A1c Results

I had my A1c drawn at my doctor's apt. on Monday.

I was anxious to see if I had changed my results with changing my diet.

My A1c that started this whole awareness 4 months ago was 6.2.

My doctor told me I was pre-diabetic.

Since it was in my genes, I wanted to stop it in it's tracks!!

I knew I was a 1st class, died in the wool, could eat a whole cake at a sitting,  carboholic!!

So I drastically changed my diet.

I did not cut out all sugar!  That, for me, would have been a sure plan for failure!

I've been writing down everything I've eaten since June and counting the carbs.

(The app, Calorie King is a great help with that.)

Reading, reading, reading labels!!!

I've tried to keep under 180 carbs a day.  Some days it was a little more and quite a few days I stayed under 160.

More importantly, as I found out later, is keeping each meal a more steady amount of 35- 45 carbs and then allowing low carb snack between meals.  I try to eat more carbs in the morning and less for supper and in the evening but that is hard.

I seem to be the most hungry in the evening.  I think, though it's because that's when I am finally sitting down and doing a lot less.

In August I decided to start testing my blood sugars to see exactly what foods affected my sugar the most so I got a meter and test strips and at first tested really often. 

 (Like 6-7 times a day.)

Fasting, in the morning, then 1 and 2 hours after each meal.  

I found out that my blood sugar had it's rise in one hour and was back down by 2 hours.

Other people may have a slower rise.  

So then I only checked randomly once or twice a day after breakfast and supper.

I found out that white bread was a bad culprit!

I never really had a spike over 157 and that was only twice.

I also read up on the good things that foods with a low or medium glycemic index can do.

Anyway, my new A1c level is 5.4!!!!!!

Yippppeeee.

This new awareness can only be a good thing.  I am past that horrible craving for sugar all the time.

Yes, I do bend to the occasional big chocolate chip cookie from Panera or a cheesecake brownie from Starbucks.

But I at least only have just one!!

I read labels on everything and am trying to eat foods that are much less processed and mostly organic if I can.

So, it was a good thing that my elevated A1c was caught so early and yes, I believe you can stop or at least put off the development of type 2 diabetes.

I'm not a doctor, but I am a retired RN and you have to educate yourself about your health.

That's for sure!

It has certainly made me so much more aware and has made me educate myself much more on 

this ever increasing disease.

Shirley