Once you have lost weight and reversed your blood sugar problems it is critical that you don’t undo all that good work by going back to your previous habits. That’s why I have also created a programme which incorporates exercise and stress reduction, as that is the best way to ensure you stay on track. Maintain the benefits so you are healthier, feel better and live longer…

My only problem with the diet, and ongoing maintenance, is knowing when I have finished the 8 week cure part. How do I know if I am “fixed”, i.e reversed out of T2 diabetes, or just getting low BG readings because I am avoiding carbs. I suppose a home-made glucose intolerance test at some point?

Good question Steve and Ei. Also want to know if & when to stop medication if your GP not on board with you?
Should HbA1c tests be done to keep an eye on things. And very importantly too is will you still be considered type 2 diabetic ( diet controlled) by the insurance companies?

Be grateful for your help & advice please Michael

Do T2 diabetics get to see a GP? All I get is a nurse working from a script. Problem will be that this, or low carb generally, diet is not in the NHS script, so they won’t know how to deal with it. If on medication you’d have to be careful not to end up hypo, I presume, as you’d be eating to the tablets formerly. Somehow you’d have to get the GP/nurse to help manage meds down.

I just started the diet yesterday so I’m testing blood sugar levels more frequently at the moment and just taking less tablets than before to compensate for the lower readings I’m getting due to low carb intake. I did see my diabetic nurse today and check with her which of my tablets I should cut out first (I’m on 3 different ones). So far today I’ve only needed 1 of the 3 I normally take!

Hi all,
Interesting stuff, I lost weight since my diagnosis of type 2, approx 30 lbs, My hba1c has gone from 106 to 48 in 10 weeks, I have been allocated a dietician, you can guess what she thinks of low carb, she advises either bread, pasta, rice or potatoes with each meal, portion size equal to the size of my own closed fist. she has told me to ignore the advice in this book or I will be ill in the long term, btw doctor tell me I doing great and is happy with my progress. My question is, is it safe to exclude, bread, rice, pasta and potatoes?? would love to hear other forum member opinion.
Thanks, Kel.

Well, I’m thinking it hasn’t been healthy eating lots of carbs, so far, as it’s got me diabetes. When first told (5′ 8″ and 12st) I was “pre-diabetic” I was given the usual diet sheet with a third of the plate carbs etc. I asked how this was going to help as that’s what I’ve been doing for my entire adult life. Since then I’ve gone to “diabetic, and lately to “need meds” via the “healthy” NHS diet advice, as predicted. I was told it can only get worse, all I can do is slow the decline. There has to be another way!
There are lots of other low carb theorists out there. Lots to read. Like Dr. Bernstein who has decades of experience of diabetes as a T1 diabetic himself, and as a doctor. He has written several books on the subject. Plenty of people on Diabetes.co.uk forums are living the low carb life. Check them all out. This book, after the “needs meds” diagnosis, finally spurred me to make the change.
So far I’m loving the diet. Chucking in some chick peas, kidney beans, etc., as bit of a carb, just leaving out the concentrated stuff like bread, rice, potatoes, cereal, etc. Can eating tons of veg be wrong? More energy, hunger disappeared (I was always hungry every 2 hours on carbs, now go from a late breakfast to an early evening dinner, and then through the night, no problem), fasting blood sugar normal, massively better spirits too.

Hi Kel, I just know that I am feeling more awake, less lethargic and lighter since not eating all those processed carbs.

Call me daft, but also think about how we got certain foods. We didn’t even know about the potato in the UK until the 1500s. Pasta I hadn’t even heard of until the 1960s. Rice I’m not sure about but it certainly wasn’t native to this country – Maybe the 10th century when the Romans invaded. I honestly fail to see how anything that we would never have had if we hadn’t been introduced to it from another part of the world can be bad for us if we don’t eat it.

Here in the UK we are hereditary farmers and before the world was opened up to us we lived off only what we could grow in this country and the animals that were native to us. That didn’t include potatoes or rice, and we certainly never invented pasta.

The only reason we don’t eat bread on this diet is because it’s been messed about with in the processing of it. If those breads that are called whole wheat really were the whole wheat grain ground and used directly then we could eat it.

I am eating one or two ryvita a day if I feel so inclined because I’m hoping I am right and that they are made from the whole grain only with no mucking about or additions. (please correct me someone if you think I shouldn’t even be eating those either.)

As to Ryvita, or any other carb, the best thing to do, I’ve found, is test your Blood Glucose before, and 2 hours after eating. See what they do for your BG. I found some things, I was urged to eat, for years, by the diabetic nurse, sent it really high. Things like porridge and bran flakes. While some granola or muesli, although containing sugars or dried fruit, was much less! Everybody is different on this. Seems down to your own personal gut bacteria. There is no blanket yes or no to these things, despite what your nurse will say. I was told not to test.
“After all what can you do about it?”
“Well, stop eating the ones that send it high.”
An expensive business, in test strips though, but educational.
Lidl “high protein” rolls I found fairly benign. I might return to them when the weight is really down and the bloods are consistently good.

Don’t know if correct
Didn’t see nurse or doc
Stopped all pills
Taking readings daily
Now fasting down to 7.1 from nine
Don’t know if that’s good or to go back on pills
Feel great lost 8 pound first week now into second
Opinion welcome
Alan

Michael

Just want to pass on some good news as your book and diet have proved successful in my case in reverting from diabetic to “normal” – more on this expression below.
Having been pre-diabetic for around 2 years prior to September 2015, I had my annual health check and was told I had just slipped into the diabetic category at 6.5 on the HbA1c test. I was duly dispatched to the area NHS diabetic dietary advice centre where I was given the standard advice that includes continuing with carbs (as noted consistently in the forum posts). In January I was tested again and was found to have an increased reading of 6.7 (so much for the NHS advice). I met the doctor (having previously been seen by the diabetes nurse) who told me I needed to go onto medication. I explained that I wanted to try again with dietary measures and although she was not happy, agreed to give me another 3 months.
I subsequently followed your book and started on the 800 calorie diet but found it difficult to stick to the calorie limit after a few weeks. Having decided that if I was able to make the transition, I would need to find a diet that I would be able to accommodate and enjoy and so adopted the Mediterranean diet. I used many of the recipes suggested in the book and found that I could work with this and other similar recipes whilst monitoring my blood glucose levels to find out the things that might cause higher readings. After a week in the US recently, I wondered if I would be able to do this. I shouldn’t have worried – sticking to the principles kept my BS levels steady.
Last week I had a re-test and rang the surgery today for the result. The receptionist told me “the doctor has recorded – reading normal, no need for further action” and told me she couldn’t give me the result as she wasn’t medically trained.
So the worry of the last 8 months has gone. Your approach is vindicated as far as I’m concerned. My fasting blood sugar averages over the last 3 months (over 40 readings) have been –
February (6.3)
March (6.1)
April (5.7).
This would indicate that the picture is still improving.
I consider myself a Thin on the Outside and Fat on the Inside and quickly lost around 2.25 stone from 13st 8lbs to 11st 4lbs (at 6ft 2″ this puts me borderline BMI normal/low) . My waist has decreased from 38″ down to 34″ . My blood pressure has dropped to 105/65 and reduced blood pressure medication (Lisinopril) to occasional.

With gratitude
Roger

Roger Wouldn’t think you needed blood pressure pills with that epreading
Isn’t 120/80 considered normal ,your is much lower than this
Alan
Well done too.

AlanHypno how is it going for you? Are readings looking better? Hope the weight continues to drop off you.
All the best!
Julia

Julia thanks so much for asking
Down one and half stone in three weeks never hungry no shakes or head aches but bs reading doesn’t change much before food and two hours after 7.5 before 7.4 after
Not doing morning for awhile yet as they’re erratic .
Not cooked any menu food I love the fish we buy and chicken ,lots veg and salads.
Alan

Hi Alanhypno
Well done. Can see you are getting the knowledge & practicing it. Your BS will settle & reduce I’m sure if you keep on keeping on.
Look at http://www.phlaunt.com. It’s Jenny Ruhl web site. Author of Blood Sugar 101, second edition. And Diet 101 The Truth About Low Carb Diets. Look for True Normal Blood Sugars. Professor J S Chtistiansen’s data, page 15 in Blood Sugar 101.
Our present blood sugar targets are set too high! They are based on decades old outdated data, before continuous glucose monitoring was available. The powers that be haven’t changed it. WHY???

My powder is still dry & I need my blood sugars to be stable before I launch all the ammo I’m storing! Let you know when I’m ready, then duck❗️ 💣

‘Stay healthy’ is the title of this topic. We all launch into the BSD and, rightly, focus on the food. Let’s take a moment to reflect on the things we do to stay healthy.
I now do BSD 5:2, I try and walk everyday (if it’s really wet I stay indoors and exercise) and aim for 10 000 steps a day. Mindfulness meditation has become part of my life. I find these forums really supportive and they add to my wellbeing.
I’m not saying this happened overnight – it didn’t. Was it easy? Not always.
What is easy is doing all of these things now as collectively they help me stay healthy.