Blood Sugar and A1C levels: Tips and Insight for Staying in Range

Hello @mummy43

Eating habits, like any other habit, can be difficult to change. You need to give yourself time to choose more healthy habits. I think all of us can relate to "grazing" at times. As you work at it, you will find your stride.

It helps to have people encourage me, and you all are. I just have to get the courage to do it. Thanks, M

Cutting back is a gradual process as I have worked on it for many years. I shudder to think about the amounts I ate years ago when my children were growing up. But I am determined, rather than courageous. We were taught we needed to eat to survive. When we are older, we need to eat less to thrive.
Once when I dieted, I bought ear rings every time I lost five pounds. It didn't work at all the second time I tried it. It is fun to eat when you are alone and no one is checking on you, so I am learning to please me better. I read. I read too much. But it doesn't show on my hips. Dorisena

@dorisena I love the phrase, "we need to eat less to thrive." Thanks for that!

@mummy43 Any time you need encouragement just holler! Connect is here for you. I'd also like to invite @ihatediabetes. She has made tremendous strides in taking care of herself and her blood sugar.

Thank you all. I'm feeling like this is really a helpful place to be. Marie

@mummy43 eating too much of the good stuff is a problem I have too. Once my doctor suggested that I just eat less and voiced it in a way that indicated he trusted that I was not eating junk, which I was not.
You do sound very similar to me though. It's a daily struggle, basically a food addiction. I did manage to lose a substantial amount of weight a few years ago. For me, getting started was the hard part. After I got started and saw results on my scale it spurred me on. My motto is "success breeds success", and it does.
I have gained some weight back and am trying to get that start on eating less. It all started when I fractured my femur last summer and not being able to do much, coupled with being stuck at home, caused a weight gain. I was just getting beyond that and beginning to lose a few pounds and our isolation at home happened. I am trying to stay as busy as possible, and I am not buying tempting things, or baking (much to my husband's dismay).
I am also diabetic but my numbers are very good. I rarely test my blood but my A1c has been under 5 the last two times I had that test. I most often have either oatmeal or yogurt for breakfast. With both of these, I add a very generous amount of Ceylon cinnamon. It's called the "true cinnamon" and has less flavor than the Saigon cinnamon that is generally sold in the stores. It also has substantially less coumarin, which is a blood thinner and you don't want to have too much of that.
From livestrong.com:
"Ceylon cinnamon has a sweeter, more delicate flavor than cassia does, which may make it preferable for flavoring desserts and lighter dishes. But the more important distinction may be the presence of a chemical called coumarin, a natural plant chemical that acts as a blood thinner." The livestrong link has a lot of info about Ceylon cinnamon, it's worth a read.
And from healthline.com:
"Cassia contains a lot of coumarin, which can be toxic in large quantities. It is much safer to choose Ceylon if you eat a lot of cinnamon."
I really think the cinnamon is helping, but if you try it make sure you buy the Ceylon variety so you can use more of it. It is not generally in most supermarkets, but Whole Foods has it and so does Amazon. It won't hurt you, and it may help.

We can battle this together.
JK

@contentandwell Do you find that the taste of the Ceylon cinnamon is actually sweeter?

@hopeful33250 I find it is definitely much milder, but sweeter? Not sure. I use a lot in my breakfast, about a whole teaspoon -- I don't measure -- but it does not to me have a strong cinnamon taste. Maybe my taste buds are just not that receptive to it.
Regular cinnamon has often caused me to have heartburn but I don't have that effect with Ceylon cinnamon. As I mentioned, Whole Foods has it but it does cost less on Amazon and I recently purchased a 3 pack of it.
JK

@contentandwell Thank you for the information. Strong cinnamon is also a heartburn trigger for me, so it is good to know about a milder substitute. I learn so much here!!

Our family gave up boxed cereal a long time ago because of the sugar content. I make my own granola because everything in he store is high carb with sugar. I get hungry in the night as well but learned years ago that a scoop of peanut butter, no sugar, does the trick. The rise and fall is different for people, as my son takes Metformin at different times than I do. I wouldn't bother to check blood sugar in the night if it is no higher than 154. My neurologist has me taking 2 Metformin after dinner and then my blood sugar is close to 100 in the morning if I have worked hard sometime during the previous day. But that is my body pattern, My son spreads his Metformin out during the day. He also eats more fruit than I do, and more carbs. My best advice is to count the carb servings, with 15 grams being one serving. You can teach yourself to cut the number of servings per day. Balancing the diet is good for overall success.
Understand that the blood sugar levels go up for two hours after eating, and then drop, and then start to rise again. Exercise is part of the game, and affects the rise and fall as well. A glass of milk in the evening makes me sleepy and helps me avoid hunger at night if I didn't eat a large dinner. I was taught to be concerned only if and when the numbers go over 200 regularly. High carb snacks without fat and or protein can spike the numbers. You have to learn your body pattern of rising and falling, and the middle of the night is no time to be working on it. We need our sleep and we need to decide how much to eat before we eat it, Eating in the middle of the night is for the purpose of easing the hunger and getting back to sleep. You have to figure out what is the right amount of food for you during the day, and then the nighttime will take care of itself. I have never checked my blood sugar in the middle of the night, as it should lower by morning. I just know I never want low blood sugar again, as that is frightening. I suspect everyone is a little different in their patterns. Dorisena