Sometimes the benefits arrive quickly on a keto diet. In just a few months, David has reversed his type 2 diabetes, lost 19 kg (42 lbs) and achieved a much better outlook on life. Here's how he did it:
Hi Andreas,
I am a 51-year old male from New Zealand who has been overweight for a few too many years but otherwise healthy other than a little asthma and eczema.
I remember watching the Fat Head movie soon after it was first released and whilst I enjoyed it and even started trying a low-carb diet I just couldn't carry on with it. Not because I found it hard, in fact I enjoyed it very much, but spending my entire life being told that a high-fat diet was going to kill me I just struggled to continue with it. As a sceptic I just couldn't believe this diet was a good option, it was just far too good to be true. It just felt so wrong.
Like many men I tend to avoid doctors as much as I can but had a very bad episode of back pain in June this year and as well as X-ray and MRI my doctor ordered some blood tests to see if anything else was going on.
The next day I was driving when I received a call from the doctor's office. They asked if I was nearby and if I could visit ASAP. As it happens I was out of town and couldn't get there until the following morning. They told me on the phone I was diabetic and needed to have treatment urgently.
I had a vague idea about what diabetes was but that night I panicked and spent hours online researching. And it was pretty much all bad: reduced life span, blindness, amputation, kidney and liver disease as well as nerve damage and heart problems. I didn't sleep much that night.
Next morning it was off to the doctors. My HbA1c result was literally off the chart, one of the highest they had seen at 115 mmol/mol. They checked my blood pressure and it too was very high at 220/110. They were so worried that they called the hospital for guidance who told them to give me insulin injections and monitor before calling for an ambulance. After several injections I started to respond and levels began to drop so I was eventually allowed to go home with a blood test kit, Metformin and some Quinapril.
I was fortunate to come across your website and became convinced that LCHF [keto] was the best way forward for me. I became a member and devoured as much of your content as I could. I was determined to give it my best shot and see how much I could improve over the three-month period before I was due to get my bloods checked again.
I expected it to be hard but was pleasantly surprised to find that the opposite was true.
I expected it to be hard but was pleasantly surprised to find that the opposite was true. After a few days into my new diet it became normal and easy to maintain. Because of my back pain I was unable to do much exercise so pretty much everything I have achieved has been down to strictly following your dietary guidelines.I had my three-month blood tests a couple of days ago and I was expecting to see some improvement as I have managed to adhere to the LCHF diet 100% over the last three months with no cheating or lapses of any kind.
Here are my results:
In addition to this my weight has gone from 140 kg (309 lbs) to 121 kg (267 lbs) over the same period and as an added bonus both my asthma and eczema have virtually disappeared. I am absolutely amazed that this change has happened so quickly. My blood pressure is still high but I am hopeful that it will improve as I continue to lose more weight and am able to start exercising more as my back injury improves. I am sleeping better and whilst it is early days I feel confident that this is something I can easily continue with in the long term.
Thank you so much for dietdoctor.com. I can't express how grateful I am for the information you provide and the support and encouragement it has given me. Whilst my numbers have improved perhaps the best thing to come out of this experience has been my change from being terrified of a future resulting in deteriorating health and an early death to a positive outlook and a better future.
Regards,
David
Comments
Thank you for sharing David, and best of luck on your continued journey!
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PS
Do you have a success story you want to share on this blog? Send it (photos appreciated) to andreas@dietdoctor.com, and please let me know if it's OK to publish your photo and name or if you'd rather remain anonymous.
It would also be greatly appreciated if you shared what you eat in a typical day, whether you fast etc.