I was diagnosed with T2, with an A1c of 8.6, in the middle of January and started on metformin ER 2000mg February 1st.
My liver enzymes were elevated and I was diagnosed with NAFL at the same time. My cholesterol numbers were also out of range. And I started a low dose statin March 1st.
I am already legally blind from a genetic disorder. And really do not want to be any blinder. So I took this all fairly seriously.
A1c is now 5.8. Liver and all cholesterols are in range. My goal is to have an A1c under 5.6 by my next follow up in the summer. I’m hopeful I can do that.
This is what I did.
I changed my diet. I cut all grains except corn. Cut all fruit except berries. I cut all starchy veg like potatoes, yams and sweet potatoes. I cut all sugar. I tried making some doops with sugar replacements. But frankly they don’t hit the spot so I don’t really eat them. I am a pretty lazy cook so I figured out a bunch of safe meals and I rotate through them. I upped my water intake to 2 quarts a day.
As my BG started coming down I was less ravenous. And I started intermittent fasting. I currently break my fast after 11:30 and don’t eat after 5:30. It did take a while to tighten that window. It was in no means an overnight change.
When I was diagnosed I was 270 lbs and pretty sedentary. I felt like crap all the time and took a lot of naps. As my BG started to come down I felt so much better and started to have more energy. A couple weeks ago I started walking twice a day for 15 minutes. And started doing a short calisthenics routine 6 days a week at the same time. Previously activity was draining to me. And now it’s energizing, which makes it easier to do. Today I’m 240 lbs. The weight loss is really from diet change and getting my BG numbers under control.
Cheat meals. I don’t really like that language but I think folks understand it. I do experiment with meals outside of my new regular diet. I don’t do it often, maybe every 2 to 3 weeks. Once I had some Chinese food with rice another was a burger and fries. These do spike me but I treat it like data. And I move on back to my regular diet to keep my numbers trending down.
If my numbers are in an acceptable range for me and I have a meal that spikes me over 140 I will not eat it again. If it spikes between 120 and 140 I will relegate it to a once in a great while meal.
I was super stressed about all of this in the beginning. I was devastated and afraid that I wouldn’t be able to manage this disease at all. The idea that I could even get towards a healthy A1c seemed like a fantasy. Lurking around this sub has given me a lot of hope, helped me manage my anxiety, and taught me how to implement strategies that support the goals I have. Thank you to everyone who has shared their journey here.