Prediabetes diet help

Newby1

Newbie
Messages
4
Hi I've just been diagnosed with prediabetes and have been told to look at my lifestyle, got to go back in 12 months time, but my question is how do I know if the lifestyle changes are working, so to my way of thinking is shouldn't I be testing my self, diabetes does run in my mother's side of the family
Hope the above makes sense lol
 
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copilost

Well-Known Member
Messages
354
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
shouldn't I be testing my self
yes!
I hope this doesn't sound insensitive, it surely isn't meant to be...but what a wonderful opportunity you have! I wish, when I developed pre diabetes approx 5 years ago, I had found this forum and been as smart as you to ask this exact question!
You'll see lots of advice and discussion here that says "get a BG meter, test before the first bite (of a meal) and 2 hours later, then eat to your meter". Best, advice, ever. :D
 

Newby1

Newbie
Messages
4
Hi no I like straight talking lol, so I need to get a tester, I would like to get the Accu-Check mobile, done a little bit of reading up on it and I like the sound of it it seems straight forward
 

copilost

Well-Known Member
Messages
354
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Accu-Check mobile
I got an accu-chek (stupid spelling, don't get me started) nano. It's a little flimsy in build but has been reliable so far (3 weeks lol). It took me a while to get a working technique for blood pricks. The strips are quite expensive too. I was diagnosed with Type 2 and pretty much immediately went keto so my situation is different from yours. I might, in your position, think about getting a continuous monitor and just eating what you normally do to see what happens. I'm not at all sure of how you do that but someone around here will:)
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,850
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I have just bought a Tee 2 - cheap to run, no feeling of anxiety using a couple of strips to see how a meal changes things.
I do wonder what is meant by lifestyle - it seems pretty vague - for a prediabetic in danger of type 2 the main thing is to reduce the amount of carbs you eat so as not to have large increases of blood glucose - other than that you can decide to go and live in a bender or aspire to have ones own business - or both - it is the glucose levels which really matter.
 
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TriciaWs

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,727
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
I wish I'd been here when I was told I was pre-diabetic. I went low carb, got my blood sugar down and then slipped back into my old eating pattern. Three years later I was diabetic, went low carb again and was back into the normal range really fast. But I know I'm here for life this time, and still test once a week or if I've eaten out and might have misjudged the carbs.
Low carb works for most people, will usually work faster if you go low carb soon after diagnosis, and I found good substitutes for most of the high carb things I used to eat.
 

SlimLizzy

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,212
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
football, both the game and the culture.
Hi no I like straight talking lol, so I need to get a tester, I would like to get the Accu-Check mobile, done a little bit of reading up on it and I like the sound of it it seems straight forward
The Accu-Check meter is great, but testing strips are expensive. So switched to Tee-2 meter. Strips are cheaper, but i find the Tee-2 hurts more.
 
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Antje77

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
19,284
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
The Accu-Check meter is great, but testing strips are expensive. So switched to Tee-2 meter. Strips are cheaper, but i find the Tee-2 hurts more.
Why don't you use the finger pricker from the old Accu-check?
 
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Daphne917

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,320
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
The Accu-Check meter is great, but testing strips are expensive. So switched to Tee-2 meter. Strips are cheaper, but i find the Tee-2 hurts more.
@SlimLizzy you can buy the accu-check Fastclix lancet on line and the lancets aren’t too expensive - I usually get min3 off a well known auction site. I find it a lot easier on the fingers than ordinary lancets.
 

Prem51

Expert
Messages
7,393
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
*
If it’s the Mobile then it’s all in one
But you can detach the finger pricker bit. I used to use the AccuChek Mobile. I switched to the TEE2+ as the strips cost less, but I still use the AccuChek Fastclix pricker from the Mobile.
 

ianf0ster

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
2,400
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
exercise, phone calls
Hi I've just been diagnosed with prediabetes and have been told to look at my lifestyle, got to go back in 12 months time, but my question is how do I know if the lifestyle changes are working, so to my way of thinking is shouldn't I be testing my self, diabetes does run in my mother's side of the family
Hope the above makes sense lol

Hi Newby1,
Congratulations on finding this forum. There are lots of vested interests you don't like what we say in here.

Yes you should get a BG meter but the key thing is the cheapness (or otherwise) of the test strips for it.
The most popular ones at least for those of us in the UK seem to be the Code Free and the Tee2+, both of which have cheap strips - approx. 1/10 th the price of the more expensive ones. And to 'sort out your lifestyle' will need to do lots of pre-meal and post-meal BG tests so that you know what works for you and what doesn't.

Myself, I am on a 'Low Carb High Fat' lifestyle and use a Tee2+ meter and have tested fairly rarely after the first month, but have still used over 150 test strips in the last 3 months - it is the test strips that ultimately cost the money!
 
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Gwennith

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I don't know where you are from but I'm form the usa and I get my lancet for my acu-chek from the company and I paid 179 dollars for # 50 box of them ( insurance doesn't cover here ) and I knew from being a nurse that a lot of co have patient helps but they sell on their site and I get two boxes of # 50 lancets for 52.00 dollars . It was so helpful using at least 10/day . Good luck