It has been three months

[Teddi50]

Ok three months ago I got my blood results and my a1c was 7.2 and today I got my lastest lab results and it is down to 6.8. I have been cutting majorly down on carbs, trying for under 30 grams a day. Doing the high fat low carb diet. I have lost a few inches etc.. To be honest I was hoping for better results. I do have low Vit D issues and do take supplements to help and those levels have increased - not much but it is going in the right direction. I live on the West Coast of Canada and we are going through a long heat wave that has been over one and a half months long and I find it very difficult at times with being extremely tried so getting the right amount of walking in is difficult. I was wondering if the lack of exercise could be why the levels didn't change more, or the heat etc. My doctor is dismissive - just says stay away from sugar - is not worried or alarmed at all but I have signs of long term issues, with blurry/ double vision, numb feet, carpal tunnel and I just don't want it to get worse.
Any suggestions would be wonderful - and I do know it is going in the right direction and am very thankful for that but feeling down because I just wanted more for the effort

 

[Bluetit1802]

There is nothing wrong with those results. You have improved and are heading in the right direction, so something is working.

The heat could be one reason you are not seeing faster results - it does affect blood glucose levels in many people, and there isn't much you can do about that. Whilst exercise helps with several things, diet is the real key.

Have you got your own meter, and are you testing before and after meals? Do you keep a detailed food diary? If you are self testing, what sort of levels are you seeing before and after meals?

 

[Prem51]

Don't feel down @Teddi50 you have done well to reduce from 7.2 to 6.8. I was disappointed to reduce from 49 on diagnosis to 44 at my three month retest. I was hoping to be in the non diabetic range, below 42. But I did get to down to 39 at my 12 month retest.
Some people can reduce their levels faster than others, our bodies are all different. Exercise helps, but it won't lower your bs as much as what you eat. You are only 3 months in, it will take time but your bs levels should continue to fall.

 

[Teddi50]

There is nothing wrong with those results. You have improved and are heading in the right direction, so something is working.

The heat could be one reason you are not seeing faster results - it does affect blood glucose levels in many people, and there isn't much you can do about that. Whilst exercise helps with several things, diet is the real key.

Have you got your own meter, and are you testing before and after meals? Do you keep a detailed food diary? If you are self testing, what sort of levels are you seeing before and after meals?

I am getting a meter today and will start a journal - thank you for your kind words, when feeling a little loss it does help to have someone say something positive. I can do better on the food issue I am sure. A journal is the best way to keep me honest as I do know myself well enough to know I will convince myself on any given day a little cheat is ok, but a journal will show me how often I think a little cheat is ok.

 

[Teddi50]

Don't feel down @Teddi50 you have done well to reduce from 7.2 to 6.8. I was disappointed to reduce from 49 on diagnosis to 44 at my three month retest. I was hoping to be in the non diabetic range, below 42. But I did get to down to 39 at my 12 month retest.
Some people can reduce their levels faster than others, our bodies are all different. Exercise helps, but it won't lower your bs as much as what you eat. You are only 3 months in, it will take time but your bs levels should continue to fall.

Thank you and way to go getting down to 39 - it is a lot of hard work and it won't happen without effort and I can turn my sights on the next test in three months. I am shooting for 6.5 perhaps if I don't expect major jumps and focus on the small steps I won't be so upset.

 

[Freema]

Doing Intermittent fasting also helps lower blood glucose also when only fasting from like 19 o'clock in the evening til midday the next day around 11 or 12 o'clock

 

[chalup]

Hi there, I am from the west coast of Canada as well. It certainly has been hot but thank goodness the smoke has cleared out. The heat has been affecting my blood sugar levels as well and I think this is a common thing with a lot of people. I managed to get my A1c from 10.5 down to 5.5 but it took a year of very low carb eating. (Less than 20 grams per day) I would guess that my next one will be a bit higher despite not changing my diet at all as I have not seen anything in the 4's for a few weeks now. I am also hand raising a litter of kittens so I have not had more than 3 hours of sleep in a row for the last 2 weeks. Disturbed sleep patterns can also affect blood sugar and the heat can make sleeping well difficult. All you can really do is keep plugging away at it and it will happen for you. Feel free to PM me if you like.

 

[Mbaker]

Hello @Teddi50 very well done on your drop. I don't know what your regime is, so my 2 pennies are:

Mane aim for 2 meals a day without snacks. This can be achieved by eating quality fats such as cheese, nuts, avocado and full fat Greek yogurt. When I eat 2 meals a day a typical breakfast is 5 different nuts, 4 different berries, 2 scoops of Greek yogurt, seeds and cinnamon - this keeps me full for hours. Dinner would be meat or fish, with plenty of vegetables and salad. On this protocol I am very full.

You might want to do some short but meaning full resistance exercises, when you build your muscles you will use up more calories and therefore have lower blood sugars. Exercise has a further impact on reducing insulin resistance, which should further help shift your numbers quicker.

 

[deClare]

Freema, are you following a specific plan for losing your weight? I need to lose about 65 lbs and my glucose levels are not under control. So I'm looking to see what has worked for others and then have a go myself. Thanks!

 

[Teddi50]

Hello @Teddi50 very well done on your drop. I don't know what your regime is, so my 2 pennies are:

Mane aim for 2 meals a day without snacks. This can be achieved by eating quality fats such as cheese, nuts, avocado and full fat Greek yogurt. When I eat 2 meals a day a typical breakfast is 5 different nuts, 4 different berries, 2 scoops of Greek yogurt, seeds and cinnamon - this keeps me full for hours. Dinner would be meat or fish, with plenty of vegetables and salad. On this protocol I am very full.

You might want to do some short but meaning full resistance exercises, when you build your muscles you will use up more calories and therefore have lower blood sugars. Exercise has a further impact on reducing insulin resistance, which should further help shift your numbers quicker.

thank you - I find I have no real hunger issues when I eat low carb and have to remind myself to not eat out of habit but out of hunger. This usually means I have a meal around 1130 am and then a dinner meal around 6 - I have found I feel ill if I eat without being hungry so breakfast is a hit and mostly miss because I just feel ill after eating. Everything I was told when weight training was mini meals all day long. Breakfast at 630 - snack at 10 - lunch at 1230 etc.. the hardest thing has been re training myself - am I really hungry and in need of food or am I making myself think I am hungry because I am used to eating a certain number of times.

 

[38candy]

Hi
6.8