I'm so confused. I was diagnosed with prediabetes. I already have high blood pressure and cholesterol. Why? I was losing a lot of weight prior to the diagnosis and I wasn't really very over weight before. Right now, 6'2" and 220. My goal was in athletics but I don't know if I'll be able to anymore. I've been feeling very depressed ever since I was diagnosed and I don't feel like anything is worth doing if my future is bound to be disease ridden. Everything feels like a dream and I keep thinking "Whoa, I have prediabetes." Is it possible to cure my self?
14 and prediabetic
- Thread starter Browniebro123
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Indy51
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- Type of diabetes
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Have you had a c-peptide and GAD antibody testing to rule out Type 1? Losing weight without trying is often related to the onset of Type 1 rather than Type 2. There is also a version of Type 1 called LADA which can be a slower onset than standard Type 1.
Tagging @daisy1 who will give you some information for the newly diagnosed.
Tagging @daisy1 who will give you some information for the newly diagnosed.
No, I was trying to lose the weight. Also, I'm pretty sure it's type 2, but not certain. My doctor didn't give me any records but my parents like him so they won't change.
Indy51
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Prediabetes and Type 2 can often be controlled by diet and lifestyle. Best advice I can give you is to join this forum's free low carb program: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/lowcarb/
Resurgam
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You've probably been eating too many carbs for your metabolism to cope with.
If you change over to a more natural diet you should reverse the process - eating unprocessed foods, low sugar, low starch, including the natural fats which come with meat and fish, moderate amounts of dairy but watch out for milk as it contains lactose, a sugar.
There is no need to continue towards diabetes, cutting out grains will help you to lose weight, and to reduce cholesterol. It is carbs which cause elevated cholesterol, not fats.
There is a lot of poor advice about what constitutes a healthy diet.
Although you might always have to be aware of your carb intake so as to keep your blood glucose under control it should be possible to remain healthy all your life.
If you change over to a more natural diet you should reverse the process - eating unprocessed foods, low sugar, low starch, including the natural fats which come with meat and fish, moderate amounts of dairy but watch out for milk as it contains lactose, a sugar.
There is no need to continue towards diabetes, cutting out grains will help you to lose weight, and to reduce cholesterol. It is carbs which cause elevated cholesterol, not fats.
There is a lot of poor advice about what constitutes a healthy diet.
Although you might always have to be aware of your carb intake so as to keep your blood glucose under control it should be possible to remain healthy all your life.
Thank you so much! Your response really told me what I needed to hear and gave me hope. Well, I'm on a diet starting right now.
daisy1
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@Browniebro123
Hello and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to 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 well over 147,000 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:
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
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.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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 blood glucose 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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
Hello and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to 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 well over 147,000 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
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
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.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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 blood glucose 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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
- Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
- Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
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Browniebro, how did your prediabetes diagnosis come about? Did you go to the Doc because you were feeling unwell, or was this something than cropped up on a checkup?
Looking at your stats of 6' 2" and 220lbs, it looks like you are carrying a few spare pounds there, but I imagine you are still growing, and have all those teenage hormones going on, which never help.
It makes sense to work with your folks and Doc and also learning what you can about prediabetes.
Not everyone diagnosed with pre-diabetes go on to become diabetics. Some just don't and some are helped by managing their lives a bit to improve your chances of staying healthy.
There's no doubt that a healthy diet is important for everyone; whether or not they are at risk of developing diabetes, and exercise is also extremely helpful, both in terms of helping you to trim up any spare pounds, but also in helping you to metabolise what you eat and drink most efficiently.
Don't forget you are still growing and developing.
Hi and welcome. T2 at age 14 is unusual but if you do have a lot of excess weight it can happen. Do lower the carbs and get hold of a glucose meter. As your weight lowers thru less carbs your blood sugar level should go down. If it doesn't then T1 becomes a possibility as another post says, the GAD and c-peptide tests should help diagnose you. BTW even the best GPs are encouraged to follow bad NHS diet advice so do follow the advice on these forums for diet. Set yourself a daily carb limit of, say, 150gms and see how you go.
Freema
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hey welcome here Browniebro123
hey dear it is not the end of the world and athletics is very good for a person with pre-diabetes if the person change eating style and try to avoid carbs as much as possible and especially the fast spiking carbs... focus on fats and proteins instead and do all the athletics you can and maybe that can even help you to get rid of your pre-diabetes... but the culprit is the carbs , and you need to avoid carbs as much as possible, try to go lower than 80 grams a day for a start and get a meter to measure if you blood glucose do lower untill normal levels in the mornings like around or under 5 mmol and 2 hours after meals about the same... if you manage that with the help of your parents of cause, then maybe you can avoid the full diagnose of diabetes later in life and stop being pre-diabetic... no more ordinary brownies ..
but ...http://www.foodiefiasco.com/amazing-low-carb-brownies/
Last edited:
DaftThoughts
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- Insulin
As a 6'1" tall female who weighs 275lbs and was diagnosed as a type 2 initially, but ended up diagnosed as type LADA (type 1) due to being too young all things considered, I can only recommend that you double check with your doctor that you are indeed type 2 and not type 1. Your weight is not what I'd consider severely overweight at your age, and as you're in your early teens and your body is in hormonal turmoil and still growing, type 2 seems very unlikely. Remember that weight can be a risk factor, but it doesn't have to be the reason for your diabetes at all.
Depending on where you live, you may also have more rights to your medical care than you realize. I recommend Googling your local laws with 'healthcare for teenagers <area>' and see what pops up. Talking to your parents about needing more help with your diagnosis is also something I recommend.
Having diabetes sounds scary, but no matter what type you are or what treatment you have, you're definitely not alone. You'll always have a community like this to help you out, and you're not on your own in managing this. You can do it, I strongly believe that.
Depending on where you live, you may also have more rights to your medical care than you realize. I recommend Googling your local laws with 'healthcare for teenagers <area>' and see what pops up. Talking to your parents about needing more help with your diagnosis is also something I recommend.
Having diabetes sounds scary, but no matter what type you are or what treatment you have, you're definitely not alone. You'll always have a community like this to help you out, and you're not on your own in managing this. You can do it, I strongly believe that.
Alison Campbell
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- Messages
- 1,443
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
Hi and welcome to the forum @Browniebro123 I understand that it is a shock and you need time to get used to this. I was diagnosed with prediabetes at age 36 which was 6 years ago and I have, with the help of this forum, managed to get my blood sugar levels back to normal.
More people do get diagnosed type 1 in childhood and as young adults when compared to type 2. The number of young adults with prediabetes and type 2 is increasing but still small.
Please believe me diabetes does not have to affect your goals in life. There are many sucessful atheletes and olympic medal winners who have diabetes. see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sportspeople_with_diabetes
More people do get diagnosed type 1 in childhood and as young adults when compared to type 2. The number of young adults with prediabetes and type 2 is increasing but still small.
Please believe me diabetes does not have to affect your goals in life. There are many sucessful atheletes and olympic medal winners who have diabetes. see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sportspeople_with_diabetes
