• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

Reverse Your Diabetes - Dr David Cavan

Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Thanks. May try and get one of those.

Maz, if you do decide to go down that route, they're not available on the High Street, so it's a case of either buying online, or giving HomeHealth a call and they'll help sort it you over the phone. It's a nice company.
 
Well got this book from library as I read some praising. I am pleasantly surprised I was expecting it to be heavier reading than it is .
 
Finished it. Although I already knew quite a bit that was covered by the book. I did find an interesting reading.
 
It was interesting to read my old reply to this thread as it has popped back up to the top. Since then I have had to start being a bit more careful with my carb intake. It has become an interesting balancing act as I do still need carbs to fuel my exercise sessions. I have been reading the Diabetic Athletes Handbook, which is aimed at both T1 and T2 diabetics. It is quite hard work as it is very technical. I have a birthday coming up so I might put 'Reverse' on my list.
 
I was diagnosed with Type 2 back in April 2013. I'm 6'4" and at the time I was 18.5 to 19.0 stone, I'd held at this level for many years. I have always eaten good food but lots of it!
I followed the general advice from my Doctor and Nurse to eat a balanced diet with a good proportion of carbs, I'm not a drinker or smoker but cut out my daily allowance of Coke, the drink not the drug, and thought a bit more about what I ate.
With a few deviations my HbA1c levelled out around low to mid fifties. I have always resisted medication and was aware that at these levels it would be the next step.
I brought this book back in the early part of the year after my latest tests of HbA1c @ 56. It then sat on my desk for several months before I picked it up in May.
It made sense to me having never come across the carbs = sugar argument before. I therefore set about a change to my diet.
My breakfast cereal is now replaced with Greek Yoghurt and berries, the lunchtime petrol station sandwich with crisps is now a petrol station salad with meat, fish or eggs and I've reduced what I call my 'overt' carbs at other times, reduced portions or eliminated altogether from some meals. My weekend cooked breakfast remains as it always has but without the 3 or 4 slice of toast that went with it.
My weight has been steadily falling since diagnosis with a plateau after each dietary change, I am now between 15.5 & 16.0.
At the start of September I set off for my 6 month fasting bloods as I was close to been medicated last time at 56, it came back at 46. This is down to the changes I have made after reading this book!
I will no doubt plateau again on the weight and the HbA1c I'll then look to tweak the diet further.
The book really changed my approach to controlling my Diabetes and I would advise anyone to read it. Dr Cavan talks very sensibly about reducing not necessarily eliminating things from your diet and makes some simple suggestions without making you feel you have to embrace an extreme lifestyle.
 
"Carbs do the damage?"

That seems like an odd question Hobie. Our bodies sustain long term damage due to our blood glucose levels being too high. This is either because we can't produce insulin (T1) or because we have insulin resistant cells (T2). Lowering carb intake makes this less of a problem. I sort of expected that everyone who frequented these forums would be aware of these basics.

I got this book for my birthday and have read about three quarters of it. It is very well written and contains a lot of useful information. I would definitely recommend it.
 
"Carbs do the damage?"

That seems like an odd question Hobie. Our bodies sustain long term damage due to our blood glucose levels being too high. This is either because we can't produce insulin (T1) or because we have insulin resistant cells (T2). Lowering carb intake makes this less of a problem. I sort of expected that everyone who frequented these forums would be aware of these basics.

I got this book for my birthday and have read about three quarters of it. It is very well written and contains a lot of useful information. I would definitely recommend it.

Agree, superb book Chris and it basically pulled me out of the mire after diagnosis. Highly recommended and easy to read.

Hobie tends to put question marks after most things, even statements, so there’s a good chance this isn’t a question at all.
 
"Carbs do the damage?"

That seems like an odd question Hobie. Our bodies sustain long term damage due to our blood glucose levels being too high. This is either because we can't produce insulin (T1) or because we have insulin resistant cells (T2). Lowering carb intake makes this less of a problem. I sort of expected that everyone who frequented these forums would be aware of these basics.

I got this book for my birthday and have read about three quarters of it. It is very well written and contains a lot of useful information. I would definitely recommend it.
If any T1 or T2 ate too many carbs What happens ? Sick as a dog ? Body says NO.
 
"If any T1 or T2 ate too many carbs What happens ?"

Your body turns the carbs into glucose and the glucose circulates in your blood and provides energy for your muscles. In non diabetics the level of glucose in the blood is controlled automatically by the pancreas producing the right amount of insulin and by the liver taking and storing glucose for later. In diabetics this mechanism is faulty and blood glucose levels tend to run too high. This causes a variety of symptoms, the most obvious being that you are constantly thirsty and tend to drink and widdle a lot. Long term it causes all kinds of damage to the nervous system and internal organs and can damage the eyes. The problem can be treated with insulin injections and drugs but limiting the intake of carbs has a positive effect too. Exercise is important too and this means that some carb intake is needed to fuel your workouts. If you do a good job of controlling your glucose levels, the long term nasty symptoms can hopefully be avoided altogether.
 
Great if you are Exercising. But as people get older they do a little less, Bags of sugar in the stuff from the supermarkets. o_O
 
Now being sixty years old I'm living in anticipation of the time coming when the wheels start to fall off. I'm not sure if it is a good idea to slow down a bit or just to keep doing the endurance stuff for as long as I can keep it up. I find the labelling on bought food to be generally excellent, there is always a chart with nutritional information on it. The carb content is shown as a percentage and also what proportion of that is sugar. I made a list of the stuff that I generally eat. I put it in carb content order with the low carb stuff at the top and the naughty stuff at the bottom. I now try to err toward the top of the list when deciding what to eat.
 
Hi Chris I have been T1 from the age of 3. Now 55. I read the ----- off stuff from the supermarkets. If I did not , I would be in a right state. Every meal since 1966 ? A little idea 🙂
 
I was diagnosed with Type 2 back in April 2013. I'm 6'4" and at the time I was 18.5 to 19.0 stone, I'd held at this level for many years. I have always eaten good food but lots of it!
I followed the general advice from my Doctor and Nurse to eat a balanced diet with a good proportion of carbs, I'm not a drinker or smoker but cut out my daily allowance of Coke, the drink not the drug, and thought a bit more about what I ate.
With a few deviations my HbA1c levelled out around low to mid fifties. I have always resisted medication and was aware that at these levels it would be the next step.
I brought this book back in the early part of the year after my latest tests of HbA1c @ 56. It then sat on my desk for several months before I picked it up in May.
It made sense to me having never come across the carbs = sugar argument before. I therefore set about a change to my diet.
My breakfast cereal is now replaced with Greek Yoghurt and berries, the lunchtime petrol station sandwich with crisps is now a petrol station salad with meat, fish or eggs and I've reduced what I call my 'overt' carbs at other times, reduced portions or eliminated altogether from some meals. My weekend cooked breakfast remains as it always has but without the 3 or 4 slice of toast that went with it.
My weight has been steadily falling since diagnosis with a plateau after each dietary change, I am now between 15.5 & 16.0.
At the start of September I set off for my 6 month fasting bloods as I was close to been medicated last time at 56, it came back at 46. This is down to the changes I have made after reading this book!
I will no doubt plateau again on the weight and the HbA1c I'll then look to tweak the diet further.
The book really changed my approach to controlling my Diabetes and I would advise anyone to read it. Dr Cavan talks very sensibly about reducing not necessarily eliminating things from your diet and makes some simple suggestions without making you feel you have to embrace an extreme lifestyle.
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Back
Top