Hba1c Creeping Up..........................

Robo42

Well-Known Member
Messages
65
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Eating "quite well" and cutting down on harmful carbohydrates can be two very different things when Type 2 is introduced into the equation.
The fact that your HbA1c levels are rising shows that your food intake isn;t so good for you as you think.
If you want to give us some meal examples we could point you at some better (for you) alternatives perhaps?
I am more good Carb rather than low Carb. Originally I tested sugar levels before & after all meals for weeks to get an idea of what affected me, if I ate something different I would test. But for some time the Drs told me to stop testing & stopped my prescription for test strips. So for last couple of years I test only when feel a bit duff & its usually when low. I found I cannot do carb in the morning so breakfast is Oat cereals with oat milk or eggs, mushrooms, sausage, fish. I have a dairy allergy. Lunch is a struggle to avoid bread but usually have low GI Soy/Linseed bread or brown pitta with ham,tuna, goat cheese or omelette. Evening meal varies, steak, pork, chicken, fish with veg,salad. Have basmati brown rice, wholewheat pasta, sweet pots & butternut squash, rarely potato,chips. No sugar, drink tea, coffee with oat milk. Am slightly off my target weight at 77kg at the moment. Food thoughts welcomed, my cholesterol & fats readings seem OK.
 

bulkbiker

BANNED
Messages
19,576
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I am more good Carb rather than low Carb. Originally I tested sugar levels before & after all meals for weeks to get an idea of what affected me, if I ate something different I would test. But for some time the Drs told me to stop testing & stopped my prescription for test strips. So for last couple of years I test only when feel a bit duff & its usually when low. I found I cannot do carb in the morning so breakfast is Oat cereals with oat milk or eggs, mushrooms, sausage, fish. I have a dairy allergy. Lunch is a struggle to avoid bread but usually have low GI Soy/Linseed bread or brown pitta with ham,tuna, goat cheese or omelette. Evening meal varies, steak, pork, chicken, fish with veg,salad. Have basmati brown rice, wholewheat pasta, sweet pots & butternut squash, rarely potato,chips. No sugar, drink tea, coffee with oat milk. Am slightly off my target weight at 77kg at the moment. Food thoughts welcomed, my cholesterol & fats readings seem OK.

Any of those carbs would cause my blood sugars to rise so I simply avoid eating them. Brown or white seems to make little if any difference to my body. I'm afraid your doctor was "toeing the line" when he said not to test and in my opinion is a fool. If you can't monitor how can you tell what is good for you.
I fund my own strips and am lucky enough to be able to but it through testing that I know I can't eat what you do and maintain my blood sugar levels where I want them. I would hazard a guess that your body is similar to mine hence your slowly rising HbA1c results. I limit myself to meats/fish/eggs/dairy/ green veg/salad(when I'm eating veg or salad). I don't eat starchy foods in any form.. they got me to where I was and avoiding them has got me to where I am now.
It may appear extreme but my health is very important to me so I'm willing to make the changes necessary to preserve it and attempt to maintain it without medication (which is almost equally as important to me).
 
Last edited:

JohnEGreen

Master
Messages
13,188
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Tripe and Onions
to my mind there just aren't good carbs there are tasty carbs yes even delicious carbs there are less damaging than other carbs carbs but I've never come across a good carb they are all sugar and that's it.
 

Robo42

Well-Known Member
Messages
65
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Any of those carbs would cause my blood sugars to rise so I simply avoid eating them. Brown or white seems to make little if any difference to my body. I'm afraid your doctor was "towing the line" when he said not to test and in my opinion is a fool. If you can't monitor how can you tell what is good for you.
I fund my own strips and am lucky enough to be able to but it through testing that I know I can't eat what you do and maintain my blood sugar levels where I want them. I would hazard a guess that your body is similar to mine hence your slowly rising HbA1c results. I limit myself to meats/fish/eggs/dairy/ green veg/salad(when I'm eating veg or salad). I don't eat starchy foods in any form.. they got me to where I was and avoiding them has got me to where I am now.
It may appear extreme but my health is very important to me so I'm willing to make the changes necessary to preserve it and attempt to maintain it without medication (which is almost equally as important to me).
Your right on the testing, I bought a different tester that had cheaper strips, but the yearly HbA1c test is not much use to help notice a change its now 6 monthly but still not easy to identfy change. As my checks on food affecting blood sugar had been good at keeping things in check for some time my last 2 HbA1c were a bit disappoining. Being quite good most of the time eating the odd treat seemed to be OK, but seems not now. SO I need to make some real changes, but the 6 month check will only tell! But I will check my levels more.
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Yes, do keep checking before and after food. Your meals are very carb heavy in my opinion. You say
"I found I cannot do carb in the morning so breakfast is Oat cereals with oat milk" But oats are high carb, so you are still eating them for breakfast, and carbs at breakfast is the worst time for most of us. If you want to stop your increasing HbA1c from increasing further, you will have to start rigorous testing of all your meals, especially the wholemeal stuff, bread, pasta and rice. They all turn to sugar once inside the system.
 

jojo broadie

Well-Known Member
Messages
52
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Eating "quite well" and cutting down on harmful carbohydrates can be two very different things when Type 2 is introduced into the equation.
The fact that your HbA1c levels are rising shows that your food intake isn;t so good for you as you think.
If you want to give us some meal examples we could point you at some better (for you) alternatives perhaps?
My husband is Type 2 and has generally low readings during the day but it seens to be high first test in the morning 9+ We have evening meal around 6 or 7pm following low carb ...was told to check dawn phenomenon but don't know wgat this is . I am non diabetic but trying to get my husband off medication if possible by following low carb diet .... any suggestions or ideas please....thank you .
 

bulkbiker

BANNED
Messages
19,576
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
My husband is Type 2 and has generally low readings during the day but it seens to be high first test in the morning 9+ We have evening meal around 6 or 7pm following low carb ...was told to check dawn phenomenon but don't know wgat this is . I am non diabetic but trying to get my husband off medication if possible by following low carb diet .... any suggestions or ideas please....thank you .
What kind of readings are you getting during the day? How long has your husband been low carb? And how low carb are you trying to go?
 

jojo broadie

Well-Known Member
Messages
52
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
What kind of readings are you getting during the day? How long has your husband been low carb? And how low carb are you trying to go?
during the day can be anywhere between 6 and 7 ...we are trying to keep carbs between 100 and 120 just started this...how many carbs should he be having .....thank you for your help....
 

bulkbiker

BANNED
Messages
19,576
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
during the day can be anywhere between 6 and 7 ...we are trying to keep carbs between 100 and 120 just started this...how many carbs should he be having .....thank you for your help....

I'm a very low carb/ketogenic advocate so usually go for less than 20g per day. With carbs that low you will get into ketosis and start to burn body fat thus getting lower sugars whilst losing weight. I also intermittent fast by not having breakfast and often only eat in a very limited time window each day (either late lunch then dinner or just dinner).
I feel sometimes that cutting carbs "a bit" leaves you in limbo between ketosis and a "normal" diet but that's my own very personal view. I also went cold turkey on carbs intending to maybe reintroduce some later on but never quite getting round to it over 2 1/2 years later...6-7 isn't bad although I prefer to be in the 5's but that certainly should be achievable. My FBG was the last one to show significant reduction so don't despair..it was a good 6 months of very low carb before I saw my first 5 FBG.