[Julielouise]

Okay I have a problem , I almost feel guilty about. I feel bad because others struggle so much to get their numbers down and I am having trouble keeping mine up.I can't seem to keep my BG to levels up where my doctor wants me, between 90-110. I started this crazy ordeal at 11.2 AC1, I am at 4.8 at my last test in October. My cholesteral which was completely out of control is excellent and I have lost 115 pounds.
I started on insulin 5 times a day, plus metformin. I have quit all diabetes medicine, I am eating the same healthy ways. I figured when I quit the meds my sugars would raise, well they have just gone down even more.
I seem to drop to the 60's a lot now. I feel okay, but I am concerned. I don't want to eat more carbs, being as I don't want to gain back my weight. I have gained 5-6 pounds in the last few months, which I hate. I am afraid to excercise, due to the fact that my sugars are going so low.
I don't know what to eat to keep my sugars up and my weight down. Grrrrrr...
I am greatful for all my good progress, but now I am confused what to do. Anybody else have this problem?
Thanks in advance- Julie
ps- My signature is all out of date and I can't seem to fix it. Oh well.

[PrettynPurple]

what kind of carbs are you eating? how many carbs are you eating per meal? mebbe switch up your carbs a bit,

[fgummett]

I assume Type 2 Diabetes?
A1c of 4.8% is in the normal (as in non-diabetic) range.
You have lost 115lbs and from what you say seem to be eating low-carb?
How many grams of carbs per day?
How close are you to your ideal weight?
Insulin Resistance is associated with excess weight and so can improve (i.e. less need for insulin) as your weight is reduced.
Low-carb also means less need for insulin.
When you say "quit all diabetes medicine" does that include the insulin?
Are you going Hypo or do you feel OK at 60mg/dl? Is that a fasting BG? What is your 2 hour post-prandial reading like?

I hesitate to use the word "cured" - as I suspect that if you ate the way I presume you did previously (high-carb?) all this work could be undone - but maybe you have got this beast under control

---

My last A1c was 5.0% and although I still use an insulin pump I only have basal insulin and never need a bolus with meals as I am also eating low-carb and am losing weight (about 50lbs down since August). I still have a fair bit of weight to go but I am hopeful that either I will be off injected insulin or at worse may get by with just a single daily injection of Lantus or similar... only time will tell. My total daily insulin is down from around 130u earlier this year to around 30u units today.

[Julietta]

My doctor and I agree that the 60s and 70s are perfectly normal numbers for me to maintain, and most of the time that's exactly what I do. You are no longer on any medication that will make your BG artificially low so there is no real reason to fear a true low unless you are already having them.

Are you experiencing numbers in the 50s or lower? If not, I wouldn't worry so much about BG in the 60s. According to my doctor that's still in-range for folks without diabetes, and therefore perfectly acceptable for us to maintain as well.

[davef]

Julielouise,

It could well be that you are now at a point where you can control your diabetes with diet/exercise, certainly if you are off all medication and your numbers are within the normal range, that would seem to be the case.

One thing that occurs to me, how long are you off Metformin? It can take 3-5 weeks for it to take effect when you start taking it, so I would assume that it takes some time to completely clear your system. As the others have suggested, look at your carbs and type of carbs, you may need to up them slightly. The struggle could be controlling your carbs so that you don't slip into eating too many to control your numbers. I understand what you mean about not wanting to eat more carbs and gain back weight. Perhaps longer acting carbs might be an idea, so that you can include exercise in your treatment. Frank asked a good question, how close to your goal weight are you? If you still have some weight to lose it might be worth considering something like weight watchers (just be sure to tell them you have diabetes but it is under control).