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Pre diabetes

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Gagirl

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Hi Everyone

My husband had a blood test and has been told his blood sugar readings put him close to having type 2 diabetes and he is to have another test in 3 months. So now it’s time to see what I can do to get his reading down within that time. I will admit he could do with losing weight.

I’ve been reading different articles and I’ve probably read too blooming much and now my mind feels like it’s going to explode.

Low carb, keto, Mediterranean way of eating but that can be carb overload pasta etc.

So I’m wondering what most people follow, do you have carbs but limit them or have you just stopped eating the starchy carbs. Would it also be a good idea to get a glucose meter?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Gagirl said:
So I’m wondering what most people follow, do you have carbs but limit them or have you just stopped eating the starchy carbs.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Personally I cut out almost all carbs and followed a ketogenic diet.
Lost weight, normalised blood sugar levels in 4 months and put a host of health issues into remission.
I was morbidly obese had acid reflux, sleep apnea, hypertension , T2 (obvs) and couldn't walk more than a few hundred meters without stopping for a pee.
7 years later my HbA1c levels are 30 or lower have maintained a 35 kg weight loss and have zero health issues. I'd definitely recommend keto.
 
I used the Caldesi books to lose weight, 3 stone in 3 months:

Katie Caldesi & Giancarlo Caldesi 3 Books... by Katie Caldesi

Katie Caldesi & Giancarlo Caldesi 3 Books... by Katie Caldesi
www.amazon.co.uk

The have meal planners in them. The recipes are low carb/calorie and a mix of meat, fish & vegetables with a good amounts of fat in them - although some are quite high on saturated fat (I tend to replace butter with Olive oil.)

I avoid processed meats and stuff that's high in saturated fat, and BG is normal as is cholesterol and all other bad things (Hi trigs and low HDL) improved.

There's some good guidance in these books on what foods to avoid: refined carbs, mainly, like pasta and bread and junk food. My hba1c was very high, but with pre-diabetes he may not need to be as strict as I am. (Although I do find I can eat potatoes these days without a problem.)
 
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Many thanks for the replies, will go check out the books.

I’ve got the blood sugar diet cookbook on my kindle. So I should really have a look at that also.
 
Gagirl said:
Hi Everyone

My husband had a blood test and has been told his blood sugar readings put him close to having type 2 diabetes and he is to have another test in 3 months. So now it’s time to see what I can do to get his reading down within that time. I will admit he could do with losing weight.

I’ve been reading different articles and I’ve probably read too blooming much and now my mind feels like it’s going to explode.

Low carb, keto, Mediterranean way of eating but that can be carb overload pasta etc.

So I’m wondering what most people follow, do you have carbs but limit them or have you just stopped eating the starchy carbs. Would it also be a good idea to get a glucose meter?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Only 5 years ago wife was in same situation, told she was prediabetic & needed to do something about it, told her about Newcastle Diet & how losing weight, more so visceral fat around organs can reverse condition, although she didn't do ND she joined local SW group & went on to lose 5 stone, pleased to say all bloods since have been normal.
 
I was just over the threshold into the diabetic zone and followed the principals in the link https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/ keeping to a low carb regime, I went as low as 70g per day but the suggested amount to be effective is no more than 130g total carbs per day which if only prediabetic should be sufficient.
If he has had a high carb diet then make the changes gradually over a few week as that is kinder on the eyes and nerves. Low carb does not mean NO carbs but make the carbs you have worth it for flavour and enjoyment. Cut out the 'empty' carbs. Portion control is also important.
The book or app Carbs and Cals is a useful resource as it gives carb values of various portion sizes of a whole range of foods and meals.
 
Leadinglights said:
I was just over the threshold into the diabetic zone and followed the principals in the link https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/ keeping to a low carb regime, I went as low as 70g per day but the suggested amount to be effective is no more than 130g total carbs per day which if only prediabetic should be sufficient.
If he has had a high carb diet then make the changes gradually over a few week as that is kinder on the eyes and nerves. Low carb does not mean NO carbs but make the carbs you have worth it for flavour and enjoyment. Cut out the 'empty' carbs. Portion control is also important.
The book or app Carbs and Cals is a useful resource as it gives carb values of various portion sizes of a whole range of foods and meals.
Click to expand...
I just reduced calories to about two thirds of my previous level and kept carbs reasonably low as well (2 months on 135g followed by 2 months on 65g) and this shed 12.25 kg and pulled my A1c down from 74 to 42. I couldn’t believe it had been so stupefyingly easy to do. But luck must have played a part in it.
 
childofthesea43 said:
I just reduced calories to about two thirds of my previous level and kept carbs reasonably low as well (2 months on 135g followed by 2 months on 65g) and this shed 12.25 kg and pulled my A1c down from 74 to 42. I couldn’t believe it had been so stupefyingly easy to do. But luck must have played a part in it.
Click to expand...
It seems you have done it in a sensible way, I reduced my carbs in one fell swoop and had some issues with my eyes which took several months to correct. It was only by reading here that I realised that was a possibility.
Yes, I also found it easy but didn't really consider calories as well as carbs too much faff.
A brilliant result for you.
 
Leadinglights said:
It seems you have done it in a sensible way, I reduced my carbs in one fell swoop and had some issues with my eyes which took several months to correct. It was only by reading here that I realised that was a possibility.
Yes, I also found it easy but didn't really consider calories as well as carbs too much faff.
A brilliant result for you.
Click to expand...
Thank you. What did shock me was the discovery, long afterwards, that reducing A1c too rapidly can be damaging, especially to eyes. My GP gave no warning of that. So far my eye tests have not revealed problems.
 
childofthesea43 said:
Thank you. What did shock me was the discovery, long afterwards, that reducing A1c too rapidly can be damaging, especially to eyes. My GP gave no warning of that. So far my eye tests have not revealed problems.
Click to expand...
I knew that high glucose levels could cause blurry vision but not that reducing it too quickly could. It is all to do with the eye environment changing back from 'sugary' to normal salty which changes it's shape and so the focal length. My far vision was fine but my near vision was awful as my eyes didn't seem to work together.
 
Gagirl said:
So I’m wondering what most people follow, do you have carbs but limit them or have you just stopped eating the starchy carbs. Would it also be a good idea to get a glucose meter?
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum @Gagirl

Sorry to hear about your husband’s raised glucose levels. Try not to worry too much. Diabetes is potentially serious, but it’s also something that can be effectively managed with some changes and adaptations.

As your husband is ‘at risk’ it is quite likely that some fairly modest tweaks to his menu might be enough to take the pressure off his struggling metabolism.

I think part of the confusion you have discovered in your reading and research so far stems from the fact that different people respond very differently to different eating strategies, and their preferences vary widely.

Some people find a low or moderate carb approach works well for them. Others find a stricter keto approach is either necessary or just preferable. Still others concentrate on reducing calories and aiming primarily for weight loss.

The important thing is finding an approach that works for your husband 🙂
 
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