impaired glucose tolerance

Hi @akphoto

Welcome to the forum. Well it looks like the advice given to you by the nurse and the dietician haven't helped you one bit.

Firstly, it is essential to test, so I suggest you start doing this ASAP. Test before you eat and 2 hours after your first bite. Look at the difference between the 2 readings. If it exceeds 2.5mmol/l (or even 2mmol/l) there is something in that meal increasing your levels, and this food needs either reducing in portion size or cutting out altogether. We are all different with what we can or can't cope with, so testing is the only way to learn.

Next, have a real good look round this forum at what other people are eating. There are almost as many diet variations as there are members, but all have one thing in common - reduced carbs, particularly the major ones - potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, and anything made with flour such as pastry and batter.

It might be better if you start your own thread so more people will see it and be able to respond. Ask all the questions you like, and keep posting. Good luck.

I cannot agree more with what @Bluetit1802 's recommendations enough.

The more carbs you eat, the more strain you put on your body's capacity to produce insulin. And the quicker that insulin producing capacity wears out.

If we all knew that, right at the beginning, when that first prediabetic blood result came in, we'd have a huge advantage in slowing or preventing the deterioration.

NHS diet advice does far more harm than good!

@venture 234

Like you I also have quite a problem with tolerating carbohydrates [ dont we all ].After a lot of experimenting and testing I have for the moment at least ,settled on the following. 15 grams carbs, 70 grams protein and 162 grams of oils/fats. That works out to close to 1800 calories per day.

I make sure that my evening meal is very small and now my FBG results are always between 70-80 mg/dl. Thats like a normal non diabetic.
Of course everybody is different, our foodstuffs are different and so is our climate. etc.

In the beginning I though that just "others " obtained good results. Now I realise that it can be done as long as your determination is very strong.
For me the most difficult issue was with portion size and getting used to whats "allowed" .

I had a fatty liver, high cholestrol etc and I was on the NHS recommended diet. My brother died of diabetic complications through a heart attack and he followed the NHS recommended diet. He sadly passed 6 years ago.
I have through advice and experimenting with low carbs for over a year now and my health has improved so much. Blood pressure down, cholestrol down, fatty liver gone, fitter, healthier etc.
you do not have to go high fat!
As you said we are all different, if you can find something like Greek yoghurt that is lovely with a few berries, that is enough as long as the emphasis is low carb.
It has worked for so many, I appreciate why you are reluctant as most non diabetics believe the approach from the NHS. It is outdated and founded on nothing. Start reducing your carbs and adjust slowly, you won't regret it!

Let us know how you get on, mate.

@venture234.

I am 71 years old. Heart attack back in 1989 and bypass surgery in 2002. On the low fat diet at the time I had triglycerides of around 325 mg/dl and HDL of 38 mg/dl. This was with diet and exercise. I also. have metabolic syndrome.

Just 20 months ago I was diagnosed as pre diabetic with FBG of 120mg/dl and HbA1c of 6.1 if I recall correctly. I was immediately offered medications [ Metformin ] but I declined. I preferred to look into other alternatives, I was already taking plenty of other pills ex Statins , BP meds , aspirin Pradaxa to protect against a stroke because of a bout of Atrial Fibrillation etc.

Now just by using the LCHF way of eating my triglycerides are down to 70 mg/dl. HDL up to 55 mg/dl and FBG way down between 70- 80 mg/dl. I need to exercise 6 days a week one hour per day. I walk 5 Km @ 5Km/ h to do this.

For me and many others with metabolic syndrome issues this LCHF way of eating has provided all the improvements doctors hope for. I only wish that I had embraced this way of eating decades ago, but comfort myself knowing that its better late than never.

In any event I wish you well with your pathway as I am sure that each has his own best way.Happily I have found mine.

@venture234 Can I suggest you read "the Great Cholesterol Con" by Dr Malcolm Kendrick. His blog is here, http://drmalcolmkendrick.org
There may be other reasons behind your family's health problems.
Remember, if you have high blood sugars and/or high insulin levels, this does a lot of unpleasant damage to the body, so, to me at least, getting this sorted would be very high priority.
good luck, whatever you do.
Sally

I was recently diagnosed with this impaired glucose tolerance. I was told my sugars were too high. As it is im not a sugar person, but i know that food we eat turns to sugar. I was given the talk on losing weight, of which im average for my height etc. told to eat properly, of which ive always done, i hate fast food and takeaways. I was told to come back in 3 months.........well you can imagine how i felt, scared. So i did go out and get myself a monitor so i can see how im going, done a lot of reading to see what my readings should be. Did my first yesterday before dinner, and it was 9.7 and i did a before breakfast today and it was 7.5. From what i have read they are a little high arnt they. I was going to give it the week out and do different times........I dont know anyone who has diabetes so ive no one to talk to. Monitoring my progress of low carbs, low sugar and low fat.......averaging 1000 cals a day.

KatzKatz said:

I was recently diagnosed with this impaired glucose tolerance. I was told my sugars were too high. As it is im not a sugar person, but i know that food we eat turns to sugar. I was given the talk on losing weight, of which im average for my height etc. told to eat properly, of which ive always done, i hate fast food and takeaways. I was told to come back in 3 months.........well you can imagine how i felt, scared. So i did go out and get myself a monitor so i can see how im going, done a lot of reading to see what my readings should be. Did my first yesterday before dinner, and it was 9.7 and i did a before breakfast today and it was 7.5. From what i have read they are a little high arnt they. I was going to give it the week out and do different times........I dont know anyone who has diabetes so ive no one to talk to. Monitoring my progress of low carbs, low sugar and low fat.......averaging 1000 cals a day.

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Welcome!

Looks like you are on the right track!

You are probably racking your brain for ways to cut back on carbs - and that may help you in the long term.

But in the short term, I strongly urge you to eat normally for a few days. For long enough to map out what your normal foods, in normal quantities do to your blood glucose.

Once you have that baseline, you can start adjusting diet.

Your numbers are a little high. Nothing terrible.

If they concern you, going back to your doc or nurse is an option. They may opt to run an oral glucose tolerance test, which will give you a definitive answer, before you start tweaking diet.

The reason I say this, is because I was 'borderline'. So I bustled about doing all the right things. I got a meter. I clamped down on carbs. I upped my exercise, and I read up on diabetes.

And I improved my numbers to such an extent that I've missed a diagnosis.

It's a mixed blessing. No medication. Better blood glucose. Better fitness and health. But no regular HbA1cs, no foot checks, no eye tests, no regular blood tests.
And if I am ever in need of other medical treatment, my doctors surgery and hospital will have no evidence to support my claim that I should be treated as a type 2.

It's your choice what you decide, but in retrospect, I wish I had got a diagnosis before I sorted myself out...