Massive A1C drop three months after diagnosis

JRugg1946 wrote: »

Thats really awesome to hear!
I am or was prediabetic, 3 years ago i had a A1C of 6.4 borderline i was told, i was in a accident and lost 83lbs. My A1C since has been mid 5s. I have gained that weight back since too, and have kept it in check some how.. nothing like your numbers and accomplishments, but i can share your story that it is possible.

To be completely fair, I had all the tools already. So even though the diagnosis was new (and a huge surprise to me) I’ve been handling my disabled husband’s meds and carbs for a decade already. And we already had the NuStep, which I’d already been using (not enough though). And I had my SparkPeople habit. I’d already been slowly losing some weight. So all I had to do was get the meds and tighten up around the edges.

Live2InspireHope wrote: »

May I ask any certain Foods you have started eating and others you Quit? I redefined 90% of my menu starting with liquids no Coke or Poweraids or other high sugar drinks.

Because I’d already been trying to lose weight some, and my husband has been diabetic for decades, we don’t do sodas or juices. We DO love the flavored seltzers, and buy them by the cart-load. Not even kidding. Also our diet was already full of olive oil and fish and veggies, etc.

I dehydrate veggies and snack on them instead of chips. Tomatoes are especially good. I firmly believe there are no bad foods, just ill-advised portions.

We nearly never eat out, due to my allergies, which are extensive. For example I am allergic to black pepper. Makes it nearly impossible to eat at any restaurant.
So we cook almost everything from scratch. Often in batches, so there’s something to pull out of the freezer on the busier days.
I want to be clear: I am not against “processed foods” I’m simply allergic and have to be careful about ingredients. I will use processed foods if they don’t have any of my allergens in them.

For cookies and pretzels and such? I have a giant ziplock bag filled with the little ziplock containers. Each one holds about 10 to 15 carbs worth of family favorites. Oreos, animal crackers, etc. Similarly I use fold top baggies to portion out things like pretzels.

Pistachios or peanuts are packed in small jars. A half cup Ball jelly jar fits one serving of shelled pistachios perfectly.

For other serving sizes I have a divided plate. This helps my boyfriend- who does much of the cooking - not over serve me. I also got some really good ladles on Amazon. They’re meant for restaurant service so the handles are long. But they’re perfect. See photo.

We all eat oatmeal every morning and have done so for a long time. The menfolk get a double serving. I eat a quarter cup (uncooked) Bob’s Red Mill oatmeal, with a quarter cup 1% milk, some dehydrated apples, and a half teaspoon of cinnamon. I used to also have brown sugar in mine, but dropped it with the diabetes diagnosis.
My husband likes dehydrated blueberries in his.

We leave the skin on the chicken. When I have bacon, it’s two pieces every time. We had steak the other night, and honestly? The crispy fat on the edge was delicious.

No bad foods. Portion control.
If I want a chocolate I will have a mini tootsie roll. And then I will log it.

And of course exercise helps too. Out of the four people who live in my house, three of us are pretty significantly disabled. Our NuStep works well for all of us. And the fact that it’s in the living room ready and available 24/7 helps a lot.