Struggling with the changes I have made.

[NostalgicNeg]

I have been informed that I am prediabetic. I have changed my diet and have been doing it for two weeks (not that long, I know). My day is: blended celery and kale or spinach for breakfast. The same for lunch. In the evening I'll have chicken and vegetables. I am hungry all the time and have lost weight (I'm not a big person anyway and currently weigh 76kg). As dangerous as it is, I miss binging on the junk. If I'm absolutely starving my mmol will be 5.7. Today I had a banana for breakfast and a tin of tuna for lunch. My reading was 6.7. I'd have to say I'm really struggling. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[catinahat]

My day is: blended celery and kale or spinach for breakfast. The same for lunch. In the evening I'll have chicken and vegetables. I am hungry all the time

That seems like a very harsh diet, no wonder you are hungry, is there some reason other than your pre diabetes for such a strict diet.

 

[catinahat]

Here's a few links that I hope you will find useful
https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
https://www.ditchthecarbs.com/howtostart/
https://lowcarbyum.com/

 

[NostalgicNeg]

That seems like a very harsh diet, no wonder you are hungry, is there some reason other than your pre diabetes for such a strict diet.

No. It's just because I have been diagnosed with prediabetes and I want to put myself in remission. Am I doing the wrong thing? (Thank you for taking the time to reply).

 

[Antje77]

No. It's just because I have been diagnosed with prediabetes and I want to put myself in remission. Am I doing the wrong thing? (Thank you for taking the time to reply).

You're not necessarily doing the wrong thing, but it looks like you're on a very low calorie starvation type diet.
Many members have reached perfectly non diabetic numbers by simply reducing their carbs, but not calories, so no need to go hungry.

How many carbs they can handle varies, some go as low as 20 grams of carbs, others find they can eat up to 150 grams of carbs a day and still be in remission and outside of the prediabetic range.

You say you're prediabetic, so it may be you only need to cut a little of the carbs you used to eat and never get a prediabetic result again.

I think you'll like to have a read of this blog by one of our members: https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html
There's also this thread where we share what we eat with a bit of chat on the side, can be quite informative: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/page-2727#post-2584534

As dangerous as it is, I miss binging on the junk.

Depending on what kind of junk you crave, there may well be alternatives that won't raise your blood glucose!

 

[catinahat]

I have been diagnosed with prediabetes and I want to put myself in remission

Pre diabetes is a sign that your blood sugar is a little higher than would be ideal, you may eventually go on to develop diabetes, but that is by no means a certainty.
It is only sensible of you to want to look at your diet with a view to avoiding a possible T2 diagnosis in the future. But any diet you adopt must be enjoyable and sustainable, something you can keep to long term.
Starvation and deprivation is just not sustainable, even if after a few weeks or months of absolute misery you managed to get your levels down. Remission is not a cure, as soon as you reverted to your normal diet your levels would be on their way up again.
Our food is made up of 3 macronutrients, carbohydrates, protein and fats. Carbs will raise your blood sugar, so you just need to cut them back some, have more protein and healthy fats to compensate.
Don't let the readings on your meter freak you out, the meters aren't accurate enough to get up tight over the results. The actual number is not as important as the difference between your pre meal and post meal tests at around the 2hr mark
If there is a large difference between the two, 3.5 or 4mmol for example, then you need to see if you can make that meal less carby next time. If the difference is less than 2mmol then it was OK,

 

[NostalgicNeg]

Pre diabetes is a sign that your blood sugar is a little higher than would be ideal, you may eventually go on to develop diabetes, but that is by no means a certainty.
It is only sensible of you to want to look at your diet with a view to avoiding a possible T2 diagnosis in the future. But any diet you adopt must be enjoyable and sustainable, something you can keep to long term.
Starvation and deprivation is just not sustainable, even if after a few weeks or months of absolute misery you managed to get your levels down. Remission is not a cure, as soon as you reverted to your normal diet your levels would be on their way up again.
Our food is made up of 3 macronutrients, carbohydrates, protein and fats. Carbs will raise your blood sugar, so you just need to cut them back some, have more protein and healthy fats to compensate.
Don't let the readings on your meter freak you out, the meters aren't accurate enough to get up tight over the results. The actual number is not as important as the difference between your pre meal and post meal tests at around the 2hr mark
If there is a large difference between the two, 3.5 or 4mmol for example, then you need to see if you can make that meal less carby next time. If the difference is less than 2mmol then it was OK,

Thank you so much 'catinahat'.

 

[NostalgicNeg]

You're not necessarily doing the wrong thing, but it looks like you're on a very low calorie starvation type diet.
Many members have reached perfectly non diabetic numbers by simply reducing their carbs, but not calories, so no need to go hungry.

How many carbs they can handle varies, some go as low as 20 grams of carbs, others find they can eat up to 150 grams of carbs a day and still be in remission and outside of the prediabetic range.

You say you're prediabetic, so it may be you only need to cut a little of the carbs you used to eat and never get a prediabetic result again.

I think you'll like to have a read of this blog by one of our members: https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html
There's also this thread where we share what we eat with a bit of chat on the side, can be quite informative: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/page-2727#post-2584534

Depending on what kind of junk you crave, there may well be alternatives that won't raise your blood glucose!

Thank you very much. I'll check out the links. I'm really impressed by the help given on this website.

 

[KennyA]

I have been informed that I am prediabetic. I have changed my diet and have been doing it for two weeks (not that long, I know). My day is: blended celery and kale or spinach for breakfast. The same for lunch. In the evening I'll have chicken and vegetables. I am hungry all the time and have lost weight (I'm not a big person anyway and currently weigh 76kg). As dangerous as it is, I miss binging on the junk. If I'm absolutely starving my mmol will be 5.7. Today I had a banana for breakfast and a tin of tuna for lunch. My reading was 6.7. I'd have to say I'm really struggling. Any advice would be appreciated.

One of the great things about the low carb/keto eating from my point of view is that in 3+ years I have never been hungry. I can forget to eat for 24 hours (not including coffee) without really noticing. Plenty of protein, fat as it comes; some green veg. I make a lot of meat curries/chillis/whatevers and go through a lot of eggs and cheese. I usually have a few almonds or olives available but these last a very long time. Big contrast between how I feel now and how I felt before low carb - constant hunger, sleepiness, no energy, weight gain.

I can't help but think that blended celery and kale doesn't sound all that attractive. If you like it, fine, but I'd much rather have some ham and eggs.

 

[NostalgicNeg]

One of the great things about the low carb/keto eating from my point of view is that in 3+ years I have never been hungry. I can forget to eat for 24 hours (not including coffee) without really noticing. Plenty of protein, fat as it comes; some green veg. I make a lot of meat curries/chillis/whatevers and go through a lot of eggs and cheese. I usually have a few almonds or olives available but these last a very long time. Big contrast between how I feel now and how I felt before low carb - constant hunger, sleepiness, no energy, weight gain.

I can't help but think that blended celery and kale doesn't sound all that attractive. If you like it, fine, but I'd much rather have some ham and eggs.

 

[NostalgicNeg]

Hi Kenny, Thanks for your previous reply. Do you know if blueberries are ok if diabetic/prediabetic? Thanks.

 

[AloeSvea]

Hi there @michaelmcgrat36@googlemai . I would be struggling too if I was eating spinach, kale and - yikes - celery - for breakfast!

And yeah, I am with those above - going on what amounts to a harsh Very Low Calorie Diet for a prediabetes diagnosis is hitting it big time, and considering your lowered enjoyment of life (and food!), perhaps out of proportion. I get you wanting to get healthy again fast though. But you can do it more than likely with just lowering your carbs. Look up carbohydrate levels of food, which foods are carby - and lower or avoid those. This would mean cutting down on rice, bread, french fries, and absolutely - obvious added sugar. But enjoying those foods you were previously enjoying that are not high-carby.

And as you are serious about this, the ol' - get a blood glucose meter advice for sure. Test your blood a couple of hours after just lowering your carb intake somewhat, and then maybe, you will be reassured by what you see, and could put away the green juice? (Unless you really like it??!!)

 

[KennyA]

Hi Kenny, Thanks for your previous reply. Do you know if blueberries are ok if diabetic/prediabetic? Thanks.

I eat blueberries very occasionally. It's hard to answer the question with a yes/no, because it depends on what level of carb intake you're aiming for and what else you're eating: if it's the only carb you eat all day, and you only have a few, that's one thing. If you're eating quite a bit of carb from other sources then it might be a different calculation. The context is important.

The only fruit I do eat these days, and it's probably not more than once every two weeks, is strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. None of these do too much to my blood glucose and with the portion size I stay in ketosis, which is the current objective.

 

[Resurgam]

No. It's just because I have been diagnosed with prediabetes and I want to put myself in remission. Am I doing the wrong thing? (Thank you for taking the time to reply).

You are certainly not doing yourself any favours - but then, the advice on what constitutes healthy eating is just so skewed these days.
I'd advise no more bananas or smoothies. Both are fast carbs with a high impact on blood glucose levels.
I eat twice a day and have meat, fish, seafood, eggs and cheese and full fat dairy. I also have stirfry or casseroles/stews and salads. It can mean eating steak or a chop for breakfast, or a stirfry with chicken, or a tuna salad which might seem off for breakfast, but that is more like what breakfast was before breakfast cereals were invented.

 

[Outlier]

I do the same. This way I don't get hungry and I can enjoy a huge variety of food.

 

[bulkbiker]

blended celery and kale or spinach for breakfast. The same for lunch.

Sounds revolting I'm not surprised you are sick of it.
What's wrong with bacon and eggs or a nice steak?
You need to eat protein and fat... that will help fill you up and keep you feeling fuller for longer.
Starving yourself will not really help especially if you don't have excess weight to lose.