[itissteve]

icarus, it sounds like you're doing all the right things: you lost weight and you're exercising. I don't know what you've been doing for exercise while you're not lifting, but clearly you are not sitting on the sofa doing nothing. And, diet... well, it's possible after managing diabetes for several years you've internalized what you can eat "safely" and not.

A1c measures a protein in the blood that is present in proportion to glucose in the blood. That protein has a life of about three months so if you got your A1c yesterday, that represents continuous blood glucose levels since mid-August. Did you change anything besides the weights since then? What have your previous A1cs been? Was the 11.8 an outlier or consistent with previous tests? Is it possible the 6.9 is in error? Is it difficult to get it tested again to be sure? 6.9 is quite the improvement from where you were but you probably would want to know if it was for real.

 

[itissteve]

It is. I'd be tempted to get a second A1c just to make sure the test wasn't messed up somehow. What you'd do to address a 6.9 is different from what you'd do to address an 11-something, especially in light of the reduced activity.

 

[itissteve]

what explains reduced fasting sugar levels?

Oh, any number of things: how long ago (and what) you ate before the fast; natural body cycles ("dawn phenomenon" makes some diabetics' fasting test their highest number of the day; that's typical for me); how well you slept/how long you fasted; (unlikely but) a meter or batch of strips that are not calibrated quite right; a new mattress that doesn't leave you sore when you wake up (inflammation can raise blood glucose levels);...

I was able to push down my morning fasting glucose by having a little bit of a fat/protein snack shortly before I went to bed (cheese, salami, etc.); I could tell the difference if I went without it the night before. But that doesn't work for everyone.

 

[itissteve]

Thanks for the update, icarus2712! Stress can do terrible things to our bodies, especially over longer periods of time. You're still on the right road; if you can get you A1c even a little lower (with moderate exercise like walking, etc.), you're in a great place to be able to avoid the worst diabetic complications.