Recently diagnosed with prediabetes

NitinHP said:

Hi

I am eating a salad, consisting of:

Lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage with 2 slices of chicken.

2 small crackers (I know this is not good, I have a few left and would rather finish them than throw them away)

I will get hungry again in an hour or so. Will try a cup of green tea and post again if I eat anything else.

It means a lot to me that you guys are there and I will be grateful for any and all responses. Thank you. I feel supported and will do my best not to let you and myself down.

Click to expand...

My mom in law kept offering me cookies. "I thought you liked me!", I told her. "You do know that stuff's basically poison to me, eh". She stopped offering. Instead, now when we go for coffee, which we do regularly, she eats the cookies that come with my tea and espresso's. Quite the help! Bottom line: Don't eat something you know is bad for you. Not out of frugality (the birds'll happily eat it for you if you don't want to bin it. Or there's always the food bank). Or as in my case, social expectations. It's hurting you. You wouldn't munch on arsenic, would you? It's a switch to throw in your brain, and not one you have to throw overnight, but... Start thinking of carbs as something you're basically allergic to. You won't go into anaphylactic shock, but long term damage isn't fun either. Just something to mull over.

NitinHP said:

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

Click to expand...

Wow that is a great start.
For me key to recovery of normal BG was cutting out all grains.
If you have a blood glucose meter it will tell you what that bread does to your BG

NitinHP said:

Hi

I have found an old meter and will use this for now, until I find one to purchase.
Thank you

Click to expand...

Make sure the strips you have are up to date.
@Rachox has links to buy meters

NitinHP said:

I am self employed and can work 12 hour shifts.

Breakfast and lunch are provided, but not always the healthiest and not always at regular times.

If I am thinking about snacks and meals on the go, are there any go to items that do not require refrigeration.

I think i am correct in saying the following:

Almonds
Walnuts

I will also check the 'what i had to eat' post for ideas.

Thank you

Click to expand...

Olives
Peperoni
Baby bell

Hi @NitinHP ,and thanks for the tag @Hotpepper20000

Here’s some info on UK meters, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned. For a meter with cheap strips go for the Tee2 + found here:

http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-plus-blood-glucose-meter/ with the strips found here:

http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-testing-strips/


With more expensive strips is the Caresens Dual which I currently use, this one has the advantage of glucose and ketone testing in one machine, it’s to be found here:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/collections/caresens-dual


And to be totally transparent I used to use the SD Code Free which has the cheapest strips available. However I found itto be becoming less and less reliable, although I hear reliability may have improved now. Here it is for anyone wanting to give it a go:

http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/

and here for the extra strips

http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/

There are discount codes if you buy in bulk.

5 packs 264086

10 packs 975833


Don’t forget to check the box that you have diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)


Home Health have recently bought out this one too, but I haven’t heard any reviews yet:


https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/gluconavii-blood-sugar-meter-glucose-monitor-starter-kit/

I eat frozen berries, and veges too, so that I don't waste any and there is no temptation to overeat.
The loss of nutrients isn't something to bother about really - not with the amount of plantlife I consume almost daily. I buy radishes courgette cauliflower tomatoes cucumber beansprouts lettuce beetroot celery celeriac swede turnip carrot parsnip onion, packs of stir fry and salad, all fresh, as well as the frozen mixes and berries.

NitinHP said:

I am having a second salad of the day. Same as before, but with cheese and a large cup of milky tea.

No CRACKERS

Are frozen veg better than fresh veg. I read that fresh fruit and veg loose a lot of their nutrients due to the decaying process, which begins almost immediately after picking.
Frozen veg are flash frozen and therefore retain more nutrients.

Click to expand...

Flash freezing is the reason why my grocery bill is low. In season, out of season, doesn't matter. I have a lot in the freezer, and it's perfectly fine. (Especially the cauliflower rice. I could make my own, but I hate turning my kitchen into a disaster area.). As for when you're out and about, boiled eggs are easy to take with, cold cuts, chicken and cheeses too. Keep the fats up.

I’m not seeing much in the way of fats to prevent the hunger pangs an hour after eating. Better to include them in the meals than snack later.

NitinHP said:

I have consumed around 21 grams of carbs, so far today.

Tomorrow, I will aim for under 10, with no bread and no crackers.

Should my aim be 0 carbs?

Are all root vegetables a definate no?

My personal, biggest goal, is giving up something I rely on way too much, smoking. It is currently causing me much anxiety with diet etc whilst I am cutting down. I want to do everything at once. But realistically, I need to sort out the food first? Or am i being too weak?

I do not know if i am doing enough. I have a voice in my head telling me to just do it and give up.

I do not know if i am using the pre diabetes as an excuse or given my mood swings and bouts of depression, would stopping smoking immediately be advised?

Then i think, the sooner i stop it all and workout what to eat, the sooner my condition can be stopped progressing. Is it a journey or should I be solely focused on the destination and getting there as soon as possible.

Click to expand...

All the people I know who gave up smoking got the munchies so perhaps hold off doing everything at once.
Focus on getting more tasty fat in rather than dumping all the carbs. You can have a pound of leafy greens (taste nice sautéed in fat, especially duck fat or butter) and still get under 20g carbs. Broccoli, cauliflower, french beans, cucumber, celery, spinach, cabbage, bok choy, all low carb.
But, your biggest goal may give you a lot of satisfaction if you achieve it.
Just try to take some action, there's support here

Hello NitinHP,
It sounds to me as if you are making a great effort to improve your diet.
Remember you don't have to do it all at once. And you are pre diabetic, so some carbs may well be ok. Two crackers perhaps but not four or five. Maybe a little more chicken with the salad.
I can eat small amounts of bread and potatoes. Depending on the type of bread. They do vary.
If you eat more of the normal foods, full fat yoghurt, milk, cheese, nuts, avocados, olives. As well as the fattier cuts of meat, and high quality protein such as eggs, you will find that hunger is less if a problem.
Wishing you well on your journey to better health.

1 - you can’t go by how you feel. It is only when you are extremely high, or low, that you might just feel a thing (not guaranteed).
2 - you need to cut carbs as much as possible. All carbs will quickly turn to glucose in your blood. Some carbs, such as those in soft drinks, smoothies or fruit juice, will send your BS readings up very quickly.
3 - add more exercise to your daily routines, the easiest is a brisk walk of at least 30 minutes. You have to raise your heartbeat for it to be doing you some good.

10g is pretty hard core. Keto is typically 20g and many achieve it at higher amounts. By all means go keto if that’s what you want but it’s quite possibly not necessary to go to that extreme. (Full disclosure I did and stay under 50g now - most often less - but then I was diagnosed and am pretty. stubbornly insulin resistant still). I’d still advise adjusting for a while at the 20 you hit today before taking it further. You’ve already taken a massive leap. You may be fine at 50g or even 100g Hard to know without testing (see it’s back to testing again!)

Be aware keto might come with some temporary side effects so be aware of what it is and what to do. (Eat more fats and drink a lot more fluids than you think and add sodium, potassium and magnesium rich foods or supplements as the supply of these drop significantly for many people when they ditch the processed carby foods and it can make you feel totally rubbish if it happens.

OK now I have read what everyone else has written I will add my bit. Firstly you are doing great!! I have been prediabetic for 17 years and it is only in the last year that my fasting blood sugars have gone higher than I would like and I am going to have to accept that sooner or later I will have to start metformin.
I do low carb/low GI, high fat and loads of exercise despite my age. (no rice, potatoes, pasta , bread, pastry etc) I am nearly 71 and tonight I did a body combat class and then a circuit and well kept up with the youngsters except I now do lower bar bell weights!!

Dinner tonight when I got home was to fry coconut oil) aubergine, onion and mushrooms and then threw a couple of whisked eggs on top . This was followed my a mandarin and some blueberries + a few naughty grapes which I washed down with a gulp of double cream because the fat in the cream means the fruit gets digested slower which means less spike. Only ever have fruit with a meal. I did have a square of chocolate but it has to be 85% + and usually 90-100%. Get a taste for it.

Make sure when you cook your veg that they are on the harder side than very soft as that makes low GI into high GI e.g. raw carrots are better than cooked . I noticed you asked about root veg. No potatoes but sweet potatoes are allowed. No parsnips or beetroot (unless raw and grated in your salad). Spaghetti squash is good if you can find it and have your meat bolognaise on spiralised courgettes or butternut squash or cauliflower rice . My pizza base of choice is a fat long slice of grilled aubergine!! However there are recipes of a base made with cauliflower rice and mozzarella cheese if you can be bothered . You didn't mention fish - salmon is a good choice as it is a fatty fish - great fried with crispy skin.
Re bread - better to have something like Atkins low carb crispbread at 1.8g carbs and 1.3 of protein. (6 packets of 20 very cheap on Amazon UK at the moment) Cheese goes nicely on them. Look for a low carb high protein bread like Livlife if you must. Snack on delicious cheese and nuts including nut butters.
Well done on the green tea- I drink it all the time.
Supplements - add Cinnamon powder where you can and chromium both well known for diabetics.
Eat by your meter so do buy one. It is the only way you know which foods spike your blood sugar e.g. that pesky sweetener malitol in many sugar free products!! All of us are different with what our body with accept.

I hope this is helpful to you

I dropped my Hba1c from 91 to 41 in 6 months eating 50 gm of carbs a day, so low carb is very effective, and if you are lucky you might well be able to eat more - that is where a meter comes in handy.
here really is no reason to go right down to very low amounts of carbs - I find that on the 40 gm a day I now set as a maximum I can have a salad - a large salad, and a stir fry or roast veges every day, and berries and cream a couple of times a week.
Today for supper I had the remains of a chicken I roasted earlier this week, some swede and about a quarter of a pack of mixed veges, cooked in olive oil. I was going to have some berries - I forgot. The foods on low carb are so nourishing that I am just not hungry, even on only two meals a day on a normal day, today I did not eat first thing as I needed to go to the dentist, and then I was not hungry when I returned.