Determination And Effort Brings Results But Willpower Is Essential

[KeithA]

Last Dec I was diagnosed with prediabetes which came as a massive shock to me because as a family we eat healthy food and I like to think I do enough exercise but then started to question whether I was right. My mmol/mol was 42 which was just on the borderline.
My doctor recommended I join prediabetes classes which at first was on a weekly basis then monthly over a 6 month period and at first I thought they were a wast of time but decided, thankfully to stick with it. We were being given the right advice about lifestyle changes, more exercise and less alcohol which are the obvious reasons for having this diagnosis. We also learned so much more about calories, carbs, fats and everything there is to know about what not to eat and why but I wasn't taking this on-board enough because after 3 months, my next blood test was 48 mmol/mol which now puts me in the into the type 2 category and that was a massive wake up call.
From then I decided to loose weight. I was 13 stone 7 lbs and my goal was 12 stone. I started that in March and 6 months later I'm now down to 11 stone 10lbs (my thought being that if i stopped at 12 i would more than likely put on a few pounds).
For me it wasn't hard because i have very strong willpower and that is a necessity if you want to achieve a goal. Yes my diet did change. I was eating more healthily than before, cutting down on the booze but also going to the gym 2/3 x a week. I felt so much better and lost at least 3 inches from my waist as a result.
I'm happy to share with anyone who cares to listen how I did it. My goal now is to loose 3 more lbs and then stick to maintaining a weight under 12 stone.

 

[lucylocket61]

Last Dec I was diagnosed with prediabetes which came as a massive shock to me because as a family we eat healthy food and I like to think I do enough exercise but then started to question whether I was right. My mmol/mol was 42 which was just on the borderline.
My doctor recommended I join prediabetes classes which at first was on a weekly basis then monthly over a 6 month period and at first I thought they were a wast of time but decided, thankfully to stick with it. We were being given the right advice about lifestyle changes, more exercise and less alcohol which are the obvious reasons for having this diagnosis. We also learned so much more about calories, carbs, fats and everything there is to know about what not to eat and why but I wasn't taking this on-board enough because after 3 months, my next blood test was 48 mmol/mol which now puts me in the into the type 2 category and that was a massive wake up call.
From then I decided to loose weight. I was 13 stone 7 lbs and my goal was 12 stone. I started that in March and 6 months later I'm now down to 11 stone 10lbs (my thought being that if i stopped at 12 i would more than likely put on a few pounds).
For me it wasn't hard because i have very strong willpower and that is a necessity if you want to achieve a goal. Yes my diet did change. I was eating more healthily than before, cutting down on the booze but also going to the gym 2/3 x a week. I felt so much better and lost at least 3 inches from my waist as a result.
I'm happy to share with anyone who cares to listen how I did it. My goal now is to loose 3 more lbs and then stick to maintaining a weight under 12 stone.

what is your HbA1c now? and what changes did you make to your diet?

 

[bulkbiker]

Well done on the weight loss. And hello and welcome.
I'm interested in your "healthy" diet - could you be a bit more specific a we have found in the past that one person's "healthy" is another person's "poison".

 

[KeithA]

what is your HbA1c now? and what changes did you make to your diet?

Today my HbA1c was down to 4.7% (4.9% mmol/L-27.9 mmol/mol) but Ive been averaging 5/5.3 Hba1c over past month or so which is well below the 42 mmol/mol required to be out of range. I find it very complicated though with so many different measurements.
The first thing I did was to sign up to an app that can help me with calories which was Myfitnesspal. In that app you can check or log what food your are eating. I told the app what i wanted to do and it devised a plan for me to lose 1lb a week (I dont agree with diets that help you loose 5/6 lbs because its likely you will put it back on). This way its not so hard if you remain focussed on the ultimate goal. MFP said my aim should be 1,500 calories a day.
It also gives advice on what exercise you should be doing. It recommends 10,000 steps a day but more important 250 steps at least each hour. Most days I can do that but there are some that are impossible but again it helps with the fight against flab.
For breakfast I would normally have a yogurt followed by cup of tea and a rich tea biscuit alt egg on wholemeal toasty.
For lunch i would normally have a sandwich of tinned salmon or ham etc on wholemeal bread with a half pint glass of semi skimmed milk. My wife cooked less pasta (cutting down the carbs) and more fish.for the dinner and with some fruit and almonds in the evening, I found I could easily get under 1,500 and not feel hungry. Yes it was hard for that first week as the body got used to less but i also discovered you could actually see what carbs, fats, proteins you were getting every day.
I used to drink 3/4 times a week and usually a few pints but now I only drink in the week if we are out with friends. I try to avoid beer but find spritzers are a nice change. Weekends I will do a few glasses of white or red wine and a couple of pints only and weekend evenings I would indulge in crisps which I know arent ideal but you cant give up completely. Moderation is the key!
I weighed myself every day which I think is a good idea because if you stick with it the weight comes off and its a good feeling. Yes there are days when you might eat a bit more especially weekends and a few pounds go back but you have to stick with it because it comes back off again. Last weekend, I put on 5 lbs and couldn't really understand why so much but by yesterday I was back to normal.
The other thing I did was buy a fitbit which monitors your exercise and thats really helped and it can also sync with the MFP. I would really recommend both of these in order to stay focused but don't loose heart when things aren't going well. If you have a bad day you tend to eat more of the wrong things. I also monitor my sleep on the app and its amazing how much better I feel after a good nights sleep.
The key is to cut down on calories and carbs and fitbit will show you that.
My lunch and breakfast cals today are only 473 so I'm still 1,000 behind and thats good.
This is the first time I've sent a message and replied so I hope it gets to people who are interested.

 

[KeithA]

Well done on the weight loss. And hello and welcome.
I'm interested in your "healthy" diet - could you be a bit more specific a we have found in the past that one person's "healthy" is another person's "poison".

Hi there - This is all new to me so Im not sure if you can read the reply I gave in this forum to Lucylocket. If not I will resend to you. Thanks for your support.
Yes I agree some diets can suit some but not others but I think its all about what you take in that suits each person. I try to keep carbs below the average even if the fats are higher and thats actually worked for me.

 

[Resurgam]

Ah - now I see why you had such an uphill struggle and needed to reduce calories and to exercise so consistently.
Diabetics can't cope with eating carbohydrates, so you made it rather hard for yourself with biscuits sandwiches, semi skimmed milk, pasta, fruit, - was that a couple of pints of beer and potato crisps? If the yogurt was not full fat then it might have contained sugar to 'make it nice'.
You have done incredibly well to lose weight and get your Hba1c so low.

 

[KeithA]

Ah - now I see why you had such an uphill struggle and needed to reduce calories and to exercise so consistently.
Diabetics can't cope with eating carbohydrates, so you made it rather hard for yourself with biscuits sandwiches, semi skimmed milk, pasta, fruit, - was that a couple of pints of beer and potato crisps? If the yogurt was not full fat then it might have contained sugar to 'make it nice'.
You have done incredibly well to lose weight and get your Hba1c so low.

Yes it wasnt has bad as it seems. One rich tea biscuit is only 38 cals, milk 47 cals, 2 slices bread 122 cals. Fruit is essential to any diet and 4 ounces of grapes are 74 cals and if you want crisps try lentil chilli and lemon which are only 132 in an oz and they are very light. Beer and wine is the killers but I believe that if you can behhave sensibly 5 days a qweek, you can indulge a little on the other 2..... its worked for me so far.

 

[bulkbiker]

Hi there - This is all new to me so Im not sure if you can read the reply I gave in this forum to Lucylocket. If not I will resend to you. Thanks for your support.
Yes I agree some diets can suit some but not others but I think its all about what you take in that suits each person. I try to keep carbs below the average even if the fats are higher and thats actually worked for me.

Your replies are coming through loud and clear.
Personally I would have found your way of eating hard as I guess you were/are hungry a lot of the time which is why I prefer my ketogenic way of eating. But your HbA1c reduction is very good so I can't fault your method for you.
Well done indeed.

 

[Resurgam]

Yes it wasnt has bad as it seems. One rich tea biscuit is only 38 cals, milk 47 cals, 2 slices bread 122 cals. Fruit is essential to any diet and 4 ounces of grapes are 74 cals and if you want crisps try lentil chilli and lemon which are only 132 in an oz and they are very light. Beer and wine is the killers but I believe that if you can behhave sensibly 5 days a qweek, you can indulge a little on the other 2..... its worked for me so far.

Er - no, sorry - its the carbs I can't handle.
I have never been able to manage carbs right from being a teenager, but I could run/cycle/work them off back then, once I was working 9 to 5 I struggled with the weight gain and did low calorie diets - nothing worked until I went low carb, then I could eat normal amounts, not collapse and still lose excess weight.
Not eating starch and sugar keeps me - a full blown diabetic - at the top end of normal, and feeling fine.
It means no bread, no beer, no biscuits, no milk, no legumes, no rice or other grains - dry wine is fine as are most other foods but fruit in extreme moderation - it is after all not at all essential.

 

[sally and james]

Perhaps @KeithA wasn't all that far above Prof Roy Taylor's "fat threshold" so just managed to turn things round, as far as diabetes is concerned, with that little bit of weight loss. This would mean that his rich tea biscuits etc, a disaster for many, were having no effect on him.

Keith, if you don't know what I'm on about, google "Newcastle Diet" and research into reversing diabetes at Newcastle University.

Sally

 

[Lamont D]

Hi, Keith, your thread title is really good advice and whatever you are doing, it is having a healthy option than you did before your prediabetic diagnosis. Great weight loss and do you feel the benefits of your lifestyle choices?
What is really essential above your thread title is education and knowledge of how and why you are prediabetic. Gaining an insight into why your body is giving you the symptoms will help you understand, how dietary changes will determine your future health.
Have a good read of the forums, especially the success stories forum, it is so enlightening to how important a dietary change is.

Best wishes

 

[lucylocket61]

Today my HbA1c was down to 4.7% (4.9% mmol/L-27.9 mmol/mol) but Ive been averaging 5/5.3 Hba1c over past month or so which is well below the 42 mmol/mol required to be out of range.

I'm a bit confused here. The HbA1c is the 3-6 monthly blood test the surgery has done, to see the average blood sugar levels. Is that what you mean?

PS Good to see you have a meter and am testing.

 

[lucylocket61]

Yes it wasnt has bad as it seems. One rich tea biscuit is only 38 cals, milk 47 cals, 2 slices bread 122 cals. Fruit is essential to any diet and 4 ounces of grapes are 74 cals and if you want crisps try lentil chilli and lemon which are only 132 in an oz and they are very light. Beer and wine is the killers but I believe that if you can behhave sensibly 5 days a qweek, you can indulge a little on the other 2..... its worked for me so far.

You may well find that , in order to stop becoming diabetic or pre-diabetic again, that you have to re-think your carbs. Its not really about the calories on a daily basis when it comes to blood sugar control, its about the carb intake.

 

[zand]

Well done @KeithA I am glad you found what works for you

I love eating low carb high fat - no willpower required

 

[Guzzler]

First and foremost it takes knowledge. One could have all the determination and willpower in the world but if one is doing the wrong thing then failure is almost cetain.

 

[NicoleC1971]

First and foremost it takes knowledge. One could have all the determination and willpower in the world but if one is doing the wrong thing then failure is almost cetain.

Agree. I think if too much willpower is needed then that's a red flag for a diet that will fail. For me that means having to count calories and being ravenously hungry.

 

[KeithA]

Your replies are coming through loud and clear.
Personally I would have found your way of eating hard as I guess you were/are hungry a lot of the time which is why I prefer my ketogenic way of eating. But your HbA1c reduction is very good so I can't fault your method for you.
Well done indeed.

No I was never massively hungry. I liked to eat but never go OTT but I did enjoy weekends with loads of carbs and alcohol. For me it was a wake up call and being diagnosed and provided with help worked because I know other people haven’t bothered or turned up once for classes and then not returned. Help is essential has much as support from friends and family and of course other sufferers.
I hope things work out for you.
For me it’s simple, stick to it and enjoy life!!!

 

[KeithA]

You may well find that , in order to stop becoming diabetic or pre-diabetic again, that you have to re-think your carbs. Its not really about the calories on a daily basis when it comes to blood sugar control, its about the carb intake.

Thanks and Yes I’m beginning to see that and that’s why I’m following this through MFP.

 

[KeithA]

Er - no, sorry - its the carbs I can't handle.
I have never been able to manage carbs right from being a teenager, but I could run/cycle/work them off back then, once I was working 9 to 5 I struggled with the weight gain and did low calorie diets - nothing worked until I went low carb, then I could eat normal amounts, not collapse and still lose excess weight.
Not eating starch and sugar keeps me - a full blown diabetic - at the top end of normal, and feeling fine.
It means no bread, no beer, no biscuits, no milk, no legumes, no rice or other grains - dry wine is fine as are most other foods but fruit in extreme moderation - it is after all not at all essential.

Perhaps @KeithA wasn't all that far above Prof Roy Taylor's "fat threshold" so just managed to turn things round, as far as diabetes is concerned, with that little bit of weight loss. This would mean that his rich tea biscuits etc, a disaster for many, were having no effect on him.

Keith, if you don't know what I'm on about, google "Newcastle Diet" and research into reversing diabetes at Newcastle University.

Sally

thanks Sally I will

 

[KeithA]

Well done @KeithA I am glad you found what works for you

I love eating low carb high fat - no willpower required

Well done!!!