Pre-diabetes - hb1ac 47

[Ivy10]

Hi, I had a blood test in August for something completely different and my hb1ac was 43, so was told I had pre-diabetes and to adjust my diet. This came as a surprise as I was well within my BMI, 41 years of age and relatively active. I didn’t think my diet was that bad, but have changed it accordingly and lost 7Ibs. I had another blood test last week and my hb1ac has gone up to 47. I’ve seen my dr and he was going to speak to a consultant to advise on what to do next. Feel really sad that with all the changes I’ve made that my hb1ac has still gone up. Has anyone else had a similar experience of this?
Thank you

 

[bulkbiker]

Hi and welcome.
It will I guess depend on what dietary changes you made?

 

[Ivy10]

Thank you. I’ve cut right down on carbs and where I do have a small amount I’ve switched to wholegrain ones or a small portion of starchy ones like new potatoes or a small jacket potato. I’ve also pretty much eliminated sugar and any processed foods and a very limited amount of red meat.

 

[bulkbiker]

I’ve switched to wholegrain ones

Wholegrain carbs are the same as white carbs.. they're all carbs I'm sorry to have to tell you.
They all turn to glucose once ingested.
Red meat is the one thing you can eat with impunity from that list so I certainly wouldn't cut down on that.
It has no carbs.. fill your boots.

 

[MrsA2]

Fruit can also be not good. Its a good idea to get a blood glucose meter and test to see what particular foods raise your bg.
There's good info on where the carbs are on dietdoctor.com

 

[Mrs T 123]

Hello and welcome - all breakfast cereals, bread, pasta and rice are high in carbs - I don't know if you have any of these as part of your diet.

 

[Ivy10]

Hello and welcome - all breakfast cereals, bread, pasta and rice are high in carbs - I don't know if you have any of these as part of your diet.

Thank you. I’ve been having porridge every morning for breakfast with a handful of frozen berries. I’ve pretty much cut out all the other things apart from say a spoonful of basmati rice and whole meal pasta once a week. I’ve cut back on bread as well and only having whole meal occasionally. The bit I find strange is how my hb1ac levels have gone up and not even just stayed the same. I do find I’m struggling to feel full up after meals.

 

[Ivy10]

Fruit can also be not good. Its a good idea to get a blood glucose meter and test to see what particular foods raise your bg.
There's good info on where the carbs are on dietdoctor.com

Ok thank you

 

[Ivy10]

Wholegrain carbs are the same as white carbs.. they're all carbs I'm sorry to have to tell you.
They all turn to glucose once ingested.
Red meat is the one thing you can eat with impunity from that list so I certainly wouldn't cut down on that.
It has no carbs.. fill your boots.

Ok thank you. I have cut right down on even the whole meal carbs, but will cut them out altogether and see if that helps. It just seems strange that compared to what I was eating before carb wise, I’ve cut it right down and yet my hb1ac has gone up by quite a bit. If anything I was expecting it to have remained the same.

 

[bulkbiker]

Ok thank you. I have cut right down on even the whole meal carbs, but will cut them out altogether and see if that helps. It just seems strange that compared to what I was eating before carb wise, I’ve cut it right down and yet my hb1ac has gone up by quite a bit. If anything I was expecting it to have remained the same.

Do you want to give us a few examples of daily intake and we can take a look?

 

[Rose22]

Hi, I had a blood test in August for something completely different and my hb1ac was 43, so was told I had pre-diabetes and to adjust my diet. This came as a surprise as I was well within my BMI, 41 years of age and relatively active. I didn’t think my diet was that bad, but have changed it accordingly and lost 7Ibs. I had another blood test last week and my hb1ac has gone up to 47. I’ve seen my dr and he was going to speak to a consultant to advise on what to do next. Feel really sad that with all the changes I’ve made that my hb1ac has still gone up. Has anyone else had a similar experience of this?
Thank you

I was told by a chance blood test that I was prediabetic. It was a surprise as I’d not expected it. I did have gestational diabetes history. This was 2 years after last child. I kept my hba1c at 44, 47, 48 and then it jumped into 50s, 60s etc despite all the changes and effort. I’m now late onset type 1 and on insulin, as without it I’ll eat and see top 20s. I think your hba1c has gone up but not drastically. It’s an average for the past 10-12 weeks. So with your gp/nurse maybe ask for review every 3/6 months. To diagnose type 2 they usually do two blood tests about two weeks apart to see if results are the same, mine was and higher each time. If you feel you are doing all you can re exercise, lifestyle..sleep stress, and food choices, and the numbers still go high worth asking to be referred for more tests. As sometimes it can be another form of diabetes. Dr will always say type 2 automatically. Best of luck! Diabetes changes over time, it’s never a fixed thing it seems. I’d say remember you know your body best so push for the care you feel will help.

 

[Mrs T 123]

Thank you. I’ve been having porridge every morning for breakfast with a handful of frozen berries. I’ve pretty much cut out all the other things apart from say a spoonful of basmati rice and whole meal pasta once a week. I’ve cut back on bread as well and only having whole meal occasionally. The bit I find strange is how my hb1ac levels have gone up and not even just stayed the same. I do find I’m struggling to feel full up after meals.

Porridge spikes me and a lot of us here on the forum, I sometimes have SKYR yoghurt, fat free (as I am watching my fat intake) at 4 carbs per 100g - when my diet was higher fat I would have Tesco's finest full fat greek yoghurt at 3.8g of carbs per 100g with berries rather than the porridge. I used to add full fat cream to the yoghurt and also have it in my tea and it did make me feel full but again that was before I was watching my fat intake and I don't feel hungry anymore as I have lost weight and I think my tummy has shrunk. Low carb snacks or add ons to your meals I have had are pork scratchings, 85% or higher lindtt dark chocolate with peanut butter on top, no sugar jelly and full fat cream, eggs, slices of cold meat and cheese. You could have cabbage shredded and fried in butter instead or courgetti instead of pasta which would be lower carb. There is a lower carb - what have you eaten today - section on this forum and you will find loads of good low carb food ideas there where we all share meals and ideas.

 

[MrsA2]

Ivy
It might be that having cut down on carbs your body has gone into some sort of panic because the carbs haven't been replaced by anything, therefore it thinks its starving. Id suggest increasing protein and healthy fats and cutting even further down on carbs...in other words a full lchf way of eating

 

[Ivy10]

Porridge spikes me and a lot of us here on the forum, I sometimes have SKYR yoghurt, fat free (as I am watching my fat intake) at 4 carbs per 100g - when my diet was higher fat I would have Tesco's finest full fat greek yoghurt at 3.8g of carbs per 100g with berries rather than the porridge. I used to add full fat cream to the yoghurt and also have it in my tea and it did make me feel full but again that was before I was watching my fat intake and I don't feel hungry anymore as I have lost weight and I think my tummy has shrunk. Low carb snacks or add ons to your meals I have had are pork scratchings, 85% or higher lindtt dark chocolate with peanut butter on top, no sugar jelly and full fat cream, eggs, slices of cold meat and cheese. You could have cabbage shredded and fried in butter instead or courgetti instead of pasta which would be lower carb. There is a lower carb - what have you eaten today - section on this forum and you will find loads of good low carb food ideas there where we all share meals and ideas.

Thank you and thanks for the suggestions. I’ll have a look on that page.

 

[Ivy10]

Ivy
It might be that having cut down on carbs your body has gone into some sort of panic because the carbs haven't been replaced by anything, therefore it thinks its starving. Id suggest increasing protein and healthy fats and cutting even further down on carbs...in other words a full lchf way of eating

Yes it could be, thank you for your help.

 

[Ivy10]

I was told by a chance blood test that I was prediabetic. It was a surprise as I’d not expected it. I did have gestational diabetes history. This was 2 years after last child. I kept my hba1c at 44, 47, 48 and then it jumped into 50s, 60s etc despite all the changes and effort. I’m now late onset type 1 and on insulin, as without it I’ll eat and see top 20s. I think your hba1c has gone up but not drastically. It’s an average for the past 10-12 weeks. So with your gp/nurse maybe ask for review every 3/6 months. To diagnose type 2 they usually do two blood tests about two weeks apart to see if results are the same, mine was and higher each time. If you feel you are doing all you can re exercise, lifestyle..sleep stress, and food choices, and the numbers still go high worth asking to be referred for more tests. As sometimes it can be another form of diabetes. Dr will always say type 2 automatically. Best of luck! Diabetes changes over time, it’s never a fixed thing it seems. I’d say remember you know your body best so push for the care you feel will help.

Thank you Rose. It’s good to hear other people’s stories. I’m wondering if I’m starting to get late onset type 1 or 1.5. Unless it is just my body’s response to cutting out the carbs but does seem strange. I’m at the bottom of my bmi now and I’m pretty active.

 

[Zoe Sparks]

Thank you. I’ve cut right down on carbs and where I do have a small amount I’ve switched to wholegrain ones or a small portion of starchy ones like new potatoes or a small jacket potato. I’ve also pretty much eliminated sugar and any processed foods and a very limited amount of red meat.

As a person with diabetes who works on eating better, you should make sure that your diet is not "low carb" per se, but the foods you eat have a low glycemic index. Myself, for example, eliminated "empty carbs" that is being gained from unhealthy foods (such as junk food, pastries, sweets, sugary drinks) because they rapidly raise blood sugar levels.

I have few found few informative articles, it's a shame I cannot share here. The main thing: try to ensure that the majority of your carb intake comes from complex carbohydrates, which can be found mostly in grains, starchy and non-starchy vegetables. Think vegetables, brown rice, whole-grain pasta, whole-grain bread, unprocessed and unsweetened cereals, legumes, or potatoes. These carbs are harder to digest and have a higher amount of fiber, thus more beneficial in general. From what you said, this is what you been been doing, so you just have to find specific products that your body likes. You are going to be fine!

 

[Ivy10]

As a person with diabetes who works on eating better, you should make sure that your diet is not "low carb" per se, but the foods you eat have a low glycemic index. Myself, for example, eliminated "empty carbs" that is being gained from unhealthy foods (such as junk food, pastries, sweets, sugary drinks) because they rapidly raise blood sugar levels.

I have few found few informative articles, it's a shame I cannot share here. The main thing: try to ensure that the majority of your carb intake comes from complex carbohydrates, which can be found mostly in grains, starchy and non-starchy vegetables. Think vegetables, brown rice, whole-grain pasta, whole-grain bread, unprocessed and unsweetened cereals, legumes, or potatoes. These carbs are harder to digest and have a higher amount of fiber, thus more beneficial in general. From what you said, this is what you been been doing, so you just have to find specific products that your body likes. You are going to be fine!

Thank you Zoe! The dr is now going to give me a blood sugar testing kit so I can monitor myself for the next week to try and get a better picture of what’s going on.

 

[EllieM]

Thank you Zoe! The dr is now going to give me a blood sugar testing kit so I can monitor myself for the next week to try and get a better picture of what’s going on.

Though you can get thun T2s, if you are having trouble maintaining your weight and your levels are going up despite carb production, then you should consider the possibility that you a re LADA/ delayed onset T1. This means that your insulin producing cells get gradually destroyed and although a low carb diet can keep things under control for a while (less carbs mean that your body can survive on less insulin) in the long run T1s need insulin (and die without it).

But doing blood tests before and two hours after a meal will tell you a lot, combined with a food diary.

As a person with diabetes who works on eating better, you should make sure that your diet is not "low carb" per se, but the foods you eat have a low glycemic index.

Not bad advice for a T1 who can inject for carbs, but if you are T2 and carb intolerant then you really need to reduce the carbs as well. But a meter will tell the story.

 

[Ivy10]

Though you can get thun T2s, if you are having trouble maintaining your weight and your levels are going up despite carb production, then you should consider the possibility that you a re LADA/ delayed onset T1. This means that your insulin producing cells get gradually destroyed and although a low carb diet can keep things under control for a while (less carbs mean that your body can survive on less insulin) in the long run T1s need insulin (and die without it).

But doing blood tests before and two hours after a meal will tell you a lot, combined with a food diary.



Not bad advice for a T1 who can inject for carbs, but if you are T2 and carb intolerant then you really need to reduce the carbs as well. But a meter will tell the story.

Thank you