First Doctor's Appointment Since Starting Keto

(Back Row Matt) #1

I had a doctor’s appointment on 11/11/19 and was told I had Type 2 Diabetes. Glucose was 250, A1C was 10, weight was 439. He told me he would start me on Metphormin and have me test my blood sugar 3 times a day.

On 11/12/19, I began the Keto diet, after having been researching it for weeks leading up to it. That appointment was the perfect motivation to get started.

I just got back from my first follow-up and you could tell the doctor wasn’t expecting it, because he came in to the appointment with plans to add more medication, to discuss surgery options, etc. But every time he started into one of those, he stopped himself and stared at my log book and said, “…but your numbers are really good.”

We left with the agreement to stick with what we are doing for another month and make sure this progress continues. But I definitely left encouraged that this is working. My blood sugar has been in the normal healthy range every time since 11/16/19 and I’ve lost almost 25 pounds.

I know I’m still very new to this, and have a lot to learn to perfect it, but experiencing the excited shock of my doctor has made my day.

#2

First off- congratulations! 25 lbs in 4 weeks is fantastic. Is there anything special you are doing to lose so fast? I started just this week- like 3-4 days ago. I was feeling really bad. I know I oftentimes had blood glucose levels that were borderline in the morning. Doctor told me so. If I ate less sweets, they were OK, and if I reverted back to cake or chocolate, they were a bit too high. But only a bit. But since maybe 2-4 months, I have been feeling so bad that I wonder if diabetes hadn’t manifested. Exhausted all the time, tired to the point of sleeping during the day- stuff like this. And then I started keto - and BINGO. I immediately began to feel good again. I dont need the lab work to know I feel much better eating like this. But I bought those keto stix to check the urine, and didn’t know it also checked for glucose in the urine. I am happy to say the ketones were around 0.4, and no glucose in my urine. ( I am just happy the stix were purple and maybe 0.4 is alright for the 3rd or 4th day.) I think you are dong the right thing and its just great to have this opportunity to save ourselves with such a wonderful way of eating. I think I too would have been looking at medication for diabetes 2 if I had not started “keto dining” this week. I am going to do it for a while and then let the doctor take some blood again to check.

(Back Row Matt) #3

Thank you!

I haven’t done anything special the lose weight so far. From what I understand it works differently for everyone, and it of course was fast in the first week because of dropping the water weight/glucose stores. But for someone at 439, I feel like the water weight was in the double digits. So, the only thing I’ve done to lose weight this fast is to start the diet while VERY obese. lol

But I haven’t added exercise or anything. I don’t count calories so much, but I know I’m eating nearly a thousand less per day than I did most days leading up to this.

(Jack Bennett) #4

Welcome! :grinning::+1:

You’re off to a great start and I think you’ll find lots of support in these forums!

(Rebecca ) #5

Welcome and CONGRATULATIONS :partying_face: on your progress so far!!!

#6

I hate exercise, but maybe I will change my mind when/if I get slimmer…Good luck to you on this journey we all share here.

(Piglets = Bacon Seedlings) #7

Huge congrats Matt and welcome to the forum!!! Sound so much like my first visit to my doctor after being on Keto for a little over a month. Reading your story rekindled that feeling I got!:grinning::+1:

#8

That what the #%^* double take a your chart is such a Kodak moment. if you could just have a camera to save it.

Awesome job keep it up it just gets better with time

(Back Row Matt) #9

Thanks for the warm welcome and encouragement everyone! I think I’m going to like it here.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #10

Congratulations on your success so far, and welcome to the Ketogenic Forums.

At your starting weight, you are likely to lose quite a bit of fat fairly quickly. As you approach your goal weight, however, you can expect the rate of loss to slow. This is normal and happens to everyone; it doesn’t mean that keto suddenly stopped working or that you suddenly started doing it wrong.

I’m glad your doctor only put you on metformin. It is safe enough to stay on it, but as your HbA1C drops, you may want to talk to your physician about reducing the dose, or even stopping it altogether.

If your doctor orders a lipid panel before you’ve been eating ketogenically for at least six months, be prepared for the numbers to look wonky. Just ask your doctor to retest once you’ve reached the six-month mark. If the numbers haven’t normalized by then, you and he can worry at that point (and we’ll have some suggestions you can try).

In any case, there are a number of respected researchers who are starting to doubt that cholesterol levels really have anything at all to do with our cardiovascular risk, and you might try mentioning that to your doctor if and when he gets alarmed.

It sounds as though you are doing very well so far, so just Keep Calm and Keto On.

(Chris) #11

So did you do the meds or just diet?

Similar to my story but not as severe. Got a surprise 7.2 A1c along with “welcome to type 2…” Doc said start 3 meds immediately, yada, yada, yada… Refused the meds, said I 'll see what diet & exercise would do. This was 2 or so years ago & most recent A1c was 5.4 which at the time was about 9 weeks into keto diet.

Long story but doc pretty much said “everyone says they will do diet & exercise when they get shocked with diabetes diagnosis but NOBODY actually does it. Just start the meds now because you won’t stay disciplined on diet & exercise and will go on them in a year anyway”. I fired that doc & have a different one now :slight_smile: if my choice is take at least 3 different meds rest of my life or stop eating like a pig…well, that’s easy.

Biggest regret was not knowing about keto on day1. Would have been much simpler. But I was only around 230 lbs and only 7.x A1c. So you’re starting in a little deeper hole - just means your success story will be much better than mine :slight_smile:

(Grant MacDonald) #12

Now that is encouraging! Keep it up.

(Back Row Matt) #13

I did start the Metphormin, but that started at the first appointment. I’m fine with taking that for now, as I know from previous experience that he does help me (and doesn’t give me much in the way of side-effects). But he backed off on trying to add a different medication to the mix.

(Joey) #14

@BackRowMatt Hearty congratulations - and welcome to the front row. You’re off and running on the cure of your lifetime. :+1:

(Kathryn) #15

Just and idea since you are on the journey now…is to take a photo (yes that can be scary but you will appreciate later when you are slim and trim!)
And take some measurements so you can share how many inches you lose. That will be a fun thing to share with friends and family in the near future. :slight_smile:
Best to you and so happy you made this lifestyle change.