An eating plan of just 3 347kj (800 calories) a day has allowed Colin Beattie to come off medication
IT TOOK three months of persuasion to convince my GP to let me try an extreme low-calorie diet to reverse my type 2 diabetes.
His objections – and they were fair – were that I wouldn’t stick to it (nine out of 10 people don’t), he didn’t have the resources to manage my extra care (rapid weight loss can be dangerous and lead to heart problems) and that it might not work.
I’d been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes – a condition in which the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to keep glucose levels normal – three years earlier during a routine blood test.
I knew little about the condition, other than that it was common in the over-40s, and that many people go undiagnosed.
It had crept up without symptoms. Aged 59 at the time (I’m now 64), weighing 95kg and with a demanding job, exercise was not high on my agenda and, I had a tendency to avoid greens and salads.
At best, I would grab a sandwich in between meetings but, really, I was overweight, unhealthy and ripe for the condition.
I was prescribed Metformin to help control my blood sugar and advised to stay healthy and exercise.
But so long as I popped the pills and avoided sugary drinks, the medics seemed largely unbothered.
I, on the other hand, knew I was on a slippery slope. Untreated type 2 diabetes can affect the heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys. I might suffer poor sight, strokes and was now 36% more likely to die early. So I researched ways to send it into remission.
It didn’t take long to find new research by Newcastle University that claimed a diet of 3 347 kilojoules a day might reverse type 2 diabetes.
The ongoing study is led by Professor Roy Taylor on the assumption that the condition is often caused by fat congealing around the liver and pancreas, a dramatic reduction of which could help insulin production.
While it was too late to join its clinical studies, I found a weightloss company that produced meals totalling 836kJ and signed up for an eight-week plan in June last year.
It seemed drastic – 3 347kJ is a massive 7 112kJ fewer than the daily allowance for men and a third of my usual calorific diet. Those first days were the worst. I struggled to find energy to walk up stairs and was happy if I made it to the car. In the first week, the weight fell off, and soon I wasn’t able to fit into my old jeans. I told everyone about the diet. The pressure not to let anyone down would stop me giving in to cravings. My wife Lisa, 63, a county councillor, was supportive and snatched away “off-limits” food.
Each “meal” contained exactly 8367kJ and could be a soup, shake or energy bar, or something more substantial such as a curry, spaghetti bolognese or porridge. They weren’t bad, but by the evening I was frequently starving. I ate three “meals” a day and topped up the final 836kJ by snacking from a list of sanctioned, low-sugar foods such as tomatoes, lettuce and peppers.
I couldn’t drink wine or enjoy meals with friends – although everyone loved that I could drive them home.
At one tortuous work event I remember everyone enjoying pork and wine but I had salad, no dressing, no pudding and sparkling water. But after six weeks, my doctor, who monitored my weight and blood pressure, said the results had significantly improved and I could try coming off medication.
After eight weeks I had lost 22kg and weighed 75kg. I had another blood test and, astoundingly, my diabetes had disappeared. Now a year on, there’s still no sign of it and I’m permanently off medication.
Every few weeks I stick rigidly to a few 3 347kJ days but, other than that, I’ve maintained the same lifestyle as before – I even eat chocolate and brownies – although I drink less alcohol. Giving up for eight weeks was surprisingly easy and I’ve learnt to swap wine for a soft drink.
I have put a few pounds back on, but I’m looking forward to 2018, when the Newcastle study will be published. Until then, I’m proof that you don’t have to live with Type 2 diabetes for ever. — The Daily Telegraph
Keeping diabetes at bay
DR DAVID Cavan, a leading British expert on diabetes self-management and author of Reverse Your Diabetes: The Step-by-Step Plan to Take Control of Type 2 Diabetes, has six tips to manage and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes:
Limit yourself to two standard alcoholic drinks a day.
Alcohol is high in calories and can lead to weight gain and increased risk of diabetes. Cider, sweet wines and some beers are best avoided as they can have high sugar or carbohydrate content.
Drink water, coffee or tea instead of fruit juice and fizzy drinks. Sugar-sweetened beverages – including smoothies – increase the risk of diabetes.
Eat at least three servings of green leafy vegetables every day. These contain vitamins, fibre and are very low in calories.
Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, are best eaten in moderation as they can have a similar effect to sugar in leading to a rapid rise in blood glucose.
Eating more than three pieces of fruit a day does not appear to protect from diabetes.
Snack on a piece of fruit, a handful of nuts or unsweetened yogurt. Biscuits, chocolate bars and cakes are high in sugar and fat.
Choose poultry, fish or lean white meat.
Red and processed meats are associated with increased risk of diabetes and some cancers. Fresh, unprocessed meat is preferable to ready-made or “fast food” meals.
Buy wholegrain bread, rice and pasta. White bread and rice turn into glucose rapidly; excess consumption of white rice is associated with higher diabetes risk. — The Daily Telegraph