I had a physical exam on Feb 15th. My A1C was 6.7%, edging into the Type 2 Diabetes range. My total cholesterol was slightly high at 208, LDL 137. I wrote about it here, here, and here.
My doctor didn’t prescribe any medication at 6.7%, but she would if I didn’t get my A1C down.
I started eating healthier. I’ve lost 25 lbs. In the last month, I began exercising and have worked up to walking 3 miles a day. I’ve given up the cheeseburgers and fries. I’m eating a lot fewer carbohydrates. I’m eating around 70-100 carbs per day. I used to turn everything into a sandwich. I now mix meat with eggs or vegetables. I’ve given up the packaged, processed foods such as mac and cheese.
The end result was that my A1C dropped from 6.7% on Feb 15th to 5.5% on May 10th. I’m now out of not only the diabetes range (6.5%+) but the prediabetes range as well (5.7% to 6.4%). Of course, I can’t go back to eating like I used to or my A1C will go back up. We had a church potluck. Everyone brought mostly carbohydrate dishes. I decided to heck with it and had a good time. I got home and my blood sugar was 266.
The My Fitness Pal app weekly report consistently lists eggs, sausage, and cheddar cheese as my most frequent foods. I’ve been eating scrambled eggs with cheese, sausage, and sometimes bacon every day. In February, my doctor said she was far more concerned about my A1C than cholesterol noting “your cholesterol isn’t all that high” but she wanted it a little lower. I worried these foods might raise my cholesterol, but they did not. My total cholesterol went down from 208 to 181, my LDL dropped from 137 to 123, my HDL dropped from 44 to 40, and my Triglycerides dropped from 135 to 90.
These foods might have raised my cholesterol, but it was more than offset by not eating out and giving up some processed foods such as mac and cheese. The My Fitness Pal app has my daily saturated fat consumption at around 25-30 grams a day. That’s twice the American Heart Assoc. recommended limit of 13 grams per day.
A low HDL cholesterol runs on both sides of my family. My mom’s HDL was usually around 29. A high total cholesterol does not run in my family. Coronary heart disease doesn’t run in my family. Type 2 diabetes runs on both sides of my family.
I’m not a cook, so for something to work for me it had to be simple. I can make scrambled eggs with cheese, sausage and microwave bacon. I’ve also been eating cereal daily, usually Cheerios, Special K, or Total so that’s a carbohydrate I didn’t give up. I’ve been eating fruits such as oranges, bananas, and blueberries. For vegetables, I use the Steam Fresh bags you just put in the microwave. I mix them with meat such as salmon, or ground chicken or ground beef. I’ve also been eating yogurt (no added sugar) and nuts such as cashews and almonds.
On Feb 15th, my Creatinine (kidney function) was 0.87. My Creatinine has been between 0.80 and 0.87 for years. But on May 10th, it was 0.71 which was actually low (the normal range is listed as 0.73 to 1.18). The doctor is not one bit concerned about it. I was born with a smaller right kidney. It works fine, but it is half the size of a normal kidney. I think that’s why I got very high blood pressure (like 190/100) as a teenager. I’ve taken blood pressure pills for a few decades and I’m currently taking Losartan 100 mg and Amlodipine 10 mg.
I’m not sure why my Creatinine would have dropped that much when it never has before. I don’t know if my kidney function improved? I lost weight (224 to 199), but I doubt I lost a lot of muscle mass. I haven’t been on a low protein diet. My daily protein intake is around 75 to 90 grams a day. If the recommended amount is 0.36 grams per pound of body weight then I’m just slightly over (199 lbs. x 0.36 = 72). I haven’t been on a low sodium diet either. The eggs, cheese, and sausage have a lot of sodium so I’m eating about 2300-2600 grams a day. That’s right around the recommended level of 2,300 mg per day.
My BMI is still in the obese range. I’m 5 foot 6 and a half. My BMI won’t be below 30 or out of the obese range until 188, or another 11 lbs. I will no longer be considered overweight when my BMI is under 25 which would be 156 lbs. I’ve decided that’s my goal weight (156).
In one of my diaries, I said I declined the PSA blood test because I was afraid it wasn’t reliable and I didn’t want to get stressed out by a false alarm. In the comments, people encouraged me to let the doctor do the PSA test. I did and it was 1.0. So I passed. I thank people for their advice.
I’ve also learned that processed foods can be as addictive as tobacco. That might be why so many people know they are eating unhealthy but feel trapped in a bad habit just like with cigarettes and alcohol. I have known people on Weight Watchers and other programs. They struggle to eat fruit or carrots when they feel hungry instead of processed junk food but they can keep that up only so long. From my own experience and watching other people, it seems there’s more involved than just taste buds. If it was taste buds alone, most of us would probably be eating a lot healthier.
One of the best diaries I found is by Susan Grigsby "Sugar: The Addiction We Don't Discuss." She talks about the obesity epidemic and how sugar is addictive and the food companies know that. In her diary, she also discusses her Type 2 diabetes diagnosis back in 2015.
In her diary, she also mentions “non-sugar sweeteners set up cravings for more of the same.” I have googled diet soda addictions. In this article, Krissy Gasbarre talks about how aspartame just keeps us wanting more and more. In this NY Times article, Abby Ellin talks about her own Diet Coke addiction.
I’ve been trying to give up diet soda. I’ve quit buying it in the grocery store. However, I get cravings for it. There are times water, milk, tea, and coffee just won’t satisfy and I wind up going over to the gas station and buying a fountain drink.
Obviously, diet soda doesn’t raise my blood sugar so from a blood sugar standpoint alone I don’t need to give it up. But there are indications that artificial sweeteners can cause us to crave sugar — link, link, and link. I’m trying to give up diet soda, but it’s been a struggle. I’m a coffee drinker, but
I drink regular coffee which I can’t drink in the evening. I’m going to try keeping some decaf on hand and see if that helps.
Finally, my last diary generated some interesting discussion about the keto diet versus a plant based diet. I did read Nina Teicholz book "The Big Fat Surprise" as it was recommended in the comments. I think she and others make some excellent points about how the science behind the saturated fat heart disease hypothesis was never that solid. I was also very interested in how powerful the food companies are. I’m less cautious about saturated fat after reading her book. My doctor has no issue with a lower carbohydrate diet, but did not want me to go to the degree of the keto diet.
What’s interesting is that for the first time it seems that food is a political issue. Some on the political right are falsely claiming that Democrats are "coming for your meat." Fox News later corrected this false claim. But it seems that an all carnivore diet is increasingly popular on the right — link.
The purpose of this diary is to tell my story. I’m not telling anyone else what to eat or not eat. We all have different health needs, different cooking skills/preferences, different taste buds, and different budgets. I think people need to do what works for them and that’s going to be different.