Hi Everyone
Well, 2 weeks ago today I went to the docs with a suspected urinary infection and after a urine dip and many trips back to the docs that day and over the next few I was diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic.
I was shocked and upset. All I could think was that I had brought this on myself by over the last 20 years since leaving university being on a permanent diet and cycling between loosing weight and putting on weight. I also knew of the health issues so was very, very worried.

Although my diabetic nurse said I could make a big difference by ‘life style’ changes, when I questioned her, she couldn’t give me specifics on diet, just cutting out sugar and loosing weight. She gave me the standard food pyramid, which I don’t believe in anyway. I am a believer and have been for a while of Paleo/lower carb eating, so I wondered whether this could be a good approach.
I bought Dr David Cavans book and then on weightlossresurses forum someone mentioned Michael Mosleys book, which I bought and read in a day. I really like the scientific side of his book with proven research; this appeals to my nature.

Last week I started low carbing on around 1500cals a day and have lost 6lbs and my blood sugars are coming down. When I first started testing just over a week ago they were 13-11; today I saw a 6!!!

Yesterday I started the 800cal low carb eating and I’m furiously trying to convince myself I can keep to 800cals for 8 weeks!!!

Michaels section about exercise also woke something up in my brain; especially when he talked about exercise making blood sugar go down due to depletion of glycogen stores and our muscles needing to replenish them. This has given me the reason to hit the gym!!

I have a long way to go….I am 4 1/2 stone over weight at the top of the BMI scale but I have really got a reason to do this now…do I want a limb amputated and loose my eyesight…NO!

Great positive form by the way….
TTFN
Claire x

PS – do other people get emotional and teary at the reasons why we have to do this e.g. the side effects? I do…

Hi Claire, whatever you do, don’t blame yourself. We are all in the same boat and for many different reasons, there are so many theories, too fat, too much sugar in our diets, family history. If anyone knew the cause then doctors would have an easy life. When I was diagnosed I was 8.5 stone although that was after losing about a stone with the diabetes. However, 9.5 stone was only very slightly overweight for me. I have only been seriously overweight twice in my life, when I was pregnant and straight after and when I gave up smoking, both times I was about 3 stone overweight but I very soon lost it. My mum had T2 so maybe that is it.

One thing this diet has shown is that if, once we have diabetes, food can make it worse, then it is obvious that food can also be the cure. When I was diagnosed I went on tablets for nearly a year and had a terrible stomach, when my doctor suggested insulin the first night I sat with the syringe in my hand for a good 30 minutes. That was when I cried, I realised I really had something life threatening and I was about to stick a needle in myself. Over the years (nearly 11 now) I have come to accept it but I still have weepy moments, especially when injecting. Why oh why oh why. But no matter, I just get on with it.

Having found this diet I am using less insulin, reduced my other medication, losing weight and watching my b/g numbers fall quite dramatically (from 11.5 to 5.5) in two weeks. You have found the right place and 800 calories is quite easy to achieve. All you have to remember is to eat good foods, no crappy carbs, just the good ones and fill yourself up with good oils and satisfying meals. This morning I have 2 grilled large mushrooms with a poached egg on top at only 75 calories and felt well fed until lunchtime when I had beetroot hummus with stocks of veggie sticks.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

thanks sunshine-girl.
I am feeling quite whoozy this afternoon but I guess that’s to be expected until my body gets used to so little calories.

If you feel whoozy do a blood test, if it is just a bit low have something on the good list to eat. I think there is a difference between being low and having a hypo, I have only ever had one hypo and I was unconscious but for no apparent reason. Before you get to that stage eat something. Are you testing.

I did a blood test and blood sugars were around 7, so not low at all. At yes I am testing in the morning before food and also 2 hours after food.

Hi Clparsonz
The diagnosis is scary and an enormous wake up call. Was diagnosed Type 2 at the very end of January.
Hated it. Hated it. Hated it.
But it was a huge wake up call and gave me the determination to stick to this diet.
Have vastly improved my health and well-being by losing weight…..so a big hooray.
Loads of us on this Forum have made that difference. Go for it.

Thanks for the support.

I only managed around 1000cals yesterday but I’m not beating myself up over it.

Should be able to hit the 800 cal mark easily today.

I had a protein shake for my breakfast yesterday and it didn’t satiate me at all; this morning I have had a large flat mushroom with an egg and feta cheese inside and that has worked a treat and only 130 cals and 0.7g of carb…winner!

Hi there, it sounds to me like you are doing fine. As you have already discovered, having some fat in your meals, is a good way to help you feel full and stay feeling that way for longer. It might take awhile, but you will find that you can get down to the 800 and once your body has become accustomed to the new regime, I’m sure you will find it easy to maintain for eight weeks.

Keep us posted on progress, as I’m sure you will have lots of good news to share soon.

thanks SunnyB! 🙂

You are so lucky to have found this book!

I was diagnosed 6 years ago and the general thinking then was to cut down on sugar and eat more carbs!

Since reading the book I realise that the science of cutting carbs makes just so much more sense.

Don’t beat yourself up. If you don’t make 800 then so be it, 1000 isn’t the end of the world. It takes a little time sometimes to get into a routine and find the foods that suit you best.

I’m not one of the mega losers but do feel very very much better than I did just 3 weeks ago.

Don’t feel guilty about having T2, I think we all feel that it’s our own fault but you know blame doesn’t help, sorting it out does, and this is the way to go !!!

Thanks Verano.

I have struggling at the moment. My first week lower carbing but not BSD on about 1500 cals a day I lost 6lbs, last week doing BSD and doing between 800-1000 and doing quite intense HiiT sessions I lost 2lbs, part way through this week sticking to 800 cals and doing my HiiT and have lost nothing..nadda!

Whats going on? There are people in there first 2 weeks who loose 10lbs…

Will obviously keep going as there have been some really good drops in my blood sugars…but its frustrating!!

Cx 🙂

Back to you felling whoozy, have you checked your blood pressure. This diet is known to make it drop, see my thread asking if it affects BP, and I have now found out that it does.

Back to your lack of weight loss. Week one is mainly fluid as with any diet your body has had a shock. As it settles in the loss gets slower. Week 3 is about the time most of us get stuck and this is not the time to give up. Look at the other benefits, how are you feeling, how are you sleeping, although right now you might be feeling lousy with carb withdrawals. Are your bg numbers coming down, have you taken a set of measurements, sometimes we lose inches rather than weight, maybe this week you have been losing internal fat around your organs. There are so many reasons. You say there are people in the first 2 weeks who lose 10lbs, well, Im not one of them. 5 weeks in and a total of 7lbs. Don’t worry and don’t give up.

Thanks sunshine-girl, I’ll keep the faith!!

Sorry to hear the diagnosis on Type II. That is a wake up call. People at the World Tennis Association heard that you are making a huge change in your life for the better. So, we all salute your willpower and strength:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66UdQYY1cOQ

Live Long and Prosper!

PrincetonianStud

Hi Claire,
I am new here myself, but I have had some success this year. I started on Jan 1/2016 at 237 lbs, and currently weight 169 lbs. I was never diabetic, but I think that I was pre-diabetic. My doctor never mentioned it one way or the other. I lost most of my weight in the first 5 months by cutting calories, but at the same time emphasizing low carb, or what I like to call it – zero carb – which is really just carbs only in non-starchy veggies. I was astonished with my success, since it amounted to 29% of my body weight. It was a super important step up in my diet when I bought a stainless steel steamer, because finally I was able to steam a ton of veggies, and include them in every meal – lots of cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower with carrots and mushrooms as well. That stuff occupies a large part of my plate, but I’ve also started to add fermented veggies with every meal. Although MM doesn’t mention them much, I’ve found a big improvement in my digestion once I started adding Kimchi and Sauerkraut, and fermented pickles, and Kvass (fermented beet juice). It’s a very cheap and easy thing to do.

Ditching bread and all processed carbs is a powerful step to make, and for me, I think that ditching diet soda was also important, although I can’t prove that, I think that it adversely affected my appetite. I also did a 72 hour fast, and after that fast, my appetite seemed to be significantly less. I think that the fast reset some of my hormones, and up-regulated my insulin receptors, making me more insulin sensitive.

I learned a lot by watching the 6 – 1 hour video series on YouTube called: “The Aetiology of Obesity” by Dr. Jason Fung, a Canadian Nephrologist who treats type 2 diabetics. He also has another video series about type II diabetes that is excellent, and I highly recommend these video series, as well as his book entitled: “The Obesity Code”. This book helped me with a lot of the science, and the importance of meal timing, and I found it very motivating to change my entire diet.

I hope this helps.

Thanks for your advice grburgess.

I’m going to update my progress on the 800cal page…its all good!!