Apparently, it's been just over 10 years since I joined 3FC. Wow. And I'm back again. It's been a while since I've been around. I was fairly active for a while, left for a while because life got busy, then stopped in now and then.

I need to be back. I haven't regained what I've lost. Surprisingly. However, my health requires me to make changes that can only result in weight loss. Last February, I found out that I am diabetic. Not pre-diabetic, but actually diabetic. We had a health fair at work, and one of the things they offered was different blood tests. A finger-prick test to check for cholesterol, blood sugar, etc. Everything was going along fine, until the tech read my blood sugar. I didn't see the reading at first. He asked if he could prick a finger on my other hand, to double-check the reading. OK. Nearly identical result. My blood sugar that morning (after fasting, no less) was 404. I had no clue. I felt fine.

I made an appt with a family dr that same day. I was put on Metformin, but could not tolerate the side effects of that med. After some trial and error, and finally getting an appt with an endocrinologist, I am on Invokanna (one pill a day) in the morning and 75 units of Lantus (long-lasting insulin injection) at night.

My blood sugar levels are coming into control, but are not here yet. I know that I need to work more on my diet and getting some exercise. Exercise is a GREAT help in controlling my blood sugar. I know this, but somehow I just can't seem to get motivated enough to actually DO IT. I also know that I need to change my diet. I don't eat a lot of sugary things - and have completely cut out the massive amounts of soda I used to drink. However, I am still a carb addict. Pasta and bread are my downfalls.

Does anyone here have experience with a LCHF - low carb, high fat -- diet? I have done low-carb in the past, with fairly good success, but it's been more than 16 years since I've done that. I was actually doing low carb when I got pregnant with my daughter. I sincerely believe that the low carb diet is what allowed me to get pregnant -- we had been trying, with medical intervention, for some time.

Well, I guess I've rambled on enough for now. Basically, just saying HI! I'm back again!

I was diagnosed with T2 a year ago May. I take Metformin ( and a host of other things for my bp, gout, etc.) and I've lost about a 100 pounds, using a good carb and good fat diet. I also started walking daily. The dx of diabetes and the fact that my blood pressure was 200 plus over a 100 lit a fire under my butt. Getting the gout under control helped with the exercise.

My last A1c was 5.3 which thrilled my doctor. I still don't eat sugar, and stick to my new way of eating and I know that likely with T2 I'll end up on other meds eventually but for now it is under control.

Glad to see you back. We are going to win at this health thing! We just have to believe in ourselves enough to make it happen - even on the tough days. I have heard of many people reversing diabetes through weight loss and adopting a healthy diet. This is my wish for you. I look forward to watching your progress as we get healthy this year! As for the diet I am with lotsakids on this - healthy carbs and fats is my plan instead of "low carb." It works very well for me.

I'm on a LCHF (and moderate protein) diet and it's wonderful. Mine isn't due to diabetes but WLS. I stay under 50g carbs/day total (not "net"), more than 60g/day protein and as much fat as that ends up being.

I've done the Dukan diet before, which was very low-carb, high protein. I seem to remember it being all-meat one day, meat and veggies the next day, all meat again, etc. (But it's been a while)

One benefit to low carb for me was never feeling hungry.

But, never feeling hungry was also, weirdly a downside. Food wasn't as appetizing (even though I generally don't get bored of eating the same meal over and over, and I love meat). And I think when I fell off the wagon it was a harder fall than usual.

Right now I'm calorie counting and I try to get 30% of my calories from protein, 20% from carbs, and 50% from fat, which is actually pretty difficult for me. But the closer I get to my protein target (which is the difficult one to get high enough), the less hungry I am and the better I feel.

I don't have diabetes so on that front I can't be of much help. But I think you could move moderately towards a low-carb diet, if you were worried about switching over entirely. Also you could begin switching out certain carbs for higher-nutrient/fibre versions (whole grains... or take out grains entirely and have sweet potatoes and things like that). Little choices can make a big difference.