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progress update

Progress update #10

Welcome to the tenth instalment of my regular update series where I review what does and doesn't work on the journey to type 2 diabetes remission.

Progress update #10
A day out on Saturday puts me on the glucose rollercoaster. A nice walk across Darcy Lever Viaduct to the train station followed by three pints of lager, around two bottles of wine and a three-course Indian restaurant meal is an example of how not to do diabetes.

I'm now ten weeks into my weekly progress updates so it's good to have a look back at where I started and see how far I've come since update #1. My 90 day average glucose has come down from 8.1 to 6.3 mmol/L which is great. I'm a little frustrated because it could have been better due to the last couple of weeks going the wrong way again. I'm aiming for 6.0 mmol/L by the end of the next ten weeks.

The upper green line on the left is the top of normal (non-diabetic) range, for after meals, of 7.8 mmol/L. The black line is median (mid-point) glucose levels which has come down really well.
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Don't feel disheartened if these levels seem unachievable for you. My fasting glucose was usually around 15 mmol/L in a morning and I'd given up testing because I was just so frustrated at nothing making a difference. The key for me was getting a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM).

HbA1C in normal range

My CGM gives me an estimate of HbA1c based on my glucose readings and this week it's come into normal (non-diabetic) range of 38 mmol/mol. Considering I was up at 133 at one point last year, before I got my CGM, I'm very happy with this.

I'm putting this down to the following:

  • A high fat, very low carbohydrate whole food diet (rice and oats are banned)
  • Fasting and skipping meals when I'm not hungry or I feel I need to correct my glucose levels
  • Lots of walking and gradually increasing exercise
  • Drinking water and herbal/leaf teas instead of diet fizzy drinks and cordial

Blood glucose levels really going the wrong way this week

This week I've had three special social days where I've had alcohol, and also not had the usual level of control or care over my meals. I'm giving myself a bit of slack as this is a one off and I didn't want to be an overly fussy ninny while spending time with people. A seven day average of 6.3 mmol/L is above the upper limit I set myself of 6.2 so it really needs to get sorted next week.

The large light blue area between midnight and 10am on the left shows the impact alcohol has on the dawn effect. I want to get back to the nice narrow band from last week.

Million step challenge

I've now reached 630,000 steps which is well ahead of schedule, even though I've been taking it a bit easier with the hot weather and having a rest day to prevent tendonitis again. My average daily steps are back up again, to 14,270. The minimum I currently need to meet the 30th September deadline is 8,230.

The new pub I found in Starling on my random ramble last week does amazing food. I'm so happy I've found somewhere within walking distance that has good food and plenty of glucose-friendly options on the menu. I wouldn't normally have more than four chips or so but these were so good I only left two.

Steak, vegetables and proper chip-pan-style chips at The Black Bull, Starling

Gym

This week has been the first time I've really had to force myself to go to the gym (mainly due to being mildly hungover). I've kept up with the weight training and have managed to keep my 20 minutes cardio going on each visit. I think that has really helped me to keep the weight off despite overdoing the food and booze this week.

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If you're struggling with obesity do not worry about going to a gym to start with. Correcting diet is much more important and will help more with weight loss. I'm doing this to get to optimal levels rather than just "well-managed" blood glucose levels. Start with short walks - frequency of movement is more important than distance.

I'm setting myself little distance goals to meet within my 20 minute exercise bike session. I've got up to 7.5 km this week so want to maintain that by the end of next week and maybe move up to 8km the week after. I'm now struggling to get my heart rate up to 180 beats per minute which is a sign that my fitness is improving.

This is the piece of equipment that hurts the most 😅
I'm walking a million steps this summer to help Diabetes UK fund research and support for people living with diabetes in the UK. If you're able to make a donation, I'll be made up and have one more reason not to back out 😅

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