Hi I was diagnosed prediabetic in may hba1c of 42 and was already slim but I’ve lost more weight now doing very low carb and my numbers aren’t all that great even on low carb around 30-40 a day. I don’t really exercise and I’m guessing I need to start I’ve never really exercised except walking. But I’m worried I’ve lost muscle as my upper arms look so skinny and like there is no muscle I’m feeling very depressed about all this I already suffer with anxiety and depression and feel really bad now. I really want to gain some weight but if I increase carbs my numbers will be worse. I don’t understand I can wake up with a 6.3 fasting number and it will continue to rise whether I eat or not till midday or 1. Then my postprandial numbers don’t come down till after about 3 hours. It would have been far easier if I had weight to lose. Can someone give me some advice as I’m close to giving up with everything now
Underweight with prediabetes
- Thread starter gowest12
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Resurgam
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My weight was always very stable eating meat, fish, seafood, eggs cheese, full fat yoghurt and cream in my coffee.
Is there any reason you avoid protein and fat?
Is there any reason you avoid protein and fat?
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Hi @gowest12 , are you eating enough?
Cutting the carbs means you need to up the fats and protein or you will be inadvertedly following a low calorie diet.
Would you like to share what you typically eat in a day?
Cutting the carbs means you need to up the fats and protein or you will be inadvertedly following a low calorie diet.
Would you like to share what you typically eat in a day?
I’m naturally slim too and I feel your pain. It’s not as easy as people think, is it? We need lots of fat and protein to make up for those carbs we aren’t eating, and people with small appetites really need to pay attention,
You are absolutely right in thinking that exercise is your friend. Building up lean muscle mass is so helpful: there’s nothing like a hungry, busy muscle to hoover glucose out of the bloodstream in a hurry. The extra bonus is that being lean and strong makes a person feel way better than being lean and weak. It’s better look too, if you’re interested in that sort of thing. The gains to be made by regular exercise - weight-bearing in particular - from a low starting point are hearteningly quick and the benefits to health kick in gratifyingly fast. Honestly, it’s all win-win.
I am sorry that you’re having a rotten time just now. I hope that you feel more optimistic soon. There’s everything to play for here and you can do it.
p.s. I’m with you on the anxiety and depression too. Again exercise, if we can just get ourselves well enough to face it, is so, so helpful. But I know it’s hard, believe me.
Since I feel so low I find it so hard to even get moving what’s the first type of exercise I should start with would swimming be good? I really need to build muscle but don’t know how! My arms look awful they need building up. Is it possible I’ve lost muscle I’m so worried and is that reversible can I build it back?
I find it hard to get in enough calories and as far as I’m aware I can’t snack can I? I see on a lot of low carb sites we should only eat 3 meals a day on low carb is that right? For breakfast I always have eggs either with some vegetarian sausages or cheese omelette. Lunch tuna or chicken salad with olive oil dressing and olives lettuce tomatoes. I add a chick of cheese as well dinner can be either chicken or pork with some green veg and I have been eating lentils along with the green veg. I also have Greek yoghurt as dessert with nuts and some blueberries.
I do eat protein and fat but I was vegetarian years ago and started eating meat again but I’m not mad on meat and I struggle with protein ideas and fat. I used to eat a lot of pasta being Italian and my meals were never protein fat and carbs it was mainly carbs!!!
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Have you counted the calories you usually eat in a day to check if you're not accidentally on a low calorie diet?
Resurgam
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I only eat twice a day, as that is what suits me - there really is no 'must' - so many people want to lay down the law on what others do, but honestly what is needed is what frees you to do as you like.
If you are not vegetarian then sausages with real meat are probably going to taste better. I get them from the coop and iceland, but they have to be low carb.
I have a trampoline in the garden and that seems to be good exercise - and it can be done on a whim, any time the sun comes out. That makes it an easy option.
I don’t know what age you are but it’s likely that you’re younger than me (60) and I have found that gentle but regular visits to the gym have improved my strength noticeably. Getting myself to go is another matter. But when I do it always - always - lifts my mood. Swimming is great to, as is getting out and walking in nature. Whatever you can manage will do you a power of good. It will probably improve your appetite for proteins and fat too, which sounds like something you could use.
sue512
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I usually snack at least once a day. I keep a box of nuts like pecan Brazil etc and have been known to snack on cheese. Try some of the low carb snack stuff in recipe section, it should increase your calories without increasing your carbs
Hi I’m 49 years old but feel like I’m 100! I just hate all this I really do. With the food i dot think I can stick to extremely low carb like 20-30 a day as I really struggle with that but could I do low carb as opposed to keto say 100 carbs a day? And is it still ok if you do 100 carbs a day to add more fats and protein? Im scared if I have too many carbs I must keep fat low im so confused. I th k keto is abut much for me but I can do low carb
Lobsang Tsultim
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As you are pre-diabetic, you don't need to rush finding and tweaking meals that work well for you.
Keep a food diary for a week or so and check how many calories and macros you're having. I know that when I first went low carb, my daily totals were often as low as 800 - 900 kcal on non-fasting days! I had to consciously increase the amount of fat in my diet to replace those calories I lost by reducing my carbs. Now that wasn't a problem for me since I've weight to lose, but if you're already skinny, you should check.
What I have noticed is that if I have a higher carb day - I'm hungrier and more likely to snack. When I keep the carbs low, I feel less hungry and sometimes even forget (i.e. can't be bothered to fuss around in the kitchen) to eat.
If you read the success stories, you'll see some who've gone full carnivore, some who are strict keto, some low-carbers and even some who eat in accordance with the standard NHS advice (this is the rarest group, I reckon). We are individuals, and what works well for one may only work moderately well for another. Take your time and discover what works for you.
Keep a food diary for a week or so and check how many calories and macros you're having. I know that when I first went low carb, my daily totals were often as low as 800 - 900 kcal on non-fasting days! I had to consciously increase the amount of fat in my diet to replace those calories I lost by reducing my carbs. Now that wasn't a problem for me since I've weight to lose, but if you're already skinny, you should check.
What I have noticed is that if I have a higher carb day - I'm hungrier and more likely to snack. When I keep the carbs low, I feel less hungry and sometimes even forget (i.e. can't be bothered to fuss around in the kitchen) to eat.
If you read the success stories, you'll see some who've gone full carnivore, some who are strict keto, some low-carbers and even some who eat in accordance with the standard NHS advice (this is the rarest group, I reckon). We are individuals, and what works well for one may only work moderately well for another. Take your time and discover what works for you.
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lucylocket61
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Do you have a blood sugar levels meter to test your response to meals, and are you recording what you eat and how many carbs and calories you are having? Recording this information, for a couple of weeks, will be very valuable for you to help you see what is going on. It will also help us to help you.
As others said, eating more protein and good quality fats will help - I swapped low fat milk for full fat and use a mix of milk and double cream in my coffee now, along with snacks or meal that include cheese, butter, olive oil, etc.
AGC_68
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Don't panic mate, 42 really isn't so bad, certainly not the end of the world.
You are just in the borderline zone.
"Slim" doesn't necessarily mean your body composition is low in fat. It might be but you really can't always tell so easily. BMI is a good guide for assessing risks for large populations, but not always so for an individual. Some people have a low BMI and very little body fat and can still be T2 diabetic. Some can be high BMI and have a fair bit of body fat and not be anywhere near T2 diabetic. It all depends on your personal adipose fat threshold, once you exceed that you're going to start to get into trouble at some point unless you do something about it.
Building muscle is always a good idea. Bullet proof your body for older age.
If you want to build muscle resistance training is the way to go. You don't need a gym or anything fancy. Press ups, squats, inverted rows under a table .. you can get started with no equipment. Plenty of stuff out their to help e.g. You Are Your Own Gym
You can supplement with a pair of adjustable dumbbells and get plenty done at home without wasting time or money on gyms.
For blood sugar control even a 20 min brisk walk after a meal helps enormously, Find what you enjoy and do it. Muscle is good for you as you age anyway in so many ways, but some people just don't enjoy resistance training and they then don't do it despite good intentions and feel bad. Be honest with yourself and just do something to start with, walk if you enjoy walking, eat plenty of protein in all your meals to stimulate muscle synthesis, keep the carbs low and keep the fats healthy but also under control. Once you're moving more and feeling more positive, start adding some press ups, squats etc. as you get better at them and see benefits you'll do more, do more demanding versions of the exercises, continue to get stronger and build more muscle. I don't know what your body compositions really is. If your fat composition is too high you will need to be in a calorie deficit to ensure your body uses your fat stores as fuel. Up your protein, use protein shakes if you have to, the body becomes more anabolic resistant as we age, exercise and protein intake counter that. Don't worry so much about your A1C of 42 . Eat what you need to fuel your activity and build your body, keep the food healthy and not processed. Don't obsess about your BG levels, measure your fasting levels in the morning and see how it is affected over time as you change your diet and exercise more. Remember 42 isn't that bad .. if you start to look to skinny and feel tired or frail you need to eat more, adapt to the changes you see. Getting too fat and the fasting BGs are trending up? Eat less of what is causing that and move more, getting too skinny, too tired, not building muscle, not moving much eat more of the right things while tracking your fasting blood glucose and looking at your body composition. But don't obsess, and don't be scared, one step at a time, one day at a time. Every now and then you will need to adjust, again just do it, one day at a time. You'll be fine.
I am also prediabetic and was not overweight. When I started low carb I also lost weight I didn't wish to lose.
The sample diet you have put here looks very low in calories, and also low in fat. When I started I did a detailed food diary for a week, weighing the food that I ate. I worked out the carbs, but also the calories - and the calories were far too low. I needed to eat more cheese, nuts, avocadoes. (I dont eat meat) As an example I have a handful of walnuts with my lunch which is a good calorie boost. I have some cheese as a snack, or some more nuts.
Much of the advice published is for people who want to lose weight. As other people have said, your score of 42 is only just in prediabetes so there is no need to panic over that. Any exercise you can do, and I imagine swimming would be very good.
Trying to go low fat and low carb will almost certainly mean you lose weight as you only have protein left. Eating more fat fill help.
