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I'm baffled !

1K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  div2live 
#1 ·
Hi, my name is Bob , and I am new to this forum . I am 68 years old , in pretty darn good health . I am an active male , have no heart issues, hr is 112/68 , chloresteral a bit high at 209 . I am not on any medications , and have kept my weight under 190 . [I am 5'11" ].
I have seen my A1c go from 5.7 in 2015 to 5.9 in 2016 , to 6.0 just tested last week . That is where I am currently .
I have always been active , and even joined a Gym beginning of March and work out 2-3 times a week for an hour . My workout involves 1/2 hour with weights and machines , and another half hour of HIIT. [high intensity interval training ] I was really anxious to see the results of the latest blood work , I really thought my blood sugar would be down , but it still went up ! I increased my exercise , lost 6 lbs , and my sugar still went up . My diet did not change , still low carb , lots of veggies , very limited bread , cereal , no sugary drinks or juices , only beverages with sucralose . I don't drink beer.
Where am I going wrong ? please feel free to contribute your thoughts , Thanks , Bob
 
#2 ·
Hi Bob, welcome to the forum.

First, its not anything you are doing wrong. When our metabolism starts messing up, there may be nothing we do that can stop it. We can, however, do something to influence whether or not we have to suffer any of the consequences of our system's malfunction.

Exercise does help and it sounds like your doing plenty of that. We also usually have to change the things we eat, and that is usually the biggest bang for the buck as far as controlling BG. Tell us what you are eating currently and maybe we can tweek a thing or two there and stop the increasing blood sugar. Low carb is not real definitive, do you count the carbs in your meals? To some under 100 grams per day is low, to some under 30 grams per day is low.

One thing I think you do need to do, if you don't already have one, is to get a glucose monitor and start checking your BG daily. Best to check before a meal, one hour after your start and then again an hour later. This will tell you how the foods you eat are affecting your BG and changes in BG usually show up here long before fasting or A1c test.

I'd also recommend reading Bloodsugar101. It was written by a diabetic who has done lots of research and backs the things she says with links to the studies the info comes from. The things you read there are not just someone's opinion and all the time spent there is well worth the read.
 
#3 ·
Thanks

Thanks for the reply , mbuster. When I say that I am low carb , what I mean is that I am constantly looking at labels to buy the lowest possible carb items . For example , when buying a cereal , I only buy Cheerios , which is the lowest carb. Some "healthy" cereals are 45 carbs ! I will usually have a low carb protein bar for breakfast, that and coffee, no real sugar, Stevia.
Lunch , a ham sandwich on a lowest carb whole wheat bread, or leftovers from dinner, no bread .
Dinners , salad , a lowest carb Italian dressing , no bread , no pastas , lots of chicken , pork ,fish or a steak.
I do eat a fair amount of mixed nuts as a snack . We do not go out to eat much, prefer home cooking .
I do not count carbs , just try to be aware of which foods are "high" carb , and always go with the lowest carb option .
I did just purchase a glucose meter , and will start using it .

Thanks , Bob
 
#5 ·
Hi Bob

Using your glucose meter will soon guide you to a custom way of eating. There is going to be an upper limit of carbs your new "diabetic body" can handle. And your meter will tell you.

http://www.diabetesforum.com/diabetes-treatment/78730-eat-your-meter-testing-method.html is a systematic way of learning what foods you can, and cannot, eat in order to maintain good BG control.

While exercise is certainly good for one, and it can help some in lowering BG. I am one who cannot exercise much because of past injuries and I still am able to have good control through diet only. I know most doctors tell diabetics to lose weight and exercise - but what they fail to inform us is that it is carbohydrates that raise BG in the first place, and lowering the consumption of this kind of food will directly affect how high BG rises.
 
#6 ·
Welcome Bob, you've come to the right place. Stick around. There is a wealth of information on this forum. Many of the folks here have been diabetics for many years. They know what they are talking about.

Hope to see you often. Take care.
 
#7 ·
Hi Bob and welcome...

Many of our folks have already given you some good information and reading and video you can look at to gain knowledge on diabetes.

I am 67 years old and have been dealing with type 2 diabetes for over 12 years now. I found this website in 2015 and since that time I have dramatically improved all of my health indicators, especially my blood sugar. I can say I have taken control of my diabetes and it no longer takes control of me.

Most of us have a set daily maximum carbohydrates we will eat in a day. The ranges vary by individual as we all are different, but generally goals fall into the range of 30g/da to 100g/da! I target eating less than 100g per day. When I started on the low carb high fat (LCHF) lifestyle I did closely watch how many carbs I ate daily. Now over 2 years later I seldom have to count carbs as I know what I can and cannot eat and how much all together. And since I test my blood frequently, if I mess up it shows up fairly clearly....

You are in many ways an exception as you are already very 'health conscious' doing many things to improve and maintain your health, so this all will be probably just a matter of making some adjustments to stabilize your blood sugars. The scary thing about diabetes is anytime 24/7 you spike your blood sugar above 140, you are beginning to damage cells in your body, so for a time it is important to watch and learn how your body handles carbs...

For me...Cheerios and Mixed Nuts are a bit to high in carbs....I eat Pecans, Walnuts, or Macadamia nuts as they all are much lower in carbs....I eat nothing with any grains, again to high in carbs for me, no bread, cereals, rice, corn, etc. Dropping carbs is not as hard as some think, the trick is to find a replacement that is lower in carbs....And in your message you have said nothing about eating fats? When you drop carbs you have to replace that loss with fats! I know since you workout and follow a healthy lifestyle you have been trained to go 'low fat'! Do your own research including the website blood sugar 101 to get you going....fats provide energy, stop hunger and stops cravings for carbs....and after a year of increased fat intake my Cholesterols are the best they have ever been.....

Finally, on testing your blood. Just in case no one has told you how to avoid the pain of sticking your fingers. DO NOT stick the end of your fingers...OUCH! It is the most sensitive place on your hands. Stick the sides of your fingers, very little pain if any. Your devise for sticking your fingers, should have a gauge to adjust depth of the stick. Set it as low (shallow) as possible where you still are able to get a drop of blood without squeezing your finger to force blood out. It should flow out freely. Wash and dry your hands before testing, and do not use alcohol to wipe the area as in time that makes your skin tough. That's about it on that, other will cover anything I missed.
 
#8 ·
Thanks

A big thank you to all who replied, loads of great info !
Many years ago , I actually became aware of the benefits of low carb , high fat dieting . I am a big fan of the Adkins Diet . Now I think I just have to refine the "lower" carb diet that I am on now . I enjoy my steaks , butter, etc.
I am amazed at the hidden carbs and sugar in items . Catsup, salad dressings , Bar B que sauce , trail mix bars , etc. I am constantly reading labels at the grocery store .

div2live , what foods did you add or increase to get your high fat intake up ?

Thanks , Bob
 
#9 ·
A big thank you to all who replied, loads of great info !
Many years ago , I actually became aware of the benefits of low carb , high fat dieting . I am a big fan of the Adkins Diet . Now I think I just have to refine the "lower" carb diet that I am on now . I enjoy my steaks , butter, etc.
I am amazed at the hidden carbs and sugar in items . Catsup, salad dressings , Bar B que sauce , trail mix bars , etc. I am constantly reading labels at the grocery store .

div2live , what foods did you add or increase to get your high fat intake up ?

Thanks , Bob
I have heavy whipping cream in my morning coffee, like 2 tablespoons and I drink two cups...

Any time I snack, I eat Fried Pork Rinds w/Guacamole, or Walnuts, or Pecans, or Macadamias...

Love bacon and eggs for breakfast, sometimes for dinner...

All meats.....and Avocados

Coconut Oil my wife adds to much of her cooking....sometimes I put some in my morning coffee...

We make ice cream always making a custard of eggs, Heavy Whipping Cream and Almond Milk we heat it, then cool it, then put it in our Ice Cream maker.....we may add, bitter sweet chocolate, or coffee, or vanilla beans....this stuff is so....good! Of course we use artificial sweeteners....

I eat lots of hard cheese with salami or similar cold cuts with lettuce for bread, sandwich....also put mayo and/or mustard...these are good for lunch.

etc. etc.
 
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