-
Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
Why
- Thread starter Relax657
- Start date
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
@Relax657 Lower HbA1c is usually due to lower blood glucose levels - which is why so many of us use a blood glucose tester to check our meals are suitable.
To get to normal numbers of HbA1c I need to stay down under 40 gm of carbs a day - maybe I could do 50 at a pinch, but as I get older I want a margin of safety.
The modern diet is so carb heavy, we are told so often how healthy carbs are - at least I was, so it is easy to go over the amount you can cope with.
Perhaps a check on just how much sugar and starch you are eating each day might throw some light on the matter, and possibly you could be something more exotic and interesting than a plain ordinary type 2. I suspect that there are several different conditions which get labelled type 2 but require different solutions, or are eventually reassessed as not type 2 after all.
To get to normal numbers of HbA1c I need to stay down under 40 gm of carbs a day - maybe I could do 50 at a pinch, but as I get older I want a margin of safety.
The modern diet is so carb heavy, we are told so often how healthy carbs are - at least I was, so it is easy to go over the amount you can cope with.
Perhaps a check on just how much sugar and starch you are eating each day might throw some light on the matter, and possibly you could be something more exotic and interesting than a plain ordinary type 2. I suspect that there are several different conditions which get labelled type 2 but require different solutions, or are eventually reassessed as not type 2 after all.
Martin.A
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- In remission from Type 2
Those are good things to drop from your diet and that's a terrific weight loss, but it's difficult to comment without knowing what your diet now consists of. For example, you specifically mention white bread and white rice, so does that mean you've stopped eating bread and rice altogether or have you switched to wholemeal versions?
Martin.A
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- In remission from Type 2
So what would a typical day's meals look like - breakfast, lunch , tea, snacks?
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hi and welcome.
Well done on the changes you have made as those will benefit your general health but can totally understand why you would be a bit gutted not to see a reduction in your HbA1c result.
Presumably you are still eating bread and pasta and rice but brown/wholemeal versions of them? Unfortunately those "healthier" versions still contain a lot of carbs, so it is important to also reduce portion size and frequency of eating. I pretty well gave up on bread as I could see from testing it put my levels into orbit. I also haven't had pasta since diagnosis 6.5 years ago but I really don't miss that. I very occasionally have a spoon of my partner's rice if we share a Chinese takeaway but that is only about twice a year and to be honest I don't really miss it. There are alternatives like cauliflower rice or konjac rice which are lower carb but I don't feel I need rice in my menu either.
I do share a single portion of fish and chips with my partner about once a month and that is enough of a treat if they are good fish and chips but if they are poor I feel like I have been robbed!!
What are you typically having for breakfast, lunch and evening meal so that we can perhaps identify foods which may be causing a problem and suggest possible lower carb substitutions for them.
4 stone is a really massive weight loss so many congratulations on that. Di the weight come off easier than you expected.... just some types of diabetes can promote weight loss. Do you have much/any more weight to lose? If so, would you consider the Pathway to Remission Program which is a year long program starting with 12 weeks of very low calorie soups and shakes meal replacements, to help you lose weight quickly and then support with reintroducing real food. This has also been very successful for some people.
You don't mention exercise/activity? Walking is a great way to lower BG levels if you are able and so is gardening. It doesn't have to be anything too sporty or physical although if you can build a bit of muscle that can help.
Have you always been a heavy drinker? No judgement intended as I was pretty much a sugar addict pre-diagnosis. It is perhaps possible that has caused damage to your pancreas and it is now unable to produce as much insulin as it needs to to keep your Blood Glucose (BG) levels well balanced. Has your doctor checked your liver function? Perhaps a scan of your pancreas might be worth asking about if you suspect this may be part of the issue. Damage to the pancreas can also cause weight loss.
Anyway, those are just a few thoughts on your situation, but I can totally sympathise with your disappointment and frustration at not seeing a reduction since Jan. Maybe some BG testing might help you identify particular foods which are inflating your levels too much. Many people here liken diabetes management without testing to driving without a functional speedometer. You don't know if you are keeping to the speed limits or not until you get a ticket through the post or a disappointing HbA1c result!
All that said, 52 is not a desperately high result and is not putting you ate significant risk.... Some of us started in 3 figures including myself, but obviously if you can lower it a bit more that would be ideal.
Well done on the changes you have made as those will benefit your general health but can totally understand why you would be a bit gutted not to see a reduction in your HbA1c result.
Presumably you are still eating bread and pasta and rice but brown/wholemeal versions of them? Unfortunately those "healthier" versions still contain a lot of carbs, so it is important to also reduce portion size and frequency of eating. I pretty well gave up on bread as I could see from testing it put my levels into orbit. I also haven't had pasta since diagnosis 6.5 years ago but I really don't miss that. I very occasionally have a spoon of my partner's rice if we share a Chinese takeaway but that is only about twice a year and to be honest I don't really miss it. There are alternatives like cauliflower rice or konjac rice which are lower carb but I don't feel I need rice in my menu either.
I do share a single portion of fish and chips with my partner about once a month and that is enough of a treat if they are good fish and chips but if they are poor I feel like I have been robbed!!
What are you typically having for breakfast, lunch and evening meal so that we can perhaps identify foods which may be causing a problem and suggest possible lower carb substitutions for them.
4 stone is a really massive weight loss so many congratulations on that. Di the weight come off easier than you expected.... just some types of diabetes can promote weight loss. Do you have much/any more weight to lose? If so, would you consider the Pathway to Remission Program which is a year long program starting with 12 weeks of very low calorie soups and shakes meal replacements, to help you lose weight quickly and then support with reintroducing real food. This has also been very successful for some people.
You don't mention exercise/activity? Walking is a great way to lower BG levels if you are able and so is gardening. It doesn't have to be anything too sporty or physical although if you can build a bit of muscle that can help.
Have you always been a heavy drinker? No judgement intended as I was pretty much a sugar addict pre-diagnosis. It is perhaps possible that has caused damage to your pancreas and it is now unable to produce as much insulin as it needs to to keep your Blood Glucose (BG) levels well balanced. Has your doctor checked your liver function? Perhaps a scan of your pancreas might be worth asking about if you suspect this may be part of the issue. Damage to the pancreas can also cause weight loss.
Anyway, those are just a few thoughts on your situation, but I can totally sympathise with your disappointment and frustration at not seeing a reduction since Jan. Maybe some BG testing might help you identify particular foods which are inflating your levels too much. Many people here liken diabetes management without testing to driving without a functional speedometer. You don't know if you are keeping to the speed limits or not until you get a ticket through the post or a disappointing HbA1c result!
All that said, 52 is not a desperately high result and is not putting you ate significant risk.... Some of us started in 3 figures including myself, but obviously if you can lower it a bit more that would be ideal.
On the walking and exercise front I’m a bit of a disaster looking for another place to happen Knees including replacement busted elbows both been broken and neck all at different times but all come back to haunt but daily between 4000 and 15000 steps!