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Are My Numbers OK?

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
17,605
Location
Oxford
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
OK so I've reached my four week anniversary from diagnosis! Not eaten more than 100g of carbs a day since and have lost one and a half stone in weight! I'm still testing 8 times a day, on waking, before and after each meal, then at bedtime. For the last week most readings are 6.something with a handful of 5s and two or three between 7 - 7.4. My phone app. says that my last month average is 6.7 and my last week is 6.2. I feel the readings are swinging much less now but may have plateaued. I'm wondering how you all think my blood sugar readings are?
 
Not sure you can really tell until the next hba1c test. Try reducing carbs a little more and see if your readings come down.
 
Sounds pretty good to me..
Many congrats on the weight loss (assuming that's what you wanted!).
If you want to get a bit lower I would suggest reducing carbs a bit more or maybe stripping out a meal?
I found that low carb and eating within a narrower time window helped me a lot. I skip breakfast and just eat lunch and dinner (or quite often just dinner). You don't have to starve but I found giving up breakfast quite esy and now have 2 mugs of tea when I get up and a coffee with double cream at 11-12 in the morning.
 
You can generally tell you are improving when your pre-evening meal level is low (providing you haven't been snacking in the afternoon). This is when our insulin sensitivity is supposed to be at its best. I find it the best marker, and mine are always the lowest levels of the day.

I would say so far so good. Those numbers aren't bad at all after just a few weeks and you are heading in the right direction. If you are now seeing improved post meal levels, try testing earlier than the 2 hours - at an hour or 90 minutes - you may find your averages going up a tad!
 
Thank you for your replies! I'm very pleased with the weight loss, I have plenty to spare, so hope to loose a load more! I don't think I could manage skipping a meal, I get really cranky if I do! I'll try cutting my carbs a little further generally and see if that yields results. My post lunch and pre dinner readings do seem to be my lowest, they are the ones that are often 5.something, lets hope that's a good sign.
How closely does the HbA1c correlate to average readings? Mine won't be too close I guess as it's going to be only 2 months post diagnosis not three.
 
I wouldn't worry too much about your next HbA1c at the moment.. just carry on with loosing weight and lowering your carbs..
If you had told me 2 years ago that I would be comfortable not eating for 7 days then I would have laughed you out of the house. Having done it though it's not as bad as you think. I'd maybe wait until you have overcome your carb cravings before trying extended fasting but just missing one or two breakfasts a week should be too hard.. give it a go you may just surprise yourself and coffee with double cream is pretty yummy...
 
Rachox said:
How closely does the HbA1c correlate to average readings?
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Too many factors involved to answer that. Firstly, you only test a few times a day. Your blood glucose changes continually over 24 hours. Secondly, you will not be catching your peaks so they are excluded from your meter average. Thirdly, you are testing more times when numbers are lower than higher, and you have no idea what is happening overnight. Then the scientific bit. The standard length of time our red blood cells live is said to be about 90 to 120 days and this is the formula used to calculate an average glucose take up in these cells. As with everything in life, we are all different. People will have longer living RBC. Others will have shorter living ones. Others will have abnormal RBC. In those cases their HbA1c results will bear little resemblance to their meter readings. However, some folk on here do report their meter averages to be roughly similar. Mine are way out.
 
I do enjoy a good coffee with cream, maybe I'll brave it one day when everyone is out so I don't growl at anyone!
 
Thanks for that. I'll bide my time and cross my fingers that my HbA1c will show at least a little improvement! I had learned that about the red blood cells so was puzzled why my next blood test was only two months after the first, but still I'll run with it.
 
Rachox said:
I do enjoy a good coffee with cream, maybe I'll brave it one day when everyone is out so I don't growl at anyone!
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I felt the same as you. It took me from April 2014 to autumn 2016 to be brave and try. My breakfast was always non-negotiable. I took the plunge and have had a coffee with double cream within 10 minutes of getting up and a cup of tea mid morning ever since. No crankiness, no hunger, more energy, and significantly lower numbers before lunch.
 
You are so lucky to have such low numbers and be eating so many carbs - I am far lower in carbs to less effect - but I am perhaps older and less mobile - though I have begun going out to play in the band for morris dancing recently. I wonder just how far you might reverse the effects of your diabetes in the coming months.
You might like to try adding a pinch of cinnamon to that creamy coffee - it is something which is supposed to help with type 2, and it does add to the taste. I add a teeny tiny pinch of salt as well, as that helps with cramps in the hotter times of the year.
Do not over do the cinnamon - herbal remedies can be quite powerful in their effects.
 
OK @bulkbiker @Bluetit1802 and @Resurgam I'll go for it on Saturday! Hubby's at work and teenage daughter probably won't be up til lunch time! Coffee with double cream and cinnamon for breakfast. I'll have to skip the salt as I'm on treatment for high blood pressure.
 
Are you taking meds for the BP? mine came down to normal from being borderline hypertension after about year of low carbing...also if you are cooking from scratch your salt intake has probably reduced hugely... watch out your BP doesn't go too low if you are taking meds.. Low carbing just benefits all of these conditions...
 
Indeed, I have BP machine and my blood pressure is down a bit, I'm keeping a check on it and hoping I maybe able to reduce my BP meds in due course
 
Rachox said:
Indeed, I have BP machine and my blood pressure is down a bit, I'm keeping a check on it and hoping I maybe able to reduce my BP meds in due course
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Great news..I prefer to be as unmedicated as possible.. especially after trying metformin!
 
Looking good! Keep up the good work.
 

Agree with this. I was certain that I wouldn't be able to skip meals because of my long standing chronic migraines which were often triggered by not eating. However after a few months of low carbing, my headaches were vastly improved and one weekend when I had no commitments and wasn't hungry in the morning I decided to try skipping breakfast. All went well, so I tried a couple more times. Again no issues. I've now not eaten breakfast for a couple of weeks.

Since then I've extended and done 3 24 hour fasts. The first was planned and I went from dinner one night to Sutherland next. Both of the others were impromptu - found myself not hungry at dinner time and decided to skip.

My numbers have definitely dropped down a notch and the fasting is much easier than I expected.
 
Rachox said:
Indeed, I have BP machine and my blood pressure is down a bit, I'm keeping a check on it and hoping I maybe able to reduce my BP meds in due course
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Keep an eye on the BP, as diabetes and hypertension are part and parcel of vascular ailments. Keep fit and maintain a good body cobdition to keep it in check.
 
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