How do you stay motivated?

[Leadinglights]

Well done on the amazing weight loss @MikeF

I think you are so right about recognising fullness - it’s such an important thing. So much eating is out of habit, and it can be really easy to continue to eat well past the point at which your body is telling you you’ve had enough.

There is a genetic element to feeling full but some people often use that as an excuse but it is quite rare.

 

[MikeF]

I am hoping to be off medication by Christmas.

So be summer at earliest before I can be considered in remission.

96>90>38>35 and last result this morning is 34 mmol/mol and as per my agreement I can reduce by 1 tablet a day each time it’s in spec.

So today I am down to one just tablet of metformin, not sure how I should interpret the results whether it’s normalising or not.

Still don’t understand the relationship between diet exercise metformin and diabetes properly.

Diet is intake, exercise is burning off intake, metformin is a blocker of glucose in terms of production by liver and absorption, so reducing my metformin would potentially increase absorption from food and production from liver. So my next result even if I behave may not drop as I reduce meds.

i guess we know in 3 months on next step.

I am keeping track of things in the sense of diet and exercise but not as strict as I first was, but it’s a condition that doesn’t go away if I understand correctly it’s a condition you control.

Weight wise lost over 6 stone.

Motivation once off the meds worries me a little.
But

Ha ha...not-so-mad-Wayne. well done. I'm T2 and been on Insulin and Victoza long term. I have also lost a similar amount of weight. Can I suggest 2 things that might be of interest. First that you get hold of Jason Fung MD's book The Obesity Code He's a Canadian diabetes consultant who was the originator of the 5/2 diet. What he does do is provide some of the answers to your questions and fills in the gaps about how insulin resistance works and how vital it is to managing diabetes/weight etc Amazing book that set me off on my journey 15 months ago ..not a fad, but medical fact.
The other thing is that some modern meds in very very low doses suppress appetite and stabilise blood sugars. As little as 3.5 mg of a tablet like Rybelsus ( a formula of semaglutide) will help. I know this because I was on injections of Liraglitude for blood sugar. The supply ran out because it was diverted to the beauty trade. I was prescribed Rybelsus about 10 weeks ago but it was hard to tolerate, but the starter dose was enough to keep bloods stable and I am now off Insulin and just taking a low dose of Rybelsus, which now also helps with weight management as a further bonus.
My motivation is that due to an autoimmune disease and previous organ transplant I need new hips but can't have them. So finally I am motivated to get as light as I can to try to minimise pain. I still often feel like sh*t, but much lighter.... I was 157kg at my heaviest but now 90kg.... At 25.2 my BMI is tantalisingly close to normal.
Good luck.

 

[MadWayne]

Hi Mike not a big reader and certainly not into having meds, metformin is bad enough, when the brand changes within 2 days I feel really cold and a little odd, a day or two more and back to normal.

The reduction down to 1 tablet had a similar issue but was just over a week for it to settle back down.

So not sure if the next reduction to nothing will see something similar.

Been told today if the blood test today is in spec I can come off the metformin.

The last few months has seen a more relaxed attitude so hoping I am not too relaxed and on a slippery slope.

Still swimming /gym but miss the odd session and have the odd biscuit, when I say odd I mean 1 biscuit and not every day.

Lost a little weight but not much and that’s the combination of missed sessions and slight increase in carbs and some events attended and holidays is probably partially to blame along with it gets harder to lose the less you have to lose.

The sooner I get the result the better, but concerned about what next

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi Mike not a big reader and certainly not into having meds, metformin is bad enough, when the brand changes within 2 days I feel really cold and a little odd, a day or two more and back to normal.

The reduction down to 1 tablet had a similar issue but was just over a week for it to settle back down.

So not sure if the next reduction to nothing will see something similar.

Been told today if the blood test today is in spec I can come off the metformin.

The last few months has seen a more relaxed attitude so hoping I am not too relaxed and on a slippery slope.

Still swimming /gym but miss the odd session and have the odd biscuit, when I say odd I mean 1 biscuit and not every day.

Lost a little weight but not much and that’s the combination of missed sessions and slight increase in carbs and some events attended and holidays is probably partially to blame along with it gets harder to lose the less you have to lose.

The sooner I get the result the better, but concerned about what next

I suppose I never thought or think 'What's next' as my low carb regime is just now my normal new way of eating.

 

[MadWayne]

yes it’s the new normal, but always one step away from a relapse.

How's often should it be monitored once off the meds and then once remission is finally considered ie no meds helping out..

Thought I read somewhere that remission is two readings inside normal when on no meds.

So I am thinking of what happens immediately after the meds stop and monitoring frequency.

I know my carbs aren’t anywhere near the levels they were but also aware and a fair few deviations in the last 3 months from the new normal and return to it.

I know when I reduced down to 1 tablet my body rebelled a little for about a week so expecting something similar when if I get to come off completely.

 

[MadWayne]

Blood results in and now at 35, so waiting for doc to confirm regarding coming off the meds.

But still early days remission is two readings okay when off meds, but believe current path should get me there. So another 6 months or so minimum.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Thanks for the updates @MadWayne

Big congrats on the HbA1c, that's brilliant!