Originally Posted by zacster

Here's my experience. I'm 5'7" and went to the Dr and checked in at 220lbs. My blood sugar had been borderline for years but this time it went over the limit. I was prescribed Metformin, even though I told the Dr I could lose weight and was a cyclist that could burn off the extra. I took it for one day and got so sick from it I called and asked for something else instead. The insurance wouldn't pay for yet another drug that wasn't in their formulary, and I was pretty pissed about that too. I've been on this insurance for years and hardly ever had them pay out anything, but I need something and they won't pay it. Anyway, I get something else prescribed, glucotrol I think it was, and I read the side effects of that one and it is worse than the Metformin in that it causes weight GAIN, where I'm trying to lose weight, and it also can cause blood sugar to drop too low. I decide I'm not taking that one either and never took one.

To add to the problem, I had one bad cardiology test, and they have been testing the hell out of me ever since expecting to find issues with blood flow, blockage, or chest pain, and yet they find nothing. I did a nuclear stress test and the results surprised them when it came back not only negative for problems, but I was actually in better shape than most at my age. But in the process I've scaled back on the cycling just from the worry.

So I went on my weight loss regimen that had worked before, bike to burn 3000 calories/week, and eliminate carbs from the diet. I stopped eating 3 of my favorite foods, bagels, pizza and beer, and also no rice or potatoes. An occasional sandwich was OK on whole wheat bread, but I've had only one dessert in 4 months now. In December I weighed 220, by the end of January I was down to 200, by my next Dr visit as a followup I was at 195 at the end of Feb. My A1C was down below 6. The Dr looked at me and my weight loss and even said I probably don't need the blood test because he knows that's all it will take, except that most patients in my category can't do the weight loss. I saw the cardiologist at the same time and he too said I was fine. Today, mid April, my weight is 185. My goal is to get back to 170. I'm in kick-ass shape for cycling too, having been on the trainer all winter in Zwift. Being 35 pounds lighter also makes it easier to climb those hills.

What bothers me about this is that the Drs wouldn't even consider trying weight loss/exercise as a method to control it when I proposed it, they just want to prescribe. "What will it hurt?" they asked. My answer is that I'd rather spend an hour on the bike trainer than an hour on the toilet each day!