Denial and Despair

[Resurgam]

I wouldn't start a sentence with over-rated. Both calorie control, and physical activity is required for management.

That is not what I found, but I am an ordinary type 2. It could be that there is more going on, but without a full count of the carbs being eaten it is difficult to know if the OP is eating a low enough level of carbs to be effective.

 

[Grace04]

I went on a very heavy fruit diet and my HbA1c was elevated quite a lot as a result. I didn’t realise there was so much sugar in fruit! The main thing is not to beat yourself up about it. These blips happen and I’m sure you’ll be able to get back to where you want to be in a few months. Good luck and stay positive

Thank you. It’s good to know I’m not the only one making mistakes on this journey. It’s a very steep learning curve. It’s good to have so many knowledgeable people to turn to

 

[Outlier]

We've all made mistakes, we've all received less than good advice from health "experts" in the NHS, but the only thing wrong with mistakes is continuing them once we know better. So take heart and don't dwell on things that you wish you hadn't done, because most of us have had dud advice. Mistakes are part of the learning curve. What is good for non-diabetics isn't good for diabetics. I had a really healthy diet, but the T2 beat it. It's an illness, no-one's fault, just happens. But here you will get lots of useful information, and before you expect it, you will be improving your health and able to help others who started out feeling much as you do now.

 

[Guilty]

Sounds like you're doing fine. Don't be hard on yourself.

Totally up to you, but as you are only pre diabetic - maybe just focus on general healthy diet and lifestyle rather than hardcore low carb / keto? And don't spend too much time and money on bs testing?

Just thinking of the bigger picture

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Three months ago I had my second Ac1 reading of 42 mmol bit as I had one of 40 mmol in between I wasn’t diagnosed as prediabetic. I’ve been trying really hard to get it back below 42 mmol. Following advice on here I cut out bread, pasta and rice and as a result my weight has gone by 10 pounds.
As I stand I’m female, 5’6”, about 8 stone 7 and in my early 60s.

I had my A1c re done last Friday and today found out it’s gone up to 44 mmol, which makes me predibetic. I can’t believe it or understand it. How has it gone up when I’ve cut out so many carbs! And where do I go from here!

Part of me says if I can’t get get it down, or even maintain it, with the diet I’ve been eating all it’s going to do is keep going up.

I brought a blood monitor and checked six times a day for over a month, before and after food. Once I cut down the carbs my reads were fine. I’ve have them noted down but I’m not at home at the moment so not able look at them to relate what they were.

I’ll have to go back to testing, but if the readings look fine, I’m not sure where that will get me.

The only thing that’s niggling in my mind is ‘have I been eating too much fruit”? I have a few blueberries and a third of a banana with breakfast, a satsuma for an afternoon snack and mango or some such with crème fraiche after my evening l. Is that too much fruit? And even if it is would the low carb not have still swung the result the other way?

I’ve got an appointment to see a practice nurse at the beginning of July. I don’t know how much help they’ll be as they didn’t offer many pearls of wisdom after my previous result. I’m also starting at the gym next month. Well for three months anyway. I’m not inactive generally with walking and gardening. Still it might help.

Any advice as to where I go from here would be very much appreciated.

Bit late to the party, but yeah... You've done really well, and if your only mistakes are fruit and low fat, well... Those are solved easily enough. Have some cheese as an afternoon snack, if you can't leave them be, and opt for berries and less/no tropical fruits. And by all means, thoroughly enjoy your vacation. You can get started with adjustments when you get home. And hey.... Yay for mistakes. Just means you can fix things before anything gets out of hand! (Seriously, you're doing brill!)

 

[Deleted member 527103]

I disagree, As Dr Xand van Tullekan said a few weeks ago on his morning show on BBC1 TV. Studies have show that people who exercise to lose weight over a reasonable period (30days) actually eat more and so end up the same weight as before.

There are many reason for exercising, not just to lose weight.
As a weight management tool, it may be overrated but, as a tool to improve quality of life, it is most definitely not over rated.

 

[KennyA]

Thank you. It’s good to know I’m not the only one making mistakes on this journey. It’s a very steep learning curve. It’s good to have so many knowledgeable people to turn to

I realised a few years ago that everything I thought I knew about healthy eating was wrong. The advice we used to get (up to the 1980s), if we wanted to lose weight, was to reduce starchy carbohydrates. Type 2 wasn't really an issue then.

Since the 80s we've been lectured about eating fruit all the time, basing all meals on starchy carbs, grazing recommended, and cutting protein and fat. Plus the expansion in "convenience meals" from supermarkets. And at the same time we've had an obesity and T2 epidemic. Might there, just possibly, be a connection?


By the way, there is an acceptable error in the HbA1c test which is usually taken to be 6%, so given that your A1c scores are what they are, it is possible that not much has changed in realiity. Doesn't mean that you shouldn't do what you're planning, just that A1c figures do tend to wobble about a bit. Mine have ranged from 34-38 over thae last few years without much reason.

You're also fingerprick testing quite a bit - for what purpose? Are you recording what the impact of food is on levels, or are you just anxious about what your BG is "right now"?

 

[Grace04]

@Grace04
Fat is perfectly good for you - both carbs and fats are normal sources of fuel for energy. So if you cut down on carbs, which you need to do to improve your glucose levels, you'll generally need to replace them with more fat, which has the added benefits that it has no effect on glucose levels, and as it's a slower release form of fuel, you should hopefully end up less hungry and may probably feel less need for frequent eating.

And don't be too hard on yourself over your HbA1c results - some people may manage to maintain "perfect" figures, but if you vary slightly either way at the bottom end of pre-diabetic,, IMO that's still being well under control! But be aware too that it's not only what we eat that can affect glucose levels, things like health, stress, exercise, some medications, etc , can also cause some variations - and we may not have much control over these.

Put like that I can totally see the need to eat more fat. I would like to loose some belly fat of my own. I know I have too much and I know belly fat increases the risk of diabetes.

I am on a few medications for other things. I’ve no idea if any of them could be affecting glucose levels. I’ll have to see if I can find out.

Hopefully I’ll see better results in the HbA1c in three months time…..

 

[Grace04]

I realised a few years ago that everything I thought I knew about healthy eating was wrong. The advice we used to get (up to the 1980s), if we wanted to lose weight, was to reduce starchy carbohydrates. Type 2 wasn't really an issue then.

Since the 80s we've been lectured about eating fruit all the time, basing all meals on starchy carbs, grazing recommended, and cutting protein and fat. Plus the expansion in "convenience meals" from supermarkets. And at the same time we've had an obesity and T2 epidemic. Might there, just possibly, be a connection?


By the way, there is an acceptable error in the HbA1c test which is usually taken to be 6%, so given that your A1c scores are what they are, it is possible that not much has changed in realiity. Doesn't mean that you shouldn't do what you're planning, just that A1c figures do tend to wobble about a bit. Mine have ranged from 34-38 over thae last few years without much reason.

You're also fingerprick testing quite a bit - for what purpose? Are you recording what the impact of food is on levels, or are you just anxious about what your BG is "right now"?

Hi Kenny and thank you for your respons.

Its interesting to know about the margin of error in the HBA1C test. I will go ahead and change the and and type of fruit I’ve been eating regardless.

I’m not actually testing at all at the moment. I did so over a period of about five weeks as I wanted to see what was affecting my bs In an adverse way. I stopped when I thought I had a handle on it, but then seemed to have veered a way off course. I’m going to test again with a revised eating habit and if it works try to stick to it only testing if I try something new.

Not actually being diabetic I don’t feel I need to do it as a regular thing.

I already feel more empowered following all the advice I’ve been offered by so many kind people in response to my wobble on getting my latest result.

 

[KennyA]

Hi Kenny and thank you for your respons.

Its interesting to know about the margin of error in the HBA1C test. I will go ahead and change the and and type of fruit I’ve been eating regardless.

I’m not actually testing at all at the moment. I did so over a period of about five weeks as I wanted to see what was affecting my bs In an adverse way. I stopped when I thought I had a handle on it, but then seemed to have veered a way off course. I’m going to test again with a revised eating habit and if it works try to stick to it only testing if I try something new.

Not actually being diabetic I don’t feel I need to do it as a regular thing.

I already feel more empowered following all the advice I’ve been offered by so many kind people in response to my wobble on getting my latest result.

No problem. You seem to have got a grip on what matters.

I read something today that said there is continuing pressure in the US to relax the current 6% permitted error to 10% - I imagine because someone thinks there is money to be made selling home testing kits, as long as the quality doesn't have to be too high.

 

[MrsA2]

Can I just leap in and mention its not all fats, just the "healthy" ones, which in my simplistic brain are the ones from animals eg natural fats in meat and fish and dairy. But not vegetable or processed seed oils. Extra virgin olive oil is ok-ish as its not so processed and comes from the flesh of the olives rather than the seed/stone.
I believe its all to do with the processing. Hopefully someone clever than me can add the links to prove all this

 

[Grace04]

Can I just leap in and mention its not all fats, just the "healthy" ones, which in my simplistic brain are the ones from animals eg natural fats in meat and fish and dairy. But not vegetable or processed seed oils. Extra virgin olive oil is ok-ish as its not so processed and comes from the flesh of the olives rather than the seed/stone.
I believe its all to do with the processing. Hopefully someone clever than me can add the links to prove all this

Thank you for this. I don’t want to find myself going down another wrong alley

 

[Grace04]

No problem. You seem to have got a grip on what matters.

I read something today that said there is continuing pressure in the US to relax the current 6% permitted error to 10% - I imagine because someone thinks there is money to be made selling home testing kits, as long as the quality doesn't have to be too high.

Really not good to make such a retrograde step. Hopefully those making the decisions won’t bow to the pressure.