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Feeling Disheartened...

M

Maias Mummu

Member
Messages
12
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Whilst pregnant I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, due to my GTT results they suspected I may have been T2 before without knowing.

Sure enough my 3 month post partum Hba1c was 53 so they gave me three months to try and reduce this...

So for 13 weeks I've strictly cut out all sugars, followed a LCHF diet alongside 16:8 fasting...

I've lost 15 & 1/2 lbs and 5 inches which I'm really pleased with, but just got my Hba1c and it hasn't changed... at all!! I've been testing myself at home and generally all but my fasting readings have been either normal or prediabetic so was hoping for at least a little decrease.

Feeling very disheartened, pleased with my weight loss and plan to continue as would like to loose another stone but gutted there has not been any reduction in my sugars.

Am I hoping for too much too soon? Any positive advice welcome
 
how high is you HbA1c then ?

yes I find it peculiar that your numbers haven´t come down .. have you gone under 100 grams of carbs a day ? if not try that
 
Have you reduced your total carb intake or only sugars?
Some people seem to get bad advice, and are not told that it is both starch and sugars which are converted by digestion and absorbed, becoming simple sugars in the blood.
The good news is that 53 is not all that high (I was at 91 when diagnosed) so eating a low carb diet should soon have an effect.
 
My cousin is a nutrionist and a big LCHF advocate, she writes cook books and is currently writing on diabetes so I've had lots of great advice/recipes etc.

I cut out all starchy carbs so had zero bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, grains etc. Been having 20/30g carbs a day alongside 16:8 fasting.
 
this is just a wild guess, thinking aloud, really, but HbA1c tests are based around the turn over of red blood cells. Turnover is faster/slower in different individuals and in different states of health. Could it be that a body that is trying to put itself back in order after childbirth and is possibly feeding a baby, doesn't put too much effort into renewing blood cells so it's "old" ones that, in the main, are being tested. Does anyone have any knowledge about the effects of childbirth on renewal of blood cellsand therefore HbA1c?
Sally
 
The three month post partum bloods have shown no increase in HbA1c?
I would be asking for a repeat test in another month to six weeks. We are all different and these tests seem not to take that into consideration. Your tests may refelct that you may have/or had an underlying infection per childbirth that raised your levels or that post partum hormones havn't settled back down to pre pregnancy normal for you.
Well done on your weight loss, this alone should have made a difference but taking everything into consideration a few more weeks may show a different result. And Congratulations on your new arrival.
 
Guzzler said:
The three month post partum bloods have shown no increase in HbA1c?
I would be asking for a repeat test in another month to six weeks. We are all different and these tests seem not to take that into consideration. Your tests may refelct that you may have/or had an underlying infection per childbirth that raised your levels or that post partum hormones havn't settled back down to pre pregnancy normal for you.
Well done on your weight loss, this alone should have made a difference but taking everything into consideration a few more weeks may show a different result. And Congratulations on your new arrival.
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Thank you They've said I will be recalled in three months. So aim to continue and hopefully loose another stone in the meantime, and fingers crossed I will see a reduction in the next one!
 
Maias Mummu said:
Thank you They've said I will be recalled in three months. So aim to continue and hopefully loose another stone in the meantime, and fingers crossed I will see a reduction in the next one!
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Are you testing one and two hours after starting your meals? If so, and the results are normal, I think you should rely on those tests rather than on the HbA1c, which as has already been pointed out can be falsified by the lifespan of your red blood cells.
 
maybe the lifespan of red blood cells can be lengthened from being pregnant... after all many pregnant mothers do produce more growth hormons while being pregnant.( which is why many grow a bigger shoe size while being pregnant ).... so much can be going on.. the red blood cells do live around 2-3 month sometimes 4 month.. if those cells do not decay as fast they will all in all contain traces of blood glucose to a higher extent than if they are dying off in two month... I also think the mother if not being anaemic maybe do produce more red blood cells than when not being pregnant...do you have high iron levels or low or normal... if you do not lower your HbA1c in a longer perspective.... it would surprize me a lot
 
Alexandra100 said:
Are you testing one and two hours after starting your meals? If so, and the results are normal, I think you should rely on those tests rather than on the HbA1c, which as has already been pointed out can be falsified by the lifespan of your red blood cells.
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I test before and two hours after. Usually before I'm in the pre-diabetic range and after normal.
 
Freema said:
maybe the lifespan of red blood cells can be lengthened from being pregnant... after all many pregnant mothers do produce more growth hormons while being pregnant.( which is why many grow a bigger shoe size while being pregnant ).... so much can be going on.. the red blood cells do live around 2-3 month sometimes 4 month.. if those cells do not decay as fast they will all in all contain traces of blood glucose to a higher extent than if they are dying off in two month... I also think the mother if not being anaemic maybe do produce more red blood cells than when not being pregnant...do you have high iron levels or low or normal... if you do not lower your HbA1c in a longer perspective.... it would surprize me a lot
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Thank you, that's intresting. I'm not sure on my iron levels to be honest but don't have any symptoms of bring anemiac
 
Maias Mummu said:
I test before and two hours after. Usually before I'm in the pre-diabetic range and after normal.
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Can I just ask what levels you count as normal on blood tests before and after dinner? Perhaps these levels are at the upper limits??
 
Are you counting the carbs in non starchy veg, milk in tea and coffee etc.? I found it easy to underestimate carbs in non carby foods.
 
I was recently diagnosed with T2 and have been following the Keto program. My A1C was down in June and I'm hoping it will be down even further next week when I'm checked again. I've lost 25+ pounds so far. I gave up all sugar and wheat, as in white, whole wheat and multigrain flours, oats etc. Oh, and all starchy veggies and the only fruit I eat is strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. I ate a pear last week 'cause I thought I needed it. I nearly choked when I saw how high the carb count was. So, no more for me. So far, so good. We'll see.
 
Maias Mummu said:
Am I hoping for too much too soon? Any positive advice welcome
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I understand your frustration too well. After going LC?F (< 40gms per day) and having excellent HbA1c test results for 4 years, it suddenly went haywire without there being what I considered a simple explanation.

I eventually started to look at the very low calorie diet as per Newcastle Diet and implemented my own version, kept the calories below 800, carbs below 40gms (I use PC software) and drastically cut down on meat/chicken and fish, almost down to zero. Luckily I have a FreeStyle Libre so I can see very clearly what's going on and whereas before the VLCD a la Newcastle my BG would be over 10 for up to 18 hours of fasting after an evening meal with very little carb, it did start to settle between 5 and 7 for long periods of time.

What I have discovered is that just the smallest amount of what I call obvious carb e.g 1 small slice of brown bread my BG will go high for much longer than I'd expect. So, still work in progress, my body seems to efficiently put glucose into my blood stream, without the obvious carbs.
 
Jo123 said:
Are you counting the carbs in non starchy veg, milk in tea and coffee etc.? I found it easy to underestimate carbs in non carby foods.
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I've cut root veg and I don't like tea, coffee or milk. So only been drinking water, with the occasional sugar free coke if eating out.
 
Lynnzhealth said:
I was recently diagnosed with T2 and have been following the Keto program. My A1C was down in June and I'm hoping it will be down even further next week when I'm checked again. I've lost 25+ pounds so far. I gave up all sugar and wheat, as in white, whole wheat and multigrain flours, oats etc. Oh, and all starchy veggies and the only fruit I eat is strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. I ate a pear last week 'cause I thought I needed it. I nearly choked when I saw how high the carb count was. So, no more for me. So far, so good. We'll see.
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Well done that's fantastic. I'm gutted mine hasn't come down as I've been sooo strict... no sugar / carbs (Well 20 ish a day) no root veg, no fruit. With a lil baby it's been tough as sometimes I just wanted something quick and easy... but I've stuck to it by the book :(
 
This must be really frustrating for you.

Have you read about the Newcastle diet? Or about the blood sugar diet, which is similar, might be worth a try, although if you are breastfeeding probably not advisable.

David's experience of the freestyle libre sounds good and might be worth the investment to accurately track your blood sugar.

Hopefully others will come back with more advice.
 
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