Feeling disappointed.

[Willow_W]

Hi, I had a hba1c done in december and it came back at 57. I was told it would be repeated in 3 months time and if there was a second reading high/in the diabetic range, then I would officially be diagnosed a diabetic, but that if I lost some weight and cut some carbs I could probably turn it around.
Since then I have changed my diet, I rarely eat bread now, ive completely cut out pasta, which I ate alot, ive cut my potato intake significantly, Ive stopped eating crisps and ive cut out alot of chocolate and cakes, though not stopped completely, its about a quarter of what I consumed before. Since christmas Ive lost a stone in weight.
I got a blood glucose monitor which helped me work out which foods made me spike in the begining, But I just take my blood glucose in the morning now and 2 hours after my dinner in the evening. for the last month, the morning readings have been 5.5-6.8 and after my evening meals no more than 7.5. I really thought all that hard work had paid off, but had the repeat HBA1c the other day and saw my results today, which was 51.

I feel so disappointed that all that hard work has hardly made a difference! It has made me feel despondent.

I am so scared to go on medication for it and was told that most type 2s end up on insulin in 10 years, which scares the **** out of me.
I already feel its taken over my life constantly having to think about what im eating and making adjustments.

 

[Maco]

You’ve got from an average reading of 9.2mmol to an average score of 8.2mmol. Not bad at all when you look at it like that

 

[EllieM]

I feel so disappointed that all that hard work has hardly made a difference! It has made me feel despondent.

That's actually quite a big drop. Remember that as a T2 your insulin resistance has built up over a long time and it will take time to reduce it. Also, your hba1c is affected by readings over the last 3 months so if your levels are improving it will likely be lagging behind your most recent readings.

Your actual current bg readings are excellent (the morning ones tend to be the last to come down). And the weight loss (assuming it was desired) is another sign that low carb is working for you, as weight gain is a symptom of T2 diabetes.

Well done and keep up the good work.

 

[muzza3]

Congratulations you are definitely heading in the right direction.

 

[NicoleC1971]

Hi, I had a hba1c done in december and it came back at 57. I was told it would be repeated in 3 months time and if there was a second reading high/in the diabetic range, then I would officially be diagnosed a diabetic, but that if I lost some weight and cut some carbs I could probably turn it around.
Since then I have changed my diet, I rarely eat bread now, ive completely cut out pasta, which I ate alot, ive cut my potato intake significantly, Ive stopped eating crisps and ive cut out alot of chocolate and cakes, though not stopped completely, its about a quarter of what I consumed before. Since christmas Ive lost a stone in weight.
I got a blood glucose monitor which helped me work out which foods made me spike in the begining, But I just take my blood glucose in the morning now and 2 hours after my dinner in the evening. for the last month, the morning readings have been 5.5-6.8 and after my evening meals no more than 7.5. I really thought all that hard work had paid off, but had the repeat HBA1c the other day and saw my results today, which was 51.

I feel so disappointed that all that hard work has hardly made a difference! It has made me feel despondent.

I am so scared to go on medication for it and was told that most type 2s end up on insulin in 10 years, which scares the **** out of me.
I already feel its taken over my life constantly having to think about what im eating and making adjustments.

TbH if I, as type 1, had got such a reduction I would be impressed with myself. You are nearly into the pre diabetic range (under 48) and will have done your health such good and shown by the reduction in hba1c and weight.
It sounds as if you have found it really hard to go lower carb and this is why you feel disappointed not to have your pain rewarded appropriately?
I'd say you need to make sure you are eating tasty stuff (eggs, cheese, chicken, steak, fish) o replace the carbs so that this doesn't feel so difficult given that ;you will need to make this a lifestyle change for life. I do think you can get used to this new way by practising more rather than 'white knuckling' it until you get the hba1c down.
For me having a glass of wine works well and I have some chocolate /crisps on Friday though I'm aware that others might find it hard to limit treats if they have a carb/sugar addiction problem.

 

[Willow_W]

Thank you all for your replies & helping me see that this is still an achievement.

I have found cutting some of the carbs out as hard, which is probably why I am so disappointed. Additionally my passion was baking. I baked every week, sometimes multiple times & so ate alot of cakes. I now only bake once a month and then give most of it to family and friends (once I have taste tested of course) which feels quite drastic, so again a disappointment that more progress wasnt made.

I have a phone call with my surgeries diabetic nurse on Friday. I spoke to a friend today who is a diab nurse and she said If I was her patient, she would offer one of two things - to either allow me to try and loose another stone with diet / exercise in the next 3 months, then do a repeat bt and she would hope with more weight loss this could take it down to around 45 (given the change in the last 3 months/stone lost). Then it would just need to be a further short drop to get it under 42. However if this didnt happen, then she would put me on meds - she said anything over 50 should really be treated with meds.
Alternatively she would offer medication straight away but trulicity or similiar which apparently also helps with weight loss. Then after a while on that, if weight loss is seen, then she'd ween off and test hba1c again to see if meds are no longer needed.

Assuming my gp nurse offers something silimar, would you advise that I try to stay off the meds and try with diet & weight loss, or would you go on the meds straight away?

 

[Ronancastled]

Sounds like you have a access to a good friend with some great advice.
I had only one A1c of 52 & got diagnosed on the spot.
My follow up bloods for confirmation had my fasting back in the low 5s but it didn't matter, label for life now.

Read what @EllieM wrote above
"Remember that as a T2 your insulin resistance has built up over a long time and it will take time to reduce it"

Your insulin resistance has built up, probably over decades, without you knowing. Your body needs to reprogram, your beta cells need to be destressed & allowed heal. Sounds like you've got this, just give it time.

 

[Goonergal]

Hi @Willow_W

As others have said, you’ve made some changes and are definitely headed in the right direction, so please don’t be too despondent. It can be difficult when you’re disappointed that your efforts haven’t had as much impact as you’d hoped, but a reduction like that is significant and to be celebrated.

I wanted to respond to a couple of points in the hope it will help you.

I have found cutting some of the carbs out as hard, which is probably why I am so disappointed. Additionally my passion was baking. I baked every week, sometimes multiple times & so ate alot of cakes. I now only bake once a month

There are several on here who successfully bake using low carb ingredients. Would that be an option for you? I did for a while but have stopped for various reasons, but found that others enjoyed low carb baking as much as I did and didn’t necessarily notice that the ingredients were different.

she would hope with more weight loss this could take it down to around 45 (given the change in the last 3 months/stone lost). Then it would just need to be a further short drop to get it under 42.

I’d be wary of assuming that it’s weight loss alone that will drop you into non-diabetic numbers. The single most important thing is to eat food that doesn’t significantly raise your blood sugars. For unmedicated type 2s this means restricting carbohydrates. How much you need to do this will vary from individual to individual, so testing before and after meals will be your key to devising your own personal plan.

While low carb eating often does result in weight loss, there are members on here who haven’t lost weight, or who haven’t lost significant weight, but have reduced their HbA1c to non-diabetic or pre-diabetic numbers by changing what they eat.

A couple of things that might help - this website with loads of food ideas and information: https://www.dietdoctor.com/

Also try and think about the delicious things you CAN eat, things which are often ‘forbidden’ on traditional weight loss plans (cheese, cream, bacon and eggs for breakfast) rather than focusing on what is being given up. It’s not an easy transition but ver time your tastes may well change.

 

[lucylocket61]

Hi, I had a hba1c done in december and it came back at 57. I was told it would be repeated in 3 months time and if there was a second reading high/in the diabetic range, then I would officially be diagnosed a diabetic, but that if I lost some weight and cut some carbs I could probably turn it around.
Since then I have changed my diet, I rarely eat bread now, ive completely cut out pasta, which I ate alot, ive cut my potato intake significantly, Ive stopped eating crisps and ive cut out alot of chocolate and cakes, though not stopped completely, its about a quarter of what I consumed before. Since christmas Ive lost a stone in weight.
I got a blood glucose monitor which helped me work out which foods made me spike in the begining, But I just take my blood glucose in the morning now and 2 hours after my dinner in the evening. for the last month, the morning readings have been 5.5-6.8 and after my evening meals no more than 7.5. I really thought all that hard work had paid off, but had the repeat HBA1c the other day and saw my results today, which was 51.

I feel so disappointed that all that hard work has hardly made a difference! It has made me feel despondent.

I am so scared to go on medication for it and was told that most type 2s end up on insulin in 10 years, which scares the **** out of me.
I already feel its taken over my life constantly having to think about what im eating and making adjustments.

You have done very well in a short time.

If it helps, I am 9 years since diagnosis with type 2 diabetes. I am still diet only controlled. Having to progress to take lots of drugs and eventually insulin is not inevitable. What you are doing will certainly slow down progression, and may even stop it progressing.

It might be worth looking at how many carbs you have a day and keeping a record. I have around 80g in total over a day.

Keep going You are doing really well.

 

[Willow_W]

Thank you all, you've helped me re-frame my thinking on this. I will take it as good progress made so far and continue to try and drop it further.

@lucylocket61 , that is reassuring to know that the diagnosis doesnt necessarily mean meds.

@Goonergal I will definately look into low carb baking and diet doctor.

 

[MrsA2]

Additionally my passion was baking. I baked every week, sometimes multiple times & so ate alot of cakes. I now only bake once a month and then give most of it to family and friends (once I have taste tested of course) which feels quite drastic

Willow, I too was a baker, even award winning.
At first after diagnosis I thought I'd never bake again, especially as I didn't want to use too many sweeteners, but once my bgs and weight were under better (but not perfect!) control I have been dabbling with a few lc recipes.
I freeze the results in portions and ration myself. Ditto with any real baking I do for family, it gets portioned and frozen so I can't be tempted.
I allow myself a 2 bite rule, 1st bite satisfies the taste, 2nd bite the craving. I learned that from Mary Berry!!
I am really amazed that just a year on that I can say no much more easily than I did in the past. So much tastes too sweet for me now. I tried a bite of shop bought cheese twist the other day, omg tasted sugary and greasy and I used to love them.
This is the site of recipes I use most. I often cut the sweetener in half again. It easy to halve some of the recipes too, to ease temptation and cost as lc baking is very expensive.
https://www.ketofitnessclub.com/pages/free-recipe-library UK site with UK measurements, yay!
For me, controlling my bg has to be for life, so if that means lc for life, then life has to go on and that involves baking, family and celebrations...just all in moderation.
This week I have enjoyed the rhubarb and ginger cake. Made in 7" tin, cut into 8 portions it looks diddly but is so satisfying, might add more ginger next time.
Hope you get to enjoy baking again

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Sadly you may have to change your baking recipes a bit. Unfortunately many of the TV progs and books focus on excessively sugary cake production, but you can adapt things a bit. Use sweeteners rather than sugar and when you do use sugar seriously reduce the amounts. Avoid icing sugar of course. My wife makes Molly cake and just relies on the sugar in the currants. Almond flour is excellent but very expensive.

 

[Willow_W]

Willow, I too was a baker, even award winning.
At first after diagnosis I thought I'd never bake again, especially as I didn't want to use too many sweeteners, but once my bgs and weight were under better (but not perfect!) control I have been dabbling with a few lc recipes.
I freeze the results in portions and ration myself. Ditto with any real baking I do for family, it gets portioned and frozen so I can't be tempted.
I allow myself a 2 bite rule, 1st bite satisfies the taste, 2nd bite the craving. I learned that from Mary Berry!!
I am really amazed that just a year on that I can say no much more easily than I did in the past. So much tastes too sweet for me now. I tried a bite of shop bought cheese twist the other day, omg tasted sugary and greasy and I used to love them.
This is the site of recipes I use most. I often cut the sweetener in half again. It easy to halve some of the recipes too, to ease temptation and cost as lc baking is very expensive.
https://www.ketofitnessclub.com/pages/free-recipe-library UK site with UK measurements, yay!
For me, controlling my bg has to be for life, so if that means lc for life, then life has to go on and that involves baking, family and celebrations...just all in moderation.
This week I have enjoyed the rhubarb and ginger cake. Made in 7" tin, cut into 8 portions it looks diddly but is so satisfying, might add more ginger next time.
Hope you get to enjoy baking again

Thank you so much for posting this link and sharing your experience. It has made me feel a bit more positive about baking again! I've already spotted a few recipes from the site that I'd like to try at some point. (And yay to the uk measurements!)
I have got a lot better at portion control, but freezing portions sounds a very good idea!

 

[Resurgam]

My post meal levels are under 7 most days, yet my Hba1c is 42.
I reduced my carbs from 50 gm per day to 40 - maximum, and my Hba1c was still 42.
I suspect that I am unlikely to be able to get my Hba1c level to drop.
It isn't an actual direct correlation, by the way - the numbers were matched with glucose level readings, so if you do not have typical turnover of red blood corpuscles then the results can be awry.
I have begun to make myself low carb bread - I have even brought a bread maker, and the first attempt was quite good - though it was actually better when left a few days and then toasted. Now I have acquired the ingredients for low carb baking I hope to indulge a little once every couple of weeks.

 

[TeddyTottie]

You can get 1kg and larger bags of almond flour online, I get mine from amazon since I have Prime, but lots of other places sell it. Coconut flour is also good, but has different properties so don’t substitute one for the other. Coconut flour holds more liquid and makes things ‘shorter’ but it does have a coconut flavour.

You may also find, that if you are a bit more hard line on reducing the carbs, that it gets easier. Carbs beget carbs in my experience - my carb cravings are more or less gone these days as I try to keep most of my carb intake very low and from only green veg and dairy. With the occasional low-carb cake or scone, of course!

A decent low-carb way of eating is also much easier if you stop buying pre-prepared food and cook everything from scratch. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or time-consuming, meat/fish and veg/salad followed by some berries and cream is a staple for me, with home-made one-pot-wonders brewed up in large batches and frozen, and quick things like omelettes now and then.

 

[Roggg]

You have done very well in a short time.
It might be worth looking at how many carbs you have a day and keeping a record. I have around 80g in total over a day.

Keep going You are doing really well.

I agree with both points here. Tracking is the only way to know for sure, and while I have no doubt you've made big improvements in your diet, it can really help to quantify and understand exactly where you are at.

And yeah, these are good results. You should feel proud of the gains you've made, and use that as motivation to keep working towards better health.

Good luck

 

[VashtiB]

I'm another who agrees with the people above. You have done really well so congratulations.

There are options for low carb baking but I agree that freezing extra portions is really the way to go. For me like @TeddyTottie carbs beget carbs. so I still can find it hard to portion control. I use artificial sweeteners as that is something I have found helps me. You need to find out what works for you- that can change over time so it is finding what works for you now and adapting as necessary. What I have found though is that if you post on this site when what you are doing isn't quite working for you you will end up with a lot of ideas. As a baker I'm sure in the near future you will be giving others some ideas.