Hbac1

cratat

Well-Known Member
Messages
56
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
being diabetic, struggling with food choices
Need help to get my hbac1 under control, may 22 it was 42 Dec 22 it was 52 may 23 it is now 73 diet and exercise not changed doctors answer is it's a progressive disease so we need to up your medication and you need to test your sugars. Anyone recommend a lifestyle change that's easy to follow. Thanks Craig
 

Antje77

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
19,479
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Need help to get my hbac1 under control, may 22 it was 42 Dec 22 it was 52 may 23 it is now 73 diet and exercise not changed doctors answer is it's a progressive disease so we need to up your medication and you need to test your sugars. Anyone recommend a lifestyle change that's easy to follow. Thanks Craig
What is your diet like right now?
Cutting carbs works very well for many members but I don't know if you're doing this already?
 
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VashtiB

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Staff Member
Messages
2,287
Type of diabetes
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Diet only
Hello @cratat

If you are seeking advice on what changes may help it is useful to give some idea of your current lifestyle :)

As @Antje77 said cutting carbs has helped many here including me. I have gone very low carb and that brought my HbA1C into the normal range. My previous doctor was like yours - progressive disease though she was not in favour of testing my sugars. She was also not a fan of a keto diet although she couldn't deny that it worked.

Exercise is also helpful but diet more so in my view.
 
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cratat

Well-Known Member
Messages
56
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
being diabetic, struggling with food choices
I don't follow any diet I eat what I want, I do eat wholemeal bread and have full fat natural yoghurt. I run 10k 3 times a week for exercise. Haven't changed my approach in over 15 years and hbac1 was always around 40 to 42.
 

TriciaWs

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,727
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
T2 does not need to be progressive - many of us follow a low carb diet and are either in remission or keeping our HbA1c low on a low drug regime.

Unfortunately wholemeal bread contains almost the same carbs as white, and the 'Eatwell' plate has far too many carbs for us. This is slowly filtering through to GPs and nurses.
 

KennyA

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Messages
2,959
Type of diabetes
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Diet only
I don't follow any diet I eat what I want, I do eat wholemeal bread and have full fat natural yoghurt. I run 10k 3 times a week for exercise. Haven't changed my approach in over 15 years and hbac1 was always around 40 to 42.
You may not have consciously altered anything but it's clear that something has changed. I'd guess that you have simply become unable to deal with the amount of carbohydrate in your current diet. The evidence for that - your increasing A1c, which indicates that the level of glucose in your blood is rising, which is normally because you are not processing it - in other words, insulin resistance.

Testing is fine, in your situation, because it will show you which foods, situations, and activities are most affecting your blood glucose levels.

T2 Diabetes doesn't have to be progressive unless you do nothing. Many of us here (I'm one) have had huge success with low-carb/keto ways of eating - and no medication. It stopped my A1c going up and took me back to normal levels within four months.

Some willpower will be needed - but if you're a distance runner you have that - , and you have to be prepared to let go of what you thought you knew about "healthy eating" - I cut out all bread, rice, pasta, potatoes and other root veg, most fruit, sugar etc. This includes beer (although there are some good low-sugar ones these days, which helps).

I eat meat and fish, eggs, cream and cheese, green veg, nuts (not peanuts or cashews) and occasionally some berries. The results - as well as having A1cs of 38 and below for the last three years, I've lost more than 25kg. I'm back playing sports I had to give up eight years ago.

Incidentally - I know a fell runner who does very low carb, who had to stop running a few years ago because of T2-induced weight gain. He went extreme low carb, lost the weight and corrected his blood sugars, and says his times have improved over what he used to be capable of in his thirties.

Best of luck.
 

cratat

Well-Known Member
Messages
56
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
being diabetic, struggling with food choices
Hi would you be willing to share some examples of meals mainly breakfast and lunch I'm not to bad with dinner. Thanks Craig
 
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Antje77

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Retired Moderator
Messages
19,479
Type of diabetes
LADA
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Insulin
Hi would you be willing to share some examples of meals mainly breakfast and lunch I'm not to bad with dinner. Thanks Craig
Here's a thread where we share what we eat, you might like to go through it for ideas. :)

 

KennyA

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Staff Member
Messages
2,959
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi would you be willing to share some examples of meals mainly breakfast and lunch I'm not to bad with dinner. Thanks Craig
Yes no problem. I generally eat only one (substantial) meal a day (OMAD). I am never hungry the way I used to be, and (for instance) because I was on the move a lot in the last few days I didn't eat much at all between Wednesday night and Friday night.

I don't often have breakfast, unless four coffees with cream counts. When I do, it's usually a mix from eggs, bacon, black and white puddings, 98% meat sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes. Bit of carb from oatmeal in the puddings but that's all. I do use SRSLY low-carb 'bread' rolls (2g a roll) and they're more than OK for bacon sandwiches, better if fried in the bacon fat. If I do this I won't eat again that day (because I won't be hungry) although I might have something in the evening that looks more like a lunch.

Lunches (if I have one) will be a mix and selection from cold ham, chicken, salami, sausage, cheeses, olives, nuts - maybe some lettuce etc. Cold tandoori fish masala is a new lunch discovery with a bit of mayo and some green salad.

Evening meal - meat heavy. Any sort of meat, including fish. I do different sauces, some cream based, some not. Mushrooms, and green veg, from cabbage, kale, cauliflower, spinach, etc. Glass of wine or two, or a zero-sugar beer. Maybe a whisky later on.

That usually brings me in around 20g a day, most coming from veg.

My other half isn't diabetic but she doesn't eat a lot of carb these days - it's easy to add a bit of bread, rice or pasta to most of these meals for her.

Hope that's helpful. We have around three weeks of different meals so nothing gets too repetitive.
 

Daphne917

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,320
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Need help to get my hbac1 under control, may 22 it was 42 Dec 22 it was 52 may 23 it is now 73 diet and exercise not changed doctors answer is it's a progressive disease so we need to up your medication and you need to test your sugars. Anyone recommend a lifestyle change that's easy to follow. Thanks Craig
Out of interested how long have you been on the statins?