Let's Talk Type 2 Diabetes

@tbr, that's awesome, glad to hear it. Are you doing anything to help with muscle mass loss ? That's the only real issue I've heard with that drug is that you lose a fair bit of muscle.

I've been on Ozempic for about 3-4 months now.

My insulin dosage is down to 5 units 3-4 days a week.

I've lost about 20 lbs, putting me between 145-150.

I haven't done an A1C in a couple of months, but my average glucose is 135-140, which is about a 6.5 A1C.

I work in medicine. T2DM is a lot more common than most people know. In fact, pretty much every other person over the age of 40 I see has it. Luckily, with a little metformin and generally good diet upkeep, it's a nonissue. The pancreas ages just like your liver, heart, and back. It eventually gives out, but we have medicine for that. Keeping a diet diary and a routine for checking foot neuropathy goes a long way. Get your yearly A1c checkups, and tell your doctor if you've lost feeling anywhere, no matter how small. Slippers and carpets go a long way.

Dr. who...?

Y'all know who Dr Shawn baker is I assume ?

I have been amazed by the results.

I forgot my insulin. Currently at 12 units.

@tbr- For some reason I thought you required insulin injections.

I forget what my A1C was the last time it was checked. I think it was right around 6- using just metformin. I was diagnosed so many years ago- I think my A1C was like 7.5 then. Discovered it when I took a DOT physical.

I lost over 10 pounds in the first month on metformin. I got an "attaboy" from my doctor for changing my diet- until I told him I hadn't changed anything in my diet Then he proceeded to lecture me about cutting out all the things I already seldom or never ate/drank. I told him I can't cut out something I already don't eat.

I pass a DOT physical easily, but because of a heart attack over 8 years ago the aviation medical is an issue.

It just about killed me bro

11.3???

Dude, I have never been that high...

When I went on Mounjaro, I went from 8.9 to 6.5 in about 4 months.

I was eating donuts, ice cream, all the bad shit.

Nothing affected my blood sugar.

It did kill my appetite. I was eating half or less of what I ate before.

I have been eating mainly carnivore for 2 months now and my blood sugar has dropped from 11.3 to 6.8 A1C. My blood pressure was this morning 121-72
I tried the vegan diet for almost 2 years and nothing improved. I had a stroke late summer of last year due to both

I can touch for that being a 30+ year diabetic.

I have mostly given up bread, but even one tortilla can push me pretty high. Same with beans. Rice will put me over 400.

But then I am also have heart disease, so a keto diet won't really work either.

My cardiologist wants me to go on a vegan diet, but I am not quite there yet.

Some of the new medications are amazing. I am currently on Metformin, Jardiance, and Ozempic. It seems to be working ok, but nothing like Mounjaro.

That shit was magic. I could eat anything and my blood sugar never budged.

Alas, my insurance doesn't cover it.

"I keep seeing these "cure diabetes through diet" YouTube videos and have mostly poo-pooed it, but your experience lends some credence to there being some truth to it. I'm not sure though whether you can actually "cure" it or just manage it via diet. Perhaps if you manage it well long enough it becomes your new norm?"

It's not just for YouTube videos. A few years ago, a local food bank partnered with multiple clinics to run trials with Type 2 diabetes patients, who were all given monthly debit cards for produce at the food co-op. Every active participant showed marked improvement in their A1C levels, with about 20% able to get off medication. I can't tell you if that was a cure, but it underscored that diet plays a very large role in this particular disease/

Northgirlsouthboy - I keep seeing these "cure diabetes through diet" YouTube videos and have mostly poo-pooed it, but your experience lends some credence to there being some truth to it. I'm not sure though whether you can actually "cure" it or just manage it via diet. Perhaps if you manage it well long enough it becomes your new norm?

Either way, this is much easier said than done. People tend to want/crave things that they think they can't have. Some people simply don't have that level of self-control, and they'll be the first to admit it.

I have been a type 2 diabetic for almost 20 years. If I keep carbs out of my diet I stay within normal range. It is all the carbs that we eat that is causing this condition

Did I just learn here, vegetables vs. meat has political implications...The stuff you learn here is truly amazing

@muscle - Between this and your other topic here, it sounds like you're lumping in veggies along with the carbs to avoid. Am I reading that correctly?

As for being carnivores, humans have been omnivores for millions of years. I do agree that I and perhaps most people do better when avoiding and/or limiting simple/refined carbs, but I don't think the elimination of all carbs is necessarily the way to go, and that has nothing to do with politics.

This is just my take on it though. I suppose I could ask my daughter who has a masters in nutrition, but I already know she leans toward less meat, but does spend the extra for grass fed/free range stuff. Regardless of what a person chooses to do diet-wise, I will agree that it needs to be a lifestyle change rather than just a "diet".

You lost your audience when you brought politics into it.

BTW, all those who suggest a "plant" based diet, have it all wrong. First, Veganism is political! true, I am not a fan of commercial meat. I only eat grass-fed beef or any grass-fed Rumnant. Those animals are treated well and not fed antibiotics, corn, wheat, and soy, which is toxic to live stock, and humans as well. Vegans cannot live without supplementation. Vitamin B12, iron, zinc, Omega 3, and vitamin A (retinal) cannot be converted in most people. Most Vegan politics are left of center, and it's mostly virtue signaling. Humans eating animals since we are on the planet, yes, again, not a big fan of industrial meats due to what they are fed and treated. Check my wife's profile out, and look at how we look compared to most vegans!

I am not diabetic! However, I am a medical professional (Nurse Practitioner) who treats diabetics. First off, metformin, glipizide, insulin, etc DO not cure you, they actually acerbate your problems. Your problem (as all DM-2) is resistance to carbohydrates, whether fructose, "natural" sugars, grains, etc are ALL toxic! I treat many DM-2 patients and immediately lower their Carb intake, and guess what? A1c lowers drastically. The same is said about Statin drugs, to l, lower cholesterol, which it does, at the same time as lowering testosterone, and increasing chances of getting DM-1 (men 44% chance and women 77% chance). Humans are not designed to eat the number of carbs we do. We are carnivores, as evidenced by the amount os stomach acid we produce.
Hope this helps.

So I finished my trial with Mounjaro.

Final results...

A1C down 2.1 (8.9-6.8)

Weight down 45 (182-137)

Unfortunately, my insurance does not cover the drug. So they put me on Victoza.

We will see how that works.

I'm going to contact Eli-Lilly and see what they can do for me...

Eat a whole plant foods diet...
It should have:
... less than 4% of calories from refined sugar
... no oils
... no soft drinks, fried foods, fast foods, junk foods
... less than 10 oz of meat per week
... less than 7 oz of cheese per week
... mostly whole flours and very little refined flour
... lots of beans, vegetables, fruit,

Check out the website nutritionfacts dot org for the topic of diabetes

Me either… but after switching endos my new one was nit about that Met life and moved me off of it for a ridiculous cocktail that gave a bucket list of effects.

Yeah. Started at 500 many years ago.

Never really had any side effects...

Wow!! The most I was on was 1500 and my endo was worried about the gastro issues even though I had none.