vauxhalldon
10-23-2006, 05:30 AM
I’m a new “member” and first-time poster on DiabetesForums and thought the best way to introduce myself was to tell my “story.” I hope it is elucidating.
In 1985, at age 44, my 6 foot 1 inch frame weighed 300 pounds and, as far as I knew, still had a normal fasting blood sugar. A couple of years later, at about the same weight, I was tested and diagnosed with obesity-induced Type II diabetes and was started on Micronase. In 1989, from scrupulous records I kept, I weighed 303 pounds and had moved to NYC. My new doctor, a board certified internist and cardiologist, tried on several occasions by various means (nutritionist, prescription drugs, etc,) to get me to lose weight, but I was not interested or disciplined enough to make the effort.
Over the next 13 years, my weight increased steadily and so did my diabetes oral medications. In this same period, I paid no attention to what I ate. Candy bars and ice cream were regular snacks and sometimes meals. Essentially, for almost 15 years, I completely ignored the fact that I was diabetic. Looking back, I can’t believe how stupid (and how lucky) I was.
By 2002 I was taking 10mg Glyburide twice daily, 1000mg Glucophage twice daily, and had just started on Avandia. All this to keep my fasting BS from creeping up past 150, as I recall it. In retrospect, I now realize that I was then maxed out on two oral meds, starting another, and rapidly on my way to injecting insulin (although I was never told this).
Then one day, on my way to work, I decided to weigh myself at the Fulton Fish Market (no kidding!). I had an office visit coming up, and I was pretty sure that I had put on a few pounds above the 350 limit of my doctor’s scale. I was astounded to see that I now weighed 375 pounds. A few days later, as I walked into his office, my doctor spotted me in his lobby and said, “Have I got a diet for you!” I was interested this time.
After the examination, he told me in his office that he had been on a “new” diet and had lost 17 pounds. He encouraged me to visit the Atkins web site and try it. Truly as an afterthought, as I was walking out the door, he added, “It should have a beneficial effect on your diabetes too.” That was August 2002 and I had never heard of Atkins, but this time I was motivated -- so I decided to try it.
Over the next 6 months I lost 60 pounds by following the regimen pretty strictly. I did (and do) no regular exercise. (I’m allergic to it: I makes me sweat.) But here’s the amazing part: Almost immediately, my appetite went away – almost completely. No cravings. NO feeling of hunger. Just three meals a day, with very, very few carbs – just 20 to 30 a day, total! Again, almost immediately, I was getting “the sweats” from hypoglycemia, so, under my doctor’s direction, I started cutting back on the oral meds.
First he cut the Avandia out completely; then he reduced both the Glyburide and Glucophage by half; then he cut them both by half again to the 5mg Glyburide and 500mg Glucophage (now Metformin), each once daily, that I still take today. This loss of hunger and cravings, and the reduction in oral meds, occurred with the change in diet at the beginning of the weight loss, not after the pounds were shed.
I kept all the weight off for about 2 years, then slowly gained back about 25 pounds. This past winter and spring, I lost 20 again and now, after more than 4 years on Atkins, am within 5 pounds of my original 60 pound weight loss. My new target is to lose another 45 to get me to 275, 100 pounds total and 25 below where I was 21 years ago prior to the onset of my diabetes.
About 2 ˝ years ago, to get my d-LDL lower, my doctor started my on 80mg Lipitor. My d-LDL dropped from 126 aver. (12 previous visits) to 52 average (last 12 visits). After starting me at 80mg, he later dropped me to 40 and recently to 20mgs of a Zocor generic.
On my regular doctor’s visit recently, my fasting BS was 113, my Hg A1C was 5.6, and my BP 130/80 (with medication). My other blood lipids were: Total Chol: also 113; Triglycerides 57; HDL 53; d-LDL 49; and Chol./HDL ratio 2.1. My doctor (and I) were both very pleased. It should be noted my wife has been an intrepid supporter and helper, and deserves a great deal of credit for my weight loss. Adhering to Atkins is a rigorous regimen, but the benefits for a diabetic – this diabetic, anyway – seem clear. My diabetes appears not to be progressing any more. In fact, since starting on Atkins, to this layman, this “progressive” disease seems to have regressed!
My doctor is of retirement age but maintains a very small practice because it’s “his life,” and, as he told me, he “couldn’t pull the trigger.” In his office recently I asked him if he had ever heard of Byetta. (My interest, I told him, was as an investor, not as a prospective user; my broker put me in this a couple of years ago and I now have a pretty good stake.)
My doctor responded that he had heard of Byetta but had never prescribed it. When I asked why, he said he didn’t know enough about it to prescribe it. He then looked it up in a little soft-cover book in his desk drawer, noted that it was injected and read a little further. He concluded that he did not think it was indicated for me. I didn’t mention to him the weight-loss aspect of it and concluded that as long as I severely limit my intake of sugars and starches, and am able to keep my fasting bg “in range,” I should be alright.
I guess my message is that diet, in particular a very low carb diet, really works, even without exercise, for some Type II’s. It did for this one. Sure, I miss the pasta and bread, but I still have a good memory (for those foods), and I have a better and probably longer life.
For those who will say that exercise would improve my health further and accelerate my weight loss (and allow me to eat some pasta occasionally), I respond that I may come around to doing that. I’m now mulling over a plan to add exercise for the last 25 pounds of this 100 pound interim goal, and then for the next (and last) push to loose 50 more.
In 1985, at age 44, my 6 foot 1 inch frame weighed 300 pounds and, as far as I knew, still had a normal fasting blood sugar. A couple of years later, at about the same weight, I was tested and diagnosed with obesity-induced Type II diabetes and was started on Micronase. In 1989, from scrupulous records I kept, I weighed 303 pounds and had moved to NYC. My new doctor, a board certified internist and cardiologist, tried on several occasions by various means (nutritionist, prescription drugs, etc,) to get me to lose weight, but I was not interested or disciplined enough to make the effort.
Over the next 13 years, my weight increased steadily and so did my diabetes oral medications. In this same period, I paid no attention to what I ate. Candy bars and ice cream were regular snacks and sometimes meals. Essentially, for almost 15 years, I completely ignored the fact that I was diabetic. Looking back, I can’t believe how stupid (and how lucky) I was.
By 2002 I was taking 10mg Glyburide twice daily, 1000mg Glucophage twice daily, and had just started on Avandia. All this to keep my fasting BS from creeping up past 150, as I recall it. In retrospect, I now realize that I was then maxed out on two oral meds, starting another, and rapidly on my way to injecting insulin (although I was never told this).
Then one day, on my way to work, I decided to weigh myself at the Fulton Fish Market (no kidding!). I had an office visit coming up, and I was pretty sure that I had put on a few pounds above the 350 limit of my doctor’s scale. I was astounded to see that I now weighed 375 pounds. A few days later, as I walked into his office, my doctor spotted me in his lobby and said, “Have I got a diet for you!” I was interested this time.
After the examination, he told me in his office that he had been on a “new” diet and had lost 17 pounds. He encouraged me to visit the Atkins web site and try it. Truly as an afterthought, as I was walking out the door, he added, “It should have a beneficial effect on your diabetes too.” That was August 2002 and I had never heard of Atkins, but this time I was motivated -- so I decided to try it.
Over the next 6 months I lost 60 pounds by following the regimen pretty strictly. I did (and do) no regular exercise. (I’m allergic to it: I makes me sweat.) But here’s the amazing part: Almost immediately, my appetite went away – almost completely. No cravings. NO feeling of hunger. Just three meals a day, with very, very few carbs – just 20 to 30 a day, total! Again, almost immediately, I was getting “the sweats” from hypoglycemia, so, under my doctor’s direction, I started cutting back on the oral meds.
First he cut the Avandia out completely; then he reduced both the Glyburide and Glucophage by half; then he cut them both by half again to the 5mg Glyburide and 500mg Glucophage (now Metformin), each once daily, that I still take today. This loss of hunger and cravings, and the reduction in oral meds, occurred with the change in diet at the beginning of the weight loss, not after the pounds were shed.
I kept all the weight off for about 2 years, then slowly gained back about 25 pounds. This past winter and spring, I lost 20 again and now, after more than 4 years on Atkins, am within 5 pounds of my original 60 pound weight loss. My new target is to lose another 45 to get me to 275, 100 pounds total and 25 below where I was 21 years ago prior to the onset of my diabetes.
About 2 ˝ years ago, to get my d-LDL lower, my doctor started my on 80mg Lipitor. My d-LDL dropped from 126 aver. (12 previous visits) to 52 average (last 12 visits). After starting me at 80mg, he later dropped me to 40 and recently to 20mgs of a Zocor generic.
On my regular doctor’s visit recently, my fasting BS was 113, my Hg A1C was 5.6, and my BP 130/80 (with medication). My other blood lipids were: Total Chol: also 113; Triglycerides 57; HDL 53; d-LDL 49; and Chol./HDL ratio 2.1. My doctor (and I) were both very pleased. It should be noted my wife has been an intrepid supporter and helper, and deserves a great deal of credit for my weight loss. Adhering to Atkins is a rigorous regimen, but the benefits for a diabetic – this diabetic, anyway – seem clear. My diabetes appears not to be progressing any more. In fact, since starting on Atkins, to this layman, this “progressive” disease seems to have regressed!
My doctor is of retirement age but maintains a very small practice because it’s “his life,” and, as he told me, he “couldn’t pull the trigger.” In his office recently I asked him if he had ever heard of Byetta. (My interest, I told him, was as an investor, not as a prospective user; my broker put me in this a couple of years ago and I now have a pretty good stake.)
My doctor responded that he had heard of Byetta but had never prescribed it. When I asked why, he said he didn’t know enough about it to prescribe it. He then looked it up in a little soft-cover book in his desk drawer, noted that it was injected and read a little further. He concluded that he did not think it was indicated for me. I didn’t mention to him the weight-loss aspect of it and concluded that as long as I severely limit my intake of sugars and starches, and am able to keep my fasting bg “in range,” I should be alright.
I guess my message is that diet, in particular a very low carb diet, really works, even without exercise, for some Type II’s. It did for this one. Sure, I miss the pasta and bread, but I still have a good memory (for those foods), and I have a better and probably longer life.
For those who will say that exercise would improve my health further and accelerate my weight loss (and allow me to eat some pasta occasionally), I respond that I may come around to doing that. I’m now mulling over a plan to add exercise for the last 25 pounds of this 100 pound interim goal, and then for the next (and last) push to loose 50 more.