what a relief
Image by Alana Jordan from Pixabay
Today I got my blood test results back, a repeat of just over a year ago when I achieved remission from type 2 diabetes.
This time, the results are the same: I’m not diabetic according to the HbA1c test. In fact, my A1c is even lower this year at 38, compared to 39.9 last year.
All this has been possible by adopting three lifestyle changes and sticking with them daily:
Low carb: This means no added sugar, sucrose, lactose, or any highly processed carbohydrates that turn quickly into sugar. In my view, these should be classified as sugar.
High healthy fat: This includes meat, fish, eggs, and some plant-based options like olives and olive oil. I completely avoid so-called “heart-healthy” seed oils like sunflower and vegetable oil, which I believe are better suited for lubricating engines than for human consumption.
Intermittent fasting: This means skipping breakfast, if you don’t feel hungry. The myth that breakfast is the most important meal of the day was popularized by none other than Mr. Kellogg, who simply wanted to sell his unhealthy processed cereal. I often don’t eat until after 4 pm now, but I started by naturally skipping breakfast because I didn’t feel the need. The food I ate throughout the day was more than enough and made me feel fuller, more energetic, and mentally and physically alert.
I call these three changes “the 3 hammers,” and they are the tools I’ve used to reverse type 2 diabetes.
Finding the Root Cause
I believe I was pre-diabetic for much longer than I realized, or than the doctors who failed to see it until it was too late. It likely started when I was 18 years old, and I’m now over 55.
Some say that if you’re overweight at 18, you’re metabolically unhealthy or on the way to becoming so. That was certainly the case for me. I gained weight rapidly, reaching 21 stone (294 lbs) by age 21 and continuing to gain weight until I was over 27 stone (383 lbs). I thought I was doing well when I got down to 25.5 stone (357 lbs). It took three years and a complete change in my thinking about food to reach 22 stone (308 lbs).
At this point, willpower and eating what I thought was healthy food (mostly cutting out processed foods) were only getting me so far. This was one of the “hammers,” but not all of them.
Addressing Mental Health
In later years, I also worked on my mental health using Transactional Analysis (TA) to identify negative thought patterns and limiting beliefs (“scripts” and “rubber bands”) that stemmed from false teachings in my past, from being in abusive relationships. Within a few weeks and months, I got down to just over 18 stone (252 lbs).
Medication and Remission
In 2019, I was diagnosed type 2 and put on a heavy dose of medications including Metformin and later Forxiga. However, starting a low-carb diet in early 2019, I quickly realized the negative side effects it had when combined with these. I had to reduce the doses without support from GPs, surgeons, or specialists I was seeing at the time.
The low-carb diet itself is an intervention not recognized by many medical professionals, so it’s often dismissed as ineffective. However, when combined with medications that inhibit blood glucose, it can lead to worse fatigue, brain fog, muscle wasting, and even injuries (as I experienced while trying to stay fit and active). I had to take matters into my own hands, reducing and then eventually stopping all medication while continuing with a strict low-carb and high healthy fat diet.
Slowly, the damage was reversed. My muscle loss recovered, my weight stabilized, and it’s now even decreasing. I’m nearing the 100kg mark (220 lbs), or about 16 stones and a few ounces.
Medical Recognition and Moving Forward
Despite my success and of others like me, no one in the medical field tht I have access to seems willing to acknowledge my current state of health as anything more than a temporary improvement. A diabetic nurse even told me I’d “done very well… but at some point will need to take medication to bring back my glucose control,” despite my blood sugar being under control and continuing to be in better control than ever before.
No one in the medical field that I can access in person will say or do anything to acknowledge my remission. Perhaps things will change, perhaps not but this has been and continues to be a long hard and lonely path to tread. Mean time I have to rely on on line sources such as the low carb movement in New Zealand, Australia and parts of the US. Look for ‘low carb down under’ on youtube. You’ll find a lot of real doctors and real experts on there talking about low carb as a medical intervention.
If you are like me and are facing similar doubts and disputes, you are not alone.
Welcome, your in good company.