New prediabetic

[Tea Lover]

Hi just found out today that I'm at risk of developing Type 2. My HbA1c is 45 although could well be higher now as it took ages to get a follow up appointment with the GP.

Anyway I'm not surprised, I don't exercise as much as I used to, I have a sedentary job, I'm post menopausal and have a sweet tooth! I reckon i need to lose at least 1.5 stones and I'm very open to a low carb diet but the way my GP was talking I can never have bread, potatoes, chocolate or sugar in my tea ever again

How do you get used to so many sacrifices at once?

Thanks for reading.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi just found out today that I'm at risk of developing Type 2. My HbA1c is 45 although could well be higher now as it took ages to get a follow up appointment with the GP.

Anyway I'm not surprised, I don't exercise as much as I used to, I have a sedentary job, I'm post menopausal and have a sweet tooth! I reckon i need to lose at least 1.5 stones and I'm very open to a low carb diet but the way my GP was talking I can never have bread, potatoes, chocolate or sugar in my tea ever again

How do you get used to so many sacrifices at once?

Thanks for reading.

Many GP have no clue about how people are able to manage their diabetes by sensible dietary changes and by saying such things are maybe trying to shock people into taking some action, which indeed you do need to do but as in the prediabetic zone some modest changes are probably all that is needed.
I found the principals in this link were a realistic and achievable way of reducing my blood glucose from 50mmol/mol to 36mmol/mol.
It is a low carb approach with REAL food. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
I still have plenty of variety of foods, mainly meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, vegetables and salads and fruit like berries but don't have rice, normal pasta, cakes, biscuits, potatoes and make the carbs I do have worth it for flavour and enjoyment. I do have bread which is home made by my other half.
I don't feel deprived of anything as it is now my new normal way of eating.

 

[Tea Lover]

Many GP have no clue about how people are able to manage their diabetes by sensible dietary changes and by saying such things are maybe trying to shock people into taking some action, which indeed you do need to do but as in the prediabetic zone some modest changes are probably all that is needed.
I found the principals in this link were a realistic and achievable way of reducing my blood glucose from 50mmol/mol to 36mmol/mol.
It is a low carb approach with REAL food. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
I still have plenty of variety of foods, mainly meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, vegetables and salads and fruit like berries but don't have rice, normal pasta, cakes, biscuits, potatoes and make the carbs I do have worth it for flavour and enjoyment. I do have bread which is home made by my other half.
I don't feel deprived of anything as it is now my new normal way of eating.

Thank you for the link that's very interesting and helpful. There's so much to get my head around at the moment.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Tea Lover

Good to hear you are up for a bit of carb reduction - but I think it might help to remember that lower carb doesn’t mean no carb.

One of the biggest questions when trying to get to grips with your diabetes is often ‘what can I still eat’ and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut right back on straight away, you‘ve obviously picked up how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t ever have those things ever again - it’s just a matter of choosing your portion sizes, and choosing your frequency.

Many new members find it can be really helpful to keep a brutally honest food diary for a week or two. Note down everything you eat and drink, along with a reasonable estimate of the total carbohydrate content (not just ‘of which sugars’) in your meals and snacks - it doesn’t have to be gram-perfect, the nearest 5-10g is fine.

It might sound like a bit of a faff, and will involve weighing portions, squinting at the fine print on packaging, and possibly looking up things on the internet, but it will give you a really good idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu.

Once you can see which meals or snacks are your ‘big hitters’, and where carbs might be unexpectedly lurking, the process might also suggest some likely candidates for swaps, portion reductions, or using lower carb alternatives (eg celeriac or swede mash, or cauli ‘rice’).

Good luck! And keep asking questions 🙂

 

[Mountain Path]

Hi Tea Lover,

I have been a Type 2 for several years, it started when I was working abroad and consuming 6 full sugar red bulls a day for about two months to keep up with the younguns on the project (superhyped me). (also there is family history).

Which ever way you decide to go it all unfortunately comes down to will power although some subtle and gradual changes can help make it easier

In my experience and experiments gradual diet changes are more effective then sudden all or nothing changes, including substitutions as you go.

I tried a VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) about two years after diagnosis, lost a large amount of weight and became pre-diabetic again (my doctor joked about taking away my free prescription card, at least I think it was a joke!) Unfortunately I love fine food and drink and failed to transition from VLCD to a better diet and I was back in the bad sugar stats within a year.

If you are prediabetic than it seems a bit extreme to have to go to a full no carb no sugar diet all at once.

As everyone is slightly different in regard to the stage they are at, I would suggest you monitor your sugar levels, pinprick monitors are relatively cheap nowadays and they bring into focus what your actually trying to achieve, which is maintaining a normal blood glucose level.

Then start by cutting out free sugar foods, so yes no actual sugar and check the ingredients on everything you buy and buy the ones with the lowest sugar, certainly no energy drinks and donuts!!. You can then see the effect of this change on your blood sugar and make a decision as to whether you need to go further.

You can then look at carbs and substitute them for other things occasionally and then regularly while monitoring the change. You may find that you don't have to immediately stop eating them all.

While our supermarkets are heavy on added sugar and carbs there are alternatives that are as nice (or almost) that can be eaten, I love a big pile of raspberries and strawberries and fresh cream.

In short I believe its more effective and less soul destroying if you regard it as marathon not a sprint, and stop on the way to admire the scenery and occasionally go off the path a little.

I deeply empathise with how you are feeling, not only from my own experience but also talking with my sister who was diagnosed a few years back and seem to have a life situation similar to your own.

But basically take each day and each little change one step at a time, and keep going in a positive direction and the change will flow naturally and before you know it you will be healthier and happier with the situation

Take care

MP

 

[Tea Lover]

Welcome to the forum @Tea Lover

Good to hear you are up for a bit of carb reduction - but I think it might help to remember that lower carb doesn’t mean no carb.

One of the biggest questions when trying to get to grips with your diabetes is often ‘what can I still eat’ and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut right back on straight away, you‘ve obviously picked up how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t ever have those things ever again - it’s just a matter of choosing your portion sizes, and choosing your frequency.

Many new members find it can be really helpful to keep a brutally honest food diary for a week or two. Note down everything you eat and drink, along with a reasonable estimate of the total carbohydrate content (not just ‘of which sugars’) in your meals and snacks - it doesn’t have to be gram-perfect, the nearest 5-10g is fine.

It might sound like a bit of a faff, and will involve weighing portions, squinting at the fine print on packaging, and possibly looking up things on the internet, but it will give you a really good idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu.

Once you can see which meals or snacks are your ‘big hitters’, and where carbs might be unexpectedly lurking, the process might also suggest some likely candidates for swaps, portion reductions, or using lower carb alternatives (eg celeriac or swede mash, or cauli ‘rice’).

Good luck! And keep asking questions 🙂

Thank you so much for your reply. I will definitely do the food diary. Lol at squinting at the fine print, I've done that already today! The more I read on this forum the more I think my doctor was wrong in saying to cut out all carbs straight away. Although she did give me the link to this site which has been a godsend.

 

[Tea Lover]

Hi Tea Lover,

I have been a Type 2 for several years, it started when I was working abroad and consuming 6 full sugar red bulls a day for about two months to keep up with the younguns on the project (superhyped me). (also there is family history).

Which ever way you decide to go it all unfortunately comes down to will power although some subtle and gradual changes can help make it easier

In my experience and experiments gradual diet changes are more effective then sudden all or nothing changes, including substitutions as you go.

I tried a VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) about two years after diagnosis, lost a large amount of weight and became pre-diabetic again (my doctor joked about taking away my free prescription card, at least I think it was a joke!) Unfortunately I love fine food and drink and failed to transition from VLCD to a better diet and I was back in the bad sugar stats within a year.

If you are prediabetic than it seems a bit extreme to have to go to a full no carb no sugar diet all at once.

As everyone is slightly different in regard to the stage they are at, I would suggest you monitor your sugar levels, pinprick monitors are relatively cheap nowadays and they bring into focus what your actually trying to achieve, which is maintaining a normal blood glucose level.

Then start by cutting out free sugar foods, so yes no actual sugar and check the ingredients on everything you buy and buy the ones with the lowest sugar, certainly no energy drinks and donuts!!. You can then see the effect of this change on your blood sugar and make a decision as to whether you need to go further.

You can then look at carbs and substitute them for other things occasionally and then regularly while monitoring the change. You may find that you don't have to immediately stop eating them all.

While our supermarkets are heavy on added sugar and carbs there are alternatives that are as nice (or almost) that can be eaten, I love a big pile of raspberries and strawberries and fresh cream.

In short I believe its more effective and less soul destroying if you regard it as marathon not a sprint, and stop on the way to admire the scenery and occasionally go off the path a little.

I deeply empathise with how you are feeling, not only from my own experience but also talking with my sister who was diagnosed a few years back and seem to have a life situation similar to your own.

But basically take each day and each little change one step at a time, and keep going in a positive direction and the change will flow naturally and before you know it you will be healthier and happier with the situation

Take care

MP

Thanks for your reply. Yes definitely a marathon not a sprint. I will start by reducing by a third as someone on here already recommended. I don't have any willpower so it was always going to be something like this that was going to give me the kick up the backside I needed to change my diet. The thought of losing some weight too is also appealing. Every cloud and all that..

I will look into getting one of those test kits too.

Thanks again, everyone is so helpful here.

 

[Sulfate]

Hi just found out today that I'm at risk of developing Type 2. My HbA1c is 45 although could well be higher now as it took ages to get a follow up appointment with the GP.

Anyway I'm not surprised, I don't exercise as much as I used to, I have a sedentary job, I'm post menopausal and have a sweet tooth! I reckon i need to lose at least 1.5 stones and I'm very open to a low carb diet but the way my GP was talking I can never have bread, potatoes, chocolate or sugar in my tea ever again

How do you get used to so many sacrifices at once?

Thanks for reading.

Hi Tea Lover,
I was diagnosed pre diabetic March 2020. Like you post menopausal and have a very sweet tooth. I could have cried when my GP told me my hbca1 results, I had no idea that I was in the prediabetic range.
Since then I have lost about a stone or more in weight by counting carbs and my hbca1 has gone from 44 to 42. I hope to get back to 41 or less in the coming months.
This forum is amazing on their advice I now have a fingerprick machine and downloaded the Nutracheck app which is fantastic and I religiously record everything I eat to see how many carbs I'm eating. This has helped massively. I still do eat chocolate cakes and puddings but not so often and I have reduced my carbs too. I use Livlife bread from Waitrose or HiLo from Sainsburys, alpro almond milk with 0%sugar with porridge oats, also full fat Greek style yoghurt with fresh berries (or frozen through winter)
Take exercise and keep a strict food diary. I try to stick to 130g carbs a day but often at weekends or holidays it does go up, but I just start over again. My weight has been very constant now for well over a year. I have gone down a dress size (I was only a size 12!) But clearly eating far too many carbs and sugary food as when I changed my diet the weight just came off. You can do it!

 

[Sulfate]

Hi just found out today that I'm at risk of developing Type 2. My HbA1c is 45 although could well be higher now as it took ages to get a follow up appointment with the GP.

Anyway I'm not surprised, I don't exercise as much as I used to, I have a sedentary job, I'm post menopausal and have a sweet tooth! I reckon i need to lose at least 1.5 stones and I'm very open to a low carb diet but the way my GP was talking I can never have bread, potatoes, chocolate or sugar in my tea ever again

How do you get used to so many sacrifices at once?

Thanks for reading.

Just realised my mistake I was diagnosed 2021 not 2020!

 

[Drummer]

Hi just found out today that I'm at risk of developing Type 2. My HbA1c is 45 although could well be higher now as it took ages to get a follow up appointment with the GP.

Anyway I'm not surprised, I don't exercise as much as I used to, I have a sedentary job, I'm post menopausal and have a sweet tooth! I reckon i need to lose at least 1.5 stones and I'm very open to a low carb diet but the way my GP was talking I can never have bread, potatoes, chocolate or sugar in my tea ever again

How do you get used to so many sacrifices at once?

Thanks for reading.

You are so very slightly into the prediabetic range that stopping all carbs is just not logical - even my Hba1c of 91 at diagnosis did not requires such drastic measures to return it to the top end of normal very quickly.
You might be more sensitive to some foods than others, so I'd recommend getting a glucose testing meter and just check 2 hours after starting to eat a meal. If you reading is really high, swap the most obvious high carb food for something lower, or just have less of it. By chopping off the highest peaks your Hba1c should fall and your diet will become the way to keep in the normal range.
Personally I like cauliflower cheese more than macaroni cheese, and mashed swede bubble and squeak more than the one made with potatoes.
By lowering the glucose spikes you reduce the amount of insulin produced in response, and that seems to be why my weight dropped so easily whilst I was not even trying.

 

[Tea Lover]

Hi Tea Lover,
I was diagnosed pre diabetic March 2020. Like you post menopausal and have a very sweet tooth. I could have cried when my GP told me my hbca1 results, I had no idea that I was in the prediabetic range.
Since then I have lost about a stone or more in weight by counting carbs and my hbca1 has gone from 44 to 42. I hope to get back to 41 or less in the coming months.
This forum is amazing on their advice I now have a fingerprick machine and downloaded the Nutracheck app which is fantastic and I religiously record everything I eat to see how many carbs I'm eating. This has helped massively. I still do eat chocolate cakes and puddings but not so often and I have reduced my carbs too. I use Livlife bread from Waitrose or HiLo from Sainsburys, alpro almond milk with 0%sugar with porridge oats, also full fat Greek style yoghurt with fresh berries (or frozen through winter)
Take exercise and keep a strict food diary. I try to stick to 130g carbs a day but often at weekends or holidays it does go up, but I just start over again. My weight has been very constant now for well over a year. I have gone down a dress size (I was only a size 12!) But clearly eating far too many carbs and sugary food as when I changed my diet the weight just came off. You can do it!

Omg this sounds just like me!

I have just started to get back on my exercise bike again, only 5k a day but it all helps and it's helped my mood too. I have been keeping a food diary. Who knew that a small glass of apple juice was 14g of carbs!! Knocked that one on the head! I'm going to stick to the magic 130g limit. I must have been eating so much cr*p because I have lost 1.5lb since Thursday and I haven't even felt hungry.

 

[Sulfate]

Omg this sounds just like me!

I have just started to get back on my exercise bike again, only 5k a day but it all helps and it's helped my mood too. I have been keeping a food diary. Who knew that a small glass of apple juice was 14g of carbs!! Knocked that one on the head! I'm going to stick to the magic 130g limit. I must have been eating so much cr*p because I have lost 1.5lb since Thursday and I haven't even felt hungry.

that's what I thought when I read your post! That you sound like me!

 

[Tea Lover]

You are so very slightly into the prediabetic range that stopping all carbs is just not logical - even my Hba1c of 91 at diagnosis did not requires such drastic measures to return it to the top end of normal very quickly.
You might be more sensitive to some foods than others, so I'd recommend getting a glucose testing meter and just check 2 hours after starting to eat a meal. If you reading is really high, swap the most obvious high carb food for something lower, or just have less of it. By chopping off the highest peaks your Hba1c should fall and your diet will become the way to keep in the normal range.
Personally I like cauliflower cheese more than macaroni cheese, and mashed swede bubble and squeak more than the one made with potatoes.
By lowering the glucose spikes you reduce the amount of insulin produced in response, and that seems to be why my weight dropped so easily whilst I was not even trying.

I wonder why my GP was so hellbent on me cutting back so much? How does anyone stick to below 20g a day?? I will get a glucose testing meter to keep me focused but so far I am enjoying my meals and also enjoying cooking them. I feel like I'm feeling better in myself already but I would like my energy levels to be a bit better. I find I am usually falling asleep on the sofa by 9pm, literally cannot keep my eyes open. The fact that I am still awake and typing this now is amazing!

 

[Leadinglights]

I wonder why my GP was so hellbent on me cutting back so much? How does anyone stick to below 20g a day?? I will get a glucose testing meter to keep me focused but so far I am enjoying my meals and also enjoying cooking them. I feel like I'm feeling better in myself already but I would like my energy levels to be a bit better. I find I am usually falling asleep on the sofa by 9pm, literally cannot keep my eyes open. The fact that I am still awake and typing this now is amazing!

I have 70g per day and find it very doable, I don't miss the high carb foods and enjoy what I have and as such it is sustainable. I have to think hard about what I miss.

 

[42istheanswer]

I wonder why my GP was so hellbent on me cutting back so much? How does anyone stick to below 20g a day?? I will get a glucose testing meter to keep me focused but so far I am enjoying my meals and also enjoying cooking them. I feel like I'm feeling better in myself already but I would like my energy levels to be a bit better. I find I am usually falling asleep on the sofa by 9pm, literally cannot keep my eyes open. The fact that I am still awake and typing this now is amazing!

I did Atkins for a bit many years ago and found 20g very hard, it was basically just a bit of broccoli and cauliflower and that was met!

Like many here, I am eating low carb (below 130g per day, averaging 70-90) which means I can eat a range of vegetables and the occasional slice of toast, just not 3 high carb meals a day.

It's good that you're feeling more awake, that probably means your blood sugar levels are down a bit as when they're high that can cause some sleepiness

 

[Drummer]

I wonder why my GP was so hellbent on me cutting back so much? How does anyone stick to below 20g a day?? I will get a glucose testing meter to keep me focused but so far I am enjoying my meals and also enjoying cooking them. I feel like I'm feeling better in myself already but I would like my energy levels to be a bit better. I find I am usually falling asleep on the sofa by 9pm, literally cannot keep my eyes open. The fact that I am still awake and typing this now is amazing!

It is a puzzle to me too when cutting back reversed my 'really bad diabetes' so quickly. It is easy to keep to low carb - or at least I find it so. In the morning I might have some eggs, scrambled with cheese and salad or perhaps slice a tomato and put it on top of the eggs just to warm it up - or mushrooms and steak or a pork chop, or tuna and salad, or leftovers from dinner. I don't have much carb in the morning as I am more resistant to insulin then.
In Lidl they have some nice frozen stirfry which is low carb, also vege mixes and various berries.
I fill the freezer with meat and fish when I can so it is handy if I am ill.
I find that sticking to lower levels of carbohydrate makes me feel better.