On 16th June 2016 I found out that I was a Type2 Diabetic, my HbA1c was 62, cholesterol was 4.9 and BP 144/92 and I weighed 13 Stone 13 lbs (88.4 Kg) with a BMI of 30.2. I was sent off with a bag full of pills (Metformin & Statin) and a booklet about Diabetes. Needless to say that was not the best news I ever had. So I took my pills and read the booklet, which still suggested that I can have loads of carbs and some sweet stuff!
I decided to do a bit of my own research and soon found lots of information on the Internet, some good, some bad and some controversial. I found the Ditch The Carbs, Blood Sugar Diet by Dr Michael Mosley, Sugar Free by Karen Thompson and these lead me to look at a whole host of others including Diet Doctor (Andreas Eenfeldt MD), Professor Tim Noakes, Professor Roy Taylor, Dr David Unwin, Emily Maguire, Ted Naiman and Dr Aseem Malhotra. All these wonderful people have websites and social media that support diet and exercise and a LCHF or real Mediterranean Diet to improve your health.
After spending some time reading their websites and tweets I decided to give it a go and try Low Carb. I stopped the bread, pasta, potatoes and rice and started including more vegetables, some fruit (Berries, Apples, Pears ) and trying out some of the recipes from Ditch the Carbs. I also started some basic exercise; I walked for 30 mines a day. Pretty soon began losing weight and feeling better. I mixed up my menus taking my inspiration from Karen’s Sugar Free book, Libby’s Ditch the Carbs website, Andreas’s Diet Doctor Website and the BSD book by Michael Mosely.
Over the last 3 months my cooking has had interesting results as somethings I cook really well other were a bit of a disaster (Down to me not the recipes ) I have become a big fan of cauliflower rice and I am now enjoying butter, eggs, cheese and some full fat yoghurts, cream and nuts and I am losing weight. Much to the bewilderment of family and friends. I have even now increased my exercise and I’m doing HIIT sessions from the fabulous Joe Wicks (Freely available on YouTube) whose 15 minute low impact workouts are fantastic and fun.
It’s now 24th September and I’ve had a 3 month blood test to see how I am getting on. The results are in!
HbA1c is now 39, cholesterol is 3 (LDL=1.3, HDL=1.3) I now weigh 11 Stone 9 lbs ( 75 Kg ) and my BMI is 25.6. At my review they have kept me on Statins and I am now down to 1 Metformin and my BP is now 131/84. With my Diabetes Nurse I have agreed a target weight of 11 stone and another HbA1c test in 3 months. I’m also now trying to get my BP down a bit more so I’m going to start some Qigong and Mindfulness exercises.
I’ve had a fantastic journey over the last 3 months. I’m no saint as I have had a glass of red wine and a couple of squares of 85% dark chocolate during the last 3 months (But not every day!!)
I’ve found a supportive and vibrant community on the Internet who keep posting their recipes, research and hold forums discussing the latest developments in LCHF and Diabetes. I’ve managed to watch The Big Fat Fix and the Fixing Dad (Documentary about reversing a Type 2 Diabetes by Anthony and Ian Whittington) and I’ve just watched the fantastic 2 part program by Dr Chris van Tulleken – The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs. I’m now looking forward to the next few months of my new journey.
A big thank you to everyone in the LCHF community and to the Doctors who are supporting and researching this way of life. As Albert Einstein once said “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we create them”
Keep posting and tweeting.
Andy @Crixus1963