Ran My First 5K!

First I can't believe it has been over a month since I updated my blog. Since the last blog I have lost 13 more pounds for a total of 63 pounds since May 1st 2010. I now weigh 205 pounds. Back at the first of October I told my daughter Jessica that I would run a 5k with her on thanksgiving morning. So I really started training for that run, I do not have the best knees especially my right knee gets sore easily, so it was a little difficult. I started a method of running that Jessica taught me , running 4 minutes and walking 1 minute. On the Saturday before Thanksgiving I simulated the run a did 46 minutes. So on Thanksgiving morning I ran the Gobble Jog on Marietta square with my 2 beautiful daughters, Jessica and Alyssa, and Patience, one of Jessica good friends. With Jessica's coaching help I beat my time and completed in 44 minutes. It was an awesome experience. I can.t wait to do another one and beat that time. I think back just a short 7 months prior I could not run for a full minute without being out of breath 63 pounds heavier and on diabetes and blood pressure meds, what a miracle, what a God sent Blessing! I have SO SO much to be thankful for.

The 50lb Mark - See Ya!

Well it has been a couple of weeks since my last post. and this Monday I weighed a day early and had lost 2 more pounds since last week which makes a total of 51 pounds I have lost since May 1st 2010. WOW how much better I feel. I thank God every day for the wisdom he has given to Dr. Phil and Bridget Gatcha to help people like myself to overcome type 2 diabetes. My next goal is to be 200lbs or lower by Thanksgiving.

I reveived the results of my second saliva test which showed the hormone levels in my body are greatly improved - just one reason I feel so much better. I am taking some suppliments to help support the production of testastorone . I really enjoy exercise time wheather it is a long walk with Carol, Swimming at LAFitness or a burst workout and weights. I always feel so good after a workout even if I am a little tried. I am still eating Gluten and dairy free and I plan to eat this way the rest of my life as I do not feel deprived. I do not have the desire to eat bread/flour/pasta products or dairy products, there are just far to many substitutes to satisfy the taste buds. I do feel however that it a shame of how our American food culture is getting worse and worse. How our children are eating so much bad food, it is not a surprise that type 2 diabetes and other degenerative diesesees are so much on the rise. Well that's my rant for today. 

Feeling Good About Myself

Yes I am feeling good about myself, something I could not say for last few years. I have now lost 47 pounds since May 1st 2010. When I see people I haven't seen in a while they tell me I am looking good, I hope that is not to vein, but I am very proud of what I have accomplished. Hopefully next week I can break the 50 pound mark. I owe so much thanks to Dr. Phil and Bridget Gatcha, for teaching me how to change my life, and how to eat healthy and not starve or crave food.
Last week I had my 4 month visit with my medical doctor, what a surprise I had for them. First thing they put on the scale, when the nurse looked at the chart she  says WOW you have lost a lot of weight. Then in talking with the PA I explained what I have been doing and that I haven't took any insulin since the end of May and No Metformin since End of June and my blood sugar was staying below 120. They couldn't believe it so they did an in office A1c test which came out 6.3. Back in April it was 9.3. So they made copies of my food logs and blood test and became very interested in what I was doing. So they were ok with me not taking any more medicine and said keep doing what you are doing.

Mile Stone Met

I have reached a new mile stone. As of Tuesday Aug. 24 I lost 2 more pounds for the week for a total of 41 pounds since May 1st. I have never lost more than 20 pounds on any attempt to lose weight in the last 20 years. This is very awesome to me. I feel I will have no problem continuing down this path. My next goal is the 50 pound mark and I hope to reach that in about 4 weeks. My blood sugar is staying below 120 and my blood pressure is doing well also. I had a wonderful piece of Gluten free chocolate cake on my birthday and my blood sugar was just 97 that evening. The cake was made by Sally's bakery in Sandy Springs Ga.

The Last Two Weeks (It's My Birthday)

Yea! It is my 54th birthday today. I feel so much better than one year ago, it is almost unbelievable. I just went with a group I work with at my office who bought me lunch at Seasons52. Seasons52 has a gluten free menu that is awesome! I had the grilled boneless rainbow trout with roasted asparagus and carrots. I am going with the family to the first Falcons preseason game tonight. We will grab some Chick fil a on the way. Yes I found out that the one fast food place that is good to eat is Chick fil a. Just order a grilled chicken salad or a number 7 (Grilled Chicken sandwich) with no bread. The fries are cooked in good oil only used for fries.
Well since my last post I have lost 2.5 more pounds. The first week I lost 2 and only a half of a pound last week, this was mostly because I had injured my leg from working out with a trainer a little to vigorously, so I had to rest it for 5 days. I am back walking 45 minutes now and feeleing good. My blood sugar reading are still averaging between 100 to 110. I am taking another supplement called Neuro2 from Apex Energetics. This helps support the flow of oxygen in the blood and it has helped with the neuropathy in my feet.
I have been Gluten and dairy free now for 3 and a half months and it has become second nature. I do not crave any breads, pastas, or cereal or dairy products. I also found some great vanilla ice cream made by Almond breeze that is gluten and dairy free. I used it to make some Banana shakes for Carol and I. It was awesome and did not spike my blood sugar. My body is really metabolizing great.

Well it is time to go eat some Gluten free birthday cake!

I Got To Share My Story On TV

I got the opportunity to share  alittle of my experience on a local TV show here in Atlanta on NBC called Atlanta and Company. That was a completely new experiance for me. I was nervous at first but after we got started it was not that bad. http://www.11alive.com/atlanta_and_company_story.aspx?storyid=148186

This has been amazing to me how well this change in my life has worked and I really hope I can be inspire someone to get help with getting their type 2 diabetes reversed. I highly recommend the Gatcha's program. If you do not live in the Atlanta metro area please seek out a doctor that will work with you to reverse type 2 diabetes not just give you medicine to lower blood sugar.

I also joined LAFitness yesterday to start a more vigorous exercise schedule. I did some burst training and work arms and back.

July 27th Dr.Gatcha Visit

I weighed this morning ( I weigh every Tuesday morning) and I had lost 2.6 pounds since last Tuesday for a total of 33 pounds since May 1st. I am still going to take Glysen the insulin resistant support supplement and some Omega-3 supplement. I also got the go ahead to do some more vigorous exercise twice a week I will be doing some burst training and weight work. I started this afternoon, it was fun but I think I will be sore in the morning. My blood sugar still staying normal.

Starting To Exercise

In my last meeting of June with Dr. Gatcha not only did we start on working with supplements for adrenals and insulin Resistance. We talked about adding exercise to my regiment. I ask how often I should exercise and the doctor had a great answer, "God made our bodies to work for 6 days and rest 1". He also wanted me to get a book called "Younger Next Year", a very good book to inspire you to exercise and understand the importants of it whether you are diabetic or in perfect health. I was to start by walking 45 minutes per day at a pace to keep my heart rate at 60 percent of max, which for me was about 110. I started doing this and really enjoyed it, especially because Carol would go walk with me. All of a sudden we had a lot of time together that we had not had in the past several years without a lot of distractions, it was like finding an old friend you had not talked to in a while ( probably shouldn't use the word old, but you understand). Also I was noticing my blood sugar ranges were improving during the last week of June. I stop the metformin and yes, my blood sugar stayed below 130.

So on the 4th of July I celebrated my Independence from diabetic drugs. I also gave a testimony in church to how God had lead me to Dr. Gatcha and how God had healed me through all the work. Then into the second week of July I started noticing my blood sugar ranges being below 110 most the time and always below 120. Now we are in the 3rd week of July I am taking no diabetic medicines or blood pressure medicines. I have lost 30.5 pounds, I have gone from 46 to 42 pants, xxl shirts to xl shirts, my blood sugar is averaging below 110, my blood pressure is 118 over 72. I feel young again with much more energy.

Month 2 Results

So we start into June 2010 and into the forth week of the program. First, since I have graduated from the Clearvite system to a new diet. Dr. Bridget Gatcha has a diet plan they call the Last Diet as it should be the diet you stay with the rest of your life. She put together a months worth of weekly meal plans for all 6 meals of the day. Each week comes with a shopping list and recipes for meals of that week. The book is laid out excellently and very easy to follow. There are some great meals and snacks that are all gluten free and for the most part dairy free. There are great recipes like how to make gluten free meatloaf, and taco salad. Still through the month of June Dr. Gatcha did not want me to exercise as he wanted me first to just let my body heal. So I continued with a gluten free, dairy free diet and taking the following supplements for support of my stomach and intestines. All of these are made by Apex Energetics:
Gastro-ULC, Glutenflam, H-PLR, HCL-Prozyme and still using Oxicell cream. I would take 2 pills with breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Starting on June 2 2010 I quit taking my insulin shot at night but I was still taking 500mg of metformin. My blood sugar was staying between 120 to 140.  I tried a couple of days with out metformin but my blood sugar would go back to 160 to 170. I also continued to loose weight even though I was not exercising. the week after I stopped taking any insulin I lost 7.5 pounds. I still took one of the clearvite shakes a day also, and would make it part of my normal breakfast. I put 8oz of almond milk, 1 scoop of chocolate clearvite powder, 1 banana, and a table spoonful of Sunflower seed butter in the blinder and mix. YUUUMMMY! I have the shake and 3 pieces of turkey bacon for breakfast. My digestive system was just getting better and better. I would also do a lot of grilling, chicken, fish, steak, pork loin. We also sauteed a lot of zucinne, squash, bell peppers, and onion in olive oil. I found to always make enough to have left overs for lunch the next day. I found that always planning a the very least a day or 2 days ahead of what you were going to eat and making sure you have all the ingredients was a major help in eating right. Last minute decisions on food can become bad decisions. By the end of June I had finished 2 rounds of the supplements for gut repair and move to the supplements for adrenal support and insulin resistance. I began another round of natural supplements from Apex Energetics: Glysen, Adaptocrine, Fibromin, Protoglysen which I took 2 pills with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I also added a cream 3 times a day called adrenalcalm. Also by the end of June I had lost 24 pounds. No insulin shots, no blood pressure meds, only 500 mg of metformin blood sugar averaging 120 to 130. WOW! Just 2 months ago I was taking 2000 mg of Metformin and 60 units of insulin and my blood sugar was over 200. Thank you God!

Lab Results

As I told you before although I am blogging in detail what I am doing to heal my body and reverse diabetes, everyone may be a little different. That is why it is important to get the lab testing done. During my visits to Dr. Gatcha thru my second to third weeks the lab results from my test were coming in and we would go over each one in detail. This was the first time I had ever had a doctor sit down with me for 30 minutes to a hour to discuss my health. I could tell that this doctor really cared about me and helping me to get well. The blood test which checked over 50 different markers came back. This showed I had a A1C of 9.3 and glucose of 226. There 16 markers very high or low out of the 50 including magnesium, phosphorus, CO2, Potassium, Chloride, and triglycerides. Like I said Dr. Gatcha sat down and went over each item with me and what it meant, but the best words were nothing we cannot fix. The stool samples revealed that I had no bad bacteria but did have too high of a level of good bacteria and some unknown parasites, which he said normally come from letting dogs lick you around your face which I do. Again nothing that couldn't be fixed. The saliva test showed that I was allergic to gluten, nothing I hadn't already figured out just by the result I was getting from going gluten free. The blood test revealed that I was very dehydrated. So, I also now drink about 80oz of water a day. Using the data from all the lab work Dr. Phil and Bridget Gatcha put together a plan of attack to heal my body and get my metabolism back to normal.
1. Clearvite cleanse (which I had completed)
2. Gut repair
3. Adrenal repair and insulin resistance
4. Test blood again
5. clean up and hormones

So now that I have graduated  from the Clearvite system, I am still eating gluten free and dairy free. I can now have beef and pork. I can also have small amount of dairy like a pad of butter or small amount of cheese but I really have not needed it.

First Results

Well as I mentioned previously I was starting off on my new life learning how to eat gluten/wheat/dairy free. Surprisingly it was not that hard. One trick to start is to go to Kroger or Publix Deli and get a pound of Boreshead turkey low sodium sliced up, boreshead does NOT inject their products with MSG. So if you get in a pinch for food you can make a turkey roll up. This really helped me as I was right in the middle of ball season and Umpiring games on week nights and tournaments on week ends. A couple of other helpful tricks for snack is always have a bag of nuts available and Larabars(I love the apple pie ones). After being on the program a week I notice how much better I was already starting to feel. I did not have stomach trouble. As a matter of fact I have not had to take 1 dose of Imodium or any other stomach medicine since May 1st 2010. My energy levels were beginning to rise and my blood sugar readings were starting to get below 200 for the first time in 3 to 4 months. Oh yea, Dr. Gatcha has forms that you use to track every thing you eat and drink, and track/chart blood sugar readings. I use to could not stand to take my blood sugar reading, but now I can't wait to find out how good it is. Dr. Gatcha also made me very conscious of when and how many times I ate per day. I made sure I would eat every 2 to 3 hours. Starting with Breakfast around 7:30am, Mid-morning snack around 10:30am, Lunch around 12:30pm, Mid afternoon snack around 3:30pm, Dinner around 7:00pm, and an evening snack around 10:30pm. Lot's of eating! But remember how I had spoke about being so hungry at night after dinner and could not get satisfied. Well most nights I would have to force myself to eat a handful of nuts at 10:30pm.
Now by the end of the first week my blood sugar readings were averaging from 130 to 160 and on May 7 I had a before dinner reading of 107 needless to say I was amazed. I then cut my Lantus shot down to 30 units from 60. The second week my blood sugar was still averaging 130 to 160 with a low of 104. I had not seen my blood sugar below 120 in I know over 5 years. By the end of the third week my blood sugar staying below 125 so I dropped the Lantus units to 10 and Metformin to 1000mgs. Also I should mention I was not exercising  at this time. I had ask Dr. Gatcha about exercises but he said no exercise yet the body needed to heal and that I should not put stress on it. But I was doing some umpiring which is some exercise but not aerobic. During this time I had also lost 11 pounds. During the 3rd week I also noticed being a little dizzy when bending over and coming back up, I found my blood pressure to be a little low so I stop my blood pressure medicine and kept a close watch on my blood pressure. At first it was 133 over 78 but came down to average 125 over 72. So I have not taken any more blood pressure meds. By the forth week I was no longer taking Lantus insulin shots and was just taking 500 mg of metformin. JUST FOUR WEEKS!!!!

What Is the First Step?

So after the initial meeting with Dr. Gatcha he said that he would like to help me and we set up an appointment with him so he could also meet an talk with Carol. He believes it is very important to have your spouse totally on board and supporting you, I found this to be very important also. At this meeting we also discussed the cost of the plan and a little more of what to expect. Dr. Phil and Bridget Gatcha are doctors of chiropractic so insurance does not pay a lot towards this treatment or the lab testing involved.
Before I go further I want to let everyone know that even though I am going to be pretty detailed of what I have done. The fix for me may not necessarily be the exact fix for you. One of Dr. Gatcha's main approach is every patient is different even though they may have the same symptoms. I believe this is what make this so successful. Our Medical doctors now just treat the symptoms with out finding the cause. This is why the extensive lab testing is needed. Basically finding out what made your body start rejecting insulin. So we found that for 6 months of treatment and labs would be would not be covered by insurance. this is our nations insurance problem, insurance companies will pay for Diebetic meds and complications of diabetes but won't pay for working to reverse diabetes. It did not take Carol and I long, even though we were not in the best financial position to handle that right then, to decide my health was more important and that we would find a way some how. I owe Carol deeply because one of things we had to do was cancel an upcoming trip to the beach this summer. We did find a company Chase HealthAdvanse that makes loans for these types of things and lets you pay back in 24 months with no interest. I mention this so you may use them if you need it. So we signed and we were off to the races.

So my true starting visit was Saturday May 1st. I first got the low down on my first step: a 21 day liver cleanse using the ClearVite system. This consisted of Apex Energetics product called Clearvite (which comes in Chocolate or Vanilla) powder to make a shake. The first 4 days you take a shake at breakfast, 3 days 2 shakes a day , the for 7 day you take 3 shakes a day, then back to 2 for 3 days then back to 1 a day. This has protein, minerals, and vitamins that help detoxify the liver. While doing this you must also eat Gluten free, wheat Free, and Dairy Free. Also, you can only eat Fish, Chiken, or turkey. During this 21 day cleanse I would also take some supplements made by Apex energetics. Metacrine-DX, Methyl-SP for liver support and Bilemin for Gall Bladder support, and a cream called Oxicell which helps against inflamation ( I have come to really like Oxicell). I also got xrays done of my neck and started adjustments. For the first 4 weeks I would come to the office twice a week. I also got my orders for Blood/Urine lab work, and kits for stool samples and salava test to send off.
Well I got started and got my Lab work done and samples sent off by the 4th. Now I wondered will I see results?

Drawing The Line in the Sand

First, let me give a little more background on myself. I am married to a wonderful woman, Carol, we have been married for 34 years. We have 3 wonderful children. Our oldest Jessica is about to be 30 and is a dental hygienist and owns her own home, our son C.J. is 23 and is currently working an internship at Southern Tracks and is working to be a recording sound engineer and is very talented, and our youngest Alyssa about to turn 20 is starting her 3rd year of college at UWG to become a middle school teacher. I lost my Dad when I was just 21 to a heart attack he was just 50. I lost my Mom to pancreatic cancer about 9 years ago she was 73. My Mom and Dad were excellent parents, and always put the needs of my sister and I first before theirs. I have tried to model my parenting skills after them but have come nowhere near as good as them. I was always very close to both of them, but my Dad and I had a special bond through baseball, football, golf and fishing we always did a lot together - I miss him a lot!. I am an IT Manager at a company I have worked with for over 17 years, I also umpire baseball for Rec, Travel, and High schools. Anyway I just wanted to mention these things to give you a small picture of where I am in life.

As I had mentioned in the previous post By April of 2010 I was taking 2000mg of metformin a day, along with 60 units of Lantus at night via shot. I also took blood pressure medicine. I had really been having a lot of stomach trouble for about the last 6 to 8 months. I would try to eat pretty good, but at night after dinner till midnight it seemed I could not get satisfied. I was drinking a lot of diet sodas, and diet Popsicles which contained aspartame. I was having to take about 5 to 7 tablets of Imodium every 2 to 3 days to keep from constantly running to the bathroom. I was pushing myself to do my job at work and to umpire baseball which I truly love to do. I never had energy to help my wife or kids when they might need me. If I was not at work or forcing myself to umpire, I was a couch potato it was all I had energy for. My feet had also started to have neuropathy and I was having pain in them. I really felt I was headed for a heart attack, stroke, or other fatal health problems. My blood sugar was once again hitting in the 200 - 280 range constantly. I could not stand to take a blood sugar reading. I had tried to exercise and loose weight but was not successful at dieting or constant  exercise. I was so frustrated I even had thoughts of why try just enjoy food, so what if it is killing you. I am a christian and strongly believe in God, and I strongly believe God cares about us and every aspect of our lives. I was praying pretty consistently to God asking for help with my problem, for strength to stop the over eating, to get my blood sugar ranges in control.
Well about the middle of April my wife happened to be watching Atlanta & Company and saw this :
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid34619011001?bctid=76687571001

Needless to say when I got home from work she told me about it and had written down the website http://www.drgatcha.com/ . I would normally would have blown it off thinking no way this could be true just some one after my money, but I don't know something in Carol's eyes, a feeling I had, told me to check it out and when I did I felt very compelled to call and email to see if I could meet with Dr. Gatcha, I know now it was God leading me. So I went to a group presentation by Dr. Phil Gatcha at his office, where there were  myself and 10 other people, I filled out a form stating my problems, where I was in life, and what my motivation was. I listen intensely as he spoke of how they did extensive testing to find out exactly what my problems were and would put a plan together to fix the CAUSES of diabetes not the symptoms. I was on board with the idea. He also explained how they could not accept everyone but choose patients by motivation. For some reason after the presentation I was still filling out  a few things on the form and he came to me introduced himself and said I have a few minutes why don't you come back to my office and let's talk. Again God at work. Well, I explain to him my story and he ask me what was my motivation to get better. I said I feel if I keep on the same path I am on I will be dead in 10 to 15 years and My children although grown may give us some grandchildren in 10 to 15 years and I want to be a part of there lives. He ask me a question: Did you hear what just came out of your mouth. Yes I was ready to draw the line in the sand!

A Little Medical History

A little over 10 years ago not long after my 43rd birthday I was diagnosed with type II diabetes. I had really been feeling very tired all the time, constantly thirsty, and would have to urinate badly about every thirty minutes. Well my father and mother were type II diabetics so I new what the symptoms were and I had a strong suspicion what was wrong so I went to my family doctor and sure enough my blood sugar was 350. So he sent me home with a prescription for Metformin 500 mg twice a day. Also just being told to lay off sugar products, white bread and potatoes, the three staples of my diet. About a year after that I was also diagnosed with Hypertension and given a blood pressure medicine called Avalide 300. I did pretty well for about 3 to 4 years until my blood sugar started to rise again so my family doctor sent me to a internal medicine doctor who worked mostly with diabetics and he added avandia to my medicines which did bring my blood sugar down. From there I also had to go to 1000 mg of metformin. Then when the scare came out about avandia they changed me to Byetta (shot) and 1000mg of metformin, this was about 4 or 5 years ago. This worked to keep my blood sugar kind of in check but I still was not feeling the best. Then in June of 2008 my blood sugar started rise past 200 and 250 again, so I was changed to Lantus shots, this is a long lasting insulin that is given at night before bedtime. I started with 20 units and by April of 2010 I was taking 60 units of insulin each night and 2000mg of metformin a day, blood pressure meds, and cloresteral meds also the doctor wanted me to start taking an asprin every morning.

Where do I start?

First let me say welcome to this blog. This is the first blog I have ever attempted to create. Also, I am not a writer or grammar expert of any kind so hopefully this blog will not be to hard to read. I decided to create this blog to document the work I have been doing to reverse my diagnoses of Type II Diabetes and to let anyone who wants to know that it can be done and I am living proof . My hope is that this blog can maybe inspire someone with Type II Diabetes to start the path of recovery for what I have found is that there is no reason to just live with it.