You may have gone down into the pre-diabetic range, but your pancreas is still dodgy, some beta cells will have been destroyed. If some unsuitable foods crept back into your diet your HbA1c would go up. It is nice to think that you have gone into remission, but it will still be there.
39 isn't pre-diabetic, it's within non-diabetic parameters. You'd be hard pushed to get a diagnosis of diabetes with an hba1c of that number if your GP uses Hb as a diagnostic tool.
However, yes, you are still diabetic and always will be. The exercise and diet mean you're getting numbers at non-d levels but if you went back to your old lifestyle, you would soon see those numbers going up. But well done on what you have achieved and keep up the excellent work!
Thanks. So, my numbers are good, but does that mean I won't get any of the nasty stuff that comes as part of the package like neuropathy, muscle loss etc?
Unfortunately there are no guarantees like that but certainly keeping your numbers as low as possible greatly reduces the chances of developing the nasty complications associated with diabetes.
i reckon you won't get any nasties, if high sugar causes the nasties and you don't have high sugar, how can you? brilliantly controlled diabetes by you, well done! so my answer to your question is.... if you are no longer diabetic, what will you change about your new lifestyle? if its nothing, then you are no longer diabetic imho, if you will revert back to no exercise and junk food then yes you are still diabetic id say you are one of those people that diabetes saved (with your strength) from an early death and not the other way around, be happy