New to this and confused

[AnneCons]

Following a routine blood test, on Monday I was told that I am prediabetic and that information was being sent in the post to me, no further advice was given by my doctor. Due to post strikes, I've not received anything yet. Would somebody be able to tell me what this is. I've searched online but can't find anything.

For the past few months, I've been feeling totally washed out, but it has still come as a complete shock. I've immediately made changes to my diet but am confused about conflicting items I've seen online regarding what's ok to eat or not

 

[TriciaWs]

Pre diabetes is based on a level of blood glucose (sugar) above the range considered as normal but still below full Type 2 diabetes.
Many of us have reversed or got into remission with much higher levels than this by restricting carbohydrate (not just added sugar, but think first about bread, rice, potatoes, cereals and pasta too).
I was very strict at first, bought a meter and measured before and after meals to check how many carbs I could eat but still get my BG down into the normal range.

I eat about 110 to 120g of carbs a day now I'm in remission, but we all vary. A lot of my carbs go in milk for coffee and the bedtime chocolate fix!
I start with a low carb 'porridge' based on milled flaxseed and chia, but if you like cooked breakfasts think eggs, bacon, cheese, mushrooms.
I have coffee with double cream or some full-fat milk.
Then I either miss lunch and just have more coffee, or have a light snack - today that was a hardboiled egg with salad. (You can add a dressing made with olive oil or a sugar free real mayonnaise.)
Dinner is usually chicken or fish with plenty of green veg and cauliflower rice or a low carb alternative. Followed by full fat Greek yogurt and a few raspberries or a fake 'crumble' made with berries or rhubarb topped with ground almonds served with cream.
Bedtime is coca with cream and a little 85% dark chocolate.
I do make a low carb cake sometimes, and have a small piece instead of lunch - particularly if I'm travelling.
For my last birthday I made a low carb fruit cake using cranberries and rhubarb I'd dried in a layer of Erythritol then stored in the fridge

Healthy unprocessed or lightly processed fats are good - and usually no need to count calories or restrict fats and protein so you go hungry any more.

 

[KennyA]

Following a routine blood test, on Monday I was told that I am prediabetic and that information was being sent in the post to me, no further advice was given by my doctor. Due to post strikes, I've not received anything yet. Would somebody be able to tell me what this is. I've searched online but can't find anything.

For the past few months, I've been feeling totally washed out, but it has still come as a complete shock. I've immediately made changes to my diet but am confused about conflicting items I've seen online regarding what's ok to eat or not

Hi and welcome to the forums. You're right - there is a lot of conflicting information around and it can be very difficult to separate the useful from the problematic. "Prediabetic" was said to me years ago and I didn't understand it either. Surely, I thought, you're either diabetic or you're not?

What prediabetic generally means (simplified) is that your blood glucose is no longer in the normal range (38-42) which is where almost all non-diabetic folks are. This is checked by a test called the HbA1c. To be judged prediabetic you will be in the 42-48 range. At 48, the medics will say you're diabetic.

This means you're at the point where you can do something about it and achieve quick results. If you read around on the forums you'll see that a lot of people here (me included) have had great success with low-carbing. You may need to rethink some assumptions about what healthy food looks like: unfortunately the official advice for the last 30 years has been to eat lots of carbs, and call this healthy eating. Personally, I've come to realise that many of us simply cannot handle this quantity of carbohydrate/sugar and our systems suffer.

Best of luck. This forum is a great source of support and advice.

 

[AnneCons]

Pre diabetes is based on a level of blood glucose (sugar) above the range considered as normal but still below full Type 2 diabetes.
Many of us have reversed or got into remission with much higher levels than this by restricting carbohydrate (not just added sugar, but think first about bread, rice, potatoes, cereals and pasta too).
I was very strict at first, bought a meter and measured before and after meals to check how many carbs I could eat but still get my BG down into the normal range.

I eat about 110 to 120g of carbs a day now I'm in remission, but we all vary. A lot of my carbs go in milk for coffee and the bedtime chocolate fix!
I start with a low carb 'porridge' based on milled flaxseed and chia, but if you like cooked breakfasts think eggs, bacon, cheese, mushrooms.
I have coffee with double cream or some full-fat milk.
Then I either miss lunch and just have more coffee, or have a light snack - today that was a hardboiled egg with salad. (You can add a dressing made with olive oil or a sugar free real mayonnaise.)
Dinner is usually chicken or fish with plenty of green veg and cauliflower rice or a low carb alternative. Followed by full fat Greek yogurt and a few raspberries or a fake 'crumble' made with berries or rhubarb topped with ground almonds served with cream.
Bedtime is coca with cream and a little 85% dark chocolate.
I do make a low carb cake sometimes, and have a small piece instead of lunch - particularly if I'm travelling.
For my last birthday I made a low carb fruit cake using cranberries and rhubarb I'd dried in a layer of Erythritol then stored in the fridge

Healthy unprocessed or lightly processed fats are good - and usually no need to count calories or restrict fats and protein so you go hungry any more.

Thank you for your reply. I've immediately ditched my morning granola for porridge and lunch tends to be soup and a roll. Potatoes, white pasta and rice have also gone out the window too and I don't eat a lot of bread anyway.

Do you know what the information the doctors are sending? They seemed very vague when I spoke with them on Monday but it may have been one of the admin team I spoke with

 

[AnneCons]

Hi and welcome to the forums. You're right - there is a lot of conflicting information around and it can be very difficult to separate the useful from the problematic. "Prediabetic" was said to me years ago and I didn't understand it either. Surely, I thought, you're either diabetic or you're not?

What prediabetic generally means (simplified) is that your blood glucose is no longer in the normal range (38-42) which is where almost all non-diabetic folks are. This is checked by a test called the HbA1c. To be judged prediabetic you will be in the 42-48 range. At 48, the medics will say you're diabetic.

This means you're at the point where you can do something about it and achieve quick results. If you read around on the forums you'll see that a lot of people here (me included) have had great success with low-carbing. You may need to rethink some assumptions about what healthy food looks like: unfortunately the official advice for the last 30 years has been to eat lots of carbs, and call this healthy eating. Personally, I've come to realise that many of us simply cannot handle this quantity of carbohydrate/sugar and our systems suffer.

Best of luck. This forum is a great source of support and advice.

Thank you for your reply. I'm hoping that by modifying my eating habits then I can lower the reading. It was 43 so prediabetic. As I mentioned, I'm waiting for the info pack from the doctors and wondered what this is as I can't find anything online.

I wasn't aware of my carb consumption but since Mondsy, I've come to the conclusion that I probably eat too much and have cut back a lot over the last few days. I don't feel as washed out.

 

[KennyA]

Thank you for your reply. I'm hoping that by modifying my eating habits then I can lower the reading. It was 43 so prediabetic. As I mentioned, I'm waiting for the info pack from the doctors and wondered what this is as I can't find anything online.

I wasn't aware of my carb consumption but since Mondsy, I've come to the conclusion that I probably eat too much and have cut back a lot over the last few days. I don't feel as washed out.

The "lethargy and fatigue" is reported by a lot of people. It went for me almost as soon as I reduced carbs.

43 means you are if anything only just out of normal range. There's a degree of error in the measurements so you could be actually slightly lower or higher. Your practice will probably plan to test you again, maybe in about six months.

If you are going to reduce carbs, it might also be worth testing your blood glucose yourself via a meter so that you can work out what carbs raise your blood glucose the most. For me, that's things like pastry, bread, pasta, oatmeal, and potatoes. Not too bad with legumes, however. We're all a bit different so your experience will probably not be the same.

 

[LC62]

Following a routine blood test, on Monday I was told that I am prediabetic and that information was being sent in the post to me, no further advice was given by my doctor. Due to post strikes, I've not received anything yet. Would somebody be able to tell me what this is. I've searched online but can't find anything.

For the past few months, I've been feeling totally washed out, but it has still come as a complete shock. I've immediately made changes to my diet but am confused about conflicting items I've seen online regarding what's ok to eat or not

I also was diagnosed with pre diabetes nine months ago after a routine blood test. It took over a month for paperwork to arrive explaining what it's all about and offering a free membership to a programme called Healthier You, run by Weight Watchers. I opted for the online offering and can say it has been very good in letting me know how to reduce my blood sugar (weight loss for me), support from a weekly online groups and lots of other help through the app. The food tracker on the app is really helpful and encouragement to increase my intake of non starchy veg. If you google Healthier You I think you can self refer or wait until the paperwork comes through. It's free for 9 months.

 

[LC62]

I also was diagnosed with pre diabetes nine months ago after a routine blood test. It took over a month for paperwork to arrive explaining what it's all about and offering a free membership to a programme called Healthier You, run by Weight Watchers. I opted for the online offering and can say it has been very good in letting me know how to reduce my blood sugar (weight loss for me), support from a weekly online groups and lots of other help through the app. The food tracker on the app is really helpful and encouragement to increase my intake of non starchy veg. If you google Healthier You I think you can self refer or wait until the paperwork comes through. It's free for 9 months.

I have my next blood test in Jan so fingers crossed!

 

[AnneCons]

I have my next blood test in Jan so fingers crossed!

Thank you for getting back to me, I was so shocked by what the nurse told that I didn't really take in what she was saying.

As I mentioned, I've cut back at lot since Monday and have been feeling less lethargic. It's going to be a long haul but I'm determined to beat this.

Good luck with your test next month, please let me know how you get on

 

[rockhopperd]

Thanks for sharing your experiences- really helpful

 

[Alison47]

Following a routine blood test, on Monday I was told that I am prediabetic and that information was being sent in the post to me, no further advice was given by my doctor. Due to post strikes, I've not received anything yet. Would somebody be able to tell me what this is. I've searched online but can't find anything.

For the past few months, I've been feeling totally washed out, but it has still come as a complete shock. I've immediately made changes to my diet but am confused about conflicting items I've seen online regarding what's ok to eat or not