Where from here ?

[Tonyk7]

I’m a Newbie.
Type 2 since 2015 63 yrs old male
Trying to reverse.
Lost 1stone 5 lbs in all over last 6 weeks 17st this am done on calorie control of 1200 calories a day.Looking to shed at least anor 1.5 stone.
Sense things are slowing down (as expected)?
Wandering if I should go to high protein diet for next week or 2 to speed things up and give me slightly different focus going fed.
Wandered what forum members views and experiences were ?
Thanks.

 

[Drummer]

I'd advise looking to lower your blood glucose levels particularly after eating, and forget about weightloss for the moment.

High protein - though only for a short while, might start off problems such as kidney stones due to the things which happen to the minerals - I think calcium is the most common stone type associated with a bodybuilder style diet.
For most type twos the ability to metabolise protein and fat are unimpaired, and only the carbohydrate content, both sugar and starches need to be adjusted to suit the individual.

 

[Tonyk7]

Thanks for that.
How can I reverse type 2 if I don’t strenuously try to get rid of the weight ?

 

[Toucan]

Hello @Tonyk7 and welcome to the forum.
Well done on your weight loss, and loosing weight is extremely important in controlling Type 2 Diabetes.
Many people do this by calorie counting and it works well.

You do though need to ensure that you end up with an eating plan that you can sustain in the long term, to keep the diabetes under control.
The causes of Type 2 diabetes, are still not fully understood and are a mix of genetic and other factors – different for all of us, so not surprisingly the solutions also vary and there is no ‘one size fits all’. It helps if you can find a solution that is right for you and sustainable.

The way we react to foods is different for everyone and diabetics usually have extra sensitivity to carbs. The amount of tolerance varies, and even the same foods eaten at different times of the day, or in different combinations, can have varying effects.

It will help if you can find out which foods cause your blood sugars to rise, and eventually arrive at a list that lets you maintain good blood sugar levels, that you enjoy eating, and fits your lifestyle in terms of how much preparation and cooking you like and have time to do.

A glucose monitor is a way to find this out, by testing before and 2 hours after eating. (The aim is to have a rise of 2 or less) Also if you can keep a tally of the total number of carbs eaten in a day, your morning reading will guide you on working out how much you need to adjust.
It is all trial and error, so try to be patient, you are aiming for the long term, and a diet that you can sustain.
Identify what foods (usually carbs) spike your BS levels. – but you need some carbs along with proteins, fats and minerals to keep a healthy body
One of the most affordable meters is the SD Gluco Navii which has test strips at around £8 for 50

Personally I have always followed a low-carb diet, and count carbs rather than calories, and find that this still enable weight loss - but this is only what works for me. If you want to know more about this have a look at Maggie Davey's letter, which describes how someone else went about this.
Hope this helps

 

[Tonyk7]

Thanks for your thoughts.Very interesting.
I don’t generally measure my blood sugar levels albeit I have 2 machines to do so and tend to rely on docs 3 month HBa1c measurement ?
Maybe focusing on what carbs I eat and how many might help control the weight more effectively and quickly.
If I can reverse this condition I’ve got to still control my intake going fwd to stop it coming back again.
I’m in this for the long term and being retired I have scope to devote time to this
4 x 500 mg Metformin daily plus statin + blood pressure (irbersartan) and beta blocker.
Doc reckons if trend on HBa1c continues for 2 consecutive months they will reconsider need for any Metformin

 

[Toucan]

Hello again @Tonyk7
I hope that you find a good solution. Measuring the effects of various foods on your blood sugars, should help you find out what is right for you.

As well as cutting out all the sugary things, I cut down on the carbs particularly the ‘white’ ones ( bread and flour, rice, pasta, etc ) and mainly eat fresh fish and poultry, yoghurts, nuts and seeds and have learned to love vegetables (although that took a while!).
Fruit is also surprisingly high in carbs, and I limit it to one portion a day, usually berries. I also try to avoid too much processed food.
There are many good recipes to make these things really tasty. It will be a good investment of time to find what works for you.
Best wishes, and do keep posting to let us know how it goes, and ask any questions.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Tonyk7

Well done on your great progress so far.

We've had a recent thread about the terms reversal (https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/board...terms-‘remission’-or-‘reversal’-of-t2d.85124/) which you might find interesting.

A major current clinical study defines remission as maintaining an HbA1c of 48mmol/L or lower with no requirement for medication.

Various members meet this criteria, with a variety of dietary and weight loss approaches.

Hope you find a method that works for you. 🙂

 

[Drummer]

Thanks for that.
How can I reverse type 2 if I don’t strenuously try to get rid of the weight ?

But the weight didn't cause the diabetes - maybe the reverse is the case, but the problem which type twos have is high blood glucose and all that is associated with it. As I wrote earlier - adjust the starch and sugar in your diet to try to restore normality of blood glucose levels.

 

[Tee G]

Hi @Tonyk7 Well done on your efforts so far. Being self aware, as you are, is highly recommended in these 'diabetic shoes'. Referring to your weight loss (good job there too!) you say you are slowing down and reaching that irritating plateau we all arrive at eventually.... Well i remember being given some useful advice along the same lines some years ago....Change up your exercise routine, if you are a walker/jogger try lifting a few gentle weights to start with, try some squats. Go swimming, do a short You Tube keep fit video (loads to choose from) - The point im making is the muscles you have been working are strong, so start challenging a new set - this will help in further weight reductions. Also as a T2, sugar and a diet high in carbs is unwise even if their calorific values are fewer than other alternatives. Replace these slowly with proteins and healthy fats, adding healthier (perhaps lower carb veg, stay off sweeter fruits too, I go for anything with 'berry' i.e. strawberries, raspberries etc and i go for veg that grows above the ground rather than below it, they seem to work out lighter in these pesky carbs). But you will need to research and get advice on these things. Lots of homework for you to do! Enjoy and please let us know how you get on.

 

[Deb RR]

I’m a Newbie.
Type 2 since 2015 63 yrs old male
Trying to reverse.
Lost 1stone 5 lbs in all over last 6 weeks 17st this am done on calorie control of 1200 calories a day.Looking to shed at least anor 1.5 stone.
Sense things are slowing down (as expected)?
Wandering if I should go to high protein diet for next week or 2 to speed things up and give me slightly different focus going fed.
Wandered what forum members views and experiences were ?
Thanks.

Welcome to the Forum Tony.
Like you I am a newbie. I was diagnosed a week ago. You have done well with your weight loss and amazing achievement. That’s with all diets the weight loss to slow down I would recommend you continue as you have been as you are already seeing great results.
This is a new way of life for us and it will take time for us all to get used to what works for us give yourself time and don’t be so hard on yourself. You are inspirational.