Another prediabetic :(

[Birdie]

A recent health check has found my HbA1c at prediabetes levels 47 . Not a massive surprise as I am very overweight , and an ex nurse so should know better ! I've been on strong steroid inhalers for a few months due to an ongoing chest problem and suspect that has tipped the balance but it's not looking likely I can stop them yet.

I think I am a sugar addict as one small amount and I can't stop eating , I just crave more , I've been like this as long as I can remember and generally try and avoid sugar and refined carbs unless the craving is bad, and it has been recently!

I have been really tired and low for the last year or so and consequently very sedentary, especially with added breathlessness since the winter. Now I have a sore knee added in. This all makes it difficult to exercise but I have started swimming again and walk the dog as much as I can.

As a vegetarian that eats some fish (reluctantly) and some dairy but not milk (yuck!) I am interested in any relevant low carb diet ideas especially snack foods. I am feeling at a loss on what to eat at the moment. The nurse at the surgery told me to just eat meat and vegetables, when I said I didn't eat meat she just said " Thats difficult!" Pulses are good but husband isn't keen .... eggs we have plenty from the chickens in the garden !

 

[zuludog]

Hello @Birdie, and welcome to the Forum!
Here are a few ideas for you -

As you may know already, diabetics should reduce their consumption of all carbohydrates ( usually abbreviated to carbs on this forum) and that means starchy food like pasta, potatoes, bread, rice, as well as the obviously sweet things like cakes, biscuits & sweets
I too used to have a bit of a sweet tooth, but if you stick at it your taste will change, honest, and now if I try just a small amount of something sweet I find it very sickly, so now I just don't bother
Same with booze; I used to be very fond of a drink, but now I hardly drink at all; the attraction has gone
The hardest part with this sort of thing is not actually doing it, it is making the decision to do it
Stock up with suitable snacks & nibbles instead

Diabetes (often abbreviated to D on this Forum since we all know what we're talking about) brings on tiredness, fatigue, lethargy & lack of motivation, so it's not surprising that's how you feel
However you should find that as you get D under control and start to lose weight things will get better, and this has a sort of combined or rolling effect - the more you do, so you can do more

As for exercise, I used to do a lot of hiking, but now my knees & legs are not really up to anything serious, so I've started doing Tai Chi, which is a martial art, but not as aggressive as things like judo or karate, it's more like bending & stretching
Yet at the end of a session I do feel as though I've done some exercise. Search YouTube and find a local class if you're interested
You can also do seated and aqua Tai Chi
There are of course, loads of other simple exercises you can do, without setting foot in a gym
Search YouTube for 'simple exercises' and there are loads of references - for beginners, weight loss, etc
I've also started doing half forgotten Canadian Airforce Exercises that I used to do years ago; that's on YT as well

I go on short local walks on nearby streets and the back lanes & footpaths that all areas have, even in towns & cities
It's summer now, you don't need serious hiking gear, just comfy trainers & casual clothes
Just walk to the end of your street, than build up from that
Wherever you are you can find something of interest like an old building, an interestingly shaped tree, a nice view, and see how it changes - anything to get you out

There is a lot of information out there, once you start looking -

Learning Zone, the red tab at the top of this page
'Living With Diabetes' on the Home Page of Diabetes UK. It tells you just about everything you need to know, and there are sections on meal plans, recipes, weight loss, and so on
Read Previous Threads on this forum, especially Newbies, Food & carbs, and Weight Loss

There are weight loss & diabetic control schemes; these books are two of the best known -
Life Without Diabetes by Roy Taylor
The Fast 800 by Michael Mosely

This book is interesting, and shows that a diabetic diet doesn't have to be boring. It's not specifically vegetarian, but many of the recipes are, or you could make substitutes
Mediterranean Cooking for Diabetics by Robin Ellis

Play around with the Search Box on YouTube & Amazon books with categories & combinations like - weight loss, diabetic, low carb, vegetarian/vegan and you'll get loads of results
See what you fancy, but bear in mind that as with anything on t'Net, you should be a bit cautious

I like chick pea salad, and stews with various pulses/lentils/beans - perhaps you could make the same base, then add things at the end to suit yourself and your husband?

You should ask your doctor for an appointment with a dietician
As with many things at the moment there will probably be a long waiting time, but at least you can get your name down

Finally, ask questions on this Forum, and don't be nervous about it - nothing on here is too silly, we've all been where you are.

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @Birdie and welcome to the forum.
It is best to eat good full meals (if you can) so that you feel full and don't feel hungry until the next mealtime. Foods which are high in both protein and fat really help with that, so fatty fish like salmon and mackerel , eggs and cheese (if you can stand it). I find cauliflower cheese quite satiating.

For snacks most seem to use: Nuts (avoid cashews which are high in carbs and are not a true nut), eggs, cheese.

 

[Birdie]

Thank you both Zulu and Ian. I have been referred to a prevention plan of some sort am just waiting for them to contact me. I didn't know cashew nut were high in carbs so thats one thing I have learned. I nibbled almonds this afternoon instead of crackers. I have a stash of boiled eggs in the fridge, just changing small things at first. I have lost lots of weight before but after a couple of years I seem to get 'burnout' and fed up with craving all the time and eventually end up back where I started. Hopefully I can do this again.

 

[Birdie]

Meant to add I have fast 800 and another book or two by Micheal Mosely. Time to start browsing I guess.
I think I've had my head in the sand for so long and this is the wake up call. Husband is a type 2 diabetic so I have pinched his blood sugar monitor. Maybe if I start being good he will too !!

 

[zuludog]

Yes, you do need a bg meter to see how you're going on with diet, medication, exercise etc

And if you're both diabetic that should make meal planning, shopping, recipes etc. easier

 

[Birdie]

I thiink we are both food addicts too though so easy to send each other off the wagon too with crisps and ice cream as we did on holiday .... another time now ...onwards and upwards.

 

[Leadinglights]

I thiink we are both food addicts too though so easy to send each other off the wagon too with crisps and ice cream as we did on holiday .... another time now ...onwards and upwards.

Have a look at this link which is a low carb approach based on real food and has proven successful both in losing weight if you need to and reduce blood glucose. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
It should make it easier if you are both keeping to the same meals and then you don't need to buy all the tempting foods.

 

[ianf0ster]

Meant to add I have fast 800 and another book or two by Micheal Mosely. Time to start browsing I guess.
I think I've had my head in the sand for so long and this is the wake up call. Husband is a type 2 diabetic so I have pinched his blood sugar monitor. Maybe if I start being good he will too !!

Dr Michael Moseley's books have become more low carb over the years. AT first he was mainly advocating calorie restriction without much carb reduction.
Calorie restriction diets can't work in the long term because : A) You run out of will power.
B). when you restrict calories over a long period your resting metabolic rate adapts (so you don't die of starvation). This means you have less energy and use less calories in order to merely stay alive, which in turn means that if you go back to eating the calories which previously would have kept your weight stable then because you now need fewer of them you put on weight. It is this which causes the well known phenomenon of yoyo dieting.

For most people, merely reducing carbohydrates without consciously reducing calories (eating until feeling full enough to last to the next meal) is enough to bring almost all the benefits of calorie restriction ( weight loss, blood glucose reduction, blood pressure reduction etc. ) with none of the problems.