Diabetes Banished

Very well done. My DH was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in March and has reversed it through eating low carb, smaller meals and lots of water. When you return to ‘normal’ eating low carb is the way to go to keep you blood sugar in the normal range. We have found Michael Mosley’s Books and websites extremely useful. We both eat in this way now and have both lost over 30 pounds. Like KatyK my DH was slim but developing a tummy through too many cakes, pastry and large meals. He was 36 waist and is now 32.

Thank you for this thread,i have recently been told by my Dr,that i am prediabetic, but no advice on what to do about
From what i read on here it seems sweet things are the main culprit,and i have a really sweet tooth,i never had until about 3 ears ago, no idea why,i had always preferred savoury food until then,
I will definitely be cutting down on the sugar now
Can i ask what kind of shakes you had to have?
I have also put a bit of weight on too recntly.although i am still only just under 9st, it has gone to my tummy areaquite a bit, although overall in general

Hi valeriej43, I am surprised that your Doctor didn't offer you any dietary advice, but you can contact your Diabetes Centre of your local Health Authority for further information, as well as reading various forums and speciality sites on the internet.
Its not just the sweet things that are the problem, it is most processed meals which have added sugars in their various (dis)guises.
To get your HbA1c levels down you would be better cooking your own meals from scratch.
Being 9st you cant have copious amounts of weight to lose, so if you ate healthily you should get your blood readings back to your normal range.
The shakes that I bought were branded Optifast.
I bought them from chemistdirect before the hospital supplied me with them free of charge.
If you are going to go down the meal replacement route then try replacing one meal a day, then progress to replacing two meals a day and if you still want to persist try doing 2 consecutive days a week.
Are you exercising? This boosts your results as well as making you feel good and hopefully increases your life expectancy.
www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/testing-diabetes-hba1c-levels-mean/
Beware of your alcohol consumption
www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/what-to-drink-with-diabetes/alcohol-and-diabetes?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6fqmscPq3gIVGKaaCh0FdgMTEAAYASAAEgJRLfD_BwE
Its not an easy journey, in fact I am having a bad week, uncontrollable mindless eating and no exercise, but it is only another blip to overcome.
The outcome is well worth struggling for and I wish you well in your quest.

* Holding* [love your username by theway] thank you for your reply, no i dont really have much weight to lose, but being only just under 5ft,i dont want to put on any more,rather thn lose it
It was a nurse i saw, after a blood test, i am only 2 points above normal she said, but no advice
I do most of my meals from scratch,but i do like chips
I dont drink, apart maybe an odd baileys in company,and stopped smoking 5 years ago
I will have a look at those shakes, but i bet they are expensive,i did lose a bit of weight once using cupasoup,,not purposely to lose weight ,but i noticed i had,
I sometimes had them at lunchtime,i am not a big eater anyway,but as i said i do have a sweet tooth recently
I dont exercise as such, but take my dog for a walk,usually twice a day, sometimes only once in bad weather,shes not young so i dont go too far with her,
I must admit i am less active since havng the internet though i do need to move more.but still quite active for my age i think [75],i do a lot of gardening in summer, but not much to do now,and i have no mobilty problems
I will look at the links you sent me,
Thanks again x

DH had type 2 diabetes, after 2 years he ceased to need any medication for it and hasn't needed it for several years now. His diet hasn't changed, it was pretty good anyway, nor has he lost any weight.

No idea why this should be.

valeriej43 www.chemistdirect.co.uk/brands/optifast/bnd-29644
£15.99 for 9 sachets.
These were used for the Newcastle Diet and the MIDDAS intermittent diet that I am now. Contains all your nourishment needs too.
A cu of packet soup isn't likely to nourish you, is it.
Not that I can talk, you name it I have tried it attempting to lose weight.
Try power walking, though your dog might end up looking for alternative accommodation.
Plenty of exercises you can do indoors or outdoors.
Less of the excuses.
Cooking from scratch leads me towards your sweet tooth.
You know the solution!

I didnt live on cupasoup, but had them sometimes instead of more fattening things like pastry,which i love too, thanks for the link, i will have a look,
My eldest son has diabetes, but if it can be hereditary it comes from hois fathers side, non of my family have or had it
Although it could have been his diet, as he moved to Spain 8 years ago, and the living was good [too much wine and too many BBQs
Why do you think cooking from scratch led to my sweet tooth by the way? that puzzles me?
My 2 younest sons are pr diabetes too, we all have Haemochromatosis,[too much iron] that can also contribute to diabetes i believe

I'm pre-diabetic and found it really difficult to lose weight no matter what diet I used. But then I started walking daily, gradually further and further, and at last I'm losing weight steadily.

valeriej43 I probably didn’t word it right.
With you cooking from scratch it can only be your sweet tooth causing the problem.
I just passed a comment re the cup of soup. Going from memory they are a chemical mixture but I haven’t had one for years.
As henetha has shown, upping your exercise reduces the weight, though there is no mention whether it effected the HbA1c readings.

You cannot lose weight by exercise alone. Exercise only works when part of an effective weight loss eating pattern.

Ahh ,i see now what you meantholding yes i know its my sweet tooth that is the problem, but thinking about it,i have 2 sons returned home, at seperate times and had a few takeaways that i wouldnt normally have so now they are both gone again, i think i will lose a bit of weight, i only need to lose a few pounds really ,or my face suffers
I will try to walk the dog a bit more often, dont want to take her too far all at once,she is an oldish lady too,but she could do to lose a bit as well, bless her,shes ready for bed before i am

I am sure you will get there.
Unlike me you realise the seriousness of the possible consequences should you carry on regardless.
Here’s another link.
www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/blood-test-shows-prediabetes.122657/
You can never have too much knowledge about this subject as so many of us suffer from it.
I am good with the theory, practicing what I know is the difficult part! www.gransnet.com/emo/te/1.gif
Let us know how you get on after your next blood test.

If you are diabetic or prediabetic it is carbs as well as sugar that you have to moderate. There is also sugar in fruit, berries, apples and pears are best and tropical fruits should be avoided. There was an excellent programme on tv a few months ago The Truth About Carbs. Apparently for a diabetic, carbs are the same as sugar, they showed some carb foods and the equivalent amount of sugar they contain and a baked potato contains the equivalent of 12 teaspoons of sugar. It shocked me so much I have only had one since watching the programme. I know people have had a lot of success on the meal replacement shakes but there can be a problem when coming off them and eating ‘regular’ food. Personally I would prefer to have 800 calories of ‘normal’ food rather than the shakes but clearly they work for others so it’s fine. Michael Mosley’s book The Blood Sugar diet has been very good for us since my DH was diagnosed in March and there are some very good low carb eating websites.

Of course you can lose weight by exercise alone! Exercise burns up calories. I took up running in my 50s started with 5k Race for Life, progressed to half marathons. I lost a lot of weight and I was eating a bit more than usual as I needed the carbs.

Jane43 is right. It’s not just carbs from sugar but carbs from bread, rice, pasta, and foods and drinks that contain sugar such as biscuits, cakes, fresh orange juice, etc.

You only need a high carb diet if you are burning off excess through exercise. Low carb is the way to beat type 2 diabetes and prediabetic conditions.

What would you do if you had been diagnosed as type 2 diabetic but rapidly lost weight and can't put it back on? Diabetes not stabilised at all either. They have never eaten processed meals, just good fresh food and it is a mystery why this has happened.
Any tips which I could pass on please?

That baked potato insight was a killer. It is often mooted as the healthy option.
Perhaps healthier would be more apt.
I was pleased that I was selected for the shakes option, as per my OP.
It eliminated temptation for me, though I faltered on more than a few occasions, but I was still Diabetes free after my 12 week blood test.
This study and others have been so successful that it is going nationwide now with 5000 places.
All participants are given access to follow ups with various specialists like I am.
That for me is the difference between success and failure.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/health-46363869

Hi Jalima, was your friend not advised by the doctor?
There are many Diabetes forums on the web, here’s one where you can ask your question
.https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/
Each health Authority has a dedicated Diabetes team so for a more personal service perhaps contact them.

www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/

Diabetes is never "banished", it is just managed. I wouldn't get too excited about it. You have to maintain the diet for it to be successful, so good luck in the future.

Hi Jalima, was your friend not advised by the doctor?
Yes, she has seen a consultant, been hospitalised too. Perhaps she may get more sense out of the dietitian when she sees her.
Thank you for the link, I will let her know.

Jalima1108 my DH has the same problem, if you can call it a problem. He weighs himself every Sunday and was losing weight every week despite his BMI dropping to around 20. He slightly increased his intake of calories until his weight stabilised. He also has a problem with his cholesterol so can’t eat too much cheese and can’t have cream both of which are high in calories and probably would help to stabilise his weight. He has nuts, oat cakes, a couple of squares of dark chocolate and one piece of fruit, usually a pear or an orange as snacks. He also started havng a glass of red wine a few times a week. His weight has been stable for the last three weeks and although it is difficult it can be done.

I think when she sorts out what she can and cannot eat from all the advice she has received (from many sources!) she will start to put on a bit of weight again.
Thank you Jane and holdingontometeeth* and everyone

Yes Jalima1108 it can be very daunting when you first try to get to grips with your diagnosis and all the information can be confusing. I regret to say that some of the information from the diabetes nurse was outdated, e.g have some carbohydrate with each meal. We decided to just go with the low carb advice and in particular the work of Dr Michael Mosley. It has worked for him and to the extent that our GP rang him to congratulate him on his achievement. He is now trying to lower his cholesterol through his diet.