Happy day!

Today I went to see the doctor, 3 months after diagnosis, and it was good. She is the diabetes specialist in the practice, and and seems to be much better to deal with than many I have read about on here. When diagnosed, my HbA1C was 7.2/55. She was quite amazed it had fallen to 5.5/37 in that time. Bearing in mind the first month of that involved quite lot of spikes while testing what I can eat, so was I. I have also lost 3 stones in weight. First time in my 61 years I have actually been praised by a doctor! I did this only by diet changes and exercise, no medication. But I will also say, it was in great part due to the information, advice and encouragement from all of you on this site. Thank you all! What I have done is to eliminate what made my blood glucose high, checking everything with my meter. That has proven to me that carbs are my enemy. Everything I now eat is good food. I can hardly put into words how much better I feel too.

Prem51 said:

Well done @Lampman, that's a great reduction in both HbA1c and weight in only 3 months! You must be really happy!
Thanks for posting, it's always inspiring to hear success stories.

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You could say that! Been smiling all day. I was inspired by many stories on this site, so I wanted to say thanks everyone, it really can work.

Looseboy said:

Well done @Lampman, great result
I am newly diagnosed and would like to achieve the same if I can

Out of interest what sort of readings were you getting throughout the day to achieve that HbA1c?

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At the start of the 3 months it was all over the place. By the end when I had worked out what was causing high readings, and that was pretty much exclusively carbs, and I had worked out how much and of what to eat and importantly when, it had settled to a sensible and predictable level. I just checked what my meter says for average readings before and 2 hours after meals for the last 90 days. Bear in mind this is average, some will be higher and some lower. Before, 5.4 and after 6.5. Breakfast is usually the same before and after, eggs and either cheese or ham, maybe a tomato with it. Lunch is often salad with oily fish, or maybe some chicken. Then mixed berries and a little cream. Slight rise, but very small, in blood glucose. Evening meal, always mostly vegetables, with a variety of other items. I add linseed with nuts, a little hemp protein, and some vitamins. This usually gives a bigger spike, bit rarely over 7. Any snacks tend to be in the evening. Maybe a piece of cheese, or an apple or pear. None of the bad stuff like potatoes, rice, pastry, pasta, biscuits fruit juice etc. I have an odd slice of home baked wholewheat bread, with butter, but not every day, and only one small slice. I only eat stuff I like, and I really don't miss the stuff I don't eat now. Hope that gives you some clues!

Looseboy said:

Many thanks @Lampman

Again sounds very similar to me. I am 2 months in with 2 stone loss.

1 month until the new hba1c test so can only go by my meter at the moment as a guide but TBH I have never had a reading for FBG, pre or 2hr post meals outside the normal range. ( so I am hopeful)

All the best to you and your continuing success.

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Sounds like you are going the right way. My weight loss was mostly due to cutting out entirely the over large amounts of the wrong things I was eating, and I did a lot of snacking which has almost entirely stopped. Your meter is the guide now and its telling you that what you are doing is the right way to go. I put my meter readings into software on the computer and it gave me its estimate of the HbA1c as 6. What I got from the test was 5.5, so that was a pleasant surprise. I think it depends on how fast your body renews your red blood cells, which software cannot predict. The software is SiDiary which can read from many meters, or you can enter data manually. It gives some great graphic displays which to my mind work better than a list in a book.

Well done you, and good luck with your HbA1c!

determined45yearold said:

Hi there, don't rush in to anything, you don't need to lose so much weight in such a short space of time believe me, I have just done it and it is not to be advised. Change things slowly over the space of a few months and don't go on any mad crash diets. Just make sure you start to get a lot more active and cut out the biscuits and chocolates when you are eating due to boredom. DO NOT do a radical diet change please for your own well being.

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I agree that diets for the sake of losing weight are not a good idea. They have a number of shortcomings, notably the temporary nature of them. What happens when enough weight is lost? Back to the old ways, complete waste of time. I did it 15 years back and yes I lost a lot of weight, and gained gallstones. Not good. Most of the shop bought diet methods are just a pile of E numbers and cost a fortune. I have just lost a lot of weight fast, but now its going more slowly. 7 pounds in the last month. What I have done, and it is in my mind the only sane thing to do, is not go on a diet, but change my diet. Starting from scratch, assembling food from ingredients, not pre made packaged stuff, which is full of hidden salt, sugar, trans fats and more E numbers. I did a lot of research into what is necessary for a healthy life, and what I do not want to eat because it puts up my blood glucose. It had to be what I would happily eat for the rest of my life because this diet is not a temporary one. I can add or change ingredients at any time, and quantity. I know exactly whats in it as I put it there. I am aware of the calorie count of what I eat, and I have one of those clever Tom Tom watches that monitors what I do and gives me an idea of my calorie usage. I currently eat slightly less than I use according to that, because I still have plenty of weight to lose, but its secondary to keeping healthy. That at the end of the day is what we all want here!