shock news

[Bellatom]

Had a HC1A blood test or something like this told result was 48 which makes me prediabetic. I was advised to exercise and start a low carb diet to try and turn things around. I am not sure how I calculate the amount of carbs I can have to loose weight and reduce my glucose levels does anyone have any suggestions please.

 

[urbanracer]

Hi @Bellatom , it would depend on your own metabolism and activity levels.

I'd suggest that you start off keeping a food diary for a couple of weeks and see how many carbs you are eating each day ( unless you already know).

Armed with that information, see where you can cut down. The daily reference intake is 260g but you will find people on this website eating less than 50g and a lot of variation in between. You have to decide what's right for you and what you need to do to reach your own goals.

 

[MexicanPaty]

I don't know if it helps you at all. I was diagnosed last March and I 'm still learning how to handle it. I can tell you that a good diet is half the job: if you eat better you feel better, if you eat bad you feel bad . I'm not sure how many carbs you should eat and I guess it also depends on your activity level . Personally I kept them to a minimum the first three months to get my numbers go down to " normal" levels . It's very easy to keep track of the amount of carbs and fat you eat thanks to apps created just for that. I personally use myfitnesspal because its database is very broad and includes almost all brands from my country . Be patient and try to see this as an opportunity to give yourself a better life.

 

[Bellatom]

I don't know if it helps you at all. I was diagnosed last March and I 'm still learning how to handle it. I can tell you that a good diet is half the job: if you eat better you feel better, if you eat bad you feel bad . I'm not sure how many carbs you should eat and I guess it also depends on your activity level . Personally I kept them to a minimum the first three months to get my numbers go down to " normal" levels . It's very easy to keep track of the amount of carbs and fat you eat thanks to apps created just for that. I personally use myfitnesspal because its database is very broad and includes almost all brands from my country . Be patient and try to see this as an opportunity to give yourself a better life.

Been keeping my food diary on my fitness pal (love this app) and I keeping to around 90-100g carbs a day. Yesterday went a little over it was the Yorkshire pud that did the damage.
I was checking my glucose levels pre and post every meal but was quickly running out of the strips so cut back due to the cost so just pre/post breakfast /evening meal trying to ensure I keep to a 2mmol g/l rise pre/post meal.
Thank you for your reply as joining this group has made me feel a lot more positive and feel like I am taking control.
Just need to apologise as I must be driving everyone nuts with my constant questions.

 

[MartinK9]

Thank you for your reply as joining this group has made me feel a lot more positive and feel like I am taking control.
Just need to apologise as I must be driving everyone nuts with my constant questions.

Never apologise, your questions and the corresponding answers just might assist someone too scared to post themselves.

 

[Kristin251]

Been keeping my food diary on my fitness pal (love this app) and I keeping to around 90-100g carbs a day. Yesterday went a little over it was the Yorkshire pud that did the damage.
I was checking my glucose levels pre and post every meal but was quickly running out of the strips so cut back due to the cost so just pre/post breakfast /evening meal trying to ensure I keep to a 2mmol g/l rise pre/post meal.
Thank you for your reply as joining this group has made me feel a lot more positive and feel like I am taking control.
Just need to apologise as I must be driving everyone nuts with my constant questions.

How have your blood sugars been? What's your goal range?

 

[callyandy]

I don't know if it helps you at all. I was diagnosed last March and I 'm still learning how to handle it. I can tell you that a good diet is half the job: if you eat better you feel better, if you eat bad you feel bad . I'm not sure how many carbs you should eat and I guess it also depends on your activity level . Personally I kept them to a minimum the first three months to get my numbers go down to " normal" levels . It's very easy to keep track of the amount of carbs and fat you eat thanks to apps created just for that. I personally use myfitnesspal because its database is very broad and includes almost all brands from my country . Be patient and try to see this as an opportunity to give yourself a better life.

Welcome

 

[Resurgam]

at a reading of 48 I think that you are possibly classed as diabetic - it is certainly the number at which things start to get serious. Saying that, however my first reading was 91, and I felt if not exactly fine, quite normal. However, the instant the doctor said diabetes I switched to low carb eating. I ordered a whole hogget - a big lamb, on the way home and have seen lower blood glucose readings ever since. I do feel better, my waist is shrinking. I have nothing much to wear and find it rather hilarious, as my health care people have been warning me against Atkins for decades and now I am back on it again and so happy.
There are no carbs in meat and fish, and not many in berries - some of which are thought of as vegetables, but courgette, salad stuff, avocado, melons and mushrooms are all fairly low carb - I am sure there must be lists available , look for Atkins Induction foods if there isn't much when searching for low carb.
The traffic light labelling on the packets aren't much use as they don't indicate carbs, just sugar, which can be very misleading.

 

[Grannie75]

I also am a complete newby being shown as 45 3 weeks ago. I immediately changed to the LCHF diet. This was actually recommended by my Gp, she told me to read a book called the 8 week blood sugar diet by Dr Michael Mosley which I did. This was just the starting point for me and I then went on to find a book on Amazon called The Essential Blood Sugar diet recipe book. It is full of quick start guides and recipes with food you can find in any supermarket, this has now become my Bible. I am now never hungry yet I am slowly losing weight, not a lot, but around 8lbs with no effort. I feel so much better and don't miss the carbs at all ( except maybe the chocolate birthday cake my granddaughter had yesterday at her party!)
I must admit I find this LCHF food far more appetising and filling than the ridiculous low fat diet I have followed for years - always hungry and thinking about food before, but now happy and full.

 

[bulkbiker]

Had a HC1A blood test or something like this told result was 48 which makes me prediabetic. I was advised to exercise and start a low carb diet to try and turn things around. I am not sure how I calculate the amount of carbs I can have to loose weight and reduce my glucose levels does anyone have any suggestions please.

I found the best thing to do was cut out all of the obvious carbs. Bread , pasta , starchy veg (anything that grows underground) and the obvious cakes and sweets including sugary drinks. That will most likely make a huge difference. After a week or so of that then you can start checking food labels in the supermarket. For me anything with more than 5g of carb per 100g goes back on the shelf. If you can do that for a month you may well find you have lost the desire for sweet things so won't miss them anyway. I also started intermittent fasting by skipping breakfast and having tea or coffee with cream instead. These two things combined led to me loosing lots of weight (probably 5 stone) and reducing my blood sugar levels greatly.

 

[dunrena]

I found the best thing to do was cut out all of the obvious carbs. Bread , pasta , starchy veg (anything that grows underground) and the obvious cakes and sweets including sugary drinks. That will most likely make a huge difference. After a week or so of that then you can start checking food labels in the supermarket. For me anything with more than 5g of carb per 100g goes back on the shelf. If you can do that for a month you may well find you have lost the desire for sweet things so won't miss them anyway. I also started intermittent fasting by skipping breakfast and having tea or coffee with cream instead. These two things combined led to me loosing lots of weight (probably 5 stone) and reducing my blood sugar levels greatly.

hi there , am on the atkins diet since being diagnosed a few weeks ago , im scared it will harm me but I need to lose 6 stone , is it ok please ?

 

[Angelofthemarches]

Had a HC1A blood test or something like this told result was 48 which makes me prediabetic. I was advised to exercise and start a low carb diet to try and turn things around. I am not sure how I calculate the amount of carbs I can have to loose weight and reduce my glucose levels does anyone have any suggestions please.

I got an app called carbscontrol and it lets you look up the carbs in all the food you eat and log them at each meal. There are lots of apps like that around. Also you can just google each food stuff for the nutritional values. Prob also helps to have a list of lowish carb foods then its easier to make up menus. Make sure you include the good fats!!

 

[bulkbiker]

hi there , am on the atkins diet since being diagnosed a few weeks ago , im scared it will harm me but I need to lose 6 stone , is it ok please ?

Atkins should be fine for starters..what we do is close to the original Atkins diet just don't be afraid of adding some fat, butter coconut oil, avocados, cream, just avoid things that have been heavily processed like vegetable oils and anything marked low fat. Above ground veg are very good too and may not be included that much on original Atkins spinach, broccoli, cauliflower anything not too starchy.

Since eating that way and skipping breakfast I have managed to lose a bit over 7 stone in 15 months.

 

[dunrena]

Atkins should be fine for starters..what we do is close to the original Atkins diet just don't be afraid of adding some fat, butter coconut oil, avocados, cream, just avoid things that have been heavily processed like vegetable oils and anything marked low fat. Above ground veg are very good too and may not be included that much on original Atkins spinach, broccoli, cauliflower anything not too starchy.

Since eating that way and skipping breakfast I have managed to lose a bit over 7 stone in 15 months.

wow that is fantastic , I am sticking to the diet so far , thanks for the info

 

[callyandy]

I also am a complete newby being shown as 45 3 weeks ago. I immediately changed to the LCHF diet. This was actually recommended by my Gp, she told me to read a book called the 8 week blood sugar diet by Dr Michael Mosley which I did. This was just the starting point for me and I then went on to find a book on Amazon called The Essential Blood Sugar diet recipe book. It is full of quick start guides and recipes with food you can find in any supermarket, this has now become my Bible. I am now never hungry yet I am slowly losing weight, not a lot, but around 8lbs with no effort. I feel so much better and don't miss the carbs at all ( except maybe the chocolate birthday cake my granddaughter had yesterday at her party!)
I must admit I find this LCHF food far more appetising and filling than the ridiculous low fat diet I have followed for years - always hungry and thinking about food before, but now happy and full.

Welcome, what a wonderful message. congratulations on such a positive start.

 

[callyandy]

hi there , am on the atkins diet since being diagnosed a few weeks ago , im scared it will harm me but I need to lose 6 stone , is it ok please ?

Welcome, I am Low Carb Higher Fat, and don't know enough about Atkins to offer an opinion. I will however say you are in a very good place to learn and ask questions (more specific ones perhaps). People here are very generous with their knowledge and experience. Keep reading. Good luck.

 

[dunrena]

When I got my results I started mass research and cut all junk and sugar and white four products. Changed bread to Burgen or wholemeal. Cutting carbs for me only stopped it going too high but did not address my problem with insulin resistance and quickly noticed that exercise would have lasting effects that help with insulin resistance. So I went mad with exercise...

So for me it was rapid weight loss via intensive exercise and diet. From fasting in the high 6s and after meals in the 10s and 11s to numbers like today: fasting 3.9@7am 4.7 after breakfast and 5.2 after dinner(and dinner had sweet corn, and mixed veg, battered fish and stuffing, and other things I could not have eaten last year including a dessert after).

 

[dunrena]

thanks for the post , as u can tell I am new to all of this and don't know what all the numbers mean , I have been feeling quite low the past few days and don't know why , could this be due to the change in diet ? I need to lose a fair amount of weight , but its only sinking in now that this is a lifetime battle and not just something I can do in a month or so . we are all in the same boat and that helps

 

[Geordie_P]

Hi dunrena, it's normal to feel a bit low because of the shock of diagnosis, and maybe you need a little time to get used to your diet. When I was first diagnosed I dieted quite hard; as a result, my blood sugar was often in the threes, and I would feel quite down and dozy going to work in the mornings. A little more fat in the diet helped there- I started having a boiled egg (or two) for breakfast, and some sardines or almonds/ sunflower seeds during the day, and that picked my energy and mood right up again.
The other thing that will help is that you may well start feeling healthier and better as the weight comes off, or as your sugars come down. Of course, different people get better at different rates, but I wouldn't be surprised if you start feeling better sooner than you might expect. There's no real 'upside' to diabetes, but I must admit that I was in terrible shape without knowing it last September, and now I feel better than I have felt in 10-15 years.

 

[callyandy]

Hi dunrena, it's normal to feel a bit low because of the shock of diagnosis, and maybe you need a little time to get used to your diet. When I was first diagnosed I dieted quite hard; as a result, my blood sugar was often in the threes, and I would feel quite down and dozy going to work in the mornings. A little more fat in the diet helped there- I started having a boiled egg (or two) for breakfast, and some sardines or almonds/ sunflower seeds during the day, and that picked my energy and mood right up again.
The other thing that will help is that you may well start feeling healthier and better as the weight comes off, or as your sugars come down. Of course, different people get better at different rates, but I wouldn't be surprised if you start feeling better sooner than you might expect. There's no real 'upside' to diabetes, but I must admit that I was in terrible shape without knowing it last September, and now I feel better than I have felt in 10-15 years.

What a fantastic post @dunrena may also be going through that phase when one's brain is getting used to less carbs, I became quite discombobulated for a few days, although Andy said I've always been like that!!.