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Permalink Reply by Brian (bsc) on January 24, 2013 at 2:18pm

I wish I could tell you that you could cure your diabetes through just losing weight, but sadly it is more complicated than that. Often the weight is a complication of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can cause your insulin to run high and your high blood sugars at the same time just pack on the body fat. So no, I don't believe your diabetes is cured. If you return to your old diet, your blood sugar will rise and diabetes will raise it's ugly head. That being said, I do believe that a good diet can make a world of difference in controlling your diabetes. And yes, I think that if you are lucky, you might be able to keep up the diet, get off your meds and control your diabetes for a while. Heck, maybe a long time. But in the end, what really matters is that you keep your blood sugar controlled. If you can do that with just diet great, but if you need meds, then that is ok too.

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Permalink Reply by nwt_diabetic on January 24, 2013 at 2:59pm

Thanks Brian. This diabetes stuff is all new to me.
I latched onto the idea of the extreme diet from a British study where the T2 diabetic participants went on 600 calorie/day diets. The diet and accompanying weight loss had impressive results:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet/newcastle-study-600-calorie-diet.html
In my opinion, a 600 calorie diet is not sustainable, at least not by me. My diet is something that I am able to do from now until the day I die. Nothing special, really. Trying to have no, or reduced, "whites" - sugar, flour, rice - the evil three. I am following the online free program for weight loss called The Hacker's Diet.
With diabetes, my goal is to achieve control by reading the weight scale rather than poking my finger. When I was first diagnosed I went a little crazy with home measurements and, in the process, I got a really good idea of what affected my sugars. Maybe one day the diabetes returns with a fury, but from what I've read and learned about the disease, extreme weight loss is an effective treatment for some people - In the very short term that has been the case. I will need to keep the pounds off and stay with the new eating habits. Summer is approaching and I will add bike riding to my daily activities - that should help with weight loss of 10 pounds that I want to shed. The hba1c in July will let me know if I am on the right track.

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Permalink Reply by Helen Howes on January 24, 2013 at 2:56pm

No. It doesn't work like that.. Diabetes makes you fat, and not being fat won't rebuild your pancreas. The strict diet is (may be) holding you in place, but you need to keep on the right track for a long time, so don't punish yourself..
Have you tested after meals? Morning readings are often almost completely unhelpful for Type 2s.
500mg of Metformin is not really a therapeutic dose, and it's a very safe drug.. I would keep on with it, it calms the liver nicely..

HH

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Permalink Reply by nwt_diabetic on January 24, 2013 at 3:18pm

The British study hypothesis is that the fat around internal organs (particularly liver and pancreas) is reduced with dieting and these organs function better.
As for testing after meals, my pre meal numbers are similar to my fasting (morning) numbers. I was told to test two hours after eating and some of those random readings over the past two weeks are 6.2/7.8/8.6/5,8/7.9/8.9/6.5/4.8 mmol/L. Multiply by 18 for the American readings. These readings are after breakfasts and lunches. Evening suppers are usually veggies and fruit.
These numbers are much lower (on average) now than when I was first diagnosed. I feel if I lose 10 more pounds, they'll get even better.

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Permalink Reply by Azurah on January 24, 2013 at 3:12pm

You can be well-controlled, but the underlying disease is still there. I'm a thin type 2. I'm 5'2" and have been as low as 102lbs since diagnosis, but I still have to watch my diet and can easily spike to 200+ if I have too many carbs.

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Permalink Reply by nwt_diabetic on January 24, 2013 at 4:31pm

I wonder, sometimes, if my own diabetes was partially the result of excess cortisol, the stress hormone. I have some of the symptoms - such as marginally low WBC and the (former) high blood sugars.
I now find ways to relax. As a matter of fact, I now drink more than I ever have. I try and have a daily glass of red wine (150-200 ml every evening).

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Permalink Reply by Stemwinder on January 24, 2013 at 4:18pm

Like everyone else says you cannot lose your diabetes but sometimes you can lose the meds. There is no guarantee that you can be med free but it's worth a try and there's a good chance it will work.

You will never lose your diabetes and treating it will be a life long thing. It may be as simple as maintaining a healthy weight(easier said than done)or it can become as complicated as taking multiple insulin injections a day, no one knows how far or how fast it will progress. The important thing is to keep up the fight because maintaining good control of your blood glucose will help slow down the progression.

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Permalink Reply by nwt_diabetic on January 24, 2013 at 6:19pm

I am find the prospect of pills and injections will keep my mind focused on losing and keeping the weight off. I guess I am one of the "lucky" ones whose diabetes has diminished as the weight has gone down. There seem to be many factors contributing to the disease. I want to take charge of some of the things that I can control - weight and stress being the easiest ones. With a teenage girl in the house I don't know how long the stress levels will remain low. Better start chanting my mantra Ommmm....Ommmm.
Thanks, everyone for the replies.

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Permalink Reply by JohnG on January 25, 2013 at 4:00am

It sounds like your doing the right things congratulations....most people change their diet and stop eating sugary foods lose some weight and there BG average drops, some even get back to normal ranges...this is generally called the honeymoon phase. If you can get your body fat down to nothing you could have a chance. You will literately have to run from it, I doubt sitting behind a desk will do the trick long term....don't get discouraged you have already seen that hard work will pay off.

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Permalink Reply by nwt_diabetic on January 25, 2013 at 5:38am

Literally run or bike from it. That's OK by me - I must live a healthier lifestyle, To that end, I saw a Naturopath who helped with proper eating ideas. I have also seen a diabetes nurse and dietician as part of a local diabetes program. I will visit a doctor in February and ask if more blood work is required and ask diabetes related questions.
I still enjoy "bad stuff" such as sushi and sub-sandwiches on very rare occasions. For me the trick, so far, has been to make subtle changes. I love chocolate and now eat a small portion of 85%+ cocoa every day. Alcohol (wine or beer) is consumed daily. I eat smaller portions, especially at Supper. Snacks are typically cashews/almonds/other types of nuts. McDonalds is out unless it's a coffee or salad.
I continue to cling to the results of the British study. Here are the technical details for anyone interested:
http://www.diabetologia-journal.org/Lim.pdf

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