New member - just to give hope

C

CauliflowerRice

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hello,

This is my first post. I've read lots on here over the last three months and want to thank you all for superb support and awesome information.

I'm male, 56. Was diagnosed with Type 2 in November last year. HbA1c of 120mmol/mol. This was a massive shock to me. Previous levels were fine, with the most recent being 39 about 14 months previously.

However my job changed to a much more sedentary role from a fairly active one. And my office was next door to a Greggs!

Upon getting the result and being told I was diabetic, and there is no cure, I felt terrified. I started Metformin and a keto diet immediately, limiting to a max 20g carb per day.

A blood test after 40 days showed an HbA1c of 79. Still very high, but encouraging.

Anyway today I got the result of my latest blood test, taken on Monday this week. Bang on 3 months later. The result was 37mmol/mol.

My weight loss over the 3 months was 14kg. I now weigh 88kg. My goal is to get to a max of 86kg, which will take me (just!) out of the 'overweight' bmi category. But the weight loss has plateaued a bit. But I'll work on that!

I am still in shock. I cried when I saw the result. I'm happy to post more if anyone wants more detail, but I wanted to let people know that even with incredibly high HbA1c, there is hope. I know keto doesn't work for everyone, and that I am only one data point. However, it helped me hugely to read other people's positive results so I wanted to share mine.

I'm keto for life now, I think. It's OK, but there are some things I think I'll always miss!

Thank you for reading.
 
Shock? But you smashed it!!! Excellent. My own HbA1c was about 150 at diagnosis. Didn't go Keto but reduced carbs, did exercise, lost tons of weight, no meds... within weeks/months my HbA1c was normal. And has remained so for the past 3 years.

So no need to go Keto for life. Keep the carbs down. Keep the exercise up. Avoid snacks (my weakness) and enjoy your new lease of life. And keep the weight off. But most importantly find what works for you andstainable.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.
 
Gwynn said:
Shock? But you smashed it!!! Excellent. My own HbA1c was about 150 at diagnosis. Didn't go Keto but reduced carbs, did exercise, lost tons of weight, no meds... within weeks/months my HbA1c was normal. And has remained so for the past 3 years.
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150! Wow. To get to normal levels without drugs on that timescale is phenomenal. That's a huge achievement. Congratulations.

Thank you so much for your kind words. At the moment I remain 'scared' of carbs. The first couple of months on keto were challenging, as I'm very much not a fan of cooking, and sadly my wife dislikes it more! It took me a few months to figure out what was what carb wise. My daughter coincidentally started a keto diet about a month before my diagnosis. She's 26, healthy weight, with no health conditions. She's also a doctor, and had been reading more and more evidence of the health benefits of low carb, and keto, so wanted to try it out. I didn't even know this until I told her about my diagnosis. She was concerned for me, but I think she was secretly also quite excited at the prospect of a 'project'. Her help and advice (and recipes!) were invaluable. As was tracking with MyFitnessPal. I would not have achieved this without her involvement. Particularly her recommendation of low carb bread and rolls - that was a game changer for me! I looooove bread.

I'll stick with keto for now, as it means that I don't need to feel hungry, and my weight stays down. Plus I can't believe how much better I feel. And see!

Thank you again. It's so nice to not feel alone. The first few weeks after diagnosis were fairly bleak. But I kept telling myself that while I was finding keto challenging, it probably wasn't as challenging as having only one foot! Then the changes I'd made quickly had a big effect on my energy levels, my general mood, and the weight was falling off. It may sound perverse, but I think maybe becoming diabetic was a 'good thing' for me as it forced me to address my health. I knew my lifestyle wasn't great, but always thought I was invincible, and didn't need to worry about it 'just yet'.
 
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I'll second that! I too now feel beeter, happier, energised.
 
CauliflowerRice said:
150! Wow. To get to normal levels without drugs on that timescale is phenomenal. That's a huge achievement. Congratulations.

Thank you so much for your kind words. At the moment I remain 'scared' of carbs. The first couple of months on keto were challenging, as I'm very much not a fan of cooking, and sadly my wife dislikes it more! It took me a few months to figure out what was what carb wise. My daughter coincidentally started a keto diet about a month before my diagnosis. She's 26, healthy weight, with no health conditions. She's also a doctor, and had been reading more and more evidence of the health benefits of low carb, and keto, so wanted to try it out. I didn't even know this until I told her about my diagnosis. She was concerned for me, but I think she was secretly also quite excited at the prospect of a 'project'. Her help and advice (and recipes!) were invaluable. As was tracking with MyFitnessPal. I would not have achieved this without her involvement. Particularly her recommendation of low carb bread and rolls - that was a game changer for me! I looooove bread.

I'll stick with keto for now, as it means that I don't need to feel hungry, and my weight stays down. Plus I can't believe how much better I feel. And see!

Thank you again. It's so nice to not feel alone. The first few weeks after diagnosis were fairly bleak. But I kept telling myself that while I was finding keto challenging, it probably wasn't as challenging as having only one foot! Then the changes I'd made quickly had a big effect on my energy levels, my general mood, and the weight was falling off. It may sound perverse, but I think maybe becoming diabetic was a 'good thing' for me as it forced me to address my health. I knew my lifestyle wasn't great, but always thought I was invincible, and didn't need to worry about it 'just yet'.
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You really took your diagnosis on board and as you say making those changes is less of a sacrifice than losing a foot or your eyesight. Many would find full Keto a struggle and so opt for low carb. When you feel ready to move into that realm you may find this link useful https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
Of course low carb means different things to different people so finding your own carb amount that is both enjoyable and sustainable is important. For me that is about 70g per day and is a new way of eating rather than A DIET. Many settle on around 100g but some can get away with 130g, it will depend on medication, determination and a lot of other factors.
 
Congratulations on your achievement! I got diagnosed with prediabetes and that scared me as I’m still in 40s. I also knew my diet was bad and am glad I had my hand forced. I love my new ‘diabetic’ lifestyle even though my mmol is 35 now so not at risk. I need to keep low carbs becos of genetics and family history. I think I will get T2 at some point but want to try my best to delay it for as long as possible.

For me, the best thing about this diet is not just improving BG, it’s that I can see my abs and it makes me feel like Hollywood!
 
Yes hearty congratulations @CauliflowerRice. As well as being told there was no cure, were you also advised you could (probably) achieve remission by diet? I was looking through Robb Wolf's Wired to Eat last night; he presents the agument for keto and Paleo simply and clearly.
 
Well done on your progress so far @CauliflowerRice - great that you have found a system that works for you 🙂

Your weight loss and improvement in your blood glucose levels are really inspiring.

Diabetes is a marathon, not a sprint, and over the coming months and years my guess is that you’ll settle into an adapted and sustainable way of eating that suits your metabolism, keeps your weight stable, and is flexible enough for you to maintain it long term and get the results you are looking for.

Thanks for sharing your story so far 🙂
 
"Scared of carbs" is an excellent way to describe it @CauliflowerRice. My partner, although generally supportive of my eating, still can't understand the anxiety I feel when I've had a carby meal and why I go very low carb the next few days to make up for it.

Well done on your achievement, you should be very proud of yourself 🙂
 
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