Levels Gone Up

longboat

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Well, after 4 months of eating LCHF, going to gym 3 times a week, walking on the other days I have just had my bloods done and I’ve actually gone up from 43 to 45mmol. My cholesterol has also gone up from 5.9 to 6.3. My husband has been doing the exact same as me and all his results have gone down so he’s no longer pre-diabetic. Plus, I have lost hardly any weight. I bought a Fitbit to log all that I ate and drank and had between 20-30 carbs per day, plus tried fasting.

I’m on no medication at all and don’t test my levels. A typical days food consists of eggs and sometimes avocado for breakfast. Two cherry tomatoes, peeled cucumber and sardines for lunch and salmon or chicken with a few above ground veg for dinner along with full fat Greek yogurt and sugar free jelly. For a snack I eat 10 almonds and have 1 Benecol drink per day. I have cream in 3 cups of coffee per day and drink water.

What the hell went wrong I wonder? I cried when I got the results and just want to give up with it all now.
 

Terrytiddy

Well-Known Member
Messages
835
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi @longboat welcome to the forum.:) I will tag @daisy1 for her welcome pack. Please don't upset yourself you have only gone up a couple of points, I understand you would have liked it lower but this does sometimes happen. Do you fast as well with LCHF? If you do your cholesterol will go up as you are using fat from storage so it will be in your system What was the figures on Cholesterol? You are in the right place for help, advice and support. ;)
 
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longboat

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
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Diet only
Hi @longboat welcome to the forum.:) I will tag @daisy1 for her welcome pack. Please don't upset yourself you have only gone up a couple of points, I understand you would have liked it lower but this does sometimes happen. Do you fast as well with LCHF? If you do your cholesterol will go up as you are using fat from storage so it will be in your system What was the figures on Cholesterol? You are in the right place for help, advice and support. ;)

Thank you for that, and I’m sorry to sound so negative. I really was expecting results due to all I’ve put.
My cholesterol went from 5.9 to 6.3
I do try to fast 2/3 times a week normally from about 7 pm to 1pm the following day.
 

zand

Master
Messages
10,784
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Hi, welcome to the forum :)

Personally I would start testing. There could be one or two things you are eating which are pushing your blood glucose levels up.
 

Guzzler

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Yes, agreed on the glucose monitor suggestion. Please do not compare yourself to your partner, we are all different. A two point difference in A1c says 'no change there' to me, remember that the A1c is an average of glycation levels and just like body weight it can fluctuate. Often it is ectopic fat (that in and around the organs) that we lose first and this is the fat that has been stored in an unsafe way but losing this fat won't make much of a dent when you step onto the scales. As to your cholesterol, Total Cholesterol tells you nothing at all, you would be wise to look at the Triglyceride and HDL ratio which tells you how you're actually reacting. It is not surprising to see a temporary rise in cholesterol after changing dietary habits.
 

catinahat

Well-Known Member
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Welcome to the forum @longboat
I agree with zand, a glucose meter would help you discover when and why your levels are are on the increase.
You seem to be making the right choices with your diet but you might discover some seemingly innocent food that is not agreeing with you. Another thing to consider is that it's not just our food that causes higher levels, stress, exercise, infections and medications for other conditions such as high cholesterol.
If you look at the list of possible side effects of Statins you will find increased blood sugar and Type 2 diabetes amongst them.https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/statins/side-effects/
 
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Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,849
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
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I find that my BG goes on rising in the mornings until I eat, so I eat early and late and that seems find. My results were one number higher after a year, but I suspect that was because I am getting up later and not eating until mid morning after being out late the previous evening, and not sleeping very well with the hot weather too.
 

bulkbiker

BANNED
Messages
19,576
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
have 1 Benecol drink per day
That would be my suspect.. and I'll third or fourth the time to start testing otherwise you'll never know and each HbA1c will be a surprise maybe pleasant but maybe not...
 

derry60

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Could it be the Benecol? Noticed strawberry one has 4 grams sugar and 4 grams of carb in a serving. You said that you have one of these per day..Just a thought
 
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zand

Master
Messages
10,784
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I was going to mention the benecol earlier, but got called away. The thing is, it's not real food, it's very manufactured. I know it claims to lower cholesterol but.....
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
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Diet only
I agree about the Benecol - and it hasn't exactly helped your cholesterol either!!

The total cholesterol is meaningless. It is just a total of the good and not so good cholesterol. It could be your good cholesterol has increased. Do you know the breakdown? If not, you need to find out. If you aren't registered for on-line test results, you can ask for a print out and it will show on there.

As for your HbA1c, the labs round up and round down to the nearest whole number. Your original 43 could have been 43.4. Your latest 45 could have been 44.5. There is also a margin of error, so in reality you have probably stayed much the same. It happens. :arghh:
 

longboat

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Oh wow. Thank you all SO much for your replies and I appreciate you all taking the time to answer me.
I am making an appointment today with my GP to see if I can get a break down of my results as Lipids was also mentioned but as I was shocked about my levels going up, I can’t remember what they said! I shall also ask about a monitor and leave the Benecol off.
I will also look into getting a monitor too.
Thank you all once again, its really nice to speak to people in the same boat as you and who understand.
 

daisy1

Legend
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@longboat

Hello Longboat and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will 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 well over 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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 blood glucose 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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 

lindisfel

Expert
Messages
5,659
Hi Longboat,
Some of us do have your problem but the profile of your Lipid profile is more important that the total lipids.
It could be your insulin is ineffective or low. It is early days yet I have been doing some years and not seen much improvement in hba1c but my metabolic disease is much better.
You need to look at all factors.
D.
Well, after 4 months of eating LCHF, going to gym 3 times a week, walking on the other days I have just had my bloods done and I’ve actually gone up from 43 to 45mmol. My cholesterol has also gone up from 5.9 to 6.3. My husband has been doing the exact same as me and all his results have gone down so he’s no longer pre-diabetic. Plus, I have lost hardly any weight. I bought a Fitbit to log all that I ate and drank and had between 20-30 carbs per day, plus tried fasting.

I’m on no medication at all and don’t test my levels. A typical days food consists of eggs and sometimes avocado for breakfast. Two cherry tomatoes, peeled cucumber and sardines for lunch and salmon or chicken with a few above ground veg for dinner along with full fat Greek yogurt and sugar free jelly. For a snack I eat 10 almonds and have 1 Benecol drink per day. I have cream in 3 cups of coffee per day and drink water.

What the hell went wrong I wonder? I cried when I got the results and just want to give up with it all now.
 

Terrytiddy

Well-Known Member
Messages
835
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Thank you for that, and I’m sorry to sound so negative. I really was expecting results due to all I’ve put.
My cholesterol went from 5.9 to 6.3
I do try to fast 2/3 times a week normally from about 7 pm to 1pm the following day.
That's the thing with diabetes @longboat it can go all over the place.:clown: My cholesterol had gone up, I even told the Dr and Dn it would before I did my bloods. With fasting and using fat for fuel its bound to go up. Mine was 5.7 HDL 1.0 LDL 4.0 and Triglycerides 1.3 These will settle down in time. I always use to say to Dr and Dn " If my cholesterol is up it shows that its not sticking to the sides and clogging my arteries up, but moving freely" They didn't have an answer to that.:smug:
 
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derry60

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,196
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
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Diet only
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I was going to mention the benecol earlier, but got called away. The thing is, it's not real food, it's very manufactured. I know it claims to lower cholesterol but.....
Yes, have to agree. That was the only thing that was not a natural product in your diet that you mentioned
 
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derry60

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,196
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
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Diet only
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Rudeness,people being unkind
Oh wow. Thank you all SO much for your replies and I appreciate you all taking the time to answer me.
I am making an appointment today with my GP to see if I can get a break down of my results as Lipids was also mentioned but as I was shocked about my levels going up, I can’t remember what they said! I shall also ask about a monitor and leave the Benecol off.
I will also look into getting a monitor too.
Thank you all once again, its really nice to speak to people in the same boat as you and who understand.
Hope leaving the Benecol drink off helps..After all, essentially it's a yogurt drink. I keep away from them, they spike me