I received more great news today from another set of labs, this time about my A1C numbers. Without using any prescription medications, my numbers have dropped well below the "prediabetic" range I had crept into. A1C test result reflects your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. Specifically, the A1C test measures what percentage of your hemoglobin — a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen — is coated with sugar (glycated).
A1C percentages of 5.6 or lower are considered normal, and anything above that is prediabetic. Anything 6.5% or higher is considered full-on diabetes.
My A1C numbers over the years look like this:
My A1C numbers over the years look like this:
April 2011: 5.6%
April 2013: 5.7%
April 2014: 5.8%
May 2015: 5.6%
Sept. 2019: 5.2%
The only things that changed during that time-frame were the lifestyle changes I have documented on this blog, with the end result being considerable weight loss:
-- Eating a balanced diet
-- Drinking lots of water (no soda pop)
-- Exercising regularly
-- Reducing portion size
As I stated in a 2014 post, a common misconception is that you need to reduce your intake of starches and simple sugars in order to reverse the trend towards Type II Diabetes; but obesity is actually one of the primary factors, as it stresses your body's cells, which can cause them to suppress the signals of insulin receptors, which then leads to insulin resistance.
With Type II, either your body doesn't produce enough insulin on its own, or your body's cells ignore the insulin. When you eat starches and sugars, your body breaks them down into glucose, which is a basic fuel for the cells of your body. Insulin moves the glucose from the blood into the cells.
If you aren't producing enough insulin on your own, or your body's cells are stressed to the point that they resist the insulin altogether, then you end up with excess glucose levels in your blood, which can starve your cells for energy, and over time the high glucose levels may harm your eyes, heart, kidneys, and nerves.
If you have been diagnosed as prediabetic, don't accept that you will need to depend on prescription medication to combat this disease. Take matters into your own hands and change your own life for the better! It may not be cutting edge technology, but the divine wisdom of "don't be a glutton" holds true today.
If you aren't producing enough insulin on your own, or your body's cells are stressed to the point that they resist the insulin altogether, then you end up with excess glucose levels in your blood, which can starve your cells for energy, and over time the high glucose levels may harm your eyes, heart, kidneys, and nerves.
If you have been diagnosed as prediabetic, don't accept that you will need to depend on prescription medication to combat this disease. Take matters into your own hands and change your own life for the better! It may not be cutting edge technology, but the divine wisdom of "don't be a glutton" holds true today.
