How long to drop a mmol/mol?

[Juliatrying]

Hi everyone

I'd like to ask a question if I may.

I had my blood works done 3rd February and it's come back HbA1C level 44. Now according to my reading 44 is in the middle ground so I need to reduce it by at least two points. So my question is how long does it take to drop a mmol? My understanding is it takes around three months for it to disappear as long as you don't anything with refined sugar in it. I'm currently living on fruit and vegetables just to get over this for the duration. Sorry I can't be more helpful but this is the first I've come across this and my new Dr missed it.

I will be very grateful for any input so I can turn this around.

Many thanks

 

[bulkbiker]

HI and welcome

A reading of 44 mmol/m puts you into the pre-diabetes category(anything between 42 and 47 mmol/m).

Fruit and vegetables whilst possibly better than what you were eating before may possibly not help all that much.

Most people try and put their pre diabetes into remission by reducing their carbohydrate consumption.

Meat, fish, eggs, dairy are all pretty much zero carb foods.
Green and above ground veg and salad stuff are all fairly low carb
Berries are usually considered to be lower carb fruit too.

If you can just eat that your blood glucose numbers will probably go lower and your health will improve.

 

[Juliatrying]

HI and welcome

A reading of 44 mmol/m puts you into the pre-diabetes category(anything between 42 and 47 mmol/m).

Fruit and vegetables whilst possibly better than what you were eating before may possibly not help all that much.

Most people try and put their pre diabetes into remission by reducing their carbohydrate consumption.

Meat, fish, eggs, dairy are all pretty much zero carb foods.
Green and above ground veg and salad stuff are all fairly low carb
Berries are usually considered to be lower carb fruit too.

If you can just eat that your blood glucose numbers will probably go lower and your health will improve.

Thank you bulkbiker. I never though about foods with zero carbs. Unfortunately I also have to reduce my cholesterol level so not sure meat and eggs will help whilst all dairy's off the menu. I could give the egg white omelet a go though.

Do you know how long it takes on a low carb diet before I could see some results? I may give it a go then, once back to normal, start reintroducing food items.

 

[bulkbiker]

Unfortunately I also have to reduce my cholesterol level so not sure meat and eggs will help whilst all dairy's off the menu.

More nonsense from doctors who have no idea about cholesterol..

Do you have your full lipid panel results from your last cholesterol test?

Meat, eggs and dairy are usually great for cholesterol carbs are the baddies.

 

[xfieldok]

Get yourself a meter and lots of strips. Download the free version of the mysugr app and record your food and readings. You will see exactly what effect your food is having 9n you. @Rachox has some good info on meters. I use the Tee2.

 

[Rachox]

Thanks for the tag @xfieldok .
Hi @Juliatrying and welcome to the forum.

Here’s some info on UK meters, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned.

Spirit Healthcare have a meter with cheap strips, the Tee2 + found here:

http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-plus-blood-glucose-meter/

with the strips found here:

http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-testing-strips/

Some members have got a free Tee2+ by phoning up to order, with a large order of strips they often throw the meter in for free:

Phone number 0800 8815423


With more expensive strips is their Caresens Dual which I currently use, this one has the advantage of glucose and ketone testing in one machine, it’s to be found here:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/collections/caresens-dual




Home Health have recently bought out this one, but I haven’t heard any reviews yet, links to strips and the meter:

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/


There are also discount codes for when you come to buy more strips - "navii5" and "navii10" will give you 20% off purchases of 5 packs of strips and 25% off 10 packs of strips respectively (these are printed on a business card supplied with the meter).


And to be totally transparent I used to use the SD Code Free from Home Health which has the cheapest strips available if bought in quantities of 5 or 10 pots with the codes below. However I found it to be becoming less and less reliable. Here it is for anyone wanting to give it a go, just bear in mind it seems they are replacing it with the Navii, details above.

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/


and here for the extra strips

http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/

There are discount codes if you buy in bulk.

5 packs 264086

10 packs 975833


Disclaimer, I haven’t used any of the discount codes I have quoted so I don’t know if they are still current.


Don’t forget to check the box if you have pre diabetes or diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)

 

[Resurgam]

I reduced my Hba1c from 91 to 47 between diagnosis and first test, - so 44 points in about 80 days, so say 11 weeks and that is 4 points a week on average.
My cholesterol went down, even though I was eating meat, fish, eggs and cheese and a maximum of 50 gm of carbs a day mostly from fresh veges and salad stuff.

 

[Mrs T 123]

Yes a few months - not that long and your numbers are not that high

 

[KK123]

Hi everyone

I'd like to ask a question if I may.

I had my blood works done 3rd February and it's come back HbA1C level 44. Now according to my reading 44 is in the middle ground so I need to reduce it by at least two points. So my question is how long does it take to drop a mmol? My understanding is it takes around three months for it to disappear as long as you don't anything with refined sugar in it. I'm currently living on fruit and vegetables just to get over this for the duration. Sorry I can't be more helpful but this is the first I've come across this and my new Dr missed it.

I will be very grateful for any input so I can turn this around.

Many thanks

Hi there, going on some sort of restricted 'diet' of just fruit & veg may well make it 'disappear' in 3 months but what happens when it comes back, which it will unless you remain on the fruit & veg diet for ever? I think for many (if not most) people on this site, the aim is to keep it at bay for ever (not always possible I know). 'Refined sugar' is almost neither here or there really, it's all about the carbs (which turn into 'sugar', ie glucose). If I were you I would look at a long term 'diet' that eventually becomes a normal one for you and your propensity (above or below any cut off level) towards carb intolerance. x

 

[HSSS]

Have a read of the link in red in my signature too

and I’m one of many whose cholesterol went down and ratios vastly improved on meat, eggs, double cream and butter heavy diet. Its the norm on low carb higher (or even just normal but natural) fats. The more you read about it the more you’ll gradually believe this apparently unbelievable truth. This way of eating usually involves weight loss for type2’s despite eating the things we expect to avoid (unless you deliberately aim to maintain or gain that is)

The advice on limiting eggs was withdrawn years ago btw.