Recently diagnosed with prediabetes

Hi and welcome. What lifestyle changes have you made? Can you tell us everything you ate yesterday?

Hi. To answer your questions

I wouldn’t rely on how you feel. Many on here, even some with very high numbers have no symptoms. Others get symptoms at low numbers. It’s not reliable. The only way to know is to test. At home on your own meter is best as it allows you to see what each meal is doing to your blood glucose levels and adjust the next similar meal if required. Get tested regularly at the drs in any case.

Sadly you seem to have been caught by the same trap as most and gone for the low fat option. It is the carbohydrates in what you eat that make a difference to diabetes not the fat. And if you adjust those to suit your body then your weight should adjust accordingly. Think of a seesaw. Remove carbs and add fats and proteins instead. Yes I did say add fats. Most of us type 2 in here sort out our diabetes and loose excess weight whilst adding fats - so long as we reduce carbs. It might not mean adding a lot of fat. Maybe just ditching the low fat stuff and using normal stuff. It’s incredibly important to keep you feeling full and having energy. Low fat products tend to add sugars and chemicals instead. How many carbs you cut and how much fat you add is highly personal.

So looking at what you ate. The bread, the oats, the banana especially but most fruits with the exception of berries, the crackers and the cider are all problematic. Dry wines or spirits with diet mixers are a better choice than beers or ciders. The eggs, the water, salads, plain yoghurt, (normal not low fat) cheese, meat and veg are all good as is the exercise

Here’s a few links to get you started. Take them one at a time as it’s a lot of reading.

Can I suggest you take a good look at LCHF ie low carb higher fat (than typically recommended) methods of eating (keto is just a version of this). It’s how an awful lot of us get our blood sugar levels under control and for some even eliminate medications and achieve remission and also reduce or improve complications. It is often the easiest and most sustainable form of weight loss for a type 2 if you need that. Other conditions often improve including but not limited to blood pressure, joint pain, inflammation, PCOS, and despite the dire warnings of the last few decades it improves cholesterol for most, yes improves cholesterol. Some jump right on it, others edge their toes in a bit at a time. Be aware the the USA count carbs differently so be aware if you look at their counting, recipes or products. They include fibre in their count we don’t. So if it’s USA stuff deduct the fibre to get our figures. (Fibre isn’t generally digested thus doesn’t get counted)


Try clicking these links for more detailed explanations that are well worth readings.


http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.26870/


https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog/jokalsbeek.401801/ for info including low carb made simple


And https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/success-stories-and-testimonials.43/ to show it really works and for motivation


and https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/ for food ideas


also https://www.dietdoctor.com/ for more food ideas and general info of carb content of foods. Excellent site and first port of call for many getting their head round low carb.


Lots of other websites for recipes out there too. Just use the term low carb or keto with whatever you fancy.


Also it’s very important to be able to check for yourself what’s happening so you can make the necessary adjustments day to day and meal by meal rather than wait 3, 6 or even 12 months and then have no idea what had what effect. It also helps keep an eye out that any meds are working appropriately not too much or too little. Getting a blood glucose meter is the only way to do this (no matter what contradictory advice you may have heard - it’s usually budget based rather than anything more scientific). Test before a meal and 2hrs later hoping for a rise of 2mmol or less. More and the carbs eaten were too many! Please ask if you want any guidance on this.


IMPORTANT FOR ANYONE ON DIABETIC MEDS (other than metformin): if you lower your carbs then any glucose lowering meds or insulin increasing meds may need to be adjusted accordingly to make sure you aren’t taking more than your new diet requires. It can cause a hypo if you have more gliclazide or insulin etc than your new carb intake requires. (This is not a concern for metformin on its own). Keep a very close eye on your numbers and do this with your dr’s knowledge so they can reduce medication accordingly. Please don’t be put off by an ill informed out dated rubbishing of low carb diets or being told you should eat carbs to match meds, it should be the other way around. Low carb is endorsed by the NHS and the ADA as an effective method of control, even if the practice staff don’t realise that yet.

Wow - you are hammering the carbohydrates there - do you understand what type two diabetes is?

@NitinHP ... as HSS said, poor choices. But learning here was a good one

NitinHP said:

I am a carer and only concerned about staying healthy enough to be a carer,
without the person I care for knowing I have an issue and not letting my issue progress any further.

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Honing in on that as others have answered most eloquently the route you should take..

HOW will you be able to help someone else if you are waylaid by an illness you couldn't avoid..?
and how does it help them for you ..NOT to treat it, ..?

without meaning to offend..please excuse the bluntness

what IS important here. ?

the fact of looking after someone i can only guess means much to you.
and you do that by getting sicker...?

or to look after them as BEST you can, by staying as well as possible for as long as possible. ?

Take the route that gets YOU as well as possible.
if that means they know..so be it.

i'm pretty sure i'd rather have YOU in MY corner fighting for ME
if a little worried about what was wrong with you,
then YOU staggering along doing your best for ME, until...

You can't any longer..

how does THAT benefit ME..

you do see my point.
the strong look after the weak.
(mother and baby comes to mind..as does father and son)

and that ONLY works if one looks after oneself TO stay strong to protect the other.

Best wishes you find a solution that works for YOU @NitinHP

If you are sometimes running with high glucose, that can cause mood swings. Look after yourself.

NitinHP said:

Hi jjraak

The person I care for has been my reason for living, for so long now that your post has raised the most important thing I need to address first. Do I care enough about myself, to make the necessary changes.
Honestly, I do not think that I do care enough about myself.
I have been having issues with my partner, who does not live with me. We have broken up several times since I first starting having symptoms, without knowing what was causing my mood swings.
I have just asked her for a break, whilst I ask myself some important questions before I address the pre diabetes.

I really appreciate your post as I need to find some real, honest self worth. Or I carry on as I am.

The person I care for is my mother and I promised my father on his death bed 30 years ago that I would look after her. I think my motivation to deal with my pre diabetes lies in my promise. At least I hope that will be enough?

I really do appreciate your post as it is my way to push the hard but important issues to the background and deal with what is in front of me. I have been loosing myself in the research and as many have pointed out, I am getting it wrong! Which I appreciate being told, as I need directness!!! Thank you to those community members

I don't think I can do that with pre diabetes?

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Hi @NitinHP ,

My husband is my carer. There were multiple things wrong with me before I became a T2 diabetic, and yet, I still am in a similar situation as you are: Do I care enough about myself to tackle the D? Nope. But I do care about my husband, and I saw what T2 did to friends and family members. I'll be damned if I make his life any harder than it already is, and make him an early widower to boot. So everything I do, I do for him. Is that wrong, should I be doing it for me? Sure, that all sounds wonderful, and Dr. Phil'd be applauding in the background, put it on a tile or whatever, but in the end, ANYTHING that motivates you to turn your life around and take care of you, is good. Whatever gets you started is a good thing! After all, high blood sugars, and considering what you eat, with all those carbs, they will be high consistently, they can and will feed depression, ruin your feeling of self-worth, and give you mood swings. That's what sugars do to you, they mess you up mentally. I know I resembled a dragon more than a wife at one point! If you get a grip on this whole blood sugar thing, via low carbing, you'll be an easier person all round... Not just for the people around you, but more importantly, for yourself. (The feeling of empowerment I can recommend too, by the way.). So while the jumping off point may not be the psychology-book ideal, anything that gets you out of the starting blocks is good. So if right now you're going to be doing it for your mum, fine. Just do it, whatever your motivation. Everything else will follow.

HSSS already shared the link to my Nutritional Thingy, so I won't slap you over the head with it again. But just start with nixing all those carbs you're eating. The bread, fruits, oats, crackers,underground veggies. Oh and those balls from Ikea, they're nice and all, but I can have no more than a couple per day, (and I do mean two or so) without hitting my limit. There's a lot of carby fillers in there, you're better off just buying their excellent frozen salmon. Skip all the low fat junk and stock up on full fat stuff. Much healthier.

You'll be fine, just take a moment to learn about carbs. You'll be back to good in no time at all. And get your life back on track as you go, because you'll be in a better place mentally as well. Give it a chance.
Hugs,
Jo

Personally I would cut out bread altogether. Add another egg.

Bless you! We are all a bit delusional when we first start out! It takes time to get your head around this and you can't take it all in at once.You are making a good start, would you like to tell us what you have planned for your next meal?

NitinHP said:

I have had very little info from a health care practitioner, other than to confirm that I am pre diabetic.
I am trying to get my head around it all.

I have :
Stopped drinking litres of cordial drinks
Stopped regular alcohol
Stopped eating upto a pack of biscuits at a time
Stopped eating bars of chocolate
Stopped fast food
Stopped microwave and ready meals

So although I have not grasped what it means to have pre diabetes going forward long term, I feel I have already made great changes.

I would appreciate your honesty in telling me whether or not I am being delusional, please.

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Ha, delusional... Nope. You are making progress, but it is a lot to learn and a lot to change. (Like, do leave the bread alone). It takes a little time to know what changes to make though, and you're learning. You'll get there.

For snacking (when I first started), I used to have a small handful of nuts, cheese and olives on standby.

You have made a good start, but you have retained quite a few high carb foods - or even begun to eat more of them, plus, you are eating low fat versions of quite a few things.
There are frantic efforts to 'prove' that fat is the enemy, along with cholesterol, particularly LDL cholesterol - but the more analysis of actual number done, the less evidence that low fat is even good for us, let alone conferring any benefits.
Many type two diabetics go against modern dogma and eat fat - it is, after all, what our brains and nervous systems are composed of. When I took Atorvastatin for a few weeks I thought that I would have to go into a care home as I was in a daze and could not remember what I was doing, or what I had done.
I am in remission now, but I stick to under 40 gm of carbs a day.
I eat meat, fish, eggs, cheese, ful fat yoghurt and cream. The only fruit I eat is frozen berries in small amounts, a maximum of two times a week. I drink coffee with cream, and have salads with coleslaw and olive oil and vinegar dressing, or roasted veges, or a stirfry.
The list you gave is high in carbs - three pieces of fruit plus blueberries is probably several days of carbs for me, but that is just the start for you.
I use bread which is 4 gm of carbs per slice, Livlife or protein bread, and usually have one slice when I have kippers. I avoid anything with sauces or coatings, preferring to have non messed about with foods anyway, but the additions are usually starch heavy.