When I was diagnosed my A1C was 9.2
3 months later is was 5.0

So; yes it can be done. A1C is basically your BG average over the last 3 months (the life of your blood cells). So you can predict your A1C over 3 months by frequently testing your BG. The rule of thumb is to not let your BG spike to or over 140 1 to 2 hours after a meal; and shoot for 100 or lower before meals or fasting. If you do this consistently, your A1C will reflect this. Most of us control BG by limiting/managing the # of carbs consumed.

Thank you. I am praying that I can get it down.

Yes! It can be done! I was diagnosed with a 10.7 A1C and a fasting of 317. I was another one who recognized I was allergic to carbohydrates, went on a very low carb and high fat diet, pretty low calories for a while, lost all my weight in 6 monhts and all my A1Cs since then (almost 2 years now) have been in the 4% range (mostly 4.7). I was put on Metformin 2000 mg a day and got off of that in about 9 months (should have gotten off at the 6th month or sooner). There were going to put me on insulin two or three weeks after I started metformin, but with LCHF, by the time I went back, my blood sugars were normal. I try to keep my blood sugars in the 80s or a bit lower (but I can visit the 90s and low 100s from time to time). My fasting is usually in the 70s now.

I encourage you to read "The Diabetes Solution" by Dr. Bernstein and visit bloodsugar101.com and read that from "cover to cover".

You can do this!!

I love all these inspiring stories! Ask your physician for a referral to a diabetes education program so that you can learn more about how to manage diabetes with a combination of exercise and healthy eating. You'll find the more you learn, the more confident you are about making healthy choices. ~Lynn /Glucerna

I have heard people reversing T2D altogether, just by following a strict diet and losing massive weight. I guess I could do the same.

cynbish3 ~ I've never had mine that high BUT i have had it high.. for me anyways at 8.1 at one time about a year or so ago or maybe little less? and now i got it down to 6.1 my last lab/blood work results! and i basicly just try to watch my carb intake and Dr. put me back on victoza, that helped me tremendously!

sooo hang in there and just try to watch your carb intake and drink allot of water and exersize as much as you can. plus there are supplements out there that help kurb the carbs if you do happen to eat a carb meal? but just still have to be carefull and not do that too much.

12.2% - at Diagnosis
7.0% - 15 weeks later (also lost 70lbs in that 15 weeks)
6.0% - 6 months after diagnosis (on < 30g a day carbs)
5.2% - 12 weeks after that (after starting basal insulin and 45-60g/day carbohydrate)

Maintained low 5.1-5.4% for 2 years now.

Awesome!! I'm a 10 right now, working to get it down.

You can absolutely do this. I have taken a slightly different approach than most posters to this thread. I was diagnosed a little over a month ago. Instead of counting carbs, I focus on low-glycemic foods. Some of these foods are very high in carbs, but due to the complex nature of them, they do not spike blood sugars. Examples are whole grains like quinoa, wheat-berries, Bulgar, brown rice and legumes of pretty much all kinds. Lentles in particular are very good for the BG spikes. These foods allow you to have a more balanced diet, get tons of fiber and also reduce meat intake which leads to high cholesterol (important since diabetics have higher risks of heart disease). At any rate, at diagnosis my A1C was 10.8. Overnight I began on the low-glycemic journey, cut out all processed foods and started eating about 80% vegetarian. I saw normal levels within one week of this change. Since doing this, my BG dropped to an average of 115 with after meals no higher than 140, but usually in the 120s. My fasting BG is not the greatest yet, but lately it has been around 105. My Dr. blames the liver on this. At any rate, before lunch and dinner BG is frequently in the 80-90s range.

The other tip is to walk 20 minutes an hour after eating and to add cinnamon capsules with every meal. These two tricks will lower your BG. I hope you find this useful! We'll do

...and also reduce meat intake which leads to high cholesterol (important since diabetics have higher risks of heart disease)...

FYI meat intake by itself does not lead to high cholesterol. A poor diet can, but a diet high in meat is not necessarily a diet that elevates cholesterol.

My total cholesterol is well-within normal range. My HDL-C is higher than normal. My Tg/HDL-C ratio is 0.696 as-of my last labs. Overall, my lipid profile is amazing - and this on a diet that is often anywhere from 65-80% of it's calories from fat - much of it from animal fats, including meat.

Prior to consuming the LCHF diet I now eat for diabetes, I ate LESS meat and had a much worse lipid profile

Also of note, high-cholesterol does not cause heart disease. Over 1/2 of all heart attacks happen to people with absolutely normal cholesterol.

Thank you all for continuing to post. I am trying to figure out a low carb solution since I really don't eat a lot of meats. I do eat some fish and white meat chicken or turkey. I also will eat bacon if it is very crisp. Very seldom I have a burger. That is about it.

For those that don't want a lot of meat for any particular reason, the key is oils/fats.

A salad that includes extra dressing and full-fat cheese can easily keep your low-carb diet at ketogenic macronutrient levels.

Things like 'bulletproof coffee', high-fat protein shakes (I make mine with heavy cream) also work well.

I know a diabetic who doesn't eat meat (for religious reasons) but eats a high-fat/low-carb diet - he eats lots of full-fat dairy (cream, butter/ghee, cheese), eggs, and lots of oils with his foods.

I LOVE vegetables. I have quit eating fried foods unless I have fries when out and about.

Non-starchy vegetables are absolutely awesome. They're an excellent source of nutrients and fiber, and low in carbohydrate. Watch the fries though - they're often made with refined oils and potatoes themselves are pretty high on the glycemic index compared to non-starchy veggies . . .

I have cut down on portions and have started walking at least 30 minutes twice daily. I go back to the Doctor in a couple of weeks to see how the meds are working. By my readings, it doesn't seem like they are working to well.

sounds like you're well on your way - it's not an overnight change, but it gets better!

Good luck, feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like!

No GUESSING about it! You CAN DO IT! Is it easy? No, but once you get the hang of it you'll be loving the new look and feel! Now, get busy!

I was diagnosed with an A1C of 11.4 and fasting glucose of 313. I immediately jumped on it, went LCHF (15/55/30), started walking 30+ minutes a day (recently I've been doing 5k walks, takes about 60-65 minutes), and tracking on average a 2400 calories a day diet. 5 weeks, A1C was 7.5, fasting glucose of 99. As A1C is a 2-3 month moving average... I'm pleased with that result. I'm still waiting for my next set of bloodwork to see my new A1C, but fwiw, even at +1 and +2 hour meal testing, I'm not above 140/120 respectively, so I'm hoping for a great A1C result in 4-5 weeks when I go back for my next set of blood work. I've lost about 25 lbs so far, too (+7 weeks from diagnosis).

It is doable.

Thank you. I am praying that I can get it down.

Yes! It can be done! I was diagnosed with a 10.7 A1C and a fasting of 317. I was another one who recognized I was allergic to carbohydrates, went on a very low carb and high fat diet, pretty low calories for a while, lost all my weight in 6 monhts and all my A1Cs since then (almost 2 years now) have been in the 4% range (mostly 4.7). I was put on Metformin 2000 mg a day and got off of that in about 9 months (should have gotten off at the 6th month or sooner). There were going to put me on insulin two or three weeks after I started metformin, but with LCHF, by the time I went back, my blood sugars were normal. I try to keep my blood sugars in the 80s or a bit lower (but I can visit the 90s and low 100s from time to time). My fasting is usually in the 70s now.

I encourage you to read "The Diabetes Solution" by Dr. Bernstein and visit bloodsugar101.com and read that from "cover to cover".

You can do this!!

Thanks for the reading suggestions!

I was diagnosed with an A1C of 11.5 in May 2014 and got it down to 7.5% in August. I'm on Metformin 500 mg, 1 pill twice a day. I jumped on MFP and simply started tracking everything I ate, and started paying attention to ingredients RELIGIOUSLY. I also started exercising - I walk 1 mile every morning and one mile every evening. I was hoping this regimen would work, as I don't have to buy special food or cut out everything I like - it's one I can live with forever. Since August, my fasting blood sugar has been in the mid-90's now, spiking at 128 after a night of fajitas and chocolate cake! LOL I'm hoping I can get off the Metformin at my next doctor appointment in January. YES, IT'S POSSIBLE!!