Just a quick hello

[Steevo1963]

Hi all, I was diagnosed as type 2 diabetic yesterday, with a reading of 53. Not a complete surprise as I have been pre-diabetic for about six years. It was still a bit of a shock though and I am still trying to get my head round it and the life implications it involves. I’m hoping that joining this forum will give me a bit of guidance as to how my lifestyle could be affected.

 

[Martin.A]

Hi all, I was diagnosed as type 2 diabetic yesterday, with a reading of 53. Not a complete surprise as I have been pre-diabetic for about six years. It was still a bit of a shock though and I am still trying to get my head round it and the life implications it involves. I’m hoping that joining this forum will give me a bit of guidance as to how my lifestyle could be affected.

Hi, and sorry to hear that your 'at risk' has progressed to a diagnosis of T2, but welcome to the forum. 53 is not too far into diabetes territory. Have you been prescribed meds or have you been given the chance to turn things around through lifestyle changes - diet, losing weight if needed and being more active? Many of us have done so, and from higher levels than yours.

 

[Steevo1963]

Yes, I have been put on Metformin. I expect it is because I was pre-diabetic for so long without being able to get my sugar levels down. I have previously lost weight in an attempt to address the issue, but it made little difference. I also had a stroke in January this year, which has led to a significant decrease in my activity levels, although I have been out and about a bit more recently, so I’m hoping I can get back to doing more exercise and seeing where I am in three to six months time.

 

[JITR]

Hi Stevo,

All things equal, you have a lifestyle choice: live with diabetes (controlling your glucose levels) or live without diabetes (lose about 10-15 kg to get rid of it and then keep your weight down for life). Typically it takes about 10 years as a prediabetic to gradually accumulate sufficient excess fat in your liver for Type 2 to break out and things to go haywire. In 2008 Professor Roy Taylor discovered you can reverse a fatty liver and put T2D into remission (defined as HbA1c < 42 in his CounterPoint study) by diet. This has not been as well publicised as it might have been.

Here are some links from Roy Taylor and David Unwin, a trail blazing GP - top advice
- Professor Roy Taylor, Achieving T2D remission (May 2023)
- Dr David Unwin, The nuts & bolts of drug free T2 diabetes remission (May 2023)
- Dr David Unwin, Diet Sheet

My waistline came down from 38 to 32 inches, and HbA1c from 104 to 32, in 6 months last year thanks to Roy Taylor. If I were doing it again I'd go for a diet like David Unwin's.

Good luck

 

[JITR]

Had not seen your second post. All things may not be equal, even so ... a nutritous healthy diet will be good for you.

 

[Leadinglights]

Yes, I have been put on Metformin. I expect it is because I was pre-diabetic for so long without being able to get my sugar levels down. I have previously lost weight in an attempt to address the issue, but it made little difference. I also had a stroke in January this year, which has led to a significant decrease in my activity levels, although I have been out and about a bit more recently, so I’m hoping I can get back to doing more exercise and seeing where I am in three to six months time.

HbA1C of 53 is not so bad, it can just be a change in situation that can push things over. When I retired I was not doing so much exercise and being at home those pieces of cake with the afternoon cuppa, going into lockdown where we were going nowhere and the stress of having family working in the NHS during Covid were enough to tip me over. However by adopting a low carb approach based on the principals in this link https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/, I reduced my HbA1C to normal in 3 months and have remained there nearly 3 years on as that regime has become my new normal way of eating not a quick fix 'DIET'

 

[Ieva DUK]

Hi @Steevo1963 and welcome to the forum!

Sorry to hear your diagnosis has progressed to T2, but as you'll see from others' threads on this forum - you're not alone in this. Have a good read round on the forum, and ask as many questions as you'd like - the pool of knowledge the users here have is incredible. Whether you're looking for a glimpse into what you might expect with T2 or on any changes you would like to make to your lifestyle - someone will have an answer, support and tips.

Best of luck to you!