Just received my annual blood test results

[wallycorker]

The example meals you quote are fine (but personally, I much prefer a good ale!). 🙂

But, as I understand it from your own earlier threads, you were restricting your calorific intake to between 1300 and 1500? That's also fine for a weight loss diet, but may not be suitable for others.

You also restrict your intake of starchy carbohydrates. Which, again, is fine for you. It may not be suitable for others. But they can inform themselves based on your experiences and, more importantly, their own.

Please don't take these points as personal criticisms. They are not. I just want other, less experienced people, to be aware that there is no one approach that fits all. I am sure that you agree with that?

Andy

Hi again Andy,

Certainly I was restricting my calories to 1300 to 1500 while I was slimming - I don't think that there is anything unusual about that - certainly none of the dietitians that have met have considered that it might have been to few calories. Now that I've lost more than 5 stones and I'm getting near to my target weight I'm now relaxing that. In fact only relatively recently I've stopped counting calories and carbohydrate intake.

Yes certainly let others carry out tests and decide themselves what approach they choose to use to deal with their own condition for themselves - I'm all for that. As always, I'm simply telling people in some detail what I'm doing and what results I'm achieving. What you or anyone else choose to do is entirely your own business and of no relevance to me personally.

However, I will say that I am absolutely convinced that any non-insulin dependent Type 2 on diet & exercise and metformin only are very unlikely to realise a significant improvement in their blood glucose levels unless they manage their carbohydrate intake - in particular, to cut back on the starchy carbohydrate that they have typically been eating.

Best wishes as always - John

 

[HelenM]

I'm with Andy though, on the ambition to drive it still lower - 5% is more than acceptable, and I wouldn't want people to feel that maybe their 5.5% or 6% is somehow less than excellent. We do have a T1 member whose A1c is somewhere in the mid 4s, but she suffers frequent lows. My lowest to date was 5.2%, but I'm much happier on my current 5.6%

I don't know if I'm feeling guilty here, or if you're talking about someone else but I had an HbA1c of 4.9% and was having too many hypos, I was also losing hypo awareness. Like you I now feel better controlled at a higher level in the mid fives and my awareness is much better.
I do agree with Alans caution about driving blood glucose levels to very low levels for people on glucose lowering medications. The risks of complications aren't reduced that much further by getting below 6% however for type 1s the risk of hypo unawareness increases and recent evidence also suggests there may be other risks from very low HbA1cs for type 2s on some medications


Wally, well done, your results are excellent and in your case they are without medication.

Actually I find it very interesting that you have used a mixture of diets from polar opposites of the diet spectrum; from the the Barnard, high carb, low fat vegan diet, which brought a dramatic change to your HbA1c ( I think I'd find that one very hard!), to a diet relatively high in carbs from fruit, and now more recently a diet in which you have reduced starchy carbs and included higher amounts of animal fat.+ some moderate exercise. (good for you on the exercise 🙂)
Whatever approach you have used your HbA1c has shown a gradual trend downwards.
I wonder if it is something to do with your self discipine in reducing the amount of food or if there is something else that these very different methods have in common?

 

[LisaLQ]

However, I will say that I am absolutely convinced that any non-insulin dependent Type 2 on diet & exercise and metformin only are very unlikely to realise a significant improvement in their blood glucose levels unless they manage their carbohydrate intake - in particular, to cut back on the starchy carbohydrate that they have typically been eating.

Best wishes as always - John

My last HbA1c was 5.1%. I'm just eating a normal healthy diet, which very much includes starchy carbs.

I've also lost 30kgs (over 4 1/2 stones) and my chol is 3.

I'm not saying you're wrong, as clearly it's worked for you, just pointing out that you dont have to cut out carbs or even significantly lower them - as IMO it's the weight loss that counted for me, when it came to lowering my HbA1c.

 

[cherrypie]

There is no one way to control diabetes. Everyone has to make up their own minds and trial and error is the way forward. Whilst some may feel that lower is better for all, this is not the case and it is best to aim for something that you are comfortable with.
Anyone who tries to improve things after diagnosis is successful and I hate this competitive approach. There are no failures here, just people doing the best that they can. Carbs cause controversy on other forums so let's not start that here. Each to his own, there is no right or wrong way.

 

[Andy HB]

However, I will say that I am absolutely convinced that any non-insulin dependent Type 2 on diet & exercise and metformin only are very unlikely to realise a significant improvement in their blood glucose levels unless they manage their carbohydrate intake

I am in 100% agreement with you there, but the level of carbohydrate management required is dependent on the remaining pancreatic function.

in particular, to cut back on the starchy carbohydrate that they have typically been eating.

This point is highly debateable (and frequently is! ), but it still falls within the overall carbohydrate management (as you know, it is all eventually converted to glucose whether it is starchy or otherwise. It's just down to how quickly it hits the bloodstream).

I think that I'll leave it there now. Just to make a final comment that I'm not disagreeing with how you manage your diabetes. I just wish to make it clear to others that there are others aspects to diabetes management than trying to drive their HbA1c levels ever lower.

Andy 🙂

 

[wallycorker]

..........Wally, well done, your results are excellent and in your case they are without medication........

I'm not certain where you got that from Helen because it's not true - I'm still on metformin (2000mg/day), simvastatin (40mg/day), aspirin and ramipril/bisoprolol for blood pressure. Given the situation that I have reached I'm not certain why? However, I'll be discussing that situation with my GP shortly.

 

[HelenM]

sorry Wally, I thought you didn't take an oral diabetes med. I think you're probably right to discuss it with your doc.

 

[Carina1962]

Well done, John, you are in inspiration to us all 🙂 i still have a long way to go with weight loss (i've already lost 2 stones but need to lose another 4 stones to get to my goal weight) and i'm sure that your 5 stone weight loss has helped considerably towards your excellent control. I must admit i thought you only took metformin and no other medication so surely the medication along with your fantastic weight loss and excellent diet has contributed to an excellent HbAic and to your overall good health?

 

[wallycorker]

............. and i'm sure that your 5 stone weight loss has helped considerably towards your excellent control. I must admit i thought you only took metformin and no other medication so surely the medication along with your fantastic weight loss and excellent diet has contributed to an excellent HbAic and to your overall good health?.......

Hi Carina,

No - I'm not certain that the weight loss helped much in the area of blood glucose levels because a great deal of my improvement came very quickly indeeed as soon as I changed my diet - i.e. before I'd lost any weight to talk about. However, I will accept that the weight loss will certainly be good for my general health.

Again, I'm not convinced that the medications have played a big part in my improvement because they didn't seem to be having a tremendous effect until I changed my diet. I'm expecting to come off all of them shortly but whether or not my GP will agree to that I don't know. I'll discuss it with him in some detail but I'll go with his advice whatever he says - I always do!

Hope that things are still going well with you.

Best wishes - John

 

[Steff]

belated well done great numbers wallycorker