What am I doing wrong?

Beebeelady

Active Member
Messages
27
I am prediabetic. My latest HBA1c was 44, the one about 6 months ago was 43. I know this isn't serious, but it matters to me as I have been trying to do everything to NOT become diabetic. I eat a very low carb diet with more fat and about the same amount of protein compared to how i used to eat.
I have lost about a stone in weight this year, and am now just a bit overweight, possibly a half - 1 stone over.
I am 65, female, and in pretty good health. I go to a personal trainer twice a week and work very hard for the full hour. I walk my dogs and rarely sit down during the day other than to eat.
My fasting blood sugar was 7.9 on Sunday at about 7am. Would this have been the reason for my headache, by the way?
The GP who gave me the HBA1c result said that for most people their HBA1c just gradually rises until they have to take meds. I do NOT want to be one of those people. Her attitude is appalling, offering me no advise whatsoever. This is the second GP that I have encountered with a very bad negative attitude, and sees it all as a Fait accompli (or however you spell it.) And they disapprove of me testing my blood sugar levels As I am "not diabetic".
Please, can anyone shed any light or give me some advice? Thank you
 
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Guzzler

Master
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A one point increase means 'no change there then'. Remember that numbers are rounded up and down and that the A1c is an average. Keep doing what you are doing because you are doing a sterling job, well done.
 

Rachox

Oracle
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15,810
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I reversed my Type 2
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I agree with @Guzzler you’re doing all the right things. Don’t be put off testing by your GP, I don’t have testing supported by my HCPs but it keeps me on the straight and narrow, if you want to do it and can fund it just carry on. Headaches are a symptoms of high blood sugar so if you’re normally under 7 that might explain Sunday’s headache. To counteract the negativity from your Drs head off to the success stories subforum here and have a read of loads of positive stories.
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I agree with both posts above. The difference of 1 point means you are the same. So while you haven't improved, you haven't deteriorated either. Sadly, most health professionals believe T2 diabetes is progressive (and therefore pre-diabetes). The reason for this is because of the appalling dietary advice handed out by the NHS, and because it is mostly all they see. People getting slowly worse (due to inappropriate dietary advice) and being given more and more medication, some of which is also inappropriate and unsuitable. So of course, these poor people deteriorate. But we on this forum, and some more enlightened experts, know better. It seems you do, too.

Can you tell us when you test? Are you testing before and after eating to see if you really are low carb, and to see how your food choices affect you? A food diary helps enormously with this. If you already do test this way what sort of levels are you seeing?
 
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Goonergal

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Agree with the others. Stick at what you’re doing and have a good read around here as it might help you to tweak one or two things. Keep testing - it’ll help you to see what is and isn’t working.
 
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OrsonKartt

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I am prediabetic. My latest HBA1c was 44, the one about 6 months ago was 43. I know this isn't serious, but it matters to me as I have been trying to do everything to NOT become diabetic. I eat a very low carb diet with more fat and about the same amount of protein compared to how i used to eat.
I have lost about a stone in weight this year, and am now just a bit overweight, possibly a half - 1 stone over.
I am 65, female, and in pretty good health. I go to a personal trainer twice a week and work very hard for the full hour. I walk my dogs and rarely sit down during the day other than to eat.
My fasting blood sugar was 7.9 on Sunday at about 7am. Would this have been the reason for my headache, by the way?
The GP who gave me the HBA1c result said that for most people their HBA1c just gradually rises until they have to take meds. I do NOT want to be one of those people. Her attitude is appalling, offering me no advise whatsoever. This is the second GP that I have encountered with a very bad negative attitude, and sees it all as a Fait accompli (or however you spell it.) And they disapprove of me testing my blood sugar levels As I am "not diabetic".
Please, can anyone shed any light or give me some advice? Thank you
I can only support what the other two responders have to say. I didnt have any support from the medics either . I'm not suprized by the twitter tag #doctorsaredickheads as they certainly can be. You are doing all the right things , stay strong, there are lots of people on this site who are doing it well and stabilising the condition. There is no reason why you shouldn't be in amongst them, although it might take some time. Personally I find it useful to post my blood sugar numbers up on here https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/th...-blood-glucose-with-some-chat.22272/page-1738. ...it does take a long time in getting them down but there are people here who are doing the same thing and I've found them to be an alright lot! Good luck with it all!!
 

JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,937
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I am prediabetic. My latest HBA1c was 44, the one about 6 months ago was 43. I know this isn't serious, but it matters to me as I have been trying to do everything to NOT become diabetic. I eat a very low carb diet with more fat and about the same amount of protein compared to how i used to eat.
I have lost about a stone in weight this year, and am now just a bit overweight, possibly a half - 1 stone over.
I am 65, female, and in pretty good health. I go to a personal trainer twice a week and work very hard for the full hour. I walk my dogs and rarely sit down during the day other than to eat.
My fasting blood sugar was 7.9 on Sunday at about 7am. Would this have been the reason for my headache, by the way?
The GP who gave me the HBA1c result said that for most people their HBA1c just gradually rises until they have to take meds. I do NOT want to be one of those people. Her attitude is appalling, offering me no advise whatsoever. This is the second GP that I have encountered with a very bad negative attitude, and sees it all as a Fait accompli (or however you spell it.) And they disapprove of me testing my blood sugar levels As I am "not diabetic".
Please, can anyone shed any light or give me some advice? Thank you
Hey @Beebeelady ,

You're fine, stick with it. As others said, they do round up and down, so it's a difference of next to nothing, most likely. It might be worth testing before and 2 hours after a meal, see what happens with your bloodsugars, as morning (fasting) testing can be influenced by Dawn Phenomenon, but really... You're doing it right, and your doctor should be wishing for more patients like you, far as I can see.
 
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Beebeelady

Active Member
Messages
27
I agree with @Guzzler you’re doing all the right things. Don’t be put off testing by your GP, I don’t have testing supported by my HCPs but it keeps me on the straight and narrow, if you want to do it and can fund it just carry on. Headaches are a symptoms of high blood sugar so if you’re normally under 7 that might explain Sunday’s headache. To counteract the negativity from your Drs head off to the success stories subforum here and have a read of loads of positive stories.
Thank you.
 

Beebeelady

Active Member
Messages
27
I agree with both posts above. The difference of 1 point means you are the same. So while you haven't improved, you haven't deteriorated either. Sadly, most health professionals believe T2 diabetes is progressive (and therefore pre-diabetes). The reason for this is because of the appalling dietary advice handed out by the NHS, and because it is mostly all they see. People getting slowly worse (due to inappropriate dietary advice) and being given more and more medication, some of which is also inappropriate and unsuitable. So of course, these poor people deteriorate. But we on this forum, and some more enlightened experts, know better. It seems you do, too.

Can you tell us when you test? Are you testing before and after eating to see if you really are low carb, and to see how your food choices affect you? A food diary helps enormously with this. If you already do test this way what sort of levels are you seeing?
I don’t regularly test like I used to. A GP really affected me by her negative attitude, and I lost confidence to do it on a regular basis. Silly I know. When I test It’s usually fasting, ie first thing in the morning.
I do not eat anything with sugar in it, rice, pasta, potatoes, grains, flour, sweet fruit etc. I do eat proteins eg eggs, cheese, meat, fish poultry with green leafy veg, apples sometimes, berries and full fat Greek yoghurt sometimes. Double cream. I cook from scratch every day. However, I do have milk in my tea, about 4-5 a day.
I do write down what I eat.
Maybe I should do the pre and post meal testing. Is it possible to eat too much cheese?
Thank you for your help.
 
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Beebeelady

Active Member
Messages
27
Agree with the others. Stick at what you’re doing and have a good read around here as it might help you to tweak one or two things. Keep testing - it’ll help you to see what is and isn’t working.
Thank you, I think I will test more and maybe find what I’m doing wrong.
 

Beebeelady

Active Member
Messages
27
I can only support what the other two responders have to say. I didnt have any support from the medics either . I'm not suprized by the twitter tag #doctorsaredickheads as they certainly can be. You are doing all the right things , stay strong, there are lots of people on this site who are doing it well and stabilising the condition. There is no reason why you shouldn't be in amongst them, although it might take some time. Personally I find it useful to post my blood sugar numbers up on here https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/th...-blood-glucose-with-some-chat.22272/page-1738. ...it does take a long time in getting them down but there are people here who are doing the same thing and I've found them to be an alright lot! Good luck with it all!!
Ok, thank you for your help. Blooming doctors have a lot to answer for, in this case. Thanks for the encouragement
 

Mbaker

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,339
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Available fast foods in Supermarkets
What you are doing is phenomenal and nothing is wrong as you are maintaining.

I have just a couple of thoughts around your routine which may get you a point or 2 lower, by just "messing" with what you already do. If you don't already do so, consider walking your dog after your meal(s), this will minimise the blood sugar rise, so as regular habit could reduce further your HbA1c. You might want to try spreading your personal trainer workouts from 2 to either 3 or 4, i.e. rather than 2 x 1 hour, maybe 3 x 40 minutes or 4 x 30 minutes, evenly spread throughout the week if convenient / economic; I think a greater spread with the same time input may add benefit to your number, assuming you want to go lower.
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I don’t regularly test like I used to. A GP really affected me by her negative attitude, and I lost confidence to do it on a regular basis. Silly I know. When I test It’s usually fasting, ie first thing in the morning.
I do not eat anything with sugar in it, rice, pasta, potatoes, grains, flour, sweet fruit etc. I do eat proteins eg eggs, cheese, meat, fish poultry with green leafy veg, apples sometimes, berries and full fat Greek yoghurt sometimes. Double cream. I cook from scratch every day. However, I do have milk in my tea, about 4-5 a day.
I do write down what I eat.
Maybe I should do the pre and post meal testing. Is it possible to eat too much cheese?
Thank you for your help.

Your diet looks spot on to me. A dash of milk in your tea won't be causing too much bother, and cheese is fine. Just try testing each meal and test after exercise for a week to see what is happening there. If you are anything like me, exercise raises my levels, and walking after a meal does absolutely nothing for me. One size does not fit all. :)
 

Beebeelady

Active Member
Messages
27
What you are doing is phenomenal and nothing is wrong as you are maintaining.

I have just a couple of thoughts around your routine which may get you a point or 2 lower, by just "messing" with what you already do. If you don't already do so, consider walking your dog after your meal(s), this will minimise the blood sugar rise, so as regular habit could reduce further your HbA1c. You might want to try spreading your personal trainer workouts from 2 to either 3 or 4, i.e. rather than 2 x 1 hour, maybe 3 x 40 minutes or 4 x 30 minutes, evenly spread throughout the week if convenient / economic; I think a greater spread with the same time input may add benefit to your number, assuming you want to go lower.
Thanks for the reply. Walking after a meal is a good idea, though not in the dark for me! I would love to do more PT sessions, but it is a financial issue. I did ask my PT about developing a routine I can do at home, in between sessions.
I really would like to get my number lower, and I don’t like the fasting readings of 7.9 or 8.2 that I have had. Thank you for your ideas.
Your diet looks spot on to me. A dash of milk in your tea won't be causing too much bother, and cheese is fine. Just try testing each meal and test after exercise for a week to see what is happening there. If you are anything like me, exercise raises my levels, and walking after a meal does absolutely nothing for me. One size does not fit all. :)
Your diet looks spot on to me. A dash of milk in your tea won't be causing too much bother, and cheese is fine. Just try testing each meal and test after exercise for a week to see what is happening there. If you are anything like me, exercise raises my levels, and walking after a meal does absolutely nothing for me. One size does not fit all. :)
Thank you bluetit. I will experiment with testing at different times. And that’s the problem, one size does not fit all, so it’s a bit of a walk in the dark. I think testing is the way to go.
 
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