HBA1C results

[wsgts]

I have recently moved away from my low-carb friendly doctor. It has been a while sense I have seen him, and therefore been a while since my last HBA1C.

Anyway, I decided to go ahead and get one done via the mail. If you have never done it, it is called HBA1C at home, and they have a doctor there that will order if for you for about $25.00.

Anyway, my A1C was 5.8 or about 114 average blood sugar. This was a non-diabetic would score. I have had three sense I was diagnosed in January of this year. 9.2, 6.5 and 5.8.

For any type II thinking about starting LC, understand that it basically bypasses that broken carbohydrate processing system. So, given this, how the hell does it make sense to eat 70% of your calories from carboydrates that the ADA and AHA recommends?

Answer: it doesn't.

Sorry, had to brag on myself,

Later
wsgts

[Ruth]

Hey wsgts,

You have a right to brag! :clap: :clap: Your newest HgA1c was awesome. I agree with you, the advice to get 70% of your calories from carbs doesn't make sense.

I'll bet that when you do get a new Dr. and he/she looks at your numbers, they will tell you to keep up whatever you are doing.
My doc wasn't supportive of Atkins initially, but she now admits the weight loss & better blood glucose control are the direct result of my LC WOL.

Here in BC there are Diabetes Centres or Clinics where you go for classes with RNs and dieticians. I'm never going back - don't want to get in a fight about their high carb diet. It's not even worth it.

Happy LCing,

Ruth

[Lisa N]

I'm with you. My doctor isn't exactly what I would call "carb friendly", but at least he's open to my doing it. When I started, my A1C was 11.8. Less than 6 months later, it was 5.8. In my doctor's own words, he said "I've never seen it come down this fast". On the other hand, my total cholesterol and LDL went up during that 6 month period, while my triglycerides dropped 100 points and my HDL went up. I'm wondering if the Glucophage I'm taking could have caused my cholesterol and LDL to rise or if this is just my body adjusting to the new way of eating. :confused:

[Ruth]

Hi Lisa,


I personally use glucophage, 500 mg 3x daily and your question intrigued me. So after a wee search, I found some info. This med should help improve your blood lipids, not make them worse.

GLUCOPHAGE works without causing weight gain and modestly improves cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which are often elevated in people with diabetes. This is from:
http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/968E.htm

I also found this: Metformin is in the group of diabetes medicines called biguanides. Metformin lowers blood sugar by keeping the liver from making too much sugar. The medicine does not increase how much insulin the pancreas makes. Metformin also helps lower the fatty blood components—triglycerides and cholesterol—that are often high in people with Type 2 diabetes. Metformin also has been shown to decrease the appetite and help people lose a few pounds when they starting taking the medicine. Another benefit of metformin is that it does not cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) when it is used as the only diabetes medicine.
Website: http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/diabetes/summary/metform/metform.htm

Do you ever use www.fitday.com to enter your food values? This site provides a breakdown of your food: fat, protein, carbs & calories. If you post what a typical day is, along with the fitday results some of us may be able to pinpoint a problem area. BTW, does your family have a history of high cholesterol? Genetic predisposition should always be considered.

HTH, Ruth :)

[Lisa N]

Don't know if I have a family history of high cholesterol or not because I'm adopted. I do know that before I started low carbing, my numbers were only off a little and now some of them are worse. It's kind of hard to post a "typical" day because I do try to vary the types of protein that I eat to avoid boredom, but I can say that I was eating sausage patties (2 or 3) for breakfast quite often in the few weeks before my test which could account for the "bad" numbers. I also did some research and found that my readings are not that unusual and that adding some Niacin and garlic could do some good. This made sense to me because our dietary Niacin typically comes from grains (like flour and bread) which I am no longer eating and I'm also not eating as much garlic as I used to. For what it's worth, here's what I had today:

Breakfast: 1 cube steak, cold, on the way to work
Lunch: Salad with Chicken breast, Caesar dressing
Dinner: Turkey roast, broccoli
Treat: 3 chocolate covered cappucino beans (1 g. carb each)