I’m very new to all of this! I look forward to learning from the wealth of information on here after being told that I am pre-diabetic following the result of a fasting glucose blood test. I’m feeling confused by foods to avoid and foods to include!
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Finding my way!
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Hello HPG and welcome to the Forum!
Yes, follow Drummer's advice, that's the general idea, and you can work on that as you go along
Remember that you need to reduce all carbs, and not just sugar, so that means starchy food like bread, potatoes, rice, pastry & pasta as well as the obviously sugary things like sweets, cake, biscuits & sugary fizzy drinks
This can be strange and difficult to do at first, but gradually you get used to the new way of thinking, planning, eating, and your taste changes such that you find sweet things become very sickly and unpleasant
Have a look at older Threads & Posts, especially in Newbies, Food & Carbs, and if necessary, Weight Loss
Any questions have probably been asked & answered before, but if you do have a question, just ask - nothing is considered too silly or simple, we've all been in your position at one time
Yes, follow Drummer's advice, that's the general idea, and you can work on that as you go along
Remember that you need to reduce all carbs, and not just sugar, so that means starchy food like bread, potatoes, rice, pastry & pasta as well as the obviously sugary things like sweets, cake, biscuits & sugary fizzy drinks
This can be strange and difficult to do at first, but gradually you get used to the new way of thinking, planning, eating, and your taste changes such that you find sweet things become very sickly and unpleasant
Have a look at older Threads & Posts, especially in Newbies, Food & Carbs, and if necessary, Weight Loss
Any questions have probably been asked & answered before, but if you do have a question, just ask - nothing is considered too silly or simple, we've all been in your position at one time
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Leadinglights
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That is the most difficult thing to judge as in people's minds 'a portion' can be quite different. The difference in portion in a chain pub meal is way different to what you might get in a posh restaurant, a portion of chips from the chippy would feed a family of four in some but in others would leave you hungry.
A small amount of some foods can be deceptively high carb, which is where Carb and Cals book or app is very useful.
Yes, agreed. To clarify, I was referring to adhering to recommended portion sizes (or going below) on packets of rice and pasta and so on if cooking at home - not eating out. It's so easy to look at 70g of pasta and go - that's it? That's not enough, I'll add a bit more...
Also agree that carbs and cals book is a useful visual reference.
Also agree that carbs and cals book is a useful visual reference.
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Welcome to the forum @HPG
Were you given the result of your HbA1c? This will be a number between 42 and 47 given that you’ve been told you are at risk of developing diabetes. The nearer to 48 the number, the more pressing the need to look at your food intake and adjust portion sizes and/or make some swaps.
Many new members find it can be really helpful to keep a food diary for a week or two. Be brutally honest! Note down everything you eat and drink. It can be especially helpful to estimate the amount of carbohydrate in the meals and snacks to give you an idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu. That way you will have some easy targets for your initial tweaks.
As an example, if you currently have a bowl of breakfast cereal or porridge in the mornings, you might decide to swap that for creamy greek yoghurt with some berries, and a sprinkle of granola.
Berries are generally the fruits with lowest impact on BG. Yoghurt is very filling, especially if the full fat variety as this keeps you feeling fuller for longer, and a sprinkle of granola adds crunch with only a fraction of the carbs of a whole bowl.
Good luck! And keep asking questions 🙂
Were you given the result of your HbA1c? This will be a number between 42 and 47 given that you’ve been told you are at risk of developing diabetes. The nearer to 48 the number, the more pressing the need to look at your food intake and adjust portion sizes and/or make some swaps.
Many new members find it can be really helpful to keep a food diary for a week or two. Be brutally honest! Note down everything you eat and drink. It can be especially helpful to estimate the amount of carbohydrate in the meals and snacks to give you an idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu. That way you will have some easy targets for your initial tweaks.
As an example, if you currently have a bowl of breakfast cereal or porridge in the mornings, you might decide to swap that for creamy greek yoghurt with some berries, and a sprinkle of granola.
Berries are generally the fruits with lowest impact on BG. Yoghurt is very filling, especially if the full fat variety as this keeps you feeling fuller for longer, and a sprinkle of granola adds crunch with only a fraction of the carbs of a whole bowl.
Good luck! And keep asking questions 🙂
Thanks! I have planned my menus/weekly shop for the last ten years at least so looking back I can see how carb laden my diet has been! I’m now hugely into berries and Greek yoghurt for breakfast in place of Rice Krispies or porridge and salads instead of sandwiches at lunchtime. However, I’m struggling a bit with reducing my intake of potatoes to once or twice a week. I also make my own whole meal sourdough and I don’t want to give that up entirely! My HbA1c result was 42 and my weight is a big problem!
Leadinglights
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You seem to have made some excellent changes to your diet and are just at the bottom end of the prediabetic range so with a bit more work you will I'm sure get it down a bit further. You might find it useful to get a blood glucose monitor and test the effect of your portion size of some of your meals and if your occasional potatoes and bread is OK for you. When you say your weight is a big problem is that because you need to lose a lot of weight, if so can you increase your exercise.
Yes the weight loss target is 3 stones and in two months I have only lost 8 lbs despite keeping below 1000 calories and walking around 10 miles a week…. a change from no exercise and eating at least 1400 calories (and more!) every week. I just expected more dramatic change.
trophywench
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Half a stone off, slow but sure still gets you there in theory BUT if you aren't eating enough for your body it does sort of go into 'protective' mode and hang onto fat instead of dumping it if you're not careful. Don't know how tall you are or what gender but as a 5ft 2 (and a bit LOL) female when younger and more active generally trying to lose weight I found I needed more than 1000cals daily whereas 1250-1350 saw me Ok from both aspects.
I’m 5ft 0in and female! I’m also a septuagenarian!!! My weight gain started in my 50’s and accelerated during lockdown.
Toucan
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Hello @HPG and welcome to the forum from another 5ft female.
It's so good that you are taking control of the blood glucose at this pre-diabetic stage, and the changes that you are making will I'm sure have a good impact on this.
Very well done on the weight loss, this is a great achievement. I also struggled with weight problems for many years and was a perpetual yo-yo dieter. What eventually worked for me was loosing weight slowly. I found that weight stayed off rather than the more dramatic changes that never worked long term.
Your changes sound really good, so please be patient and gradually the scales will show good results, and you will get to a place where you understand what works for you as a long term lifestyle.
It's so good that you are taking control of the blood glucose at this pre-diabetic stage, and the changes that you are making will I'm sure have a good impact on this.
Very well done on the weight loss, this is a great achievement. I also struggled with weight problems for many years and was a perpetual yo-yo dieter. What eventually worked for me was loosing weight slowly. I found that weight stayed off rather than the more dramatic changes that never worked long term.
Your changes sound really good, so please be patient and gradually the scales will show good results, and you will get to a place where you understand what works for you as a long term lifestyle.
Thanks so much for your kindness and encouraging words! I know slow and steady wins the race, so I will keep going and hopefully reach a reasonable loss per month.
trophywench
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In the late 1960s when all the womens magazines used to constantly tell me I could lose weight on 1500 cals a day - cos come on - I wanted to look like Twiggy, not appreciating then she was 8 inches taller than me anyway so it was never gonna happen anyway! - and I never could lose it eating 1500. 12 ish months after I got married in 1971 I started to feel lousy which got worse and worse and the only saving grace was I started to lose weight, wa-hey! dropped down from 8st 2 to 7st 12! How brilliant. The constant raging thirst wasn't good ..... Type 1 !
Thanks for this! Are you still having to work at keeping your weight stable and is it difficult?
trophywench
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Well - I would have to, were I bothered but TBH I haven't been interested enough in it to do owt about it or much else in the last 12 months. Frankly I'm struggling with a lot of stuff not actually personal to me myself I - and the stuff I've tried to get rid of now because I am struggling with it, keeps nipping at my ankles and refusing to stop. I hate and loathe leaving people in the lurch so I deliberately haven't done that. I keep trying and trying and would gladly shoot one person nit picking - but I also know that then a lot of folk would be up shhhh creek without a leg to stand on, to mix a metaphor, if I did that.
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