I am confused as hell about A1C VS Glucose levels.

[HoarseStallion]

So, I posted about a year ago when I had an A1C of 5.7.  I honestly wasn't living my best at the time.  But I went out and purchased a glucose testing apparatus, and strips and such.  My numbers were NEVER above 100.  Neither in the morning nor 2 hours after eating.  The average being 83.  Once 94, I think.  And one time 550 two hours after eating, which I decided had to be a mistake(dirty finger) cause I felt fine as rain and from what I hear 550 would be pretty much a diabetic coma.

Anyway, here I am a year later and my A1C is 5.8.  And let it be known that I have been living healthier now.  At least compared to last year.

So, wtf?  I began testing myself again, and my numbers have been 82 in the morning and 87 two hours after eating.

I heard that the A1C test is based on a red blood cell living 90 days.  But then again I heard people with diabetes, anemia, and other conditions have red blood cells that live 81 days... whilst generally healthier people can have red blood cells that live 150 days.  Hence, wouldn't a healthier person's red blood cells have more sugar attached to them as they lived almost twice as long?

Someone please help me understand this.

[Super_sally888]

Hello,

you need to do a bit more comprehensive testing to determine if you do or don't have a problem.

Obviously your fasting numbers are fine.  This is good.

You need to see when your blood sugar peaks, and in future this will be the time you test.  It is possible that your blood sugar only reaches it's highest level at 1 1/2 - 2 hours.  Testing at 1 hour is not going to give you a representative result.

So, eat a higher carb meal - but something you would typically eat (don't eat fruity pebbles they have absolutely no nutritional value).  

Test before the meal (ie. fasting / pre-eating), then test at 1 hour, 90 minutes, 120 minutes, and 150 minutes.  This is effectively giving you your post eating glucose profile.  If you don't go above 120 you are great, if you are up to 140 or even higher at your peak, then your hba1c can be explained.  If you do go high, you might want to test to see how long it takes your sugar levels to go down again.

[Barb135]

So now you should throw away the Fruity Pebbles, because they aren't good for your kids (if you have them) either, even though Fruity Pebbles might be their  favorite cereal.  The younger the child, the easier it is to teach them to eat healthy food, because if they don't learn to eat the "bad" stuff, they'll never have to "unlearn" it like we did...

[HoarseStallion]

Yeah, that's why I chose Fruity pebbles and a larger portion than recommended. Cause if my numbers are good then, then they'd be just fine with regular healthy food.

[Barb135]

Fruity Pebbles don't fit into hardly anyone's idea of a "healthy" diet...

Make note of the 2 kinds of carbs - simple, such as those in sugar, fruit, breads and other processed foods that break down quickly and spike your blood glucose vs complex (otherwise known as fiber), such as those found in veggies and whole grains that take longer to break down and don't increase your blood glucose levels. Check out low glycemic diet.

Wheat isn't necessarily the enemy, but whole grain is much better than things made with white flour, because it's been processed so much it's had all the "good" removed.  And there are, actually, those who have wheat or gluten allergy or gluten sensitivity, which is another medical issue.

[HoarseStallion]

Ahhhh.  So THAT'S why people say to figure out what it is you ate.  Cause we're all different.

I didn't know.  

That also explains why some people swear Wheat is good for them while others say it is horrendous.

[diabetes86]

BG under 140 is good  under 120 is ideal.  

As for "eating healthy"  what is that to you...  for me its eating LCHF  (Low Carb High Fat)  I eat under 50 gr of carbs a day.

For some people "eating healthy" means no wheat
For some people "eating healthy" means no  fat
For some people "eating healthy" means no process foods
For some people "eating healthy" means no meat
For some people "eating healthy" means no GMA foods

[HoarseStallion]

Okay, I ate a bowl of Fruity Pebbles with 2% Milk.  It was a bowl, not that "serving size" on the side of the bowl.  It was a man's bowl of cereal.  Which would be at least twice the size of the official serving size.

Long story short, at one hour post my first bite... I tested at 117.  That good?  Or bad?  

[HoarseStallion]

Where should my numbers be at phase 1?

[diabetes86]

That is why an A1c test is not very good for diagnosing.  Test your BG 1 hour after eating, that will tell you how high your BG goes.  The 2 hour tells you that your phase 2 pancreas response is doing but says nothing about phase1 efficiency (phase 1 is the first to go then phase 2 then the last to show a problem is the A1c).