Was told I am insulin resistant.

GoPerfectHealth

Hi,

I've had a few doctor's visits in the last couple of weeks. Here are the results

Test One: Fasting Blood Glucose: 108
Test Two (retest): Fasting Blood Glucose: 101
A1C: 4.8

I bought a glucose meter yesterday and have just run a couple of tests:

1. Today's fasting glucose: 110
2. About an hour after eating quiche for breakfast: 115
3. About an hour after eating Quiche and broccoli last night: 123
4. About an hour after eating a low carb meal 114

I'm planning to do the sugar test where I eat a bagel and then test my blood sugar after one and two hours, but I do not have a bagel in my house at the moment. Then I know if it shows high numbers that I should work to bring my blood sugars down.

I've read some of the information on website Blood Sugar 101.

I haven't actually spoken with my doctor since the retest.

Do you have any advice for me? How much do I need to worry about all of this? If I lose the excess weight and exercise, can I worry less about carb counts, etc?

Maybe since my A1C is so good, and my second fasting blood sugar was so close to normal my doctor won't worry about it? Yet, I have this feeling that I should really pay attention to these results and take some actions.

Do you have daily carb limits for meals and snacks?

Any feedback is appreciated.

stephenrhinton

While your 'fasting' numbers are a little high, your post-meal numbers really are not. It sounds to me like you are catching this ahead of the curve which is excellent. You have a good chance to manage things with just diet and exercise. Reducing carb input was my biggest asset in bringing my numbers down rapidly. But you may well be able to see improvement through general weight loss and exercise without emphasizing carbs. Especially exercise. Muscle cells use glucose (sugar) through a different mechanism than insulin. So for those of us with insulin resistance it is a great way to 'burn off' the excess sugar floating around in our bloodstream.

In your situation I probably would think less about 'carbs' and more about 'sugars'. Are you drinking sodas or juices or any other form of liquid sugar? How about sweet treats and desserts? Can you switch to sugar free versions of candy, syrups, dressings, jams, drinks, etc? (artificial sweetners have risks too, but not nearly so much as sugar for a diabetic or pre-diabetic)

And FYI my doc recommended daily carb limit is 180g. That is not nearly 'low-carb' by the definition of most diets out there, but it was way lower than my normal intake before I started monitoring.

And last but not least is my kudos for you paying attention to this so early, and my encouragement for you continue. Diabetes (and insulin resistance) is a progressive condition. Damage done can rarely be reversed. You can slow the progress, and prevent complications; but you can't undo harm already done to your body. So it is much better for your long-term health if you start managing this now before your sugar levels rise further.

GoPerfectHealth

Hi, Thanks for the response! I did take two more tests. One was two hours after eating quiche. The reading was 136. There were more than 20 grams of carbs in the quiche. I assume that the spike was later because of all the fat and protein. Now I just took another reading about an hour after a lower-carb lunch and I tested 112. I also walked 3000 steps before I took the reading.

I've been trying to keep my carbs lower since early January, mostly to just try to keep a calorie deficit and stay full.

I've been adding 12 grams of brown sugar to oatmeal and 1/2 tablespoon of Jam to peanut butter on toast. I've eaten assorted treats, but have been pretty good for these past two months.



Over the last 30 days I have had carbs over 180 on four occasions.

sarahtrust

30 carbs per meal is my goal at present though not really "low carb" My last ALc was 6.6( 49) (about 118 L/Mg.dl) a big drop from previous ones I think you would see improved results if your graph above was 90 carbs per day evened over 3 meals You are your own health manager -try it and see Go well!

Unknown

This content has been removed.

rheddmobile

While your A1c is normal, those are pretty high postprandial numbers for a non-diabetic. A non-diabetic shouldn't really see anything above 120 except with a very high carb meal. If I were you I would share this with your doctor and ask for a glucose tolerance test at the doctor's office. It's about 75g sugary drink and testing afterwards.

I'm a full fledged diabetic and 20g of slow carbs in a mixed meal like quiche would put me at no higher than 110. A non-diabetic should not break 100 with this sort of meal.

Edit: whoops, did not realize this was a zombie post from 2015!