“To my delight, it has worked!”

Viv’s type 2 diabetes didn’t concern him very much – until his nurse told him that he’d have to start taking insulin. It hit him that he would have to do something, started researching at home and came across low-carb.

The Email

IT CAN BE DONE!

I was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2011, at that time a male 63 at that time. I knew very little about it and I wasn’t that worried that I was prescribed tablets and I wrongfully assumed nothing more to worry about.

At the time I was 238 lbs (108 kg) and I realized I needed to do something about my weight so I made a few half-hearted attempts to diet but life just went on as usual.

As the years went by there was more being said about diabetes and the amputation and blindness and I was starting to become alarmed. In April 2015 I was 240 lbs (109 kg) and my BMI was 33.5 which = obese. After my annual check up, the diabetic nurse was concerned about my blood sugar, at 19 mmol/L (342 mg/dl). They had already increased my metformin to 4 a day and they had to start me on insulin which hit me like a hammer! The fear of losing a limb or going blind became real, and as I live alone in an upstairs flat, if any of that happened I would lose my flat and my independence. The thought of that horrified me.

So on the way home I decided I would have to make a real effort into understanding the disease and if it wasn’t too late to do what I could to control it, well I started doing research on the internet and soon found diabetes.co.uk and https://strongmetabolism.fit/%3C/a%3E which had so much information it was wonderful, so after reading the forums and seeing so many people like me and the encouragement I was getting reading about people’s successes and especially the weight loss people were achieving, and being able to control their blood sugar levels, I decided it was time to act.

So I went on a low-carb high-fat diet and using MyFitnessPal to work out my carbs etc. and to my delight it has worked! In November 2016, at age 68, I now weigh 161 lbs (73 kg), my BMI is 23.7 = a healthy weight. My blood sugar is now normal although I am still taking my meds. I am hoping the doctor will take me off them eventually. If you’re reading this there is hope.

Viv

Do you want to try what Viv has done? Sign up for our free 2-week keto low-carb challenge!

Alternatively, use our free low-carb guide, or for maximum simplicity try out our new low-carb meal planner service – it’s free to use for a month.

More

A Low-Carb Diet for Beginners

How to Reverse Type 2 Diabetes

How to Lose Weight

More success stories

Share your story

Do you have a success story you want to share? Send your information, plus before and after photos, to success@dietdoctor.com. It would also be greatly appreciated if you shared what you eat in a typical day, whether you fast etc. More information:

Support

Do you want to support Diet Doctor and get access to bonus material? Check out our membership.