HbA1c result - so disappointed

[Atad heavy]

In December my HbA1c result was 46 which was down from 48 on the last test which was 3 months earlier. At the end of April I started the LCHF diet & all my main meals were from the diet dr Keto recipes. I have cheated a few times with homemade curry with a little basmati rice. My HbA1c was tested last month & it has remained at 46. I was so looking forward to seeing how much it had dropped only to be devastated by the result. During this period I have been diagnosed with gallstones after a really bad episode of pain & a trip to hospital. I am now waiting to see if I need surgery.
I would really appreciate any thoughts on where I am going wrong
Thankyou for reading

 

[Juicyj]

Hello @Atad heavy Don't get wound up with these results, they are there simply as guidance.

I had 42 last August and last month it went up to 46 same as you, am I bothered, nope, I know i'm in the right zone, and I know why, it will fluctuate and that's life, getting devastated over this isn't useful for your mental well being, so take a deep breath and move on but don't let it get in the way of your control

 

[Resurgam]

Did you track your carb intake accurately? Did you check that your blood glucose levels were being kept low?
There is a chart which gives the equivalent average blood glucose to the Hba1c result - yours is about 7.7 mmol/l I think. You are only three months into the diet, and you are eating high carb foods - although in small amounts, but I did find that did not work for me, I still saw considerable spiking.
Hopefully as you settle into the way of eating you will see lower averages.

 

[HSSS]

In December my HbA1c result was 46 which was down from 48 on the last test which was 3 months earlier. At the end of April I started the LCHF diet & all my main meals were from the diet dr Keto recipes. I have cheated a few times with homemade curry with a little basmati rice. My HbA1c was tested last month & it has remained at 46. I was so looking forward to seeing how much it had dropped only to be devastated by the result. During this period I have been diagnosed with gallstones after a really bad episode of pain & a trip to hospital. I am now waiting to see if I need surgery.
I would really appreciate any thoughts on where I am going wrong
Thankyou for reading

Those cheats might be adding up and your other meals might be higher than you realise. Are you counting the carbs in those? And testing your bloods to see how they suit your response?

Also pain will raise bgl and I know just how painful gallbladder attacks can be. Try not to stress (another factor that raises levels). Even if you do end up with surgery at least it’ll prevent more pain. I suffered for 4 years of attacks before being diagnosed and was very unhappy about surgery, but once healed was glad I don’t have to suffer that pain anymore.

It’s still in a prediabetic range and we aren’t robots, there’ll always be some variation test to test.

 

[FantomPoet]

Hi @Atad heavy don't be disheartened with the result it is in itself good. There will be natural ups and downs. Your last result was in the middle of winter now in the summer you are the same, consistency is good (as long as you are in the right zone). Also the cheats I find knock me out of Keto and then my numbers vary but as said above we are not robots. I fell off the LCHF wagon and am back on working my way back to those levels, you are in a good place.

 

[Mbaker]

Just tweak here and there. If you are looking to try to get into the 30's substitute the high carb element.

 

[There is no Spoon]

I would really appreciate any thoughts on where I am going wrong

What make you think your doing anything wrong?

There are many more factors than just diet that effect your blood sugar and by the sounds of it you have had a few trials and tribulations to deal with lately don't be down on yourself. Through it all your bg levels have stayed relatively good, imagine how good they would be if it had all been plain sailing.

I'm always amazed when people do so well, but don't give themselves any credit.

 

[Prem51]

@Atad heavy You have reduced your HbA1c from diabetic range into the pre-diabetic range, and maintained that - well done!
I reduced mine to non-diabetic range (39) but then went back into the pre-diabetic range. I'm just hoping I won't go up more into the diabetic range again at my next test in October.
We can only try to control our bgs as best we can.

 

[Atad heavy]

Did you track your carb intake accurately? Did you check that your blood glucose levels were being kept low?
There is a chart which gives the equivalent average blood glucose to the Hba1c result - yours is about 7.7 mmol/l I think. You are only three months into the diet, and you are eating high carb foods - although in small amounts, but I did find that did not work for me, I still saw considerable spiking.
Hopefully as you settle into the way of eating you will see lower averages.

I was going by the carb content on the recipes & didn’t count them. Breakfast was always Greek yoghurt with walnuts & for lunch I would have a couple of boiled eggs and a piece of cheese. I used to test before & after eating but it was always ok so stopped

 

[Atad heavy]

Those cheats might be adding up and your other meals might be higher than you realise. Are you counting the carbs in those? And testing your bloods to see how they suit your response?

Also pain will raise bgl and I know just how painful gallbladder attacks can be. Try not to stress (another factor that raises levels). Even if you do end up with surgery at least it’ll prevent more pain. I suffered for 4 years of attacks before being diagnosed and was very unhappy about surgery, but once healed was glad I don’t have to suffer that pain anymore.

It’s still in a prediabetic range and we aren’t robots, there’ll always be some variation test to test.

You are right about the carb content being more than I realised. Tonight I made a curry with Basmati rice, before I ate it was 5.8 - 1 hour later 7.2 and 2 hours later it’s 8.2
I have read so many success stories about LCHF & was hoping that I would have a better result. I did wonder how much the gallbladder contributed to this result but I’m very nervous about having it out

 

[Atad heavy]

Hi @Atad heavy don't be disheartened with the result it is in itself good. There will be natural ups and downs. Your last result was in the middle of winter now in the summer you are the same, consistency is good (as long as you are in the right zone). Also the cheats I find knock me out of Keto and then my numbers vary but as said above we are not robots. I fell off the LCHF wagon and am back on working my way back to those levels, you are in a good place.

Thankyou for your reply those positive words are just what I need

 

[Atad heavy]

What make you think your doing anything wrong?

There are many more factors than just diet that effect your blood sugar and by the sounds of it you have had a few trials and tribulations to deal with lately don't be down on yourself. Through it all your bg levels have stayed relatively good, imagine how good they would be if it had all been plain sailing.

I'm always amazed when people do so well, but don't give themselves any credit.

I have read a lot of threads where members have followed LCHF diet & had some amazing results on their HbA1c tests.

 

[HSSS]

I have read a lot of threads where members have followed LCHF diet & had some amazing results on their HbA1c tests.

Again we aren’t all robots. Some lose weight and get terrific drops in hb1ac, others cut their carbs a little and do the same. Some of us cut a lot of carbs and lose weight and it’s not so dramatic. It’s very individual and I too used to find it disheartening. I think some of us are just more insulin resistant, some have more genetic predisposition, some have beta cells or livers that respond to weight loss better, some do more exercise, some more muscle mass to help things along etc etc .

If you want more of a drop try counting for a while/cutting a few more carbs/moving more/reducing eating hours and extending the overnight fast a bit more.

Just think what it could have reached it you’d done nothing!

 

[catinahat]

members have followed LCHF diet & had some amazing results on their HbA1c tests.

Do the people you are comparing yourself with have the same build, weight, metabolism or level of insulin resistance as you ? As we are all unique individuals it's pointless being disheartened because your results are different to someone else. All any of us can do is the be the best we can

 

[Atad heavy]

Do the people you are comparing yourself with have the same build, weight, metabolism or level of insulin resistance as you ? As we are all unique individuals it's pointless being disheartened because your results are different to someone else. All any of us can do is the be the best we can

That’s a very good point, I will continue with the LCHF diet & be more aware of high carb cheating