Keeping HbA1c down

[Starbright]

Hi I was diagnosed type 2 in July this year with HbA1c of 49. Now 4 months and nearly a 3 stone weight loss later it is 43. Obviously very pleased and I will continue with my diet changes I’ve made (no meds) but it’s how I keep in the normal range of 42 and below causes me concern. I can carry on getting it down hopefully eating what I’m eating but keeping it down is what I worry about. Any advice?

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome

You have done fantastically well, so be very proud of your achievement and try not to worry. Just continue to do what you are doing and there is no reason to believe that it will stop working. It is possible that over time you will lose your focus and start to slide a bit and that is totally normal, but you will know what to do to get back on track because you are already doing it.
If you feel that it is not sustainable long term then many of us find that when we reach a normal BMI we increase our fat intake which stabilizes our weight, makes eating low carb sustainable longer term because it provides an alternative source of energy and also makes the diet more enjoyable.
Good luck

 

[Toucan]

Hello Starbright and welcome to the forum.
You are doing amazingly well, with such a very good result on your weight loss, which has got reflected in your reduced HbA1c.
My advice would be whatever your doing in terms of lifestyle and eating, keep doing it, it works well. You seem to have accepted that this is a permanent eating/lifestyle change, not a 'once off' diet, so all looks good.
After initial struggles I have managed to keep my readings steady for a number of years, as have many people on this forum.
There is much help and advice here to help with questions and bring new ideas to add variety. I hope you enjoy being part of us.

 

[Starbright]

Thank you for your kind and supportive messages rebrascora and Toucan, much appreciated. You’re right Toucan, it is a complete lifestyle change and it can be hard but I am doing my best to embrace it. It is good to read how other people manage everything and it lovely to hear from both of you

 

[grovesy]

You have to find what works for you and can maintain most of the time.

 

[Ditto]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Congrats on your lifestyle change. 🙂

 

[Norm62]

Starbright that's great to hear you keeping the hba1c levels down,well done, can I ask what diet you used please.

 

[Martin Canty]

Congratulations on your progress,

As stated, continue implementing your lifestyle changes.... It becomes second nature over time. Once desired goals are achieved then you can just find a balance myself I found that it was too much effort to try & keep to a weight of 165lb... Now I sit at 175lb with no effort at all (people also told me I looked Ill at 165lb).

The absolute trick is to be happy with your lifestyle, otherwise it will not work in the long run.

 

[Starbright]

Hi,

Like you I have had to work on my diet to get my BG level down, although I had to come down from a much higher level at diagnosis - 114, which was dangerously high. Low carb has become a way of life and the only issue I had was keeping my calories up. I'm eating, on average, 120g of carbs per day and have added protein and fat to my diet.

Are you testing? One thing that helped me drive down my BG levels was testing every day, and by recording my results I could see the downward trend. This was reflected in my Hba1c, from 114 in March to 56 in May and 41 in August. Although 41 is below diabetic level I still test every day and recent results suggest I may have dropped my Hba1c a little more. I shall find out at my next DN review.

Keep up the good work. You're clearly doing the right things.

Martin

Hi Martin, you have done amazingly well. I hope you get some more positive news at your next DN review.

I don’t actually test at the moment, and am aiming to be below the diabetic level like yourself by my next blood test which I think I’ll get done mid January. Christmas will be a test but I’m sure I’ll cope. My treat will be a crunchy roast potato on Xmas Day.

Good luck at your review

Mandy

 

[Starbright]

Starbright that's great to hear you keeping the hba1c levels down,well done, can I ask what diet you used please.

Hello Norm62

Since I found out mid July I have gone on a reduced carb diet. No potatoes, pasta, rice, or stuff with sugar obviously. I never knew cauliflower rice was a thing, or even ever considered Courgetti in my life . Now I just look at the meals I prepare for my family and try and adapt them for me. I’ve tried recipes but they don’t always go down a treat with my family so I tend to just adapt what I normally cook. I do eat Nimble bread for my work lunch but that seems to be okay for me. Cook from scratch and scrutinise all ingredients. Hope that is of some help.

Mandy

 

[CathyB]

Hi and welcome Maintaining is the biggest challenge, the best advice I was given at the start was that this is a marathon, not a race. Any changes I made had to be sustainable or I wouldn’t stick with it! Working out what meals I liked and would help me was key, it took a while but i think I now have enough variety that I dont get bored, although I dont test my blood as often as I did at the start, I make a point of doing it once a week, this helps me focus and stops me falling off the wagon. Special occasions are a huge challenge because that little demon on my shoulder whispers in my ear to say it wouldn’t hurt to have a ‘day off’, my diabetic nurse tells me the same, treat myself now and then......but.......I know me and I know that one day off will extend to two days and then i will be back to square one. I know others can and do have treats but I am just not disciplined enough so best not to try. Don’t get me wrong, I am no angel, I do resent it sometimes and I REALLY want cake or ice cream sometimes, but I just cant be trusted

 

[Starbright]

Hi and welcome Maintaining is the biggest challenge, the best advice I was given at the start was that this is a marathon, not a race. Any changes I made had to be sustainable or I wouldn’t stick with it! Working out what meals I liked and would help me was key, it took a while but i think I now have enough variety that I dont get bored, although I dont test my blood as often as I did at the start, I make a point of doing it once a week, this helps me focus and stops me falling off the wagon. Special occasions are a huge challenge because that little demon on my shoulder whispers in my ear to say it wouldn’t hurt to have a ‘day off’, my diabetic nurse tells me the same, treat myself now and then......but.......I know me and I know that one day off will extend to two days and then i will be back to square one. I know others can and do have treats but I am just not disciplined enough so best not to try. Don’t get me wrong, I am no angel, I do resent it sometimes and I REALLY want cake or ice cream sometimes, but I just cant be trusted

Hi CathyB, I totally understand. My kids say have a bit, have one, but I too know that will lead to more ..... so I say no. I’m not sure I would enjoy it the same either, I’d feel so guilty . I’m not quite at the maintaining level I want to be at so I’ll keep plodding on for a while longer then reassess. Maybe eat cheese , heaven, as I can’t keep loosing weight for ever lol. Thank you for your words, much appreciated

 

[Drummer]

Special occasions are a huge challenge because that little demon on my shoulder whispers in my ear to say it wouldn’t hurt to have a ‘day off’, my diabetic nurse tells me the same, treat myself now and then......but.......I know me and I know that one day off will extend to two days and then i will be back to square one. I know others can and do have treats but I am just not disciplined enough so best not to try. Don’t get me wrong, I am no angel, I do resent it sometimes and I REALLY want cake or ice cream sometimes, but I just cant be trusted

I'd be rather pointedly asking how I would know when my diabetes had taken a day off so it would be safe to eat 'treats' without spiking my glucose levels.
It is perfectly OK to eat things made to be low carb, but commercially made things are packed with carbs because that makes them cheaper to produce.