Is 9.0 Too Much .?

[Jenny15]

I’ll just leave this here, (a very good description of how Metformin works plus info about it’s other benefits):
http://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2001/9/report_metformin/Page-01

Thanks for the info, that's helpful. I've been a fan of Metformin for 9 years and counting. It's done a lot of good for me. My view of it for me can be summed up as: "Metformin is necessary, but not sufficient."

In another thread I mentioned to the OP that 500mg is less than the usual dose, and he may want to ask his doctor about it.

 

[Norman Stanley]

I'm a relatively recently diagnosed Type 2 as well. Although my Blood Glucose levels seem to have been quite a bit worse than yours. My HbA1C was 13%, indicating an average bgl of around 18 mmol/l. My fasting was 17. Although I was a bit stunned by the severity of my results I decided to look at this as a challenge to be (hopefully) overcome (or at least held at bay) rather than thinking it was all too hard and saying couldn't do anything about it.

My doctor started me on 2 grams of slow release metformin and I immediately started reading about ways I could help myself. While you seem to be focusing on the need for exercise I suggest that should be a secondary goal and is far less useful than dietary changes.

On the day after my diagnosis I started cutting down carbohydrates quite a lot and was eating less than 60 grams per day. My blood sugars after meals dropped from 24 mmol/l to 8.7. This was still too high for me so I reduced my carbs again to 30 per day. At the end of my second week my average bgl post meals for the week was 6.8. Now 4 weeks later, after reducing my daily carbs to 20 grams my average bgl is 5.8 mmol/l and continuing to fall.

My results are from absolutely zero exercise, just from reducing my carb (and caloric) intake. I have also lost 6kg in weight.

 

[Norman Stanley]

Oh, and I read on your other posts about your love of various foods like fruit and especially potato. Potato is one of the few things I actually miss from my previous diet, that and pastry, grapes and mandarins. You can try some of the lower GI potatoes in Woolies or Coles supermarkets, they seem to available Australia wide. But only eat a small amount - say half a medium potato at a time - around 100 grams which will give you about 9 grams of carbs. I have tried this but it tended to make my sugars go up a little so I have opted not to use them as part of my routine diet - maybe once a fortnight or month I might have a small amount mashed in butter.

If I were you I would focus on enjoying the low carb meats and fish you can eat without strongly impacting your blood sugars. I find a few pieces of barramundi with a side serving of broccoli in a cheese sauce is a very easy and enjoyable low carb meal - under 6 grams of carbs total. And why not try some Herman Brot low carb bread? There are stockists all over Australia and while it may be a bit on the expensive side it really does taste nice and my testing shows that a couple of slices toasted with fried eggs does virtually nothing to my blood sugar reading. Or make a chicken sandwich from it with lettuce, cheese and tomato and again enjoy some 'real' food without (probably) having any worrying impact on your blood glucose readings.

And try snacking on nuts instead of fruits. Macadamias, pecans, almonds and brazil nuts are all quite low in carbs and can make a good alternative to your raisins (I confess I loved them too).

Look for better food choices but also look for foods you can enjoy. It is very hard to stick to a diet if you view it as a chore. If you look forward to your next tasty meal it will be so much easier for you.