Originally Posted by
Jughed
T2, low carb, no meds here - at it for 5 years now.
This regimen has put the T2 into complete remission, good luck on your journey and stick with it!!!
You can reverse T2 - absolutely. I've done it via very hard work and strict diet. I can now eat carbs without any issues. BUT - BUT BUT BUT - you can absolutely put it back into a forward gear and end up right where you started. The key words are reverse vs cure. You can't cure it - but you can put it into remission or "reverse". And no - not everyone can do it.
As for energy on low carb:
-It took me the better part of a year to get comfortable riding on a low carb/keto diet. It took about that long for my body to become fully fat adapted and efficient.
-I had many failures on the bike in that time period.
-Once fat adapted, low intensity rides are fueled by the stored fat in the body. You can seemingly ride forever at low intensity levels.
-High intensity levels require carb supplements. I find 30-40 grams per hour cover my needs.
-High intensity training sessions - 3x10 or 2x20 FTP intervals, 4x3 VO2 max internals - you need carbs. I will add a few hundred carbs the on the days of my high intensity workouts.
Stick with it - its a long road... but it can pay off in the end.
My choices were a life of insulin, finger pricks, oral meds and the typical poor outcome - or low carb and hard work. The choice was easy - but not easy to execute.
I think I prefer the word “remission” to “reversed, as reversed is assumed by many to mean cured. I am very heartened to hear that you have pulled it off, with your T2 diabetes now in remission. I will keep at it. I am still apprehensive about re-introducing carbs during cycling events. I guess that after a few weeks any stored sugars in my liver will be gone from my system. Thanks for your advice.
Are you now able to conduct long distance low intensity rides, purely on Keto fat conversion and water? Do you consciously need to keep a certain amount of body fat and fat intake to make this work, or just keep on with a low-carb diet, which naturally has fat, protein and fibre?