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Recent HbA1c Test

I had similar issues . eating what I understood to be a "healthy" diet - ie the one the NHS still recommends - and was diagnosed as a T2 diabetic last December. The good news is that in four months by April I'd got my A1c down to 36 (normal) by a low-carb diet alone - no rice, pasta, sugar, bread (or anything with flour), or starchy vegetables and next to no fruit. It can be done.
 
Oh dear. I hadn’t realised that my diet was carb heavy? I thought it was fairly normal. I’ve tried as a start to alternate between having low carbs one day, then A more ‘normal’ level the next day, and so on. It’s going ok, but I do feel hungry on the low carb days. Any suggestions how to manage on those days?
 
Up the fats, so you feel full. Add in fatty fish, meat, cheeses, avocado, olives, cream etc. Also, test your blood glucose around meals, so you know what the "normal" days do to you. (Anything above 8,5 mmol/l does damage to organs and arteries).

If you keep eating carbs, your body will keep demanding them. So alternating isn't really doing you any favours in terms of making it easier on yourself. Carb cravings go away after a few days/weeks of low carbing, but not if you have them every other day. Then you'd still be hungry all the time 2 years from now.

Good luck!
Jo

Ps: a "normal" diet is what got us here in the first place. We're not genetically equipped to process it.
 
I have to agree with @JoKalsbeek alternating days is not going to do you any favours- you will still crave carbs, you will still be hungry but you won't see your blood sugar levels drop.

It does sound dramatic but my suggestions is to try low carb for 3 weeks- every day- test your levels before meals and 2 hours afterwards and see what happens when you try low carb. I would suggest keeping under 100 grams of carbs a day and preferably well under. If your blood sugar levels go down you have your answer.

Just so you know- in my view for us diabetics low carb is the best you can do but unfortunately things like stress, illness, lack of sleep and other things can also increase your blood sugar levels. For me- off all those things the easiest to control is my diet. I stick to very low carb to give my body the best chance as I am a very anxious person who doesn't sleep well. I have a stressful job in what sometimes (today for example) a very stressful atmosphere.

Good luck.
 
I’ve read about carb cycling along with weight training as an effective body transformation routine. It was three day cycle, one day 200 grams of carbs, two days of 20. two days of lifting, one off.

they didn’t measure BG, but I bet it would be effective because of the training routine. Though it’s interesting to see athletic nutritionists really taking insulin into consideration, I’m finding lots of quality information from their perspective.

I think my initial A1c required more drastic action, zero carbs lol
 

Yes. Unfortunately, the 'normal' diet nowadays sets a lot of us up for escalating insulin resistance and a long slide towards type 2 diabetes.

I can only echo what others have said. Reduce the carbs, and replace them with healthy fats (by that I mean unprocessed, fats such as butter, lard, goosefat and the fats on meat, not seed oils such as sunflower or soya oils).

One thing I will caution you about, is that a diet in carbs +high fat is not a good idea.
Low carbs and high fat works.
High carbs and low fat works (for those who tolerate the carbs)
But just dropping carbs a bit, and layering on the butter is not a good move. The body is prone to weight gain and all sorts of long term health issues if you do both.
The trick is to get carbs low enough to feel the benefits (insulin resistance reduction and blood glucose stability) and then eat healthy fats so that you don't feel hungry and deprived.

Your personal ideal carb level is going to be exactly that. You will find people saying 'try under 100 g carbs' or 'stay under 50g carbs' but the reality is that you need to find out what works for you, and then stick with it. If you get a blood glucose meter you can work it out for yourself - simply by monitoring your blood glucose levels, your appetite, and your weight.
 

Yes. Unfortunately, the 'normal' diet nowadays sets a lot of us up for escalating insulin resistance and a long slide towards type 2 diabetes.

I can only echo what others have said. Reduce the carbs, and replace them with healthy fats (by that I mean unprocessed, fats such as butter, lard, goosefat and the fats on meat, not seed oils such as sunflower or soya oils).

One thing I will caution you about, is that a diet in carbs +high fat is not a good idea.
Low carbs and high fat works.
High carbs and low fat works (for those who tolerate the carbs)
But just dropping carbs a bit, and layering on the butter is not a good move. The body is prone to weight gain and all sorts of long term health issues if you do both.
The trick is to get carbs low enough to feel the benefits (insulin resistance reduction and blood glucose stability) and then eat healthy fats so that you don't feel hungry and deprived.

Your personal ideal carb level is going to be exactly that. You will find people saying 'try under 100 g carbs' or 'stay under 50g carbs' but the reality is that you need to find out what works for you, and then stick with it. If you get a blood glucose meter you can work it out for yourself - simply by monitoring your blood glucose levels, your appetite, and your weight.
 
JoKalsbeek said:
(Anything above 8,5 mmol/l does damage to organs and arteries
Click to expand...

This makes very scary reading for me. For a long time (maybe 12 months) I think I was probably running at readings in the high teens and even twenties. I wasn't testing myself at all until I noticed I was getting the urge to pee alot again. Then I saw how high my levels were and I joined this forum and started taking things seriously. Doing LCHF as best I can (probably still on 120-150g carbs per day).

Over the past week or so I've managed to get my levels down to 8s and 9s and will keep going until I get consistently below 7

Is the damage I've done to my organs/arteries permanent or will it repair (partially/fully) over time if I keep my levels low?

(apologies to Kenny for hi-jacking your post)
 
I probably went along as an undiagnosed diabetic for several years, with blood sugars in the high teens and high twenties, possibly early 30's, on a daily basis. And I did experience some damage. (Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, impaired vision etc.) But nothing the low carb diet couldn't fix, given a little time. Our bodies have quite the ability to repair themselves, if they only get a chance to. I found cutting carbs down to keto levels was easier somehow that staying relatively high in them as you are, as I kept losing count. It was easier to order eggs/steak/burgers/salads etc without bread and fries than trying to balance everything out all the time. I just went for the least possible amount of carbs. My body prefers it, it made my life easier. Might be the same for you.

There are irreversible kinds of damage prolonged high blood sugars can do. But as long as you haven't misplaced a leg or kidney yet, there's still hope.
 
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