Hi,
Try not to stress. I too am at an AC1 11. I was a bit freaked out too but this place (tudiabetes) is great place for info, resources and many people with first-hand experience and support.
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Not to Worry! I know that sounds crazy, but im 50 have been neglecting my body for 50 years and now my body is breaking down. I have neuropathy - Sever Pain in both of my legs, cramping in all of my Muscles, having vision problems and a AC1 of 11. So I did some researched and found out about Interment Fasting. Did a 2 day water only fast, couldnāt do any longer really hard for me im a sugar Addict. And tried to cut out as much sugar as could, no more Sweet tea (1/2 gallon a day), Oreo or chocolate chip cookies (half a bag a day), cake (whatever was on sale at store) for the first week. The second week tried a water fast again could only handle another 2 days. Kept off Sugar only drank water, and started on a 18 hour no food only water - 6 hours feeding schedule. That meant i only ate between 12 noon to 6pm everyday and only water from 6:01pm to 11:59am. I snuck in 3 small meals, tried to keep sugar to a minimum hidden sugar in everything had to start reading labels. Kept it up for the next 3 weeks, did a A1C blood test and saw my doctor. The results from one month of intermittent fasting, my A1c went from a 11.4 to 9.1. My doctor was shocked and told me to keep doing what i was doing itās working. Now I can take my dog walking only about 20 minutes (With Out Pain!). Started to workout again lifting weights only 20 minutes (But No Pain or Muscle Cramps). Its Challenging with this new style of eating but itās working. I suggest going on youtube and checking out Dr. Boz, Dr. Mindy Pelz, Dr. Jason Fung, Dr. Sten Ekburg and Beat Diabetes! youtube channel. Those guys help me a lot. Hopes this helps. Donāt Give Up! diabetes is curable with a lifestyle changes
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Be careful saying things like this. Diabetes is not curable. Lifestyle changes can help treat it, but not cure it. Not to take away from what you are doing, but an A1C of 9.1 is nowhere near normal or cured. You likely need medication Iām sorry to say.
30 days into a lifestyle change and at a 9.1 A1C Iāll keep updating to c if I can get better results in the future.
Thatās a great result (and welcome to TuD by the way!). Weāll be interested to hear how itās going. It is true that diet and exercise can make a big difference with T2, and with T1 for that matter. But as @Scott_Eric says, ācureā is always a loaded term around here and best used with great caution because, unlike the popular media, we try to be very precise about what our terms do and do not mean. For instance, a lot of people with T2 who get down to a good BMI and change their diet to eliminate high glucose foods and the like are able to get great A1Cās and even stop taking any medication. Which is terrific! Is it a ācureā though? Well, ask this: if they stopped doing those things, went back on their previous eating habits, stopped the exercise etc., they would be right back where they started, yes? So those improved behaviors are a treatment, but they donāt eliminate the underlying disorder. Saying theyāre a ācureā is like saying insulin is a ācureā for Type 1. Well, only if you donāt stop taking it, right?
I absolutely donāt mean this to be discouragingāitās just a matter of being precise and having clarity. But it looks like youāre on a great path, and it takes a lot of discipline and self-care to get the results youāre getting. That is absolutely the kind of effort we are all here to support and encourage among ourselves. Glad to have you with us!
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ā¦and if you are able to maintain an A1C of around 5 with lifestyle changes alone, all power to you! My concern is people thinking insulin or metformin are dangerous, when in fact both are very safe (the body produces and needs adequate insulin, whether injected, self-produced or both) when used correctly and save lives. As a type 1 I have no choice, but I think it can be more dangerous for type 2s because many can walk around with elevated A1Cs for years without dying, only to be seriously damaging their bodies and long-term survival prospects. The word ācureā as @DrBB pointed out is unhelpful, and actually dangerous because I think some, whether you are included in that group or not, do need medications and will forgo them thinking itās all a conspiracy etc. etc.
I have been there. On the next visit 3 months later or so, I brought it down to 7. 7 is my usual a1c now when I visit.
I take cinnamon with my metformin and it does help. It dropped mine from 7.0 to 6.1 in three months.
The other thing is lots of healthy protein such as yogurt for your snacks or along with your meals and snacks.
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Welcome to TuD @Vstarmommi. Well done with reducing your A1C to 6.1.
Iām glad cinnamon is helping you, how much do you take?
My Apologies for using the word cure. Not my intention to offend, deter or mislead. All the research Iāve done, says intermittent fasting works to reduce A1C levels. I see my doctor every month ill try to get A1C tests as well, i think normally they like to test every 3 months. Iāll post results as i get them. I found this
3013 - Decoding Diabetes / From Sickness to Health - Barbara O'Neill - YouTube please check dis out itās enlightening. Hope this helps
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Totally get that. Your program is working for you, clearly, and your enthusiasm for it is a great asset. Glad to have you among us!
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Green apples is a good snack? With almond butter.
Iām drinking a lot of water I will see my doctor next week after I found out my ac1 is 11.3 Iām freaking out. Iām 41 years old with diabetes history in my family. Can I lower my ac1 without medication? I least without insulin? I donāt wan to start in insulin Iām really scare of that.
Hi Alex:
Welcome aboard - Donāt look at 11.3 and freak out, look at it as an opportunity in disguise, ready to be dramatically lowered.
You donāt really post enough data to ascertain how fast you can get your A1C down without medication. I am making an assumption that you are Type 2 and slightly overweight.
Green apples are not a good snack, not the worst but not good either as is any other fruit. You should look at cutting out as many, if not all carbs to start. Once you see how far you can go with that, then you can better determine what and how much medication will be needed.
You will need to do frequent blood testing before you eat and then again 1 hour after eating anything to get an idea of how hard your food hit your blood sugar. A CGM would be ideal, but probably a bit early in your travels to a bettter A1C.
Donāt worry about high fats or low fats or even proteins to start with, just cut out all possible carbs, especially anything white such as bread, rice, pizza, spaghetti etc. There are subsitiutes for most of those foods so that even if they are your favorites, you will be able to find a substitute you like.
Go to websites such as www.ditchthecarbs.com and other websites that promote low carb and/or keto foods.
Nothing to be scared about, you have taken the first step to get yourself back in control. You will find lots of help for you on this forum. Just ask anything and people most similar to you will reply with what works for them. Then pick and choose what suits your taste and lifestyle.
Also check out https://www.virtahealth.com/ as an option that promotes control with little to no insulin
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Thank you for quit reply. Iām overweight of course and I know this factor make it worse but I have a history of losing weight as soon as I start with healthy habits and exercise, the problem is Iām in my 40ās now but I will keep trying. Iāll cut the portion of green apple, thanks for the advice on that. I cut pastas, rice, soda etc. Iām eating mostly protein and vegetables snacking green apple, eggs, almonds and walnuts. Every morning after breakfast Iām Drinking a mix of cinnamon, ginger and cloves as a tea. After my dinner 2 spoons of apple cider vinegar with water and drinking a lot of water during the day. My follow up appointment is next week, first time Iāll see my doctor after my test results, hopefully by that time I can lower my a1c and lose some weight.
-Alex
I wouldnāt be so quick to condemn people that are afraid of insulin and wish to do everything in their power to avoid taking it exogenously. Insulin is indeed a scary and dangerous drug. An overdose, which is very common due to the unpredictable and complicated nature of exogenous insulin, will cause hypoglycemia and can make you very ill and even kill you.
I believe, as a matter of safety, every diabetic should do everything in their power to avoid exogenous insulin or take serious measures to reduce their exogenous insulin requirements as to limit the risk of hypoglycemia as much as possible
@Alex5 It depends if you are a type 1 or type 2 diabetic whether you will have to have insulin. A type 1 eventually needs it. A type 2 can adjust eating, exercise etc to control their blood sugars most of the time without insulin.
Do you have a meter? The best thing to do if you donāt have one is get one. The single best investment you will make towards achieving control of your blood sugars!
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Try to limit your exercise. Exercise, especially doing any kind of repetitive routine with any intensity will make you hungry and you will eat more food and gain weight. You need some exercise, but should find that exercise has more mental, than physical benefits.
Concentrate on your diet. Now that you have cut out some of the nastiest foods, start counting your carbs. Every 2-3 days, cut the number of carbs you eat per meal and per day. Eat foods that are low carb and high fat. Food high in fat content will curb your appetite. Start skipping one meal a day. I would suggest breakfast. That will cut both carbs and calories at the same time.
Eventually, you want to go to one meal a day an no snacks. The only way you will be able to do that comfortably is on a low carb high fat diet. Check out Keto foods and Keto diets. On Keto you should be able to lose at least 2 lbs+ per week.
Depending on how much weight you need to lose, will determine if you can do this without insulin. It is likely you will have to at least take oral medications to start getting under control.
Hello
Just learned I have A1c of 11.5. This forum has really helped me calm down already. Looking forward to following you all on this journey. It is so great to know I am not alone. Thank you all for the great info. Lin
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Glad you found us. Lots of good experiences shared here, even for oldtimers like me with 55+ years of T1D, including many years when A1C or home bg testing not even available yet.
The advances in testing tools is tremendous, and treatmeat options much improved.