By Welcome to Kill Diabetes Today!
My name is Dr. Pete and I am your host.
The subject of todays episode is to explain how I used the GLVE (my acronym) protocol to reverse prediabetes.
First, some background about myself: I have a Ph. D. in Chemistry from the University of Colorado, in Boulder, Colorado. I am a husband and father and a veteran teacher. I am sixty years old and I was diagnosed with prediabetes two months ago on January 23, 2019.
Lets quickly take a look at the statistics concerning Type 2 Diabetes: Over 50% of adults in the US are prediabetic or have full blown Type 2 Diabetes (1). By 2030 there will be over 472 million of us walking around with this deadly condition. In the long run over 70% of us will transition to full blown diabetes under the current standard of care (4). The annual cost to a diabetic is about $13, 700 dollars and the complications include, but are not limited to, amputation, stroke, and kidney disease.
In the US the guide lines for a healthy diet were established in 1977 (4). The guidelines established that our diet should be composed of approximately 55% carbohydrates, 15% protein and 30% fat. The rise in carbohydrates coincided with the rise in the rates of obesity and Type 2 Diabetes over the decades since the time when the guidelines were published (5).
Moreover, the standard of care for prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes involves a diet that contains substantial proportions of carbohydrates which are the driver of diabetes (5). This explains why the normalization of blood sugar and the remission of this deadly disease is rare if you are eating a diet that includes elevated percentages of carbohydrates (4).
On the day that I received the email from my doctor diagnosing me with prediabetes I was resolved to reverse this disorder. Yet under the standard of care (4; see ADA 2019), which was the Mediterranean diet, I couldn’t normalize my blood glucose levels and I thought that maybe that I was destined to become a Type 2 Diabetic.
If you are like me and want a definitive way to achieve reversal of prediabetes or Type 2 Diabetes then keep listening.
First a disclaimer:
1) This presentation describes actual life events and the choices that I made to change a serious medical condition. I am not a medical doctor and if you decide to follow the GLVE (my acronym) protocol then that is your decision and you bear responsibility for that choice.
2) The GLVE protocol is backed up by peer-reviewed literature and web sites—you should read them yourself and come to your own conclusions about prediabetes and diabetes reversal and also the current standard of care which keeps carbohydrates in the diet. You will find solid references at www.boomer-100.com under the link: Diabetes Reversal: Papers and Professional Links. I also provide the source of these links in the description of the podcast.
3) Lastly, do your homework and read the research and the information that I provide you in the links—don’t take my words as truth. Read the papers yourself. Be willing to do the work and take responsibility for your own care and the eventual positive outcome in regard to this deadly condition.
Here are the steps that I used to reverse my prediabetes. The GLVE protocol is an acronym for:
G = glucose monitor
L = log book
V = http://www.virtahealth.com
E = Exercise
G = Glucose Meter: Purchase a blood glucose meter which can also measure ketones (3; ketogenic diet). I recommend the Keto-Mojo meter (2). It is reliable and can be found at www.keto-mojo.com. Test your fasting glucose in the morning before eating or drinking anything and record the value in a log book (L). Test your blood glucose again 1 hour and 2 hours after each meal. Record the results. You are confirming the doctors results and collecting data for the next part of the process which is to evaluate glucose levels related to what you eat and do. You need to know, as best you can, what your blood glucose levels are over the course of the day and how they respond to different foods and activities.
L = logbook: Obtain a log book and record your glucose values including what you eat and drink, sleep patterns, exercise details, physiological issues like headaches and muscle cramps, lifestyle issues like long drives, restaurant adventures, etc. This way you will be able to see how specific foods and activities affect your glucose values which will allow you to make intelligent choices about how to modify your diet.
V = Go to www.virtahealth.com and start the Keto Diet—this is a low carbohydrate, moderate protein, high fat diet. To know whether or not you are in Ketosis you will monitor your blood ketones with the same meter that you used to get your blood glucose reading.
Virta Health (3) offers a comprehensive program with a team of doctors and nutritionist. You may want to enter their formal program which might be covered by your insurance. In my case, the program was not covered by my insurance, so I’m doing the program on my own.
E = exercise. If you are not exercising at least 150 minutes per week, you need to start an exercise program. I recommend CrossFit which provides a community of like minded people and a comprehensive program that includes a wide variety of movements and exercise protocols. But the main point is to get off the couch and perform a wide variety of different exercise sessions every week.
Following the GLVE protocol, I have normalized my blood glucose levels based on self-testing using a standard blood glucose meter and using a Ketogenic diet monitored by measuring my ketones. My average blood glucose at this point is 90 mg/dL (4).
Because I am dedicated to providing the viewer/listener with a clear method to reverse prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes I will always start future episodes by restating the GLVE protocol.
Finally, I need to point out that I do not have any conflicts of interest. I’m not being paid for this presentation by anyone. I don’t receive money from any health organization mentioned herein or the supplier of my blood glucose meter. I am simply stating my own experiences in the process of reversing prediabetes using published data and the devices that I have in my possession.
Thank you for taking the time to listen or view my presentation. In the next episode I will address what is called the standard of care (4) that is usually prescribed to patients with prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes which maintain carbohydrates in the diet and why you should ignore these recommendations.
Until next time, this is Dr. Pete signing off.
Update: After 52 days using the GLVE protocol I reduced my A1C to 4.8% from 5.8% and my blood glucose average is 90 mg/dL (average is all values including post meal, fasting, and other random trials). I’m no longer prediabetic.
Note: the references are given a number. When you go to the link, Diabetes Reversal: Papers and Professional Links, scroll to the number and you will find the papers and websites grouped by common theme with the appropriate label.
You can have your blood self-tested on demand without the complicated business of seeing your doctor by going through The Warrior Clinic. This will allow you to monitor your A1C and lipid panel as frequently as you want to without waiting 6 months to see your doctor.
Keep us posted.
At 52 days my A1C is 4.8 and my blood glucose average is 90 mg/dL. I’m no longer prediabetic.