HbA1 level 50

[Meggymooster]

Hello. My HbA1 reading recently was 50. Does that mean I am definitely Type 2 Diabetic? Do I have to go on tablets? What is the best to do to push my levels down?

 

[Anitram]

Hello. My HbA1 reading recently was 50. Does that mean I am definitely Type 2 Diabetic? Do I have to go on tablets? What is the best to do to push my levels down?

Hi. Above 47 is diabetes so 50 would get you a diabetes diagnosis. However, being only just over the threshold means you have a good chance of bringing your HbA1c down through lifestyle changes around diet, weight loss (if needed) and exercise. Some GPs will give you that option before reaching for the prescription pad. If not, think about insisting on it.

The way to get your levels down is to reduce the amount of carbohydrate you eat, not just the obvious things like cakes, biscuits and sweets but starchy things like rice, pasta and potatoes plus things like bread and pizza. Being only just over the threshold you might be able to just reduce portion sizes.

There's lots of dietary information on the site so have a good read, and members will chip in too.

Welcome aboard.

Martin

 

[Meggymooster]

Thanks for your reply. I am vegetarian with a nut allergy so the cards form a big part of my diet . Its going to be a challenge avoiding cards as they fill me up ( vegetables are not filling)

 

[Vonny]

Hi @Meggymooster, this may be a stupid question, but as a vegetarian can you eat eggs and cheese? I'm never sure if that's vegetarians or vegans, or if it's down to personal choice. If you can eat them, I find that's a good way to fill up. I start the day with a 2 egg cheese, ham or mushroom omelette, home made veggie soup and cheese for lunch then either meat or fish (sorry!) for dinner with a huge plate of leafy greens.

Have you looked at the What did you eat yesterday thread? There are loads of ideas in there and there's bound to be some vegetarian options.

Best of luck x

 

[AndBreathe]

Thanks for your reply. I am vegetarian with a nut allergy so the cards form a big part of my diet . Its going to be a challenge avoiding cards as they fill me up ( vegetables are not filling)

Meggy - I'm not veggie, so not best placed to make specific suggestions surrounding what you eat, but please be aware if you are reducing carbs markedly, you probably need to replace some calories with protein or fats, so you will likely end up hungry.

If you do reduce your carbs, you may find you start losing weight, which is obviously helpful if you need to trim up a bit, but if not that signals the need to eat more.

 

[Drummer]

The trick is to stop pushing your levels up - I could just stop following the guidelines for a healthy diet, which have always been wrong for me.
Hunger is often a response to the carbohydrate eaten in the previous meal, as carbs cause insulin to be released which can then result in falling blood glucose levels and the response is a sensation of hunger. If you can eat protein and fat - the only essential nutrients - you can survive.
The sensation of 'feeling full' is not something I like, but I find that if I eat a large salad I feel that my stomach is stretched, so it is possible to get that sensation if it is essential for your way of eating.

 

[Meggymooster]

Hi @Meggymooster, this may be a stupid question, but as a vegetarian can you eat eggs and cheese? I'm never sure if that's vegetarians or vegans, or if it's down to personal choice. If you can eat them, I find that's a good way to fill up. I start the day with a 2 egg cheese, ham or mushroom omelette, home made veggie soup and cheese for lunch then either meat or fish (sorry!) for dinner with a huge plate of leafy greens.

Have you looked at the What did you eat yesterday thread? There are loads of ideas in there and there's bound to be some vegetarian options.

Best of luck x

Hi. Yes vegetarians can eat cheese and eggs and I do eat those, thought not for brekkie..I have a bowl of special K and that's all until lunchtime. I tend to snack after my evening meal and have a sedentary desk job so not burning calories during the day especially while working from home during Covid. After a day at work I am shattered and collapse on the sofa, get bored then eat. Tonight, inspired by this page, I went on the treadmill for a brisk walk for 50 mins...its a start! I will take a look at what did I eat yesterday page, thanks

 

[Meggymooster]

The trick is to stop rushing your levels up - I could just stop following the guidelines for a healthy diet, which have always been wrong for me.
Hunger is often a response to the carbohydrate eaten in the previous meal, as carbs cause insulin to be released which can then result in falling blood glucose levels and the response is a sensation of hunger. If you can eat protein and fat - the only essential nutrients - you can survive.
The sensation of 'feeling full' is not something I like, but I find that if I eat a large salad I feel that my stomach is stretched, so it is possible to get that sensation if it is essential for your way of eating.

I love carbs so do need to cut those down . I have switched from white to brown bread and pasta, does that help? I need to re-educate myself about food as I thought fat was bad for us which is why I have cut the amount of cheese I eat dramatically

 

[Meggymooster]

Meggy - I'm not veggie, so not best placed to make specific suggestions surrounding what you eat, but please be aware if you are reducing carbs markedly, you probably need to replace some calories with protein or fats, so you will likely end up hungry.

If you do reduce your carbs, you may find you start losing weight, which is obviously helpful if you need to trim up a bit, but if not that signals the need to eat more.

Thanks. I am trying to cut the carbs a bit and swap white for brown bread and pasta. I have cut down on sugar...I used to take 2 heaped spoonfuls in coffee and now down to less than half. Am cutting down on buns n biscuits too

 

[Drummer]

I love carbs so do need to cut those down . I have switched from white to brown bread and pasta, does that help? I need to re-educate myself about food as I thought fat was bad for us which is why I have cut the amount of cheese I eat dramatically

I'm afraid that the brown carbs are just as much carbs as the white - unless specifically low carb versions. I go through spells of making bread using all sorts of odd things which are low carb - ground almonds psyllium husk flour, coconut flour, milled seeds, wheat gluten so it rises - when I get something like a proper loaf I am gleeful, but I have had a few doorstops in my time.
All the low fat eating is what began the epidemic of obesity and poor health, so there is correlation, even if no one really wants to do any checking. We actually live longer with higher cholesterol levels - though the article about that was taken down - I think people just did not want to believe it.
I don't think you need to worry about cheese - look up fat head pizza dough - you can make sausage rolls from it, and 'chaffles' - cheese waffles are handy as wraps.

 

[MrsAA]

I'm afraid that the brown carbs are just as much carbs as the white - unless specifically low carb versions. I go through spells of making bread using all sorts of odd things which are low carb - ground almonds psyllium husk flour, coconut flour, milled seeds, wheat gluten so it rises - when I get something like a proper loaf I am gleeful, but I have had a few doorstops in my time.
All the low fat eating is what began the epidemic of obesity and poor health, so there is correlation, even if no one really wants to do any checking. We actually live longer with higher cholesterol levels - though the article about that was taken down - I think people just did not want to believe it.
I don't think you need to worry about cheese - look up fat head pizza dough - you can make sausage rolls from it, and 'chaffles' - cheese waffles are handy as wraps.

I have just looked up the fat head pizza dough..thank you for mentioning this you have made me feel happier!

 

[trophywench]

mmmmm - snag always being though when you do need to lose weight, you can't really throw ALL caution to the wind with the dietary fats.

 

[Perfect10]

I had HbA1c of 49 and was told that I would need a second blood test before they would confirm a diagnosis, by which time I had reduced carbs and the reading was down to 44 so was told I am pre-diabetic.
I started by counting carbs and although had a mainly vegetarian diet, the carb content was huge as I ate a lot of pulses and beans and porridge for breakfast etc
So I now make my own granola for breakfast, if you google keto granola there are lots of ideas. One batch lasts me a week.
I eat more eggs and cheese,I buy lower carb bread. I don’t eat pasta, rice or potatoes and replace with riced cauliflower, cauli or celeriac mash, celeriac chips and also have barenaked rice and noodles which are zero carbs. Nuts are also a great snack.

 

[MrsAA]

I had HbA1c of 49 and was told that I would need a second blood test before they would confirm a diagnosis, by which time I had reduced carbs and the reading was down to 44 so was told I am pre-diabetic.
I started by counting carbs and although had a mainly vegetarian diet, the carb content was huge as I ate a lot of pulses and beans and porridge for breakfast etc
So I now make my own granola for breakfast, if you google keto granola there are lots of ideas. One batch lasts me a week.
I eat more eggs and cheese,I buy lower carb bread. I don’t eat pasta, rice or potatoes and replace with riced cauliflower, cauli or celeriac mash, celeriac chips and also have barenaked rice and noodles which are zero carbs. Nuts are also a great snack.

How long was it between your first and second blood tests and what did you cut your carb intake down to in that period?

 

[Perfect10]

I had the 2nd blood test 6 weeks later and gradually cut carbs to about 50g per day. I used to eat low fat options of foods like yoghurt but now have full fat which fills you up longer. Low carb high fat diet also had the added benefit of weight loss and I have now lost 2 stone.
like you I work from home and exercise was much reduced from what I had previously done, I now go for a short walk at lunch time.

 

[MrsAA]

I had the 2nd blood test 6 weeks later and gradually cut carbs to about 50g per day. I used to eat low fat options of foods like yoghurt but now have full fat which fills you up longer. Low carb high fat diet also had the added benefit of weight loss and I have now lost 2 stone.
like you I work from home and exercise was much reduced from what I had previously done, I now go for a short walk at lunch time.

My repeat test is only 4 weeks between and my original reading was 56...I have cut carbs down and trying to keep to under 100g per day...I am overweight (very), I lost 5 stone in 2019 and that still only just put me under 40 BMI..lockdown was not kind to me and I put on 3 1/2 stone between then and when I weighed in on 2nd January...I’ve lost 12lbs so far since then and hoping to make it a stone when I weigh in on Friday..I’m still eating low fat things because of needing to lose weight but it’s all getting to me a bit at the moment as I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be doing low fat, normal fat.are my carbs low enough...all too confusing

 

[Perfect10]

100g is considered low carb and there is no right or wrong it’s what works for you. I am slowly introducing more as I see the effect different foods have on my BG levels so hoping to settle around the 70g to 100g mark in the future.
I also count cals and carbs through an app and eat 1400cals a day. Normal fats help me feel full and so stop the cravings.
If you are losing weight with what you are doing then that’s great and maybe see what your next HbA1c reading is?

 

[MrsAA]

100g is considered low carb and there is no right or wrong it’s what works for you. I am slowly introducing more as I see the effect different foods have on my BG levels so hoping to settle around the 70g to 100g mark in the future.
I also count cals and carbs through an app and eat 1400cals a day. Normal fats help me feel full and so stop the cravings.
If you are losing weight with what you are doing then that’s great and maybe see what your next HbA1c reading is?

Thank you, you have been very helpful..I use Nutra Check which is excellent for showing carbs, fat, sugar etc..it’s that app which helped me lose 5 stone..I need to get back to that loss and probably more but I’m heading in the right direction now...if I can get 2 more pounds off before Friday that will be a stone gone in 2 weeks and means I will be halfway to my 5 stone again

 

[grovesy]

Thank you, you have been very helpful..I use Nutra Check which is excellent for showing carbs, fat, sugar etc..it’s that app which helped me lose 5 stone..I need to get back to that loss and probably more but I’m heading in the right direction now...if I can get 2 more pounds off before Friday that will be a stone gone in 2 weeks and means I will be halfway to my 5 stone again

Many products that are low fat are usally have more carb as many are sweetened to make them more palatable.

 

[MrsAA]

Many products that are low fat are usally have more carb as many are sweetened to make them more palatable.

Yes, I noticed that many years ago...I’m finding everything so difficult to get to grips with, it seems I can’t eat anything I like at all