According to dr., not pre-diabetic anymore.

[maxine212]

Hello all,
I'm maxine. i live in new york state. i'm 70 yrs. old and about 6 mos. ago was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. my A1C was 5.9. This was the first time in my life i ever thought about diabetes! I was quite alarmed altho dr. said most ppl would be very happy with 5.9. i looked at my previous A1C tests. I had one 6.0 and the others ranged around 5.7 -5.9.
A neighbor of mine has been diabetic for 30yrs and has a long story to tell. but bottom line, he's a very strict man and he is on vlchf diet. i couldn't go along with his prescription of so few carbs, but a diabetic nurse gave me this prescription. 15-30 carbs per three meals a day. i went for it. i also made the big dietary changes. no more granola. no more milk (i was having two mugs of milk a day). no more pasta. no more moonpies (thats ice cream between two biscuits) which i had every night. no starchy veg. no need to bore you with more. basically, i cut carbs down to the bone. I lost 14 lbs, (two stone?) so down from 156 lbs to 142 and may have lost slightly more, depends on scale. Doc would like me to lose 4 more lbs as my BMI is 123.5
also, i'm on 500 mg of Metformin ER, 1 x a day.
My new A1C is 5.5. Two months ago it was 5.6. so i'm trending in the right direction.
here's my question. (FINALLY!)
what now?
Have i reversed a condition and now i can ease slightly into some carbs? Like a bit of pasta every now and then?
Or has my body just told me, stay off the freakin carbs. they are history.
I realize this is a good place to be, but still, would like your thoughts.
Thanking you guys in advance,
Maxine

 

[chalup]

Hi there I am not a doctor and this is just my opinion but if you are doing very well eating the way you are why change it? My other question would be do you have a meter? Eat to your meter is a technique to figure out what foods agree with your body and what foods will send your blood sugar high. I will tag @daisy1 and she will send you some information about diet and eating to your meter. If you don't have a meter than this is something you should invest in if you are worried about keeping your blood sugars in a good range. You seem to be doing very well but many people find if they relax on diet and testing things just slide right back to where they were. You might want to discuss your diet with your doctor and see what he/she says. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. welcome to the forum.

 

[maxine212]

Hi, Chalup! Thanks for getting back. Yes, I have a meter. I test regularly (altho not daily) and have done bg challenges to see what a bowl of ancient grain cereal does to my bg, for instance. :162: yikes! why change since this carb restriction diet is working for me? Looking for a little wiggle room on a portion of noodles from time to time, I suppose.

 

[chalup]

I personally would allow myself a small serving of noodles once in a blue moon. Test them and see what happens, you might be pleasantly surprised. The trick is making sure than an occasional treat does not become a daily habit. That is a very hard thing for many of us, myself included. Good luck with the noodle testing and if nothing else enjoy the noodles

 

[Squire Fulwood]

Giving up carbs across the board is good if your body is losing the ability to process them but you won't know that for sure unless you test each of them. Who knows, there might be things you don't have to give up. Different people have reported being able to eat different things like porridge, new potatoes etc. Some people can even eat bread in limited quantities.

Added to this your numbers are good and I wish mine were as good. I think what I am trying to say is that you can enjoy the odd treat and not let diabetes take over your life. Do enough testing to find out if the situation is getting worse and find a lifestyle where you enjoy your food and stay healthy and don't feel as though you are on a slimming diet. That would mean that you won't keep to it.

 

[daisy1]

@maxine212

Hello Maxine and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

 

[Hiitsme]

Hi @maxine212
Well done on getting your HbA1c down and the weight loss. My thoughts are that as long as you are testing then try a few more carbs and see what happens. I can manage a lot more carbs now than when first diagnosed. I still watch what I eat and test.

 

[maxine212]

Hello you guys, and thanks very much. i think this is what i'm trying to find out and you are answering. be careful. test and see what happens. and don't be so over-strict that life looses it's flavor. i'm wondering if i stay at these good numbers if my pancreas will become more insulin sensitive over time and i won't be so restricted. I appreciate all of this support and have been lurking for months. Great to have this forum to come to.

 

[Hiitsme]

Hello you guys, and thanks very much. i think this is what i'm trying to find out and you are answering. be careful. test and see what happens. and don't be so over-strict that life looses it's flavor. i'm wondering if i stay at these good numbers if my pancreas will become more insulin sensitive over time and i won't be so restricted. I appreciate all of this support and have been lurking for months. Great to have this forum to come to.

That is what I'm finding for me. I had a very high HbA1c when diagnosed but now within normal limits without medication so I have been encouraged by GP to try out more foods, but I do keep checking. There is no way I want to be in the diabetic ranges again.

 

[maxine212]

That is what I'm finding for me. I had a very high HbA1c when diagnosed but now within normal limits without medication so I have been encouraged by GP to try out more foods, but I do keep checking. There is no way I want to be in the diabetic ranges again.

Exactly!
Seems like a worthwhile goal.

 

[Deespee23]

Hi Maxine
See my post re. Zucchini (courgettes over here) noodles in the Low Carb Diet forum.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/the-wonderful-low-carb-courgette.106618/

Just try them - you'll be amazed at how like the real thing they are - without all the grotty carbs in pasta. Can you buy spiralised zucchini in the US? Give it a go!
Regards
D23

 

[maxine212]

Hi Maxine
See my post re. Zucchini (courgettes over here) noodles in the Low Carb Diet forum.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/the-wonderful-low-carb-courgette.106618/

Just try them - you'll be amazed at how like the real thing they are - without all the grotty carbs in pasta. Can you buy spiralised zucchini in the US? Give it a go!
Regards
D23

D23, thank you for pointing me to this yummy looking recipe. I'm mostly a grab-and-go eater, but change IS possible. This is incentive.
best,
maxine

 

[chalup]

Well tonite I tried chinese takeout food without rice or noodles, 5.8 to start 11 at 1 hr 5.8 at 2 hrs. Apparently it is a definite no go for me. I rarely hit even 7 with the low carb so an 11 is horrible. So in answer to your question, control is not cured and all you can do is try and test. Maybe you will have better results than I did.

 

[Indy51]

In my experience over 4 years, doesn't matter if I lose weight, gain weight, eat less, eat more, have an A1c in the non-diabetic range - as soon as I eat more than around 25g carbs in one sitting, I'll spike higher than 7.8mmol (140mg) which is the target I prefer to stay below since reading this article:

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045678.php

Taken just on my A1c, I'd be non-diabetic, but my post prandial meter readings tell me a different story entirely.

 

[KevinPotts]

In my experience over 4 years, doesn't matter if I lose weight, gain weight, eat less, eat more, have an A1c in the non-diabetic range - as soon as I eat more than around 25g carbs in one sitting, I'll spike higher than 7.8mmol (140mg) which is the target I prefer to stay below since reading this article:

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045678.php

Taken just on my A1c, I'd be non-diabetic, but my post prandial meter readings tell me a different story entirely.

Couldn't add more....well said. If the poster now has their disease under control with diet,,that's brilliant!

 

[maxine212]

Chalup, your kitty avatar slays me! Yes, thanks, you answered the question. were you pre-diabetic or full on T2D?
Too bad i didn't know this was coming. i certainly could have modified diet all along instead of eating whatever i wanted. the good news, i have slimmed down to wedding dress weight, only down 14 lbs, but it does end the tight waistband issue. Thanks for the article, Indy. and Kevin, thanks for the support. yes, under control and a down-trending A1C. Lastly, on giving up grains. they produce serotonin and tryptophan, as I understand it, and no wonder i was happy for my bowl of granola and then fell asleep an hour later. definitely feel-good food. i miss it. Back to Kevin's support. :bow: staying below the curve. D23, friend has found spiralized zucchini, and she's going to try the recipe for a girls' night in with the TV.

 

[debrasue]

Too bad i didn't know this was coming. i certainly could have modified diet all along instead of eating whatever i wanted.

Hi, Maxine212 and welcome to the forum. I imagine there are very many of us who can relate to your comment above!

I don't ever expect to "reverse" my T2 - I'm of the opinion that if I return to eating whatever I want, my BGs will revert to whatever they were, because I will always be diabetic. But after almost 6 months of low-carbing, I now find that - although I can't tolerate sugar in any shape or form - I can reintroduce some carbs back into my diet without them causing a spike in my BGs. I can eat a few new potatoes, or a slice of bread, or a couple of spoonfuls of rice from time to time, which - as you say - gives life a little flavour. (I haven't tried noodles, or pasta yet.) I don't "risk" it every day but, as other posters have mentioned, now and again it seems to be OK.

I have a theory - and it's purely my own theory, based on my own experience, and may very well be disproved by others more experienced than I am - but I think that 4 solid months of very low-carbing (20g or less per day) depleted much of the glycogen stores from my liver and muscle tissue and stabilised my insulin production. So now, if I eat a small portion of carbs my insulin levels are not overwhelmed and the glucose can be readily consumed.

I totally agree with what other members have said, however, in that frequent testing is the key to success, and one needs to be vigilant and set firm and realistic boundaries to ensure one doesn't slip back into destructive eating habits.

Very many congratulations on your successes so far, and good luck in your continuing journey!

Hugs x

 

[maxine212]

debrasue, its good to have hope. dh and I are having dinner with friends this eve, and can only hope I can eat around whatever they are serving. i believe i still have some insulin sensitivity as my bg after "sinning" returns to a healthy number very quickly, in less than two hours. still, not pushing my luck!

 

[maxine212]

In my experience over 4 years, doesn't matter if I lose weight, gain weight, eat less, eat more, have an A1c in the non-diabetic range - as soon as I eat more than around 25g carbs in one sitting, I'll spike higher than 7.8mmol (140mg) which is the target I prefer to stay below since reading this article:

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045678.php


Taken just on my A1c, I'd be non-diabetic, but my post prandial meter readings tell me a different story entirely.

Thanks, I needed that. Very sobering article. And learning that A1C 5.7 is not yet safe was first I'd heard of that. Duly noted. Highly recommended.

 

[chalup]

Chalup, your kitty avatar slays me! Yes, thanks, you answered the question. were you pre-diabetic or full on T2D?
Too bad i didn't know this was coming. i certainly could have modified diet all along instead of eating whatever i wanted. the good news, i have slimmed down to wedding dress weight, only down 14 lbs, but it does end the tight waistband issue. Thanks for the article, Indy. and Kevin, thanks for the support. yes, under control and a down-trending A1C. Lastly, on giving up grains. they produce serotonin and tryptophan, as I understand it, and no wonder i was happy for my bowl of granola and then fell asleep an hour later. definitely feel-good food. i miss it. Back to Kevin's support. :bow: staying below the curve. D23, friend has found spiralized zucchini, and she's going to try the recipe for a girls' night in with the TV.

I was diagnosed in 2005 with an A1c in the 7's and got it under control with low carb very quickly, lost my excess weight easily and was declared no longer diabetic by my doc. I believed him. Fast forward to this spring and suddenly I have an A1c of 10.4. It is not coming under control this time as easily and I am now on metformin and forxiga. It was never cured only controlled and as I get no symptoms with high sugar and was not testing I have no idea how many years I was running high. I regret that I stopped testing and allowed my disease to progress. That 11 after one chinese meal is absolutely full blown diabetic even though I expect my next A1c will be in the 5's, my last was 6.7