Low Carb Diet To Reverse Type 2 Diabetes - HOW LONG does it take?

I have been reading a fair amount of sites and testimonials on the web about going on a very low carbohydrate diet to reverse diabetes and be able to come off medications and control the A1C levels with diet and exercise alone. How long does it take?

That is a good question and it depends on how serious you are about your situation. I have seen articles where people did it in 3 months or less. A lot depends on what your current A1C reading is, how long you have been a diabetic, how active you are already, and how much over weight are you currently. Your age and willingness to comply with the parameters for accomplishing your goal also play a part. You also need to look at what medications you are currently on. Are you on a low dose of med's like Metformin and Glipizide ONLY or are you on three or more prescription drugs or maybe an insulin pump. In other words, there is NO right or wrong answer. Most of the real success stories I am reading about  were people who went on 20 grams or less of carbohydrates a day. If your breakfast consists of 2 cream filled eclairs every morning, chased down by 2 cups of coffee with two sugars in each one, you will need to make some radical changes.

If your idea of exercise is pushing the button on your TV remote, you are going to need to make some radical changes. If your idea of cutting back on carbs is eating only 1/2 bag of potato chips as a snack, then you are going to have to make some radical changes.

Link To Low Carb Success

Excerpts:

"It's simple," says Eric Westman, MD, director of Duke's Lifestyle Medicine Program and lead author of the study. "If you cut out the carbohydrates, your blood sugar goes down, and you lose weight which lowers your blood sugar even further. It's a one-two punch."
The low-carb diet used in the study is very restrictive on carb intake, with participants eating under 20 grams of carbs a day. This may be difficult for many people to stick to, but as Dr. Westman says, "This is a therapeutic diet for people who are sick," says Westman. "These lifestyle approaches all have an intensive behavioral component. In our program, people come in every two weeks to get reinforcements and reminders. We've treated hundreds of patients this way now at Duke, and what we see clinically and in our research shows that it works."
 
It's simple," says Eric Westman, MD, director of Duke's Lifestyle Medicine Program and lead author of the study. "If you cut out the carbohydrates, your blood sugar goes down, and you lose weight which lowers your blood sugar even further. It's a one-two punch."