How Long for your A1C to lower? When to test glucose?

Once you slash your carbs, how long does it take for your A1C to lower? When is the ideal time to test your blood sugar? Should you be concerned with fasting blood sugar in the 130's? What about konjac noodles, known as miracle noodles? Dennis considers these and other questions from some of the comments posted under his videos. You can beat diabetes!

[akashsuryavanshi]

This is probably the best channel for diabetes management. Thanks for you efforts

[stmounts]

I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes and about 6 weeks later with full-on diabetes (A1c shot up from 6.5 to 9.8 ) That's how suddenly adult-onset diabetes type 2 can occur!

I changed my diet immediately, ate lots of fats and proteins but cut out most carbs (no spuds, rice or pasta and only high protein bread. ) Sort of a semi-keto diet, but not strictly so.

I got a blood glucose meter and started checking after meals every few days. After 3 months I had enough info to be pretty sure what effect the food was having on my blood sugar.
(The meter I have is a Contour Next which is available free in Germany, and was rated the most accurate meter available in a US test. I find it very good, the app connects via bluetooth and makes your history easy to see on a smartphone. They must be making all the money from the test strips, much like the printer cartridge model!)

Anyway, my low-carb diet resulted in an A1c reduction from 9.8 to 5.4 in about 3 months. That was last year, I'm due for another A1c test but am pretty confident as my fasting blood sugar is now around 95, I haven't seen an after-meal peak over 140, and have not gained any weight in 9 months.
(BTW I went from 107kg to 92kg in 3 months, height is 1.85m, just over 6 feet. By BMI i'm still classified as overweight, BMI is too general IMHO, doesn't account for muscle mass.)


Here are my top 10 pointers from personal experience in no particular


1) Avoid drinking fruit juices (except maybe tomato juice) because you tend to drink it by the glass and they are loaded with carbs. Same for dried fruit. Olives are OK .Some nuts are better than others..


2) It's OK to eat one whole orange or mandarin etc. because you are only getting less than 1/3 cup of juice and lots of fibre. Avocadoes and tomatoes are even better, low carbs with great taste.


3) No rice, no potatoes, no noodles, no spaghetti. No starch. No grains.This is probably the most important thing to drop from your diet, since most people consume a lot of these high-carb items every day. Cut 'em out completely if you want to succeed!


4) Switch to a low-carb protein bread (or quit bread entirely!). The one I buy has 3.8g carbs per 50g slice. It is quite heavy and you only need one slice. I also eat a low-carb crispbread that is 2g per slice.


5) Most meats and fats have near-zero carbs, so you can include more of them to make up for the missing spuds, rice etc. For example, bacon and eggs fried in butter is near zero carb. I would avoid processed oils produced from grains though. Stick to butter, olive oil and animal fats (lard). Cheese is OK, cream and sour cream and yoghurt are also very low carb foods.


6) One of my favourite meals since going low-carb is roasted broccoli or cauliflower. If you have always boiled these veggies you will be surprised how much better they taste this way. You will find recipes on the 'net, but basically you divide them into small bits, drench 'em in lots of olive oil or melted butter and garlic then roast them. I add cheddar cheese towards the end for even more flavour.Bacon draped over the lot is another good addition. This dish is one of the staples of my low-carb diet.


7) If you like to drink (booze) then you will have to give up beer and wine because they are loaded with carbs. But, don't despair, vodka has virtually zero carbs. (In fact it can actually lower your blood sugar, so be careful if you are taking Metformin etc. to avoid hypoglycaemia).


8) Switch to zero sugar soda, if you haven't already. Coke Zero goes well with vodka!


9) If you are used to taking sugar in coffee and tea, try buying Stevia. It comes in various forms, for drinks the tiny tablets are the most convenient, followed by the liquid form. Avoid the powder which adds carbs to make the volume the same as sugar. (No sugar, but the same carbs as sugar!)


10) When you start to change your diet drastically, use a blood sugar meter as Dennis Pollock does. But remember Dennis is constantly comparing foods etc., but after a while you will get to know the effect of the food you eat so will not need to test after every meal. Your 3 to 6 monthly A1c test will be enough to decide if your diet is working.


Lastly I would like to thank Dennis Pollock for the enormous contribution he has made to our understanding of how foods affect blood sugar. He certainly pointed me in the right direction!

[petergarncarek]

I wanted to share my key reducers to blood sugar:
Weight loss (came natural with lower carbs and intermittent fasting)
Sleep (7-8 hours per night)
Exercise (30 minutes per day of walking on treadmill while watching old TV shows)
Low carbs, little to no sugar (I need my 1000 Island dressing)

Love the videos, keep it up. You gave me a head start on how and when to test to get the information I need. In this case, knowledge is power and ignorance is a ticket to a less than comfortable retirement.

[mustafabenlaasri]

when I was only diagnosed with type 2 diabetes my a1c was 12.6 3 months later I went back to the doctor for an a1c test and I had an a1c of 5.9 another 3 months later my a1c 5.3 was happy with the results achieved.

I also lost 28 kilos

[tomk]

Dennis, I’m finding that these glucose meters are not very accurate. Some are better than others. I tested a single sample 5 times, one right after the other, within a minute or two and got different readings. Two, were the same and three were off. One of the three was 17 points off. I ran a control 1 & 2 Control test and the meters were in range. The point of this is, as you know, if something doesn’t make sense with the results of a glucose test, don’t always trust the meter to be accurate. I love your YouTubes. You have had a significant impact on my health and I’m not type two or one diabetic. I just think the health benefits of treating my eating habits as if I were diabetic is smart. Keep up the good work!

[sheronmckenna]

I had an a1c of 6.5 I was drinking water like a camel and sick. In 3 months got it down to 5.7. Now no medicine down to 5.4 but I know if I go back to my old ways I would be sick again. After six months not craving sugar and use to not eating it I don’t do keto but try keep my carbs low as I know this is something I have to the rest of my life. I do well with vegetables and it keeps my life comfortable. Thank you for all your videos it helps with my eating plan.

[Mrs.TJTaylor]

Pastor, you know very well that some people are fault finders and complainers. Let’s pray for them.

[armoniamg]

Last January I was diagnosed with type two diabetes I was send home with a prescription for metformin and nothing else. My A1c was 14, I found your channel, watched some of your videos, follow some of your guidelines, created my own diet, after watching countless channels. Today my A1C was 7%. I have to say thank you, and YouTube and all the other people that give their knowledge and help to lost souls like I was. Once again thank you so much.

[ozysjahputera]

I was eating a cheese quesadilla made using low carb tortilla I found at the local grocery yesterday when this video came up. The tortilla has 19 grams of carb with 13 grams of fiber. Not bad tasting either especially when you only get 6 net grams of carb per wrap.

Speaking of lowering bg numbers, I lowered my fasting glucose from 103-107 6 months ago to 90 now. My A1C dropped from 5.8 to 5.5. I also lost 32 lbs in 5 months, and reduced my waistline by 4 inches.

[StephenRobertsMyFrontDoor]

Lol. I used to eat two sandwiches at a time for lunch. That's four slices of bread. You keep doing what you do! You're awesome!

[emaavila]

Dennis, God bless you and your wife. You work so hard to inform us about the dangerous of diabetes, you helped me so much. I had the A1C OF 15 with clucose of 369. I can't wait to check my A1C IN Nov 12th, I'll let you know. I cut off soda, bread, potato, candy, taro any stargy food. I feel a lot better.
My goal, is to manage my clucose in 120 to lower#s. Thank you so much, to you and your wife for testing all kinds of food.I appreciate. For those who complained about anything you do. Better STOP IT. AND APPRECIATE What Dennis is doing for us.God created us with different DNA, Therefore Everyone's needs and taste are not the same.💞🙏💛

[FenderGibsonWashburn]

Four slices of bread is not unusual at all. It's only two sandwiches, my typical lunch before becoming diabetic. Certainty not common but I've had more than one candy bar on occasion. I've only been following you for a couple months and using your information, in that time my blood glucose has dropped 100 points. I'm actually looking toward to my 3 month a1c test. My diabetic nutritionist seemed very interested in my food diary and didn't refute any of your advice. I've read several blogs and watched many videos but as you say you need to find what works for YOU. What you say makes sense to ME and works for ME. Thank you.

[silenttraveler]

*Your channel is awesome*
*Thanks for your contribution.*

[Dee-pski]

Update :: I am still doing great with my Glucose. Before bedtime last night I was at 81 !

If you remember I was at 560 and an A1C of 14.

I’m so thankful that I found your channel.

Best wishes to you and Benadicta !

[christopherfrost]

I would rather have my legs, than sugar.

[sanjaykumarsingh]

Good answers Dennis. Thank you so much for helping people.

[OleensEmbroidery]

Thank you for all of your encouragement. I knew months ago that this was going to be a long battle, however after 2 months of strict clean keto with intermittent fasting (18-6) it still takes over 18 hours to get my fasting blood sugar to go below 100. I have accepted that I can never go back to my old eating habits but I am still concerned if I waited too long to reverse the damage.

[lilystonne]

Thank you for the response video. You explain things in a simple and clear manner. Even when I have heard you answer the questions before, I still love to hear you confirm them. Say hello to your lovely wife for me. See you again soon, I hope!

[AllKVideos]

3 weeks ago I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes of 12.5 A1C and gone up to 15.5. I started diet change on day 1 and daily exercise. Now blood sugar level is around 7. Still long way to go. Thank you

[whitehawk]

Mr. Dennis, thank you for your experiments and the work you are doing here.  I recently started having diabetic issues, and this is wonderful info to help me get my Blood Glucose back down to normal levels.   I was at 6.5 A1C last few times, at doctor visits.    Weight went up from 185 to 205 then started having BP & Sugar issues.   Working on it now, thru Keto diet and watching carb intake.   Your experiments have been very informative.    Love it too when you have your wife on with the testing.   You two are funny, have good banter, between you. Fellow Texan east of Dallas. White Hawk.