Prediabetes and testing

[muslimrose]

Ive been diagnosed with prediabetes..should i get a glucose testing meter?

 

[GrantGam]

Ive been diagnosed with prediabetes..should i get a glucose testing meter?

That is entirely up to you.

If it were me, I'd be getting myself a BG meter and testing before and after meals; as to identify what foods make a mess of my blood glucose.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-glucose/how-to-test-blood-glucose-levels.html

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood_glucose_monitor_guide.html

The above links should give you all the information that you need. You will probably find that the 'SD Codefree' meter has the most affordable test strips.

Cheers,
Grant

 

[Freema]

Ive been diagnosed with prediabetes..should i get a glucose testing meter?

yes I´d do that if I was you. just to know that the food I then choose is a good choice..

If you can do anything yourself like loosing weight and do much more fitness or long walks and mucle training that would be the best you could do besides stop eating cakes sugar, white bread, pasta, potatoes and rice , high spiking fruits like mangoes, bananas and watermelons .... and eat as little whole grains bread too as possible... and no foods with added sugars... then maybe you can avoid getting the full blown diabetes type 2 which I hope you succeed in not getting... now is when you really can do a difference ...

and try to learn as much as possible of low carb foods and implement it in your food style already now... well all of it is your choice... but most prediabetics do get type 2 diabetes within 10 years or earlier if they do not change their lifestyle

 

[JeanCL]

yes I´d do that if I was you. just to know that the food I then choose is a good choice..

If you can do anything yourself like loosing weight and do much more fitness or long walks and mucle training that would be the best you could do besides stop eating cakes sugar , white bread, pasta, potatoes ans rice , high spiking fruits like mangoes, bananas and watermelons .... at eat as little whole grains bread as possible... and no foods with added sugars... then maybe you can avoid getting the full blown diabetes type 2 which I hope you succeed in not getting... now is when you really can do a difference ...

and try to learn as much as possible of low carb foods and implement it in your food style already now... well all of it is your choice... but most prediabetics do get type 2 diabetes within 10 years or earlier if they do not change their lifestyle

I try to eat every 3-4 hours, as I get a highish reading if I get too hungry and maybe add an apple after a low GI wholemeal sandwich. I've also started adding Flaxseed, other seeds and nuts to my jumbo oat and barley flake and buckwheat flake cereal, and reduced tea but added decaf coffee, apples instead of banana some days, upped the protein part of my meals, swapped to soya cream instead of sweet soya desert with my evening soft fruit, and then started testing myself; most readings are now within normal range, so I hope the next Hba1c will be at least 2 less than the 43 which prompted my dietary changes. Wishing you luck too.

 

[Freema]

I try to eat every 3-4 hours, as I get a highish reading if I get too hungry and maybe add an apple after a low GI wholemeal sandwich. I've also started adding Flaxseed, other seeds and nuts to my jumbo oat and barley flake and buckwheat flake cereal, and reduced tea but added decaf coffee, apples instead of banana some days, upped the protein part of my meals, swapped to soya cream instead of sweet soya desert with my evening soft fruit, and then started testing myself; most readings are now within normal range, so I hope the next Hba1c will be at least 2 less than the 43 which prompted my dietary changes. Wishing you luck too.

all carbs count... no carb should not be counted for... apples spike your blood glucose too... a lot of people in here are so insuline resistent that even 30 grams of carbs are spiking them too much if they want to avoid medicine...and control their blood glucose by the low carb high fat diet..
but as you are only pre diabetic... you maybe can cope with a Little more carbs every day.... but I would advice you to never eat more than 3 small fruits a day , and maybe chose berries instead...it is your choice..
a lot of hours where you do not eat is also very healthy for diabetics if they don´t get too low blood glucose, and most diabetic type 2´s usually never do... but a few does.. grassing(eating frequently) all day is keeping the insuline up which is not good when being insuline resistent what pre-diabetics are to some extend too

the low carb diet can maybe prevent you from getting fullblown diabetes type 2 later ..
https://www.dietdoctor.com/new-study-low-carb-diet-intermittent-fasting-beneficial-diabetics

 

[Deleted member 301830]

Agree completely with getting a meter so you can see how you respond to different foods. Testing showed me that going lower in carbs led to much better BG control. In 18 months my readings have gone from pre-diabetic to staying within the normal range for non-diabetics. This forum was such a help to me, thanks go to everyone on here

 

[Mokkijo]

I do not agree that since you are Pre-D you can be more lenient---quite the opposite. You have been lucky that you now have a chance to turn this around. You will always need to watch the carbs. Trying to do this w/full blown T2D is much more difficult. Do not take this diagnosis lightly. Diabetes can be a killer.
I would suggest that you get a glucometer immediately & test FBS, PP 1,2,& 3 hours. This way you can find out which foods are too high carb for you. Keep a journal of every meal/snack you take, & the BS readings. Don't worry, you will not have to do this forever, just until you get a "footprint" of your specific needs.
Traditional breads (made with wheat flour) & fruits are the first things I cut out of my diet. I make a low-carb flat bread made w/almond meal, & maybe a small portion of berries. But one apple has 23 grams/carbs, & the other fruits---mango, pears, grapes, cherries, watermelon, peaches, plums--are not good food choices for a Pre-D.
I have been Pre-D for 2.5 years & it took me 6 months to see normal BS's on an under 50 grams carbs/day meal plan.

 

[DennisBolt]

I have been pre diabetic for 10 years. For the past year I have done extensive testing with a meter and really got to understand what pushes my bg up and what doesn't. I went on the LCHF diet and after 3 months my fasting levels came down to normal and I am able, most of the time. to keep my blood sugar in the normal range below 8mmol/l . If I eat a significant amount of carbs I spike, which is doing the damage, so I avoid that wherever possible. (Often difficult if eating out.)
I have learned a huge amount from this site and from links to other Info. I'm keeping measuring and refining my diet. I had assumed when I got my pre-diabetes diagnosis that it was inevitable I would become diabetic. I think now that this may not be the case if you eat the right things, keep your weight down and get enough exercise.

 

[Mokkijo]

I have been pre diabetic for 10 years. For the past year I have done extensive testing with a meter and really got to understand what pushes my bg up and what doesn't. I went on the LCHF diet and after 3 months my fasting levels came down to normal and I am able, most of the time. to keep my blood sugar in the normal range below 8mmol/l . If I eat a significant amount of carbs I spike, which is doing the damage, so I avoid that wherever possible. (Often difficult if eating out.)
I have learned a huge amount from this site and from links to other Info. I'm keeping measuring and refining my diet. I had assumed when I got my pre-diabetes diagnosis that it was inevitable I would become diabetic. I think now that this may not be the case if you eat the right things, keep your weight down and get enough exercise.

I agree with you 100%. I also don't think you can "cure" Pre-D, just keep it in remission, which is fine with me. I also agree that eating out has its' challenges, especially with the ******, carb-filled food most places serve. Although I have seen a greater sensitivity at restaurants in the past year, towards substituting healthier options. I have also gotten great info from low carb groups & websites, & have had a lot of support. It's not easy, but well worth the benefits.

 

[seadragon]

Yes definitely get a meter and use it to find out what foods spike your blood sugar so you can avoid them. Basically it will be carby foods but some may cause you to spike more than others and this is where the meter can be helpful. Also if you see a spike then a brisk walk for about 15 minutes will often bring blood sugar levels back down quite quickly (since it uses the glycogen immediately for the muscles rather than allowing it to be stored and turn to fat).

One thing that should be recognised is that pre-diabetes is not a separate condition. It is simply an arbitrary distinction dreamt up by the good old USA to keep more people from being registered diabetic and thereby not be able to get health insurance. If you are pre-diabetic your body responds to carbs in the exact same way as a type 2 diabetic (and there are variations on type 2 person to person obviously) and the exact same thing to do is to limit or cut out carbs as much as you can to avoid the slippery slope on the scale into the BG levels which count as type 2 diabetic.

I think of pre-diabetes as being 'a diabetic whose blood sugar levels are below the arbitrary cut-off point'. There is not some magical change between pre-d and Diabetes.

After following a low carb high fat diet my BG levels (according to HbA1c) are below even pre diabetic levels but I also know that my body's response to carbs has not changed. I'd still fail a GTT test. However my doctor thinks no action is needed - therefore I have to keep taking the actions which brought my BG levels down for myself i.e diet and exercise.