JASON'S STORY

Hello Everyone. I just joined this group last week and I can't tell you all enough how much I love it. I have struggled with my diabetes for 5 years and have never gotten a handle on my numbers. I have not been exercising. I barely changed my eating habits, and have been very inconsistent with taking my meds. I am 40 years old and I have High BP, slightly high cholesterol, Type 2 Diabetes, and Atrial Fibrillation. I am a walking stroke waiting to happen, among other thin...gs. That was before. I can't believe how much motivation I get from seeing your posts every day. Even just the morning roll call motivates me. I have been taking my meds regularly, eating healthier(today i started counting carbs and keeping a log), and plan to get some regular exercise. I know I can't beat this disease but I'm going to control it from now on. Today is the first day in a long time that my numbers were BELOW 140 every time I tested. Thank You for the inspiration.

DEBRA'S STORY

Hello everyone. Thank you for approving my "membership" here. My name is Debbie. I have been Type 2 since 2011. I weighed 236 and managed pretty well for a while. My A1C was a steady 6.5 so I was good. Eventually, I stopped checking my BS and thought I was eating okay. Fast forward to Jan 2014. I was feeling pretty bad one night and checked my BS. 469. I was scared. I called my doc the next day for an appointment. My A1C was 8.5 - the worst I've been. I immediately started a low-carb diet. As of May, I have lost down to 185. For the past 3 months I have been playing around with the same 5 pounds but I've been sick with sinus infections and summer colds all summer. In May, I had my lab work re-checked. My triglycerides which were 387 in Jan are down to 150. My good cholesterol is 60 - it was 20 in Jan - and my total cholesterol is 163. My A1C....is 5.5!! While I am struggling this summer, I know I am better able to control my cravings by not eating the harmful carbs associated with higher BS levels. I no longer view food as a crutch for emotions but rather a source of energy or sometimes, just something to make the hunger go away. I am healthier than I have been in a long time. I still have a goal to reach of 140lbs of which I will reassess when I get closer. I might find comfort at 150 - who knows. I hope my story can be an inspiration to others as I know others will inspire me to continue moving forward.

• , pray and find what works for you. I bought Atkins frozen dinners, meal bars and dark chocolate shakes. I spent a lot of money on those for the first 3 months. I ate eggs for bfast (sometimes using egg substitute for omelets) and bfast meats. I didn't worry about fat content at first. I was only focused on NOT eating the carbs. Initially, I ate 1800 cals a day with 20 carbs per day. I drank a butt load of water. I ate 1 frozen dinner for lunch and sometimes another meal bar for snack. I ate meat and veggies for dinner. I did this for 3 months until I felt I didn't have to use so many atkins products. I have returned to the shakes and bars since I am trying to refocus my efforts. I have decided to "go back to the basics". My short term goal is always the next level - I need to get under 180 - then I need to get to 175, then under 170 - etc. 5 lbs at a time. If you mess up, who cares? Dont beat yourself up, just start again with the next meal. This is a life journey. We don't really mess up, we simply test ourselves until we learn what works and what doesn't. We are all different so work with your body to learn what works best for you. You CAN do this if you WANT to do it. Blessings.

Debra is a member of the type 2 diabetes weight loss group

MICHAEL'S COMMENT ON LCHF

What is the best diet for diabetes? I'm sure many of you think I'm going to say LCHF, since that's what I promote the most. Why do I do that?
Because that's what has worked for me. But I do believe there is more than one way to skin a cat. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the best diet for you as a diabetic is one that meets the following two criteria: 1) It helps you to maintain normal blood sugar numbers (70-99 fasting, 70-140 at all other times), and 2) one tha...t you can make into a long-term lifestyle. It has to be a lifestyle change or it won't matter. If you're diet meets these two criteria, then I'm all for it!

The main goal of your diet and exercise program should be to get your blood sugar numbers under control. That is my wish for you ... by any means necessary. Does this mean that I support a higher carbohydrate diet (150 grams/ day or more) if it requires the diabetic to take oral meds and insulin? Not really, but I'd rather see you have control over your blood sugar than not. That being said, if you're taking meds and insulin and you seem to be stuck on the blood sugar rollercoaster, consider your diet. If you aren't getting the results you want, it may be time to try something else.

STACEY'S STORY

Just kinda wanted to share my story to maybe be a wake up call for anyone that may need it...... I was diagnosed with type 2 at age 28. For the past 6 yrs I have had uncontrolled diabetes in the high 600+. In 2013 at age 33 I married and became pregnant with my first child in January of 2014. We were so excited. At 22 weeks we went to find out the sex of our baby and were told he had a brain condition called holoprosencephaly. Likely caused by my out of control sugar levels.... We were told he wouldn't survive and if he live for any length of tine he wouldn't be able to function. Our baby was born a week later and died mins after. This condition happened in the first 3 to 4 weeks of conception when I had no clue I had even conceived nor was I trying. This is by far the worst thing Ive ever had to endure and knowing it was preventable by me taking care of myself is even worse. Im not looking for sympathy I just want people to know diabetes affects more than just the person with the condition. Take care of yourself people.

JOYCE-HER THOUGHTS ON LCHF LIFESTYLE

MY THOUGHTS ON THE LCHF LIFESTYLE:
Understand the Physiology Behind Low Carb Diet/Lifestyle
I've noticed that a lot of people in the group showing concern about this I call "lifestyle" not "diet" because I feel diets don't work and don't last. But when it's a lifestyle that means this is apart of your life and it is what it is. This is just my thoughts on this way of eating. Many low carb dieters stall at three weeks into their diets. This is because at the three week point y...our metabolism adapts to the high fat low carb diet you've been eating and becomes far more efficient in burning fat.(Technically what happens is that muscles switch from using ketones to burning free fatty acids.) Your body also has made some changes that allow the brain to use more ketones. This, in turn, reduces the amount of carbohydrate needed to run the brain.

If you have been eating a very high protein input much of that excess protein has been turning into carbohydrate. This is because 58% of ALL the dietary protein you eat that is not needed to repair muscle is converted into carbohydrate. The process takes many hours--often up to 7 hours after you eat, but once it is converted, the carbohydrate made out of protein raises your blood sugar and requires insulin for processing just like any other carbohydrate.
For the first couple weeks your body needs about 110 grams of carbohydrate to fuel the brain, but after the changes that occur around three weeks into your low carb diet, that amount drops dramatically. You can now get by with 50-60 grams of carb for your brain and that means that excess carbohydrate that comes from protein now raises your blood sugar instead of getting burnt. I've lost 105 lbs on this lifestyle in 11 months of being diagnosed, with finally being taken off insulin. It was the best choose l could've made in taking control of my health and this disease.

SCOTT'S STORY

In the end of September I was drinking lots of water and cramping a lot at night, so I was planning on going to the doctor the next day. I got up to go to work and I knew something wasn't right, so I drove to work which is one hour away from me and when I got there, I said, "can someone take me to the ER." That's when it all started. My blood sugar was 530 and my A1C was 11.5. I really didn't eat much for like a month, but I went to class and read a lot of stuff on the net. That's when the weight started coming off. I still eat almost everything now, but I watch how much I eat now. I weighed 280; now I am at 225.  My goal is 200. No snacks and no regular soda. I lost 55 pounds in 4 months. Went from 11.5 A1C in October 2013. Now at 5.6

JOYCE'S STORY

I don't mean to keep mentioning what I've been through but it's just my way of hoping to help someone else in this struggle. Today is my first year being a "person with diabetes". My journey started in 2011 when I was told I was "pre diabetic"and I didn't have to be on insulin, and that all I had to do was watch my diet, exercise and monitor my BG. I did well for a while but then became complacent and stopped doing it all. In 2013, I became very ill, was drinking tons of water back to back and literally running to the restroom. I knew something wasn't right and I went to the ER and was told then that I'd made it to the ER in time because I was going into "diabetic coma". My a1c was 28.2 and BG was 650 (mg/dl). I was hospitalized and was put on Metformin which didn't work. Was back in the ER hospitalized and put on Glipizide which didn't work either. I was finally put on insulin and soon over the months my numbers started going down from 420-350-200. When I joined this group less than 7 months ago, I learned so much through research and what members of this group have gone through. My BG and A1c was still decreasing. Finally I learned about the LCHF diet although I choose to call it a "lifestyle". Then one day my doctor and Endocrinologist decide to take me off insulin in July after being on it only 11 months. I'm now meds free with an A1c of 4.8 and BG 90-108. Weight went from 265-160, all done by committed diet and exercise. So I encouraged all who's struggling to fight this assassin DIABETES, and those who still won't take this illness serious. Especially those who feel like giving up...you can do this! because the strength that brought you this far will carry you the rest of the way. Thank you for your time.