I lowered my A1C. :)

G-Mac

G-Mac

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Type II Diabetes runs in my family. My father had it (died of non-related heart issues). My mother has it (84 years old. Went on insulin about a year ago). My younger sister in Dallas has it (recently went on insulin). Our youngest sister passed away in 2015 from complications of diabetes after having a foot amputated. I was told about six months ago that I was diabetic. My A1C was at 7.3. The doctor told me he would check it again in two months (March) and "if I had the numbers going in the right direction", I wouldn't need to go on medication. Well, I finally made some lifestyle changes...stopped eating junk food, joined a gym, got a personal trainer twice a week, etc. My A1C was down to 6.3 in March....slightly out of the diabetic range. I went in for a six month check-up yesterday with blood work. I'll have the results in a few days. I'm hoping it's even lower than 6.3 this time. Doctor is very happy with my progress. I've lost about 30lbs. in the past six months. I'm about 43lbs. lighter than I was two years ago. I'm hoping I can ward this off as long as possible.
 
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Good for you! I'm in a similar situation and have a similar story. I've found a shot Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar helps bring down A1-C and contributes to general well being.
 
That's great to hear. I had the genetic double whammy, and my one aunt went blind, lost a leg and finally died from her diabetes. I was medically obese, and had undiagnosed sleep apnea when I was diagnosed with full bore diabetes. With eating better and metformin I backed down into pre-diabetes range. With the CPAP machine, I am seeing the range of my sugar dropping and I've lost some weight, perhaps because I have more energy and ambition to do more things. I have my first appointment since getting the CPAP machine with the diabetes nurse practitioner next month so I will be anxious to see what kind of progress I've made. My hands are probably like pincushions from testing my sugar every day but I look at that as a small price to pay to ward off the complications like my aunt went through.
 
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I've been type II for quite some time (40 years) no rhyme or reason. Never been overweight, always worked out and very vitamin and supplement knowledgeable. Managed for awhile by diet, herbs and walking. Doc told me sooner or later gonna need meds. So now it's Metformin & Glimepiride. Still hit the treadmill 2X a day but at 74 like the Bud Lite. Read a lot about agent orange and was exposed but have to die first for the VA to do anything.
 
You must be doing something right to drop weight and lower your A1C. Stick with it.

I found lowering my net carbohydrate intake to between 50 and 100 grams daily helped big time. My low carb dietary strategy helped me drop my numbers and I haven't seen cautionary numbers for years now.

I have to stay away from white stuff - sugar, flour, pastas, and potatoes or I gain weight for the day.

Keep up the good work and congratulations.
 
URIT said:
You must be doing something right to drop weight and lower your A1C. Stick with it.

I found lowering my net carbohydrate intake to between 50 and 100 grams daily helped big time. My low carb dietary strategy helped me drop my numbers and I haven't seen cautionary numbers for years now.

I have to stay away from white stuff - sugar, flour, pastas, and potatoes or I gain weight for the day.

Keep up the good work and congratulations.
Click to expand...

My brother just introduced me to something that may be a help to a lot of us in this regard. He had a quintuple by-pass in 2001 and is also eating gluten-free. I have Type II diabetes and a major blockage in a coronary artery. I just visited him and he introduced me to riced cauliflower as a substitute for pasta and white rice. He made up a white spaghetti sauce with added clams and put the clam sauce on the cooked riced cauliflower. I was really impressed with the texture and feeling of the riced cauliflower. I think being able to replace white rice and/or pasta with a vegetable may help out on a lot of dietary issues a lot of us have. I just went out and bought a big package of riced cauliflower and I'm going to give it a try with some things and see how they work out.
 
Impressive. Most diabetic patients are really frustrating to doctors; far too many are not compliant, sometimes to a staggering extent. When I was first diagnosed and went to the initial class, everyone else in it looked like a slow motion suicide by lifestyle. Pretty much every one I have seen is the same. I've had to make some changes, but not a lot. I have been pretty active since I was about 20, and my family and my doctors are sure that my lifestyle carried me through the interesting portions of that time.

I had been diagnosed with a kidney problem that required some pretty high doses of prednisone to get it under control. That worked as well as it was going, but is also a very good way to stress test the pancreas. Mine failed. Within a couple of months I had BG of 686 at the doctor's, and an A1C of 13.1. That was a good way to cause my relatively calm kidney specialist to get very excited. As I weaned off the prednisone, I went off the insulin, and still do fine with diet, exercise, and metformin.

Due to a foot injury a few years ago, running went off the table, but I beat on my exercise bike pretty hard. (I've killed ... 4, I think, in the last 10 years, most in a few months, until I bought one at a real fitness supply place.) Although I can't lift like I used to due to injuries and the like, I still hit the gym pretty regularly and lift as much as I can. I'm relatively big and strong, and when people learn I am a type II, most are surprised.
 
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Congrats and keep up the good work.
When I was diagnosed my A1C was 11.3! I went back in 3 mos. and had it down to 6.3 and 6 mos after that I was at 5.8. But I have been taking Metformin and Glipicide since being diagnosed. My last check up I was back up to 6.3. I really need to get back on track.
 
My A1C teeters on the borderline all the time and I am not overweight. Starch and carbs are the culprits. I've banished pasta, bread, most corn etc. from my diet. I did discover that there is a huge difference in the glycemic load of potatoes eaten with their skins vs. peeled potatoes, so whole steamed or roasted baby Yukon Golds are a once a week treat. Otherwise, no spuds at all. If I ate a big order of fries today and a bag of chips tonight I'd pick up 2lbs. by tomorrow.
 
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