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Can I be carb sensitive but still have a normal HbA1c?

B

Becr

Active Member
Hi all, I posted recently about having high cholesterol but surprisingly my HbA1c is now in the normal range, I was first diagnosed as pre-diabetic in 2018. I am very careful with my diet in terms of sugar but still fear my carbs are too high. I fall asleep after meals, carry a lot of abdominal fat (normal BMI) and am ravenous all the time. I wonder if my evening meal is the key issue. I will always have something home cooked in the slow cooker, lots of veg and lean meat but I will serve it with a large portion of pasta or basmati rice. I will then sit in front of the telly till bed time. I guess I was confused in thinking that if I didn't eat chocolate, cakes or any added sugar then that would resolve my pre-diabetes which it has.
 
I used to be ravenous on a "healthy" diet for non-diabetic people. It's definitely in my case caused by carbs/sugars. Once I stopped eating those, I don't feel hungry until the afternoon, and then it's "normal" hunger, not the terrible crazy pain I used to get. A "normal" amount of non-carby food assuages it at once. It might be the same for you. Try more veg., a bit more protein and leave out the carbs, see what happens.
 
@Outlier thanks for the reply. I'm cutting out the pasta/rice with my evening meal and will substitute with cauliflower, green beans etc. Basically I'll put the same weight in veg as I would have had in pasta/rice. I run 3 times a week so I convinced myself that I need the carbs to run but actually I still think it is too much as I start nodding off about an hour after I have eaten in the evening. I am so sleepy. I had veg instead of rice last night and actually really enjoyed it. I grew up in a home where food was scarce and I think I have always had an obsession with eating volume in the evening, I like to feel really full and almost feel afraid if I am hungry.
 
Increasing the protein and the healthy fats (those that come with meat, eggs, fish and dairy, or olive oil) will keep you satiated.
Carbs just make you crave more carbs.
The fact you fall asleep after eating carbs shows your body is struggling to cope with them
 
@Becr do you have a glucometer? In your position I might be tempted to check out what my blood sugars were actually doing after a meal rather than assume the tiredness is caused by the carbs.

Though I guess a cheap way to check is to just skip the carbs for a while and see what happens. Maybe the time to consider a glucometer is after you have more evidence that carbs are causing your issues???

Have you talked to your doctor about your symptoms? There are other tests they can do.
 
Becr said:
Hi all, I posted recently about having high cholesterol but surprisingly my HbA1c is now in the normal range, I was first diagnosed as pre-diabetic in 2018. I am very careful with my diet in terms of sugar but still fear my carbs are too high. I fall asleep after meals, carry a lot of abdominal fat (normal BMI) and am ravenous all the time. I wonder if my evening meal is the key issue. I will always have something home cooked in the slow cooker, lots of veg and lean meat but I will serve it with a large portion of pasta or basmati rice. I will then sit in front of the telly till bed time. I guess I was confused in thinking that if I didn't eat chocolate, cakes or any added sugar then that would resolve my pre-diabetes which it has.
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Carbs are carbs, carbs want more carbs. That is why you're hungry, you fall asleep. Not heard about Chinese food? Feeling hungry an hour or so after a huge plate full of rice and something else?
Everyone has a different intolerance to carbs, and having a monitor as has been suggested, will help find which ones you are intolerant to.
Good saturated fat will alleviate the hunger and make you feel full. Cut out the rice and pasta!
Go a little lower carb, might help!
It is great you're hba1c levels are in normal, but spike high and have symptoms you describe.
With a monitor and a food diary, to record your meals, this will help your doctor understand what is going on!

It will help in deciding which treatment path is recommended.

Best wishes
 
@EllieM I did have one way back in 2018 but can't find it now. I will try taking out pasta and rice (I was having at least 60g worth of carbs in those alone at night) and see how I fair. If I still struggle then I will definitely invest in a monitor again.
 
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