How Hari Lowered His A1c Without Giving Up Carbs

An A1c That Wouldn’t Budge

When Hari was diagnosed with prediabetes with an A1c of 5.8, his doctor told him that the issue was probably the fruit smoothies he was eating for breakfast. He dutifully removed the morning smoothie from his diet, but at his next appointment found no change in A1c.

He sought out the help of a few dietitians, and was repeatedly given the advice to reduce his carbohydrate consumption. Hari started eating less rice, less roti, and still less fruit, but his A1c continued to remain the same.

Two years later, his A1c went up yet again to 5.9, so he knew that something wasn’t working for him nutritionally – especially because leading up to this higher test result, he had actually lost weight.

Debunking the Low-Carb Lies

It was during this time that he found Mastering Diabetes, which was the only diabetes program he could find that specifically focused on using nutrition to lower your A1c. He started working with one of our coaches, and learned that he had been given incorrect advice about his diet in the past. He added the fruit and rice back in, while reducing the oils, nuts, and other high-fat foods.

Although he enjoyed the food, it was difficult to make the mental shifts from what he’d heard for so long. He was repeatedly asking his coach, “Are you sure I can eat this much fruit?”

But when he saw the results, he was thrilled and all questions were erased.

See It To Believe It

He lost 10 pounds in just the first month, and the weight loss has steadily continued since then. His A1c finally went down after 3 years of unsuccessfully putting effort toward that goal, and his fasting blood glucose went from 97 to 88.

Should You Give This a Try?

The diet changes that Hari made to achieve these results took work, but once he found his new groove he was good to go. He was able to find something to replace anything he gave up, and he never felt like he was missing out on things he used to enjoy.

To someone who is considering the Mastering Diabetes Method, Hari would tell you that the guidelines for the program are easy, but the hard part is your own mind and your old habits. The biggest things that helped him to be successful were finding substitutes for foods and finding community support for the transition process. Hari says that if you build out systems to make the diet sustainable for you, it will be.