I've been eating a low-carb diet for about two years. I've lost 55 pounds and have an LDL of 49. My doc says it is the lowest reading in this age group she has ever seen.

Two helpful products: Carba-Nada pasta and low carb tortillas. The tortillas are available everywhere. Carba-Nada I order from Amazon.

Anyone with type II can end diabetes switching to plant based diet

Never heard of Carba-Nada pasta but that sounds good. Thanks for mentioning it!

Try googling Sugar Busters diet.

Unfortunately most doctors realize people want an easy fix which is medications bedore lifestlye changes. If diabetes runs in your family find a good endocrinologist to work with. That is their speciality. There are also clubs here for those with the disorder. And when reading look for web pages ,books on Reversing diabetes. Remember drug companies want you to use their product..Sounds like you are in the right direction.

Read "Blood Sugar 101" by Jenny Rule. You are on the right track by eliminating carbs from your diet. Eliminate more.

And when your grandkid finds a quarter under their pillow, it was left by the tooth fairy.

Aside from bizarre diets, let's add a little common sense and historical perspective to this discussion.

For decades, the definition of diabetes was 2 or more fasting blood sugars greater than 140 at a time of normal health. Then, some biochemist found a way to measure HbgA1C, a test designed to MONITOR the control of existing diabetics, not to DIAGNOSE anything, and good control was defined as 7.0% or less.

Now for the biggie----the endocrinologists got together, took a vote, and changed the definition to a fasting blood sugar of 128 or greater. Presto, chango, overnight there were about 6 million new diabetics in this country. Six million more patients to see , guess who?, --endocrinologists. Six million more to buy pills, see dieticians, join gyms, join weight watchers, buy glucometers and attend support groups. They also introduced "pre-diabetes" as a FBS of >100 and added borderline high HbgA1C values to the definition. I'd be willing to bet this has created a $150 billion/year economy all centered around borderline blood sugar readings (After all, we spend $80 billion/year on our dogs alone)

All well and fine if this had an eventual indisputable effect on diabetic complications including peripheral vascular disease, coronary artery disease, nephropathy, neuropathy and retinopathy, etc. However, there has not been a definitive study showing a long term beneficial effect for those with FBS between 100 and 128 that achieve lower numbers and have not become overtly diabetic. Also, no one has looked at the other end of the spectrum. By creating a population of tightly controlled "pre-diabetics", how many run borderline hypoglycemia leading to syncopal events and head trauma and hip fractures? No one knows.

So, I think common sense should prevail. Eat a healthy diet. Exercise regularly. Maintain ideal body weight. Take a pill if you need to. But don't run your entire life centered on a number from a blood test that may or may not mean something for you 10 or 20 years down the line.

PS. I am not anti-diet, I advocate it strongly, even if it is "plant based" or whatever. My FBS was 126 and HbgA1C 8.7%, whatever that really means. All I did was cut out Coca Cola and FBS dropped to 72 and HbgA1C to 4.9%---so yes, diet can make a tremendous difference---but it is not a "cure", since the underlying problem is genetic in nature.

Check out podcasts or YouTube sessions from Dr. Jeff Volek or Stephen Finney. Both are very knowledgeable about the Ketogenic Diet. It's low carb, minimal protein, no sugar, and high fat. It is NOT ATKINS. My husband and I have been on it for a few months and it's working. We are trying to focus on good fats, i.e., avocados, ghee butter (clarified), etc. Plenty of dark greens. Also, try tracking what you consume; it will help you see actually how many carbs, protein, sugars you are consuming. We use the Lose It app for tracking. Read labels! Avoid processed foods !

I went from 280 to 180 on a mostly vegetarian diet cutting out red meat, bread, chips, alcohol etc.
Then lost another 40 on "green drinks" and adding Garden of Life Detoxi Fiber from Lucky Vitamins.com
My numbers went from over the top to down to normal to really good.
The only thing I really miss is all the wine I used to drink but replaced it with Pellagrino Sparkling water.

Sounds like you have a good doctor there, John W, and he has a good patient. :thumbup:

Cholesterol levels have a lot more to do with sugar/carbs than most people, or probably even doctors, know.

Thanks for the pasta recommendation, bluedivergirl. I had never heard of that product. Will have to check it out.

I have been trim for the last 50 years, get 3-4 hours of exercise per day, and eat a pretty decent diet. I still got pre-diabetes, so it must be my genes. One change I made to my diet was to have an open-face peanut butter sandwich (just one slice of bread) for breakfast each morning. I use only whole-grain, high-fiber bread and peanut butter with no partially hydrogenated oil. There is quite a bit written online about what a good food peanut butter is for diabetes, particularly early in the day.

Good luck.

Your common sense posts, plus your expert knowledge in the medical field, are always appreciated on here. Thanks for the info about the historical change of the blood level guidelines. Having been diagnosed with glaucoma since my early 20's because of borderline high readings, to this day I question as does my doctor, whether these high normal readings are just normal for me. Although I do use eye drops, since potential blindness is nothing I want to play around with, I have had no changes in any testing in over 40 years and have near perfect vision into my 60's. A friend of mine who has essentially the same history of this and hasn't been treated has had the same results. Long story short, normal ranges or numbers may not always be the norm for everyone whether it be diabetes, glaucoma, cholesterol, etc. What does make sense however is what you suggest - live a healthy lifestyle and don't stress out over numbers.

Great post golfing eagles! You make a lot of sense.

A nutritionist I met with mentioned about that 7.0 reading that was lowered. I wasn’t initially impressed with her but I may be changing my opinion. Her thoughts were that no diet works unless you stick to it. And if you make it overly strict, there is a good chance you won’t stick to it. She said to eat pretty much anything but in smaller portions. Her big thing was exercise. If you feel like you have over-eaten, go for a walk or a run. As I mentioned previously, pizza meant 5 or 6 slices. Up north there is a place called Wright’s Farm where they serve “all you can eat” chicken dinners. We’d go there a couple times a month and I would eat until stuffed.

With changes, I’m now 75% towards my goal of 20 pounds weight loss in 4 weeks. I think that weight loss, exercise and cutting back on my food portions especially potatos, bread and rice will lower my A1C. Even if I didn’t have an elevated A1C, these changes would be good for me.

Thanks for all the great advice, everyone!

Chub Club
 

The is a "Chub" club class put on at the Villages Health Centers. Goes on for a year with different time slots (IE - Weekly then Bi-weekly then monthly. I moved from Pre 6.2 to 5.6 by end of class.

In addition to what you are already doing, drink lots of water throughout the day, preferably alkaline. If you purchase anything in a box or bag, read all the ingredients. Most packaged food contain high fructose corn syrup and lots of chemicals. Eating fresh and organic and non-GMO when possible is the best. All processed foods contain things our body can't process so we store it. If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it.