Posted on 05/24/2025 1:24:15 PM PDT by Mean Daddy
My doctor just prescribe Metformin for Type II diabetes. He says I'm borderline but I'm hoping to control it via diet vs. medicine.
My question is what have other Freepers with T II done? How many carbs do you limit yourself too each day? Recipes? What other things should I be thinking about? I walk 1.5 to 5 miles per day and I'm pretty sure I can control it via diet as I have a sweet tooth.
I've done the Aikens diet in the past and had luck, is that a route others have taken? My recollection was to get to 0 carbs and then add some until you found your sweet spot for carbs or have you taken a different approach?
17 years old, 168 lbs, told I was pre- diabetic upon joining the Army. 70 now, still pre-diabetic. Eat and drink what I want.
Echoing the suggestion(s) to check out Dr. Jason Fung (The Diabetes Code, The Obesity Code, Intermittent Fasting). He’s a nephrologist who has been treating patients with T2D and kidney issues for years.
Also investigate the ketogenic, ketovore, and carnivore diet. Dr. Ken Berry (Board certified family physician) is a great resource.
The problem of only taking meds to treat T2D is that eventually, the meds will lose their efficacy and other drugs have to be added. Changing the diet is the easiest and cheapest way to make a difference.
Dr. Richard K. Bernstein is a Type 1 diabetic who developed a low carb plan to treat his own disease as well as those who have T2D and it’s highly effective.
Peach
Wife is doing Adkins and is no longer considered pre-diabetic. I think she tries to hold to 4 to 8 carbs a day. Her Doc is doing hand-springs after her first four weeks.
It appears to show the study results from six straight months of Prolon’s FMD:
— 59% Reduction in Insulin Resistance
— 1.4 points off your A1C.
— 22 pound average weight loss
I have done this and it is completely doable by you. You can go back to eating more normal in between the diet occasions, with 25 - 30 days eating basically more normal. The thing is, you won't desire to eat your normal way. My wife and I have only net lost weight each time. Our lowest weight now, for me, is less than what I was ten years ago, as is my wife's.
I will say I extend the five days by one day because I know how to do it with the same effect, now.
We will complete 12 cycles over 12 or so months at this rate, then maybe do it 3-4 times a year, for the rest of our lives, to maintain it. It is believed over 20 years, you could reduce your biological age by over 11 years, doing it just 3-4 times a year (not even with the 12 we will have done in a year).
We don't have diabetes, but both of us have had either a slightly high blood sugar or a slightly high A1c, before doing the diet. I will say other problems have been addressed by the diet, exactly in line with what water-only fasting study results have shown, so this diet does get you the same benefits, but is safer.
By the way, don’t do the FMD while being on a diabetic drug.
Talk with your doctor or a doctor the works with the FMD, first.
My wife and I are not on any medically-required drug.
> Any insights are appreciated.
You can reduce how rapidly your sugar spikes by eating food items high in fiber FIRST during your meal - the order matters significantly!
Brocolli, cauliflower, peas, beans, okra, spinach, etc... If you eat those first, then any protein, then finally carbs last of all (in moderation!), you will notice a real difference in your blood sugar readings: much lower spikes, but longer duration - which is beneficial.
https://youtu.be/watch?v=1PkshTBkWZ8
Exercise: try weight lifting three times a week - because it may help you convert more of your body mass to muscle. It certainly cannot make things worse unless you injure yourself.
Larger muscle mass will continuously burn calories throughout the day - and will reduce the amount of blood sugar that the liver and pancreas must deal with. Stronger leg muscles can surprisingly help reduce sugar spikes. If for some reason you cannot safely lift weights, walking daily can help a little. Please be prepared to keep exercising regularly for years as part of the rest of your life.
Cut out all soft drinks. You can probably keep drinking tea or coffee - possibly with some sugar - but remove EVERYTHING with high-fructose corn syrup. This is VITALLY important!
Pastas should be minimized. Try not to eat a lot of anything right before you head to sleep. Increase the amount of water you drink. Also, try to get vitamin D - preferably via sunshine, but any way is better than nothing. Vitamin D3 can also be found in small amounts in certain foods, such as fatty fish, cod liver oil, beef liver, and egg yolks.
Try a small increase in the amount of fat you eat and reduce the carbohydrates.
I hope this helps.
Or watch his videos.
I got the same diagnosis from my doctor about the same time Covid hit... After I did research on that medication, and found out my doctor was a clot shot advocate, I changed doctors. I quit drinking soda, and dropped my sugar intake.
I’m probably still borderline, but I’m just fine 5 years later.
I believe There’s other things and BETTER things you can do to reverse T2 besides that drug.
You are not going on a diet. Stop with the diet mindset.
You need to change your lifestyle and eating habits.
First of all, for a week, track everything you eat. Track the time you eat, how much (ounces, fluids ounces, cups, etc.) Don’t change anything.
At the end of the week, look at what your are eating compared to a “normal” diet. Learn what serving sizes should be. Look at your sugars. Look at your off hour eating. Look at any soda, beer, or drinks.
Unless you are in complete denial, your course will be obvious from that point.
If you are ONLY getting metformin, you should be able to make changes that will put you on the correct path without massive changes.
If you go at this as if its a “diet” it will last for a few months.
I will add about Dr Fung:
Don’t just read or watch him ... Understand what he says. He doesn’t tell you what to do, he teaches how the human body works.
Totally understand insulin resistance and what causes it. That is the key. Understand how intermittent fasting affects it.
I agree with the elimination of seed oils (use extra virgin olive oil instead), and avoiding ultra-processed foods.
There are many great videos on the subject and many with great recipes. It's fun to eat in a way that doesn't weigh on your conscience.
If you love sweets like I do, there is no sweet spot for carbs.
If I open a tub of ice cream I’ll have four scoops two or three times a day. I can plow through a row of Oreos in a sitting.
So I go zero carb carnivore to get back on track.
I was diagnosed with type two and put on Metformin for about two years with glucose levels just slightly over 100 (that use to be upper limit until “experts” changed to to 90) My doc and myself decided to try going without Metformin for a while and see what happens. I think it has been about a year an I still run an average glucose reading of about 105. My A1C runs around 6.0. That is the reading you need to watch. My doc now says I am a diet controlled diabetic.
The doc tried his best to medicate me but that just wasn’t working. So I went the diet/exercise route alone figuring it out along the way. I got a bike and lost 75lbs immediately. After many many yrs I still ride my bike and am in far better condition. In the beginning I was crazy about my diet but have since applied some common sense. My body needs exercise as much as food so I’m very particular to give it all it’s able to take. I feed it none of the extra sweet garbage or ultra processed stuff. Meals are short and to the point, rarely do I have seconds. That said, if I’d like a sweet I have it. I’m like you in that regard…I have a sweet tooth now and again. However those encounters are minimal and short. I feel loads better as I’m slimmer, fitter, discipline and independent of meds. HTH
Heartbreak of Psoriasis
An older woman I knew some years ago was overweight, with type II diabetes, and a doctor who wanted to put her on insulin. She rebelled and went on a nutritional supplement program. Within a couple of months, her insulin had normalized and a large area of her gray hair was beginning to turn black. She was also losing weight. She fired her doctor when he insisted that she still had to go on insulin even though her numbers were normal.
My experience with other health issues was that a good multivitamin and mineral supplement, extra vitamin D3 and magnesium L-threonate, and collagen peptides treated and is close to curing health issues that doctors could do nothing about. My doctor shakes his head because my blood pressure, EKG, and blood tests are so improved and now better than his numbers.
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I quit eating breads (there is a zero-net carb tortilla), pasta, potatos, etc but there are also Atkins Endulge snacks that with Metformin keeps my A1C in check (and I got better vision for cutting carbs) Many fruits are okay (there are lists online)
Metformin is the current drug de jure for doctors to prescribe for diabetes. It gave me a short warning diarrhea.
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