Diabetes UK recommends a weight loss of 15kgs for diagnosed Type 2 Diabetics (T2D) because this can literally reverse the disease effectively putting it into full remission.
This week’s weight loss of 2lbs / (0.9 kgs) takes my total loss to just under 3kgs (2.8kgs!), so I’m already almost 1/5 of the way there! That’s great progress!
I also had my “official” blood test results back from my GP which was both good and bad news.
The bad news – it confirmed my diagnosis of T2D! Well, I was pretty much expecting that so it’s not terrible.
The good news – well, there is a lot. Firstly I tested normal for liver and renal function (kidneys), and all my other blood levels are within normal ranges. This includes serum TSH level which is an indicator of thyroid function. This had been a concern of mine since my mother had serious kidney and thyroid issues in later life.
But the BEST news, IMHO – was my blood glucose test result. This is the result that confirmed I have Type 2 diabetes.
So why is that good news, I hear you ask!?
Well – my initial “diagnosis” of T2D came from a blood test I paid for through an NHS service called MonitorMyHealth as discussed here. The test they do is called HbA1c and tests the amount of sugar in the blood (glycated haemoglobin technically speaking).
My score at that time, which was 4 weeks ago on 3rd July, was 56 mmol/mol as you can see illustrated below. 48 and above are in the red area “diabetes”. 42-47 are classed as “pre-diabetes” or high risk of developing diabetes. 41 and under are “normal”.
So the good news is that my new HbA1c blood test – taken last Monday – came back with a score of 51 mmol/mol. That’s 5 mmol/mol DOWN from the previous test results of 56.
So in just two short weeks I’ve significantly reduced my blood sugar – by almost 10% in fact. And that puts me now only 4 mmol/mol away from no longer being classed as diabetic. If I carry on making progress at the same rate, I could reach that milestone (47 mmol/mol) and be pre-diabetic in just another two weeks from now!
And projecting beyond that, again if I keep losing weight at the same rate and the blood sugar levels maintain a similar relationship – it could take as little as another three weeks to subsequently drop the remaining 6 mmol/mol needed to get me to 41 mmol/mol – and that would put me in the normal range and no longer diabetic! That would be just 5 weeks away from now!
OK, Ok, I am no expert and I have no way of knowing it blood sugar and body weight are related in quite that way, and regardless I still intend to keep losing weight way beyond 5 weeks!
My targets remain fundamentally unchanged:
- Target 1 – lose 15kgs / 33lbs
- Target 2 – lose 22.7kgs / 50lbs (taking me under 100kgs and under 16 stone!)
At my current rate I should hit target 1 by early January and then target 2 by the end of April 2024.
Still, it’s really encouraging to see such an immediate and clear change in my blood sugar levels from just adjusting my lifestyle – reducing weight and increasing exercise has seen a massive reduction to my diabetes risk in just two weeks! And I think tracking my intake of sugar, carbs and salt as well as calories on MyFitnessPal has definitely helped as well.
I’m also pretty confident that my recent high blood pressure is directly linked to my T2D since I’ve never had any issues with high blood pressure before, and exercise/weight loss are generally prescribed as the best means to reduce blood pressure too. So I’m sure that as I progress toward reversing my T2D that my blood pressure will drop back to a manageable level as well.
So I feel like I’m well on track to conquering both type 2 diabetes and hypertension! 🙂
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