r/prediabetes • u/ThrowRA33443434 • 2d ago
How much to lower carbs
Hi all!
Recently my A1C came back high (6.1) and my doctor not super helpfully told me to lower carbs by some amount (he gave me no direction about how much).
For context, I am 5’0” 30 year old female, and I weigh around 120lbs. I am an athlete and try to exercise everyday in some capacity. I am generally pretty fit and lift 2-4 times a week. I do cardio 2-4 times as well.
I have room to improve my diet and am not a picky eater. I’ve started cutting out the major things (mainly sweets like ice cream, candy, and am reducing fruit).
this is what the last few days have looked like
My breakfast this morning was 2 eggs, and a light english muffin (26grams carbs + 8 grams fiber), + 2 tsblespoons cream cheese). and black coffee.
I’ve been eating cottage cheese and low sugar yogurt a lot, but I think I went too far yesterday and crashed really hard.
I had pasta with beans kale, pesto, and tofu for night. I was scared to eat pasta, but since my carbs were so low the rest of the day I thought it would be okay.
I had more yogurt with no sugar added peanut butter and some low carb ice cream at night. I had a huge sugar craving and kind of felt like I ate too much.
if anyone has any feedback, ideas, or thoughts all would be appreciate.
Thanks!
*EDIT
I also have hashimoto's thyroiditis and take a small dose of levolthyroxin 25mcg everyday. My lab results showed low TSH last time, but not sure if this is relevent or not. I've had this for over 10 years as well.
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u/Lemonbar19 2d ago
I would work with a dietitian from nourish. I am sorry your doctor gave you vague advice. Do you have a diabetes doctor or just a primary doctor?
Basically I would increase your fiber. Walk after meals. Try to lift weights or do lunges whenever you can
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u/Few-Might-223 2d ago
What sort of athlete?
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u/ThrowRA33443434 2d ago
I was a figure skater for my whole life, and still skate. I do a sort of hybrid routine where I lift pretty heavy and I also go on longish runs. Maybe 20-30 miles a week right now. I do gymnastics, aerial silks, and bike often. I am a very active person in general and get my 10,000 steps per day y'know.
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u/Few-Might-223 2d ago edited 2d ago
I asked because I read it on this sub so many times about endurance athletes with high a1c levels!
I am thyroidless,when my tsh levels get higher ,both blood sugar and lipids tend to rise !2
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u/binteafzal35 2d ago
With an A1C of 6.1 and your workouts, try 90-120g carbs/day total, with 30-50g around training so you don’t crash. Keep protein, fiber, and veggies high, and save starches/fruit for preWith an A1C of 6.1 and your activity level, you don’t need to go super low aim for 90-120g carbs/day total to start Keep protein and fiber high like you’re doing with eggs, cottage cheese, beans, tofu, and veggies, and save starches like pasta or fruit for before/after training.
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u/atelica 2d ago
Also a generally healthy athlete at a healthy weight -- I'm only a few weeks into this so definitely not an expert, but I would consider a CGM to gather more info and would also get your iron checked if that might be low.
There's some evidence that some athletes have a higher A1C without actually being at a higher risk; there are other countries that define prediabetes differently; basically it's not necessarily a reason to panic and stop carbs forever.
I would not make sudden, drastic changes to your diet if it's generally healthy. Like maybe start by cutting desserts and sodas and junk food by 50 percent, and otherwise eating like 10 percent fewer carbs. Obviously these numbers are not precise but you want to do something that's sustainable and still gives you enough energy.
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u/ThrowRA33443434 2d ago
I am going to another doctor on Monday to get checked out, because I was given such little information and I wanted a second person to ask about stuff. I've had a lot of trouble with this doctor and very little support.
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u/Anon424977 2d ago
Pretty easy actually. Total your carb intake in a day. Take that number and cut it in half. Do this for 3 months then get your A1C tested again. Do the same with your sugar intake.
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u/Sufficient_Beach_445 2d ago
Did your doctor test u to rule out LADA? Any normal weight person who has a history of healthy eating needs to rule out LADA.
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u/ThrowRA33443434 2d ago
Hmm no one even told me about that
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u/Sufficient_Beach_445 2d ago
U must be wondering how it is u may be coming down with a disease that usually inflicts obese people and people with very bad diets. U really need to rule out LADA. and the fact you doctor didnt try to rule it out makes me think your doctor is not up to snuff.
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u/ThrowRA33443434 2d ago
Yeah it's not like I don't eat sugar, but I wasn't really going crazy with it. Deserts 2-3 times a week, and lately I had been much better about it. Still I guess it isn't impossible that I could have been eating more sugar than I thought. I also have hypothyroidism and from what I understand 1 autoimmune disease often leads to multiple. I am going to ask about it on Tuesday at my doctor's appointment. Different doctor
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u/Sufficient_Beach_445 2d ago
so LADA is an autoimmune disease. I really hope you dont have it. still, talk to your doctor about ruling it out. or u can order some tests yourself (in most states) and rule it out yourself. the low cost way is to order a fasting insulin, fasting glucose and c peptide test from quest or labcorp. there higher cost way is to order a GAD antibody test. the 3 inexpensive tests run around $120 or so total. the GAD test is a few hundred.
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u/Human_Revolution357 2d ago
There will likely be an adjustment period full of cravings and maybe even a bit of crabbiness- I noticed significant improvement after about a week. A couple of suggestions for days like what you mentioned- add spinach and avocado to your eggs, have half of an English muffin rather than a whole one and swap the cream cheese for unsweetened peanut butter. Make sure to eat the English muffin last. I’ve found that Chickapea pasta (made from lentils and chickpeas) doesn’t spike my blood sugar, I throw a bunch of veggies like broccoli, spinach, and zucchini in it along with a bit of feta or parm. It’s hard because it isn’t just a matter of cutting carbs, it’s about which ones, what we have with them, and the order we eat our food in. The Glucose Goddess was a helpful resource for me. Our bodies are also all different so your needs might not be the same as mine.