Type 2 diabetic since July 1991, diagnosed based on a fasting sugar reading of 468 mg/dl

by bonny damocles
(Midland, MI, U.S.A.)

Fasting sugar reading of 468 mg/dl

Fasting sugar reading of 468 mg/dl





Question: For more than 20 years now, I have been using exercise as my only type 2 diabetes medication.


I do not know of any natural cures for my diabetes. I will always be a diabetic. But by being D.U.M.B. (disciplined, upbeat, motivated, bold), I enjoy life like I have no diabetes.


I was featured as an exercise case study in “The Science of Exercise” by Erika Gebel. Since diagnosis, I have eaten mostly fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, roots, seeds, grains and seaweeds, with occasional lean meat, chicken, fish and seafood. I avoid sugary, salty, oily, processed and artificially prepared foods.


For more than 20 years, I have had high after-meal readings three times daily after high-carbohydrate meals but no known diabetes complications. I exercise for about 90 minutes daily in four sessions—before each meal and before bed. Could exercise explain why I have remained well, and can exercise alone prevent type 2 diabetes from progressing?


A personal email address from the original submission has been removed for privacy.





Quick Answer


Your long-term commitment to physical activity is impressive, and exercise can substantially improve insulin sensitivity, after-meal glucose, cardiovascular fitness and quality of life. However, one person’s experience cannot prove that exercise alone is safe or sufficient for everyone with type 2 diabetes.


Repeated high fasting or after-meal readings still matter even when you feel well. The absence of symptoms does not confirm the absence of eye, kidney, nerve or cardiovascular disease. A1C testing and regular complication screening remain necessary. Some people can manage type 2 diabetes without medication or enter remission, but medication is appropriate when lifestyle measures do not keep glucose and cardiovascular or kidney risks within individualized goals.




Answer by: Dr. Albana Greca Sejdini, MD, MMedSc



Hi Bonny,


Your discipline and consistency deserve recognition. Exercise is one of the most effective components of type 2 diabetes care. Working muscles can take up more glucose, and regular activity improves insulin sensitivity. Current guidance recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity each week for most adults with diabetes, spread across at least three days, together with resistance exercise when appropriate.



Can exercise be the only treatment?


For some people—particularly those with milder hyperglycemia, shorter diabetes duration, substantial lifestyle change and preserved insulin production—nutrition, activity and weight management may keep A1C within the agreed target without glucose-lowering medicine. This should be confirmed with laboratory results, not assumed from feeling healthy or from exercising frequently.


Exercise should not be described as a universal replacement for medication. Type 2 diabetes is heterogeneous: insulin resistance and loss of pancreatic beta-cell function vary greatly among individuals. Some people remain stable for years, some achieve remission and others need medication early. Needing medicine is not failure; modern treatment may also protect the heart and kidneys beyond its glucose-lowering effect.



Do high readings matter if no complications are apparent?


Yes. Frequent high readings after meals may increase A1C and long-term vascular risk. For many nonpregnant adults with diabetes, a common target is below 180 mg/dL about 1–2 hours after the start of a meal, although personal goals vary. Review repeated elevations with a clinician rather than assuming exercise cancels their effect. See our guide to blood sugar levels after eating.


Diabetic retinopathy and neuropathy can be present without obvious symptoms. Long-term follow-up should include A1C, blood pressure, cholesterol, kidney function and urine albumin, dilated eye examinations and foot/nerve checks. Read more about diabetes complications and screening.



Does this count as remission?


Exercise alone does not automatically establish remission. The international consensus definition is an A1C below 6.5% for at least three months without glucose-lowering medication. Even in remission, A1C should be checked at least yearly and routine screening for complications should continue because glucose can rise again and prior exposure may still affect risk.




Exercise safety


Ninety minutes daily may be appropriate for a well-conditioned person, but it is not a required prescription for everyone. Exercise plans should account for age, heart disease, retinopathy, neuropathy, foot problems, kidney disease, medications and hypoglycemia risk. Very intense exercise can sometimes raise glucose temporarily. Seek medical guidance before continuing vigorous activity if glucose is very high, ketones are present, or chest pain, faintness, unusual breathlessness or foot injury occurs.




Community follow-up


Bonny later argued that his decades without known complications prove that type 2 diabetes is not progressive and can be controlled easily by exercise alone. His experience is valuable as a personal account, but it cannot establish a treatment rule for other people. “Progressive” does not mean everyone worsens at the same speed or must eventually use insulin; it means the underlying biology can change over time. Objective monitoring is the only reliable way to know whether the current plan remains safe.



Related Questions




Related Resources




References




Answered by: Dr. Albana Greca Sejdini, MD, MMedSc

Medically reviewed by: Dr. Ruden Cakoni, MD, Endocrinologist

Last reviewed: July 2026


Medical disclaimer: Educational only—not personal medical advice. Diagnosis and treatment should come from a qualified clinician who knows the patient’s medical history.


Comments for Type 2 diabetic since July 1991, diagnosed based on a fasting sugar reading of 468 mg/dl

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Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		My 2-hour Daily Exercise is still Doing an Excellent Job!!!
by: Bonny C Damocles

EXPERIENCE: Dr. Albana Greca,

This is just to update you on my progress. I am now on my merry way to reaching my 23rd year as a type 2 diabetic using daily exercise as my sole anti-diabetes med. So far so good.

No diabetes complications yet, am getting healthier, stronger, and feeling younger than my actual age of 77 1/2 years.

Thanks and regards,

Bonny C Damocles


COMMENT: Hi Bonny,

Very glad to hear such good news. Hope your experience would serve as an excellent sample to other patients.

I wanted to add that we eat to supply our body the nutrients it needs according to our daily physical activities.

The more we are on the movement, the more energy we are burning; therefore, little is maintained apart to be deposit as fat tissue.

So, the one who really knows and understands such natural mechanisms of our life would be blessed with the wisdom of living healthy for as long (or longer) as you actually are, Bonny.

Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

All the best!

Dr.Alba


COMMENTS



Wonderful Reply From You, Dr. Albana Greca!!!

I really hope that you don't mind my addressing you by your real name.

I truly love to hear from you that I have been burning all the excess fuel I have in my body thereby avoiding the creation of fat cells. My weight as of 3 days ago was 138 lbs. My height is 5'7".

This morning immediately after getting out of bed, I took a fasting blood sugar reading - 122 mg/dl. I power walked for 30 minutes and then took a reading again. It was 121 gm/dl. How do you interpret these two very similar readings? If you ask me, my answer is that whatever fuel I burned was adequately supplied by the release of glucose by my liver. Saying it in another way, my liver did an excellent job of releasing just the right amount of fuel.

Yes, I will be a type 2 diabetic the rest of my life, but this fact does not worry me. Since my diagnosis in July 1991, I have been enjoying life like I have no diabetes. Yes, I have to work hard to burn all the nutrients I take in for eating unlimited amounts of my favorite foods but I get more than enough rewards for my efforts.

Thanks again.

Bonny C Damocles
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Type 2 diabetic since July 1991
by: Bonny C Damocles

COMMENT: Dr. Albana Greca,

One and one-half years after I wrote my last reply to you, I am now adding the information that in May 2014, my A1c was 6.3% and in October 2014, it was 6%.

In a few days, I will turn 79 (date of birth: January 16, 1936). I am still doing my daily exercise routines which are now mostly stair-running. And my favorite foods are still mostly carbohydrates.

I still strongly believe that type 2 diabetes is not a progressive disease. If it were, I would have been in a worse shape than I was when I was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic. My plain explanation: I keep on improving my health.

You will surely hear from one and a half years from now when I reach my twenty-fifth anniversary as a t2d.

Enjoy life always!!!

Bonny C Damocles
03 January 2015


REPLY: Hi back Bonny,

It's nice to hear from you again. Thank you so much for following our website.

Your history is a good example for whom wants to stay healthy and keep blood sugar within normal levels.

Your experience is a good example, however, unfortunately, it might help thousands of diabetics out there.

From one side, there is the pharmaceutical machinery that is encouraging "experimentation" with various "new" medications.

From the other side, it is hard for me to talk to my patients about the importance of keeping healthy.

Furthermore, my other colleagues won't understand the most important points in managing diabetes. So, they will advise "theories" differently from what I try to with my patients.

At the end, I face their rigidity to understand the real problems and to get them correctly resolved.

With regards to "progression" of diabetes, my opinion is based on the research conclusions and logical deduction of possible damages made on cell level due to persistent high blood sugar levels.

Once again, thank you for following up!
Enjoy life as healthy as you can!

Dr.Alba
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		First 25-year Untreated and Complication-Free Type 2 Diabetic
by: bonny Damocles

First week of July 2016 is the 25th Anniversary of my being a type 2 diabetic. I am very happy and very excited to report that since my diagnosis, I have never had any hypoglycemic problems and diabetes complications. All these years, I have been using diet and exercise as my control method. Exercise is one hour of stair-running or stair-walking, and diet is natural, heart-healthy, fresh (raw or cooked) unprocessed, and whole foods which are mostly carbohydrates. My past A1c's were between 5.2% and 6.3%, the last one on October 3, 2016, was 5.8%.

Bonny C Damocles
Male, 80 years old, 137 lbs, 5'7"
I do not take any pharma drugs for any health probles
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Thanks for Sharing
by: Chie

Thank you for inspiring me. I know that being passive kills.

I am in my early 50's and noticed that my blood sugar average has risen a bit as compared to three years ago when I was first diagnosed with "impaired fasting glucose" and took Metformin as my first line of defense and did exercise 20 mins two times a day.

At that time my Doctor was surprised because my test (HBA1c) indicated "non diabetic". However, my dedication to exercise waned from active to occasional and it is then where I noticed my BS to be elevated than where it was.

I know at the back of my mind that regular exercise does wonders and it takes will power to get propelled to do it daily.

Because of your sharing, I have renewed strength to follow a 2 x a day exercise (20 mins. min. each) and cut my carbo. and sugar intake to get me back on course to the previous state I had 3 years ago.

Wishing you a long and healthy life ahead.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Type 2 diabetic since July 1991
by: Anonymous

Chie,

Thank you very much for your reaction to my post. I love hearing from type 2s who are able to stay healthy by using D&E as their way of controlling diabetes.

Bonny C Damocles
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		My 26th Year as a Healthy and Drug-Free Type 2 Diabetic
by: Bonny C Damocles

Dr. Albana Greca,

In less than 1 1/2 months, I will be celebrating my 26th year as a healthy and drug-free type 2 diabetic.

Believing that I am the first type 2 diabetic to accomplish this record, I submitted an application to Guinness World under the category, Longest Time as a Healthy and Drug-free type 2 2 diabetic.

Somebody is writing a book about me and my diabetes which will be published any time soon for worldwide distribution. The 3 countries we would like to target are China, India and the U.S.A.

The message is very simple: The easiest, most effective, healthiest, safest, cheapest and natural way to control type 2 diabetes is by using up all calories taken in. If the diabetic has the added problem of having excess weight, in addition to using up all the calories he has taken in, he must slowly but surely burn energy stored in his fat cells.

For quite some time now, I have been eating only 2 meals per day, no snacks and no drinks except water, and have been exercising twice before each meal for a total daily time of 1 hour.

Thanks.

Bonny C Damocles

After
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		T2D Since July 1991 - Last A1c in 05/19 was 6.3%
by: Bonny C Damocles

COMMUNICATION: Dr. Albana,

Thank you very much for featuring my story as a T2D.

I have good news for you: Dr. Sheri Colberg-Ochs, Ph.D., author, and well-known authority on exercises for diabetics, shares my strong belief that type 2 diabetes is not a progressive disease. You can easily check her out. If you decide to communicate with her, please mention my name. She knows me and my story as a drug-free and healthy t2d for more than 28 years. She is now trying very hard to convince the medical doctors at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) that t2d is not a progressive disease.

Thank you again.

Bonny C Damocles


GENTLE-REPLY: Hello Bonny,

I am very glad to hear back from you. I was wondering long time not to get your news.

I was asking the admin to check out but no news from you since I received today.

I too think type 2 Diabetes is not progressive as long as appropriate diet and lifestyle changes are implied.

It's not a simple attempt because we should knock down our golosity induced by Big Advertisments. However, as human beings, God created us with strong willing that we should use especially when we know that our illness requires determination and regular implementation of good habits.

Once again, thank you for sharing. And very glad to hear back from you.

Dr.Albana (Dr.Alba)
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		T2D Since July 1991 - Last A1c in 05/19 was 6.3%
by: Bonny C Damocles

COMMENT: Dr. Alba,

In July 2020, I will be a drug-free and healthy type 2 diabetic for 29 years.

I don't run the stairs anymore. I discovered a better, easier and safer substitute: stair-walking 15 minutes four times a day.

I still eat twice a day, strictly no snacks.

For more than 5 years now I have stopped checking the required daily blood sugar readings. I have been totally depending on A1c readings done by our family physician every six months. My last A1c last July was 6.3%.

Thank you very much for spreading my story.

Bonny


GENTLE REPLY: Hello back Bonny,

It is always a great pleasure to hear from you.

Of course, yours is a story of success and many of other people, diabetic or not can get valuable benefits in fighting and preventing diabetes.

I'm also astonished for your long experience of reversing diabetes naturally, and now you call yourself "Diabetes-free".

I hope many of other diabetic patients will enjoy the same success as you.

Thank you for sharing.

Dr.Albana

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