Any suggestions on how to get my fasting glucose down?

Posted by rita @ritabtripp, Feb 9 5:34am

I am vegan and eat healthy but my fasting glucose at my checkup was 99 and my A1c was 5.6 and both have continued to increase these past couple years so I decided to ask my doctor for a continuous glucose monitor so that I could see what foods I needed to cut out. I had already given up all sweets 2 weeks before I started using the CGM. But my fasting glucose rarely goes much below 100. I’m wondering if I am insulin resistant, so the last couple of days I have been fasting intermittently (16-17 hours). That hasn’t done much to bring down my fasting glucose either. Any suggestions?

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I have found that there's a direct relationship between the amount of exercise I get and my fasting glucose.

How physically active are you?

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Try a 2 mile fast walk before the blood test.

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Do you have type 1 or type 2? Can you explain the concern with this fasting blood glucose and A1c? My kid has type 1 and would consider these optimal!

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I exercise every morning - weight lifting and aerobics 6 days a week. I suppose I could push myself more than I do by mixing up my routine. But I definitely am not one to sit around

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I am not yet diabetic but getting close to being prediabetic

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Hi Rita @ritabtripp, What helps me is more exercise and lowering the amount of carbs that I eat. Here's some info that might be helpful.

"High fasting blood sugar in the morning is not uncommon, even among people with well-controlled diabetes. You can better avoid this by making some healthy lifestyle changes, like exercising routinely, limiting your nighttime carbs, avoiding saturated fats, getting plenty of sleep, and keeping to your treatment plan."
--- How to Lower Fasting Blood Sugar Naturally: https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-to-lower-morning-blood-sugar-without-medication-5115958

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So 99 is still okay but you are concerned because it is rising?

Low carb. low glycemic foods. Mix carbs with protein and/or fat to lower glycemic index. Exercise. We find that resistance type exercises lowers blood sugars the most but that is type 1.

I didn't know a person with pre-diabetes can get a CGM! I have occasional low blood sugars and might ask. My fasting blood sugar is often too low.

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Thank you for that!!! I asked my doctor for an order for the CGM and told him I knew I would have to pay for it out of pocket. I am using it for 2 weeks and then I’ll probably a month and get another one.

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Have you had your fasting insulin levels checked? My numbers are the same as yours. I am concerned because my A1C is creeping up by .1 every year. My doctor was supposed to have ordered the FIL but didn’t.
My hubs is Type 2 and we have found that restricting carbs to less than 50 a day lowers his FBG quickly.
As far as getting a continuous glucose monitor you can do the same thing with a simple finger prick monitor, if you’re up for a lot of pricks a day…just test before you eat something then test after eating in about an hour or two. You can pinpoint what foods spike your glucose and can eliminate them. I’m planning on doing this.

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Thanks. I plan to start tracking my carbs. I really thought that because I was eating healthfully - mostly vegetable and had eliminated sweets -that my glucose would be fine. But clearly it’s not so today I’m going to start monitoring my carbs. Thanks!

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