My introduction

1

My name is Karen. 51 yo mom of 5.

Upon a suggestion, I started testing my BS in September. It was running between 100-120.

I had also started eating a low carb, high fat diet about three weeks. By the time I got to the doctor for testing, I was bringing my own BS down.

My fasting glucose was 95 so the doctor did not give me a diabetic diagnosis.

But since I feel that ‘normal’ is 83 and I am usually running about 100, I feel it is important for me to continue to work to bring my BS down.

I have been reading here a bit and my biggest interest is on diet.

I note many talking about “low carb” and I’m curious that no one mentions ‘high fat’.

I an attempt to lose about 10 lbs, I ate a virtually 100% vegetarian diet for 3 months this spring - and felt awful.

Then I switched to a 1200-calorie/day diet and was miserable.

It was not until I switched to High Fat, low carbs that I felt good.

Cravings gone. Hunger gone (feel satisfied all the time).

The ratios I use are similar to the Optimal Diet.

What is interesting is that I’m consuming probably 300-500 more calories a day now eating high fat than i did on the 1200 calorie ‘balanced’ diet and weigh less.

My GP will not do an A1C on me so he has referred me to an endo. I hope to hear from him soon.

Very interesting, too, the suggestions to see a nutritionist. I noted that some said you would not get good advice from a nutritionist. I will continue to read and learn from you all.

Great to be here.

2

Welcome, Karen!

Always inspiring to hear about people who are pro-active & whose goal is normal BG–good for you! Too many docs relie solely on fasting glucose for diagnosis. Some people can have perfectly normal fasting, but quite high BG after meals. Wish A1c testing was a standard part of check-ups.

Glad you raised low carb being higher fat because it sure is:) When people mention doing low carb/low fat, I know they must be starving! We’ve been so inundated with fat phobia info that it’s hard for many people to conceive of not eating low fat. I consume a lot of calories eating low carb & have a hard time maintaining my weight. I lost too much weight at first. My husband eats lower carb, though not as low as me (he doesn’t have diabetes). He lost 35 lbs. & kept it off.

I was a carb junkie before being diagnosed & was always hungry, too.

3

I cannot imagine why a doctor would be against an A1c test. Passing you off to an expensive Endo without the testing seems, well, stupid. Sorry… I can be blunt to a fault but when a person expresses a desire for testing like that, and the doctor says ‘no’ it makes me think that doctor needs to go away. This is not an MRI, or a heart stress test. Its a simple lab test, that as was mentioned, ought to be done on an annual basis for just about everyone.

You need to have a fasting glucose tolerance test. That will give you what you need to know, and if you go to an Endo, that is what you will get, along with the A1c.

Why not just go to the pharmacy and get a home A1c test kit? They are pretty cheap, and considered quite accurate.

Kudos to you for being proactive.

1200 calories a day is not enough, and you are right about the fat and protein requirements. Low carbs alone will not make anyone very happy over the long run. Meat is good for you, and you can have pretty much what you want, just not fried or anything like that. Grill it or bake it, and get to feeling full.

Also, don’t ignore the benefits of exercise along with the diet changes.

And welcome to the group.

John

4

A lab A1c is more accurate than a home test (the box states the margin of error), but ok if you’re curious.

Can’t fathom a doctor saying A1c wouldn’t be a diagnostic tool. Crazy! Aside from the other obvious reasons, it’s a baseline for tracking. Even with testing a lot, people miss highs & lows. Some doctors just use fasting, but that doesn’t show the picture either because some people have normal fasting & skyrocket after meals.

A1c, glucose tolerance test, C-peptide (measures amount of insulin produced), GAD antibody test (measures if & how much your pancreas is under attack), lipid profile & thyroid are good tests to have done. Without the C-peptide & GAD tests, many people get misdiagnosed as Type 2 based solely on age & physical appearance.

I never had a glucose tolerance test because it was obvious that I had diabetes.

Keep up the great work!

5

Hi Gerri,

Where do we read what the accuracy is of the lab A1c test?

Not a snooty request, :slight_smile: but just acceptance that the labs are no more accurate than anyone else. Their glucose meters are not dead on, their equipment accuracy levels are held to within 20% as mandated by the FDA, just like our own personal devices.

I only have knowledge based on what I have read, and as I sat in the pharmacy last month getting the A1c test done during their “free” day, the RN and the tech both told me that the Bayer A1c test is just as accurate as any lab, and they went on to explain that there is no standard to compare against, so again, we are faced with those damnable numbers, that have no basis in accurate truth.

I have not seen the box like you apparently have, that says the test is not as accurate as a lab, but I would call that a disclaimer, and something that the FDA forced them to put on there to make people think their lab is a better choice. Consider the chaos that would result, aka, loss of money, if people could test themselves for $20 or less, instead of going to the lab, for over $100.00 plus the visit to the doctor to find out the number (my doctor and his lab will NOT reveal that number until I pay them more money for an appt)

Not to sound confrontational, but to defend the notion that numbers are just trends, and we cannot allow ourselves to get too caught up in precision, when no one knows what precision really is. I think its a safe bet that an A1c test at one lab, will definitely be different than a second test, at another lab, same day, heck, same hour.

IMO, of course.

John

6

Good points, John.

No doubt that it’s a required disclaimer, just as our meters have to state they’re off by ± 20%… Would be interesting to know what the margin of error lab A1cs have. If labs are off by a certain percentage & the home tests are off by another percent, we’re really in trouble.

I’ve had some disturbing lab results (not diabetes related), My doctor had them done again at two different labs. Ok, now which one do we use:) That was one insurance battle!

Some tests lose accuracy in favor of speedy results. That’s what happened with smaller, faster glucose meters.

7

Karen when are you testing to get the 100 to 120 reading. Normally you should wait 2 hours before testing after a meal. I am a type 2 and my meter average has been pretty close to what my A1C comes to. I average like 142 for all my readings and my A1C has been between 6.5 and 7. Still working on the number with different combinations of foods based on the DASH diet. I use two different meters to compensate for the law of averages also. I have been using a DASH diet or a variation of it. When the diet calls for carbs I usually excercise. One thing I noticed you dont mention how much excercise you are getting with your diet. For type 2 and pre diabetes excercise is a very critical part of control. It seems the more activity we do the better control you get on your numbers. That is the only way that I have been able to correct numbers in the 190 to 240 range. For me I can bring BG’s down very quickly by doing a 30 minute brisk walk. I can go from 190 to 80 in 30 minutes while excercising. I have in the past gone from 140 to mid 70’s by doing a 20 minute fast walk in the parking lot. The only reason I go high before excercise is that I tried to work out with normal glucose levels and I tank 15 minutes into excercise. I checked before and I was like 70 during a work out when I started with a 120 reading within 15 minutes of working out. So take care and welcome

8

Hi karen,

I’m just curious what your “fat” diet would consist of. I’ve lost approx 15 lbs over the last 3 months and having a little trouble gaining weight back on my low carb diet… I think I’m eating enough meat and eggs etc but it probably isn’t enough.

It was suggested that I try and consume 3000-4000 calories per day… What do you think?

Take care, Paul…

9

Paul,

Here’s a protein calculator that may help you figure out how much to eat.
http://www.phlaunt.com/lowcarb/19058429.php

10

as a type 2 for me it’s harder to figure out what the outcome of a meal will be. I have tested a lot of meals to figure out what is the outcome is and sometimes its not fully accurate but its close. I test before I eat and when I am around 140 before eating I go for the salad. If I am lower I go for something else. I think over the past 4 months I have tested around 12 to 15 times a day to see what is the impact of excercise and food. May seem a bit much for a type 2 but I am just trying to figure out what will be the impact on the type of food I eat. Also I am working all my calories on smaller more frequent meals. I try to eat something every two hours that has enough carbs to not spike the numbers but maintain a 2000 calorie a day diet. I try to stay close to a dash diet without making my numbers go up. take care