I was diagnosed type 2 in June with a level of 64 just had 2nd blood test and its now 58. Is this a good reduction? Drs still want to put me on Metformin which I'm trying to avoid (no other diabetes meds taken, although I do take meds for high blood pressure). I've lost about 10lb and need to lose another stone. I was in denial to start with although did cut out a lot of carbs (bread, potatoes, pasta, rice) at drs advice but I've still had a little of these at times. I'm guessing I need to get a grip with the diet although its hard when I'm feeding a family of 4 - I try to make us all have the same meals where I can, but I want those numbers down by more than 6pts next time.
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Type 2 HBa1c levels
- Thread starter Karen276
- Start Date
Squire Fulwood
Expert
- Messages
- 6,111
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Well it's a reduction anyway and, to be honest, if you are low carbing I would have expected a greater reduction. It may be that you are eating prepared food containing carbs and you are not aware of it. Children like things like sausages, dippers, nuggets, goujon, fish fingers, pizza etc. and if you are all eating similarly then some of the things may have high levels of carbohydrates in them. You, as a diabetic, will have to check the label on prepared foods. Not the traffic light one but the other one and avoid the carbs.
Also no added sugar fizzy drinks.
Also no added sugar fizzy drinks.
At least your bg levels are down and you have lost some weight. As has already been said if you are using ready meals please be very careful and read the full list of ingredients. I know I have been caught out a couple of times after choosing something I thought would be fine and then finding that it had added wheat flour which tends to raise my bg. It is hard to prepare food for other people that you can no longer eat but if you keep testing 2 hours after eating you can make an informed choice about what is right for you. Perhaps you could try vegetable 'pasta', which cooks very quickly, with some home made sauce (batch cooked and frozen) makes a quick and easy meal mid week for the family with the benefit that you know exactly what has gone into it.
Come to think of it I feel a batch cooking session coming on, soups, basics for sauces to stock the freezer for the cooler days ahead.
Come to think of it I feel a batch cooking session coming on, soups, basics for sauces to stock the freezer for the cooler days ahead.
Hiitsme
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- Type of diabetes
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Hi and welcome @Karen276
I will tag @daisy1 who will post some helpful information for newbies. Have a read through and come back with questions.
Testing will show you how each meal you are eating is affecting your blood sugars. You should then be able to see if you need to reduce carbs even more. Well done on weight loss as that will help and your HbA1c is going in the right direction. As HbA1c is an average over about the last 3 months what you were eating last June will still have some relevance so hopefully better next time. I know it took me quite a while to sort out what I could/could not eat.
I will tag @daisy1 who will post some helpful information for newbies. Have a read through and come back with questions.
Testing will show you how each meal you are eating is affecting your blood sugars. You should then be able to see if you need to reduce carbs even more. Well done on weight loss as that will help and your HbA1c is going in the right direction. As HbA1c is an average over about the last 3 months what you were eating last June will still have some relevance so hopefully better next time. I know it took me quite a while to sort out what I could/could not eat.
ChrisSamsDad
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- Location
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- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
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- Tablets (oral)
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- UKIP, royalty, football, gin, goat's cheese.
I'd take the Metformin, it's a very safe drug, and will always add some BG reduction to whatever other methods you're using. some people have side effects around the bowel area, but mostly they reduce over time and you can also try the slow release version if you suffer from them. Even if it only reduces your BG slightly, that's helpful, though cutting down your carbs is likely to help even more.
It's tough having kids around when you're eating a different diet - but you can still manage if you're a little creative and you might end up feeding them healthier food by stealth - you can omit the carbs (chips, mash, pasta) and substitute more veg - e.g. shredded cabbage instead of pasta with bolognese sauce, or courgetti spaghetti.
It's tough having kids around when you're eating a different diet - but you can still manage if you're a little creative and you might end up feeding them healthier food by stealth - you can omit the carbs (chips, mash, pasta) and substitute more veg - e.g. shredded cabbage instead of pasta with bolognese sauce, or courgetti spaghetti.
daisy1
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@Karen276
Hello Karen and welcome to the forum
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope this will answer some of your questions. Ask away if you need to know anything else.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 210,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Hello Karen and welcome to the forum
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope this will answer some of your questions. Ask away if you need to know anything else.BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 210,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake
- Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
- structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
- self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
