lucylocket61
Expert
Why can't you eat more fat and protein? You need to replace the calories you lose by reducing carbs.
I used to be vegetarian too (are we actually the same person....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!!!
This is all so true. It isn't just a matter of eating fat and protein, it is eating ENOUGH fat and protein, particularly when a person is compensating for lower carb. Low fat + low carb = weight loss, just as you say.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.
Can I ask you a question as I’ve found that measuring height to weight ratio gives me a total different result than my bmi. If anyone can give me some advice as I’ve looked it up and can’t seem to find the reason. I’m 4ft 11 and weight 100 pounds my bmi is 18 which is normal but very close to underweight and when I checked my weight to height ratio my waist measures 30 inches and that makes me slightly overweight? I notice if I do put on abit of weight it tends to go on my tummy area. I want to gain weight all over as I feel awful so slim how can I gain all over and why is my tummy area coming up as overweight for my height if my bmi is underweight?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.
Am like you slim prediabetic and aim to get about 100g carbs a day. I did have to increase fats and protein to stop me losing weight.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
You have just described the excess-carb-intolerant body - the one that the official lit on type 2 diabetes (and prediabetes) means when they say 'genetic predisposition', according to my understanding at least. Another way to talk about it, that I way prefer, is you have a particular fat storage pathway - and that path is - straight to your tummy!Can I ask you a question as I’ve found that measuring height to weight ratio gives me a total different result than my bmi. If anyone can give me some advice as I’ve looked it up and can’t seem to find the reason. I’m 4ft 11 and weight 100 pounds my bmi is 18 which is normal but very close to underweight and when I checked my weight to height ratio my waist measures 30 inches and that makes me slightly overweight? I notice if I do put on abit of weight it tends to go on my tummy area. I want to gain weight all over as I feel awful so slim how can I gain all over and why is my tummy area coming up as overweight for my height if my bmi is underweight?
Overweight? That means you think you weigh too much. But what does that really mean? By what criterion are you overweight? Is weight really relevant to the conversation? Or is body composition more important? Where is your fat stored and what are the consequences of it being stored there? BMI doesn't really tell you this, it is useful when looking to predict what will happen to a large population's health over time. But there will always be people with a high BMI who are not only metabolically healthy, but also look like the archetypal Olympian athlete. On the other hand, there will always be people whose BMI is very low but they look like they are out of shape and carrying more fat than their BMI would suggest and have high blood sugar levels. Height to waist ratio is a little better but again, there will be outliers. So .. who's "overweight"? You are just in the borderline zone for T2 .. so perhaps you do have a little fat stating to accumulate internally where it is affecting you, We don't know for sure though from measures like BMI or even height/waist ratios. Nothing is really going to give anyone an absolutely accurate idea about their body composition and fat distribution except an MRI scan .. or an autopsy! LOLCan I ask you a question as I’ve found that measuring height to weight ratio gives me a total different result than my bmi. If anyone can give me some advice as I’ve looked it up and can’t seem to find the reason. I’m 4ft 11 and weight 100 pounds my bmi is 18 which is normal but very close to underweight and when I checked my weight to height ratio my waist measures 30 inches and that makes me slightly overweight? I notice if I do put on abit of weight it tends to go on my tummy area. I want to gain weight all over as I feel awful so slim how can I gain all over and why is my tummy area coming up as overweight for my height if my bmi is underweight?
And this is what TOFI describes. Thin outside fat inside. Meaning the weight you have is around your organs, the worst place to have it. If the same fat was placed all over your body it would result in the same bmi but different height to waist ratios.Can I ask you a question as I’ve found that measuring height to weight ratio gives me a total different result than my bmi. If anyone can give me some advice as I’ve looked it up and can’t seem to find the reason. I’m 4ft 11 and weight 100 pounds my bmi is 18 which is normal but very close to underweight and when I checked my weight to height ratio my waist measures 30 inches and that makes me slightly overweight? I notice if I do put on abit of weight it tends to go on my tummy area. I want to gain weight all over as I feel awful so slim how can I gain all over and why is my tummy area coming up as overweight for my height if my bmi is underweight?
I would suggest that you find a gym with a Personal Trainer that specialises in diabetes. Join it & get personal training with that person. Not only will you gain weight & muscle with a diet and exercise routine that is tailored to your needs but that person will be able to help motivate you so you look forward to your gym sessionsHi 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
Show me more than a PT in a gym that is anything other than carb focused. Add on that most will follow nhs eatbadly plate with its overload of carbs and advice that a diabetic can eat anything but actual sugar and you’ve a recipe for bigger problems. I’m sure there are a few but they are rare. Use the pt for exercise for sure but I’d be very wary of the diet advice they’d give.I would suggest that you find a gym with a Personal Trainer that specialises in diabetes. Join it & get personal training with that person. Not only will you gain weight & muscle with a diet and exercise routine that is tailored to your needs but that person will be able to help motivate you so you look forward to your gym sessions![]()
Type 2 diabetes, with the emphasis on low carb. Diet is crucial in management of type 2 diabetes.would suggest that you find a gym with a Personal Trainer that specialises in diabetes
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
What sort of levels are you seeing and before and after eating, what sort of meal?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
I have known rugby players that are classed as obese due to the BMI but they have no fat on them just loads of muscle. My dn thinks I should loose a few more pounds but I have tried but still hover around 10.7 or below no matter what I do (apart from increasing weight if I eat peanuts). I swear its due to having more muscle mass now.This is why BMI should be seen only as a not-very-good tool, rather than gospel truth. Depending on where our particular body type likes to store fat, it will accuse us of being OBESE when we are nothing of the kind.
I would suggest that you find a gym with a Personal Trainer that specialises in diabetes. Join it & get personal training with that person. Not only will you gain weight & muscle with a diet and exercise routine that is tailored to your needs but that person will be able to help motivate you so you look forward to your gym sessions![]()