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New Starter

adf85

Newbie
Messages
1
Location
Barnsley
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Cats.
Hello all,
Last week the Doctor informed me that I am Prediabetic. To say I was upset was an understatement. Mind you, I am 6 ft 1, and 25 stone, so it was inevitable.

I have cut out bread and beer (which is the reason for my current problem), and have printed out the whopper 445 page cookbook from the Diabetes.co.uk site.
Just a couple of questions for everyone: -
1) Do groups such as Slimming World offer sufficient support in relation to Diabetes and Prediabetes
2) Is there a chance that if I lost 8-10 stone in the next 12 months, that the Prediabetes will disappear (and I no longer get numb fingers, extreme thirst and fatigue)?

Thanks for taking time to read this.
 
Hi @adf85 .. and welcome
Your questions ..
1. Slimming World works for some but, in my opinion, that's only because it is marketed very heavily and there is little evidence that it is sustainable in the long term .. I'm not sure about either success or support for diabetics. There are better routes (see below)
2. There is every chance that you will be able to reduce your blood glucose to below diabetic levels and this will improve or alleviate the symptoms that you describe .. many people here have done just that

Other than that, you have certainly made a good move coming here .. since joining this forum the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. So ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need. It's still early for me but, in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly.

The key point to take on board is that managing and controlling your diabetes through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..

I have tagged @daisy1 for you and I suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following Diet Doctor websites ...
Low Carb Intro and Information
Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

It is a top priority that you get yourself a test meter and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 (you don't pay VAT) or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them. Unless you are prescribed test strips by your doctor (unlikely), the costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. I'm testing 3-5 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for either of the two packages above but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I can now manage them
Hope this helps
 
Hello and welcome aboard,

We all can understand why you feel upset. We have all been there, but it doesn't last long and you have found the right place for information, advice and support. Do also be careful of certain recipes in cook books for diabetics and look for the carbohydrate content. There are several types of diabetes, and not all need to avoid carbs as much as a diet controlled Type 2 or prediabetic.

Losing weight will help enormously, with your blood glucose levels and also your general health and well being. Slimming World, Weight Watchers etc are not tailored to diabetics at all. They are more calorie conscious that carbohydrate conscious, and as diabetics we have to be carbohydrate conscious. Carbs are the foods that raise our blood sugar levels because they all turn to glucose once inside the system. You may as well eat a bowl of sugar as a meal of high starchy carbs. The worst ones are bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals and anything made with flour such as batter and pastry.

Well done on cutting out the bread and beer - that is an excellent first step.

Diet is the key, and low carbs is the most popular and most successful way. I see @AM1874 has already tagged Daisy and has given you some excellent advice.

Do buy yourself a blood glucose meter. This will be invaluable alongside a food diary (including portion sizes) as it will show you which foods your body is not coping with.

Have a good read round and ask as many questions as you like.
 
Welcome to the forum @adf85. Fingers crossed on this one. The effort is worth it so give it your best shot. Low carb diet regimens appear to be the best option. Keep us informed on your progress. Good luck.
 
You do very well to listen to the lovely people on here. I am still learning and have had wonderful advice. Yes, even some of the cookbooks on this site can be higher in Carbs than some have suggested we should eat. Look for the very low Carbs. I quite often will follow a recipe on here and cut out the certain carbs on here, kind of just alter it slightly to my own carb intake. I have been trying to lose weight for years and no weight would shift, these past 4 weeks following the advice of people on here I can see that I am losing weight. I don't weigh myself as that can be obsessive, but going by my clothes and people's comments it is obviously working for me. Even if you lose 3 stone, you may find that your BG level will go down which will, in turn, give you a boost to carry on with a low carb eating plan. Don't buy Slimming World or Weight Watchers ready meal, some are very high in Carbs and sugar. I was shocked when I read the Carb and Sugar content. I will not go near them. Good luck
 

I think you will find SW a bit better than WW for diabetics .My daughter went to SW she is not diabetic herself but there were three diabetics in her group one T1 and two T2's and she said their diet was adjusted to suit them. She also said don't have the SW ready meals they are horrid
Going to a group with other people with the same aims as you ..ie weight loss.. can be very helpful just chatting face to face over a cup of tea can give you more incentive to stick to a diet what ever it is
To answer your second question no one can guarantee that but it will help you for sure
 
@adf85

Hello adf85 and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope it will be useful to you. Ask questions when you need to and someone will be able to help.


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 245,000 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.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children
 
I was watching BBC News Channel just the other day when they were doing a piece on football groups for men who wanted to excercise and lose weight but didn't fancy SW or WW. There are groups all over the country now and so have a league with teams competing on goals scored and pounds lost. With regular team talks given by a dietician and weigh ins it seemed a grand idea. I'm just sorry I can't remember the name of the organisation but a search through the BBC News website should throw up something if you are interested.

Ah, found the link.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-eng...ght-men-lose-half-tonne-in-weight-in-12-weeks
 
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Sounds like you are in a bit of a similar situation to where I was 20 months ago although not quite over the edge into Type 2.
I was 6 foot and 23 stone.. After adopting an intermittent fasting regime (eating lunch and dinner only no breakfast) and following a very low carb diet I am now still 6 foot but only 15 stone 6 pounds. My Type 2 is controlled (last HbA1c was 27) and I have enough excess energy that I joined a gym recently. So yes your aims are achievable (may take a bit longer than 12 months). Exercise I would say is very secondary to diet for weight loss I lost the vast majority of my weight without increasing exercise at all. Cut out as many carbohydrates as you possibly can. It is doable.
All the best
Mark
 
If you alter your diet to include fewer carbs then with any luck your blood glucose levels will go down to normal - it might take some time, it depends on how easily you adapt to the different way of eating.
You might also see reduction in weight - when I started Atkins I dropped half a stone in 3 days, so it can be a bit too effective. I needed to eat more carbs and be guided by my weightloss (It was way before diagnosis with diabetes) A steady controlled loss is far more beneficial than crashing, if you are learning what you can and can't eat.
There is so much bad advice about what to eat that there is no great surprise that people can't stay slim, but diabetes is just your body's way of telling you that the modern diet doesn't suit it, and please go back to a way of eating with hardly any sugar and a lot less starch, but a lot more mammoth.
I estimated that I could possibly drop below diabetic readings in a year - I got to normal in half that time, so you don't need to be too despondent about your prospects.
 
adf85 said:
Is there a chance that if I lost 8-10 stone in the next 12 months, that the Prediabetes will disappear (and I no longer get numb fingers, extreme thirst and fatigue)?
Click to expand...
Hi @adf85 and welcome to the forum. Well done on being pro-active and taking action now before you become fully diabetic.
As the others have said you need to cut down not only on beer and bread, but all starchy carbohydrates lespecially pasta, potatoes and rice. Starchy carbs turn to sugar in our bodies which aren't good for diabetics.
Many of us have found that adopting a Low Carbohydrate High Fat (LCHF) approach to eating has reduced our blood sugars, and often weight.
Losing 8-12 stone in just 12 months might be setting a high target, but it is possible. I lost about 3 stone in 4 months after being diagnosed, and my HbA1c blood sugars dropped from 49 (diabetic) to 39 (non-diabetic). Losing fat around my middle was, I believe, crucial. Belly fat would mean that I probably had too much visceral fat around organs like the pancreas and liver, impacting on their ability to produce insulin and control blood sugars, leading to diabetes.
It's more likely if you are also in one of the high risk groups, eg it there is a history of T2 diabetes in your family.

Reducing your blood sugar levels should improve diabetic symptoms. Many have found that their neuropathy (tingling or numb extremities) have got better or gone completely as they improved their bs figures.
I found I had a lot more energy once I lost weight and lowered my bs levels. I could hardly walk half a mile when I was over 12 stone. Now I walk 10-15 miles every day, and sometimes 20-25 miles, limited only by available time, not energy.

You seem determined to get control, And I'm sure you will. You will get a lot of good advice and support from the people on this forum.
 
Hi and welcome to forum.
1. WW and SW offer advice on loosing weight but not specific support for type 2 diabetes. The do get referals from the NHS, it can work for some and the face to face support for loosing weight is encouraging but the diet may not provide quick relief for you symptoms.
2. I would get enrolled in the low carb programme which was not available when I was diagnosed with prediabetes and concentrate on reducing your blood glucose levels, weight loss should follow as it did for me (lost 6 stone)
 
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