The best AIC goal for type 2 diabetics

I agree, @dorisena The heart is a muscle and you do need exercise to keep it in shape as with all other muscles. This does not address why an A1c under 6 would be bad for your heart though.

Yesterday I took a shower in the afternoon and suddenly felt very light-headed and almost like I could pass out. This would happen to me when my diabetes was worse so as soon as I got out of the shower I went downstairs and grabbed a Kind snack bar. That helped a lot. I was literally at a point where I was afraid I might pass out and that's the last thing I need -- that was what caused a fracture last July.

When I was young I too would get dizzy when I stood up, particularly from a crouching position. That was from low blood pressure which mine generally was.

I really am being good with my diet and am getting exercise daily, but the weight is not budging. 😖 I am getting very discouraged.
JK

dorisena, i hope you are very strict about whole foods, avoiding hidden sugar and eating fairly routinely so your sugar can be managed. I am healthy but have a few extra pounds and I am giving up sugar, white flour and most highly processed food and I find I am much happier, feel better, and I can eat as much as I want because, I don't want so much of the healthy foods and I get satisfied and stay satisfied. I have never been big on junk food but I was plagued with 10 extra pounds from time to time. Ten pound is equal to 4 extra inches on my waist which is unhealthy visceral fat and very ugly fat. I am committed to getting rid of my ugly fat with a healthier diet.

I appreciated your comment strictly adhering to nutritional value. Thanks for covering it.

Hello @hadit17 and welcome to Mayo Connect.

I see that you have an interest in the A 1 C discussion. I appreciate you sharing comments. Are you a recently diagnosed diabetic? As you are comfortable doing so, please share with us a little about your experience with diabetes.

I have an interest in: 1. Know Your Numbers and 2. Be an Active Self Manager. I take an interest in self care too. I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2019. My Dad had Type 2 Diabetes. In 2014 a severe accident was the cause of taste and smell distortions. I need more tender, leafy greens.

@hadit17 I recently stumbled across a little tool that is a real blessing for us D-2 folks. I signed up for one of the little non-needle-prick stickers. I have to replace the sensor every 14 days, but that is minimal bother. And each time I read my own numbers, four times each day, I look carefully at the pattern for the previous few hours, or a day or even up to 90 days. Then I try to adjust my glucose pattern to do a better job of keeping the numbers on goal. I am sure the insurance folks like it better than the strips because it is actually cheaper, ($1.00 per day or less for as many readings as you may want), does a much more accurate job, sends the numbers to the doc, and is actually proof that I read my numbers. The only down side is learning to leave the little thing alone so it does not fall off before the 14 days are up. But I am getting better. And the ability to see in real time what my GL pattern looks like is worth its weight in Bugs Bunny Carats.

Hello, exercise doesn't necessarily cause you to loose weight. I lost my wife in 2013 and just wasn't doing anything, but decided a couple years later to improve my type 2 diabetes and loose weight. I came up with what I call meal plans, not a diet. I kept records of my weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar for a period of 3 months. I lost 50lbs and was able to stop taking insulin. I ended up weighing 175lbs. I published a book on amazon about my effort. It is called "A Meal Plan for and Overweight, type 2 diabetic. author Bill Brinegar. Well I was still taking metformin, and blood pressure medicine, so I decided to improve everything further. I did research and decided to do Intermitting dieting and only have low carb meals. So now I weigh 150lbs and don't take any Blood Sugar or Blood pressure Medicine, and I have good A1c and blood pressure averaging around 117/ 70. It really works.

@billbrinegar Good for you, getting your weight and A1c down. I too made great strides in that. My BP isn't as good as yours but it's not where I need to take medication, so I'm happy with that. My last two A1c tests were under 5.

Exercise won't cause you to lose weight unless by exercising you are expending more calories than you are ingesting. Personally, I find that on days when I do not exercise I do actually gain a bit! I use a fitness tracker and calorie tracker to make sure I am keeping things under control. The calorie tracker, myfitnesspal, tells you at the end of the day what you will weigh in 5 weeks if you continue doing what you did that day. Of course, you have to include every bite you take all day, and all the exercise you do. Frankly, there are days when I get off track and then I just give up on putting my data in. No one is perfect.
JK