New member here, hailing from the foothills of East Tennessee.  I had an unexpected bit of  news last week. I was diagnosed with type II diabetes. I was hospitalized for an unrelated infection and got that wonderful bit of news when they processed my blood work.  My HbA1c was 7.4, representing an average blood glucose of 166. 

My doctor was quite quick to write a prescription for Metformin (500mg, once a day). I really REALLY don't want to be on medication my entire life, so I have taken it upon myself to try to self-correct this situation. I told my Dr I wanted to try to get a grip on the situation with diet. He *insisted* that I take the Metformin and said I would have to be "superman" to maintain a diet strict enough to keep everything under control. Really?

My BMI is currently 29.4, losing 50lb would put me in the middle of my "ideal weight" range. 

The diet suggested by the nutritionist at the hospital includes 60-75g of carbs per meal. Needless to say, I was unimpressed with the ADA diet.. I mean, people do Atkins and related diets and survive fine, so why do they want to put someone who has a carb metabolic "problem" (diabetes) on 180g carbs per day?

I'm thinking about jumping in and trying the Paleo way. It just makes more sense to me than this ADA diet handbook.

Any Type 2 diabetics here on the forum that could share some wisdom? I'm of the opinion that Type 2 diabetes can ultimately be "cured" through extended proper diet and exercise.

In any case, I look forward to chatting with you all and learning from your experiences.

Paleo will minimise any need for medication. If you get on top of your diet now you may still be able to reverse the diabetes. And following paleo does not require any superman status.

I'd recommend reading this book:  http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Bernsteins-Diabetes-Solution-Achieving/dp/0316182699/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324975440&sr=8-1  The author advocates very tight control of blood sugar, and he says the expectations of the ADA are a cop-out guaranteed to leave you with complications. Yes, 60g carb per meal is daft! Dr Bernstein keeps it to more like 12g per meal. His approach is compatible with paleo, just don't use anything artificial like sweeteners. He goes into all the medication issues too.

I'm hoping that I can self-correct this situation and avoid using medications. I was honestly quite ticked off at my doctor for the "superman" comment. It was his way of saying "just take the pills, I know you're not going to eat right." 

They placed me on the ADA 2000 cal diet while I was in the hospital. Breakfast was pancakes with some sort of low cal maple syrup.  Every meal included lots of bread.  The more I read, the less sense it made to me.  I just picked up the Kindle edition of Dr. Bernstein's book. I'll give it a read.

So far, it looks like eating Paleo is going to be expensive, but.. I gotta give it a go.

JeffTN,
Welcome.  It's good to finally see another Tennessean on here and one from the hills of East Tennessee.  After this past season in football and the way our UT basketball team has done so far, things a very quiet around here.
Good luck with your change of lifestyle.  It has certainly helped me over the past 9 months or so.  I've lost over 35 lbs and medically, I'm better than I have been in many years.  Fortunately, I did not have major issues, just the beginnings of some that needed to be addressed.

Keep us posted with your progress.  I guess just one more transgression ... That's the Black-eyed peas on New Years day for good luck.  Yeah, I know it's not Paleo, but...

Wm

It can be normal to eat low calories when you're losing weight. When you cut the sugar and grains, insulin production drops and your fat cells start releasing fat. Your body then has plenty of fuel and you don't get hungry. I wouldn't worry about whether it's enough unless you feel hungry and/or tired. As your excess fat gets used up you'll start to feel hungrier and want to eat more. Just focus on eating the right foods and monitor how you feel. It might be helpful to keep a record of your waist measurement. You'll probably find it shrinking quite rapidly over the first couple of months.

You can go back to your doctor and tell him you're a superman now!