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As Ribka and Eaglemountain have said try intermittent fasting. There is a good book by Dr. Jason Fung which is worth reading before you start.

With the Intermittent Fasting, reducing high sugar foods and exercise (strength and cardio) your A1C should improve.

I’ve been fighting mine for decades, keeping it in the 6.2 range.

Research says, over half of all American adults are now insulin resistant. The standard American diet, and the 50-year old myth that saturated fat is bad, is the cause. There are cases where even type 1 diabetes was fixed with diet when caught early. My diet consists of meat and fat, and little else. It works, and is healthy. Anyone who thinks otherwise, needs to do some research.

IPA's & PA's are the debil........

That much I've figured out.

That's pretty much a summary of the facts. Diet is indeed King. It's a transition to looking at food as fuel and exercise as maintenance for most days. You can still enjoy some things that aren't great for you, but you have to own up to the prescribed limits and choose to stick to them. Something like 1-2 meals a week that aren't good for you will work for many. The rest of the week is more strict, but can still be made to be rather tasty and enjoyable with some planning. Also, find smaller "treat" items you enjoy. These will satisfy that urge but have a minimal impact on your daily food intake. Much better to have a 150 cal bonus snack than a 800cal big-meal blowout.

As for me, I'm about 25lbs below where I used to be, and should be about 10lbs lighter, but am working on it (Covid pounds). To trim it off, I eat around 300-400 calories a day below my normal workday calorie requirement, and then I work out 3-4 times a week. It's not too bad and I feel a lot better than when I'm overeating. I get most of my calories from protein, eggs, meat, nuts, and vegetables/fruits. Most days I try to keep the carbs dialed back pretty hard unless I am about to go lift weights. I need the energy bump on those days and enjoy that rice/potatoes/bread. And I like knowing I'm going to use it up to get stronger. I grab a 200cal protein bar or shake every afternoon to span the 7hrs between lunch and dinner.

A nice trick for the "I need a big dinner plate" feeling is to swap out those starches for extra vegetables and cut the meat portion back a little bit. It's still a big plate of food, just better stuff. You don't have to feel guilty about it. I often do some dinner carbs for the kids, but pass on them myself or just have a little bit. They think it's odd to have a meal with only one or two vegetable offerings. Those microwave steamer bags of vegetables are great. You can drain them, add a touch of melted bacon grease and salt and pepper to create a pretty good side. Salads with meat are huge at my house. Probably 3 nights a week. Might be venison taco salad, might be steak/feta/tomato salads on spinach, might be grilled chicken over spring mix with fruit and avocado.

I eat lighter fare overall than what I grew up with, and it is a change in mindset. I still like tasty food, but found alternate ways to get there. Plus, those occasional big-boy meals taste better when it's time to enjoy one.

Good luck with your endeavors!

Seek progress not perfection.

You’ll get there.

Have also gotten quite lazy with making my own green tea[controlling sugar], been buying Lipton Citrus which has to end asap

Yup

insulin resistance is the enemy, not carbs, or fats

Mid chain or medium fatty acids, coconut oils, olive oils are good for you

Another myth, --- apples are good for you, ----- fructose is a killer

if you need to snack ie. quick energy --- use citric acid based, or vinegar, acetic acid based snacks.

Any beer worth drinking is bad for you. Any low carb "beer" isn't worth drinking.

...yep, and is my biggest downfall - I do love my IPA's

Some have commented above on breakfast ideas - one I do is oatmeal with a couple scoops of protein powder added. Chocolate protein powder with a small scoop of peanut butter in oatmeal makes a decent tasting breakfast that seems to hold me pretty well.

Dear Ethanol:

Could you explain why? Apparently I've forgotten some things from my nutrition and physiology courses...

John

Michelob Ultra Pure Gold. Only 85 calories and 2.5 grams of carbs in each frosty ice cold bottle. I love the stuff.

I was 292lbs. Now 230 and in great shape at 61. Buddy, you need to eat meat and veggies and cut out the pasta, potatoes, and bread. I do 30 minutes on the elliptical machine 3-4 times a week with 20-30 minutes of weights. You won't recognize yourself in the mirror in a year. Hard work will pay off in spades. Good luck!

Ron

Either you have very poor taste in beer or you're baiting me. Or both.

Citric acid and acetic acid are taken directly into the Krebs (tricarboxylic acid) to be used as energy, no need for insulin as cell membrane transport, so they do not cause insulin resistance


medium chain fatty acids, eg. olive oil provides as much if not more energy than equal wt, sugar with no insulin stimulus. not immediate, 1-2 hours, but energy lasts for 6-8 hrs. vs. sugar at 30 to 45 mins.

https://startingstrength.com/

Or don't.

lol

I like steaks cooked medium well too. And I like good bourbon with ice and Diet 7•Up too.

You're a sick puppy, no doubt.

great combo--- the protein powder provides all the essential amino acids for your daily needs, you should add more peanut butter (no sugar of course) it contains more tryptophan which helps the melotonin/circadian rhythm part----- ie. increases cortisol pool, decreases stress, reduces craving for sugar.

I like almonds, cashews, pecans, and walnuts too. They are loaded with energy.

If you are talking about protein powder to actually drink, my crew really likes Met-Rx Natural Whey chocolate, as it uses Stevia instead of Sucralose. The kids will sometimes use it in a shaker bottle for breakfast. Add some powdered peanut butter and it tastes like a Reese cup. There's a lot of terrible tasting protein powders out there, but this isn't one. Can order it from Wal-Mart or Amazon.