Hey guys,
I am diagnosed with T2DM with hba1c (16.1). I am currently put on metformin/teneligliptin (500/20 mg ) tablets twice daily. Is it possible for me to reverse diabetes with diet and exercise? Also my BMI is 18.5 and have reduced around 10 kgs weight. What diet is best and calories required to be on right path?
Over time, people who have diabetes and high blood sugar can develop serious or life-threatening complications, including heart disease, stroke, kidney problems, nerve damage, and eye problems. Taking medication(s), making lifestyle changes (e.g., diet, exercise, quitting smoking), and regularly checking your blood sugar may help to manage your diabetes and improve your health. This therapy may also decrease your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or other diabetes-related complications such as kidney failure, nerve damage (numb, cold legs or feet; decreased sexual ability in men and women), eye problems, including changes or loss of vision, or gum disease. Your doctor and other healthcare providers will talk to you about the best way to manage your diabetes.
Links:-
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metfo...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenel...
Thank you sir for helpful insight.
Simple answer to your question is yes it is possible!
What was the reason for your HbA1cC blood test in the first place?
What is you height and waist? What is your weight now after loosing 10kg?
What body reactions and any difficult time di you have when your HbA1c was 16.1?
You ay think there are a lot of questions, finding answers to the questions can help you.
There are a lot of old information on this site available for you to read and take an action!!
Eating small portions, watching out for hidden and free sugar in food and drinks, regular exercise can help. As you are on medication you need to do regular blood sugar check.
Thanks for the reply sandybrown.
- Reason for HbA1c test was done as I was having frequent urination/hunger and had burning sensation while passing. Had fever for 3 days because of bacterial infection, as my doctor told. I had gone to doctor to eliminate suspicion for dengue/typhoid.
- Body weight 68 kg /height 178 cm /waist 90 cm. This is current measures after losing.
- When my HbA1c was 16.1 I had several problems. During night I had to go for urination 2-3 times. Too much hunger/thirst. Felt weakness all the time. Also slight tingling in hands. Mood swings, got anger on small issues.
I am reaching out to people who have done this as I have not seen/heard people this high reading and am scared to be honest. I have just started out eliminating sugar in food and am avoiding carbs. I used to do regular cardio/played TT even when my diabetes was not detected. That was one of the reasons even after weight loss I thought is because of it and did not consult doctor earlier. I have read lot of posts here and seems pretty helpful. Thanks again.
Thank you for your response.
Please do not stress, take it easy, you have identified a health problem, try and manage it, work have to reverse it if you can.
What is your HbA1C now?
I am heavier that you, there is a height to waist chart on the Internet, please take a look. What ever exercise you do try to loose your belly fat.
Do home monitoring and keep an eye on the numbers.
To control blood sugar, you can drink boiled cinnamon water daily and also soak fenugreek In water to get soft, drink the water and eat the soft fenugreek. Avoid all caned drinks and fruit juice.
When I first found out I did this, lost weight an am controlling blood number, it is very difficult because of the taste. I am not on medication therefore I can give 14 hours between my evening meal and breakfast.
To control food intake buy a small plate and drink water before your meal. Try and give more time between your three daily meals, may be you can give more time between evening meal and breakfast. Nothing to eat between meals, no sugar in any food and drinks, it can be difficult to say no!!
As you are on medication you need to watch your daily exercise, walking is good.
Please go for an eye check (diabetic screening) and also foot check, both of these are very important.
This is the first time I had tested for HbA1c. It was done a week back. Thank you for your suggestions, will definitely follow them. My query is more towards how much calories to target to get my diabetes under control. I am not looking to loose weight rather gain it, is it bad idea? I am asking this as I am more towards underweight than obese. Does it make sense?
What is the unit of measurement for your HbA1C?
You can look at the different units on this like for education.
pinterest.com/pin/189291990...
In UK 6.5% converts to 48 mmol/mol.
I did notice your weight!, you need a balanced diet.
Where do you live?
I am currently in Bangalore, India for past 4 years.
Thank you for all your response. Now you have some answers to work on. Please do not worry, try an avoid stress at work place, it is difficult, I had allergy reactions to other humans given stress when I was working, now I am retired.
Use your software knowledge to develop a simple iPhone blood glucose monitoring using a patch to concentrate on software other then work!
Can you eat eggs, fish and chicken? You need a balanced diet.
to reduce sugar for now please avoid and grain food. Once you have the correct HbA1C number on your next blood test you can slowly change.
Please go and have your eyes checked.
Good luck and take care.
Yes I can eat chicken and fish but availability is a concern to include in daily diet.
Hello Sandybrown
Have you come across the news item about the menace of artificially produced eggs/
Now a days markets are flooded with Eggs which are made with calcium carbonate ,sodium alginate , Alum , Gelatin , calcium chloride , and some colours , which give more health problems . China is supposed to be making these eggs and it is very difficult to differentiate these eggs from natural eggs as they are exactly alike in looks and taste .So before going to buy eggs one should be very careful in ensuring that they are genuine . China is already famous for making plastic rice .Fish and chicken are again not very safe as fish are contaminated with the nuclear wastes thrown in to oceans and chicken with steroids and growth hormones . It is better to go only for organic fruits ,greens , vegetables , pulses & dairy .
I am afraid I do not take any man made products!!!
We as a family only buy fresh (how fresh in shops?) food for daily cooking, for example, free range eggs from the super market or from the local farm in UK.
I do not go for organic because it can be very expensive!
Artificial Eggs???? OOOH... no end to greediness. Anyway, even organic also, we cannot recognise or distinguish which is organic or not just trust the seller. That's it.
Yes , it is very difficult to recognise the real eggs . They say when a tap is given the difference is known. Any way it is really a great crime on the part of the sellers and manufactureres .
Your weight loss of 10kg, " Is it due to your undiagnosed diabetic?"
I understand you are not looking to loose weight!!
Please Google Mail on line UK, there were few articles on diabetes and also diet guide Asian cooking.
I am sure other members may or can give you guidance on food.
Steamed green leaf veg is excellent, sweet potato, chick peas, eggs, oily fish and many more.
I for one do not count carb or calories for evening meal. Breakfast and lunch I control it in portions.. Time between my evening meal and breakfast is 14 hours.
Relax, enjoy life go for daily walk or exercise, be positive.
Yes my weight loss was because of undiagnosed diabetes.
My current diet is moong/ bengal gram sprouts, cucumber salads while feeling hungry. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is 2-3 pieces of multigrain chapatis, least GI vegetables , salads and curd. I do take overnight soaked fenugreek seeds in empty stomach and cinnamon/green tea in between breakfast and lunch. I do not take sugary drinks, juices etc. My morning FBS is 119 mg/dl during day it goes upto 190 mg/dl. I would like to get some advice on my diet whether it is sufficient considering i am trying to gain some weight. Also i do cardio for 45 mins in morning and play TT for 30-45 mins in evening most of the days in week. Do i need to increase my physical activity or any other changes. Please advise.
Prashant, at first glance your diet seems very low in both, proteins and good fats.
Thanks for the response. Please suggest the changes.
Great info, thanks!
You can read about the medication you are taking on this link:
Yes, it is possible to reverse your condition. Diet and exercise are no doubt important components but they are not the only factors. Other factors are hormone balancing, targeted supplementation, detox, lifestyle modification, stress reduction and mind body balance. Each of these is important for lasting results.
Thanks DiabetesDestroyer . I am pretty new to this. Please point me towards right diet and other things required to get it under control.
All diabetic affected people would have experienced this high sugar level for the first time in their life when go to doctor for some reason and take up diabetic test for the very first time. So your case is nothing new. Start medication, do gentle exercise, avoid eating banana during night time. Don’t miss out on medicines and gentle exercise. U will become a normal diabetic patent soon like us.
Please note, U just cannot get out of this deficiency ever, so don’t try too much. Have control over your diabetic issues and remember that you are a diabetic person while getting tempted to eat what is not good for a diabetic person.
Side effects of uncontrolled sugar level would be terrible & will affect your organs slowly one after the other including your eyesore, gums and nerves.
Cheers.
HbA1c of 16 is not easy to believe, when the other markers like BMI, weight etc are pretty low in your case. How old are you? You are presenting with symptoms common to Type 1 D. Please get your pancreas tested including fasting insulin test, C Peptide also. If you have adequate insulin secretion, yet your BG is high then you have Type 2 D.
For Type 1 insulin injections are necessary. For Type 2 Diet,exercise, lifestyle change is necessary. We can talk bout that later.
I am 32 years old. I did not had diabetes as earlier as 8 months ago as i had tested PPBS of 115 mg/dl then and FBS 88 mg/dl. Also I had weight of around 78-82 kgs then. I had lost 4 kgs by regular running only before that. Work pressure and stress in last 6 months have been quite high for me personally now that i reflect back. I am not sure how it got so high. There is family history of type 2 diabetes too. I will ask my doctor for tests as you suggested. Thank you.
Though i am not doctor but reading and learning from many forum members etc. etc. First of all Family history of T2-DM is just a general myth. Do not get scared by that concept. it only (might) give a possible tendency of organs reaction. But its not an inevitable situation, if your family had a history.
Anyway, after reading the situation in office stress you have recently, I STRONGLY suggest, if possible change the job/ or project or any damn thing to avoid stress by all means. Having that stress intact and trying other means of diet, exercise etc. doesnt help. Telling you from own experience. I do not have absolutely no family hisory, but i got it mostly due to wrong food habits. (The WHITEST RICE and the odd timings etc. and biggest reason i attribute is linked to stress at work-this is not IT work though... but long story-doesnt help anyway-but STRESS). I first considered a change and luckily could avoid that STRESS. As i changed the task and I was very lucky to have a superior who is very very supportive and coolly worked and efficiently too. So, try to GET RID of stress. Utmost important. I was in Bangalore. Do YOGA... a simple Breathing exercise start from 5 mins to reach 30 mins each in morning and evening make WONDERS.
All the best.
Personally work stress is occupational hazard and switching jobs adds a lot of anxiety to it. I am fortunate that the pressure is not consistent and i try to keep balance. Thanks for your response and recommending Yoga.
Thanks Hidden for long and comprehensive suggestion.
A. Yes i do have home monitor and do testings post meals mostly. Will post my readings regularly here as i go along.
G. Yes doctor too suggested to get sugar controlled first before gaining weight but i was unsure about diet.
H. This will get reviewed after 15 days which will be next weekend. Will keep posted.
I. i did get calcium scores and eGFR done. Serum Calcium (NM) - 9.2 mg/dl. Serum Calcium (ISE) - 4.5 mg/dl. Serum TSH - 2.57 micIU/mL eGFR - 117 ml/min Serum creatinine - 0.82.
J. 32 years old, single. Work as Software Architect for past 4 years in Bangalore. I use Ola/Uber to work five days a week.
L. LCHF diet seems hard. Will try to incorporate as much as i can.
Thanks you so much.
Hi Prashanth:
Nutrition plays a pivotal role in helping you get type 2 diabetes under control.
By using a sensor with CGM technology - continuous glucose monitoring - which provides you approximately 1344 blood glucose readings in 14 days, you are able to make informed choices regarding your most apt food combinations.
You could check on:
to know more about nutrition and type2 diabetes link.
Don't worry. Medications and technology are there to help. Just create a positive mindset; to keep away secondary diabetic complications.
The simple answer to your question is yes it can be reversed with appropriate exercise and a sensible diet. Firstly, if you have been diagnosed you surely will have been given some help sheets regarding the sort of food to bypass and those you should adopt - if not they can be found on the NHS web pages under diabetes since the UK's information is probably the best in the World. If you don't take exercise and diet your diabetes, which is a progressive disease, will get worse and you could well find yourself on insulin within two years. Insulin also tends to cause people to put on weight so by that time we are into a vicious circle.
Two years ago I weighed in at 17.5 stone and my insulin intake for type 2 was close to 260 units a day from a Humalog 25 Mix pen and was beginning to suffer numb feet and weakening of the eyesight. So I lost 7.5 stone in a year and began to take appropriate exercise for my age and before the year was out I was insulin and Metformin free, controlling my diabetes by diet and exercise. I am still diabetic and still check my blood but now about three times a week. I still go the the 6 monthly reviews and for an HbA1c and the yearly eye tests which are now normal.
These diets are not for the faint hearted and with your BMI you don't appear to be overweight. My BMI is 23 and everyone is amazed I have got to this figure within a year. WARNING - The suggestion of what I did came from clinical tests of type 2 diabetics at Glasgow University where the guinea pigs were vetted by their own doctors first before beginning the tests to ensure they were fit and well enough to go through with it. They used a liquid replacement meal for all three meals and the experiment lasted (I believe) a maximum of six weeks)
Results were sporadic, with the newly diagnosed diabetic the most successful of the patients to have kick started their pancreas. The hospital also chose only patients with no more than 5 years with diabetes as the thought was that anything longer would not work. I had diabetes for 10 years before I began my diet, so I can only talk for myself and say that if I can do it, there surely must be others that could to. However, check with your doctor first and do not be dissapointed if you do not succeed immediately but do the weight loss over time.
What diet you ask? I have no idea! I did not fancy the liquid diet so went for no sugar and no starch, no fat - morning is a packet of Belvita breakfast biscuits - slow release energy with oats. Lunch is three Ryvita and Benecol spread or Flora Proactive and a low fat yogurt. I will finish off lunch with four to six pieces of fresh fruit. Evening meal is three eggs in a mushroom omelette with slices of cold lean meat. I also have salmon and brown rice and a selection of fresh vegetables and also M&S low cal (250/350 cal) meals which re very tasty and filling.
So I hope this is enlightening, but please do not blindly follow my example for you must work out what you can live with and enjoy - but please keep in mind that it is possible to reverse diabetes to zero medication but it takes hard work and some dedication and hard work. That said, if I have a choice, I would like to die with my feet on and the sight to enjoy them in place.
Kind regards to you
Thanks for your response. I was never overweight. My BMI has always been below 21. You have given some good suggestions for diet. However I am located in India so would be hard to follow your diet exactly. Anyways will find some way to balance mine.
I never suggested you were overweight and commented that you BMI indicated that you were not. I also know exactly where you are and said I had no idea what your diet should be. My reply was to your question regarding the possibility of reversing diabetes and gave you my experiences that is all. I am sorry you feel I wasted your time.
Sorry if my response came off like that. I appreciate your response and am thankful for your suggestions. I was just pointing out my inability to have diet as yours. Your experience and suggestion has certainly given me hope to reverse my diabetes and have added to my knowledge about it. Please keep sharing. Thank you.
Thanks
suprising to know that you have hit such high hba1c in such short span of time. please do not panic, everyone has these days, we will have to learn to cope with it and make the best of the situation. pls follow doctors advice, so that u settle down well with lower hba1c and low values. pls repeat the test again from a reputable lab and compare the values.
Hi prashantr ,
Welcome to this forum.
Your HbA1c of 16+ is really alarming and it requires immediate action. I was in a very similar situation couple of years ago.
I'm really surprised why your doctor has put you on metmorfin twice daily instead of prescribing insulin shots. My immediate suggestion is to consult another doctor.
Have you taken Fasting Blood Sugar(FBS) and Post Prandial Blood Sugar(PPBS) when you took HbA1c test. If yes, please share the results.
Your immediate action is to pull down PPBS/HbA1c, as it is detrimental to the health of organs like kidney, etc
1) Your diet should be very simple. Less carbs and more fat(good fat obviously) and fiber. Please switch the wheat of your chapati from multigrain to organic emmer wheat atta as its Glycemic Index(and more fiber) is low. You can buy from online stores or organic shops.
2) Please introduce nuts like almond or cashew or peanuts into your diet. You can skip chapati once in a day and have nuts instead. You can eat stomach full. It will not raise your blood sugar.
3) Add good fats like ghee and reduce your chapati intake from 3 to 2 or 1.
5) For immediate results try having 2 spoons of Nilavembu powder (Nelebevu in Kannada, Kalmegh in Hindi) along with hot water, three times in a day(just after your food is preferable). I can explain in detail if interested.
My FBS reduced from 420 mg/dL to 247 mg/dL when having this one in a week's time. The advantage of this herb is it controls your hunger and reduces your food intake.
6) De-stress yourself. This is key. Nothing will work if you are stressed.
7) No direct or indirect sugar. Please avoid sugarfree and other products. Once your HbA1c stabilizes, you can introduce a little amount of palm sugar into your diet.
Take daily FBS readings using your glucometer and PPBS and spike (usually 60-75 minutes after food) and adjust your food intake appropriately.
Thanks @barani19. My FBS reading was 266 and PPBS of 486 mg/dL when it was detected. In a week it has come down to 119 and 190 mg/dL with medications and diet as above. I have consulted two different doctors and have repeated lab results confirming same, HbA1c was unchanged.
About good fat I.e. Ghee and butter how to consume it and what quantity? Same for nuts raw peanuts/almond is okay? Quantity?
prashantr ,
Any good fat will be very satisfying. So, just start by replacing 1 roti with one or two spoons of ghee. One or two spoons of butter can be put over the roti. Its all your choice. The biggest advantage is that your stomach fills up fast with good fat and you do not feel hungry fast. Yet, these do not spike your blood sugar levels.
I have boiled peanuts 150-200g almost daily for my breakfast. I do not feel hungry for at least 3 hours. Some other options for breakfast would be fresh coconut meat or paneer.
You can experiment with 10 or 15 or half a cup of almonds or cashews(slightly more carbs. but i love them 
)
There are two other points which i missed out.
1. Please watch out for the oils used in preparing subzis. Please make sure organic cold pressed oils are used where ever possible.
2. Please avoid having only good fats for dinner. It will elevate your FBS reading the next day because of dawn phenomenon or somogyi effect(search our forum for more information on this)
prashantr ,
One other completely different approach is to have emmer wheat as described by Mr.George in the link below.
I have prepared this for diet plan. Please give your opinion whether it is balanced.
9:00 AM - boiled peanuts + paneer + fruit(apple/guava/papaya/pear)
11:00 AM - salad(cucumber/carrot/peas) + green tea
1:00 PM - 2 roti(emmer wheat) with ghee 2 spoons + moong dal + vegetables + curd
5:00 PM - fruits + nuts(almond/walnuts/pistachio) + green tea
7:00 PM - sprouts(moong/chana)
9:00 PM - 2 roti(emmer wheat) with ghee 2 spoons + vegetables
Is emmer wheat flour available in bigbazaar etc.? On Amazon it is taking 3-4 days for delivery.
prashantr ,
Please tweak this plan a bit.
If you have boiled peanuts or paneer at 9AM, then you wont feel hungry for at least 2 to three hours. Guava or Papaya is preferable. You can plan to skip salad and green tea at 11AM.
Please make sure moong dal does not spike your BS.
5.00 PM and 7.00 PM schedule can be clubbed to one time.
You do not get emmer wheat flour in bigbazaar, etc. Better order in Amazon.
Thanks will adjust as you suggested. Can i add milk to this diet or is it better this way?
many people are advicing here...pls finish your dinner by 7pm and make this as lifestyle change permanently, you will see benefits in long term. If ur buying emmer wheat, dont buy readymade ones, because they will be adultered. Buy from shops like nilgiirs or mk ahmed, it is also known samba wheat, flour and then make chapatis.
soni1
Thanks for the inputs.
You get only broken samba wheat in Nilgiris or MK Ahmed. For unbroken wheat, you have to order online.
Yes you are right. I got samba wheat broken but not whole wheat in my nearby stores. Is there much difference?
no the whole wheat is available in mk ahamad store
no, i buy the whole wheat in the same store. pls ask the store people for jave godhi, u will get thr whole wheat form and then u can mill it outside
Thanks @soni1 I got the Jawa wheat at MK Ahmed store in HSR layout as you told rightly. Do you mix anything in it before milling or raw is okay?
I tried having dinner earlier but get hungry sooner. Also my work hours does not allow me to have it earlier. I get back to home only around 8:30 pm. Will check out nilgiris today. Thanks.
prashantr
Did you include ghee for your dinner?
Yes I did. Yesterday I replaced 1 chapati with 2 spoon ghee. It is too early to say but I saw reduction in FBS a little today morning.
Ok, your dinner time is 8:30 PM, what is your breakfast time and lunch time?
No grain food for a while can be best for you.
Ghee, is it animal or veg?
Can you get pure butter or olive oil?
Are you taking boiled cinnamon water daily?
Sorry for the questions but it is necessary.!!!
My breakfast time is 8:30 AM and lunch at 1:00 PM.
I have reduced it to 3 - 4 emmer wheat chapatis a day including lunch and dinner. Not consuming rice, dosa etc.
I take Amul ghee veg. made from milk fat.
Pure butter is difficult to get, olive oil i can get from stores but is very expensive.
Yes i am taking twice boiled cinnamon water around 11 AM and 5 PM.
Thanks.
Thank you.
Cow's ghee is good.
Boiled cinnamon water, best to drink before going to ben and first thing in the morning.
Olive oil expensive, how much does it cost in Indian rupees per litre?
Olive oil is anywhere between approx Rs. 800 - 1500 per litre here in stores.
Please send me a message via chat, thanks.
I would limit eating to 8 hrs a day and 16 hrs of fasting on daily basis. This will speed up your recovery. Try will for few months and you will see the difference
Thanks for suggestion. How does it work? During fasting what can be taken, water etc?
Water is fine. Start with 12 hrs first then slowly stretch it to 16 hrs.
Thanks will start it from today.
1. "It is important that a person has not had anything to eat or drink other than water for 8 to 10 hours before a fasting blood glucose test. Fasting helps ensure that the blood test records an accurate measure of fasting blood sugar levels. The results help a doctor to diagnose or rule out diabetes."
2. Intermitting Fasting.
medicalnewstoday.com/articl...
3. Religious fasting.
"Religions and philosophies that practice fasting include: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, Jainism, and Hinduism. Fasting can last for just a few hours or even a few weeks, usually with practitioners eating at night."
It is imperative that we hive enough hours between evening meal and breakfast.
Example, evening meal 7 PM breakfast 10 AM, 15 hours of fasting, can drink water or black tea no sugar, this is from my experience.
Work towards good health.
Thanks for the info.
Hi Prashant,
Your case is more or less similar to mine and hence I feel tempted to write a reply despite the fact that many members of this forum have already replied to you. I will write to you the treatment that I have gone through and my current status from which you can infer what needs to be done.
I was diagnosed with diabetes about one and half years back with a HbA1C of 17.3, FBS of 430 and PPS of 750. Today my HbA1C hangs around 6.0 to 6.4. So, it is possible to control and reach reasonable values of HbA1C. So don't lose heart but keep making a serious effort. It needs investing time every day to follow diet and exercise in addition to medicines.
Like you, I put on some weight a few months before becoming diabetic and lost about 8 kg because of diabetes. But now my weight is stable.
The only difference is that you are very young while I am now 77 yrs old.
Your medication seems to be somewhat similar to mine with some difference.
I was put on insulin three times a day plus one dose of long-lasting insulin for about two weeks in the beginning. But I responded quickly for this treatment and so I was taken off insulin and put on tablets after two weeks. After one month even my tablets were reduced. Today my medication is as follows:
Reclide XR-60 1-0-0
Tenebite 20. 1-0-1
Reclimet: 0-1/2-0
Only Reclimet has metformin which works out to be 250 mg in my case.
In addition to taking medicines, I monitor my blood sugar three times a week and note down what I ate that day or previous day. Depending on that, I used to try different types of food. Of course, the aim should be to keep track of the amount of carbs going in every time we eat something. The first thing is to stop sugar completely and use stevia ( a safe artificial sweetener available at present) instead in coffee and tea with less milk.
No sweets to be eaten. I do not know what kind of food you eat but I still eat regular south Indian vegetarian breakfast and lunch and dinner. The lunch or dinner consists of one roti plus one cup brown rice plus vegetable ( more leafy vegetable as often as possible) p!us dal or sambhar plus curd. Of course, you have to experiment yourself and see if it suits you. It needs lot of attention and I was fully pre-occupied during last year adjusting these parameters. I also eat a variety of fruits in small portions.
I go for a walk without fail even in rain and walk a minimum of 8000 steps a day. This is the only exercise I have. I also walk a little bit in the house after lunch and dinner.
With this regimen, I have reached the following HbA1C values during the last one and half years. HbA1C of 17.3, 6.5, 6.1, 5.9, 6.2, 6.0, 6.1 and 6.4. measured every three months. The value of 6.4 is just a few days ago.
The response to medicines and diet depends on our microbiome and in my case my diet suited my microbiome.
So, it is possible to control and even reverse diabetes with diet and exercise provided you do some research on your body and find out what it likes. There is a book on ' Reversing Diabetes' by Dr. Neal Barnard which gives even some recipes for achieving this. Also, there are many excellent you tube videos on personalized diet by Eran Segal, an Israeli scientist. I will be able to give you more details about that book later as I am not at my home for a few days. Read all the blogs about what diabetics can eat and cannot eat. Diabetes can be controlled to a great extent but it takes effort, dedication and discipline in diet and exercise by experimentation.
There are Apps available which will help you to keep count of calories and carbs. My fitness pal is one such app. I used an app called, ' Life in Control' for more than a year for this purpose but that app is now defunct.
What is important is to not neglect because I have seen many diabetics not paying attention to diet and they think they can take more medicines if need be , which is not good.
If your present diet does not help you to get HbA1C values lower than 7.0, you may have to opt for LCHF diet with the help of a dietician.
You also try to eat some nuts such as walnuts, pistachios, almonds, peanuts all of which are good for diabetics and help you to add protein and put on some weight since you come under the category of thin type 2 DM. Try to include paneer to a large extent in your diet to add protein and is low in carbs. If you can eat omelette, you can eat it for breakfast or lunch or dinner as it will help in adding protein to your diet.. I am a vegetarian and hence, I follow this type of diet.
Hope you will succeed in achieving healthy HbA1C ( less than 7.0) and lead quality life.
Thank you sir for great invaluable experience and suggestions. I am tracking carbs and food intake using an app called YAZIO. I am non-vegetarian but prefer veg diet most days in a week. Also I consume fruits/ salads when I feel hungry. Will try to include your suggestions for sure in my diet.
The book I am referring to is as follows:
Program for
REVERSING DIABETES
The scientifically proven system for Reversing diabetes without drugs
By Dr. Neal D. Barnard, M.D.
With menus and recipes by Bryanna Clark Grogan
This book contains the following information on:
A healthful vegan diet with plenty of recipes to get started
An easy to follow exercise guide
Advice about taking supplements
Trouble shooting tips
and more.
Publisher: RODALE
rodalebooks.com
This book is available from Amazon.in.This has recipes some of which are feasible only in Western countries but you can try to tailor these to suit our needs depending on the availability of ingredients.
I also would like to add that I have tried karela juice ( bitter gourd juice) and apple cider vinegar and both of them seem to help lowering blood sugar by about 10% most of the time if not all the time. I take the karela juice only twice a week and apple cider vinegar once a week.
The apple cider vinegar can be ordered from Amazon. Also, the glucose- testing strips can be ordered from Amazon for half the price that one pays in a medical shop.
If you are referring to Karela juice or apple cider vinegar, they are not ayurvedic medicines. They are natural products and they don't have any other added ingredients. So, they do not interfere with allopathic medicines. If you are referring to ayurvedic medicines in place of allopathic medicines, I personally wouldn't like to try them because they may not go through the same rigorous clinical trials as allopathic medicines.
I was referring to commonly available Karela Juice and Apple cider vinegar in Ayurvedic stores. Thanks for clarification.
Please buy fresh pavakkai, stem it and eat it. Do not use pre made drinks, look at the hidden sugar in the label!!!!
you can eat a good amount of steamed veg.
I apologize, was not aware that this test is different from Serum tests. I will ask my doctor to prescribe this.
Thank you for taking time and suggesting so many good things.
Get Abbott libre sensor. It will give you constant blood sugar reading. Start reducing / eliminating sugar and simple carbohydrates from your meal. Complex carbohydrates in low quantities will be ok. Your daily continuous sugar monitoring will help you to get towards right type and quantity of meal. Using this Abbott’s sensor I reduced mine HBa1c from 9 to 6.2 in 3 odd months.
Good luck
Thanks
Dear prashantr
Good to see that our members have reacted to your concern of extremely high hba1c.... Your post now has become very popular....☺️
Hope You would find all the advice from our members useful who have a wealth of information by virtue of their practical experience ...
Also good to see that you have already brought down your blood sugar considerably... And you will further improve after following the advice from members....
However, you would like to find out your current diabetic status ....
(1) Whether you have predominantly IR (Insulin Resistance ) or
(2) Predominantly due to defunct of beta cells of your pancreas or
(3) you may have partly IR and partially defunct beta cells...
If it is predominantly IR, you may have enough circulating insulin in the blood but still your blood sugar is not getting cleared..
If it is predominantly Beta cell defunct issue , your blood insulin levels would be low...
As already advised by few of our members, Next time when you check for your fasting blood sugar , you can also test for Fasting insulin along with your fasting blood sugar. ..you can also check your c- peptide.
Then you can use the following formulae in computing (1) and (2) as mentioned above.. then accordingly you should emphasize your medication along with diet and exercise .
HOMA IR & HOMA-B can be computed from fasting blood sugar and fasting insulin....
HOMA IR=(FIXFG)÷ 405
HOMA B=(360XFI) ÷(FG-63)
Where FI= Fasting insulin in uIU/ml.
FG= Fasting blood glucose in mg/dL
Your HOMA IR should be preferable 1.5 max and HOMA B minimum 60...
This is a great forum for all kinds of health topics. I am quite overwhelmed by the response and support of all the members with their replies and messages. I was not expecting much when i joined in but i would say it has been extremely encouraging. I have already started benefiting from others experiences and their help in deciding diet, tests and lifestyle changes. Thanks to you and everyone else.
I will definitely do the tests as you and other members have already suggested and would post back.
I got my c-peptide 2.22 ng/mL, fasting insulin 5.3 uIU/mL. FBS 99 mg/dL. So HOMA B = 53 and HOMA IR= 1.3. Is it alright?
Dear Prashantr
Your HOMA IR and HOMA B results are with medicines - please correct me if i am wrong...
Any way even with medicines, the results indicate that you seem to have HOMA B issue and you seem to be consistent with thin type 2 diabetes with 18.5 BMI..
The blood insulin levels are low even with insulin secretagouge...
Anyway don't worry...incorporate necessary dietary changes and physical exercise as adivsed by our mebers and try to minimise medicine doses with a target of 6 to 6.4 Hba1c...
Also please aware that Gliptin's are a new class of drugs called dpp4 inhibitors...the long term side effects are not known....interestingly all gliptin generics are named as per indian names☺️ only one gliptin namely Sita-gliptin is USFDA approved, but others like Vidya- gliptin( vilda gliptin), Lina- gliptin, Teneli Rama ( Teneli- gliptin), are not yet approved by USFDA..
The possibilities and long term side effects with all Gliptin's such as pancreatitis ( pancreas cancer) is being debated..
The short term side effects with some people is a skin disease called Bullous Pamphigold ( skin blisters ) ...
My suggestion would be that you should consult with your doctor and take Only one dose in the morning and the evening dose can be replaced by Gliclazide- old proven insulin secretagogues...
@namaha Yeah these results are with medications. I also want to reduce medications asap. My next consultation is after 4 weeks. Doctor advised for taking medications for another 6 weeks as it is. Also as he explained about teneligliptin, he said that it reduces chances of hypoglycaemia and does not have any side effects. I will ask the doctor about Gliclazide inclusion. Thanks a lot for your response.
Sorry Prashant , i couldn't respond to you sooner....
The most important thing you should remember that you would be able to manage your health conditions better if you put on some weight and bring your BMI to a healthy level...though maintaing your blood sugar levels is also equally important...Insulin is a master hormone which plays a vital role in food metabolism whether it is a Carb, Protein or Fat...yes too much simple Carbs would create a sugar spike which would demand high insulin......
You may be knowing that only 25% of World diabetes are thin type 2 with lower levels of blood insulin levels...and the rest majority75% are overweight / obese type-2 with high levels of circulating insulin in the blood....
... And most of the treatments, dietary guidelines, clinical trials are conducted for and on obese Type-2....
The most popular first line drug Metformin is a very good drug - God sent -- for obese type 2... for improving insulin sensitivity and reducing weight......
But if it is administered to a thin T2 as a standalone drug, the result would be disaster.... because Metformin would do its job only if there is some amount of insulin....if insulin produced by body is too less, it does not help much....
Most endochrinologists would treat you as if you are an obese T2...
There are very few endochrinologists who would treat thin type-2 in a different way...
In case you are not very happy with your current Endo, for a change you may like to consult Dr BK Roy of Indraprastha Apollo....who deals with thin type-2 ... He also does on line consultation Audio/ video...
He is in you tube - almost everyday he comes out with a theme related to diabetes..... I think he is down to earth....
I found his messages quite informative and educative in a country like India where awareness on diabetes management is very poor...
Hi @namaha It’s alright. I have seen some videos by Dr BK Roy. Seems informative. However I am in Bangalore so not quite possible to consult him. Any endocrinologist in Bangalore for thin type 2? I am taking high fat low carb diet so far and haven’t been able to increase weight at all. Probably your advice of changing Metformin to Gliclazide might work. Thanks for your help.
You may please contact Dr. Mohan's Diabetes specialities Center at Indira Nagar...
Tell them very clearly that you would like to put on some weight....
Perhaps they would guide you...
They might remove Metformin and put you on a low dose Pioglitazone along with glyclazide ....
All over ground, steamed veg are good for you.
An example for checking on sugar.
Product Jacob's crisp bread. Sold in UK
1 packet has 4 crisp bread, total carb 28.4 g, fat 6g and sugar 2.4 g.
Four of these is not enough for lunch with butter and cheese!!!
May be better to have coffee with full fat cream!
More information.
dailymail.co.uk/health/arti...
dailymail.co.uk/health/arti...
ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/d...
dailymailplus.co.uk/health/...
The last link has many stories.
One more:
Researchers from the University of Montreal conducted a study on pregnant women and babies with in Quebec between January 1998 and December 2015.
They distinguished the use of antidepressants amongst women from the first day of their last menstrual period to the date on which they received the diagnosed of gestational diabetes.
The study found that more than four percent of women had exposure to certain antidepressant drugs. Overall, the researchers note that the usage of antidepressants during pregnancy has an association with an increased risk of gestational diabetes.
Interesting article, RobertReny . Thank you for sharing it with everyone.
Updates of my test results which i had undergone today [29th of Nov 2019].
1. BS levels look good.
FBS , NAF Plasma - 99 mg/dL
PPS, NAF Plasma - 131 mg/dL
Fasting Insulin - 5.3 uIU/mL
C-peptide - 2.22 ng/mL
2. Deficiency in vitamins
VITAMIN D (25 - OH VITAMIN D) , SERUM - 7.7 ng/mL
VITAMIN B12 , SERUM - 206 pg/mL
3. Renal profile - Chloride and creatinine is slightly less than preferred levels.
CREATININE - 0.81 mg/dL
UREA - 25.60 mg/dL
BLOOD UREA NITROGEN - 12 mg/dL
URIC ACID - 4.78 mg/dL
CALCIUM - 9.2 mg/dL
PHOSPHORUS, INORGANIC - 3.32 mg/dL
SODIUM - 137 mmol/dL
POTASSIUM - 4.1 mmol/dL
CHLORIDE - 98 mmol/dL
4. Lipid Profile - NON-HDL CHOLESTEROL & LDL CHOLESTEROL is elevated
TOTAL CHOLESTEROL - 190 mg/dL
TRIGLYCERIDES - 105 mg/dL
HDL CHOLESTEROL - 47 mg/dL
NON-HDL CHOLESTEROL - 143 mg/dL
LDL CHOLESTEROL - 122.2 mg/dL
VLDL CHOLESTEROL - 21 mg/dL
CHOL / HDL RATIO - 4.05 mg/dL
I have been monitoring my blood sugar levels and it seems that the lab results are differing by about 15-20%. Are these results good? How does vitamin deficiency come in picture with diabetes? Also cholesterol levels what to infer?
what about hba1c? pls post this question new in the forum so that many people will answer.
HbA1c is suggested after 8 weeks. So didn’t get it done. Will it change so soon?
The Keto diet and principles are the only answers. In day to day life you don't need to take medications provided you manage your diet.
Finaly my HbA1c comes to 5.7
Hba1c normal but blood sugar is high
My recent HbA1C on Long Wheat Diet (Chapati)
Need help with LCHF