My Type 2 Remission Log

Tag: low carb

  • How I Lost 131 Pounds (No Surgery, No Ozempic)

    How I Lost 131 Pounds. Short answer: I lost 131 pounds, from a peak of 356 down to 225, by eating low-carb (about 20 to 40g a day), losing the weight as a side effect of fixing my blood sugar, and walking, starting from just a block at a time. No surgery, no Ozempic, no shortcuts. It took years, and I hit plateaus, but the approach never changed: real food, consistently, and movement I built up slowly.

    My weight numbers

    • 356 lbs, my true peak
    • 327.6 lbs at my diabetes diagnosis (Feb 2023, documented)
    • 225 lbs now
    • Down 131 lbs total

    I’d spent years losing and regaining weight before this. The classic yo-yo. What changed wasn’t a new burst of willpower; it was finally fixing the underlying problem. → How I got my A1C from 12.5 to 5.8

    Weight loss was a side effect, not the goal

    After my diagnosis, I wasn’t chasing weight loss. I was lowering my blood sugar by cutting carbohydrates. The 131 pounds came off as a side effect of fixing my metabolism. That reframe mattered, because it took the pressure off the scale and put it on the thing that actually drives health. → [link: Why weight loss isn’t the same as health]

    The movement: I started with a single block

    At diagnosis I had so much joint pain I could only walk a block or two before it hurt. So that’s where I started. A block. I built up slowly over time, and today I walk 5 to 8 miles a day with zero joint pain. I didn’t do strength training; it was walking, plus the occasional bike ride once I was able. → [link: Daily walking for blood sugar]

    How I Lost 131 Pounds, the plateaus (and what I did)

    I hit stalls. The scale just stops for a while. I didn’t reach for hacks or panic. I stayed the course because I knew I was doing the right thing, and the numbers backing me up (my glucose and my A1C) told me to trust it. The plateaus broke when I kept going. → [link: Weight-loss stalls: what I actually do]

    The aftermath: loose skin

    Losing 131 pounds left me with a lot of loose skin. It’s not attractive, and I had to buy all new clothes, and I laugh about that part. But I’ll take loose skin and a new wardrobe over being obese and diabetic any day.

    FAQ

    How did you lose 131 pounds? Low-carb eating (~20 to 40 g/day) fixed my blood sugar, with the weight coming off as a side effect, plus walking I built up from a single block.

    Did you have surgery or take Ozempic? No. No weight-loss surgery and no Ozempic. Just diet and movement, plus metformin for my diabetes.

    How long did it take? Years, with plateaus. The documented anchor is 327.6 lbs at diagnosis in Feb. 2023, down to 225 now.

  • The Truth: How I Lowered My A1C From 12.5% to 5.8% in Under a Year

    Short answer: In February 2023, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes with an A1C of 12.5% and a blood sugar of 343. By cutting carbohydrates, losing weight, and tracking every number, my A1C dropped to 7.5% in about 60 days and to 5.8% by 2024, where it has stayed. I did it without Ozempic or Mounjaro (though I did reluctantly start metformin). The journey of getting my A1C From 12.5% to 5.8% has transformed my health, and I’ll share how I lowered my A1C.

    My glucose numbers have been holding steady since. However, I have not had a lab-based A1C reading since. That changes in September when I finally get back to the doctor.

    how I lowered my a1c

    What were my numbers at diagnosis?

    On February 3, 2023, I went to urgent care feeling like I was dying. My finger-stick blood sugar was 343. Four days later my full labs came back: A1C 12.5%, fasting glucose 207, total cholesterol 275, LDL 193, and triglycerides 206. The doctor said 343 was one of the highest readings he’d seen. Those numbers are my baseline, the “before” against which everything else on this site is measured.

    Why did this scare me so much?

    My father died from complications of diabetes at 57. My uncle lost toes, then his foot, then part of his leg. I was 54 at diagnosis. In my head, that gave me about three years to turn things around, and the fear of repeating my family’s history is exactly what made me act instead of waiting. I’m 58 now and still here. Healthier than I’ve ever been!

    What did I actually change?

    I cut carbohydrates hard, prioritized protein and good fats, dropped sugar and soda, and measured my blood glucose 8 times every single day. The framework that made it click for me came from a talk by Dr. Sarah Hallberg: treat the cause, insulin resistance, not just the symptom. It’s what I did, and I tracked the results so I’d know fast if it wasn’t working.

    How fast did my A1C drop?

    Fast. My A1C went from 12.5% to 7.5% in about 60 days, then to 5.9% by mid-2023 and 5.8% by 2024. A very high starting A1C can fall quickly at first, and I was also on metformin, which helps. But metformin alone doesn’t take anyone from 12.5 to 5.8, and no medication dropped my 131 pounds. The bulk of the change was the diet, exercise, and weight loss.

    Am I “in remission”?

    Not by the strict definition yet. Clinically, remission means holding a normal A1C without glucose-lowering medication, and I’m still on metformin. So I’m well-controlled, and “remission” is the goal I’m working toward with my doctor. This site is the honest log of that journey, including the part where I ask my doctor if I’ve worked my way off the metformin.

    Where to start on this site

    FAQ

    What was my A1C at diagnosis? 12.5%, with a finger-stick blood sugar of 343, in February 2023.

    How long did it take to lower my A1C? About 60 days to go from 12.5% to 7.5%, and roughly 18 months to reach 5.8%, where it has held.

    Did I use Ozempic or Mounjaro? No. My doctor pushed Ozempic at diagnosis, and I declined. I did reluctantly start metformin, which I regret, but that’s just how my brain works. How you handle this is, of course, up to you.

    How much weight did I lose? 131 pounds; from a peak of 356 down to 225.