Sarah1950's Journal, 08 October 2017

Fighting T2 is really hard. Must be tenacious as the fight is for life. I have been diagnosed Pre-T2. Last year, before I did anything in diet or exercise, my A1c was at 6.4. Have no idea what it is today. Will have it tested in December. Am not on any meds yet. I do moderate exercise 7 days a week. (Yoga, Balance, weights) . I meditate for Stress. I eat a Keto WOE. I do an IF of 20/4 -OMAD fast everyday and yet...numbers sometimes still over 100. So my work is cut out for me. Coming here has made it easier...not alone...and sometimes even fun! My best to you! Great work! 

Congratulations! That is quite an accomplishment! 

I was pre-diabetic 2 years ago and switched to a low carb <20g / day diet at the recommendation of my doctor. Today I am 110 pounds lighter my HbA1c is 4.6 (really impressed my doctor). Like Judy, I do IF at OMAD or sometimes 47/1 OMEOD. Kind of brutal, but I am impatient to see the weight come off and with only 70 pounds left to go, my goal is in sight.  

my recommendation is to go to www.dietdoctor.com and read everything on the site that you can find,,, which you will be there for days as its the largest website I have ever seen. And for T2D healing,, look for Dr Jason Fung on the site . He is a specialist on the topic of T2D and has revered T2D in literally 1000's of patients . he will change your life . 

Awesomeness! 

Proud of what you've accomplished! I'm on my way regarding the Type II Diabetes (crossing fingers)! 

Thanks for your support, encouragement and recommendations. What does OMAD (One meal a day?) and OMEOD? Dr Jason Fung was way over my head. I don’t understand “the science”. For example, when they say “insulin response” once you don’t get that, I’m lost. But I think I’ll try again to listen to him again...thanks for the reminder. And Sean, 4.6 impresses the daylights out of me too.  

Sorry, I was trying to be funny. OMAD is "One Meal A Day" I made up OMEOD "One Meal Every Other Day" My son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 4 (17 years ago) so the science Dr. Fung speaks of is pretty common for people who manage T1 diabetes. Basically, you eat carbohydrates, or your body produces glucose from other non-carbohydrates (called Gluconeogenesis). Glucose gets into your blood and raises your blood sugar (This is what you can measure with a gluco-meter) next, your body (if you are not T1) has an insulin response to the blood sugar and releases insulin. Insulin in your blood will shut down other hormones (particularly those that cause you to burn fat) and kickstart others (again those that cause you to store fat). In an ideal healthy body, the beta cells in the pancreas release exactly the right amount of insulin to handle the blood sugar. So when the blood sugar is taken care of, the insulin is gone. Fat storage ceases and fat burning resumes. For T2 and Pre-T2 the pancreas releases more insulin than is necessary. This will drive your blood sugar low as it processes all the sugar in the blood and there is still plenty of insulin and so you will feel hungry, shake, lack concentration, etc. Further the other hormones will never reset so you will continue to store fat and not burn it for energy. The symptoms of low blood sugar will drive most people to eat again, which raises blood sugar, causes another insulin response and you are in a vicious cycle. The detail about the insulin response that is important to understand in Dr. Fung's lectures is that sometimes, particularly for T2 and Pre-T2 people your body can have an insulin response when you haven't eaten carbohydrates and when your blood sugar is not elevated. Consequently, you will get low blood sugar and all the symptoms that go with it. This happens to me with many of the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas. I've also heard it can happen if you eat too much protein though I haven't seen this personally. (Maybe I don't eat too much). The book that I found most helpful to explain all of this is the one my doctor recommended to me 2 years ago. "Why We Get Fat", by Gary Taubes. He gives you all the science but he explains everything. All that said, the most important thing to remember is that everybody is different. So you have to figure out what works for you. There is no magic bullet that works for everyone. I can tell you what is working for me, but your mileage may vary. 

Thank for sharing your success! I also follow a low carb diet. I have T2D and I am gluten intolerant. However the weight was not coming off, so I have weight loss surgery about a year ago. I exercise 5 - 6 times a week - water aerobics, bodypump, & walking. So far I have lost about 70 lbs with 40 to 50 lb to go.