Newbie to the forum

[Pentlands10]

Hi all, I was diagnosed with prediabetes 6 months ago. I am looking forward to hearing how to reduce my HbA1c in the coming months before I have my next blood test in February..

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi all, I was diagnosed with prediabetes 6 months ago. I am looking forward to hearing how to reduce my HbA1c in the coming months before I have my next blood test in February..

Were you told what your HbA1C was that gave you the prediabetic diagnosis as depending on how close you are to the threshold of over 47mmol/mol that will indicate how much you will need to do. It is basically a wake up call to make some changes to your diet and try to get a bit more exercise if you can, losing weight if you need to will also help.
Did you make any changes when you got your diagnosis as that may have been sufficient.
In any case have a look at this link as it has very good information as well as some menu plans. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
Many find they will need to reduce the carbohydrates in their diet and that is quite easy by cutting out cakes, biscuits and sugary drinks including fruit juice and reducing portions of other high carb foods like potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, breakfast cereals, pastry and tropical fruits. There is still plenty you can eat basing meals on meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, nuts with lots of veg and salads and fruit like berries3

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Pentlands10

Lots of different experiences and approaches to tap-into here. We have literally centuries of lived diabetes experience on the forum - so ask away with any questions you have.

Were you told the result of your HbA1c check? For those at risk of diabetes this will be a number between 42-47mmol/mol.

Knowing where you are within that range can help you understand how dramatic or modest any tweaks or changes you may need to make to your menu might be.

 

[Pentlands10]

Were you told what your HbA1C was that gave you the prediabetic diagnosis as depending on how close you are to the threshold of over 47mmol/mol that will indicate how much you will need to do. It is basically a wake up call to make some changes to your diet and try to get a bit more exercise if you can, losing weight if you need to will also help.
Did you make any changes when you got your diagnosis as that may have been sufficient.
In any case have a look at this link as it has very good information as well as some menu plans. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
Many find they will need to reduce the carbohydrates in their diet and that is quite easy by cutting out cakes, biscuits and sugary drinks including fruit juice and reducing portions of other high carb foods like potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, breakfast cereals, pastry and tropical fruits. There is still plenty you can eat basing meals on meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, nuts with lots of veg and salads and fruit like berries3

Thank you for your reply My HbA1c in February was 44. I set to it making changes, swapped to brown rice and pasta and had small portions (30g raw weight), cut out sweet treats and was eating more veggies and salads, unsalted nuts and seeds. Also limiting fruit to 2 portions a day. I cook from scratch and bake sourdough which tends to be the only bread I have now in small portions. I drink a lot more water don’t drink alcohol or sugary drinks. Despite the changes I’ve made a blood test last month showed that my HbA1c was still at 44. One positive was it hadn’t gone up any. I’ve now cut out rice and pasta, substituting it for spiralised veggies and cauliflower rice. But I do like my porridge, with lots of seeds and berries…
I should add I am on statins for high cholesterol.
I did look at the Freshwell App and FB page, I just feel for me it’s not sustainable at the moment.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you for your reply My HbA1c in February was 44. I set to it making changes, swapped to brown rice and pasta and had small portions (30g raw weight), cut out sweet treats and was eating more veggies and salads, unsalted nuts and seeds. Also limiting fruit to 2 portions a day. I cook from scratch and bake sourdough which tends to be the only bread I have now in small portions. I drink a lot more water don’t drink alcohol or sugary drinks. Despite the changes I’ve made a blood test last month showed that my HbA1c was still at 44. One positive was it hadn’t gone up any. I’ve now cut out rice and pasta, substituting it for spiralised veggies and cauliflower rice. But I do like my porridge, with lots of seeds and berries…
I should add I am on statins for high cholesterol.
I did look at the Freshwell App and FB page, I just feel for me it’s not sustainable at the moment.

I would say your main focus is not to let it go up and with a few more tweaks, you may lower it a bit. Sadly the brown versions are pretty well the same carbs as the white. You could try black bean or edamame bean pasta as it is much lower carb than wheat or pea based pasta.
It sounds as if in principal your meals are OK but you may benefit from testing your blood glucose with a home monitor to see if there are any problem foods. Testing before you eat and after 2 hours will tell you if your meal is OK if that reading is no more than 8-8.5 mmol/l and you would be aiming at 4-7mmol/l before meals and morning/fasting readings.

What did you feel was unsustainable about the Freshwell approach as that is one that many have found both successful and sustainable.

 

[Pentlands10]

Welcome to the forum @Pentlands10

Lots of different experiences and approaches to tap-into here. We have literally centuries of lived diabetes experience on the forum - so ask away with any questions you have.

Were you told the result of your HbA1c check? For those at risk of diabetes this will be a number between 42-47mmol/mol.

Knowing where you are within that range can help you understand how dramatic or modest any tweaks or changes you may need to make to your menu might be.

Hi thank you

My HbA1c is 44, tested last month and not moved any from being diagnosed in February. I have made a lot of changes for the better, and still making them working towards my next blood test. I am on statins for hereditary high cholesterol, I believe that they can cause blood sugars to be higher…

 

[Drummer]

I suggest analysing just how much carbohydrate you are eating as that seems to be key to lower blood glucose for many. So much of what is advised as a healthy diet is not right for diabetics, particularly type 2s.
I used GP diet sheets for decades and ended up vastly overweight and diabetic - I was still told it was me who was bad -

 

[Pentlands10]

I would say your main focus is not to let it go up and with a few more tweaks, you may lower it a bit. Sadly the brown versions are pretty well the same carbs as the white. You could try black bean or edamame bean pasta as it is much lower carb than wheat or pea based pasta.
It sounds as if in principal your meals are OK but you may benefit from testing your blood glucose with a home monitor to see if there are any problem foods. Testing before you eat and after 2 hours will tell you if your meal is OK if that reading is no more than 8-8.5 mmol/l and you would be aiming at 4-7mmol/l before meals and morning/fasting readings.

What did you feel was unsustainable about the Freshwell approach as that is one that many have found both successful and sustainable.

Oh I’ve not heard of black bean or edamame bean pasta, although I do like them both as beans.. I must check them out..thank you for the suggestion

I just feel that I want to try and reduce my HbAc1 with what I am doing with a few more tweaks, and I can’t see Freshwells as a way forward for me at the moment. Their approach is very different from the advice I was given from the nurse at my GPs surgery.

 

[Pentlands10]

I suggest analysing just how much carbohydrate you are eating as that seems to be key to lower blood glucose for many. So much of what is advised as a healthy diet is not right for diabetics, particularly type 2s.
I used GP diet sheets for decades and ended up vastly overweight and diabetic - I was still told it was me who was bad -

Thank you for your reply
I had been using my fitness pal to record what I was eating, but not for a few weeks. I might need to go back to it again.
I have lost over a stone since February, weight that I didn’t really need to lose… but I do feel a bit fitter for it!

 

[trophywench]

Their approach is very different from the advice I was given from the nurse at my GPs surgery.

How very strange that response is, considering where the Freshwell advice came from - a UK GP surgery, based on what happened to their patients with Type 2 diabetes!!

Now - we all agree that it doesn't suit everyone to do every single thing it says on the internet will help all and sundry - BUT reducing the amount of carbohydrate you eat every day of your life most certainly does, even if you don't happen to have diabetes in the first place!

 

[Pentlands10]

How very strange that response is, considering where the Freshwell advice came from - a UK GP surgery, based on what happened to their patients with Type 2 diabetes!!

Now - we all agree that it doesn't suit everyone to do every single thing it says on the internet will help all and sundry - BUT reducing the amount of carbohydrate you eat every day of your life most certainly does, even if you don't happen to have diabetes in the

I am sorry you find my response strange…. I was advised to eat steel cut oats and low fat dairy for my cholesterol as well as cutting down on carbs etc for my prediabetes….

 

[JITR]

@Pentlands10,
If you haven't seen it, you may find this article helpful:
- What should we eat? https://www.zoeharcombe.com/2021/08/what-should-we-eat/

It emphasises nutritiuosly dense food choices, and leaving time between meals for digestion. It's sustainable and hundreds of people lost and sustained weight on it.

Actually it's similar to Freshwell from a different point of view.

 

[Pentlands10]

@Pentlands10,
If you haven't seen it, you may find this article helpful:
- What should we eat? https://www.zoeharcombe.com/2021/08/what-should-we-eat/

It emphasises nutritiuosly dense food choices, and leaving time between meals for digestion. It's sustainable and hundreds of people and lost and sustained weight on it.

Actually it's similar to Freshwell from a different point of view.

Thank you for your reply and for the link. I will certainly have a read.

 

[Leadinglights]

You certainly have to take account of other medical conditions when choosing a dietary approach but there is some evidence that fats as long as they are healthy fats do not convert to serum cholesterol and actually improves the ratios of good and bad cholesterol. Though there is a lot of controversial opinions about statins and cholesterol you have to do your own research and come to your own decision.
If you read the introduction to the Freshwell program it explains why that GP surgery put a lot of work into the development of an approach that helped their Type 2 patients where the standard NHS advice based on the Eat Well Plate had failed thus meaning more and more medication because it was too high in carbohydrates.
When cutting carbs when you don't need to lose weight then it is important to make sure you have plenty protein and healthy fats.

 

[Scottish_lass]

Hi all, I was diagnosed with prediabetes 6 months ago. I am looking forward to hearing how to reduce my HbA1c in the coming months before I have my next blood test in February..

Hi Pentlands 10 - I'm not often on this forum but feel your journey with prediabetes is similar to mine. Hb was 42 in 2021, on statin for cholesterol also. In 2022&23 Hb was 40, in 24 it rose again to 42....I've followed my own low carb (-130g) eating plan along with watching calories (Fitbit help) I eat little in way of potatoes, very little pasta but I sometimes have brown basmati rice. Plenty of vegetables (grown above ground mainly) and couple pieces of fruit a day (be careful with fruit as apples, bananas, melon, oranges are higher in sugar -as are carrots- so only 1/2 per week).
More activity is very key to get BMI down if needed - I've scoured library, websites and diabetes.org for low carb information...I lost couple stones that on occasion I've crept up a bit, due to sugar cravings I've upped the protein to combat that. Note that porridge (my brekkie most days) is full of GOOD carbs and veg has good carbs too
Hope you get on well, keep going and try not to check stats too often as that sounds very discouraging - xxx

 

[harbottle]

Hi thank you

My HbA1c is 44, tested last month and not moved any from being diagnosed in February. I have made a lot of changes for the better, and still making them working towards my next blood test. I am on statins for hereditary high cholesterol, I believe that they can cause blood sugars to be higher…

Yes, statins can raise blood sugar and lead to an increased hba1c.
Did your diagnoses come after you started statins?
Going from high normal to 44 appears to be a modest rise you might see with atorvastatin.

 

[stephenS50]

Hello there @Pentlands10 and welcome to the forum.

 

[Pentlands10]

Hi Pentlands 10 - I'm not often on this forum but feel your journey with prediabetes is similar to mine. Hb was 42 in 2021, on statin for cholesterol also. In 2022&23 Hb was 40, in 24 it rose again to 42....I've followed my own low carb (-130g) eating plan along with watching calories (Fitbit help) I eat little in way of potatoes, very little pasta but I sometimes have brown basmati rice. Plenty of vegetables (grown above ground mainly) and couple pieces of fruit a day (be careful with fruit as apples, bananas, melon, oranges are higher in sugar -as are carrots- so only 1/2 per week).
More activity is very key to get BMI down if needed - I've scoured library, websites and diabetes.org for low carb information...I lost couple stones that on occasion I've crept up a bit, due to sugar cravings I've upped the protein to combat that. Note that porridge (my brekkie most days) is full of GOOD carbs and veg has good carbs too
Hope you get on well, keep going and try not to check stats too often as that sounds very discouraging - xxx

Thank you much for your reply and all your information, it’s really helpful. I don’t eat many potatoes, but was advised that sweet potatoes were better. My BMI is just in the healthy weight range, I don’t want to lose anymore weight, but walking our dog keeps me active! I love my porridge, it’s the only food that keeps me full until lunchtime.
Thank you, I hope all goes well for you too. p.s. I’m Scottish too

 

[Pentlands10]

Yes, statins can raise blood sugar and lead to an increased hba1c.
Did your diagnoses come after you started statins?
Going from high normal to 44 appears to be a modest rise you might see with atorvastatin.

Thank you for your reply, yes I’ve been on Atorvastatin for about 3 years now and was diagnosed 6/7 months ago.

 

[Pentlands10]

Hello there @Pentlands10 and welcome to the forum.

Thank you