3 year anniversary on LCHF

[walkerwally1]

Today, July 3, marks the third anniversary of my starting to use LCHF to control my bg.  After 20 years of managing my diabetes by following doctors advice and taking the prescribed medications my bg control was getting worse and although I was told I was doing fine I didn't feel like it was.  My A1c went over 7% to 7.4 and then 7.7 and at that time I thought that all I needed was a change in my dose of Glipizide but my doctor would not change.  His only advice was to " eat more broccoli" and that was not knowing anything about how and what I ate.  I didn't think there was anything at all wrong with my diet.  After all, I had been through a diabetic training course and ate the things we were told were OK for diabetics.  As long as you ate whole grain it was OK, no need to count carbs, just don't eat sugar, you need to eat fruit to be healthy, etc.  I had many misconceptions , one was that sugar free meant "free" as in it was OK to eat as much as you wanted because it was , well, "free".  You were also told that it was not necessary to test more than once a day, why doctors believe that I will never know.  I was told that I should " once in a while" test an hour after a meal and should be below 180 mg/dl.  Straight from the ADA guidelines.  I did test after a meal and my bg would be 200-300 but I didn't really know what that meant and when I told my doctor he just shrugged it off.  It wasn't until my A1c went over 7 and nothing was helping that I started to do some research of my own. Why did I wait so long ?  Well my doctors always said I was doing great and everyone knows doctors know all there is to know about treating illness !

I didn't start doing a search on the internet, I bought two books, Blood Sugar 101 by Jenny Ruhl and Dr. Bernstein's  Diabetes Solution by Richard Bernstein, MD.  These two books taught me a mountain of information about diabetes and how to control it.  After reading those books I started LCHF but it isn't easy to do it by yourself and taking care of diabetes is usually a lonesome effort as it is rare to have friends or family that are also diabetic or understand anything about it.  A forum like this can be vital to be successful   in getting the upper hand in controlling diabetes.
This is where I learned about counting carbs and how to eat to your meter.  Two things that have been vital in my control of my bg.  There can be stumbling blocks along the way and questions come up but I have always found someone that has a helpful comment.  By using LCH I was able to bring my A1c down to 5.0% and completely stop using the Glipizide.  I still take Metformin but honestly I don't know if I even need that.
 
It's been a rewarding three years and I intent to keep doing what I have been doing.  Maybe my story will help someone to find their own solution. 
Yeah, it's long winded but hey, it's three years !  Hopefully some of our stories and examples can help others see what is possible and ask the questions to get the information they need.   

[Shanny]

[bigskygal]

Nice work Wally!!  And yes, it is good for others to read your story of success!!  It is such a shame our drs can't embrace LC/HF, so many more diabetics would be having your success!!

[skb]

Wally,
It is posts like yours that make me realise the shortcomings of forum software, one of which is that we can all give just one "Like". So here, take a few more.

My own story is sort of similar. I was uncontrolled for 3-5 years, before I stumbled upon a forum just like this, and the rest is history. I didn't get on with LCHF in one go, but in bits & pieces really. I suffered from the newbie's scepticism & suspicion. But I've been practicing LC since Aug 2010. The HF came much later.

Yes, forums like this can be life savers. My only regret is our outreach is negligible compared to the "official kingdom" and even the bulk of newbies that come across us, like to identify themselves as "lurkers". I mean when everything else IS failing, what's the harm in a little curiosity & experimentation ? I hope your story will inspire a few fence-sitters to follow you and this Way of Eating.



ETA : I just linked Wally's post to our Facebook page. All those active on FB may please share it to give it a boost.

[rocky]

ive been here only a month and what a vast diff this has made to my life.
this week i bought new clothes 
maybe 3 years down the line i will write the same post.
well done wally. truly inspiring.

[ami]

wow , its so inspiring to read 'collar up' stories , congratulations! hope this reaches many and more who r still in the dark ............spread the good word.........loud and clear!

[starsign]

A forum like this can be vital to be successful   in getting the upper hand in controlling diabetes.
This is where I learned about counting carbs and how to eat to your meter.  Two things that have been vital in my control of my bg.  There can be stumbling blocks along the way and questions come up but I have always found someone that has a helpful comment.
Hopefully some of our stories and examples can help others see what is possible and ask the questions to get the information they need.   

Quite true, Wally and we definitely learn from all of you. Thank You for sharing.

[Sweety]

Very nice post Wally. Truly inspiring and eye opening that the medical establishment is completely in the dark.

[ShottleBop]

Great post!  I was very lucky:  I found The Diabetes Solution and Blood Sugar 101 (the website--the book was not yet out)--and Gretchen Becker's excellent introduction, The First Year:  Type 2 Diabetes--only a few months after my diagnosis in February, 2008, and have been able to keep my blood sugars under control since.