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  • posted by WAGILL
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    I started the 8 week diet 2 weeks ago.

    My starting weight was 13.12.
    I’d already lost 1 stone in 8 weeks due to the fact I have colitis. My colitis had been in remission for about 15 years but a recent event in my life caused some underlying stress, and it flared up again. So I’m maintaining this and the doctor does a full mot on me and tells me my tiredness and thirst are due to have T2D.
    My blood sugar was a whopping 19.
    After the first week on the diet I tested my blood and it came in at 9.5
    Wow I thought, I’ve halved it in a week. The following Monday and the start of my 2nd week it was 8.6. By the Thursday it was 7.2. Yet on Saturday it went back up to 7.8 and today it’s 8.3.
    I’m a bit disappointed to be fair.
    I’ve stuck to the diet and the recipes and cut out booze.

    So I’m asking everyone, anyone, is this normal?
    Also weight wise I’m fluctuating between 13.10 to 13.8. I’ve not started exercising yet as I still feel tired.

    Looking for a bit of support and encouragement please.

  • posted by bigeater
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    Hi Wagill, you have done tremendously well regarding your blood sugar. A lot of people take a lot longer to get such wonderful results. Keep up the good work and keep at it. I bet your results are even better soon!

  • posted by WAGILL
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    Thanks for the support. I think I’m beating myself up over nothing really. I guess id be superhuman to get them to drop so much so soon. Gonna start the couch to 5k exercise today. Hopefully that’ll help.

  • posted by SunnyB
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    Hi WAGILL
    Blood sugar readings, just as the weight falling, will not always go in the direction you want, even when you have been sticking to the BSD. There will be fluctuations day to day, but if you stick with it, as time goes on viewing the big picture you will find but weight and blood sugar levels falling and eventually that drop will be consolidated and you will find much lower variations in your readings.
    Don’t let this small blip derail you. You are doing well and should not be discouraged by these anomalies, it will settle.

    Try doing a search for this type of fluctuation, using the search box in the top right hand corner of the page and you should find lots of posts on this topic and assurance that things will settle.

    Good luck on your continued good results.

  • posted by WAGILL
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    Morning all.

    I’ve woke up this morning and weighed myself and I’ve got to my current target weight of 13st 7lb.

    My bloods yesterday were back down to 7.2. So in a better mood all round today. I’m going for my diabetes eye test later today.
    I have been suffering from blurry vision for nearly 2 weeks. I read somewhere that this can be temporary due to a rapid BSG drop.
    Anyone enlighten me more on that front?

  • posted by KrysiaD
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    Wagill – yes that happened to me also. My blood sugar was 24 when diagnosed and I was put on insulin straight away. I was advised by the hospital not to get new glasses for 3 months because the rapid glucose drop would affect my vision – and they were right. Well done for doing so well.
    .

  • posted by WAGILL
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    So how long did it take your vision to go back to normal KrysiaD?
    By the way I also have high blood pressure , ( it’s crap this getting old bit!).
    However I’ve started monitoring that over the past week and it’s dropping from 148/90ish to 127/73.
    Now that is a good side effect buy I will mention it to the diabetes nurse on Friday. Hopefully I can come off at least 1 of the 3 tablets I take for that.

  • posted by KrysiaD
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    Wagill – because I had probably been running at 24+ bs for many months (the HBIAC showed I was 24+ for 3 months but it is highly likely that this was much longer because I had been having the symptoms for at least a year and had just put them down to getting older) so it did take the whole 3 months.

    The blurry vision did settle after that but because of the high carb diet I was advised to eat the insulin didn’t control the blood sugar spikes after meals like the BSD does and I then ended up 2 years later with diabetic macular oedema and diabetic retinopathy.

    Thank goodness for the BSD which has reversed all of this and I rarely go over 6.5 when I test 90 minutes after a meal now. From reading stuff on the internet it seems that the after meal spikes are the ones that cause the retinopathy and oedema problems. My consultant has said that I will always have to avoid the bad carbs and even the berries will have to be severely restricted because my pancreas isn’t likely to fully regenerate because I may have had T2D for many many years before diagnosis. I am happy with this because I absolutely love the BSD and follow it on maintenance – averaging 2200+ calories a day. I have just found that I start losing weight at 1600 calories a day – so it has really revved up my metabolism.

    Your blood pressure looks brilliant now and will only improve.

  • posted by WAGILL
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    Wow I can’t believe or understand why the doctors recommend a high carb diet! I’m preaching to all and sundry about high carbs and the hidden dangers, and I’ve only been on this diet for nearly 3 weeks.

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    Hi WAGILL, I can also confirm the eye-sight thing. When I was newly diagnosed I suddenly couldn’t see with my glasses but not to bad without. My doctor sent me to an opthamologist who said I had been wearing the wrong strength glasses. As my eyes had previously not needed a different prescription for about 10 years this was stupid, so I have been wearing the wrong lens for 10 years, not possible. She insisted and gave me a new prescription and €700 later I had new glasses with the new lens. During this time I started diabetes treatment and 2 months later my new glasses were useless and I had thrown out my old ones and waited until I came back to England on holiday to get the right ones. I live in France and glasses are very expensive. Lesson, do not buy or throw out current glasses, wait and see. When I started on this diet my vision changed yet again but I ignored it and within a few months of the diet settling BG it went back to what it was before.

    As for the high carbs. Most doctors prefer to have patients (especially older patients) on a slightly higher BG because of the fear of hypos. Some old people forget to eat, forget their meds etc so are encouraged to have biscuits and bread, my mum was told to keep a Mars Bar in the fridge cut into half inch slices just in case. My doctors says the high carb solution is common for the very elderly yet at the age of 60 a diabetic nutritionist put me on 350 grams carbs daily and my BG went from 5.9 to 11.5 (HbA1c) which of course horrified my doctor and he wont be sending any more patients to her.

    Even though I have had to convince my doctor that the very low carbs is good, he certainly doesn’t advocate a high carb diet but many still do. It is very old school and out-dated but the NHS in particular has not caught up with our new way of eating.

  • posted by KrysiaD
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    It is scary that some of the info we are given is so outdated. Recently a diabetes dietician told me that very few people can stick to low carb eating and that you don’t have to cut carbs to improve blood sugars. Luckily the last Consultant I saw knew Professor Taylor’s research and was 100% behind this way of eating. I actually felt really good when she said I would always have to eat low carb because I had come to the same conclusion and I felt much happier continuing knowing that I had her support.

  • posted by RobOnAMission
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    Hi Wagill,
    Sounds like you are making amazing progress. I’m just coming to the end of 12 weeks on the BSD and have just had my 3 month check up with my GP. Because my BP has dropped so much, I’m now off my blood pressure meds. Likewise, the doc had wanted to prescribe Metformin for me before I started the BSD but I’ve gone from HbA1c of 75 (11.7mmol; 7.7%) to 44 (7.4mmol; 6.2%), so I’m back in the pre-diabetic range. However, just like you did, in the early weeks I watched my fasting glucose levels bounce around, which was sometimes quite demoralising, but as other posters have said, just keep an eye on the bigger picture – the levels will drop overall over time.
    All the very best of luck on your continuing journey.
    Rob

  • posted by WAGILL
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    Right guy’s

    I went for my eye test yesterday and so far nothing bad has shown up. I told the optician I had blurry vision and she confirmed that it should only be temporary .

    Went to see the nurse for my 2 week check up and she nearly fell off her chair. She was amazed at my B.S. levels. Today it’s 6.8.
    I’ve maintained my weight at 13st 7lb. And my BP is down again at 127/79 along with my heart rate.
    So I’m very much in a positive mood today.
    Thanks for your feedback and support. I’ll leave it for a week now before I update.
    Have a great weekend.

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    Well done WAGILL

  • posted by WAGILL
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    Quick update as I’ve been very busy and still am.
    BS levels been 7.1 / 7.2 / 7.2 in the past week.
    So it’s stable but is that good?
    My BP is still down to average 123/72.
    My weight is down to 13st 4lb. That’s a loss of 3 lbs in a week.
    I’m a bit disappointed with my B.S. levels going back up. But I’m into week 5 of the diet now so hoping for a drop soon.

  • posted by WAGILL
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    Quick update as I’ve been very busy and still am.
    BS levels been 7.1 / 7.2 / 7.2 in the past week.
    So it’s stable but is that good?
    My BP is still down to average 123/72.
    My weight is down to 13st 4lb. That’s a loss of 3 lbs in a week.
    I’m a bit disappointed with my B.S. levels going back up. But I’m into week 5 of the diet now so hoping for a drop soon.

  • posted by WAGILL
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    Update on where I’m at.

    Just had a week away on Kefalonia, that should have been week 6 of the 8 .
    Put on around 6lbs mainly due to beer and wine. Well it was my 60th and the kids joined us on holiday.
    Only had a few pieces of bread, mainly pitta. ( not the stuff you get here!).
    Anyway bloods were still around the 7 mark. Got back home and lost 4lbs in 3 days.
    Bloods today are 6.2.
    Weight seems to be steadying at 13st 2lb.
    I’d like to see that 12st marker as it’s been a long time since we were last acquainted!
    So technically I’m into week 8 but because of the holiday I’m extending it for another 2 weeks.
    What are anyone’s thoughts on this?
    Should I start the 8 week count again.
    Most of my meals during the holiday were fish, chicken, salad and veggies.

  • posted by Californiagirl
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    Hi WAGILL — hmmm, now that you have been successful and even dropped most of the holiday weight and looks like you’re eating very well — just keep going until you reach goal and then just keep going (with a few more calories every day!).
    The great thing about the BSD is that it becomes an excellent lifestyle and your body and brain will continue to benefit as you go forward. You will be avoiding obesity, Alzheimers, osteoporosis, heart disease, self-loathing (ha ha)….. And much much more!
    So just keep on!

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