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A1C didn't drop much

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worldtraveller

Active Member
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I'm a 57 slim female. In the USA, pre-diabetics is from A1C 5.7-6.4. My A1C was 5.9 thirteen weeks ago. Since then, I went on a low carb and fasting diet. Here was my diet:

- fasted for six out of seven days a week for the thirteen weeks.
- first two weeks of 100 carbs per day, fasting 14-16 hours a day
- eight weeks of between 20-40 carbs a day, fasting at 12 hours a day,
- two weeks of 40-60 carbs per day, fasting at 12 hours a day.
- 250 mg chromiun picolinate, and 3050 of turmeric curcumin daily
- lost about 5-7 pounds (not exactly sure as I never weighed myself before I started)
- The missing week was when I screwed up as I went to an all-inclusive. Let's just say that I did more of a low-carb than what I normally would have done, but really blew it.

I had my A1C done yesterday and am at 5.7. I am very disappointed. Diabetics is rampant in my family!

Is this normal? Will I continue to drop if I follow this diet? What should I do? Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Last edited:
Hi
Your Hba1c should hopefully continue to drop with low carbing.
Some people need meds as well.
Good luck in your journey
Take care
 
I'm confused about something! Not sure how to put it in words. Just say I continue with a low carb diet of 100 carbs a day for three months. Does this mean that, in three months time, I'd still be at A1C 5.7 and In order to get my A1C lower, I'd have to go down to, for example 50 carbs a day? Or, if my new permanent diet was 100 carbs a day, over months and months and months of 100 carbs a day would my body re-set itself and slowly get a lower A1C to more like 5.0. (I'm just throwing out these numbers to explain my confusion)
 

We all have different reactions to carbs because we have different metabolisms, different degrees of pancreatic damage. Different everything. You may find you have to drop your carbs. I started at 100g but gradually reduced over the next few months until I ended up on 30g. None at breakfast, a few at lunch, the rest in the evening meal. Some people manage well on 100g, some on more than that, others a lot less. Your meter will tell you how many your body can cope with (if you have a meter - if not, I strongly urge you to buy one).

Buy a meter, test before eating and again 2 hours after first bite, record these numbers in a food diary, look at the difference from before to after and keep that rise down as low as you can. 2mmol/ rise is the absolute maximum to aim for, Preferably a lot less. If it is more than that there were too many carbs on your plate. Eat to your meter and you will soon discover how many carbs (and which ones) your body can cope with.
 
I do not fast as it raises my blood glucose levels - that might be why you are not seeing any benefit.
My regime to try to keep in normal numbers is to eat twice a day, when I get up and then in the evening.
I am more insulin resistant in the mornings - or I was - I tend to keep to the same routine now out of habit. I started off eating no more than 50 gm of carbs a day, with 10 gm or so in the mornings and the rest later on as they had far less effect. I went by how hungry I felt in the evenings so I might have berries and cream a couple of times a week.
What worked for me is eating low carb foods - having meat fish or other sea food, or eggs and cheese along with salad stuff and/or stirfries. Now I am well over two years from diagnosis and have dropped into the top end of normal from fully diabetic.
The two meals a day seems easy to do and my metabolism is buzzing along happily.
 
Thanks for your replies. Perhaps I didn't ask the question correctly! Let me re-phrase.
----A dieter, who went from 2000 calories a day to 1500 calories a day in 3 months, slowly lost 10 pounds. Remaining at 1500 calories a day for every, the dieter could pretty well be the same weight, give or take a little. If she/he wanted to loose more weight, he'd have to go down lower in calories..
----Now, compare this to an A1C............. If I stay at 100 carbs a day, dropped from A1C 5.9 to 5.7, and continued on with the same low carb diet forever, would my A1C slowly go down, or would it remain at 5.7, give or take a little? Or, like the diet, would I have to lower my carbs to go down?
--- I am not trying to loose weight as I am borderline a little too slim. The calorie diet are just numbers used to explain myself, not based on any diet plan.
 
@worldtraveller have you been using a glucose meter to check your pre and post meal readings? That will give you much more insight as to whether the level of carbs you’re consuming is right for you and whether you need to drop them further to reduce your A1C.
 
I don't think curcumin does anything just include turmeric powder in your food. you don't want that much extract of it.
I think you might need to drop carbs more and fast little bit longer. Turmeric suggestion is just a friendly suggestion being a Indian I have quite an idea about.
For you A1C i think may be you could try 16 hour fast and try dropping carbs less then 20gm for three months and see if your A1c drops.
Also you could buy a glucometer to check your glucose levels and see if carbs you are currently eating are spiking your sugar or not.
You can also experiment including and excluding dairy in your diet.
I have removed dairy from my diet at it caused huge inflammation.
 
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