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Please help! Prediabetes

N

NostalgicNeg

Active Member
Messages
34
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Other
Hi,

I recently had a blood test but it was for something else. However, the GP sent me a text message to tell me that my blood sugar is 'a little higher than normal', suggesting that I am prediabetic. It has caused me to feel very anxious and depressed. I have a meter that seems to be somewhat erratic when I test myself. After eating it is giving me a reading of 7.1 to 7.3. Prior to eating, it can be 5.3 to 6.1. I have also had a reading of 9.0 just after testing at 7 ish. I have tried to do as much research as possible, but seem to get conflicting information. I have cut out refined sugar and am having a celery and spinach smoothie every day, followed by chicken for my dinner (I'm still hungry after this). Will I definitely become diabetic?

Any advice would be much appreciated.
 
You will find lots of people have been able to put type 2 diabetes into remission with diet/lifestyle changes only. Lowing carbs may be sufficient. You need to eat enough protein and fats. You will find lots of good resources like dietdoctor.com
You should be in an even better position if you are prediabetic rather than diabetic
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. @michaelmcgrat36@googlemai ish

It's great you have a monitor but all you are doing is taking a snapshot reading of what your blood glucose levels are at that time.
A much more straightforward and structured testing is required to get the best out of your monitor.
It is recommended to test pre meal and then two hours after first bite. If your blood glucose levels are more than 2mmols above the pre meal reading, then there is something in that meal is spiking your blood glucose levels too high.
It is not only sugars that you should be reducing, it is also carbs.
Foods such as bread, pasta, rice, grains, starchy vegetables such as spuds, should also be reduced.
Protein and saturated full fats are recommended. You need natural fats within your diet for satiety.
Keeping a food diary is also a good idea.

Keep asking.
 
Thank you so much for this.
 
Think of pre diabetes as as the warning sign of an upcoming speed limit, driving you brake or coast to reduce your speed. With diabetes you reduce the carbohydrate content of diet, how much is dependent on your bodies abilities to use the blood sugar (insulin resistance). We are all unique and travelling at different speeds, so have to brake harder or softer, the reduction needed is purely down to to your body.
 
Hi, and welcome.

No, it is not a straight line progression to full blown diabetes and as others have said there is a lot you can do to see an improvement. If your blood glucose levels have risen out of the normal range (normal is 38-42mmol/mol on an HbA1c test) - therefore somewhere above 42 - that demonstrates that your body is having a problem handling carbohydrates. It makes sense therefore to stop taking in carbohydrates in the quantity you were before. I cut out bread, rice, pasta, sugar, potato and most root veg, most fruit, and beer. That includes "wholemeal" and "brown" varieties, as well, all still carbs.

The real problem is that a lot of the recent advice, and most of what you read in the media, is all about eating lots of carbohydrate and reducing meat and fat intake. Unfortunately this is just no good for people in our position.

Traditionally people with diabetes have been encouraged to drop starches and sugars, and live more off meat and fat - that was the diet included in the UK ration books during WW2. That's essentially what I eat, along with eggs and dairy and above ground green veg. I aim for around 20g carbs/day.

You may not have to make these sorts of major changes. Many people find that reducing carb intake to around 100 to 150g/day is enough to see their blood sugars return to normal. The only real way to find out is to change diet, test to assess the impact of the food you're eating, and reduce or eliminate the foods that cause problems.

Best of luck. I found this forum very helpful in the early stages. We've all either been through it or are going through it.
 
Thank you very much for your reply. I appreciate you taking the time to reply and you have eased my anxiety somewhat.
 
Hi carol1505 and welcome.

You've posted in someone else's thread, and we like to keep threads to a single topic. You might also find that you get more replies if you start your own thread - I hope it's OK with you if I move your post to its own thread.
 
So sorry. Please move me to where you want me to be.
 
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