Diabetes and blood sugar, a story for those that struggle with it.

[John Warren]

For those of you struggling with sugar diabetes, a story.

 

I've retired from full time engineering work about 6 months ago.  Devoting a ton of time to amplifier design.

 

One health issue that's always hassled me was blood sugar levels, A1C numbers hovering between 6.1-6.3%.    Wasn't obese but always in the 25-27 BMI range.  I'm 65y/o.  I don't want to get T2D, it effects vision, hearing and motor function not to mention hammers the immune system.

 

About two years ago, I went practically no carb.  And, after about 6 months of that. dropped 30 lbs.  In my little world, no carb means no pasta, no rice, no grains, no breads, no sugar and no to most fruits.  For many people it's very restrictive and given this stuff's in everything, difficult.  For me it was an experiment. 

 

Basically, when you come to the realization that white bread or whole wheat bread or brown rice or heart healthy plain oatmeal all turn into a gelatinous, sugar-rich "mass" in your gut, you start to get the picture.   And don't take my word for it, just get a BG pin prick monitor and measure the results after eating say a cup of plain, "heart healthy" oatmeal with a bit of cinnamon and 1/2 a banana.  There's NOTHING healthy about a spike from 102 before to 155 after, it's damaging and boosting the average BG levels.  Not good.  

 

After about 18 months (15 Oct 2022) of no-carb living my A1C was 6.0, a small trend towards better but nothing to get excited about.  Hence, no-carb was only part of the solution.   I was eating lots of meats, vegetables, nuts (I'd even strip all the cheese and toppings off pizza and toss the pie!).  Greasy stuff, except for processed meats are ok however.  

 

New strategy was needed.  With a BMI of 22.5 thanks to no carb and a good EKG, in July I started running each and every day.  First just to the end of the street, then a wee-bit more until about three months ago I was able to jog about 3mi each morning.   Today, I can run at full stride over the same route.   Many changes occur in the body, it transforms.

 

Last week, I had a physical so some data share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The takeaway for me was it took three changes to get to a normal A1C

1.  No-Carb enables weight loss

2. Weight loss enables running

3. Running lowers average BG levels

 

Even today, my 12h fasting BG isn't great at 115 BUT after a run it drops to low 90s which, averages out to good A1C numbers (A1C is a 3 month average).

 

That all said, there's hope if you want to reverse the trends.  It's no easy but if I can do it, any clown can.

 

 

[Montego]

Congratulations on your health improvement John.  I started  low carb/no carb over 40 years ago.  I followed Frank Zane's recipes in the early 80's and it evolved from there.  I don't miss 'real food' anymore.  Occasionally I go to lunch with workmates and am always amazed at their choices but I keep my opinions to myself.

I'm 68, exercise regularly and don't need any meds... so far.

I normally don't chime in on this forum because I have a knack for saying something wrong.  Hope I haven't offended anyone this time.

Best regards,

Monty

 

[Marvel]

Congrats, John. Trending down is good.

 

If I eat pasta, I gain weight... white or brown rice, doesn't bother me. Last year, when I was having my prostate out, I quit drinking beer and lost 10 lbs. Ok, that dropped me to 135, so obviously, I've never been very heavy.

 

Almost every day my breakfast is a home made smoothie with almond milk, chopped dates, banana, a smidgen of cocoa and instant coffee, almond butter and flax seed oil. My numbers are all good, my doctor is happy.

 

I walk about three miles a day. At 74, I'm still working full time. I'm sure the smoothie with the banana and dates is probably up there in sugars, though. I love the brown rice, as does my Filipina wife, but she has cut out most of the rice and most of her snacks.

[RealMarkDeneen]

On 10/28/2023 at 5:55 AM, John Warren said:

Even today, my 12h fasting BG isn't great at 115 BUT after a run it drops to low 90s which, averages out to good A1C numbers (A1C is a 3 month average).

It's a great progress you have made. Over the years you may have developed some insulin resistance. That happens to most people who have T2D and have been overweight. There's a thing called "non-alcoholoic fatty liver disorder" which contributes to insulin resistance.

 

Good luck an continued health!

[John Warren]

On 10/28/2023 at 11:09 AM, Montego said:

I don't miss 'real food' anymore.  Occasionally I go to lunch with workmates and am always amazed at their choices but I keep my opinions to myself.

Yes, I know where you're coming from.  Even guys I know with T2D with A1C in 7s and on meds eat like they're teenagers.  

 

On 10/28/2023 at 12:55 PM, Marvel said:

I love the brown rice, as does my Filipina wife, but she has cut out most of the rice and most of her snacks.

Oh yea, I love all forms of carbs, a classic carboholic.  As Monty mentioned, I really don't miss them although it did take some getting used to.  The wife was never really a big carb type which has been very helpful.  What's been interesting is I've upped the red meat and expected to see a bump in the cholesterol numbers but nothing yet.

 

Still working at 74?  I honestly hope you enjoy what you're doing!

 

37 minutes ago, RealMarkDeneen said:

Over the years you may have developed some insulin resistance. 

    

Agreed.  Not sure it's reversible either but we shall see.  

 

That said, thank you all for the words of encouragement!  The other "trick" that's been working for me is making the morning run real early, like 6:30AM and making it a short duration, low preperation thing.  I can do about 2.8mi. in 35min so it's no real time killer and easy to implement.  Get up, coffee, read WSJ, NYTs (online), dress in running outfit and just go.  

 

[Marvel]

On 10/30/2023 at 4:27 PM, John Warren said:

Still working at 74?  I honestly hope you enjoy what you're doing!

 

Poor financial planning is part of it, but I work in IT. Absolutely love the job (it's the people I can't stand). Boss is great, a real tech nerd, has a 3d printer in his office and we get along great.

 

My wife gained a bunch of weight after coming to the U.S., although she's also getting older, having just turned 62. She's on blood pressure meds, a statins, and I could see the future.

 

Her doctor, has been working on her to get more exercise,  and change her diet (too many sweet snacks). A lady we work with, way overweight and starting to have mobility problems started using Golo. Lost about 70 lbs over the last 8 months and is doing great. I wrote down the ingredients of the Golo Release product for my wife to show her doctor and she said there's nothing harmful and to go for it. Wife has lost a few lbs over the past two months. Just had her blood work and physical a week ago.

 

ALL her numbers were right in the middle of the normal ranges. Her doctor was ecstatic. She said if they stay that way for another six months, she'll start cutting back on the meds..

 

Now, her biggest problem is discipline. Her job is pretty stressful,  and it's easy to grab some chocolate or other candy during the day. Sometimes she misses lunch because of things going on in her department and other drama.

[JJkizak]

As soon as I stop busting butt the weight goes up. Then it's coffee for the next day. I love those sugar cones but they should paint them black with skulls on them.

JJK

[John Warren]

4 hours ago, Marvel said:

She's on blood pressure meds, a statins, and I could see the future.

 

High BP can have nothing to do with weight.  I recall a statistic that ~20% of the people on BP meds are at a good weight (i.e. BMI <24).

 

 

 

[Marvel]

She's 4' 9", and jumped from 115-120 to about 140. Had a slightly fatty liver. Two docs said she should lose some weight (which she wanted to do).

[Marvel]

She's also on her feet and moving around most of the day at work, and we walked  1 1/2 -2 miles a couple afternoons a week.

[pepper3589]

That's really inspiring! Making such big lifestyle changes is no small feat. I tried a low-carb diet for a while, and it was definitely eye-opening to see how different foods impacted my energy levels and overall health. I found that staying active, like running a few times a week, really helped me feel better physically and mentally. It took time to build up my stamina, but seeing those small improvements kept me motivated. 

[John Warren]

34 minutes ago, pepper3589 said:

That's really inspiring! Making such big lifestyle changes is no small feat. I tried a low-carb diet for a while, and it was definitely eye-opening to see how different foods impacted my energy levels and overall health. I found that staying active, like running a few times a week, really helped me feel better physically and mentally. It took time to build up my stamina, but seeing those small improvements kept me motivated. 

 

I've been low carb no for so long, I don't even notice it.  And you are spot on, it's all about small improvements.  

 

My generation, the so-called "boomers" are, as a group, obese and physically broken.  Sadly, they're also a lost cause.   GEN Z isn't much better.  

[jjptkd]

33 minutes ago, John Warren said:

My generation, the so-called "boomers" are, as a group, obese and physically broken.  Sadly, they're also a lost cause.   GEN Z isn't much better.  

 

 My dad is 71 and a T2D- Surprisingly not really overweight just eats like an 7 year old would if given the chance. Sad thing is he was borderline Diabetic 15 years ago and cleaned it up with the Atkins diet, turned it around and kept it away for 8 years until he retired then I don't know, just quit caring? Now that he's starting to have mobility issues he's at least talking about trying to clean up his diet again. 

[John Warren]

1 hour ago, jjptkd said:

he retired then I don't know, just quit caring

In retirement he should now have plenty of time to beat back the monster!

 

[SWL]

On 10/28/2023 at 11:55 AM, Marvel said:

 

 

 the smoothie with the banana and dates 

The banana definitely has to go but to my surprise the dates actually stabilize blood sugar levels.....or so I've read.

 

Since I've lost 100lbs over the last four years by way of cutting out junk/fast food and a low-carb/keto lifestyle in addition to lifting weights again, I have a berry smoothie damn near every single day with one or two dates in it. It really helps with craving soda or sweets in which I've had neither in the last four years with the exception of 90% Dark Chocolate. Never thought I'd see the day that I'd be eating 90% Dark Chocolate.....sometimes I even eat 100%!

[SWL]

On 10/28/2023 at 7:55 AM, John Warren said:

For those of you struggling with sugar diabetes, a story.

 

I've retired from full time engineering work about 6 months ago.  Devoting a ton of time to amplifier design.

 

One health issue that's always hassled me was blood sugar levels, A1C numbers hovering between 6.1-6.3%.    Wasn't obese but always in the 25-27 BMI range.  I'm 65y/o.  I don't want to get T2D, it effects vision, hearing and motor function not to mention hammers the immune system.

 

About two years ago, I went practically no carb.  And, after about 6 months of that. dropped 30 lbs.  In my little world, no carb means no pasta, no rice, no grains, no breads, no sugar and no to most fruits.  For many people it's very restrictive and given this stuff's in everything, difficult.  For me it was an experiment. 

 

Basically, when you come to the realization that white bread or whole wheat bread or brown rice or heart healthy plain oatmeal all turn into a gelatinous, sugar-rich "mass" in your gut, you start to get the picture.   And don't take my word for it, just get a BG pin prick monitor and measure the results after eating say a cup of plain, "heart healthy" oatmeal with a bit of cinnamon and 1/2 a banana.  There's NOTHING healthy about a spike from 102 before to 155 after, it's damaging and boosting the average BG levels.  Not good.  

 

After about 18 months (15 Oct 2022) of no-carb living my A1C was 6.0, a small trend towards better but nothing to get excited about.  Hence, no-carb was only part of the solution.   I was eating lots of meats, vegetables, nuts (I'd even strip all the cheese and toppings off pizza and toss the pie!).  Greasy stuff, except for processed meats are ok however.  

 

New strategy was needed.  With a BMI of 22.5 thanks to no carb and a good EKG, in July I started running each and every day.  First just to the end of the street, then a wee-bit more until about three months ago I was able to jog about 3mi each morning.   Today, I can run at full stride over the same route.   Many changes occur in the body, it transforms.

 

Last week, I had a physical so some data share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The takeaway for me was it took three changes to get to a normal A1C

1.  No-Carb enables weight loss

2. Weight loss enables running

3. Running lowers average BG levels

 

Even today, my 12h fasting BG isn't great at 115 BUT after a run it drops to low 90s which, averages out to good A1C numbers (A1C is a 3 month average).

 

That all said, there's hope if you want to reverse the trends.  It's no easy but if I can do it, any clown can.

 

 

Congratulations on your success!

[derrickdj1]

Great story and accomplishment John.  Diabetes affects everything in the body in a bad way over time.  Exercise, weight loss and diet modification are just what the doctor says.

[HorizonVibe]

This is super inspiring, especially since you’ve managed to bring down those numbers and stay committed to a whole new lifestyle.Thanks for sharing!

[JJkizak]

8 hours ago, derrickdj1 said:

Great story and accomplishment John.  Diabetes affects everything in the body in a bad way over time.  Exercise, weight loss and diet modification are just what the doctor says.

The diet modification is the ball buster.

JJK

[parlophone1]

Diet and weight loss is a game changer with people prone to gain weight. Have an example in my family. Everything written above applies.

But obviously not applicable with generally skinny people with diabetes. Diet is primary in that population. Exercises help a lot, but under medical supervision.