Joe Public
Newbie
- Messages
- 1
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Hi @SimonJ 2 ,
Congratulations on your success in lowering your HbA1C levels! To answer your question I think you like me are "at risk of diabetes" and this risk can go up or down. We can't eliminate the risk of diabetes we remain at risk of being diabetic.
I too was diagnosed at risk of diabetes recently (Oct 2017). My HbA1C levels were 49 and 48. My GP said I was therefore "just" diabetic. However, after chatting to the GP we agreed what the causes might be : my job was sedentary and I needed to exercise, I was eating too much sweet fruit (grapes, mangoes, bananas) and too many sweet snacks, I needed to monitor my calorie intake and stay within the 2500kcal daily average for adult males.
Four months later I've lost 8kg, my HbA1C is now 35 (blood test in March 2018), I've reduced my carbohydrate intake and eat more protein and green vegetables, stopped eating sweet fruits, kept my calorie intake between 2300kcal and 2700kcal , kept a food diary to help me follow portion control on everything I eat and reduced the daily TOTAL sugar intake to 50g-60g. Oh and I now really enjoy exercise and going to the gym!
I have a history of family diabetes and my ethnicity means I will always be at a higher risk to develop diabetes. Therefore I plan to continue following my diet and exercise regime. My parents died early deaths (65 and 69) because they didn't manage their diabetes properly. I hope I'm better at managing the diabetes risk and don't develop it as I get older.
Good luck to everyone on this forum in managing their conditions.
JP
Congratulations on your success in lowering your HbA1C levels! To answer your question I think you like me are "at risk of diabetes" and this risk can go up or down. We can't eliminate the risk of diabetes we remain at risk of being diabetic.
I too was diagnosed at risk of diabetes recently (Oct 2017). My HbA1C levels were 49 and 48. My GP said I was therefore "just" diabetic. However, after chatting to the GP we agreed what the causes might be : my job was sedentary and I needed to exercise, I was eating too much sweet fruit (grapes, mangoes, bananas) and too many sweet snacks, I needed to monitor my calorie intake and stay within the 2500kcal daily average for adult males.
Four months later I've lost 8kg, my HbA1C is now 35 (blood test in March 2018), I've reduced my carbohydrate intake and eat more protein and green vegetables, stopped eating sweet fruits, kept my calorie intake between 2300kcal and 2700kcal , kept a food diary to help me follow portion control on everything I eat and reduced the daily TOTAL sugar intake to 50g-60g. Oh and I now really enjoy exercise and going to the gym!
I have a history of family diabetes and my ethnicity means I will always be at a higher risk to develop diabetes. Therefore I plan to continue following my diet and exercise regime. My parents died early deaths (65 and 69) because they didn't manage their diabetes properly. I hope I'm better at managing the diabetes risk and don't develop it as I get older.
Good luck to everyone on this forum in managing their conditions.
JP
zuckerhonig
Member
- Messages
- 19
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
Hi,
Don't despair! Like most of us, you've probably spent a whole lifetime on a diet that centred around potatoes bread, rice and pasta, with the odd carrot or pea chucked in for good measure. Learning to cater for your new dietary needs is a bit like learning a new language. Whilst you might want to chat effortlessly about a subject dear to your heart, you find yourself - initially at least - trapped in the vocabulary of an imbecile. Result: frustration!
Fortunately, learning to 'banish the beige' is a lot easier than picking up Mandarin, and there really are thousands of blogs, websites and YouTube channels devoted to sharing wonderful, easy to follow recipes to keep us healthy without having to resign oneself to a lifetime of green smoothies.
The key is to look for alternatives to your favourite staples. If you can't live without pasta, there is always pasta made with peas. I know, it sounds very odd, but it's actually very good. There is also lentil, or blackbean pasta to mention but a few. The lentil pasta was fine too, but doesn't survive reheating without becoming a bit crumbly. But, hey, maybe that is just me.
I won't go into an exhaustive list...just Google 'low carb alternatives to', or search under LCHF, keto diet, paleo or low GI.
If you prefer old school, there are also plenty of books available at the library and more up to date sources in bookshops.
And, of course, right here on this forum.
I was diagnosed about 4 weeks ago and my HbA1c was 62 at that time and since then I've made dietary changes and all the possible lifestyle changes to keep up with my condition. My current HbA1c is 56 and I guess I'm making quite some progress. I read these ways to manage diabetes. They were quite helpful for me all this time and I hope you find them helpful too. I wish I can manage diabetes the way you do!
zuckerhonig
Member
- Messages
- 19
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
Hi,
Well done! Your A1c, after only four weeks, is definitely moving in the right direction.
If you continue with the dietary changes you have made, there is no reason not to expect 'normal' or close to normal readings after 12 weeks!
It would be interesting for other readers to know just how you achieved this excellent result.
