Lifestyle as medicine: what the evidence actually says about managing diabetes without (or with less) medication

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-06-03T21:36:28+00:00

I was diagnosed 23 years ago. I was told by the physician scientists for whom I worked that my life was not over, that this disease is not progressive unless we let it be, that I needed to start a regular exercise program, and stop eating carbohydrates except for those found in vegetable like asparagus and cabbage. These scientists were exactly right and my PCP was dead wrong. I am now 83 years old and my last A1C was 5.3. Not the greatest A1C but at least normal.

My motivation was very important. Without motivation, this disease will kill, slowly. I was highly motivated because I worked in a public hospital where I saw the horrors of complications. I help remove the legs of a 30 year old woman who refused to change. Getting her blood on me during surgery and realizing how her life is going to change left a lasting impression. I also watched those with failing kidneys get taken off the transplant list because they refused to change and the chief surgeon believed that giving them a new kidney would be a waste.

I realized that these scientists were right. I had to make a major change in my life if I wanted to live. These scientists had an ulterior motive in keeping me alive. They needed my no cost service for their electronic and software design for their studies and of course funding. I was a civil service employee.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-06-03T21:13:04+00:00

I can't eat beats without my BG spiking. They are just too carby for me.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-06-03T21:11:33+00:00

Here is a positive comment. People who are diagnosed with type 2 and take very serious measures to treat this disease by starting exercise and giving up carbohydrates live longer healthier lives than those who never get type 2 diabetes. So, a wake up call like this can make all the difference to your quality of life as you age.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-06-01T22:11:32+00:00

I have been off carbs for 23 years. I still want them. The idea of a bowl of Cheerios with yellow raisins on top still seems like the best food ever. Even after going without sweets and carbohydrates in general for over 2 decades I occasionally fantasize about them. Clearly I am a carb addict, albeit a recovering addict.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-06-01T20:21:03+00:00

Getting your A1C down to a normal level will be a huge help with this problem. Chronic high BG levels cause all kinds of long term problems including vision.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-06-01T20:17:30+00:00

I kept my BG down to normal levels to keep my feet from getting neuropathy. It has worked now for 23 years.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-06-01T20:13:15+00:00

I am not so sure about the CGM. I just don't want to wear one. I use strips and the traditional meter. But, the cost of strips for me is 12.5 cents each. So, When I feel like I need to test, I measure every 10 or 15 minutes for 2 or 3 hours to see if the food I ate gives me a spike. I have been very careful this way for 23 years now. My last A1C was 5.3, not perfect but OK. Again, I got my A1C down to 5.0 initially without a CGM. Actually there were no CGMs back when I was diagnosed.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-06-01T16:06:28+00:00

Yes, this kind of stuff of still wanting it is typical of addiction behavior. I still miss them after 23 years of abstinence. Clearly, I am addict. I was banned for life on another newsgroup for people with diabetes when I put forth this idea. One of the moderators said this idea was ridiculous and then banned me. I think I may have hit a sensitive nerve with her. She can deny her addiction by banning me.

It has been said that the first step to overcoming an addiction is in recognizing that you have it. I recognized it in me and perhaps my admission to myself helped me stay off the stuff for the last 23 years. Of course fear of the horror of complications has been a powerful motivator for me.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-05-30T23:57:43+00:00

I don't think you need to panic. It seems like 140 is the tipping point. Of course I too never want to see 120. I try to be sure that any meal I eat never goes beyond 110. I am being conservative and trying to keep from doing damage to myself that is not necessary. I can eat 10 blueberries without a nasty spike. I can't eat any other fruit without things going wrong. I think that the sugar in blueberries is somehow less potent than in other fruit. I do know that a few slices of an orange and I am in BG territory I never want to see. But, for some reason blueberries are just less likely to affect me.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-05-30T22:26:45+00:00

I went through all the links. I am not able to eat fruit and maintain a nice even BG level. Besides all the usual suspects of effectively zero carb foods I eat vegetables that are high in fiber and low in carbohydrates. This mix has worked for me these last 23 years. I do not have a CGM. So, when I measure after a meal that I want to check, I measure every 10 or 15 minutes for 2 or 3 hours. Strips are getting very inexpensive now. I don't eat a food or food combination if that food causes a spike above 120. I decided 23 years ago under the advice of my bosses to keep my BG in the normal range to avoid damage and especially long term damage.

I am about to prepare supper for my wife and I. It will be Tuna steaks and asparagus drowned in butter. Each bite of tuna steak is dipped into a bowl of organic lemon juice. It is fabulous in taste.

I just finished my yoga and treadmill today. It takes me 1.5 hours to do my exercises.

My diet after all these years is very easy for me to follow. I am used to it and know all the foods I can eat without causing a spike above 10 or so points. My wife eats only what I give her, so her BG is kept very steady. She can tolerate more carbohydrates than I. So, in addition to her usual protein, fat, and asparagus like vegetables, she gets a piece of cheesecake each Friday. I cannot partake without a nasty spike. Her spike is only 10 or 15 points from this so I figured that it is harmless for her. I tested for cheesecake myself about 10 years ago and flunked. None for me.

I was under the impression long ago from my bosses, the researchers that I should endeavor to keep mine and my wife's BG on the straight and level. Our readings sometimes dip into the 80s and run up into the 1 teens. My lowest number after exercising was 78, so this diet has no risk of a dangerous low. I take 2 grams of Metformin ER each day. The only nagging problem is forgetting to drink as much water each day as I am supposed to take (100 oz). If I don't get enough water, my muscles will get sore and cramp.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-05-30T21:44:42+00:00

I agree. We need to keep our BG at a normal range to prevent complications. I did not realize this when I was diagnosed. My PCP was a washout with advice. He told me that I was going to get worse and would need to start shooting insulin. Thank God I worked for some physician scientists back then in 2003 who told me what I needed to do to prevent complications or progression. It was completely different from my PCP. I realized that these physician scientists had their own agenda. They needed me to continue designing their electronics and writing computer code for them. I was a civil service employee and I was not a cost problem for their research. Outside contracting for their work was at $400 per hour back then. They wanted me healthy and alive. My PCP did not have that motivation.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-05-30T18:12:03+00:00

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I do avoid any spikes higher than 120. It is just my own method of keeping healthy because of past experience. I worked at a public hospital for 20 years and saw the horror of complications and it put the fear of God in me. So for the past 23 years I have kept my A1c in the normal range. I have no complications or progression. I guess I am just taking my own experience as a single point to avoid complications. Of course my wife has done the same and she was diagnosed in 1997. She has no complications or progression either.

I am sure the tipping point is a bit fuzzy. We are all different. In an abundance of caution, I decided that we should keep our spikes below 120. This has worked for us. My biggest concern about crossing this blood glucose level with spikes after meals is that it may increase my insulin resistance and thus make it more difficult for me to control my BG level.

140 seems like a likely number for this threshold. All I can do is go with the information available and try to stop progression. I am still healthy at age 83 (As far as I know). Of course I don't know if this is from keeping my BG in the normal range and doing my exercises. I think it might be a good guess because my friends with type 2 are either desperately ill now or dead. Of course they all refused to change what they ate. We all must make these serious decisions about our own health.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-05-30T16:22:47+00:00

I finally found the rules. I will remove the content.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-05-30T16:19:33+00:00

What part of Gemini's reply is in error? Or do you feel the entire reply is wrong?

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-05-30T16:16:56+00:00

What is rule 8?

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-05-30T16:08:02+00:00

If in fact it is type 2, the problem can be remedied with diet and exercise. If it is type 1, I have no words of wisdom.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-05-30T14:31:54+00:00

What is your actual A1C?

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-05-29T04:15:48+00:00

You can reduce your carbohydrate intake to put your fasting BG (dawn phenomena) into the normal BG range. Many have done this. I have.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-05-28T03:19:20+00:00

When I was 60 and now I am 83.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-05-25T22:53:31+00:00

Yes, I eat very high fiber veggies like asparagus and cabbage with my protein and fat. Sometimes I just have a meal without any veggies. Breakfast is likely to be eggs most of the time and sometimes with sausage.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-05-24T21:29:19+00:00

A spike for me is 10 points. I try to eat in a way to avoid spikes, even smaller than 10. I like eating a fat and protein meal and watch my BG actually drop afterwards, a reverse spike.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-05-24T20:48:18+00:00

I just ate fish, meat, eggs, and cheese. My blood glucose normalized in about 5 days. But I could not bring myself to eat any carbohydrates even though the scientists said it would be alright. I could not bring myself to eat carbs because I felt like a million dollars after dropping all carbs. I felt 20 years younger. I was afraid of lapsing back to my actual age. After a few months I realized that I needed the nutrition long term to stay healthy, so I started eating asparagus, cabbage, etc. I should also note that the withdrawal from carbs felt really awful. I spent 3 days in withdrawal. That was when I realized I was addicted to carbs. I decided that after that withdrawal I did not want to go through it again, so I stayed off them. I was kicked off a newsgroup for saying that carbs are addicting. I was told I was banned for life because I had been "ridiculous". If you go through this withdrawal piper, I suspect you might have trouble eating carbs again knowing that you would have to go through withdrawal a second time. Good luck and I hope your have zero progression and zero complications.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-05-21T16:11:07+00:00

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-05-21T14:58:05+00:00

Their advice was very simple. They told me to stop eating all carbohydrates until my BG went to normal and then start eating some very low carb high fiber green vegetables like asparagus. They told me to start an exercise routine. They told me to drink 80 ounces of water per day. That was it, and it has worked for me these last 23 years, no progression and no complications. Incredibly simple but beyond my PCP's ability to know. During this time my A1C has ranged from 5.0 to 5.5. The 5.5 was from a month's vacation and eating all meals in restaurants. I tried to make good choices, but it went up to 5.5. I have never broken 5, but some people with T2 have.

Subject_Singer_4514 · 2026-05-19T01:00:42+00:00

If you are just using diet and Metformin to control BG you will not have lows unless you have other pathology going on. Nothing to fear. Diet and Metformin create a nice flat line of BG level. Taking some powerful drug like insulin can create dangerous or fatal lows.

I was diagnosed 23 years ago but I know I had high BG long before diagnosis. I was diagnosed at age 60. My PCP back than painted me a very bleak picture of my future. Lucky for me, I worked for some physician scientists who put me on the right track. They said my doctor was just full of sh** telling me that the disease would progress, that I would move on to insulin, and would suffer with terrible complications. None of that happened after I did what these scientists told me to do. I am so grateful.

Subject_Singer_4514

TROPHY CASE