Prediabetes, many questions about diet

Greetings. I'm a woman, 50 years old, 1.64cm tall, 62.5 kg, BMI 23.2.

I've always exercised and have only been very slightly overweight (BMI always below 26) twice in my life, during a couple of months maximum. The rest of my life, my BMI has been below 25.

My blood sugar has been between 90 and 99 for years. I can't remember it being lower than that.

My last fasting blood glucose test came 102 mg/l. I know that's prediabetes.

I haven't seen my doctor yet, because I've got my results right before my vacation and am abroad now.

But I don't want to wait to take measures.

I went immediately researching on the net and decided to go low carb, keto. I found it quite easy, the low carb part. The high fat... I'm scared.

I read lots of papers and there is so much conflicting information! And the official diabetes websites recommend high carbs.

I've seen the research saying keto made mice sick after one week!

I don't know what to do. Is it safe going low carb? How low carb do you go? Did it control your blood glucose? How long have you been on it?

I'd like to take another test in 3 months and am hoping to do all I can to get a good FBG (fasting blood glucose) then (below 100). Is it realistic?

Is low carb a good way to go? Will it harm my kidneys/liver? Is protein bad? Do I really need to eat lots of fat? Is saturated fat bad?

Exercise: research results seem to suggest moderate exercise is best. But I'm used to vigorous exercise, about 2h per day, 5 days per week. Should I stop running/spinning and start walking to lower my blood sugar?

Thank you so much for any of your time. I apologize if my post is inappropriate and I hope whatever you're doing is working in the best possible way for you!

KennyA said:

Hi - there are many people more knowledgeable than me on here, but this might help. I was diagnosed December and went low-carb (<10g/day) straight away. Contrary to what you will hear normally from the NHS, carbohydrates are not essential for nutrition. I have done two previous low-carb weight loss programmes, both successfully in terms of weight loss. No side effects. My BG is in normal range (yet to be confirmed by HbA1c test). I'm losing weight fast. This time it's for life. Some people however can't deal with keto. You have to find what works for you. But in my opinion it's obvious that the standard advice to eat "healthy" carbs is positively unhelpful forT2s. Carbs/sugar are the problem for us - why take in more of what makes you ill? I would strongly recommend getting a blood glucose meter and testing regularly before and after meals to see how foods affect you (or not). The fact you're on this website means you will have the chance to read some success stories.

Click to expand...

Thank you so very much for sharing your story of hope and information!

bulkbiker said:

Fasting blood glucose (FBG) is a fairly lousy way of diagnosis especially if done with a home monitor. Even more so if only by one reading..
Try and (when you are home) get an HbA1c test from your doctor to get a more accurate diagnosis. In the meantime cutting down on the most obvious carbs will help greatly whether you are diagnosed or not.

Click to expand...

It wasn't a home monitor. It was at a hospital. But I hear you. When I'm back home, I'll ask my doctor for detailed exams.

Thank you for helping!

TriciaWs said:

I went low carb on diagnosis.
At that point my overall cholesterol was ok but my triglycerides were too high, I had a non alcoholic fatty liver, and a couple of my kidney measure were at the top of the normal range.
Three months on and everything had improved, in spite of eating more fat than I'd done for years. A liver scan a year later showed I no longer have a fatty liver either.

I didn't go as low as some people - I didn't need to. I started on 100g a day, then went down to 85g as I was still getting a slightly high reading first thing (the dawn phenomenon). Buying a meter was crucial, it is silly that the NHS won't recognise this and supply them for us as it saves them money long term but as long as you get one that doesn't need expensive strips it isn't too bad.

It was fairly easy making the changes, I found some recipes to replace the main things I would miss (rice and toast) and a few treats - there are recipes here and on the lowcarbrpogram or on keto sites, just avoid the more processed stuff on some of the USA sites.

As you are one of the 10% who are not overweight then you need to make sure you eat enough healthy fat to replace the carbs. Things like double cream, full fat greek yogurt, cheese, eggs, meats, with olive oil dressings on salad and butter on green veg.

Click to expand...

Wow! Thank you for sharing! You've reverted non alcoholic fatty liver! I'm so happy for you! Another story of hope!

On day one, I went down to 20g. I didn't find it particular difficult, but perhaps it was just me being moved by fear. I'll do anything in my power to lower my blood sugar. It's so precious to me to be given the hope that it is possible! Thank you!

About the fats, that's what freaks me out. After avoiding fats my whole life, it is so difficult to jump to the other side. Psychologically. But I'll do it, too, if that's what it takes.

I'm already eating butter. I've learned to make the 90 s keto bread, which I love.

bulkbiker said:

Still wouldn't rely on just one reading though.. ask for an HbA1c.
Cutting carb consumption down won't do any harm though in the interim. Good luck!

Click to expand...

Thank you, will do.

Today, I've got my hands on The Diabetes Code and read most of it, skipping the parts I thought I could read later. I've decided to add intermittent fasting to what I'm doing to use all I know of that can help me.

I'm not sure how I'll do it, but I'm thinking of doing the 36 h he talks about in the book.

I'll buy a BG monitor to read my BG as I go.

HSSS said:

We’ve all been brainwashed and felt how you do now. There’s plenty of science out there now pulling the whole fat/cholesterol/statins myths apart and that helps re educate along with improving numbers bgl, cholesterol, weight, blood pressure, cm or inches as well as the less tangible energy, alertness, less bloating , better digestion, less aches and inflammation etc etc. Just gotta jump and see for yourself.
Btw you are not a mouse and more than likely they were talking about temporary easy to fix side effects often spouted to deter people and keep them on the grain/carb gravy train.

Click to expand...

Thank you for helping! After what I've read today, I'm quite sad I've taken so long to try. Perhaps this unfortunate reading of 102 will end up being the beginning of a healthier me.

I feel a bit better, with hope that I can do something.

Daibell said:

Hi. Confusing isn't it and it seems wrong to ignore the 'experts' but in the case of the right diabetes diet, the 'experts' haven't done their homework and just re-iterate the same mantra that other medics say and it's not based on good science or independent research. A low-carb diet will do you no harm and will reduce blood sugar and usually excess weight. Proteins are fine and the Sat Fat thing is based on very shaky science. The liver largely decides what cholesterol it releases into the blood stream and that is largely independent of the fat you eat but is influenced by the carbs you eat; the liver readily stores excess carbs as fat. So go low-carb with enough fats and proteins and after a few weeks/months have your cholesterol/Lipids ratios checked and you should find they have improved.

Click to expand...

It is!

But I've been reading a good book today that explained the whole thing. I'll read the papers it cited to help with my psychological blockage, but I'm decided to leap over to the other side.

Low fat put me where I am. I've done the exercising since childhood. I've kept my weight in check. I've eaten the grains. Wholemeal. And my blood sugar is high.

That should be proof enough that, at least for me, the usual guidelines (low fat) didn't work. Time to try another approach.

Thank you for helping.

I was feeling lonely. Thank you all for the support!

Veryanxious said:

Don't take extreme measures just on one glucose reading of 102. I can say it because i was in same situation my blood sugar was 103.
Also if you are overweight now, no harm in achieving healthy weight. Don't go high fat or very low carb. I think just by cutting refined carbs, high fat meat and little less calories you can easily lower blood sugar and weight.
If you want, discuss low carb/keto with your doctor.
Research very well both sides. People are successful in reducing hba1c on both high fat and high carb diet. Stick to the foods which is more aligned to your traditional diet.

Click to expand...

Thank you for helping!

Can you tell me what happened since your 103? What did you do? Is your BG normal now? Thank you for sharing!

Edit: I've just found your thread on the Soapbox. I'll read it to find answers to my questions. I have only read the first post till now, but Ill read the rest tonight and tomorrow. I just wanted to say that I hope you're feeling better and that your health is ok. *hug*