sugar

i was told i was pre diabete, so i started watching all that i ate and i have lost 20 pounds so am 5 pds away from my ideal weight, my sugar is still 103 or 114 in mornings but my alc is 5.2 which dr says is great. now my question is how low can sugar go before its bad. i dont eat anything till about 102 in afternoon and than i eat like a half sandwich or yogurt than i eat a good dinner . but today its running 88 is that to low or ok. i feel very tired but i also woke up at 4;15 this morning . thanks for info

[WaveRider]

First, congrats on the weight loss and changing your nutritional lifestyle. Your 5.2% A1c equates to 102.54 mg/dl. You're a tad away from normal which is just below 5.1% [99.67 mg/dl], where normal is 60/70 to 99 mg/dl. Aim for an A1c of <5%.

Several things to keep in mind.

1. High morning levels
Dawn Phenomenom - In non-diabetics some researchers believe it's due to the natural overnight release of stored glucose by the liver and the release of hormones — including growth hormones, cortisol, glucagon and epinephrine — that increase insulin resistance.

In diabetics the morning glucose levels are substantially elevated. Again, some researchers believe this is caused by insufficient insulin the night before, incorrect medication dosages or eating carbohydrate snacks at bedtime.

3. Careful with sugar free or no added sugar yogurts as this means no added sugar to the sugar that already exist in dairy. Read the ingredient label carefully. Every 7 grams of carb sugar equals one heaping Tablespoon of refined sugar. I've seen anywhere from 10-16 grams of carb sugar in sugar free and no added sugar products. Surely will jack up your glucose levels.

Here are the Glucose levels to aim for:
Fasting and preprandial [b4 meals] - 60/70 to 99 mg/dl

Postprandial 2-3 hours after eating
For diabetics <141 mg/dl, optimum <121 mg/dl, better to aim for normal
For normal ppl, the same as fasting and preprandial

So, 88 mg/dl morning fasting is normal. At first you may feel lethargic as your body adjusts to normal levels. Its been so used to high glucose levels it's trying to adjust and you'll soon feel OK.

HTH