How did my A1c go UP?
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motown13
Posts: 688 Member
I just had my physical on Thursday.... overall it went well..... down 30 pounds in the last year, my cholesterol and triglycerides came down to almost normal, and my A1c went up.
I have cut back on dumb carbs, but I do cheat. Basically I have tried to avoid any white foods except egg whites. I eat fruit and veggies, but try to stay away from the high glycemic ones like bananas, potatoes, watermelon......
I am wondering, and I did forget to tell this to my doctor, if it has anything to do with the oatmeal I started to enjoy for breakfast about 6 months ago. I have it 3x a week.
I have cut back on dumb carbs, but I do cheat. Basically I have tried to avoid any white foods except egg whites. I eat fruit and veggies, but try to stay away from the high glycemic ones like bananas, potatoes, watermelon......
I am wondering, and I did forget to tell this to my doctor, if it has anything to do with the oatmeal I started to enjoy for breakfast about 6 months ago. I have it 3x a week.
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Replies
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Have you tried testing your sugar 2 hours after you have the oatmeal to see how it affects your sugar? Different foods affect people's readings differently.0
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You mentioned in your post that you tended to ' cheat' . None of us are perfect and it takes an unusually disciplined person to log every morsel that passes their lips. Try logging everything for say one day and see what that reveals. Oats, being a complex carbo hydrate are unlikely to cause the problem but if your logging is pretty accurate then it may be a good idea to do a post prandial check after the oats to see if they do indeed cause you to spike.0
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You have to keep in mind that your A1c is a test that reflects your blood sugar average over the last 3 months, including spikes you had from times you cheated.
When was the last time your A1c was checked? If you didn't start eating better until say 1 month ago, then the 2 bad months prior are reflected into your average.
Also a lot of times foods we think shouldn't raise our blood sugar will. For instance anything that's listed as sugar free will spike my mother's sugar. Sweet potatoes despite them being "safe" for diabetics. spikes mine for hours. However bananas don't affect me. Neither does pasta.
You should check your blood sugar about an hour or 2 after meals and snacks that are questionable and see what your triggers are. Then from there you can plan your meals accordingly. Try to put a daily limit on your sugar intake and your carb intake and stick to it.0 -
Have you tried testing your sugar 2 hours after you have the oatmeal to see how it affects your sugar? Different foods affect people's readings differently.
This! Carbs = glucose and your meter is your best friend in determining how many carbs you can handle without adversely affecting your readings. Funny that we're talking about oatmeal, as I had a terrible craving for it today. Unfortunately, it's one of those "healthy" foods that raises my blood sugar more than I'd like, especially first thing in the morning.0 -
As usual some good advice from the group.
My only comments are carbs raise the BG levels so the Egg White being protein will not affect your BG levels adversely. Oats have a low GI value I doubt it is this as well, but, as others have said the only way to be sure it to "eat to your meter"0 -
Everyone is different, but I can no longer eat Oatmeal, it totally hates me
And I love it so... with cinamon... 0 -
Like everyone has said, the best way to tell what is causing your A1C to go up is to test. The questions your post raises for me are: 1) you say you "cheat" which I am sure you know means those cheat items are raising your blood sugar because otherwise you wouldn't call them cheats. ;-) 2) you say you stay away from "dumb" carbs, but what about the carbs you think are OK that you might be consuming, like the oatmeal. I have found that in order to get my fasting and A1C down, I have to severely cut back on carbs, even those considered healthy, such as the ones found in my salad. Yes, too much salad raises my blood sugar. So I would just go through your daily menu and find all the carbs you think are OK and test, test, test and see which ones your body doesn't like.
Also, remember that your body will convert excess protein into glucose, so you might want to check your protein levels as well. Good luck!0 -
Like everyone has said, the best way to tell what is causing your A1C to go up is to test. The questions your post raises for me are: 1) you say you "cheat" which I am sure you know means those cheat items are raising your blood sugar because otherwise you wouldn't call them cheats. ;-) and 2) you say you stay away from "dumb" carbs, but what about the carbs you think are OK that you might be consuming, like the oatmeal. I have found that in order to get my fasting and A1C down, I have to severely cut back on carbs, even those considered healthy, such as the ones found in my salad. Yes, too much salad raises my blood sugar. So I would just go through your daily menu and find all the carbs you think are OK and test, test, test and see which ones your body doesn't like.
Also, remember that your body will convert excess protein into glucose, so you might want to check your protein levels as well. Good luck!0 -
My Dr gave me a tip yesterday, Oatmeal, steel cut (instant is just glue) and mix some Metamucil in (for fiber) I havent tried it yet, no time, busy, busy0
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You have gotten really good advice. Keep working towards your goals!0
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Thanks all..... I am now testing more often..... but I have also cut WAY back on carbs, like I cut my carbs by 2/3. And I have seen a lot of good things..... My heels are getting softer. My acid reflux is far less. and I pee a whole lot less often even though I drink the same. I'm only about a week into this way of eating, and while I do miss bread especially, I love the changes I am seeing.
Also, I did not know that low BS can lead to your head sweating at night..... well my BS levels have been far more stable, and better, and the sweating has 100% disappeared.0
