I'm pre-diabetic!!! Help!

[Mummymaw]

Hi I'm 44, slim, active and eat a healthy diet but this week was diagnosed pre-diabetic with a reading of 45. (Last month was 44) With no history in the family I am completely shocked and not sure what I can do. Dr advised I loose half stone that I put on over holidays and retest in 3 months. Any advice gratefully received.

 

[Prem51]

Hi @Mummymaw and welcome to the forum. A lot of us on here have lowered our blood sugar levels (and weight) by adopting a Low Carbohydrate High Fat (LCHF) approach to eating. Apart from cutting out sugary food and drink, you need to avoid or limit starchy carbohydrates like bread, potatoes, past and rice as these turn to sugars in our bodies. It sounds strange, but increasing healthy fats like avocadoes, oily fish, nuts and dairy products provides the energy we don't get from the carbs and makes us feel full.
Have a read round the threads and ask any questions you want. The people on here are friendly and supportive.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi and welcome,

Have a good read round the forum and meanwhile I'll tag @daisy1 to come along with the excellent advice for newcomers. Do read her post and the links she includes. It will help you. If you can't find answers to your questions, just ask.

You have every chance of returning to normal levels if you tweak your diet.

 

[Juicetin]

As above plus exercise which is also important, if you don't already. Ideally a combination of cardio and resistance exercise, recommended 5 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes a time.

 

[bulkbiker]

As above plus exercise which is also important, if you don't already. Ideally a combination of cardio and resistance exercise, recommended 5 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes a time.

Then again apart from the odd 2 mile dog walk, which I did before diagnosis anyway, I haven't increased my exercise one jot. Its much more about cutting carbs out of your diet this will have a far more beneficial effect IMHO.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Then again apart from the odd 2 mile dog walk, which I did before diagnosis anyway, I haven't increased my exercise one jot. Its much more about cutting carbs out of your diet this will have a far more beneficial effect IMHO.

I haven't done any special exercise either. Just 2 dog walks a day, about 20 minutes each, and like you, I did that before diagnosis. Apart from housework and general daily living, that's all I do. Diet is the key as far as I am concerned.

 

[daisy1]

@Mummymaw

Hello and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helps you. It contains advice about carbs and a link to the Low Carb Program which you might like to try. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to answer.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 220,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

 

[Brunneria]

Hi and welcome!

I agree about diet being key.

Plenty of evidence around nowadays to show that while exercise is GOOD (on many different levels) it isn't the weight loss miracle that used to be claimed.

It can definitely help to control blood glucose, and helps with insulin resistance, but diet is better.

But (as mentioned above) the important thing to remember is that the popular perception of a 'healthy' diet (brown bread, brown rice, low fat, no butter, lots of fruit...) is not the best way of preventing type 2 diabetes.

Have a good read of the sources mentioned, and then ask any questions that you like.

 

[amalia]

Low carb intake definitely works, I managed to lower my HgA1c from 43 to 40 in three months. I am continuing with this as I feel very well and lost 4.5 kilos. I recommend it! Good luck and best wishes!

 

[callyandy]

Hello @Mummymaw , I can't really add to all of the advice above other than to say all questions are welcome, none considered silly (I've pushed that boundary), and the support here is fantastic. I was diagnosed on 30 September and since then followed LCHF, it's early days for me, but seems to be working - lost 7kgs.

I understand weight loss is not your big issue, but the cut in carbs will help.

Good luck. Keep reading!!

 

[andcol]

For me what worked was fasting. I didnt really LCHF. I found fasting removed the fat from my liver and pancreas before it went from anywhere else. Have a look into 5:2 diet. You will likely lose that 1/2 stone pretty quickly.
What it does tell you though even if you return to normal is that your body has a reduced capacity to handle carbs in that it stores to much as fat and you may have been over eating substantially probably caused by the increased insulin which makes you hungry. So you therefore need to consider what your diet is afterwards. I would suggest you reduce the carb intake somewhat or vary your selections if you get it sorted.

Just a thought. Did the doctors test you for GAD antibodies? You could be LADA and whatever you will do will only hold it at bay for so long.

 

[Mummymaw]

Thank you so much everyone. I've tweaked my diet to low carbs and already lost 4lbs in the last 2 weeks.
Over the last few months I've been diagnosed with anxiety which yes I can be a stress head but symptoms including palpations that lead to throwing up (and often in a morning before I eat) anyone think it could be to do with sugar levels? Have said to Gp but was dismissed.
Thank you all again, I have got some great advice and more knowledge than given from dr and feel I'm not alone!