Help my numbers are going up

[Kezziej]

Hi guys I'm following slimming world to lose weight but I've just started to test my bs and they are in the 7's in the morning now but when I was told I was pre diabetic a couple of months ago my levels where in the 6's .... help!!! How can I get my levels down while I'm possibly g weight x

 

[urbanracer]

Hi guys I'm following slimming world to lose weight but I've just started to test my bs and they are in the 7's in the morning now but when I was told I was pre diabetic a couple of months ago my levels where in the 6's .... help!!! How can I get my levels down while I'm possibly g weight x

Might just be short term trend, but what have you changed in your diet.

 

[leslie10152]

Hi guys I'm following slimming world to lose weight but I've just started to test my bs and they are in the 7's in the morning now but when I was told I was pre diabetic a couple of months ago my levels where in the 6's .... help!!! How can I get my levels down while I'm possibly g weight x

Chances are the diet is stressing the body and provoking a release of glucose from the liver. BGL's around 7 are not too bad, so don't stress out. You are doing well considering you are pre diabetic. Keep a close eye on your levels and inform your GP of any erratic movements in your levels.

 

[Bluetit1802]

What type of foods are you eating on the Slimming World diet? Have you tweaked the diet plan to suit diabetics ie. reducing the carbs?

Are you testing before and after you eat? A morning fasting test doesn't tell you much, but before a meal and 2 hours after first bite will tell you a lot.

 

[Brunneria]

I agree with Bluetit.
Just because a diet is appropriate for weight loss doesn't mean it is appropriate for someone with impaired glucose tolerance.
If you test before and after the Slimming World meals, and discover that they are raising your blood glucose too much, then you can adjust them to lower the carb content.

It may only take a few simple changes to bring your blood glucose back into line, such as reducing your potato, bread or rice portions, and substituting them for more vegetables.

Everyone seems to have different preferences for their diets, so if you like Slimming World, and it is working for weight loss, then it is worth trying to make it work for blood glucose control too.

 

[Kezziej]

Thank you all so much, I am basically following their plan, a measured amount of carbs that are high in fibre and measured milk, then there's a list of free food (including a lot of carbs) that you eat freely and then you have sun which are the naughty things. But I haven't made it diabetic friendly as I don't know what is need to do. My diabetic nurse said just to lose weight and she even said That I don't need to cut sugar out of my diet. The thing is my mum is type 2 and she has every complication going under the sun, she nearly lost her foot last year and I do not want to go down that route x

 

[Juju13]

I am also trying slimming world so interested in how it can be tweeted for us

 

[urbanracer]

Thank you all so much, I am basically following their plan, a measured amount of carbs that are high in fibre and measured milk, then there's a list of free food (including a lot of carbs) that you eat freely and then you have sun which are the naughty things. But I haven't made it diabetic friendly as I don't know what is need to do. My diabetic nurse said just to lose weight and she even said That I don't need to cut sugar out of my diet. The thing is my mum is type 2 and she has every complication going under the sun, she nearly lost her foot last year and I do not want to go down that route x

Getting back to basics, how many grams of carbohydrate are you eating per day/meal? What's on the list of 'free food'?

All carbs turn into glucose in the body, so for us, no carbs are really free, sorry. Many forum members have found that carb reduction leads to weight loss without being enrolled in a diet plan.

 

[Resurgam]

Sadly a lot of people, even health care professionals seem to have no idea about diabetes.
The basic fact is that when you can't cope with carbs you need to be aware of what you are eating and how it affects you.
Reducing weight can be a by product of controlling carbs and blood glucose, but there is confusion and claims of weight loss causing the improvements.

 

[Phoenix55]

Did your DN advise you to test your BG? If not then be grateful that you are testing before your situation gets worse. Some metabolic facts are the same for everyone and carbs are turned to sugars to be digested. In diabetics this is not good so we have to cut down not only on the sugars we eat, including those in milk (lactose) and fruit (fructose). Eating fibre rich foods may slow down the absorption of sugars but they are still absorbed and more sugar is stored as fat, which you are trying to reduce. Reduce the carb intake and increase the exercise you are taking and the body has to use the fat it has stored. You will find that you have more energy as you burn off the fat, and then you can gradually increase the levels of fats you eat to balance out your diet when you reach a target weight. As others have said try testing 2 hours after eating to see what your BG is. It should be no more than 2 higher than it was before you ate. If it is more than this then something in the meal has caused the increase for you. At this time of the year it is relatively simple to start with a variety of salads but watch out for grain products (breads, scones, sauces etc.) some of us find that those also tend to raise our BG.

 

[Kezziej]

Thank you all so much, I was actually recommended slimming world by the diabetic nurse! No she didn't tell me to test my blood sugars but as my mum is t2 I decided it was a good idea. I'm not testing throughout the day just been keeping an eye on the morning levels (today was 8.0- I've never had an 8.0 in the morning). I will be honest i have no idea on the amount of carbs I'm eating a day or at each meal, I wouldn't know where to start.

But I am noticing now if I eat anything sugary I gain weight very easily

 

[Kezziej]

To be honest I'm not sure where to start

 

[Alison Campbell]

Do you have a smartphone? my fitness pal lets you select your foods for the day and add up the nutrients

 

[Kezziej]

Yes I do, ok I will have a look at that thank you x

 

[Bluetit1802]

Thank you all so much, I was actually recommended slimming world by the diabetic nurse! No she didn't tell me to test my blood sugars but as my mum is t2 I decided it was a good idea. I'm not testing throughout the day just been keeping an eye on the morning levels (today was 8.0- I've never had an 8.0 in the morning). I will be honest i have no idea on the amount of carbs I'm eating a day or at each meal, I wouldn't know where to start.

But I am noticing now if I eat anything sugary I gain weight very easily

Low carb is the way to go. This page may help you start. It lists foods that are OK and some to avoid or cut back on. There are also some good recipes. https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds

Your meter could be your best friend if you use it to your best advantage. Testing first thing in the morning doesn't really help, nor does it say very much because fasting tests are so unreliable with many factors to take account of. (stress, lack of sleep, restless night, dawn phenomenon etc.) It is best to test immediately before you eat then again 2 hours after first bite. It is the rise from before to after that is important. More than 2mmol/l and there are too many carbs in that meal. Ideally it should be under 1.5mmol/l. Keeping a food diary including portion sizes and recording your levels alongside will produce patterns that enable you to either eliminate certain carbs completely or reduce the portion sizes. You will soon learn which foods you react to - we all have different tolerances to the amount of carbs we can eat and also to the type of carbs.

 

[Alison Campbell]

The free app is fine, also another is carbs and cals more accurate I would suspect but I haven't used it. They have been producing a pocket book for years.
Make sure you get the one for your country. I found it so easy to have your food diary on an app and it stores your regular food and you scan anything not on it's database.
After a while you can guestimate quite effectively. Eg I know I have had 70-80 carbs today. I try to stay under 100g

 

[Resurgam]

You might like to read Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution - there are copies on line, but the book used to turn up in charity shops fairly frequently.
There is a lot about why low carbing is a good idea and how to do it, plus lists of what to eat and the carb content of specific foods.

 

[ickihun]

To be honest I'm not sure where to start

Stop all fruit except berries.
Beans spike me, potato spike me, pasta spikes me......etc.
Testing is the only way you can check as to which foods spike......you.
I believe many diabetics follow slimming world but if I'm paying for advice, I like it accurate.
My mum and 2 sisters have lost 5+ stones on SW but they aren't diabetic.
You can adapt it thou.
Myself I don't need to pay to experiment on which food spikes me, my meter does that very very well. Just pay for test strips instead?

 

[ickihun]

The free app is fine, also another is carbs and cals more accurate I would suspect but I haven't used it. They have been producing a pocket book for years.
Make sure you get the one for your country. I found it so easy to have your food diary on an app and it stores your regular food and you scan anything not on it's database.
After a while you can guestimate quite effectively. Eg I know I have had 70-80 carbs today. I try to stay under 100g

My dietician is using carbs and cals. To explain portion size in colour too.

 

[Alison Campbell]

You might like to have a look at the prediabetes section of the forum. This thread has lots of valuable information
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/pre-diabetes-fasting-blood-sugars.113932/