Well I read up about the latter and did not like what I read about it; decided to look for a better solution to actually reverse the diabetes Type 2.

So I researched diets and articles on diabetes/reversal on the net and found that there is a new theory that doctors have been telling us wrong things about food/what to eat for 40 years or more.

Intrigued I read on - what we should be eating is in fact 'HIGH fat, LOW carb, and as little sugar as is possible (due to all the 'hidden' sugars in what we can buy - cereals for a start seem to all contain sugar, and why? We can add that ourselves if we want to!).

It takes some getting one's head round to change the way one eats, but I can already tell you that my urine test strip (Diastix) results are already Sooooooo much reduced! From being 20+ and brown two weeks ago - last night I was down to 0 (yes ZERO). Fair enough I have to wait a few weeks to go back to the nurse to check my blood-counts, but I am now certain they will also be way down.

Thus I am indeed managing to reverse the diabetes on this diet. It is strange to be able to eat fats (butter, olive oil, sunflower oil), full cream natural yoghurt, cream cheese, eggs, bacon, full fat cheese, etc., but one has to think it through - ie get one's head round it. Don't go out and eat a load of full-fat things if one wants to loose weight! Eating high fat, low carb, no sugar will make one's body slowly metabolise the food and thus one will not have the insulin resistance problems as the body HAS to use body fat for it's fuel. Theory sounded good, and so far it is working for me (and many others - read up on this diet/way of life change).

Yes cut down on carbs as much as possible, but not totally - try eating Burgen Linseed & Soya bread or Lidl/Aldi Low GI bread, but only for a couple of slices of toast perhaps for breakfast. Though one can eat bacon and eggs and cheese! Eggs are good and eat plenty as they fill one up so one does not binge. Then I take a Easy-yo lunch box tub of full cream natural yoghurt (any you like), mixed with mixed seeds & mixed nuts for lunch. No dried food as toooo much sugar; though fresh blueberries added are also good at lowering diabetes. Dinner eat oily fish, or actually any meat with limited potatoes, brown rice, couscous, quinoa is good too, but plenty of green vegetables (I often make a mash of sweet potatoes and normal potatoes, but have green veg too). Put a bit butter on the veg. No desserts. I find that this type of food in a day makes one feel full, and I don't go looking for sweet stuff.

There's loads of recipe books for the Keto/ Ketogenic diets on the net - just type that in or high fat, low carb diets and the books will be there (books or Kindle ebooks).

Anyway - it's working for me - but it has to become 'a way of life eating'. Once one has reversed the diabetes problem one can allow oneself a weekly treat of one's favourite food and it shouldn't make a lot of difference over all. Hope this is helpful to others on Metaformin or nearing a point where they might have to. It's working for my friends too, and they are losing weight gradually.

Well done Alison. T2 are different to T1. T2 your pancreas could work 20% or 80% who knows. But I totally agree with the way you have sorted carbs etc out. Newcastle area has one of the best diabetic heath care team in the country. Keep at it & again well done Alison from the end of the wall 🙂

 

[Alison Carr]

Also I had no symptoms and didnt react to metformin at all, diet and excercise alone wouldnt help my diabetes at all.

Yes it's definitely too soon for me to be confident I am winning! A lot to learn and do before then to see if I can avoid medication. I will get a meter and then work on to find the questions I must ask the nurse/and record when I see her. Thanks, Alison

 

[Martin Canty]

useful, but not enough

One of my great sources is http://www.ruled.me/ , Craig (the site owner) likes Indian & Asian foods so there are some great recipes there.... Other Low Carbers like the Diet Doctor ( http://www.dietdoctor.com/ )

How I got to this position was a love of cooking & needing to find an alternate way of cooking to suit my D.... Last Summer & Fall I was cooking Low Carb & Low Fat & having an miserable time of it (Glyburide certainly made it miserable with constant Hypo's).
Having latched onto LCHF way of eating I then started to cook many of my favorites but without the carbs i.e. no rice

• Curry
  • Chicken Tikka Masala
  • "Tandoori Chicken
  • Green/Red Thai Curry
• Cajun
  • Jambalaya
  • Blacked protein of the day
• Traditional
  • Steak & Veg
  • Bunless burger (made from scratch)

Now, with the help of Ruled.me some new reworkings of pre-DX favorites

• Orange Chicken
• Kung-Pau Chicken

The list can be endless but I hope you get some ideas. We follow a Ketogenic diet, typical carb intake is easily less than 50, usually in the 10-20 range; helps me with nice even BG & I have no issues with pursuing rather physically active pursuits like FireFighting (on-call not career) & Search and Rescue without having to worry about have I consumed enough carbs, where is my next meal? Being Keto-adapted my body readily utilizes ketone bodies for energy (derived from stored fat).

Hope this helps

 

[Alison Carr]

Hiya!

You are actually singing from the hymnsheet we've been using for years LOL

But not everyone gets and opportunity to have their blood tested early enough for it to be 'pre' diabetes and whilst it is usually possible to stop it getting any worse, anyone who has insulin resistance for any reason (cos there are at least several) will usually find Metformin jolly useful whether they are Type 1 or Type 2, MODY, LADA, or gestational. So - it isn't always possible to do what you've been able to.

However - well done to you for researching it yourself, putting it into practice and succeeding! - cos not everyone is either willing or able to do it. And you're right it has to be a change for life.

Although - if you ever have to take steroids or have any illness/injury for long - unfortunately you will still be susceptible so perhaps it's best to only be slightly smug! LOL

Hi - I don't really know how to navigate round a forum - don't know if I can /should be going back to my original message and asking further questions of people who kindly answered me - or always starting new messages?

You were right anyway to suggest I was being too smug too soon! Whereas the urine test strips my doctor gave me say my sugar is back down to 0, I just got an Element glucose blood test meter from the doctor and my first reading last night was 10.1. (seems to say that the urine test strips are a waste of time)? Before breakfast it had gone up to 10.9, then down to 10.0 about 2 hours later. Tonight before dinner it was 8.4, then up to 9.6 about 3 hours later. (I wish the doctors had done this test at the start as I have no idea what it was when they took bloods). Have two weeks to wait to see the diabetic nurse - who might know and be able to tell me how to make sense of my meter results, and their blood tests, as I haven't a clue yet! I think (?) the reading should be between 4 and 7 to be termed 'good' - is that right? Definitely not as good as I had hoped, and I don't know if it will improve. Any advice welcome, thanks. Alison

 

[trophywench]

Yes - 4 ish to 7 ish is the non-diabetic range. From which we can probably only conclude that you ARE diabetic - not 'pre-diabetic' - diabetic.

Do not worry about Metformin side effects. Terrible wind (and the follow through from that LOL) is mega common however - this frequently wears off after a couple of weeks and could do the same as that when increasing the dose of it - usual thing is to start folk off on a lower dose, and gradually build up to whatever dose is required. However - should the tummy problems persist - there is a slow release version of it which is far better tolerated by most who suffer with the ordinary ones. You have to try it to see whether you are lucky or unlucky in this respect and of course the SR is more expensive so they always try the ordinary sort first. Mets other side effects are said to be both kidney and heart protective - so - what's not to like about it! None of us wants to take any drug at all - but when you need them - you need them and that's that.

Test as you have done on different days, doing different things, different meals etc to make sure you weren't just having a bad day and so you have a selection of different results to make a judgement on.

If you are going to avoid drugs entirely then - it seems at the moment - that you can't sustain the amount of carbs you are currently consuming. You may well be perfectly happy on what you are eating now - but are you likely to stay happy on less? Will you try it and see? Or what?

 

[Alison Carr]

Thanks Jenny - most of my results (in 2 days and a bit) seem to be about 10 (less or more), so as you say I need to do some more days/foods testing. I can see that I may need to use at least one Metaformin tablet a day if it continues like this, but will probably wait to see the diabetic nurse and blood test results in a couple of weeks.

Yes I gather I am still having too many carbs - still trying and cutting down. The meter will definitely help me realise I am having too many carbs; that I need to increase the fat and lower carbs more. It's a real 'learning curve' and change of eating habits. I know I am still making mistakes and learning what not to have. As with most people carbs with meals have been the stuff of life, so I know I have to cut out more and see.

I'm sending for my own meter as I don't think the doctors will supply enough needles/strips. Thanks again. Regards, Alison

 

[Martin Canty]

change of eating habits

Oh, yes.... We have swallowed the Kool-Aid for so many years that it's hard to get to terms with a new way of eating; it took me a while to get to a Ketogenic diet (very Low Carb)

 

[trophywench]

Well - everyone's D is different of course - and if your body can't cope it can't cope! - remember we all have bits that are broken or malfunctioning in some way - if we are in fact diabetic. You wouldn't expect to treat a malfunctioning heart without drugs - so you can't just 'decide' you'll do it all completely without drugs, if it's not capable of being sorted that way!

 

[Alison Carr]

Yes Jenny - I will accept it if I have to; I will see the diabetic nurse in a couple of weeks and then see what she recommends (if I start the Metaformin and then find I have 'conquered' the low-carb/high fat/no sugar diet, and it is working - well never know I may be able to come back off the medicine eventually. I got the meal right tonight I feel - mackerel with mixed mashed broccoli and cauliflower with full fat Philly cream cheese mixed through and NO carbs by way of bread, potatoes or pasta etc. I must say I do NOT feel hungry either, so must have been right! Blood test rests still 10.4 after nearly 2 hours though - so seems I can't fight the diabetese without meds at this time! Having said that I might at least improve my blood meter tests if I master this way of eating! Thanks for the support. Regards, Alison

 

[Martin Canty]

I do NOT feel hungry either

Hi Alison, you will find that fat sates the appetite so very well, it's easier to eat smaller portions because you feel full earlier. There is a saying "Carbs crave Carbs" and this is so true!!!

 

[Alison Carr]

Well here's hoping I'm getting the right idea of what to eat now (at least some idea); partly it's difficult because my lodger and girlfriend are often in before me and like to make dinner for me coming in (lovely of them, but they make potatoes/chips/sweet potato & potato mash/dumplings/hash/ etc.....). They hate tomato and cheese sauces - so it's kind'of difficult to please us all in one meal !!! Thanks for the support though. Regards, Alison