PREDIABETES

CLIFFYBOY75 said:

Hello ,

Ive been recently diagnosed with the Prediabetes .

My mother has type 2 diabetes.

Can anyone share some information on how serious it is?
is it a matter of changing my lifestyle and diet ? and if i do will it mean i wont get the full Diabetes, my BMI is 32.2 at the moment i have been dieting for 3-4 weeks now and have lost a stone im 17.2 stone and want to get to 15 as im 6' 1" .

I use the fitbit to help me which is a great tool.

Any information will be greatly received.

Cheers

Cliff

Click to expand...

Hi @CLIFFYBOY75 ,

Welcome to the forums.

How serious it is, depends on how seriously you take it. With the right approach it need not develop into diabetes, with the wrong approach the outcome could be a host of unpleasant complications.

But you're off to a GREAT start, so well done on getting the weight down and keep up the good work.

For a potential T2, you're likely to benefit greatly from diet and exercise. Have a look around the forums and the info on the front end of the DCUK website which is very useful.

Ask as many questions as you like, nearly always people around who can help.

Dead serious is how serious it is. Letting your blood sugar spike will kill your remaining ability to produce insulin. Loosing weight will recover some of that ability and make your body more sensitive to the insulin you are producing.

Unpleasant complications is secret diabetes code for practically everything you can imagine from increase risk of cancer to going blind, having the risk of amputations.

As you can see, I don't hold with this "give it to them gently" approach.

Loose weight, eat less than 50 gm carbs a day, exercise everyday, (after meals to reduce your blood sugar spikes)

Anyone who tells you its okay to have a mashed potato binge twice a month is fooling themselves. "healthy whole grains" is nonsense

Use your blood sugar meter. One slice of whole grain bread does me in - my BMI is 25.

I'm only a week ahead of you and the support within this. Community has really helped me springboard a life change in terms of diet.

I've just about stopped all carbs, eating plenty if protein, fat, veggies and berries, I'm not hungry, I've lost 4 lbs in one week and my blood sugar levels have already dropped significantly. So I am
convinced there's every hope for you, if you take a pragmatic approach, flip the emotional switch that says " from this day on I'm going to change" and then do it.

You are not going to be able to eat at restaurants and cafes. Everything has sugar in it, its like there is some crazed chef school out there that says the finishing touch is a desert spoon of sugar. 9/10 of the super market no longer applies to you. Even packets of nut (which you can eat), check the dietary information carefully, some manufacturers even add suger to nuts!! why, because its cheaper than nuts so it cost them less.
Drugs are about 1/3 as effective as straight diet and exercise. People I have talked to that took metformin say it just delayed the inevitable and allowed them to carry on eating toxic sugar and they should never have started. Kevin Potts is right, you need to flip the switch, there are no half measures.

tltourer said:

You are not going to be able to eat at restaurants and cafes. Everything has sugar in it, its like there is some crazed chef school out there that says the finishing touch is a desert spoon of sugar. 9/10 of the super market no longer applies to you. Even packets of nut (which you can eat), check the dietary information carefully, some manufacturers even add suger to nuts!! why, because its cheaper than nuts so it cost them less.
Drugs are about 1/3 as effective as straight diet and exercise. People I have talked to that took metformin say it just delayed the inevitable and allowed them to carry on eating toxic sugar and they should never have started. Kevin Potts is right, you need to flip the switch, there are no half measures.

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I think that's a little overly dramatic, but you are right about not taking diabetes lightly.

The entire point of managing your diabetes is so you can otherwise enjoy your life. There's nothing that says you can't go to restaurants and cafes, there's nothing that says you can NEVER have sugar, and saying that Drugs are about 1/3rd as effective as diet/exercise is simply untrue.

Diabetes certainly makes those things matter much more, that much is true, but there's nothing that says you can't enjoy things in moderation on rare occasions.

Hi and welcome to forum. It's a bit of a shock to be told you have pre diabetes especially as the medical profession tend to insist it's a progressive disease and you will end up on insulin and at risk of all sorts of complications BUT - it doesn't have to be like that. I sort of ignored it when first told since NHS advice made no sense to me and would have had me adding carbs to my diet way more than I usually ate. Carbs are the problem so why would I follow that advice?

Anyway a year on and another test and Doc says she'll put me on metformin and I will have to take a statin for the rest of my life. Well I wasn't having that. Spent a couple of weeks on research, went through a period of food confusion and feeling sorry for myself but then found this forum, the low carb high fat lifestyle and the dietdoctor.com website which I highly recommend you take a look at, as it has loads of great info and links to the science behind what they recommend for weight loss and diabetes.

Nearly another year on and I'm actually quite glad I got my diagnosis. By changing my eating habits (basically going cold turkey on all the carbs which i never thought I'd be able to do since I practically lived on toast and loved pasta and rice), going low carb and adding back in all the good fats i've turned things around.

The result - effortless weight loss of over a stone ( I wasn't overweight really but at top end of good weight), Many minor irritating health condition s have vanished, i am fitter and healthier than ever before, BP great, lipid profile great Blood glucose levels well within normal range and doc doesn't want to see me again. Would like to see her though to tell her how I did it. Planning to run a 10km in July when I've never run before and doing weight training etc and taking much more exercise.

So it is serious but it can also be an opportunity to change your life for the better - you just have to take it and it seems you've made a good start and by taking the advice on this forum and on dietdoctor.com you can remain in control and improve you health.

Low carb is becoming more popular - you may have seen the spiralised veggies in the shops to use instead of pasta. And there are restaurants which can cater for low carb diets. At Loch Fyne you can choose your main and several sides so you can have several veggie sides instead of potatoes or chips. At Prezzo they do chicken dishes with salad so when everyone wants a pizza you can still enjoy good food. I also still drink red wine and occasional spirits with diet mixers. You do have to shop more carefully and think a bit more about what you eat when you go out but i haven't found it has stopped me doing anything at all.

tltourer said:

You are not going to be able to eat at restaurants and cafes. Everything has sugar in it, its like there is some crazed chef school out there that says the finishing touch is a desert spoon of sugar. 9/10 of the super market no longer applies to you. Even packets of nut (which you can eat), check the dietary information carefully, some manufacturers even add suger to nuts!! why, because its cheaper than nuts so it cost them less.
Drugs are about 1/3 as effective as straight diet and exercise. People I have talked to that took metformin say it just delayed the inevitable and allowed them to carry on eating toxic sugar and they should never have started. Kevin Potts is right, you need to flip the switch, there are no half measures.

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Whoa! If you want to believe those opinions, then fine. But there is no need to state them as fact to someone who is only just starting out on this journey. Especially to someone who has prediabetes, and is already making great strides in reducing his chances of progressing to T2.

Of course you can eat out in restaurants and cafes. I eat out a couple of times a week. I just make careful choices from the menu. Most places have a few lower carb options, and nearly everywhere allows you to swap potato for salad, or serve the burger without bread. I think in the last few years i have only been in a couple of places where i have been unable to make an enjoyable lower carb meal from the menu. My blood glucose is well controlled and i am improving in health, not deteriorating.

As for the drugs, i agree that diet and exercise are very powerful tools in the T2 armoury, but blaming drugs for people not taking their condition seriously is a deductive leap too far.

Changing attitude is great, but it doesn't mean we have to adopt fundamentalist thinking and live a life excluded from supermarkets or restaurants.

CLIFFYBOY75 said:

Hello ,

Ive been recently diagnosed with the Prediabetes .

My mother has type 2 diabetes.

Can anyone share some information on how serious it is?
is it a matter of changing my lifestyle and diet ? and if i do will it mean i wont get the full Diabetes, my BMI is 32.2 at the moment i have been dieting for 3-4 weeks now and have lost a stone im 17.2 stone and want to get to 15 as im 6' 1" .

I use the fitbit to help me which is a great tool.

Any information will be greatly received.

Cheers

Cliff

Click to expand...

Very well done on your weight loss so far, and don't worry. Type 2 diabetes is only dangerous if you let it get out of control.

Yes, you will have to change your diet, but we have a tool to help us with this - a blood glucose meter. I suggest you buy one. You can then test yourself before a meal and again a couple of hours later. The rise in your levels will tell you whether that meal was a wise choice or a bad choice. If the rise is too high there are too many carbs in that meal. You can then reduce the portion size of those carbs and try again, or eliminate them. Keeping a food diary will also help with this learning process.

If you reduce your carb intake, lose weight, and exercise a little more, you have every chance of not crossing the line to diabetes.

I'll tag @daisy1 who has some great information for newcomers. Do take time to read it, and spend time reading these forums and also the main website, which has all the information you need.

CLIFFYBOY75 said:

Hello ,

Ive been recently diagnosed with the Prediabetes .

My mother has type 2 diabetes.

Can anyone share some information on how serious it is?
is it a matter of changing my lifestyle and diet ? and if i do will it mean i wont get the full Diabetes, my BMI is 32.2 at the moment i have been dieting for 3-4 weeks now and have lost a stone im 17.2 stone and want to get to 15 as im 6' 1" .

I use the fitbit to help me which is a great tool.

Any information will be greatly received.

Cheers

Cliff

Click to expand...

Hi Cliffyboy75,
I was diagnosed as prediabetics the year before, but i didnt really change my life style and now im a diabetic, i am truly regrets not fix my life style in the first place when i can.... now its way too late. So here's my suggestion-
A. Discuss with your GP if you should go onto metformin
B. Request to have a hab1c blood test every 2 months and work out the average mmol
C. Loss weigh - low carb diet and be active, such as exercise at least 2 hours per week

Once your weight drop, your BG level will follows. Please dont follow my path! Reverse it when your can!!!
Good luck

@CLIFFYBOY75

Hello and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and I hope it will help you. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

tltourer said:

You are not going to be able to eat at restaurants and cafes.

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No need to join the others other than to say digest their messages. What you said is simply way off base, inaccurate and inappropriate.

CLIFFYBOY75 said:

Hello ,

Ive been recently diagnosed with the Prediabetes .

My mother has type 2 diabetes.

Can anyone share some information on how serious it is?
is it a matter of changing my lifestyle and diet ? and if i do will it mean i wont get the full Diabetes, my BMI is 32.2 at the moment i have been dieting for 3-4 weeks now and have lost a stone im 17.2 stone and want to get to 15 as im 6' 1" .

I use the fitbit to help me which is a great tool.

Any information will be greatly received.

Cheers

Cliff

Click to expand...

Hello ,
Make some changes now and you should be able to maintain or even reduce your hba1c. Get a blood glucose monitor and track what happens when you eat, then adapt your diet to maintain good levels and avoid peaks. I aim to keep mine below 8 two hours after eating, sometimes it is well above but I learn from that and cross whatever food caused it off my list. Once you know what your body can deal with eating out is not such a problem. Suggest you read all about carbs, stop eating all the really bad stuff like white bread, biscuits cake etc., and then start testing other stuff to see what you are ok with. I reduced my Hba1c from diabetic to pre in a few months and have maintained it. Also exercise is important and you should try to do some every day, even if just walking, as it helps with the glucose levels. I find my levels are lower when I have been active between eating and testing. It is not easy but it is worth it. Good luck.