JESSICA F. STORY

 , i got diagnosed on May 21 of this year my A1c level was at 7.8 my cholesterol was 219 and my bp was running from 160 ish /102 even got to 198/120. .pretty scary. So my doc. gave me the run down about diabetes and prescribed. metformin 500 mg twice daily and bp meds ( 10 mg ) and cholesterol medication. So on my way home from the dr. i had a long talk with myself and i just had to ask myself " do you want to live longer or continue to eat whatever" so i decided to watch what i ate i went back for my follow up in July my A1c was down to 5.1 my bp was staying 130/ 80 . And as of last month my cholesterol is down to 94 :) . I have lost 25 pounds, still got a lot more to lose but i  i got this

AMANDA H. C. TESTIMONY

Most people struggle with food. I know I do. I am eating low carb but there isn't one day that goes by that I don't want something that is loaded with delicious heavy carbs. Yesterday it was a cheeseburger from Culvers (Wisconsin speciality). Today will be something...usually hitting me late at night. It gets to me cause I do so well and then one moment of weakness can ruin a whole day. I have considered "everything in moderation" or just using my insulin to cover what I eat.... I mean, no one in my family would judge me so why not? Well let me tell you why not...

I was diagnosed at the age of 21 with diabetes but did nothing about it. I had meds to take but was miserable at keeping a schedule for them so they didn't help. I ate what I wanted and had no worries over it. The photo attached to this is me at the age of 24...three years after being diagnosed. I was 350 lbs and still uncontrolled. After two miscarriages, I decided it was time to start thinking about my health. I stopped eating sugar and seriously cut down on carbs. I began eating wholesome and delicious foods...it was a great excuse to buy more expensive cuts of meat! Steak, stuffed chicken breasts, pork roasts, hard cheeses, exotic veggies. I also cut out my three large meals a day and started eating multiple small meals...my hubby calls it grazing. I was hard on myself and the more weight I lost, the more I felt I was fat.
Fast forward to this year...I have lost 125 lbs total since then. The pictures on the right are me now. I know the pictures are improved but now I suffer from consequences of eating wrong for the first few years. I have a dead pancreas (only 4% working), neuropathy, fibromyalgia and gastroperisis.I have super high triglycerides (we are talking 12000 range, now lowered to 3000) I have had three rounds of pancreatitis in two years, Bells Palsy, appendicitis, staph infection and multiple viruses and bacteria infections. I have basically no immune system because my metabolic system is shot. These are all direct results of diabetes. I am 30 years old and have already been in a diabetic coma. I was told I wouldn't make it to 40. I have also suffered three other miscarriages from diabetic related issues.
I am not trying to scare you....oh wait, yes I am! If I can prevent even one of you from living like I did and suffering for so long, then all this is worth it! Weight loss is great but the main concern is eating right...the weight loss then follows. Please realize that myself and the admin team are here to help you. We can seem harsh and maybe even mean at times, but we want everyone educated and healthy. We challenge you and your choices because it needs to be done. We are a support group for you to live healthy. Not to support you making bad choices. We are here to help you learn as well and we love questions and discussions. We understand the struggles because we are one of you.
Please, take your health seriously! Eat well, live well!

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ANGIE'S HUSBAND

Angie posted this in our recipe group
I know I don't say much here but I have been reading everything since I joined. I want to thank you all SO MUCH!! I have gotten some great ideas especially for my hubby's lunches to take to work. He is the diabetic and 3 months ago his doctor said he gave him 3 more months or he was going to put him on insulin injections. We both dug in & today at his appt his doctor congratulated him in the waiting room!! He's numbers were the best they've ever been since he's been seeing him, he got to decrease his glyburide and when he weighed in he's lost 25 lbs! All that hard work has paid off, thanks again to you all!

SHIRLEY M. STORY

 have lost 43 lbs . My dr took me off all my sugar meds, blood pressure meds, and expect to be off cholesterol by next appt. My cholesterol levels arenow in the normal range.my anxiety meds have been cut in half. When I started walking I could hardly walk from neighbors yard now I walk 2-4 miles a day

Konda Detterline 9/19
my BS was messed up.  Been trying this for about 3 weeks and for the last week now I have FINALLY leveled out and gotten control over them and been loosing weight.  You dont feel starved or deprived either.

Lillian Stevens 9/19
Last April I started eating LCHF (I don't really pay attention to adding extra fat to my diet but I don't restrict it if that makes sense).  My last a1c was 5.6,  my indigestion/acid reflux is gone, my arthritis in my left shoulder miraculously acts up a fraction of what it used to and my knees no longer hurt. I have lost almost 40 pounds.  I went through my closet today to purge old clothes and was shocked at what I saw in the mirror.  I wasn't trying to lose weight (just trying to lower my a1c) but I got the fringe benefit of this:   Makes me smile from ear to ear

PATTY S STORY

My story isn't a long time story, but sometimes "instant gratification" is where its at. So here's my story:   I was diagnosed on August 3 with a A1c of 11 and BG at 253, during a routine physical.  I was shocked because I am not overweight, but I had the worst junk food diet on earth.  Cookies, candy, ice cream, flour tortillas, Pasta, Coke by the six pack, white bread and lots of fruit was about 90 percent of my diet......  I came home in shock.  I was scared and frankly, I would be fired if my boss found out, a requirement of my job is being physically fit for duty.  ANYWAY.... that sucked...but I have a great paying good job and want to keep it. I don't want to be on insulin (again, I'd be fired)  So...... I came home and threw out every crappy thing in this house.  All of the above mentioned stuff and more. I started eating a big salad every night with Bleu Cheese dressing. I'd eat a piece of cheese and cook up a hamburger patty or a steak or a chicken breast.  I made sure I had a high fiber/low carb breakfast, I will have a few slices of bacon or  a piece of cheese.  I walk miles every day at my job so exercise wasn't a concern..... Well, the first week my Blood Sugar inched down to 175, which was a relief... the next week it DROPPED  to 120 or so, didn't ever get up past 140.  Now, six weeks later my highest blood sugar for a long time has been 154 (I think) and that was today and I don't know why.  It runs usually about 95 when I wake up in the mornings, is around 100 at lunchtime and no more than 120 max.  I have more energy and am able to stay awake without taking a nap when I get home from work.  I sleep so much better, I have no heartburn, and I feel.... peaceful.   It wasn't "that" hard to do.  I don't like to let some one or some "thing" (food in this instance) dictate my destiny and my choices.... so I won't listen to the ADAs recommendation that a A1c of 7.0 is "good enough for diabetics"  That's bull crap... I will fight for the rest of my life to keep my limbs, my organs, and my LIFE itself.  If it is good enough for everyone else to have a 5.0 A1c, then it is good enough for me, and by  God I'm gonna get there.  The end.

That's it so far
There was another butt was just too vague and didn't usually show much success. 

UPDATE ON DWAYNE R STORY

In march I was put on cholesterol medication.
I immediately experienced side effects. 
I asked questions in the group and done some homework.
I was skeptical at best but finally just went for it.
I cut 100 carbs from my diet, and upped my good fats.
I also added two natural supplements.
Although it didn't usually change my glucose levels, well here's the rest of the story....
I returned to the doctor in July for tests and I was sweating bullets.
Blood work results came back. My cholesterol levels all fell into the perfectly acceptable range.
I don't do true LCHF, but I try to stay between 100-140 daily. So even though my lower carb higher fats isn't truly LCHF, cutting carbs and upping my good fats was a success in lowering my cholesterol and I also lost 20 pounds in the process.

DONNA F. STORY

After only about a week totally focusing on LCHF and logging everything I ate using an online tracker because honestly until that point in time, it was a 'guessing game and I cheated ALL the time...' but when I saw and was holding myself accountable, my life changed.  I WISH I'd faced this 8 years ago and got tough with myself.  So I'm now well below 50 carbs/day, sometimes have to force myself to eat since my appetite is far less, I feel energetic, 'lighter', have lower readings and think "good grief Donna why didn't you clue in sooner!"  I'm owning my diabetes now, it's not owning me.