How to Lower A1c / Top 5 Tips to Reduce HbA1c levels

My top 5 tips to lower HbA1c levels and how I reduced A1c from 13% to 6%. I discuss how to manage blood sugars and monitor blood glucose levels regularly.

0:00 My HbA1c dropped from 13% to 6%
0:25 My HbA1c levels as a teenager and now
0:35 How blood sugar levels impact HbA1c results
1:38 Set challenging but realistic goal for next HbA1c test
3:18 Avoid blood sugar spikes and stick to low carb diet
4:28 Test your blood sugar frequently before and after meals to identify blood glucose patterns and spikes
5:32 Identify what is already working and build on that
5:55 Identify your diabetes support group within the diabetes community
6:59 Your favorite tip for lowering A1c

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Photos used in this video:
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Photo by Dan Counsell on Unsplash
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[TypeOneTalks]

Share any tips and hacks that helped you lower your HbA1c with the community in the comments!

[My_Druid_journey.]

This man speaks wise words, my a1c went from 8.5 to 5.4 in 3 months and lost 40lbs doing just half of what this video recommends.
Diabetes is Futher Mucker, but whoever reads this, Your not alone in this. You can do this.
All it takes is self motivation, dedication, moderation. And you'll get through this.
I wish all improving health on all who read this on their travels through life.

[LovingIdaho]

My a1c was 12.8 less than 1 year ago .
I changed everything . I walk up to 10.5 miles a day, 6 days a week now .
I changed my diet to 2 meals of sprouts a day out of 3 meals .
I quit smoking .
I watch what I eat carefully .
my a1c results today was 4.7 .
I have lost enough that you could call it a whole person .

[rsmith]

Good information especially with setting realistic goals. I have been a type 1 for 40 years. I have had many ups and downs dealing with it as I want to live as "Normal" a life as anyone else and have found that I can as long as I remember what my Doctor told me when this journey began. MODERATION is the key! Eat wisely, exercise daily and check your blood levels often. For years I kept my a1c between 7-8 and ever since I got a CGM I have been a steady a1c 6. Not bad for a guy in his mid 60's. I look at diabetes as a CHALLENGE instead of a disability. With the help of my Wife, who is my greatest support, We try to stay ahead of it everyday!

[ellebelle]

Good for you, young man. At age 64, I have been on this journey for a few months now and feel 200% healthier already. But, I want to encourage all young people out there to begin this lifestyle while you are young and can protect your body and mind from the stress caused by poor diet decisions. (I would love to see the junk food thrown out of our markets; it is a tragedy what it is doing to the general health of the present generations.) I love to see you educating yourselves as well as others creating a support group to maintain your health.

[jezzab]

Eating just twice a day in a six hour window has also really helped me lower A1C. And it is so much easier to do and stick to than i had ever imagined. Good luck to everyone!

[LonleyCopy]

Finally got my mine to 7.0 after 4 weeks of libre usage, after so many years love this channel thank you

[dbcooper]

Keto and not drinking alcohol have brought my pre-diabetes down to 5.4%. I am 69 years old and have a family history of diabetes! Good luck with your health!

[geodziku]

I'm 35 and 3 years ago I was diagnosed me as type 1, my A1c is 6.3 my tips are
1) gym as daily routine, I'm not a gym guy but it has changed my diabetic career, without the gym I would still piss my self thanks you for being honest here :) as well talking about the gym I mean go there and do your best don't lie your self, if you really don't like it, just don't stay at gym too long get sweat and go home :)
2) I'm completely agreed with all that you said about the food however following point 1 you don't have to be even so strict about the food, Mc Donald, KFC sometimes is ok but I would take more insulin before the meal (make sure you control your sugar levels in the right way Free style, MM )
3) technology like Free Style, MM, watch displaying your sugar level and everything what keep your sugar under control and help you to understand and manage your lifestyle in the right way
4) if you like to have a drink sometimes, don't drink without the pillow I mean have a meal before, avoid beer, cyder any sweet alcohols, I would go for nice dry wine or whisky or vodka mixed with lemon and water remember to keep eye on your sugar
5) be positive and keep smile on your face because you can be even better than most of your friends just doing right things :)

I know all this stuff it's easy to say not that easy to implement in real life but believe me following this tips one day you can forget about your problems :))

[halimakhatun]

Wow. Well done. Im type 2 and i got mine down from 120 to 54 in 9 months by low carb and walking. I never expected it to go down by half. I still have a way to go but I'm hopeful. Thank you for the vidoe.

[ramachandranchandrasekhar]

Thank you Tom..you are doing great service to humanity by sharing your experience.

[shrinivaskulkarni]

I am 66 last 15 years my hba1c with type two diabetic slowly increased from 5.5 to 7.5.before three months.now i am on intermediate fasting and on low carb food hba2c is 6.2 weight reduced from 75 to 71.5, kg.great thanks

[norainocentes]

I was diagnosed Prediabetic last year Sept.2021 .6.1 HbA1C, so I took an action seriously by doing Low Carb Intermittent Fasting in 4 mths time I reduced 6kilos in 4mths and Jan.2022 I took again HbA1C test it go done to 5.9

[highrzr]

Awesome reduction in 1AC levels especially being type I. I took mine from 9.68% to 5.4%, but I'm a type II. I basically did the same thing with my diet that you did.

[alan]

I believe in the “balls out” approach. Write down everything you’re eating that spikes your blood sugar, then totally eliminate them from your diet. I had already eliminated most bread from my diet, except for on occasion when dining out. I’ve now eliminated it entirely, after my A1c went over 6.5. I eliminated tortilla chips, white rice, sweet potatoes (I had already given up white potatoes- sweet potatoes aren’t much better). I gave up drinks that contained sugar (I gave up sugary sodas many years ago), all items with “added sugar, ” desserts which I ate very infrequently and even those little sugary breath mints they hand out when you leave restaurants.
I already exercised almost daily, but I am now trying to lift more and build more muscle, plus lose 50 more pounds . It’s working. I’m down about 10 pounds from when I was first diagnosed.

[ab-zvdh]

Great advice. I am also a type 1 diabetic I changed everything, I changed my diet, I exercise, I use guclonize If you want to keep your blood sugar low you should try this!

[Mxsmanic]

I think CGM is the key. Without it, tight control is a pipe dream even with intense effort. But once you know your glucose minute by minute, even the most ambitious goals are attainable depending only on the amount of effort you’re willing to expend.

[noctivagantlibertine]

Thanks for talking about this. Whether you are Type 1 or 2, or you are not just a helpless victim of your diabetes and you can always try a lot of different strategies to lower your A1c. Everyone can work on something and make incremental changes that will make you less dependent on insulin or stay off it if you're lucky. I wish more doctors would make suggestions on the lifestyle aspect. And dump that ADA diet guaranteed to leave you sick, but that's a whole other story...


First and foremost, you will improve your insulin resistance with enough sleep and better quality sleep. This is even true for non-diabetics struggling to lose weight. You can lower your blood sugar a lot (and your blood pressure!) just by walking 15-30 minutes after every meal. And this is something I struggle a lot with, but exercise and/or diet enough to get your body fat in the ideal range.


I've lost over 1/3 of my body weight before (from 185 to 124 lb), simply by walking alone, no other exercise. I am still struggling to enjoy any other exercise enough to do it regularly but I'm trying to get into more muscle-building exercise as that would help me to keep the weight off better (my weight has drifted back up some and I'm trying to lose again). And of course by diet. I have tried a lot of different diets, but what seems to work for me in the long term is moderate low carb (like aiming for around 70g/day), eating 2 meals per day, no snacks, with intermittent fasting. I try to mostly eat foods that would fit into Paleo but I do sometimes eat other less healthy things. I generally eat within a 8 hour window, and then I have Non-24 circadian rhythm disorder so my day is 27-36 hours long generally, giving me a lot of hours with no food. I am a Type 2 diabetic whose sugar is almost never low, only high. No insulin. I've been diabetic for over 20 years. I have gotten my A1c to 6 before but it's been drifting up along with my weight. If I can keep my weight near or within the ideal range, and stick to the healthy diet and walking then my A1c will stay around 7 or below, but I have found it challenging not to backslide on carbs. I have a great love for noodles in particular.


Really low carb (30g/day or less) triggers my depression, unfortunately. But I will sometimes try to do a keto week here and there. Or a week with more extreme fasting.

[themighty]

You come across as so kind and genuine, it is very refreshing. Thankyou

[DweezyXV]

I was. A 13 in July and now I am at a 7.0 !!! All I did was cut sodas out completely and add the gym. And I eat baked foods more than anything. I also drink zeros if I do crave a soda. I have surgery in 4 weeks 🤪