Healthier You

eddie775 said:

Is there any one else taking part in this who can give me a quick overview. A few weeks back I had a letter from the GP telling me I was borderline diabetic/prediabetic , my last couple of hba1c's were 46. I have been there since around 2016. I had to go and have more blood tests. Had a letter Friday telling me that my blood test indicated that I had a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes and inviting me to attend a Healthier You NHS Diabetic Prevention Programme. I am going to drop the acknowledgement in Monday and volunteer and also ask for a copy of my results. From what I have seen these programmes take place during the week. Is that right? I work and work away 3 weeks in a month abroad. With my workstyle would I be better not taking a place ? Am already watching my diet, its a fight trying to keep stabilize my weight and exercise ( exercise is hard as I am stage 3 COPD ) , I am 132 kg with a BMI of 39 , body fat index 32.

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Hi @eddie775 ,

I'm in the Netherlands, so I can't advise on the course, sorry. I have been a succesfully controlled diabetic for 3 years now though, so maybe this'll help you: https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html It's basically what I wish someone'd told me right from the get-go. A lot of people here follow the same basic method: Cut carbs = lower blood glucose. No pricey diet or program, just a different way of eating. It'll also help with the weight and your COPD (I know my mom has an easier time breathing and can actually walk a fair distance now, which she couldn't before. Carbs are inflammatory and retain water, so... Shedding that would help). In any case, being prediabetic doesn't mean you 100% have to become a T2, if you act now. I know i'd give just about anything to be in your shoes, I'd never let it get to the point it did, but ah well. You might want to try Dr. Jason Fung's the Diabetes Code book on for size as well. In any case, there's loads you can do yourself. One more thing, you mention you're on statins... Those will raise bloodsugars too. (And in some people actually cause diabetes). If you don't absolutely need them after a cardiac event, you might want to consider ditching those. (Nothing without a doc's advice, of course!)

Good luck!
Jo

Hi, you are 'watching your diet'. Would you mind giving us some idea of what and how much you would eat in a typical day? This should include drinks. People on this forum may be just as helpful as a course and may be able to suggest very effective approaches.

With a level of 46 your Hba1c is very close to diabetic - I'd really advise an assessment of your intake of carbs and a reduction along with the acquisition of a blood testing meter so you can see how your blood glucose looks after eating.
If you can turn things around before you tip over into type 2 you'll not get stuck like me, with readings which are st the top end of normal and seem stuck there.
Having been on an educational course run by my local hospital, it was, quite honestly a waste of time as the advice was pretty disastrous - such things as potato and beans for lunch being a healthy option, a good choice.

The melon and banana are not a good choice being high carb.
Can you swap the latte for coffee with cream? How about a three egg omelette, with more cheese, lashings of mushrooms, plus the other things, Lunch - something low carb? Dinner, soup is often thickened with starch, so perhaps swap it for a side salad, then have meat or fish, with vegetables - avoiding starchy foods such as potatoes pasta and bread.
The beer is probably not a good thing at all - though cutting down would be good it might be a better option to swap to a spirit, with a large sugar free mixer.

eddie775 said:

My biggest problem is I live in a hotel Monday to Friday working away from home in Munich. Typical day for me. Up at 6am. Drink about a litre of water between then at 7.45 am over breakfast. A latte. Chopped melon small dish. Two egg omelette with mushroom ham peppers and sprinkling of cheese. Lunch banana . Drink about another litre of water during day. Evening 6.30 pm or 7pm small bowl of soup. Side plate sized dish of whatever is served in hotel lounge . Maybe meat or pasta. The killer calorie wise is beer. Being stuck in hotel all week I drink about 4 bottles of pils or a few Helles per night. Cutting this down as I think this is not helping. Though I have managed to stabilise my weight at 132kg in last 12 months not putting any more on. . I know I need more exercise but it's hard as my lungs not good.

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Hi @eddie775,

Thanks for sharing what you eat. Travelling can be a challenge, I agree. Here are some ideas on your meals:

The two egg omelette with mushroom, ham, pepper and cheese is great for blood sugars. Soup is generally okay, depending on the ingredients. A dish of meat is great.

Latte is not too bad. Full fat milk is better than reduced fat for many of us, but cream is even better. If worried about the calories, an option would be to reduce the quantity of full-fat milk/cream added.

Other good substitutions would be to replace the melon with berries, the beer with dry wine, though one Pils per night might be fine. Personally, I would probably drop the bananas and pasta.

Only thing I'd add is you're still carrying too much weight. Don't play with fire.

Hi, over and above reducing the carbohydrate content of your meals as suggested would it be possible to replace some of the evening drinks with a walk? Does the hotel have a gym or a pool?

Some swimming sounds like a really positive move. Good luck!

If you can reduce your carb intake you should find that you have more energy.

Good luck with what sounds like a tough routine to work around. I get it, having worked on-call for decades...I couldn't believe how much more energy I had after I got used to the low carb eating plan. If exercise is a problem, you might find just walking in the pool to be helpful. If you have access to an aqua therapy trainer there are some great stretching and strengthening exercises you can do in the pool and as you gain strength you can add small aqua weights to your wrists or ankles to up the work load. It takes at least 6 weeks for whatever exercise program you start to become fun. At first it's boring and exhausting-stick with it! And there is also some good evidence around the effect of riding electric assisted bicycles on improving fitness and glucose levels.