What to do Post Prediabetes?

[TaffWrexham]

Hi,
Three months ago my Doctor told me I had Prediabetes and explained what it meant. He advised a Low Carb diet and to eat oily fish 3 times a week. I followed his advice; and lost about a stone.

Today's blood test result was Normal.

My queries are as follows:
1) Do I need to carry on with my LC diet?
2) If YES, what would people suggest as an average daily amount of carbs to aim for in order to remain in the Normal range? (I'm male, 62, 14 stone.)
3) Low carb high fat - why the high fat?

Thanks in advance
Tony

 

[bulkbiker]

What was your "normal" bloodtest result?

1. It certainly won't do you any harm and may well stave off any future problems with Type 2 Diabetes.
2. That will depend entirely on your body.. I would suggest upping your levels slowly until you start to regain weight or not upping your levels at all if you find the LCHF way of eating sustainable.
3. When you cut carbs out of your diet you need to replace them with something.. carbs give you that false feeling of fullness temporarily. If you replace them with fat the satiety signals last for longer so you don't get the hunger pangs so badly (if at all) that you get from the peaks in blood sugar when eating carbs. That's a very simplistic explanation.

 

[Resurgam]

If you look for Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution with the separate stages of weight management explained, that might assist in how to reintroduce carbs - though do be prepared to find that some carbs are just not going to be part of your life in future.
Although I found it so very easy to lose weight I can't eat legumes which are not usually thought of a higher carb foods.
Copies of the book can be found on line, and Amazon used to sell them for pennies.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Well done on your latest results and weight loss.

All I can add to the above is that whatever you were doing to reduce those levels has clearly worked (and oily fish 3 times a week is great advice for everyone, not just diabetics), so why change anything?

A low carb diet doesn't have to be high fat. The fat part is to replace the calories lost by cutting the carbs or you will lose energy and become fatigued. It is also to help you feel full and not be tempted to snack too often. The general guidance is to eat healthy fats and stop eating any low fat products. Eat the real thing (butter, cream, cheese, full fat yogurts etc.) plus the oily fish, olive oil, real mayonnaise, nuts and eggs. There is no need to overdo it. Instead of "high" fat, think "higher" fat.

 

[gangadharan_nair]

Hi,
Three months ago my Doctor told me I had Prediabetes and explained what it meant. He advised a Low Carb diet and to eat oily fish 3 times a week. I followed his advice; and lost about a stone.

Today's blood test result was Normal.

My queries are as follows:
1) Do I need to carry on with my LC diet?
2) If YES, what would people suggest as an average daily amount of carbs to aim for in order to remain in the Normal range? (I'm male, 62, 14 stone.)
3) Low carb high fat - why the high fat?

Thanks in advance
Tony

Weight reduction with diet
* Avoid single high concentrated meals.
* Small frequent meals.
* Food high in fibre content like vegetables, whole pulses, fruits, etc.
Ideal combination of diabetic diet should be:--
Carbohydrates: 55-60%.
Fat: 30%.
Proteins: 15-20% (0.8g /kg /body wt).
Fibres 40 g/day.

DIABETIC DIET
Do not eat at all:--
Sugar, jam, syrups, honey, sweets, chocolates, fruit juices, ice creams, cold drinks, glucose drinks, cakes and pastries, sweet biscuits, puddings and protein powder with sugar.
Eat in moderation:--
Bread, chapatis, oat porridge, cornflakes (No sugar), Cheese, butter, Noodles or spaghetti, macroni, Thick soups, Milk & milk products, Chicken, lean meat, fish.
Take unrestricted:--
* Salads (cucumber, tomato, onion, raddish, salad leaves).
* Vegetables (cabbage, baigan, lady fingers, french beans, methi, palak).
* Fruits (except banana, chockoo or mangoes).
* Sprouted beans and pulses.
* Marie biscuit (with less sugar).
* Clear soups, Lemon juice, Buttermilk
Adopt DASH diet (Mediterranean diet). Eat a low-cholesterol, low-fat diet, which includes cottage cheese, fat-free milk, fish, vegetables, poultry, and egg whites. Use monounsaturated oils such as olive, peanut, and canola oils or polyunsaturated oils such as corn, safflower, soy, sunflower, cottonseed, and soybean oils. Avoid foods with excess fat in them such as meat (especially liver and fatty meat), egg yolks, whole milk, cream, butter, shortening, pastries, cakes, cookies, gravy, peanut butter, chocolate, olives, potato chips, coconut, cheese (other than cottage cheese), coconut oil, palm oil, and fried foods.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Weight reduction with diet
* Avoid single high concentrated meals.
* Small frequent meals.
* Food high in fibre content like vegetables, whole pulses, fruits, etc.
Ideal combination of diabetic diet should be:--
Carbohydrates: 55-60%.
Fat: 30%.
Proteins: 15-20% (0.8g /kg /body wt).
Fibres 40 g/day.

DIABETIC DIET
Do not eat at all:--
Sugar, jam, syrups, honey, sweets, chocolates, fruit juices, ice creams, cold drinks, glucose drinks, cakes and pastries, sweet biscuits, puddings and protein powder with sugar.
Eat in moderation:--
Bread, chapatis, oat porridge, cornflakes (No sugar), Cheese, butter, Noodles or spaghetti, macroni, Thick soups, Milk & milk products, Chicken, lean meat, fish.
Take unrestricted:--
* Salads (cucumber, tomato, onion, raddish, salad leaves).
* Vegetables (cabbage, baigan, lady fingers, french beans, methi, palak).
* Fruits (except banana, chockoo or mangoes).
* Sprouted beans and pulses.
* Marie biscuit (with less sugar).
* Clear soups, Lemon juice, Buttermilk
Adopt DASH diet (Mediterranean diet). Eat a low-cholesterol, low-fat diet, which includes cottage cheese, fat-free milk,
fish, vegetables, poultry, and egg whites. Use monounsaturated oils such as olive, peanut, and canola oils or polyunsaturated
oils such as corn, safflower, soy, sunflower, cottonseed, and soybean oils. Avoid foods with excess fat in them such as meat
(especially liver and fatty meat), egg yolks, whole milk, cream, butter, shortening, pastries, cakes, cookies, gravy, peanut
butter, chocolate, olives, potato chips, coconut, cheese (other than cottage cheese), coconut oil, palm oil, and fried
foods.

Can you tell us where you got this information from?

I note from your profile you take insulin. Many of the foods (most, in fact) on your list are unsuitable for non-insulin users because they contain too many carbs. I eat to my meter, and that tells me if I eat just one small slice of bread, oats, pasta, pulses, corn in any form, then my blood sugar levels soar. I also know for certain that if my plate contained 55-60% carbs my blood sugar levels would be off the scale. I'm not even going to comment on the advice to avoid foods with excess fat such as eggs, liver and dairy goods.

 

[TaffWrexham]

What was your "normal" bloodtest result?

1. It certainly won't do you any harm and may well stave off any future problems with Type 2 Diabetes.
2. That will depend entirely on your body.. I would suggest upping your levels slowly until you start to regain weight or not upping your levels at all if you find the LCHF way of eating sustainable.
3. When you cut carbs out of your diet you need to replace them with something.. carbs give you that false feeling of fullness temporarily. If you replace them with fat the satiety signals last for longer so you don't get the hunger pangs so badly (if at all) that you get from the peaks in blood sugar when eating carbs. That's a very simplistic explanation.

Thanks for the reply.
Result was 40 so it's at the top end of Normal.
Quite happy with LCHF diet and would like to lose more weight, so I will continue.
Would really like an idea of how many carbs to eat daily.

 

[TaffWrexham]

If you look for Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution with the separate stages of weight management explained, that might assist in how to reintroduce carbs - though do be prepared to find that some carbs are just not going to be part of your life in future.
Although I found it so very easy to lose weight I can't eat legumes which are not usually thought of a higher carb foods.
Copies of the book can be found on line, and Amazon used to sell them for pennies.

Thanks for the reply.
I'll have a look.

 

[TaffWrexham]

Well done on your latest results and weight loss.

All I can add to the above is that whatever you were doing to reduce those levels has clearly worked (and oily fish 3 times a week is great advice for everyone, not just diabetics), so why change anything?

A low carb diet doesn't have to be high fat. The fat part is to replace the calories lost by cutting the carbs or you will lose energy and become fatigued. It is also to help you feel full and not be tempted to snack too often. The general guidance is to eat healthy fats and stop eating any low fat products. Eat the real thing (butter, cream, cheese, full fat yogurts etc.) plus the oily fish, olive oil, real mayonnaise, nuts and eggs. There is no need to overdo it. Instead of "high" fat, think "higher" fat.

Thanks for the reply.
Quite happy with LCHF diet and would like to lose more weight, so I will continue - as you say why change?
Would really like an idea of how many carbs to eat daily.
I eat all of those those foods you mention (+Soya milk in my tea/coffee) but I'm sure my Low fat yoghurt has less carbs than the full fat one - have I got that wrong?

 

[TaffWrexham]

Weight reduction with diet
* Avoid single high concentrated meals.
* Small frequent meals.
* Food high in fibre content like vegetables, whole pulses, fruits, etc.
Ideal combination of diabetic diet should be:--
Carbohydrates: 55-60%.
Fat: 30%.
Proteins: 15-20% (0.8g /kg /body wt).
Fibres 40 g/day.

DIABETIC DIET
Do not eat at all:--
Sugar, jam, syrups, honey, sweets, chocolates, fruit juices, ice creams, cold drinks, glucose drinks, cakes and pastries, sweet biscuits, puddings and protein powder with sugar.
Eat in moderation:--
Bread, chapatis, oat porridge, cornflakes (No sugar), Cheese, butter, Noodles or spaghetti, macroni, Thick soups, Milk & milk products, Chicken, lean meat, fish.
Take unrestricted:--
* Salads (cucumber, tomato, onion, raddish, salad leaves).
* Vegetables (cabbage, baigan, lady fingers, french beans, methi, palak).
* Fruits (except banana, chockoo or mangoes).
* Sprouted beans and pulses.
* Marie biscuit (with less sugar).
* Clear soups, Lemon juice, Buttermilk
Adopt DASH diet (Mediterranean diet). Eat a low-cholesterol, low-fat diet, which includes cottage cheese, fat-free milk,
fish, vegetables, poultry, and egg whites. Use monounsaturated oils such as olive, peanut, and canola oils or polyunsaturated
oils such as corn, safflower, soy, sunflower, cottonseed, and soybean oils. Avoid foods with excess fat in them such as meat
(especially liver and fatty meat), egg yolks, whole milk, cream, butter, shortening, pastries, cakes, cookies, gravy, peanut
butter, chocolate, olives, potato chips, coconut, cheese (other than cottage cheese), coconut oil, palm oil, and fried
foods.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Resurgam]

Low fat alternatives almost always have more carbs than the full fat one - the one I get in Lidl is 3.2 percent carbs

 

[bulkbiker]

Weight reduction with diet
* Avoid single high concentrated meals.
* Small frequent meals.
* Food high in fibre content like vegetables, whole pulses, fruits, etc.
Ideal combination of diabetic diet should be:--
Carbohydrates: 55-60%.
Fat: 30%.
Proteins: 15-20% (0.8g /kg /body wt).
Fibres 40 g/day.

DIABETIC DIET
Do not eat at all:--
Sugar, jam, syrups, honey, sweets, chocolates, fruit juices, ice creams, cold drinks, glucose drinks, cakes and pastries, sweet biscuits, puddings and protein powder with sugar.
Eat in moderation:--
Bread, chapatis, oat porridge, cornflakes (No sugar), Cheese, butter, Noodles or spaghetti, macroni, Thick soups, Milk & milk products, Chicken, lean meat, fish.
Take unrestricted:--
* Salads (cucumber, tomato, onion, raddish, salad leaves).
* Vegetables (cabbage, baigan, lady fingers, french beans, methi, palak).
* Fruits (except banana, chockoo or mangoes).
* Sprouted beans and pulses.
* Marie biscuit (with less sugar).
* Clear soups, Lemon juice, Buttermilk
Adopt DASH diet (Mediterranean diet). Eat a low-cholesterol, low-fat diet, which includes cottage cheese, fat-free milk,
fish, vegetables, poultry, and egg whites. Use monounsaturated oils such as olive, peanut, and canola oils or polyunsaturated
oils such as corn, safflower, soy, sunflower, cottonseed, and soybean oils. Avoid foods with excess fat in them such as meat
(especially liver and fatty meat), egg yolks, whole milk, cream, butter, shortening, pastries, cakes, cookies, gravy, peanut
butter, chocolate, olives, potato chips, coconut, cheese (other than cottage cheese), coconut oil, palm oil, and fried
foods.

If I ate that lot I would be back being the size of a small house with bloods in the teens. I wouldn't recommend that diet for many Type 2's.

 

[Jo123]

I was pre diabetic now normal, my last hba1c was 32. I have no weight to lose and eat no more than 60gms of carbs a day normally. The bulk of these come from non root vegetables and salads. I still eat no rice, flour, cereal, pulses etc., etc.,. I do not really go for really high fat though.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Thanks for the reply.
Quite happy with LCHF diet and would like to lose more weight, so I will continue - as you say why change?
Would really like an idea of how many carbs to eat daily.
I eat all of those those foods you mention (+Soya milk in my tea/coffee) but I'm sure my Low fat yoghurt has less carbs than the full fat one - have I got that wrong?

Check the nutrition label on your yogurt pot and look for "total carbohydrate" then look round the supermarket shelves at what others say. If they take the fat out of the yogurt, what do they replace it with? Look also at the ingredients.

How many carbs daily is a personal choice. Your meter will tell you how many your body can cope with. We all have different tolerance levels. Personally I have around 30g a day, none at breakfast, a few at lunch, the rest in the evening. No snacks. I started on about 120g but although I lost weight I was still spiking after meals so I cut back to about 60g. Still too many. Eventually arrived at 30g. That was over 2 and a half years ago and still on much the same although I no longer count anything. Let a meter guide you and you shouldn't go wrong.

 

[kumera]

Weight reduction with diet
* Avoid single high concentrated meals.
* Small frequent meals.
* Food high in fibre content like vegetables, whole pulses, fruits, etc.
Ideal combination of diabetic diet should be:--
Carbohydrates: 55-60%.
Fat: 30%.
Proteins: 15-20% (0.8g /kg /body wt).
Fibres 40 g/day.

DIABETIC DIET
Do not eat at all:--
Sugar, jam, syrups, honey, sweets, chocolates, fruit juices, ice creams, cold drinks, glucose drinks, cakes and pastries, sweet biscuits, puddings and protein powder with sugar.
Eat in moderation:--
Bread, chapatis, oat porridge, cornflakes (No sugar), Cheese, butter, Noodles or spaghetti, macroni, Thick soups, Milk & milk products, Chicken, lean meat, fish.
Take unrestricted:--
* Salads (cucumber, tomato, onion, raddish, salad leaves).
* Vegetables (cabbage, baigan, lady fingers, french beans, methi, palak).
* Fruits (except banana, chockoo or mangoes).
* Sprouted beans and pulses.
* Marie biscuit (with less sugar).
* Clear soups, Lemon juice, Buttermilk
Adopt DASH diet (Mediterranean diet). Eat a low-cholesterol, low-fat diet, which includes cottage cheese, fat-free milk,
fish, vegetables, poultry, and egg whites. Use monounsaturated oils such as olive, peanut, and canola oils or polyunsaturated
oils such as corn, safflower, soy, sunflower, cottonseed, and soybean oils. Avoid foods with excess fat in them such as meat
(especially liver and fatty meat), egg yolks, whole milk, cream, butter, shortening, pastries, cakes, cookies, gravy, peanut
butter, chocolate, olives, potato chips, coconut, cheese (other than cottage cheese), coconut oil, palm oil, and fried
foods.

Hello gangadharan, Welcome to the forum Is this the diet you've been recommended where you were diagnosed? Have you tried measuring your blood sugar eating these foods? If you have a meter, try measuring your BG before a meal, 1 hr and 2 hrs after. You will find that eating high carb meals eg Bread, cornflakes, pasta, rice, Marie biscuits and such will affect you BG badly. Why not try a low carb diet for a week and see your BG go down? All the best in the future

 

[gangadharan_nair]

Can you tell us where you got this information from?

I note from your profile you take insulin. Many of the foods (most, in fact) on your list are unsuitable for non-insulin users because they contain too many carbs. I eat to my meter, and that tells me if I eat just one small slice of bread, oats, pasta, pulses, corn in any form, then my blood sugar levels soar. I also know for certain that if my plate contained 55-60% carbs my blood sugar levels would be off the scale. I'm not even going to comment on the advice to avoid foods with excess fat such as eggs, liver and dairy goods.

Practical Prescriber (Sixteenth Edition) published by Dr. Aspi F. Golwalla MD, FACC, FCPS, FCCP and Dr.Sharukh A. Golwalla MD (Med) DM (Card), FCCP. (ISBN No.978-93-80206-22-6)

 

[Ultramum]

Weight reduction with diet
* Avoid single high concentrated meals.
* Small frequent meals.
* Food high in fibre content like vegetables, whole pulses, fruits, etc.
Ideal combination of diabetic diet should be:--
Carbohydrates: 55-60%.
Fat: 30%.
Proteins: 15-20% (0.8g /kg /body wt).
Fibres 40 g/day.

DIABETIC DIET
Do not eat at all:--
Sugar, jam, syrups, honey, sweets, chocolates, fruit juices, ice creams, cold drinks, glucose drinks, cakes and pastries, sweet biscuits, puddings and protein powder with sugar.
Eat in moderation:--
Bread, chapatis, oat porridge, cornflakes (No sugar), Cheese, butter, Noodles or spaghetti, macroni, Thick soups, Milk & milk products, Chicken, lean meat, fish.
Take unrestricted:--
* Salads (cucumber, tomato, onion, raddish, salad leaves).
* Vegetables (cabbage, baigan, lady fingers, french beans, methi, palak).
* Fruits (except banana, chockoo or mangoes).
* Sprouted beans and pulses.
* Marie biscuit (with less sugar).
* Clear soups, Lemon juice, Buttermilk
Adopt DASH diet (Mediterranean diet). Eat a low-cholesterol, low-fat diet, which includes cottage cheese, fat-free milk,
fish, vegetables, poultry, and egg whites. Use monounsaturated oils such as olive, peanut, and canola oils or polyunsaturated
oils such as corn, safflower, soy, sunflower, cottonseed, and soybean oils. Avoid foods with excess fat in them such as meat
(especially liver and fatty meat), egg yolks, whole milk, cream, butter, shortening, pastries, cakes, cookies, gravy, peanut
butter, chocolate, olives, potato chips, coconut, cheese (other than cottage cheese), coconut oil, palm oil, and fried
foods.

Do you have some references for the above information? Many items you have listed may cause issues with those whose body struggles with carbohydrate metabolism.

The OP has done really well so far and is asking for advice for a pre-diabetic level of BG rather than a diabetic level.

I'd say keep on doing what works for you @TaffWrexham

As to carb levels - if you have a meter then check BG before and two hours after meals - as long as the rise stays below 2.0 then the carbs in that meal are fine - more than that you may wish to look at quantity or type of carbohydrate

I've been diabetic for many years and only recently started to cut carbohydrates. My BG levels have been better over the last three months on about 30g of carb or less per day. I've only discovered this by using a meter to check my levels.

It may be worth the investment even though you are at prediabetic or lower levels. That way you can keep a watching eye on things

 

[gangadharan_nair]

Hello gangadharan, Welcome to the forum Is this the diet you've been recommended where you were diagnosed? Have you tried measuring your blood sugar eating these foods? If you have a meter, try measuring your BG before a meal, 1 hr and 2 hrs after. You will find that eating high carb meals eg Bread, cornflakes, pasta, rice, Marie biscuits and such will affect you BG badly. Why not try a low carb diet for a week and see your BG go down? All the best in the future

Diabetic patients should modify their diet according to their requirements. My diet consists of one cup of cooked rice + a lot of vegetables + fish curry. Long wheat flour is also used to make other foods. My fasting blood sugar is between 4.7 mmol/L to 5.3 mmol/L. I check my FBS daily and make necessary adjustments in my diet. I have no diabetic complications even after 26 years (from the date of diagnosis). I have avoided sugar, fat and oils in my diet after the diagnosis of DMT2.
The production of insulin varies in each diabetic patient. A normal person has 200 units of insulin stock in the pancreas and secretes 30 to 50 units daily.

 

[gangadharan_nair]

Do you have some references for the above information? Many items you have listed may cause issues with those whose body struggles with carbohydrate metabolism.

The OP has done really well so far and is asking for advice for a pre-diabetic level of BG rather than a diabetic level.

I'd say keep on doing what works for you @TaffWrexham

As to carb levels - if you have a meter then check BG before and two hours after meals - as long as the rise stays below 2.0 then the carbs in that meal are fine - more than that you may wish to look at quantity or type of carbohydrate

I've been diabetic for many years and only recently started to cut carbohydrates. My BG levels have been better over the last three months on about 30g of carb or less per day. I've only discovered this by using a meter to check my levels.

It may be worth the investment even though you are at prediabetic or lower levels. That way you can keep a watching eye on things

Practical Prescriber (Sixteenth Edition) published by Dr. Aspi F. Golwalla MD, FACC, FCPS, FCCP and Dr.Sharukh A. Golwalla MD (Med) DM (Card), FCCP. (ISBN No.978-93-80206-22-6)

 

[Art Of Flowers]

My blood sugars are now in the pre-diabetes range and I intend to keep eating LCHF until they drop into the non-diabetes range. After that I will stop taking Metformin and see if I can still maintain low blood sugars.

If that works I will check if my tolerance to carbs has changed and if so may make a few changes to my diet, e.g eatin porridge occasionally. I wont be going back to eating a lot of carbs as I still have a lot of weight to lose and I have found LCHF and intermittent fasting a good way of controlling weight.

Reversing type 2 diabetes can be achieved by getting your blood sugars back to normal levels, but the ultimate goal is diabetes remission where you can tolerate more carbs without spiking your blood sugars. To achieve this intermittent fasting can help.