After years of hard struggle since my diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, I was ultimately able to slim down and bring my blood glucose back to non-diabetic levels.

But only by going against the medical advice I had been given.

I had kept experimenting on myself. When a friend suggested LCHF/keto, it sounded like the dumbest idea in the world. "Eat more fat to lose fat? You must be joking! And where will my cholesterol go if I eat all that fat?" Still, I tried it. It worked. I kept going.

At the next visit, the diabetic nurse noticed the improvements. I told her I no longer ate carbs. Tut-tut, she replied. Fad diet. Don't cut off a whole food group.

I had to make a choice: would I follow the prescriptions of the knowledgeable medical professionals who looked after me, or would I disregard them, to continue with the only intervention that, as my experiments showed, had produced results?

I took a gamble on myself and continued LCHF/keto, against advice.

When the new results came in, no one could argue with them.

I asked to speak with the doctor for a review. Praise and happiness all over for the improved blood glucose, cholesterol and waistline, but I was somewhat resentful.

I only studied biology of cells in high school at 16, I told the doctor. YOU are the one who went to medical school. Why didn't YOU advise me to stop eating carbs? Why did I have to figure it all out by myself? (What if I hadn't?)

You are a trailblazer, she responded. You are trying out the new stuff. Maybe in ten years the NHS will tell me to tell my patients to do just what you are doing. I can't recommend it today because we haven't had enough trials to ensure it's safe for everyone. But if it works for you, more power to you. Keep doing it: I'll support you.

I would have still preferred to have been told. But, once her honesty and open-mindedness sank in, I realised I respected her immensely. Sadly, she took early retirement (she was younger than me). Fortunately my new doctor and diabetic nurse are equally open-minded and supportive of my experiments.

Let's keep doing our best. Together.