Looking for help, questions with my prediabetes.

[Stilljustme]

Firstly Hello to all.

Secondly, I hope I put this in the correct section.

Short version might work best for now but I had blood work done recently on 8/24 and my doctor nearly 4 weeks ago told me my glucose level was at 106 which put me at prediabetes levels. It was a shock to say the least and something I was torn between being thankful it wasn't full blown diabetes but still given the changes I'd already made in my life before having had this blood work done was still something I wasn't really ready for.

three years in a fairly toxic relationship brought my weight up from 240 to 310. Once I got out of that situation I began doing DDPYOGA and within three months time I went from 310 down to 259(just in time for my sisters wedding) I stopped drinking soda, was eating more veggies, smaller portions etc. But I had to stop as I developed two painful cyst which made doing yoga rather painful. It took a few months between doctor visits and waiting but I got rid of them and in the process got lazy about working out and went from 259 up to 275.

Since my doctor started me on Metformin about 3 weeks ago I've dropped down 12 pounds. I try not to weight myself everyday because I know how that can go and it can be discouraging, so I try to do so every sunday to write down how much I've gained or lost. I didn't expect to drop so much so dramatically either.

I came here because my doctor, I like him, he's good when you can see him. But when it comes to reassurances and giving information he seems very cut and paste if that makes sense or rushed. When he told me I was prediabetic his advice was "Exercise, eat good and lose weight."

When I started the metformin I began having fits of depression, especially at night. Everything I read online seemed to either contradict itself in what was 'ok' and what wasn't ok for you. Recipe searching has proved more difficult and I began stacking up questions to ask my doctor when I saw him next.

Mainly the following:
How much exercise? Anything specific?
Should I treat this as though I have diabetes and eat recipes specifically catered for that?
With the weight I've lost, this past week I didn't gain or lose anything, I'm left to assume this was water weight?
I need to work on getting more protein in my diet but I'm finding it difficult. Would it be wise to possibly look into something to help with bulking up muscle like whey protein and the such?
Exercise wise I have an exercise bike, a Weslo pursuit G3.1 I've been using for 45min a night, and I've started my yoga since then as well again for 25-40min a night. I do both 5 nights a week. Is that too much? Enough?
What are some good breakfast ideas without tons of cholesterol? I was doing 2 scrambled brown eggs on a slice of whole wheat with a tablespoon of reduced fat feta, or a bowl of Special K cinnamon pecan.
I currently use Mynetdiary on my phone to help input what I eat to count carbs, calories etc, it seems pretty good any other recommendations?


I know there's more but my brain is still waking up and it's taken me a bit to write this. I tried addressing some of this with my doctor but he seemed none to bothered and rushed to see other patients, he actually forgot he already told me I was prediabetic. I'm just worried because I'm not sure what all to watch out for or not. I've cut out sweets all together, if I eat bread its whole wheat which I try to keep limited, Meat is either lean or buffalo(sometimes lamb) I'm working in more fish to my diet as well, just still can't help but feel lost and worrying if I'm under eating because I'm worried or doing exactly what I should be on average I'm consuming around 600-800 calories daily. Any help, advice would be greatly appreciated. Sorry if this was posted in the wrong section or was kind of jumbled.But thank you all in advance. Just really want to do all I can to try and slow this down if not completely beat it out of my system. On top of everything I'm headed to Paris for 10 days to see my girlfriend and her parents, which they've been very supportive and I try not to worry just, not as easy as it sounds sometimes.

 

[DeejayR]

Hiya, welcome. Best thing is to read @daisy1's info pack about what diabetes is and how to deal with it. I've tagged her to reply here. It should answer quite a lot of your questions and show you what we're about. Then ask some more.

 

[daisy1]

@Stilljustme

Hello and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. There is a lot to learn but it's worth it when you start to get good levels. Diet is very important as you need to keep to low quantities of carbohydrates. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

 

[Stilljustme]

Thank you for the welcome and the information, It really is greatly appreciated! I know I still have questions, but it certainly is a start.

 

[Lamont D]

Don't be shy ask your questions!
To find out what to do, and how to control your prediabetes, have a read around the low carb forum. Also read the success stories on how diabetics have done really well.
There is a lot of great information on the forum. A lot of it will be contrary and contradictory to what you believe is doing you good.
Exercise is important, but it depends on yourself making informed decisions on how you approach tackling your lifestyle.
They are vegan and vegetarian low carbers.
You can have a great and varied diet and you will lose weight. It works!

 

[Enclave]

Welcome to the forums, yes do ask questions .. its going to get easer with time and knowledge ,, I am a low Carb High Fat vegetarian myself so cannot comment on your meat or fish intake, but others can.

 

[Stilljustme]

Welcome to the forums, yes do ask questions .. its going to get easer with time and knowledge ,, I am a low Carb High Fat vegetarian myself so cannot comment on your meat or fish intake, but others can.

Actually you might be able to help possibly. One of my favorite meals to make when i started my yoga program is this. http://www.macheesmo.com/chipotle-black-bean-soup/ . I don't use cheese or any of the toppings, I was using flour tortillas but will use whole wheat if needed otherwise it's fine on its own. I wasn't sure if something like this would still be ok or not, I would certainly hope so! I enjoy veggie dishes, Before it was nothing but meat, however as my girlfriend eats mainly vegetable dishes its encouraged me to start looking for more as well.

 

[Enclave]

It sounds lovely, the tortillas will be high in carbs ..also the beans .. I am for around 20 to 30g of carbs a day .. if you have a bs meter then test just before eating and 2 hrs after .. you are aiming for an increase of no more than 2, 2hrs after eating.
Just remember that carbs are sugar when eaten, also its important to eat the fat par of the LCHF way of eating .. If your not eating carbs you will get your energy from fats .. also if your eating fats your body is not needing to store it !

Edit to add, if you eat the right fats and reduce your carbs enough then your cholesterol should be ok .. I have heart failure and since my LCHF diet my cholesterol has improved. Most of my fats are cheese ..coconut oil, olive oil and nuts

 

[Stilljustme]

Thank you all again for the help. It's really been appreciated. I still have concerns of course but I feel like I'm finding my footing. I had a blood test done on the 7th because I was wanting to take Whey protein powder after my workouts so they did a creatine test. Everything on that test came back fine, My sodium levels had dropped a bit since my original blood test, but most noticeably my gluton levels had gone from 106 down to 70. I'm down 16 pounds as of yesturday. So I'm going to take this all as a good sign. I tried talking to my doctor about it but the assistant played messenger between us and told me he'd like to see me in December, possibly do another blood test around then and come up with a long term plan(possibly).

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Thank you all again for the help. It's really been appreciated. I still have concerns of course but I feel like I'm finding my footing. I had a blood test done on the 7th because I was wanting to take Whey protein powder after my workouts so they did a creatine test. Everything on that test came back fine, My sodium levels had dropped a bit since my original blood test, but most noticeably my gluton levels had gone from 106 down to 70. I'm down 16 pounds as of yesturday. So I'm going to take this all as a good sign. I tried talking to my doctor about it but the assistant played messenger between us and told me he'd like to see me in December, possibly do another blood test around then and come up with a long term plan(possibly).

Yes, take this all as a good sign You seem well on the way to better health. Well done!

Did you get your blood pressure checked in the last few months and was it ok?

 

[Stilljustme]

Yes, take this all as a good sign You seem well on the way to better health. Well done!

Did you get your blood pressure checked in the last few months and was it ok?

I did yes and my BP was also very good in comparison Thank you! Really feeling an overall positive effect on the changes I had stuck to since then and definitely going to take this as a good sign.