A1C high

[Gill63]

A1C of 97 at last check end of July. A1C December 87 while on Metformin and Dapa. Continual UTIs with Dapa. Dapa was replaced with Sitagliptin. Last A1C 97 end of July. I know I have not been taking good control of my T2, partly due to lot of work and personal family stress.
GP now wants me to go on Gliclazide. Risk of hypos, need to advise car insurance. Also read that Gliclazide is step towards insulin.
Understanding is that Gliclazide forces pancreas to produce more insulin and can lead to weight gain. I am overweight as it is and over last year I have gained a stone. A1C was better when I was around 2 stone lighter around 48. At that time I was also on Metformin 1000mg daily and Sitagliptin. Same medication.
Testing BG before and after meals. Always high fasting, around 10 when on Dapa. Sitagliptin initially around 12 and more recently can be as much as 17. BG between 10 - 15 throughout the day.
I feel very mixed up on how to manage my t2. Few years ago I followed Slimming World diet which limited bread and cereal but not pasta rice or potato. I lost 2 stone and A1C was 46. Now know I need to get rid of 2 stone but so confused as to what is the best way to go about it.
I am struggling to understand LCHF is there anything that can help with this and make it easy.
I don't want to start Gliclazide and told my GP this, she wasn't happy and said she can't force me and will have to document that I have refused the gliclazide.
Don't know if I have passed the point of no return and that I should be doing as GP says or whether there is still hope to turn things round.
I am 58, diagnosed in 2015. Not had great control throughout other than period where weight was lower.
I feel constantly stressed thinking about this and the fear that I am at risk of serious complications.
How an I get the BG levels down.

 

[Antje77]

I am struggling to understand LCHF is there anything that can help with this and make it easy.

Perhaps this is helpful: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog/jokalsbeek.401801/

You might also like this thread where people share what they've eaten: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/page-2291

 

[Fenn]

Hi, it’s tough isn’t it, you have to use your fear as motivation because you have the power here, when people ask for help with diet the obvious and first step is to completely cut out, potatoes, rice, pasta and bread, some people will say this is too difficult, if that’s you then Glic may be the answer, the trouble with this approach is the glic won’t be enough after a while and you are back asking the same question about insulin so your answer really has to be yes, I will cut those out from right now.

Now, hey presto! You are following a low carb diet and trying your best to cure yourself, congrats. Now you get to further reduce those carbs and in turn bg numbers, the level you get down to will depend on you.

Glic may be necessary also but if you get those carbs down, lose some weight, perhaps you may never need it.

Is it horrible cutting out those main carb groups? Hell yeah! Is it fair? Nope! I can remember walking around the supermarket for two hours, all motivated to eat LC, then leaving the shop without buying anything and crying, seemed like I can’t eat anything, I cant live like this, what’s the point. Well, we all go through this, without the rubbish times, we wouldn’t understand how great it is enjoying a lovely steak with green veg and knowing you are helping yourself. There is so much food available on a LC diet, you just have to research it here on the above link.

I personally failed to control my DB through diet after a long time but delayed the meds and many people never need them, be one of those

Please start today and use us as sounding board, moan, rant and cry if you need to but begin the good fight, nothing to lose, everything to gain. You can do it!

 

[LaoDan]

Intermittent fasting may be an option.

Maybe list out the foods you like, we can recommend substitutions. Get started on a simple meal plan and expand it as you learn what you can tolerate.

there’s some amazing low carb dishes! Give it a try.

 

[Gill63]

Perhaps this is helpful: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog/jokalsbeek.401801/

You might also like this thread where people share what they've eaten: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/page-2291

Thanks for advice.

 

[Gill63]

Hi, it’s tough isn’t it, you have to use your fear as motivation because you have the power here, when people ask for help with diet the obvious and first step is to completely cut out, potatoes, rice, pasta and bread, some people will say this is too difficult, if that’s you then Glic may be the answer, the trouble with this approach is the glic won’t be enough after a while and you are back asking the same question about insulin so your answer really has to be yes, I will cut those out from right now.

Now, hey presto! You are following a low carb diet and trying your best to cure yourself, congrats. Now you get to further reduce those carbs and in turn bg numbers, the level you get down to will depend on you.

Glic may be necessary also but if you get those carbs down, lose some weight, perhaps you may never need it.

Is it horrible cutting out those main carb groups? Hell yeah! Is it fair? Nope! I can remember walking around the supermarket for two hours, all motivated to eat LC, then leaving the shop without buying anything and crying, seemed like I can’t eat anything, I cant live like this, what’s the point. Well, we all go through this, without the rubbish times, we wouldn’t understand how great it is enjoying a lovely steak with green veg and knowing you are helping yourself. There is so much food available on a LC diet, you just have to research it here on the above link.

I personally failed to control my DB through diet after a long time but delayed the meds and many people never need them, be one of those

Please start today and use us as sounding board, moan, rant and cry if you need to but begin the good fight, nothing to lose, everything to gain. You can do it!

Thank You

 

[Gill63]

Intermittent fasting may be an option.

Maybe list out the foods you like, we can recommend substitutions. Get started on a simple meal plan and expand it as you learn what you can tolerate.

there’s some amazing low carb dishes! Give it a try.

Thank You

 

[Gill63]

Thanks for advice.

Unable to connect with first link.

 

[Grant_Vicat]

Unable to connect with first link.

Try this:
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/

 

[Dr Snoddy]

I started by deciding to base all my meals around a source of protein. I then listed all the protein sources that I was prepared to eat out of a list of meat, fish, other seafood, eggs, cheese, beans and lentils, quorn, tofu, tempeh etc. Some of the plant-based sources also contain some carbohydrate. I then started to source recipes that fitted a low carbohydrate diet. I did not worry about the fat content of those meals as that is where the satiation value of the meals comes from. I had to be prepared to cook more of my own food as ready meals etc rarely meet the criteria.
As I result I lost weight and more importantly (unlike my attempts at Slimming World) have not put it back on. I have had stable, nondiabetic blood glucose for 7 years, eat heartily but differently.
I did feel resentful and confused initially but no carbohydrate source is beating being slimmer, fitter and healthier.

 

[Resurgam]

Last Thursday the main morris team had an actual meeting and I was shocked to see the amount of weight some of them have put on in lockdown - I must be one of the least changed of all of them.
It will be a long slog for a majority of them, as they eat carbs like they are a free food.
I only need to eat twice a day, and feel very well on it, but I might have steak with mushrooms, sweet pepper, aubergine or courgette and anything I find in the fridge. Mashed swede and left over veges make a tasty bubble and squeak.
In the evening I have another serving of protein, meat, fish - or in the hottest months egg and cheese with a salad or more low carb veges.
I have a couple of mugs of coffee with cream, and a couple of times a week I'll have a dessert after dinner.
It is very simple to cater for low carb, and to use it as a basis for family meals just by adding a serving of carbs for those who can cope with them.

 

[SuNuman]

Last Thursday the main morris team had an actual meeting and I was shocked to see the amount of weight some of them have put on in lockdown - I must be one of the least changed of all of them.
It will be a long slog for a majority of them, as they eat carbs like they are a free food.
I only need to eat twice a day, and feel very well on it, but I might have steak with mushrooms, sweet pepper, aubergine or courgette and anything I find in the fridge. Mashed swede and left over veges make a tasty bubble and squeak.
In the evening I have another serving of protein, meat, fish - or in the hottest months egg and cheese with a salad or more low carb veges.
I have a couple of mugs of coffee with cream, and a couple of times a week I'll have a dessert after dinner.
It is very simple to cater for low carb, and to use it as a basis for family meals just by adding a serving of carbs for those who can cope with them.

 

[SuNuman]

What desserts do you have? X

 

[Resurgam]

What desserts do you have? X

Usually berries, with cream or Greek yoghurt, and I make jellies with gelatine and sugar free squash, as the packet ones are too sweet for me these days. I used to use the packets, but my sensitivity to sweetness is much increased after over 4 years of low carb.
Sometimes I make a jelly and add in cream or yoghurt when it is cool, then whip it to a froth and gently mix in pulverised frozen berries and then whole berries. That makes it set very quickly.
I make real custard from eggs and cream, and then let it set or make it into icecream.

 

[SuNuman]

Usually berries, with cream or Greek yoghurt, and I make jellies with gelatine and sugar free squash, as the packet ones are too sweet for me these days. I used to use the packets, but my sensitivity to sweetness is much increased after over 4 years of low carb.
Sometimes I make a jelly and add in cream or yoghurt when it is cool, then whip it to a froth and gently mix in pulverised frozen berries and then whole berries. That makes it set very quickly.
I make real custard from eggs and cream, and then let it set or make it into icecream.

That sounds very nice. I dislike yoghurt but can eat cream if whipped or clotted cream. I do not like milk so has to b whipped. Im gonna try the sugar free jelly with berries. X

 

[Resurgam]

That sounds very nice. I dislike yoghurt but can eat cream if whipped or clotted cream. I do not like milk so has to b whipped. Im gonna try the sugar free jelly with berries. X

I think I might have drunk milk once this year, when I ran out of cream and it was Sunday morning.
Cream in my coffee is the normal way I drink it, sometimes I put cinnamon in it, usually I add a very tiny pinch of salt as I do not use it in cooking.
I have a Bamix blender, so I put the cream into a jug add half the coffee and then use the beater blade to froth it before filling up the jug.

 

[Lisa69free]

I did a high fat/protein diet a few years ago and noticed gains with cream and had to switch to alternatives. Maybe the dairy is affecting you? Try a few days detox without any dairy and process of elimination. Only have cream as a weekly treat? Just sharing my experience. I found that normal milk was fine for me but cream halted weight loss. I wasn't diabetic then so no idea about how that affected me.