• Guest, the forum is undergoing some upgrades and so the usual themes will be unavailable for a few days. In the meantime, you can use the forum like normal. We'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Low Carb Hasn't Worked.

Chez31 said:
Anyone else done this after starting low carb?
Click to expand...
Regularly, it's called falling off the wagon and I don't recommend it because carbs for me are addictive and it gets harder each time to get back on track.

Using this tool to convert your latest HBA1C your average blood over approx 12 weeks is 7.1. This does not seem to match what you have said about home testing so something is wrong. What meter do have? Can you get a test solution to check it is in range?

HBA1C is not perfect also @Bluetit1802 recently had the same bloods test twice due to discrepancies with interesting results.
 
HemantG said:
Isn't HbA1c an indicator of past 3 month's average sugar level? How does it vary as mentioned above in a single day?
Click to expand...

I did not say it varies in a single day, I asked for timescale. The HbA1c standard test is said to be the average of three months but sometimes we are not tested every three months, I am on six monthly tests. Also, it is the last 4-6 weeks before the blood draw that is the most telling.
 
Hi everyone, thanks for your inputs. Sorry I haven't replied. I have been off in the (not so ) Sunny Lake District for a week !! Feeling a bit less fed up and stressed now which can only be good for me, hehe. Still been good with my eating but given up testing for the week as I needed a break from this whole intense monitoring malarkey. And to give my poor fingers a break ☹️. Besides it costs a fortune . I am using the Codefree meter which I know can be a bit erratic depending on the batch.
When I am home again I will do a few high carb challenges just to see what happens to my bg levels and fasting. Just planning what rare treats to have lol. Don't worry about me, I have the willpower of iron and no doubt will be back low carbing pretty soon . I will post the results of my falling off the wagon for you to peruse if you like .
 
Fascinating conversation. I had very similar results after a HbA1c reading of 6.1% 2 years ago. Lost 18 lb on low carb-high healthy fat, but after a couple of months, my FBS was unchanged, in low 6s. So I started walking a minumim of 10,000 steps a day, and immediately started seeing FBS is 5s and even 4s. HbA1c has remained between 5.5 and 5.8 percent, despite the odd "cheat" and I know that a large serving of carbs (esp white rice, bread, most noodles ...) Can spike as high as 11 or 12 an hour after eating it. I'm fortunate in that my cholesterol is fine (including total) so I enjoy a lot of virgin coconut oil and butter, which help me control carb cravings. Fiber helps too (on psyllium at least 2 heaping Tbsp/day for IBS) including raw carrots. So far so good....

Sent from my LG-H831 using Diabetes Forum mobile app
 
Well, I have been having a read. Apparently being hypothyroid can falsley raise your HbA1c results due to your red cells living longer.. I have been hypothyroid for over 10 years. My gp has messed around with my treatment dose of thyroxine this last year after my cancer and reduced it quite a bit. Wondering if it has been reduced a little too much and perhaps I'm now a little hypothyroid again?? That might explain the discrepancy between my
normal.. ish monitor readings and those suggested by my HbA1c readings??? I'm probably grasping at straws here. Still doesn't explain why my HbA1c didn't drop after4 months on lo carb and 10%+weight loss though.
PS. Been doing a few carb challenges in last week. Sandwiches , Eccles cakes etc . Peak BG is around 8 to 8.5 inside first hour then back down to 7 or less at 2 hours so nothing drastic happening yet. Fasting currently 5.3 at its best 6 at its worst...possibly after using dodgy soap with honey ! Lol
 
Last edited:
Chez31 said:
I have been hypothyroid for over 10 years. My gp has messed around with my treatment dose of thyroxine this last year after my cancer and reduced it quite a bit. Wondering if it has been reduced a little too much and perhaps I'm now a little hypothyroid again?? That might explain the discrepancy between my
Click to expand...

If you want help with your thyroid then this forum is well worth joining and reading :

https://healthunlocked.com/thyroiduk/posts#active

You have to register with HealthUnlocked, look up Thyroid UK then choose to "Follow" it to read all the posts.
 
Hi @Chez31. It has been very interesting (and moving) reading your response to the prediabetes diagnosis, particularly as I have had some what I found puzzling responses from friends and acquaintances in my life who went through similar kinds of 'no no no' reactions to the same HBA1c (ie low end of the scale), which I do understand, but without your considered approach going LCHF.

And I am very interested in following how doctors approach their client/patient with the news too. Talking about diabetes as inevitable, and in your genes - wo ho! No wonder you felt depressed by being told that. From medical science papers I have read, specifically from the straight-talking Swedes - Insulin resistance based type two is always epigenetic - a fancy way of saying when the environment (ie food and drink) is in cahoots with your genes (ie your body!), always. Unless as you say, it has been caused by something medical, or hypothyroidism which in your case makes a lot of sense - and totally reasonable that you discuss this with your doctor, or a specialist if you can get referred to one? It is just plain wrong for a medical professional who should know better to put it all down to genetics. And the 'inevitability' thing is just plain wrong for sure! Especially where you are in on the scale. (I am like one of the posters above, and was diagnosed well in the red zone! So I see lots of scope for anyone to get out of diagnosed zones and into healthier ones.) Especially now the role of the gut biome is thought to be way more involved than previously, which makes a lot of sense to me. That's how all those microbes and bacteria in your gut help you or don't help you digest food and have healthy hormone regulation, crucial processes behind blood glucose regulation.

And yes, give your HBA1c time to adjust to your new regime. And give your new lower carb regime time to adjust! As in yourself adjusting to a lower carb life if indeed you do have insulin resistance based prediabetes, and not hypothyroidism or medical-procedure induced raised blood glucose levels. (or a mixture of all of the above!) If your gut biome was highly compromised during chemo or radiation, you might want to research gut biome info? And possible treatment?

Oh - and re the testing! Are you pricking your fingers on the sides? Not the tip or the pad at the front of the finger. I was so grateful for that advice from a practice nurse, and my fingers have not suffered since.
 
Chez31 said:
Guzzler, what are pufas?? There is so much contradictory advice out there for carbs, fats and just about everything else , the more I research the more anxious and confused I get. I. Have cardio vascular disease history in my family as well as a diabetic history. Having cancer made me take a hard look at myself and I just honestly wanted to do the best for myself. Now I am totally confused as to what to do . I sometimes wish I never found out about that darned HbA1c result !!!!
Click to expand...
My son was advised to go low carb when he was diagnosed with the big C - apparently it is starting to be recognised as being beneficial by reducing bgl and insulin demands, and the science now shows many cancers need sugar to thrive.

How long does a highcarb binge hangover last? longtime keemo sabee. It could last a lifetime if you let it. But with resolve a recovery can be quick. I binge out at Xmas and Easter and birthdays and months with a full moon in them, but manage to recover within a few days. However, I am not keto, so getting that fat burner going again may take a little longer.

Just as an anecdote aside, some time ago we had someone who was claiming LC diet did not work for them and certainly their mealplans they shared were LC, but in the discusion that followed they confessed to being addicted to TicTac's and beer which they had not divulged earlier.

If your diabetes is due to a fatty liver, then this takes a while to shift and reduce and if you are not losing weight then this may indicate that the stored fats in your liver are taking a while to deplete and thus the IR will remain high. I suggest you try to maintain your LC habit for a bit longer At least with low bgl you are not pumping up the insulin and this should be good for your body anyway.
 
Last edited:
Hi all, I'm back. I loved all your advice and said Id report back.
I had my Bloods done again last week . In the intervening period of 3 months I have slackened off on the carb control a bit.(my reasoning for this was to test my Prediabetic diagnosis. See earlier posts.) I have not gone full throttle back to the old ways of "normal healthy eating" ..that is lots of starchy carbs as recommended by the eat well plate. : . I continued to monitor my blood glucose especially after carby naughtiness! You might recall I had been dismayed to have no change in my prediabetic 6% hba1c result after 4 months of strict low carb, 10%+ weight loss (down to a bmi of 22 and 26% body fat)
I'm bloomin more confused now!!!
Some of my carby meals didnt make much difference to my post prandial levels and were below 7.8 at 2hrs post. Others such as sourdough breat spiked me at 12 one hour post and kept me around 7 for several hours after. So I DO have a problem with some carbs, particularly bread I reckon.
What has really confused me though is despite these new carb challenges my hba1c has come down to 5.7 !!!
Seems counter intuitive as I've eaten more carb in the last 3 months . I have lost another 4 pounds though ( bmi 21,4 and body fat 25%)...not that I really wanted to lose any more and i have excercised somewhat less.
My fasting levels remain pretty much the same as they have always been since i started testing in Feb
My thyroid levels ( also tested at same time ) if any thing seem to have become slightly more hypothyroid too.. which should perhaps, be expected push my hba1c up ???!!
Doc wants to talk to me about my cholesterol tomorrow...so that sounds ominous, so I suspect its gone up.. not anaemic (FBC normal and Kidney function fine).
Now womdering if statins might be mentioned tomorrow. Have read they can precipitate diabetes in those at high risk, especially women after menopause. Jeez ..what do I do next? Will let you know what occurs tomorrow.
 
Last edited:
Find bulkbuilders thread about statins and cholesterol tonight and have a read before your appointment

My guess would be even though not as strict your body has had a bit more time to adjust to lower carb and is now responding more as hoped. Also dropping back the exercise may have had an effect. Some exercise types spikes bgl more than others.
 
Find bulkbikers thread about statins and cholesterol tonight and have a read before your appointment

My guess would be even though not as strict your body has had a bit more time to adjust to lower carb and is now responding more as hoped. Also dropping back the exercise may have had an effect. Some exercise types spikes bgl more than others.



Edited; oops I’m going to blame spellcheck for the name typo. So sorry, amended now
 
Last edited:
HSSS said:
Find bulkbuilders thread about statins and cholesterol tonight and have a read before your appointment

My guess would be even though not as strict your body has had a bit more time to adjust to lower carb and is now responding more as hoped. Also dropping back the exercise may have had an effect. Some exercise types spikes bgl more than others.
Click to expand...
Hsss, you could be right about the exercise. I always seem to go a bit higher after it. A good walk or cycle ride doesn't lower it immediately and often raises things. I can only think that the further weight/ fat loss has lowered my insulin resistance a bit more below some sort of personal threshold if anything like that truly exists?
Then again a 0.3 or 0. 4 drop in HbA1c % levels barely reaches clinical significance in the range of results from one test to another as I'm lead to believe so maybe I haven't dropped out of pre diabetes , it's just a test blip?
 
Statins and Metformin for 5 weeks had a devastating effect on my memory, my mobility, my sleep due to the aches and pains - if you are susceptible to the side effects life can become very miserable.
All to reduce the cholesterol which is being found to be slightly higher in the people who are living longest - particularly women.
 
@Chez31 - Now I apologise wholeheartedly up front here, because I don't have the link to a study that stick in my mind.

An Australian survery concluded, if my memory serves me accurately, that only c30% of hose with prediabetic A1cs will go on to full blown diabetes.

I firmly believe that everyone has their personal running range. Perhaps yours is in this range.
 
Resurgam said:
Statins and Metformin for 5 weeks had a devastating effect on my memory, my mobility, my sleep due to the aches and pains - if you are susceptible to the side effects life can become very miserable.
All to reduce the cholesterol which is being found to be slightly higher in the people who are living longest - particularly women.
Click to expand...
Reaurgam, it's a tricky metabolic minefield that's for sure. The more I read the less I know lol. Surely no one treatment fits all and I hope you told your doc that you were miserable and you got alternative drugs or dosages or management pathways. We can only try things out and report back how they suit us. it's ultimately our choice if we take the docs advice and they should respect that. As a cancer survivor I know that some patients choose not to have some treatment , preferring to live a quality life , even though it is more likely to be shorter. Cancer docs tend respect those choices in the main and mainstream medicine can learn from that attitude I reckon .
 
Last edited:
DCUKMod said:
@Chez31 - Now I apologise wholeheartedly up front here, because I don't have the link to a study that stick in my mind.

An Australian survery concluded, if my memory serves me accurately, that only c30% of hose with prediabetic A1cs will go on to full blown diabetes.

I firmly believe that everyone has their personal running range. Perhaps yours is in this range.
Click to expand...

I sincerely hope so . Perhaps Im not abnormal....just a different kind of normal not yet explained haha. Anyway I am still alive and kicking and pretty much happy with my lot so I will try not to worry whatever happens.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Chez31 said:
I sincerely hope so . Perhaps Im not abnormal....just a different kind of normal not yet explained haha. Anyway I am still alive and kicking and pretty much happy with my lot so I will try not to worry whatever happens.
Click to expand...

Please don't think I'm trivialising your dilemma, because I'm not. I guess I'm rather saying, please do look after yourself, but number chasing can be unhelpful. In this life, we have to live and there should be joy in our living.
 
Back
Top