Likelihood of diet control vs. medication?

[Roy Gardiner]

Many have replied on another thread I started asking for diet advice, thank you all.

I've now done a lot more reading (do all new T2s 'panic research' :)?) and consultation. The bad news is that my diet is already good and my exercise programme very good; bad news because it means control by diet may be a problem for me.

The numbers: Age 54,male, 183.5cm (6’ ½”), 79kg (174lb), recent BG tests 252 and 180, A1C 8.7%, BMI 23.5, BFI around 17%.

Does it seem likely to all you who've been dealing with this for years that this level of T2 will be diet controllable? I.e. should I work hard at it, or would I be wasting my time? Or is it a silly question (don't be shy) in that we are all different?

Does anyone have good data on whether lowering the BFI would help?

[Harold]

Does anyone have good data on whether lowering the BFI would help?
The body fat that contributes the most to type 2 resides in the area between the rib cage and the hips. At your height and weight. I doubt it will help much with the bg levels you are seeing, unless you can still see too much extra fat in that area. Every little bit helps, but your asking for a 80 (4.4) to a 150 (8.3) difference in readings.

[liz32]

every effort to deal with this by diet and excersize is worth while. that being said, you seem very healthy already. Go for as long as you can on that road and when it comes to medication or insulin don't view it as a defeat...just a progression. You just want to slow that progression as long as is possible.
Liz

[dbc]

I've now done a lot more reading (do all new T2s 'panic research' :)?) and consultation. /QUOTE]

Been there, done that, bought a few Tshirts!!


[QUOTE=Roy Gardiner]
The numbers: Age 54,male, 183.5cm (6’ ½”), 79kg (174lb), recent BG tests 252 and 180, A1C 8.7%, BMI 23.5, BFI around 17%.

Does it seem likely to all you who've been dealing with this for years that this level of T2 will be diet controllable? I.e. should I work hard at it, or would I be wasting my time? Or is it a silly question (don't be shy) in that we are all different?

Does anyone have good data on whether lowering the BFI would help?


Have you considered/been tested for T1/LADA? Your story is so similar to mine - diagnosed T2 (by a G.P.) at age 53, similar BMI, reasonably healthy diet/lifestyle etc. Change of doctor and blood tests and I'm officially T1.5/LADA, although not on insulin yet. At least I know the facts and what to prepare for....

Yes you can affect your bs with diet. My A1c was 7.5% at initial diagnosis, it's been between 6.0 & 6.5% ever since, but I'm on a pretty strict low carb diet. But, as you say, we're all different..... I'd give it a try though

[4519]

I agree with dbc in that doctors and clinics are really lax in how they diagnose diabetes. If your doctor did not do a complete panel of tests - blood and the glucose tolerance test then it could not be type 2.

As far as what you say about can you control with diet and exercise or will you have to go to medications - I know these postings are short and we cannot get the entire picture covered but you sound like you are thinking that it is either diet and exercise or medications. If you are type 2 diet and exercise are the same if you want to avoid medications or you do use medications. Medications don't allow different diets. All medications do is help with the insulin resistance or make your pancreas produce more insulin. Either way you still are on a different diet from here on out. The need to eat correctly does not go away just because of medications. Of course, you might not have really meant to say this, like I said, we read postings different than the person writing them - sometimes.

[4519]

Oops... I did not mean that it "could not be diabetes" - I meant that it might not be type 2, but type 1 or whatever.

[shanda]

I sure did a lot of "panic reading"! That's how I found this Forum :)

Having been here, even for a short time, I'm less nervous about all this and for that I am grateful to everyone who posts here.

I am Type 2 also and I take Metformin twice a day. My doctor has said I'm doing so well with having lost a lot of weight and keeping my bg within a normal range that I may be able to go off the Metformin in a few months.

Having read more on this Forum I'm now wondering if that is a good idea, since I'm learning Metformin can help protect your beta cells which could slow the progression even more. This is something I'll discuss with him and learn more about, but my point is, being on some type of medication is not always a bad thing.

I always thought having to take insulin would be the worst possible situation, but reading posts here, some seem to think it's better than having to watch your diet so closely as a Type 2 does. So it's good to learn the different opinions and different sides of the coin :)

[etm1109]

I was unemployed for a few months at the end of last year. Hence, I couldn't afford my insurance and hence my meds.

So I did work on my diabetes. The interesting part was this:

6 months - primarily Starlick/Metformin - After 30 days AC 6.5 Byetta towards the end of the 6 months

UE - 4 months; diet no drugs - AC 6.9. And during that time I suffered from 'diabetic depression' as I was also tired of the drugs themselves. I also ate more during the holidays. I think if I had kept on a strict lo-carb diet, I may have been closer to 6.5.