Am I being complacent?

[stuffedolive]

Firstly, I was diagnosed T2 in 2004 but didn't get my first Hba1c until 2007 (49) by which time I had lost 10kgs and got my BMI to 22 as it is now. I'm not on meds, just diet & exercise, and I don't test.
I was threatened with Metformin 4 years ago when, having put a few kilos on, my Hba1c crept back upto 48, but then I got it down to 40 by losing a stone on a VLCHF diet. Since then, I've put on 2 kilos. I am still LCHF but am a bit naughty occasionally.

My diet is usually:
breakfast (10.00am) = egg,bacon,beans or 2x boiled egg or porridge if I had an early morning run
some snacks during the day = (typically) yoghurt + prunes + walnuts, slice of ryebread with hummus, handful of nuts, carrot + hummus, left-over meat .
dinner (7pm) = cider vinegar, meat or fish with lots of vegetables (steamed or fried) and a cheese/mushroom sauce, salad & dressing, glass of red wine
supper = ryvita + cheese, clove of garlic washed down with benecol drink

I might have a slice of cake or flapkack and a pint of beer after a running race. Any naughtiness is usually tied to exercise.

Now my Hba1c bumbles around the 42-44 range I still have a BMI of 22, I run 3x a week, cycle 2x a week and do 3x weights sessions to try to counteract age-related muscle wastage and to improve my insulin resistance.

The point is, should I be satisfied with maintain a Hba1c in this range (ie 42-44) or should I be trying to lower it still? If so, what changes would people recommend?
Ta

 

[Freema]

you are wonderful

 

[toncra1]

Firstly, I was diagnosed T2 in 2004 but didn't get my first Hba1c until 2007 (49) by which time I had lost 10kgs and got my BMI to 22 as it is now. I'm not on meds, just diet & exercise, and I don't test.
I was threatened with Metformin 4 years ago when, having put a few kilos on, my Hba1c crept back upto 48, but then I got it down to 40 by losing a stone on a VLCHF diet. Since then, I've put on 2 kilos. I am still LCHF but am a bit naughty occasionally.

My diet is usually:
breakfast (10.00am) = egg,bacon,beans or 2x boiled egg or porridge if I had an early morning run
some snacks during the day = (typically) yoghurt + prunes + walnuts, slice of ryebread with hummus, handful of nuts, carrot + hummus, left-over meat .
dinner (7pm) = cider vinegar, meat or fish with lots of vegetables (steamed or fried) and a cheese/mushroom sauce, salad & dressing, glass of red wine
supper = ryvita + cheese, clove of garlic washed down with benecol drink

I might have a slice of cake or flapkack and a pint of beer after a running race. Any naughtiness is usually tied to exercise.

Now my Hba1c bumbles around the 42-44 range I still have a BMI of 22, I run 3x a week, cycle 2x a week and do 3x weights sessions to try to counteract age-related muscle wastage and to improve my insulin resistance.

The point is, should I be satisfied with maintain a Hba1c in this range (ie 42-44) or should I be trying to lower it still? If so, what changes would people recommend?
Ta

you are wonderful

Hello Stuffed Olive
Next time that you have porridge for breakfast mix in about a third of a teaspoonful of Cinnamon.
Helps insulin work in your body...

Good luck

Toncra1

 

[Freema]

Hello Stuffed Olive
Next time that you have porridge for breakfast mix in about a third of a teaspoonful of Cinnamon.
Helps insulin work in your body...

Good luck

Toncra1

yes but only the cheap kind of cinnamon works....... (not the Cylon cinnamon kind , it doesn´t work)... it is a little poisonous if you eat it every day like 2 tea spoons ... but not much...
http://www.livestrong.com/article/445647-is-too-much-cinnamon-bad-for-you/

could taste good in the morning tea as well..

 

[stuffedolive]

Hello Stuffed Olive
Next time that you have porridge for breakfast mix in about a third of a teaspoonful of Cinnamon.
Helps insulin work in your body...

Good luck

Toncra1

Thanks Toncra1, I do that too and I add some ground almonds too for extra protein. I'm trying to keep my protein intake up as i'm trying to improve my (not very great) muscle mass

 

[4ratbags]

If you arw happy in the pre-diabetic range then its fine to carry on the way you are. We all have the level we are happy at.

 

[Robbity]

Your figures all sound good, but without testing you can't know if your HbA1c results are made up from nice steady stable levels, or lowish levels with high spikes after more carby foods/drinks. I can see the same averages with both scenarios, and much prefer to avoid the latter option if possible as I believe it puts more stress on my body. So testing/"eating to my meter" is vital to me so I can try to avoid any potential issues from relying on HbA1c figures alone.

But it's your diabetes and your body you're looking after, so it's entirely up to you to decide what you are happy with, and if this is the case you shouldn't really need to be asking for our opinions?

Robbity

 

[stuffedolive]

Thanks Robbity. I've never been offered a meter and wouldn't know what to buy if I chose to 'go it alone'. However, you have expressed my fears that my average Hba1c may be hiding some unpleasant spikes in BS. I know I'm not perfect and do occasionally fall off the wagon - this is usually accompanied by a sweaty night which brings me up sharp and back on the straight and narrow. Perhaps I should ask my GP about a meter, although I haven't actually spoken to my GP about my diabetes for about 8 years :-(

 

[stuffedolive]

you are wonderful

Thanks Freema, but that's not what my wife says

 

[Bluetit1802]

You are very unlikely to be given a prescription for testing strips as a T2 with good control and not on insulin or strong drugs. Most of us buy our own, and many of us buy the Codefree because it has the cheapest test strips. Meters aren't expensive, and some are given away free, it is the strips that cost the money so be aware of this if you decide to buy one. The Codefree is available here http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/

 

[asparagusp]

I am amazed by your numbers and indeed your creative and healthy eating pattern. Many here could learn from it! Well done!

Yes, a meter would be a good adjunct in my opinion.