Need Help in Lowering Blood Sugar and Cholesterol

[prateek027 67]

Hello Everyone, Its been a long time since I posted here but really need help from you guys. My HbA1c and Cholesterol numbers are stuck and I am not able to bring them down. Got my results today A1c is 6.3 and Lipid Panel is HDL-42, LDL-150, Total Cholesterol - 226, Triglycerides - 154. I am stuck with these numbers for some time now (A1c between 6.2-6.4 and lipid panel +/- 5 points. I really want to bring them down and need feedback/suggestion from you guys to help me out. One of the main reason has been stress because of covid, physical activity went down, WFH didn't help either. My doctor on every visit is asking me to start taking medicine to lower down my cholesterol which I really don't want. He says my Cholesterol is in danger zone as I am diabetic and should take medicine ASAP to lower it down. Please provide me some useful tips to bring these numbers down, have already increase my physical activities. Thanks you so much to everyone in advance! 

Edited March 3 by prateek027

[adiantum 36,001]

Hi prateek, I 'm with you on not wanting to take statins  for cholesterol. 

Covid has really played around with other health issues  as we WFH etc, but with vaccinations rolling out  it wont take long before we can mix with the herd again.

Do  you count your daily intake of carbs? Feel free to post your usual  diet & someone here could offer suggestions.

[Dowling 245]

My cholesterol has been high since I first had my cholesterol checked probably in the late 1950's or early 1960's. Every doctor I've had wanted to put me on Statins but I refused them all. I'm now 80 years old and have never had a problem with my heart or anything related to it. Some people naturally have high cholesterol and I'm one and no Statin will lower it as much as doctor's would like. I think I've been diabetic for 6 or 7 years(I've never kept track)

 

As for your A1C--How many carbs do you eat in a day? Do you test the food you eat? What kind of carby foods do you eat? Some people can't eat certain food even if it is lower in carbs. Testing the food you eat with the goal of lowering the amount of carbs you eat will lower your A1C and might lower your cholesterol as well.

 

Keeping track of your diet will let you reach your goal

 

As for dealing with Covid and it's restrictions There's something I learned a long time ago. Life will always throw you a curve ball and the best way to deal with it and keep your sanity is to go with the flow. When I get to feeling low or have cabin fever I reach out to a friend or family member by telephone or face time. We talk about good times, tell funny stories or just listen to each other. I try to keep things upbeat and feel much better when it's over. I have the comfort of knowing I've eased the way for someone else too. Other times I look up a funny movie to watch. You can't be sad or depressed when you are laughing. Meditation is another way I cope. I remember someone saying that stress shortens your life so I never let it into my life

Edited March 3 by Dowling

[prateek027 67]

Weekdays goes perfect for me as far as diet is concern, its the weekends where I screw things up. Before covid everything was on schedule like breakfast, lunch, dinner, exercise etc. but post covid and WFH is one reason my schedule is way off. I don't eat many carbs in my meals but on weekends I end up eating things that I should not eat or drink (beer). 

[prateek027 67]

2 hours ago, adiantum said:

Hi prateek, I 'm with you on not wanting to take statins  for cholesterol. 

Covid has really played around with other health issues  as we WFH etc, but with vaccinations rolling out  it wont take long before we can mix with the herd again.

 Do  you count your daily intake of carbs? Feel free to post your usual  diet & someone here could offer suggestions.

So statins is a big NO? Not even for a short period of time? Is there any other supplement that can help. I did go through the Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring last year and it was 0 and that motivated me not to take statins.

[Dowling 245]

4 hours ago, prateek027 said:

Weekdays goes perfect for me as far as diet is concern, its the weekends where I screw things up. Before covid everything was on schedule like breakfast, lunch, dinner, exercise etc. but post covid and WFH is one reason my schedule is way off. I don't eat many carbs in my meals but on weekends I end up eating things that I should not eat or drink (beer). 

 

Well if the weekends are the big deal it's time to plan ways to cope with boredom so you don't eat everything in sight. When you get the urge to eat because you are bored go for a walk or call a friend or put on some music and dance or clean house. Make a plan of activities you can do to keep you busy so you are not just sitting there eating. In the first 2 months of lockdown I washed everything in my hutch and polished it and cleaned out my linen closet and all the rest of my closets took lots of walks and phoned lots of people. Gradually I got into a routine that I keep to this day. The thing with Covid and lock downs is that it has interrupted our normal routines and way of eating and we have to make new routines to cope with the way things are now. 

[Hammer 19,319]

Prateek, I don't know if you take any supplements, but if you don't, try taking an omega-3 supplement every day.  I take the Mega Red Krill Oil supplement, as it doesn't give you a fishy aftertaste, and krill oil is supposed to be absorbed better by your body.  Using the krill oil supplement, in a 3 month period, it lowered my cholesterol by 43 points, so it's worth checking into.  Of course, if you eat a lot of fish, then you might not need an omega-3 supplement, but most people don't eat a lot of fish every week.

[steel 745]

Hi Prateek,

I would suggest focusing on getting the a1c down. Following Bernstein's guidelines has helped me a lot, though I now eat 35-50 grams of total carbs in a day as I am on a HIIT + weight lifting program 5 days a week. So, the extra carbs don't affect my BG negatively. I also spread them out, and my dinner has no more than 10-15 grams of total carbs, mostly from the stir fried veggies I eat (primarily fibre) and  half a keto bun or the veggies in my soups/stews. I eat this way as I am maintaining my a1c between 4.9-5.1.

 

When I had to lower it, I was eating no more than 20-30 grams of total carbs in the whole day and my dinner was almost zero carb. Cut out rice and wheat altogether. Your flours need to be almond, coconut or soy (higher in carbs than almond or coconut but good for flatbreads, is high in protein and doesn't spike me at all, so you're gonna have to test and see if it works). If you eat any lentils/legumes, make sure to restrict that to 1/4th of a cup in one meal.

 

Evaluate your snacking habits. Are you getting more carbs in than you should when you snack? I only snack on almonds, pecans, pork rinds/chicken skins, blueberries/strawberries in small quantities and homemade keto cookies that don't spike me. I also drink a hearty evening smoothie with various nut butters and whey protein. I change the flavour from time to time, chocolate, matcha green tea, berries, black sesame, strawberry cream cheese, coconut lime etc. I had to get creative with food, so I didn't end up sick and tired of eating the same things.

 

Eat meat pretty liberally, but be careful how it's made. So it shouldn't be dipped in carby batters. Eat beans, broccoli, cauliflower, edamame, green/red peppers, zucchini, eggplants, squash, jicama, celery, cucumbers.  There are many non starchy veggies that work great for diabetics.

 

For the weekends, if you're eating out, then order grilled meats or tandoori stuff.  And skip the breads or rice, ask for a salad replacement. That's what I do. I tell them to give me salad instead of rice or breads. and I go to town on the meat and veggies. You could also prep in advance for your weekend meals. Cook and freeze them during the weekdays.

 

For the cholesterol, I would avoid taking the statins. Once your A1C lowers, your cholesterol will very likely come down too. If it still doesn't and you have a familyhistory of heart disease, you could opt for a calcium scoring and heart CT to see how your arteries are doing. If they're fine, the cholesterol shouldn't be too much of a bother. Also make sure to start an exercise program or keep going if you are on one. Incorporate  heavy/heavier weights and high intensity cardio. It will also lower both your BG and your cholesterol.

 

My cholesterol was borderline high, but it went down within a month of starting my exercise program.

Let us know if you have any questions.

[ran23 10,745]

When my LDL was 129, I was looking for ways to get off on the $$ med's.  I read about Beta-Glucan and gave it a try.  I got down to 107 LDL, increased dosage to *00 mg a day (no side effects) and hit 97.  

[Eurotoff 17]

Wow, this is an interesting thread. Thank you for sharing this, very informative.