When your HbA1C is "normal"...

Hi @ixi1429 I got my levels down to 35 within 3 months by eating LCHF. I STILL eat LCHF! I have always managed to eat a small amount of potato, but I tried a small amount of rice last week - huge spike (for me). So, I don't think I am reversed or 'cured' or whatever you want to call it - I am just very well controlled by eating a LCHF diet. I do not want or expect to be able to go back to my old (high carbs) ways of eating.

I got my levels down with LCHF but am to worried about getting on a "slippery slope" if I start eating normally again, even occasionally.

ixi1429 said:

I suppose I am looking for a bit of advice/motivation/normality in asking this.

If you have managed to reverse your HbA1C so they are back to " normal levels" i.e. below 42, do you eat normal meals and if so how often?

I know that I have and always will have T2. If I do manage to reverse it (currently at 44) I am curious to understand if I can go back to normal eating every so often, perhaps once a week, once month - you know eat pancakes, doughnuts etc. I'll accept the fact that if I eat gnocchi my bloods will spike but from what I have read that is a fairly normal thing to happen even in the non special (none diabetic) people. But what would be the long term impact of this every so often "normal" meal?

In no way am I anticipating going back to what I was eating before I was diagnosed. With all I have learnt so far, I don't think I could but it would be nice to eat Bolognese with spaghetti again..

Click to expand...

I build muscle to be able to eat almost normal my last HbA1c was normal 34 , But This is achieved by counting my carbs and by exercising a lot

My HBA1C is currently 38.

I can eat anything I want but I prefer not to.

I’m far happier now eating only healthy foods.

Even with a normal HBA1C, I would still strongly suggest to eat to your meter.

Test often and regular still.

By the way it seems People’s individual gut biomen / bacteria have an influence too on which carby foods spikes the person the most so the trial and error approach seems to be the best way to find out which carby foods spike one the most , fibre-Rich foods are good to feed the optimal bacteria in our body

My last three HbA1cs have been non diabetic, but I have no desire to undo my good work by ‘cheating’. I enjoy my new way of eating. It has rekindled my love of cooking and looking for new recipes, low carb ones of course!

My last HbA1c result was 34, so I'm well in the non-diabetic range but still stick to a low carb diet (40g per day) but I have tested my carb tolerance by eating a large sausage roll and a small pork pie. My blood sugar levels did not spike but I am still going to stick to my low carb diet so that I don't risk ruining my reversal.

My HbA1C has been 40 or below for the last year.
I still need to lose some weight so will not be going back to eating more carbs.
Even if I was at my goal weight, I wouldn’t eat differently. the energy, mental clarity, and general well being is not something I would change.

ixi1429 said:

I suppose I am looking for a bit of advice/motivation/normality in asking this.

If you have managed to reverse your HbA1C so they are back to " normal levels" i.e. below 42, do you eat normal meals and if so how often?

I know that I have and always will have T2. If I do manage to reverse it (currently at 44) I am curious to understand if I can go back to normal eating every so often, perhaps once a week, once month - you know eat pancakes, doughnuts etc. I'll accept the fact that if I eat gnocchi my bloods will spike but from what I have read that is a fairly normal thing to happen even in the non special (none diabetic) people. But what would be the long term impact of this every so often "normal" meal?

In no way am I anticipating going back to what I was eating before I was diagnosed. With all I have learnt so far, I don't think I could but it would be nice to eat Bolognese with spaghetti again..

Click to expand...

Before starting on insulin because my pancreas can't produce enough anymore, I maintained a hba1c of 41.... low carb, but certainly not keto. Eating stuff like you mentioned would cause a high spike obviously, but it also puts pressure on the pancreas that it can really do without. If you were to eat like you mentioned once per week, you would in my opinion just be putting unneeded pressure on your pancreas that has zero positives for you.

On the plus side, you can google these foods and make your own low carb versions, fathead pizza for example is great. It's just a case of finding recipes that you like. Pancake day thread that was recently posted has a good pancake recipe you can play around with and add stuff to in order get the taste you like. Lot of options out there.

Even if your HbA1c is down to "normal", only your meter can tell you what is safe to eat.

ixi1429 said:

I suppose I am looking for a bit of advice/motivation/normality in asking this.

If you have managed to reverse your HbA1C so they are back to " normal levels" i.e. below 42, do you eat normal meals and if so how often?

I know that I have and always will have T2. If I do manage to reverse it (currently at 44) I am curious to understand if I can go back to normal eating every so often, perhaps once a week, once month - you know eat pancakes, doughnuts etc. I'll accept the fact that if I eat gnocchi my bloods will spike but from what I have read that is a fairly normal thing to happen even in the non special (none diabetic) people. But what would be the long term impact of this every so often "normal" meal?

In no way am I anticipating going back to what I was eating before I was diagnosed. With all I have learnt so far, I don't think I could but it would be nice to eat Bolognese with spaghetti again..

Click to expand...

I think that if you could do it once a month then it may be fine for you. However many people who start to "cheat" (who are they cheating apart from their health) find that once they have started "cheating" it becomes easier and easier to slip back into old habits. Because they are old "habits". If you think you have enough will power to fight the urges that upping carbs cause then you will be fine I will readily agree that I'm not able to do that.
As an example I recently made some keto "bread", a bit of a cross between fat head pizza dough and flax seed crackers to have with some cheese. I cut it into 12 portions and have already eaten 8 of those in two days because that bready texture made me want more. Once the last 4 have gone I wont be having them again. My urge to eat that kind of stuff is still there and I really don;t want to feed it.

Having a non diabetic HbA1c does not make you non diabetic.

My GP seems to think having an HbA1c under 48 is "diabetes resolved".

My on-line records show he has removed my initial Type 2 diabetes diagnosis from "current problems" and downgraded it to "past problems". He has added a note in "current problems" with a date of June 2014 saying "diabetes resolved" (June 2014 was when I first dipped under 48)

All this was done recently following an appointment over a different matter. There was no discussion about it, and I would never have known had I not got on-line access to my records.

He can think what he likes. I know my diabetes is not resolved/cured

It may work for you but it didn't work for me. We are all different.

Six stone unexpected weightloss and HBA1C of 35. I only regained back one stone but HBA1C jumps to 42 in 18 months.

Six years in, I really understand the meaning of a sustainable way of eating for life. The hard work really starts when you meet your targets.

For me the deciding factor is what food or situation is worth having a potentially dangerous level of glucose in my blood stream. For over 2.5 years now I have never gone above 8 at 2 hours after eating. That was trying French bread which I used to adore.I won't ever eat that food again.
Most things I used to like can be adapted successfully but if not I will just not eat them. I will always test at 2 hours and 4 hours after trying something I really want to eat which cannot be adapted without compromise. The last example was Yorkshire pudding made traditionally and cooked under the large beef joint we had at Christmas. The fact that that meal stayed under 6.5 at 2 hours and came down to 5.5 at 4 does not make me want to eat the same again except next time we have a very large beef joint.
Bottom line is we all have to weigh risk and reward with diet as we know our reaction to carbohydrate is abnormal - you wouldn't feed yourself nuts if you had a nut allergy. In terms of situations. I find myself totally conflicted at my grandchildren's birthdays. I know cake will raise my blood sugar level but I can't totally refuse so I have the smallest sliver and test at 2 and 4 hours.
No idea if this is too long or if it helps but there you go.

Bluetit1802 said:

My GP seems to think having an HbA1c under 48 is "diabetes resolved".

My on-line records show he has removed my initial Type 2 diabetes diagnosis from "current problems" and downgraded it to "past problems". He has added a note in "current problems" with a date of June 2014 saying "diabetes resolved" (June 2014 was when I first dipped under 48)

All this was done recently following an appointment over a different matter. There was no discussion about it, and I would never have known had I not got on-line access to my records.

He can think what he likes. I know my diabetes is not resolved/cured

Click to expand...

Maybe the note means it is resolved for the doctor, as he now doesn't have a problem to deal with, although you still do.

Hba1c was 66 at diagnosis. 3.5 stone weight loss and low carb got me down to 35. Eating the occasional cake and bread etc and the weight went up one stone and Hba1c up to 46. Now as low carb as possible and back down to 41 but havent lost any weight yet.
Now that I am back from holiday I plan to go on the Newcastle diet and shift the stone plus a bit more if possible. So I think the potential is always there to be diabetic. Remember that Hba1c is only an average reading of your blood sugar over time and that masks the highs you may have experienced and which cause damage balanced out by some lows you may have had with long gaps between meals. I take no medication.

Years ago I ate some 'candy' bars with sugar alcohols, and had a really violent and unpleasant reaction - rather like Metformin, actually, now I think about it. I suspect that two long bouts of illness with multiple treatments with antibiotics each time has resulted in my gut biome being changed - most people get a mild upset - as long as they stay away from the infamous Haribo sugar free bears. I thought I could become geography at any moment.