Hi everyone, can anyone tell me how long it will take to get my blood sugar levels under control. Just been diagnosed and when I test myself I am currently at between 11.0 and 16.0. I have changed my diet and have been prescribed Metformin. I am in my first week. Should I see an immediate decrease or will it take a few weeks or months to bring the levels down to a controlled level? Thanks in advance.
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How long to normalise blood sugar level?
- Thread starter Sash98
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rebrascora
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Hi and welcome.
I assume that you are grading the Metformin dose in gradually, starting with one a day and slowly building it up, so that will take several weeks to build up to the full dose so early days for that.
I think the key question is in what way you have changed your diet? If you are following standard NHS advice ie "The Eatwell Plate" which recommends wholegrains then you may not see much improvement. On a progressively lower carb diet, I managed to get into single figures by week 3 I think, but I was seeing steady progress most days. It might be different for me though as it turned out I am Type 1 rather than Type 2.
When are you testing and are you keeping a record of your results and the meals you have eaten each day to help you see foods which work well for you and the others which are problematic?
I assume that you are grading the Metformin dose in gradually, starting with one a day and slowly building it up, so that will take several weeks to build up to the full dose so early days for that.
I think the key question is in what way you have changed your diet? If you are following standard NHS advice ie "The Eatwell Plate" which recommends wholegrains then you may not see much improvement. On a progressively lower carb diet, I managed to get into single figures by week 3 I think, but I was seeing steady progress most days. It might be different for me though as it turned out I am Type 1 rather than Type 2.
When are you testing and are you keeping a record of your results and the meals you have eaten each day to help you see foods which work well for you and the others which are problematic?
Satan’s little helper
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Hello & welcome. Sorry to sound like an “arse” on your first post. (Not my intention.) it varies on the individual.
To what extent have you tweaked your diet. It’s great you use a meter or a sensor to gauge your BGs.
Leadinglights
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Welcome to the forum.
Those do look quite high levels so I assume your HbA1C would be high also. It is better to bring down your glucose levels gradually as you are less likely to get issues with your eyes and nerves. Metformin just helps the body use the insulin it produces and reduces the output of glucose by the liver but also needs dietary changes to make much difference.
How committed you are to making those changes will determine how long it might take to get your levels down.
You can help yourself by keeping a food diary of everything you eat and drink with an estimate of how many carbs as that will help you see where some savings can be made. It is all carbohydrates which convert to glucose so many find a low carb approach successful. It is suggested that carb intake should be no more than 130g per day carbs not just sugar.
Have a look at this link for some ideas for modifying your diet. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
I've completely overhauled it in the past week. Low carb, low sugar. I would say a pretty good diet but I keep getting disheartened when it is still high - like even on the morning it's at about 12.0. As long as I understand it takes a while for my body to adjust, then that's fine. I just couldn't find anything about how long it would take anywhere on the internet!
Satan’s little helper
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I nearly mentioned, “how long is a piece of string?” 🙂 But it is well documented hitting the BGs to hard to fast could have ramifications which could cruelly also cause complications. Slowly, steady could win the “race.”
Leadinglights
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I think it very much depends on the individual. You obviously have a monitor which is brilliant and you can use it to good effect by testing your tolerance to your meals. Testing before you eat and after 2 hours will indicate your meal was no too high in carbs if the increase is no more than 2-3mmol/l and as your levels start to come down you can aim at no more that 8-8.5mmol/l 2 hours post meal. Your aim will be 4-7 before meals and morning/fasting but obviously you are no where near than yet. Looking at trends week to week rather than individual reading can be more helpful as blood glucose varies throughout the day and night and that is normal so being consistent with when you test is more helpful.
I know I was lower than you as my HbA1C was 50mmol/mol which I reduced to 42mmol/mol in 3 months but that is me and for other people it will be slower depending on how their body responds to the changes.
Lucyr
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It’s actually better that your bgs haven’t suddenly dropped. Sudden changes in blood sugars can cause problems with eye sight (at least temporarily), so it’s advised not to make sudden changes but to change your diet and exercise levels gradually.
But, as it looks like your bgs are taking it slowly I’d just keep at what you’re doing and give it a while. Your body isn’t used to normal blood sugars any more it’s used to high ones, so it will take at least a few weeks id say before it adjusts and settles down.
Don’t compare your blood sugars against the normal range for now, just look at are they gradually heading the right direction.
Thank you, that's reassuring to know 🙂
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Keep going @Sash98 - try not to feel disheartened that it can take time for your body to adjust. As you’ve heard, this helps the body to receive less of a ‘shock’. Even once things begin to move in the direction you are looking for, you may find that some times of day (often the waking/fasting reading) are slower to come down.
Martin.A
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As others have said there's no simple answer, and coming down too quickly isn't recommended. In my case it took me 5 months to get back into normal range, but I was starting from an HbA1c in 3 figures. Since then I've stuck with my low carb diet and exercise regime and so far have managed to stay there.
Hi Sash,
You seem to be getting to grips with this very well.
To answer your questions from my experience Q1 - one week. Q2 - 3 months.
My FBG at diagnosis on 13 December 22 was 17 and HbA1c 104.
My GP instructed me to take Metformin and ramp it up to 4 tablets a day asap, but I did not want any of its side effects.
Professor Roy Taylor set out the alternative in his book, Life with out Diabetes>
Here he is explaining it all last year: Roy Taylor Presentation:
The beta cells in the pancreas take longer to recover and produce insulin normally, so the answer to Q2 is months.
An ultrascan confimed I had a fatty liver on 23 December 22. The radiologist said, 'Treat it by diet'.
I started my real food version of Roy Taylor's total meal replacement diet on Christmas Eve: Newcastle Diet leaflet: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/media/wwwncla.../files/201809 Sample Recipes & meal plans.pdf
My BFG was under 6 by New Year's Eve and HbA1c was 39 at the end of March 2023.
Looking back my calorie restriction was unnecessarily severe.
It would have been better all round to have followed Dr David Unwin's advice (eat nutriously dense foods) in this presentation:
The Harcombe Diet does just that.
It also avoid eating carbs and fats in the same meal to avoid cravings and weight gain.
Here is a copy of article about it with added links to Zoe Harcombe's summaries and handy guides.
The Harcombe Diet: How to eat your favourite foods and still lose weight
The Harcombe Diet: How to eat your favourite foods and still lose weight By Prima Team PUBLISHED: 21 APRIL 2016 Do you dream of a weight l...
diabetes-type2-remission.blogspot.com
All the best, whatever you decide to do.
childofthesea43
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Really great reply, an exemplary illustration of what type-2 newbies should first be directed towards on this forum, to be shown upfront what the science of remission has determined and how to apply it to one’s own situation.Hi Sash,
You seem to be getting to grips with this very well.
To answer your questions from my experience Q1 - one week. Q2 - 3 months.
My FBG at diagnosis on 13 December 22 was 17 and HbA1c 104.
My GP instructed me to take Metformin and ramp it up to 4 tablets a day asap, but I did not want any of its side effects.
Professor Roy Taylor set out the alternative in his book, Life with out Diabetes>
Here he is explaining it all last year: Roy Taylor Presentation:His Counterpoint graph after 6-7 mins is the answer to your Q1, the liver started function normally.
The beta cells in the pancreas take longer to recover and produce insulin normally, so the answer to Q2 is months.
An ultrascan confimed I had a fatty liver on 23 December 22. The radiologist said, 'Treat it by diet'.
I started my real food version of Roy Taylor's total meal replacement diet on Christmas Eve: Newcastle Diet leaflet: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/media/wwwnclacuk/newcastlemagneticresonancecentre/files/201809 Sample Recipes & meal plans.pdf
My BFG was under 6 by New Year's Eve and HbA1c was 39 at the end of March 2023.
Looking back my calorie restriction was unnecessarily severe.
It would have been better all round to have followed Dr David Unwin's advice (eat nutriously dense foods) in this presentation:
The Harcombe Diet does just that.
It also avoid eating carbs and fats in the same meal to avoid cravings and weight gain.
Here is a copy of article about it with added links to Zoe Harcombe's summaries and handy guides.
I am relying on the Harcombe Diet as a blueprint for keeping my weight down for good.The Harcombe Diet: How to eat your favourite foods and still lose weight
The Harcombe Diet: How to eat your favourite foods and still lose weight By Prima Team PUBLISHED: 21 APRIL 2016 Do you dream of a weight l...
All the best, whatever you decide to do.
Where is it well documented that removing sugary/starchy foods from your diet and introducing more nutritious foods is risky?
harbottle
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It's been seen that patients being prepared for bariatric surgery see their levels normalise within days, as they are placed on a low calorie diet in preparation for the procedure. I didn't take any measurements, but all my symptoms went away almost as soon as I cut calories to lose weight.
It's called TIND and the causes are unknown.
Satan’s little helper
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It could affect the eyes if you don’t steadily “decompress” from the sustained higher BG levels. There have been mentions by others having dodgy vision & even retinopathy scares after the “short sharp shock” approach to successful BG management.
Edit to add for clarity; which will resolve after a period of BGs in range.
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Leadinglights
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I certainly did, took several months to go back to normal. Distance was fine, close vision was as if my eyes were in different heads, they just didn't focus together. My HbA1C wasn't all that high either.
rebrascora
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We have a Type 1 member who rarely posts these days, who is believed to have developed permanent macular damage to her eyes as a result of dropping her HbA1c levels too quickly, so I don't think it is guaranteed to be transient in nature.
Bruce Stephens
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I'm guessing that's unusual, though. More common would be transient changes. The people in charge of the HCL rollout are taking the risks seriously, since they're hoping (and expecting) some large changes in HbA1c, so they're trying to work out how to control the speed of reduction (in some cases).
rebrascora
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That is interesting. I hadn't considered the implications of drastically improved results with HCL. I guess most of us here on the forum have pretty reasonable results anyway, so you don't think about how HCL could make a massive difference for some people.
I agree that permanent damage is very rare but there is still a risk of it, so worth taking it steady to mitigate that risk, even if it is just through dietary changes. If you are starting with a fairly moderate HbA1c in the 50s and 60s then probably much less risk that someone starting in 3 figures, but it is important for people to understand that dietary changes can be very powerful in managing Type 2 and can even be as powerful as insulin, so not to be underestimated.
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