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Is my number too high cus I have worked so hard to be healthy the last 6 months.

Looking4someone2help

Active Member
Messages
36
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Where should my A1C be and why is my number higher at the lab 5.3% than when I test myself at home it's around 4.8-6.4, but my a1c shows higher. Anyway my doctor will meet with me in a few weeks, but it worries me cus last time she told me over the phone and now she wants to discuss. Last time she said it was considered controlled diabetic and she didn't want me on medication yet. She said it will happen, but not today and that's good because I am too young for medicine. Are my number still too high?
 

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An A1c of 5.3 is excellent. The numbers on your home meter are measuring a completely different thing and are also good. I would say keep doing whatever you are doing.
 
A hba1c of 5.3% is excellent and in normal range, it equates to an average blood sugar of 5.9, so that does work if the numbers you see on your monitor are 4.8 -6.4

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-units-converter.html

Your nurse sounds, perhaps unduly, pessimistic. I hope some experienced type 2s will be along shortly to reassure you that if you keep working hard to be healthy (well done on the hard work so far - bet the nurse didn't congratulate you on that, but it's definitely worth congratulating!) type 2 doesn't have to progress to needing medication.

Edited: to tag @daisy1 for a welcome, please because I don't think you have had it yet
 
That is a great HbA1c, I know when I reached 5.3% the Dr wanted the test redone because he thought it was mistake. Keep up the good work.
 
When we went over my foods and numbers, she told me to eat more carbs. I wasn't a big rice or pasta eater... well ever. I drink too much soda and candy, so I gave up most candy and really reduced my soda. I hated water but now I bring it everywhere and drink before I get thirsty for soda. Then I started eating more, but same foods and adding healthier proteins and fats and water to my diet. I never ate horrible meals, but I did skip meals cus I wasn't hungry. So honestly I eat more now, but I had too much candy and soda. I would have had an apple and Coke for late breakfast now a water and apple before I get hungry as soon after waking up as I can. And if I get hungry later another apple. But she wants me to eat apple sauce and that taste horrible and looks like sick people or baby food. I mean no offense if you like it... I just only ate apple sauce or mash sweet potatoes when I was sick and it's stuck in my head only eat sick. I get more food with my apple and same carbs from her handout. She is changing my whole eating habits and I don't understand what I was doing wrong after I made changes. I know before... But my tummy has hurt various amount sense changing my diet last Wednesday and my numbers are higher. They are still ok numbers, but I was happier with an apple not apple sauce. I have a harder time getting the foods in without feeling full after a few bites when I add a hole piece of chicken. I don't like eating 3 times more meat. I was happier with a few bites or slices through out the day. She claim protein will keep me full but I wasn't starved before. Someone suggested I was sick with a virus but I fell better than I did last weekend but I gave up on apple sauce and all that meat at every meal. I've never eaten so much meat in 11 days as I typically would in 1 month. That's kinda why I'm here. Look for other ways and understanding where I am going wrong. There can't just be her way. It's not working for me and my tummy isn't happy with the changes.
 
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That is a great HbA1c, I know when I reached 5.3% the Dr wanted the test redone because he thought it was mistake. Keep up the good work.
Maybe that's what she wants. Ha ha. I was 5.7 on July 25 though. So 5.3 October 5 isn't as much of a difference as 7.1 on May 2 ( I think) But I did give up a lot of soda and candy. And I was on summer vacation and no stressors. And I wasn't sick at all or fighting with anyone. So I was in a different place in Oct and July than May. I think I have a personality that doesn't understand in moderation so I have to give up soda or candy so they aren't on my mind and only have them for holidays or special occasions. But I bet your right she wants to retest cus I said he stress will come back in November when I have to deal with things.
 
That most recent reading is excellent and the one before is good.
Whatever you are doing is working, soda and candy are of no benenfit to you nutritionally so well done on giving them up.
 
When we went over my foods and numbers, she told me to eat more carbs
Now look here, Looking4someone2help, you really aren't playing fair with your Dr/nurse. If you insist on refusing to eat carbs your diabetes won't progress properly, you'll quite possibly never need your feet amputating and will only need the occasional appointments with them. This just isn't cricket. They've got families to support. What if everyone did what you have done, there'd hardly be any diabetes!!!

Well done. Keep up the good work.
Sally
 
Your nurse does not know what she is talking about. Be smilingly polite and ignore her. Tell her that you want to aim for non diabetic numbers and you have no desire to eat more carbohydrates. I have heard of some remarkably stupid advice to diabetics in the past, but this just takes the biscuit.

There is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate, none of us needs bread, pasta etc. If you enjoy fruit and you have normalised your blood sugars whilst still eating fruit, marvellous! You do need some protein daily, but if you are content with a modest amount, I shouldn't worry about it. To reassure yourself, weigh your protein, you only need 1g of protein for every kg of body weight, and if you are overweight at all you can have 1g protein for 1kg of your ideal weight. Are you from the States? Apple sauce and mashed sweet potato doesn't sound like classic UK advice. Don't know how that converts to ounces and pounds, but there will be an online converter, or tell me what your ideal weight would be and I'll tell you how many ounces of protein you should aim for as a minimum (it won't be a huge amount).

It may take a lot of courage to ignore this particular 'non expert' - for a young person, but honestly, you are on the right lines and she is talking rubbish! Nobody needs apple sauce and sweet potato mash!
 
All I know is that if I ate apple sauce or sweet potato mash my blood sugars would soar. My advice is to steer clear of both.

We do need protein but where does your nurse imagine vegetarians get theirs from? Certainly not meat!

Your blood sugars are excellent, so it begs the question why your nurse is interfering. Have you any other issues that you haven't mentioned?
 

if you dont like to eat meat protein , then you could buy this hemp protein, that should be rather healthy too http://www.bulkpowders.co.uk/hemp-protein.html
 
Thanks, I appreciate your encouragement I have added beans, and nuts or seeds after researching videos from nutritionfacts.org. I still will eat cheese, eggs and meat, but this doctor has proof my diet is ok and my lab results show I am a little low on iron, vitamin D, and calcium. But it's just slightly under average for iron and calcium. I am very low on vitamin D, but I'm a big copper tone baby (sun block) cus I have 2 generations on skin cancer before age 65. My only major problem is high triglycerides. In July I was 174, and my doctor says mine should be under 100 'cus my cholesterol is lower side of average. After Dr. Greger's videos I added spinach, beans, nuts, seeds, avacados, and less olive oil to my diet, so I think I am healthier now than ever. So I'm probably healthier cus I felt better and way more energy until I added more carbs and meat protein. I don't want to be a vegan or vegetarian, but I see nothing wrong with a vegan or vegetarian diet for most meals. I still grave a good burger from time to time. I feel healthier. It's not that I have cholesterol issues 'cus before my changes my total was 176 in May and in July it was 140. Dr. Greger has taught me to add healthier fats and protein 'cus I probably was missing that, so I have made those changes sense July. I feel 99% myself today and I am going to tell her I have digestive issues and physically get bloated by an extra 2 inches when I was eating that much meat and carbs. I thought fruit and veggies have carbs, so where did humans get carbs to evolve. Apple sauce is so gross. It's like mushy apples with cinnamon and sugar water to make a syrup. I rather have a baked pear with cinnamon and walnuts or an apple. I had no problem eating eggs, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, and onions with potatoes for breakfast. I ate a light lunch and dinner and was full. I like sausage and I ate it, but I didn't need more than 3 bites of my brothers breakfast. If I order my own it's too much and I remember having trouble with meat and milk as a kid, so maybe my tummy doesn't digest it. My brother pointed out I lived off tomatoes, carrots, peppers, greenbeans, salad, and potatoes as a kid and I always gave him my steak or chicken when no one was looking. I eat more of a variety now, but those are the veggies we are a lot. I have no proof of such a condition except I always throw it up and you can see it was meat or get bloated if I eat too much meat but not veggies. My brother always took care of me as a kid cus I would eat his veggies and he would eat my meat and drink my milk. And my protein level is right in the middle of the labs average. Yes I am from the states but I don't trust American diet. Obviously, I think we eat too much sugar and we have poor quality control. I don't understand their info. I ate bad but not as bad as the food they tell me to eat now. It makes me think I ate good and now real good. If you look at a us food label of a food sold in Canada or Europe it's not loaded with sugar type products. In the us we use a lot of corn syrup and various other names for sugar. I have been looking up conversions to make things easier to understand each other. It's my job sense I am on a UK page. I think I was 90kg (200lb) and I want to be about 64-79kg (140-175lb). My ideal weight is 64kg (140lb). Forgive me, I don't know what you use to measure height but I am 5'8. I already lost 8kg or 18lb. It's has come off on its own but I gained it from a muscle growing injection and cortisone for back spasms in 2013. I am going on memory for converting lb to kg, so it may be off but the lb aren't. I realize most of the world uses a different measuring system. But I feel great until she told me to eat more meat and I still think that's why I got so sick Saturday night to all day Sunday. It was horrible and I posted about it earlier. She was ok with me not drinking cow milk and gave me a funny face when I said I really like unsweetened original almond milk. It taste lighter and doesn't hurt my tummy at all. I loved it the first taste many years ago. But I been great sense I ate less soda and candy. I use to get a sinus infection or ear infection or cold every month and I got taken off my blood pressure medicine. My memory is amazingly better and more energy. I can snap out of feeling down within the same day that I have negative feelings. I have been thinking of asking her to compromise with a vegan protein in my smoothies. I swear smoothies are amazing... My fav is coconut water, mango, strawberries, and pineapple. I also like ones with ginger and kale and spinach but I forget what veggies. I also make one with strawberries, bananas, and almond milk that I pretend is icecream. I like them thick and eat with a spoon and they need to be liquid freg cold and fruit or veggies freezer cold. I was thinking vega protein cus they sell in Canada and California (strict state). But I want to research more and I bought a vega and sun warrior protein powder to try but I don't know ill like the taste. But I don't think I am missing protein from my labs, but if I am working out at the gym than maybe I need it on those days. I think Americans eat too much meat and diary and sense I've never wanted a lot of it and now it makes me feel sick eating a lot. Plus I only eat the grass feed and the ones not treated horribly. I understand it's dinner but I have always struggled with meat when it is served with a bone or any liquid that looks like blood. It makes me sad and sick to think about. I was like that as a kid too. But if I must eat meat than it can't be a baby animal, can't have a horrible life, and must have had good memories. You are what you eat so if I need to eat cow it has to be a happy cow eating grass like I remember as a kid. I guess finding out I was eating the cow that moo at me yesterday was tough on a 7 or 8 year old.
 
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http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-not-to-die-from-diabetes/

This is a doctor's website I follow for about 4 months. He seems more of the diet I want to be on than most I've found to follow. I have done a lot of research in 6 months, but I am far from a doctor. I only go by what works for me and we are all different. He just seems to be the closest to a diet I want to eat. I follow about a 75% whole food diet. That's seeds, nuts, veggies and fruit...nothing processed. The other 25% is olive oil, various rices, whole grain chips with chia seeds (for salsa or guacamole), bread, almond milk, flour tortillas, chicken broth, turkey, chicken, beef, candy or soda. I rarely eat candy, but I will for holidays and then back to being healthy. But I want to show the nurse practitioner this website and have her look at my labs again. I am going to tell her I want a 75% whole food diet. That's how I feel good and it works after following it for 5 months. They are all good except low red blood cell, calcium, and vitamin D. I understand she wants me to eat more meat cus I am low red blood cells and she says that's iron, but my protein is fine on the same day. And if I am in the mood for meat I'll eat half a burger with a salad or if I crave a fajita I'll eat chicken but guacamole instead of cheese. But I can't follow her diet cus I feel sick. I did for 5 days. I will make healthier choices but not force myself to eat 1lb of meat a day 'cus 0- 1/3 piece of chicken breast in one meal is more than enough for a few days as I've done it for years and always have had low average cholesterol sense I was 19. I was funny as a kid about meat. Maybe she'll respect my honesty or that he has the studies from all over the world to prove it. But I don't want to increase or decrease my meat and I want proof I need to from my body before I force myself to eat more or less meat. Anyway I posted his page cus he's helped me a lot with my nutrition and obviously I don't follow him 100% but he's helped me learn about healthy fats and proteins. They are usually 30sec to 3 min long videos. I am pretty sure he is vegan, but ok with vegetarian (you will hear him say vegans live longer) and occasionally he talks about people who eat meat on special occasions having results of a vegetarian. He doesn't have stats on people like me but my doctor said I had labs similar to a vegetarian who eats junk food and I said I'm not vegetarian. Maybe I should lie and say I am but that's disrespectful to those who do it for animal rights reasons.
 
I think you have worked your way around to a fairly lowish carb and moderate protein diet that works well for your body and has obviously had a good effect on your diabetes. Your numbers are excellent and if you feel good doing things your way you don't need to lie or fudge the facts to anyone. It is your body and your life. Keep doing what works for you.
 
Thanks. I know my diet isn't perfect, but it's the healthiest diet I've ever eaten and I feel the best on it. I am open to change, but not when I feel so sick. I don't know if it was the protein or a virus... maybe it was bad timing and the virus would have come. But I am happy on a high fiber, medium carb, and low protein diet. I really like you guys. You guys are so nice and encouraging. It's been awhile sense I've wanted to talk to anyone besides my younger brother. I am surround by people waiting for me to fail and so negative, it drains me. Sometimes I feel the only people that believe in me is my oldest niece and my youngest brother. They are the only 2 people I'm afraid to let down and I try to make happy besides myself. My family was my mom, grams, dad, and brother... After my grams died I wanted to know my other siblings and nieces and cousins and aunts and uncles. I count my curiosity of my family as my biggest regret and my youngest brother and myself as my parents biggest success. I doubt they wouldn't say otherwise. Sometimes I wonder how that family doesn't have to worry about blood sugar or blood pressure and I do when I've never done drugs and rarely drink and seldom eat fast food. And I try so hard to be a good person and make others happy, so I wish they just didn't want me to cry. I miss the days where I wanted to travel and meet new people and laugh and now I dream of changing my name and never telling anyone except my youngest brother where I am. They have no idea what family means and how my mom or dad looked at me without questioning my motives or to look at you like they care cus I do. My real family likes my smile and this family I got left doesn't care they put me at risk of heart attack, stroke or death. I thought family works together to make good things happen and they are there for one another. I thought family meant unconditional love. I told them they raise my blood pressure yelling and telling me I am worthless. It's not true and I can't prove it to them so why do I care. So thank you all for your encouragement and kind words. I know you don't know me but it means a lot. It's been a long time about 2 years sense Ive heard a nice thing from someone that didn't want something from me. Thanks.
 
You crack me up #Sally and James. Thank you, I needed a good smile today. My younger brother spent the entire last 2 days trying to make laugh and you finally made me chuckle. I am sure he warmed me up. My mom died at 45 and my dad died at 63 and my grandfather 62 and my grandma 83 and my other grandparents died before I was born. My goal is to live well past 83 and out live all my other family who neglect and abuse their bodies. I am done treating my body horribly with too much junk food and not enough exercise. I want to finish school and began my life and maybe one day be a parent to my someday kids like I had and reproduce good people and maybe then I can do my part to reduce the @$$hole population. Sorry I'm emotional today... Really emotional. I cried in the movie me before you cus I felt the girl didn't help will enough and there had to be more she could do. I didn't want him to die just can't imagine.
 
I want to finish school and began my life and maybe one day be a parent to my someday kids like I had and reproduce good people and maybe then I can do my part to reduce the @$$hole population.
I will agree on that comment.

We see a lot of the obese bogans scarfing junk food outside of the shopping centers, they have no self respect for themselves.
 
Yeah, but there is probably more going on for that person. I don't think good nutrition is taught. And sometimes people are miserable and candy makes you happy for that 5 min your eating it and thinking of your childhood or grandparents and holidays. Junk food and cake and pie and candy is every happy holiday memory I've had my whole life. That's what goes on in my mind.
 
It is unbelievable that there are still so many nurses and other health professionals who clearly lack training in the area of Type 2 diabetes and diet! You have done extremely well - a] to keep the kinds of levels you have b] not to beat the living bejeezus out of such incompetent (and frankly dangerous) medical staff. Bottom line - eat as much meat and oily fish as you want..just watch your protein isn't crazy high; as opposed to more carbs (?????), you should be eating less an less. Ask your incredibly ignorant nurse, does she know that carbohydrates effectively change to glucose in the blood and are therefore as bad as sugar. Many of us are starting to view Type 2 as a carbohydrate intolerance. Simply put - less carbs = lower blood sugar levels. It is ONLY through eating hardly any carbs (and avoiding the worst kind - cereal, bread, spuds, pasta etc) that I have successfully brought my levels right down to a controllable level..one which let me stop meds entirely. It is absolute nonsense to say you will definitely need to be on meds at some point. It is ALL about diet, all about cutting carbs..and while there are some other views - I have no doubt that greatly reducing carbs, recording results by self-testing and recording times, food eaten and levels before and 2 hours after eating is why I am in the normal range and not on meds. I would add that taking such records along with a breakdown of what you generally eat in an average week (including a note of how many calories, carbs, fats, proteins etc these foods contain (ie. working it out from labels in relation to portions) allows you to slap the nurse in the f/ sorry to show evidence to the nurse. By the way, my wife is a nurse..and there is no excuse for that kind of ignorance in such key role. Also - my doctor and my diabetic consultant completely agree. Good luck.
 
At 5'8" you would be very skinny, I think, at 64kg.

So calculating 70 G protein, it's only 2.5 ozs protein that are essential, that's hardly any! You'll be having that now I would think.

When I was pregnant (many years ago) I couldn't tolerate iron tablets and was very anaemic. I didn't like liver, but I forced myself to eat lambs liver every day, just an ounce or two. Maybe liver would be a step too far, but maybe have that half or even a quarter of a burger every day, made with fresh ground beef, just till you get your iron to where you want it to be. Eat it with something rich in vitamin C, I used to have a glass of orange juice with it, I couldn't manage that now and not spike my blood sugar, I believe that iron is better absorbed in the presence of vitamin C. Of course leafy greens contain a lot of vitamin C. They also contain iron but I think it is far better absorbed from meat sources. Vitamin D is hard to supplement. I know that you have a family history of skin cancer, but it is sun burn that is linked to skin cancer, I think, rather than simple, gentle exposure. Depending on your latitude, 15 minutes a day of exposure to the sun, maybe mid morning or late afternoon, should be enough for your skin to manufacture the required Vitamin D, without you ever getting even a hint of sunburn, like many things, the risks associated with simple exposure to the sun have been hugely overstated. So get a tee shirt and shorts on and have 10 minutes in the sunshine, walk the dog, have a walk, or just sunbathe. Let the clock be your sun-screen.
 
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