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Howdy doody.

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A

Alan Teather

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi folks.

Newbie here from the centre of the universe also known as Hartlepool.

Been type 2 for many years but at last I am seeing positive changes in my diabetes.
Done some minor fundraising for DUK.
Got a lot of information, probably all already known on this site but still have a few questions. If I can help I will by taking part in the forums.
 
Welcome @Alan Teather 🙂 Good information bears repeating so don’t worry about that. Ask away with whatever questions you have. I have one for you - to what do you attribute the positive changes you’re seeing? Diet? Meds? Exercise? Dedication?
 
Hi Alan and welcome from another North Easterner here in County Durham.

Good to hear that you are seeing some positive progress with your diabetes. Are you on any medication? What do you feel has impacted your management and improved things recently.
Ask away with any questions you have. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience of all types of diabetes here on the forum so someone should be able to provide answers.
 
Going low carb is the real deal. I am on 2000mg metaformin and 10mg empaflagozin each day. When I do low carb, under 30g per day the fat falls off, particularly the fatty liver syndrome and my big numbers fall dramatically, like from 87 to 49 in 6 weeks.
 
Under 30g carbs a day is a bit extreme for me and you do need to be careful about dropping your levels HbA1c) too quickly as that can put a strain on the fine blood vessels in the eyes and feet particularly, but I also find low carb really helpful, even though I am Type 1. I average about 70g a day, some days a bit more, some less. Walking really makes a big difference to my my levels too. Are you able to get out and walk?
 
Not much exercise. Serious chronic back problems lol.
Low carb, AND sticking to it has worked because the nurse said type 2 was a progressive disease so it was inevitable that more meds would be needed so I decided to prove her wrong.lol.

I want yo come off meds like sglt2 inhibitors and replace this with January in the short term. This would stop the sglt2 inhibitors/ low carb problems but still give a boost to the metaformin.
 
Good for you going out to prove the nurse wrong! The sad thing is that without appropriate dietary advice diabetes often is progressive but most medical professionals have no idea about how effective low carb eating can be as a strategy for managing Type 2 diabetes and because they are so institutionalized with the "Low Fat" mantra they believe that long term low carb eating is unsustainable, which it probably is, but once you introduce more fat with low carb eating then it is not only sustainable, but enjoyable and therefore perfectly possible to eat that way for the rest of your life once you get the hang of it.

I don't have any experience of sglt2 inhibitors but I think I have read that there is an increased risk of ketoacidosis with low carb eating. Do you have a BG meter and test your levels at home? I think that would be an important step in mitigating the risk with that combination of diet and medication, if I am correct in what I recall about it. You might also want to invest in some Ketostix to test your urine for ketones.

As regards exercise, walking can be good for chronic back pain, but I would discuss it with your GP if they are treating you, or perhaps an exercise bike if walking is problematic. The leg muscles being such big muscles can soak up a lot of surplus glucose, so if you can get them moving it can really help drop levels too.

Since you have reduced your HbA1c by such a significant amount, I would discuss reducing your medication with your health care professionals particularly the SGLT2 for a trial period of maybe 3 months and see how you get on with another HbA1c after that period, rather than put yourself at risk with a medication you may well not need if your dietary changes are working.... which they will be.

I would urge you to start home testing if you don't currently though. being able to see how your BG levels respond to different foods and particularly different types of carbs is a real eye opener and will help you tailor your diet to your tastes and your individual body's inability to metabolize carbs and it can be highly individual. Most people here on the forum who manage their Type 2 through diet find it an invaluable tool in managing their diabetes and pushing it into remission, especially when they come off medication.
 
Hi Barbara. I agree with all you say.
I do have a bg meter although I don't test as regular as I possibly should. Certainly several weeks if not more between tests.
I will start testing more regular from tomorrow. If I behave myself, as in no sweet cakes, biscuits, etc my bg was around 8.9 to 9.2 post low carb it's down to 6.5 to 7.1.

I felt lousy one day similar symptoms to a hypo but the meds I am on don't cause hypos. I ate a bacon sarnie in a white bun, a 500ml Lechlade, a large Mars bar and 2 heaped teaspoons of refined white sugar. 90 mins later my bg was still only 5.6 so I went back onto carbs.

I will purchase some keto sticks tomorrow as well and make a lot of notes.

Since June when I started the low carb regime my blood pressure has reduced from 145/80 (7 day average) to 102/61, again same average so that meds need reducing.

Thank you everyone for the advice and inspiration.

I'll keep updating this as and when needed.
 
Hi @Alan Teather and welcome to the forum.
Congratulations on reducing your HbA1C.
I agree with @rebrascora that you need to monitor your BG levels when taking an SGLT2 since they are only not supposed to cause a risk of Hypos if you are eating carbs (like all that 5 a Day etc. tells you). In the other diabetes forum (the more international one) several Type 2 members have come off meds including both Insulin and SGLT2's by adopting a Low Carb way of eating (often without going all the way to keto). Low carb can also normalise Blood Pressure and water retention, so deprescribing meds is a big thing for low carbers. But this needs some cooperation from health care providers and better still with regular BG testing.

Personally I don't advocate going as low carb as you can, rather just use your BG meter to determine a comfortable range for your body. Low carb no longer works if you stop doing it! So better to have an enjoyable way of eating for life (one that keeps your BG in a good range), than gritting your teeth and going ultra Low Carb but only able to maintain this for a few months. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
 
@Alan Teather I found Nordic walking poles a real help - the tablets I was prescribed at diagnosis had my joints and muscles screaming, and trying to walk in the winter weather with uneven pavements and potholes was no joke. I felt far more secure, took the strain off when trying to keep my balance and they enabled me to go further and faster than without the support.
 
Welcome to the forum @Alan Teather

Glad to have you here 🙂
 
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