This solo episode is a just a quick update on how things have been going for me. I want to normalize that maintenance is not always easy. The important thing is to pick yourself up and get back on track! I hope this episode helps you feel a bit better if you've been struggling lately.

I like Lesya's story because she keeps it real...

Lesya has struggled with her weight her entire life and, luckily, found fasting after receiving a pre-diabetes/diabetes diagnosis in 2017. Right away, she got serious about fasting and was able to drop her A1c from 6.5 to the low 5s. She has been able to maintain her A1c in a normal range to this day. However, her story is not without challenges. She is Ukrainian and has had an extremely difficult year. Due to all the stress that she has endured, she has regained some of the weight that she has lost (high weight 260, low weight 150). We talk about challenges with respect to fasting that come up when we are under extreme stress.

Through it all, Lesya's commitment to fasting is unwavering. Despite the challenges that she has encountered recently, she knows that she will continue fasting for life.

Josh has quite the story to tell! He's 29 years old and was incorrectly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about a year ago after a visit to the ER. After being sent on his way with a prescription for Metformin, Josh began to research what was happening in his body and started to suspect that he had Type 1 diabetes. He later made an appointment with an endocrinologist and received the correct diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. With the correct diagnosis in hand, Josh began researching how to better manage his blood sugars. Through his research, he stumbled upon fasting as he was attempting to dial in his basal rates. Once he discovered fasting, he realized that he had found an invaluable tool to better manage his blood sugars. Through fasting, he was able to bring his A1c down from 13.4 at diagnosis to 4.9, which is astounding!

Josh is someone that is very on top of his health and he imparts a lot of great knowledge in this episode. He also delves quite a bit into his mindset around his new diagnosis. I hope you enjoy this very heartfelt and inspirational story!

Ginger is always on the cutting edge of diabetes management and I'm thrilled to have her back on the podcast! She's been T1D since 1999 and has been writing about diabetes related topics for 15 years. Ginger has authored or co-authored 5 books relating to diabetes and she's currently a writer for Beyond Type 1 and Beyond Type 2. She has a new book coming out in March about exercise and T1D - can't wait to read it!

Today, Ginger and I are talking about using Metformin and/or Ozempic to improve insulin sensitivity in people with Type 1 diabetes. She wrote a very comprehensive article about her experiences with Metformin, published in September 2022 (linked below). At that point, she had five months worth of data under her belt. Recently, she began to enhance her diabetes management with weekly injections of.Ozempic (newly published article on this subject linked in show notes). We talk in depth about why Metformin is effective in improving insulin sensitivity and how it helps to compensate for other hormonal deficits in people with Type 1 diabetes. This episode is jam-packed with important information that you won't find anywhere else - don't miss it!

Original July 13, 2022 episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fast-life-with-diabetes-intermittent-fasting/id1601043790?i=1000569738289

https://stream.redcircle.com/episodes/bbbb4e6f-eff9-4df4-bac4-723737afd00f/stream.mp3

*Check out her website for links to her books and the articles she has written.

https://www.gingervieira.com

*Find her on Twitter at @GingerVieira

*Links to Ginger's articles on Beyond Type 1: https://beyondtype1.org/ginger-vieira-freelancer/

*The articles referenced in the episode are as follows:

https://beyondtype1.org/taking-metformin-type-1-diabetes/

https://t1dexchange.org/semaglutide-type-1-diabetes/

April is such a ray of sunshine! I absolutely loved speaking to her!

April has struggled with pre-diabetes/Type 2 diabetes for the last 4 years with a starting A1C of 7.4. About a year into her diagnosis, she got serious about her health. She was able to lose weight and bring her A1C down through intermittent fasting and a keto diet. However, life got in the way, and she stop using the tools that led to her initial success. She regained the weight that she had lost and her diabetes became an issue again. Fast forward to September 2022, April decided to reclaim her health through fasting, but she has taken a different approach with respect to diet this time around. She has found a way to eat carbs in moderation and still reverse her diabetes. Her last A1C was 5.4 and she has lost 47 pounds since restarting her health journey - wow!

April has the most wonderful personality and I know you'll enjoy listening to her tell her story!

What a unique story!

In September 2021, at age 45, Gloria was diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic. Taking matters into her own hands, she decided to attempt to reverse her diabetes through diet and fasting after finding the work of Dr. Jason Fung. After a year of blood sugars that were still too high, Gloria was later properly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and is now insulin-dependent. Interestingly, the way she manages her Type 1 diabetes is very similar to the way that she was managing her Type 2 diabetes – which is through diet and fasting. Gloria has only been officially Type 1 for a few months but she has done a tremendous amount of research about her condition. Her last A1c was 5.8, which is incredible for someone that is newly diagnosed with T1D. She has prioritized her health and her blood sugar management reflects that!

Given Gloria's success with her diabetes management and weight loss (+/-50lbs), she decided to write a blog so that people can follow her journey. Check it out – it's very informative!

Blog: https://gloriasfastingfriends.com/

Facebook Group: Lifestyle Changes for a Healthier Future (LCHF)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/995057138113317/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thelatinketo

Andrew is one of the kindest people I have had the pleasure of speaking to on this podcast. His life has not been easy – he was diagnosed as diabetic at the age of 17 and was put on insulin at the time. He was essentially treated as a Type 1 diabetic, although he found out later that he was actually Type 2. He has diabetes running strong through his family and he has witnessed the devastating consequences that it can lead to. Andrew is also dealing with MS. Through all of this, he has an exceptionally positive attitude and does not let minor setbacks keep him from reaching his goals. His latest A1c was 6.1 (down from readings as high as 10), so he is well on his way to reversing his Type 2 diabetes, after dealing with it for many years. What an amazing and inspirational human being Andrew is!

The key with ADF or longer fasts is to set yourself up for success. I'll compare and contrast two ADF experiences - one where everything went wrong and another where everything went right. Enjoy!

Hillary was fascinating to speak to! As a physician assistant, she comes to this discussion with a medical background and her insights about the benefits of fasting paired with a low carb diet are eye opening! She has been fasting for 3 years so she is able to provide lots of great tips about maintaining this lifestyle for the long term.

Within a very short period of time after beginning fasting/making changes to her diet, she was able to reverse her Type 2 diabetes and cured her PCOS. She has also managed to lose a significant amount of weight along the way. Hillary is incredibly passionate and enthusiastic about this lifestyle. I learned so much in my conversation with her and I'm sure you'll learn a lot as well. Enjoy!

Steve was diagnosed with cancer and Type 2 diabetes at the same time. What a difficult time, to say the least! In June 2020, he was able to become cancer free and had improved his A1C to 7.1. However, he was dealt another blow to his health and his A1C went back to 12.6. Through hard work, intermittent fasting, and a low-carb diet, Steve has been able to reduce his A1c to 9.3 and is hoping to reduce it further over time. Throughout everything, he has never lost his enthusiasm for life. I have no doubt that he will be able to achieve his health goals in the future!