Carb confused

[CherryCakes]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here, please be gentle . Results from a blood test earlier this week revealed I am prediabetic and I've been told to make changes to my diet and move more.

Carbs form the basis of everything I eat - pasta, rice or potatoes feature in almost every meal and please don't get me started on bread. The doctor advised that whole-wheat alternatives are not really a lot better, so I guess I'm just looking to see what others have done.

Do I need to be drastic and cut them out completely or is it enough to reduce the portion size and the number of times I have them in a week? Looking for tips and hints on how others may have turned things around whilst hoping that potatoes and bread can still feature somewhere.

Thank you

 

[bulkbiker]

Hi and welcome
Did you happen to get the result itself that they used for diagnosis.
Potatoes and bread are probably the worst carbs to eat.
There are quite a few subs for potato like cauliflower, broccoli even swede and celeriac (might be some new things to try) mashed, chipped and even riced!
Bread I found very addictive so had to stop it completely - to be honest it has made my life and health far better so now I don;t even miss it.

 

[CherryCakes]

Hi and welcome
Did you happen to get the result itself that they used for diagnosis.
Potatoes and bread are probably the worst carbs to eat.
There are quite a few subs for potato like cauliflower, broccoli even swede and celeriac (might be some new things to try) mashed, chipped and even riced!
Bread I found very addictive so had to stop it completely - to be honest it has made my life and health far better so now I don;t even miss it.

Thank you for your reply. My HBA1C was 42 - I am carrying a lot of extra weight and this is a bit of a kick up the bum to be honest. I've known I've needed to make some changes for a while.

There are definitely some substitutes that will work, I guess I was just hoping that, initially at least, I could start off reducing rather than going cold turkey. Unreasonable huh .

 

[Rokaab]

There are definitely some substitutes that will work, I guess I was just hoping that, initially at least, I could start off reducing rather than going cold turkey. Unreasonable huh .

From posts that I've read some people can get away with more than others - some have had to cut down completely whereas others may still be able to have some - some I believe have found that going cold turkey just means less temptations - note: I'm not T2 so have no experience so this is just from what I've read.

 

[CherryCakes]

From posts that I've read some people can get away with more than others - some have had to cut down completely whereas others may still be able to have some - some I believe have found that going cold turkey just means less temptations - note: I'm not T2 so have no experience so this is just from what I've read.

Yup, we're all different so I guess it is about finding what works for you - and yeah I can see how going cold turkey may be easier in some ways - certainly takes the temptation of overeating something out the way. I know when I get the slab of Dairy Milk out more than one row will be consumed . Thanks for your reply.

 

[bulkbiker]

Thank you for your reply. My HBA1C was 42 - I am carrying a lot of extra weight and this is a bit of a kick up the bum to be honest. I've known I've needed to make some changes for a while.

There are definitely some substitutes that will work, I guess I was just hoping that, initially at least, I could start off reducing rather than going cold turkey. Unreasonable huh .

Ok so 42mmol/m is right on the very edge of pre-diabetes so maybe you don't have to be so extreme.. although personally I find cold turkey far easier than "moderation".

Once you start to cut the carbs you might even find the weight drops off fairly easily too.. it certainly did for me.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hello and welcome,

Yes, carbs need to be cut/restricted, but to find out what your meals do to your blood sugars you need to buy a glucose meter. GP's won't supply them unless you are on strong diabetes medication, which of course you are not. You can test yourself before you eat and again 2 hours after first bite to see how much you have risen. Keeping a food diary including portion sizes and recording your levels alongside is the best way to do this. You can then tweak meals, amend things, and watch for trends. If you get a meter we can help you in more detail,

 

[DanW13]

You’re similar to me Cherrycakes, I’ve just been diagnosed with Hba1c of 43, so ‘one foot in only’ in the GPS words. I’ve cut most carbs out tbh, but do have quinoa as a rice/pasta substitute, which is quite nice & much better than both, though keep portions small (it’s still carbs). Also swede/carrot mash to replace potatoes is okay. Bought some barley also as another healthier sub, some articles suggest barley is very good for blood sugar control.

Watch out for breakfast cereal also, full of carbs though I’m clinging onto my 1 x weetabix each day!!!

Good luck.

 

[Auto E]

I second the recommendation to get a glucometer. They are cheap and an easy way to find your personal carbohydrate tolerance. Personally, I can't imagine just trying to "guess" how many carbs I can have in a meal, or which type affect me more quickly/strongly than others. I don't want to sound too terribly pushy, but GET A METER.

 

[DanW13]

Re: blood glucose meters, I’ve bought one myself, the Abbott Libre to get a view on trends & see what may or may not spike BG levels (particularly interested if my breakfast does!).

HOWEVER - Having read a few threads on here, I do think it could have downsides for some in terms of over analysis & stressing over random day to day movements. So I’d caveat recommending one with a warning that if you’re the sort of person who stresses easily, it maybe worth just cutting back on the obvious high carb foods at first then getting a new Hba1c test in a few months and see if your level has fallen without the micro analysis. You are after all only just in the pre diabetic zone & too much stress is bad for BG levels also, so you want to avoid that.

 

[CherryCakes]

You’re similar to me Cherrycakes, I’ve just been diagnosed with Hba1c of 43, so ‘one foot in only’ in the GPS words. I’ve cut most carbs out tbh, but do have quinoa as a rice/pasta substitute, which is quite nice & much better than both, though keep portions small (it’s still carbs). Also swede/carrot mash to replace potatoes is okay. Bought some barley also as another healthier sub, some articles suggest barley is very good for blood sugar control.

Watch out for breakfast cereal also, full of carbs though I’m clinging onto my 1 x weetabix each day!!!

Good luck.

Thank you.

Yup, I'm currently looking at substitutes. I was shocked about cereals, some of them anyway. Who knew weetabix was bad, I've been having multigrain porridge thinking that was a marvellous choice .

Good luck to you too.

 

[bulkbiker]

Thank you.

Yup, I'm currently looking at substitutes. I was shocked about cereals, some of them anyway. Who knew weetabix was bad, I've been having multigrain porridge thinking that was a marvellous choice .

Good luck to you too.

Eggs and bacon.. easy, tasty and filling.

 

[CherryCakes]

Eggs and bacon.. easy, tasty and filling.

I don't eat red meat, but this morning had eggs and turkey bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes. Yum.

It's just like retraining yourself isn't it. I need to think about weekday breakfasts a bit, but am doing lots of research.

 

[Dark Horse]

You may find that losing weight improves your ability to handle carbohydrates and hence your HbA1c. See here:- https://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal/#publicinformation

 

[bulkbiker]

I don't eat red meat

Any particular reason? By far the most nutritious and beneficial.

 

[TriciaWs]

When I was diagnosed and went low carb instead of more medications added in with all the ones I was already taking I concentrated on the key triggers for me. Finding good substitutes for those made going low carb much easier.
I can't face eggs first thing. or cooking breaking, so finding a low carb breakfast instead of my usual all high carb choices was a major issue. I finally weaned myself off by mixing milled flaxseed and chia seeds with oats then reducing the amount of oats each week,
I have a very sweet tooth so the next was to find alternatives for cakes and milk chocolate - my main treat now is real greek yogurt with fresh raspberries, and a couple of squares of 85% chocolate or a sugar free version with stevia.

I have either a small slice of low carb bread a few times a month or make microwave bread with ground almonds.
I didn't eat many potatoes but did have rice most nights - cauliflower rice is a reasonable substitute but I prefer the version made in the oven. I grate cauliflower then bake it for about 10-11 mins at 180 degrees. At that point it still has a bite, and can be put in the fridge or frozen, then stir fried or microwaved.
There are lots of recipes for alternatives for bread, chips, mash, cakes and biscuits - almost anything! And some lovely subs to make Christmas low carb but nice.

 

[CherryCakes]

Any particular reason? By far the most nutritious and beneficial.

Ethical reasons, in the process of going veggie so there's no going back .

 

[CherryCakes]

You may find that losing weight improves your ability to handle carbohydrates and hence your HbA1c. See here:- https://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal/#publicinformation

Thanks, an interesting read . I'm hoping that's the case to be honest.

 

[CherryCakes]

When I was diagnosed and went low carb instead of more medications added in with all the ones I was already taking I concentrated on the key triggers for me. Finding good substitutes for those made going low carb much easier.
I can't face eggs first thing. or cooking breaking, so finding a low carb breakfast instead of my usual all high carb choices was a major issue. I finally weaned myself off by mixing milled flaxseed and chia seeds with oats then reducing the amount of oats each week,
I have a very sweet tooth so the next was to find alternatives for cakes and milk chocolate - my main treat now is real greek yogurt with fresh raspberries, and a couple of squares of 85% chocolate or a sugar free version with stevia.

I have either a small slice of low carb bread a few times a month or make microwave bread with ground almonds.
I didn't eat many potatoes but did have rice most nights - cauliflower rice is a reasonable substitute but I prefer the version made in the oven. I grate cauliflower then bake it for about 10-11 mins at 180 degrees. At that point it still has a bite, and can be put in the fridge or frozen, then stir fried or microwaved.
There are lots of recipes for alternatives for bread, chips, mash, cakes and biscuits - almost anything! And some lovely subs to make Christmas low carb but nice.

I'm with you on not wanting to cook breakfast, my weekday routine wouldn't cope with that.

Thank you, there are some really helpful tips and ideas there.

 

[DanW13]

Any particular reason? By far the most nutritious and beneficial.

What about cancer risk bulkbiker, aren’t there links to excessive red/processed meat & bowel cancer for example?