Anyone been diagnosed with Diabetes Type 2 recently?
What did you do to mitigate/control?
Where you got advice? what support organizations exist?
How are you living with it?
Diabetes remission, myth? reality?
Regards
Hi All,
Not T2 but T1. Cut your carbs as much as you can. Your pancreas is likely still working but cannot cope with the carbs.
Monitor your blood sugar and try to keep it between 4.9 and 9.9 mmol.
Good luck.
Are you going to have Metfin prescribed or are you going strict diet route ?
Try carb elimination and most of all, exercise. If that doesn't work, then resort to pharma solutions. I've known several Type 2 peeps who had remission with low-carb and lots of exercise (and resultant weight-loss).
(I helped get the first generation of transdermal glucose monitors patented.)
I was diagnosed 2 years ago with Type 2 Diabetes. Took me about 6 months to get my blood sugar level back to normal and it has stayed there since.
Did it by loosing weight, from 105 kg down to 80 kg (back up to 85 kg now).
I lost weight by eating healthy (limiting carbs, no junk food), stopped drinking, and took up cycling (e-bike). I also do intermittent fasting a few days a week (only eat dinner).
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I'll tell you guys where I'm coming from and appreciate your feedback.
November 2022 - 103Kg - HbA1c - 7.6%
Course of action take Metformin 1000mg /day
Diet and Exercise
February 2023 - 94Kg - HbA1c - 5.5%
Metformin 1000mg /day
Diet + intermittent fasting and Exercise - told Dr objective is get rid of the drugs completely.
Yesterday
August 2023 - 84Kg - HbA1c - 5.5%
Now it comes to the crux, Dr wanted to keep the same dose of Metformin. said no, I want to reduce the drugs as my objective is to stop taking it altogether. next blood test 3 months time. reduce the metformin to 500mg/day.
Got the feeling he wanted me to take these perpetually. none of the explanations given were too convincing. so I wonder really the purpose of metformin!
I'm really tempted on stop taking the drug completely and test if by keeping to diet and exercise I can manage the same blood sugar levels. reassess in 3 months again. then I would know how much bull the Dr is on about or not.
feedback is welcome!
see the previous post.
I did both. Metformin and diet and exercise
A drop in A1c from 7.6 to 5.5 in just 2 months is unusual, particularly as the reading is a adjusted average over the precious 3 months. Such a rapid drop could point to other problems, particularly as there has been no further movement in the last six months.
Take it in steps, you have got the rest of your life ahead of you. Reduce the dose for 3 months and then look at the results. Then decide, with your doctor, on the next 3 months, rinse and repeat.
What do you have to risk? Well moving to T1 if your pancreas can't cope. Then you will likely be on MDI – Multiple Daily Injections.
Are you using a CGM? That might be an idea so you can track your glucose 24/7.
Metformin reduces the appetite. Given the weight loss of 20% in a rather short time, the doc might want to prevent a relapse into old habits causing a jo-jo effect now that OP's probably reached the weight goal, an all-too-common phenomenon.
I took the matter very seriously. Hence the fast reduction in weight I guess. I have not read anything about type 2 developing to type 1, as the 2 conditions are different in nature (but I’m not a dr) . Stopped all processed food and start eating much better. One of the sources I took was prof Roy Taylor and the studies done on reversion of type 2. The scale was dropping and the motivation was there!!!
I’m not monitoring sugar on a daily basis, rather keep track of the calorie intake and the exercise done.
Dr. Michael Mosley in the U.K.is a bit of a fanatic but he believes he reversed his own type 2 diabetes and has written books on the subject. He is convinced the faster weight-loss is the way to go.
For glucose monitoring the likes of Abbot's Freestyle Libre are a game changer.
There is even a thread about it.
The same guy who never thought his coffee drinking could have been the reason for his poor sleep.
Mosley bases his fast 800 and all other on the back of prof Roy Taylor’s work.
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/researc…licinformation
Some clinical studies are being done on the NHS . Anybody heard any trials like this in Switzerland ?
I didn't mean to criticize you. On top of that, I miscalculated. The general wisdom around here seems to be that 1-2 pounds loss per week shouldn't be exceeded due to risk of (excessive) muscle loss, and for some mysterious reason I deduced that your 2kg per month is more than that.
Well it seems that weight loss is the key and that Metformin is an aid for that. So why do you want to stop taking it?
My doctor never put me on any medication and I was above 8% when first diagnosed. Loose weight, eat healthy and exercise, he said. I guess it depends on the doctor.
My blood sugar is normal now, so I guess I "reversed" my Type 2 - although I am still "pre diabetic" and I continue to watch my diet and exercise.
So, from my experience it is reversible with diet and exercise - exactly what you are doing. Keep it up.
I was shocked a few years back when I had a health checkup and was told my Hba1c indicated borderline prediabetic. Here's what I did:
1. Initially strict keto. This was a metabolic reset, an intervention for my carb addiction, both physiological and psychological. Keto also weans the gut microbiome off carb-dependence. It was also educative in that I learned where all the hidden sugars and carbs were in my diet. The results were dramatic. Not only did I lose weight, but I regained metabolic flexibility. It's like a superpower I never knew I had. One time in my 20s I cycled up a hill without breakfast and fainted from low blood sugar. Recently I fasted 4 days and ran 5k daily ... and my blood sugar stayed rock steady throughout. Hangry? Never. This is the power of ketosis! Most people don't have the ability to switch easily from glucose to fat burning. They're like a prius with a dud battery. The human body evolved as a hybrid, but most people now only use the carb engine and their ketogenic drive doesn't ever engage.
2. Now I'm again on a more balanced diet, more optimised for overall nutrition and maintaining muscle. I could eat sugar and high-glycaemic load carbs more often if I wanted, but frankly I feel zero temptation to. Sweets just aren't a treat any more. Be aware though of the problem with the standard nutritional advice that you should not do anything radical, but just reduce sugar and bulk out your carbs ... that rarely works in practice for those already with a severe problem. If you're already diabetic, this advice is like telling a problem drinker to 'drink less' or switch from vodka to beer. Fortunately though, unlike an alcoholic, you can cure your carboholism. And of course it takes time for your metabolism to heal, but it is possible.
3. Exercise is also vital , and while initially I started running and cycling more, over time I've come to the conclusion that flexibility and strength are more important, and that excessive cardio wears you out. Muscle work soaks up excess glucose. Callisthenics is great; do it daily. Start from a low base, but never skip a day. Make it your iron routine.
The absolute key thing for you now is: reduce your body's insulin production . That's your big battle. And it's not just about t2 diabetes; the inflammation from excess insulin leads to all kinds of other modern civilisational disease.
Good luck!
Remember that weight is just a symptom . T2 diabetes is nothing but excess insulin, which acts as fat fertiliser. Reduce insulin, and you have no problem.