... Well, Almost!
Okay, I'll admit it. The title may seem to be a bit misleading. But, in reality it's not. I really have nearly reversed my diabetes. Here's what I mean.
Diabetes is not (as of yet) a curable disease. Millions of dollars are spent on research to find a cure for diabetes every year. Still, no cure has been found or discovered. There's been promising research lately, but still, no cure. As of this moment, diabetes is still a life-long affliction.
So, I've found a way that didn't cure my diabetes, but it has drastically and emphatically changed my glucose levels to the point where my doctor is no longer recommending that my Type 2 Diabetes be treated with Insulin, as he had tried to get me to rely on for nearly 3 years.
A Little Background Info
I'm a truck driver and during a required pre-employment physical in June of 2014 I was officially diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. At the time, my glucose reading was only 203. Not to bad, or so I thought, but still above the allowed level by the Department of Transportation, and definitely above the normal range of 80-120 (the levels for normal glucose have since been reduced to 70-110 by the medical community).
Over the following week, I followed some advice regarding what I should be eating and not eating offered to me by my prospective employer and retested during a second physical exam. It was 175. Still high, but within the legal parameters set by DOT reg's. Next step? Get my keister to my personal physician and get treated, which I did.
The medication prescribed was routine—Metformin. Over the course of the next 3 1/2 years, and while on differing medications, my glucose levels fluctuated from the low 140's to nearly 300, depending on what my diet was. This was the basis of my doctors telling me that I had to be on Insulin. Insulin and truck driving do not go well together. DOT regulations would not allow me to drive a commercial motor vehicle if I had ever been prescribed an injectable to treat my diabetes. So, I refused that suggestion by my doctor and continued on my merry way.
As most of you know, truck drivers are stuck eating foods offered at truck stops. These food offerings are more for filling up a hungry driver than providing sound healthy choices. This is a big problem for those of us who are diabetic. It didn't help either that I would drink soft drinks and munch on junk food during the time that I was driving.
In December, 2017 I made a goal to begin making a change about what I put into my mouth that would begin on New Year's Day. Not a resolution, but a determined action to extend my life. At 62 years of age, some would say I'm to far gone. "You can't teach and old dog new tricks" kind of thing. Nonetheless, I was hell-bent on giving it a go.
Baby Steps
With the help of my fiance, we researched what we would need to do get my glucose levels down. And on January 1st, 2018 a new life had begun for me.
We discovered that calories was not the main concern for me. It was my intake of carbohydrates (carbs). Since carbs basically serve no purpose to the human body other than to turn itself into sugar if not burned up through physical activity, we determined that foods high in carbs would have to go. And go it did, but not all at once!
One thing we found, is that in almost every case of making life-style changes, an overwhelmingly sudden change in habits is more likely to result in failing the ultimate goal in short order. So, we decided to take it one step at a time.
Soda's
Soda pop, or what some call soft drinks, are one of the major sources of carbs I was getting each day. It doesn't matter whether it's regular soda, diet soda or the so-called "Zero" type soda's, they all were providing me with a massive amount of carbs. So, soda was my first, and probably one of the most important things for me to make a change with.
Just about any person who's ever been addicted to anything will tell you that it's easier to make the needed change if you have something to replace it with. Water was the best option, but I've never been fond of drinking just water. However, I do drink more now than I ever have before.
I began checking the nutrition labels on everything in a bottle. Water, juice, milk, energy drinks, even Gator Aid and Power Aid. Here's what I discovered. The only drink, other than water, that resulted in zero carbs was "Power Aid Zero". So, this became my replacement for soda.
Bread
White, Wheat, Whole-grain, Flat-bread. All are loaded with more carbs than a diabetic should be getting. But I love my sandwiches, burgers and hotdogs! I can't give that up too, can I?
No, not totally. What I did was cut my bread intake in half. If I wanted a burger, I'd take one half of the bun off and set it to the side. Same with a hotdog. Of course, this means I had to start using a knife and fork to eat the burgers and hotdogs. But, that was a small sacrifice to make. Afterall, I was still getting some bread. Just, not as much.
Not A Bad Trade-Off
With only these couple of changes in my daily routine of eating and drinking, some major developement has taken place in my diabetic status:
Jan. 21st, just 21 Days after starting this trek: My glucose level dropped from a 30 day average of 152 to 121.
On Feb. 1, my 30 day glucose average dropped to 113
As of Feb. 28th, my 30 average was 97.
Imagine what the improvement of my glucose level would be if I were to go further and lessen all the other carbs that my body gets through the eating of truck stop restaurant foods.
Total reversal of diabetes?
No, but one heck of a great start to normalizing the way my body processes the hormone we all have known as Insulin.
I may never be cured of diabetes, but I can control its devastating effect on my body. I can live a little longer now because of this minor change in my daily habit.
Read the full article
Okay, I'll admit it. The title may seem to be a bit misleading. But, in reality it's not. I really have nearly reversed my diabetes. Here's what I mean.
Diabetes is not (as of yet) a curable disease. Millions of dollars are spent on research to find a cure for diabetes every year. Still, no cure has been found or discovered. There's been promising research lately, but still, no cure. As of this moment, diabetes is still a life-long affliction.
So, I've found a way that didn't cure my diabetes, but it has drastically and emphatically changed my glucose levels to the point where my doctor is no longer recommending that my Type 2 Diabetes be treated with Insulin, as he had tried to get me to rely on for nearly 3 years.
A Little Background Info
I'm a truck driver and during a required pre-employment physical in June of 2014 I was officially diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. At the time, my glucose reading was only 203. Not to bad, or so I thought, but still above the allowed level by the Department of Transportation, and definitely above the normal range of 80-120 (the levels for normal glucose have since been reduced to 70-110 by the medical community).
Over the following week, I followed some advice regarding what I should be eating and not eating offered to me by my prospective employer and retested during a second physical exam. It was 175. Still high, but within the legal parameters set by DOT reg's. Next step? Get my keister to my personal physician and get treated, which I did.
The medication prescribed was routine—Metformin. Over the course of the next 3 1/2 years, and while on differing medications, my glucose levels fluctuated from the low 140's to nearly 300, depending on what my diet was. This was the basis of my doctors telling me that I had to be on Insulin. Insulin and truck driving do not go well together. DOT regulations would not allow me to drive a commercial motor vehicle if I had ever been prescribed an injectable to treat my diabetes. So, I refused that suggestion by my doctor and continued on my merry way.
As most of you know, truck drivers are stuck eating foods offered at truck stops. These food offerings are more for filling up a hungry driver than providing sound healthy choices. This is a big problem for those of us who are diabetic. It didn't help either that I would drink soft drinks and munch on junk food during the time that I was driving.
In December, 2017 I made a goal to begin making a change about what I put into my mouth that would begin on New Year's Day. Not a resolution, but a determined action to extend my life. At 62 years of age, some would say I'm to far gone. "You can't teach and old dog new tricks" kind of thing. Nonetheless, I was hell-bent on giving it a go.
Baby Steps
With the help of my fiance, we researched what we would need to do get my glucose levels down. And on January 1st, 2018 a new life had begun for me.
We discovered that calories was not the main concern for me. It was my intake of carbohydrates (carbs). Since carbs basically serve no purpose to the human body other than to turn itself into sugar if not burned up through physical activity, we determined that foods high in carbs would have to go. And go it did, but not all at once!
One thing we found, is that in almost every case of making life-style changes, an overwhelmingly sudden change in habits is more likely to result in failing the ultimate goal in short order. So, we decided to take it one step at a time.
Soda's
Soda pop, or what some call soft drinks, are one of the major sources of carbs I was getting each day. It doesn't matter whether it's regular soda, diet soda or the so-called "Zero" type soda's, they all were providing me with a massive amount of carbs. So, soda was my first, and probably one of the most important things for me to make a change with.
Just about any person who's ever been addicted to anything will tell you that it's easier to make the needed change if you have something to replace it with. Water was the best option, but I've never been fond of drinking just water. However, I do drink more now than I ever have before.
I began checking the nutrition labels on everything in a bottle. Water, juice, milk, energy drinks, even Gator Aid and Power Aid. Here's what I discovered. The only drink, other than water, that resulted in zero carbs was "Power Aid Zero". So, this became my replacement for soda.
Bread
White, Wheat, Whole-grain, Flat-bread. All are loaded with more carbs than a diabetic should be getting. But I love my sandwiches, burgers and hotdogs! I can't give that up too, can I?
No, not totally. What I did was cut my bread intake in half. If I wanted a burger, I'd take one half of the bun off and set it to the side. Same with a hotdog. Of course, this means I had to start using a knife and fork to eat the burgers and hotdogs. But, that was a small sacrifice to make. Afterall, I was still getting some bread. Just, not as much.
Not A Bad Trade-Off
With only these couple of changes in my daily routine of eating and drinking, some major developement has taken place in my diabetic status:
Jan. 21st, just 21 Days after starting this trek: My glucose level dropped from a 30 day average of 152 to 121.
On Feb. 1, my 30 day glucose average dropped to 113
As of Feb. 28th, my 30 average was 97.
Imagine what the improvement of my glucose level would be if I were to go further and lessen all the other carbs that my body gets through the eating of truck stop restaurant foods.
Total reversal of diabetes?
No, but one heck of a great start to normalizing the way my body processes the hormone we all have known as Insulin.
I may never be cured of diabetes, but I can control its devastating effect on my body. I can live a little longer now because of this minor change in my daily habit.
Read the full article
