As the Dog Days of August pass and September gets underway, it is time to check back in with Elisabeth, who we’ve been following since her diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in April 2024.
Since that time, to put her type 2 diabetes into remission, Elisabeth has been prioritizing protein at every meal, eating plenty of vegetables and leafy greens, and reducing, if not eliminating, all added sugar and foods that rapidly digest to sugar.
What’s happened since we last checked in two months ago? A lot!
“I’m still getting great HbA1C results, so my type 2 diabetes is still in remission, but I guess my biggest news is that I have now lost 14 pounds," says Elisabeth. “I’m now 158 pounds. My weight hasn’t been that low for at least a decade. But this time I’m having much more fun and it seems way easier to maintain.”
Milestone birthday celebrations
In August, Elisabeth celebrated her 70th birthday with a few get aways with family and friends. She wondered in advance what might happen to her blood sugar, her weight, and her general progress during a month that was filled with travel, birthday celebrations, dinner parties, and other fun events and outings.
“I decided in advance I wasn’t going to stress or worry. I would just try to stay aware and mindful but generally go with the flow and eat what was put in front of me if I were a guest,” said Elisabeth. She decided not to wear the CGM [continuous glucose monitor] for the month of August so that she wouldn’t fret over her glucose readings during a time she had less control over her food and environmment.
Amazing insights
But a few things amazed Elisabeth during this time: how her taste buds have changed in just five months, how she is satisfied with less food, how she noticed a literal “sugar buzz,” and how she was able to maintain her weight loss.
“First, I seem to have lost my taste for sweet things. I just didn’t want anything sweet anymore. It is such a relief to no longer have cravings. I was happy with just a few bites of birthday cake. But generally, sweet food just seemed undesirable to me. And, generally, I seemed satisfied with less food. "
If she did eat small amounts of sugar or carbs that rapidly digest to sugar, she noticed a strange phenomenon: a little while later her tinnitus would return. “It was literally an unpleasant buzz in my ears. I hadn’t really noticed before that my ear noises might be linked to sugar and carb intake. I’d never made that connection.”
That "buzzing" experience gives Elizabeth another reason to stay motived to keep her sugar intake low. “I hate that noise.”
Weight maintenance without effort
The final surprise was that despite the parties and travel, she didn’t regain any weight. “When I started the month of August I was down 14 pounds, and when I got home at the end of August I stepped on the scale and I was still down 14 pounds. I thought I might have a setback, but I didn’t.”
The last time she has seen her weight reach 158 pounds was in 2012 when she did Weight Watchers for the second time. “But I found that program difficult. I didn’t enjoy the process of counting points and weekly weigh-ins. I didn’t find it sustainable and I quickly regained the weight. This time it is much more intuitive. I am listening to my body and to how I feel."
This time, Elisabeth has now recognized that her pattern of weight loss over the last five months is a series of slow steps and plateaus. “I will lose a few pounds, plateau for a week or two, then when my body seems to adjust to that weight loss, I will have another step-wise loss.”
Return to using a CGM
Now that she is home again, she is going to return to monitoring her blood sugar with a CGM. “I will probably continue to do that for a number of months. I really enjoy the feedback it gives me. And I learn so much.”
For example, when she wore a CGM in July, she learned how experiencing pain can raise her blood glucose.
“I was so surprised. I was having quite bad hip and knee pain for a few days and my blood sugar rose into the low 9 mmol/L region. I learned that pain causes a stress response, which increases your blood sugar. Who knew?”
Hidden causes of blood sugar increases
Other hidden causes of blood sugar increases can include illnesses such as cold and flu, skin infections, bacterial infections, certain medications, or dehydration because of hot weather or illness.
Fortunately, Elisabeth’s pain is now under control.
“As I lose weight and reduce my inflammation, I am finding over all that my pain in all my joints is getting much better.”
In fact, she is feeling so much better that she is becoming more active, comfortably working in her garden for longer time periods, swimming in Victoria’s popular Gorge waterway and taking ocean dips, and being able to walk with less pain around her hilltop neighbourhood.
“My plan is to gradually work in more physical activity now that I am feeling so much more energetic. Fortunately, losing 14 pounds really helps.”
Congratulations Elisabeth on your inspiring progress and your 70th birthday! May your 70s be full of great health and vitality.
In this month's picture, Elisabeth is enjoying harvesting fresh zucchini from her vegetable garden. For tips how to use inexpensive, nutritious zucchini, check out the September newsletter by IPTN (Institute for Personalized Therapeutic Nutrition), which sponsors this diabetesremission.ca site.
Sign up to be kept informed by the IPTN newsletter on the bottom of the landing page of this website,https://www.diabetesremission.ca/. Or go over to therapeuticnutrition.org. and sign up at the bottom of the landing page there.
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