• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

New pre diabetic trying to gain muscle

D

DB93

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi. I’ve just been diagnosed with pre diabetes, my reading was 42. I’m 34 years old. I was never careful with what I ate, but I have changed this now - whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, cut out 90% of any sweets/sugar and started eating more fruit and veg. The problem is I am trying to gain weight and muscle by going to the gym (I weigh 67kg) but I can’t really do this by limiting carbs to a minimum. So I have a few questions.

I have muesli in the morning - is it ok to have a big portion of this as I will be using the energy all day? It’s all whole grain and I have a very active job, with a visit to the gym on some days as well.

Is it ok to eat a decent amount of carbs (breakfast and lunch) if I know I’m having an active day, and cut back on non training days/weekends where I’m not as active?

If I should avoid carbs, what should I limit them to per day? And can I build size and muscle with just high protein?

Thanks.
 
Hello, @DB93 and welcome.

With a HbA1c reading of 42, you are into the realm of prediabetes, but with some tweaks to diet you may be able to turn that around.
Good that you have cut back on sweets and sugar, but whole grains and fruit, are carb heavy, and the carbs turn to sugar on digestion. Sorry to be the bearer of that news. The standard dietary advice to swith to wholegrains and fruit, is not really helpful to those of us prone to T2 diabetes.
Though I would suggest you ought to have another blood test in a few weeks to determine how things are going.

If you are cutting the carbs in your diet, you need to add in more ’ healthy’ fats In addition to the proteins.
 
Thanks for the reply, I feared as much. It’s a struggle getting used to the new idea carbs are bad, I’ve always thought they were an essential part of the fuel needed for a workout or a heavy day at work.

I’ve managed to get a vague meal plan of 5-6 smaller meals with less carbs and more fish/nuts/nut butter, but I’m still at 150g of carbs per day. Do you have any suggestions for sources of healthy fats? Thanks.
 
I think we all have had the notion that fat is bad drilled into us for decades and the complex carbs / low fat is still the most advised diet we are given by NHS . It is not fine for those of us predisposed for various reasons to T2 diabetes.
So many members here have found the opposite . For healthy fats , I would include olive oil, avocado, oily fish, nuts, cheese, full fat yogurt. This article explains better than I could

Top 14 Healthy Keto Fats (And Some to Avoid)

When following a high-fat, very-low-carb ketogenic diet, it’s important to remember that not all fats are created equal. Here are 14 healthy sources of fat to enjoy on the keto diet.
www.healthline.com

You will also find suggestions for lower carb meals on the diet doctor website

A Low Carb Diet Guide for Beginners – Diet Doctor

In this top low-carb guide, we show you what to eat, what to avoid and how to avoid side effects. Get delicious low-carb recipes and meal plans.
www.dietdoctor.com

I would reiterate, have another blood test to check HbA1c, in the next few weeks, as one test just into prediabetes range is not conclusive.
 
Hi - what you're finding is that whole grains etc make no difference - it's carb. Fruit likewise - fructose. You are still at the very top end of normal, but if your readings have been steadily rising I can see why you've had the advice you've had.

Carbs when digested become glucose. High blood glucose for T2s is the result of insulin resistance - we have plenty of insulin, but it doesn't have the effect it should - getting glucose into muscle cells. You can't use the glucose for fuel if it can't get into the muscle cells.

So the problem with eating carbs is that if our bodies can't handle them (and by definition we can't) the glucose they are digested to will hang around in the bloodstream (causing damage over time) and/or be converted to bodyfat.

I am quite a bit older than you and I am probably currently exercising more than I ever have done - I have the time now. I'm building quite a bit of new muscle and still losing body fat. I am eating around 20g carb per day, derived almost entirely from green veg. Most of my food is protein and fat, mainly from meat, but also dairy (cream and cheeses).
 
We can't make muscle out of anything but amino acids, and for normal endocrine functioning and repairs to lipid containing structures, we need fats.
I have been able to go back to moving knitting machines around for a job now that I am eating protein and the natural fats which come with them.
There is little to be gained from eating carbohydrates - despite all the 'information' about how healthy they are it never worked for me. I use them for variety, texture and the flavours and smells plant material can bring but I stick to below 40 gm of carbs these days and that seems to be the correct way to eat. I eat very little these days, I used to have two meals a day but now I am just not interested in food in a morning. I expect that I'd find an appetite if I was out all day doing something energetic.
 
I’m full carnivore and workout six days a week, lifting heavy. I have energy to burn! I’m a 66 year old female. Never, ever felt better. Carbs were literally poison to me….wish I had known sooner.
You don’t need carbs….your body can make glucose via gluconeogenisis.
some interesting research now being done with athletes in regards to this very topic. I believe Dr Tim Noakes is involved in this….do a youtube search for Dr Shawn Baker and Tim noakes, I think that’s where he talked about it.
 
As well as the right diet - plenty of protein - you need to do the right kinds of exercise. But is it bulk and/or strength you want to build? And I hope both flexibility and cardiovascular fitness (endurance) are in your mix.

Brisk walking - enough to get you somewhat out of breath - will build cardiovascular fitness. As you get fitter you will find you need a brisker pace and/or a steeper slope to get your heart & lungs working harder. I also found my stride got longer, so I had to walk further for the same number of steps. Cycling and/or swimming are good as well but are not weight bearing which helps to maintain bone strength. I like off-road walking as it's easier on my joints, partly because an unpaved surface is usually softer, and also because each step is slightly different. That also helps me work my muscles in a bigger variety of ways.

Yoga & Pilates are both good for flexibility though I've almost never seen men at my Pilates class. And yes, it works, I am considerably more flexible than I was 10 years ago. (it takes time as well!) Also I now have far less back and neck pain.

This article seems to be a fair discussion about what you can do with weights:

Building Muscle Mass: More Weight or More Reps?

What's better for getting bigger muscles? Heavy weight and few reps, or light weight and more reps? Here’s how it all breaks down. Low Reps with Heavier Weight The traditional method for building muscle mass, for both men and women alike,
www.genesishealthclubs.com
 
I need to gain weight as well, as I have very low body fat and almost no muscle mass. I'm curious to see if this can be done without eating lots of carbs.
 
tiredgirl91 said:
I need to gain weight as well, as I have very low body fat and almost no muscle mass. I'm curious to see if this can be done without eating lots of carbs.
Click to expand...

Not carbs, but protein, fat and a good variety of vegetables are all needed to gain weight, and to gain muscle mass you have to do appropriate exercise.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…