At risk of developing diabetes

[MackemLad]

Good evening all,

Was told this morning that I'm considered at risk of developing diabetes, I wasn't given much advice other than to change my lifestyle, not verh helpful.

Looking online for "decent" advice was like looking for a needle in a haystack, so thought where best to ask than the people who are diabetic, hope that's alright?

My blood reading or level, is 42, whatever that means

I'm 35 & agoraphobic, which means I don't leave the house at all, so excercise is pretty much limited.

I'm looking for any advice at all, do's / don'ts, things to avoid altogether, meal plans, diet plans, literally anything.

I'm willing to answer anything about my current lifestyle etc

Thanks in advance.

Cam

 

[Leadinglights]

Good evening all,

Was told this morning that I'm considered at risk of developing diabetes, I wasn't given much advice other than to change my lifestyle, not verh helpful.

Looking online for "decent" advice was like looking for a needle in a haystack, so thought where best to ask than the people who are diabetic, hope that's alright?

My blood reading or level, is 42, whatever that means

I'm 35 & agoraphobic, which means I don't leave the house at all, so excercise is pretty much limited.

I'm looking for any advice at all, do's / don'ts, things to avoid altogether, meal plans, diet plans, literally anything.

I'm willing to answer anything about my current lifestyle etc

Thanks in advance.

Cam

Welcome to the forum, I sure you will find lots of words of wisdom.
The diagnosis of at risk which is what you have been given with an HbA1C of 42mmol/mol is just on the first rung but is a opportunity to make some modest changes to your dietary regime.
It is all carbohydrates that convert to glucose so reducing those in your diet will help bring down your blood glucose level. You most likely will only need to make some modest changes by reducing portion size of the high carb foods like potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, breakfast cereals and tropical fruits and of course cakes, biscuits, sugary drinks and high carb snacks like crisps.
Have a look at the learning zone but also this link you might find useful. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
Although it is recommended that exercise helps anything which makes you more active will have a positive effect. There are quite a few YouTube videos for exercise and some people have an exercise bike though they are more often than not used as a clothes horse, as they say the road is paved with good intentions.

 

[MackemLad]

Welcome to the forum, I sure you will find lots of words of wisdom.
The diagnosis of at risk which is what you have been given with an HbA1C of 42mmol/mol is just on the first rung but is a opportunity to make some modest changes to your dietary regime.
It is all carbohydrates that convert to glucose so reducing those in your diet will help bring down your blood glucose level. You most likely will only need to make some modest changes by reducing portion size of the high carb foods like potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, breakfast cereals and tropical fruits and of course cakes, biscuits, sugary drinks and high carb snacks like crisps.
Have a look at the learning zone but also this link you might find useful. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
Although it is recommended that exercise helps anything which makes you more active will have a positive effect. There are quite a few YouTube videos for exercise and some people have an exercise bike though they are more often than not used as a clothes horse, as they say the road is paved with good intentions.

Thank you for the reply, very much appreciated! You've somehow managed to calm me down and make me feel a bit more at ease about the whole thing. That website looks brilliant, I've had a read through the main page but thought I'd come back to say thanks before reading through the rest.

 

[Drummer]

@MackemLad as you are in the prediabetes range, just swapping some of the high carb foods for lower ones could be all you need to do to get back into normal numbers.
Maybe evaluate your present diet, counting up starches and sugars, and look at what you could swap to - I like the lower carb version of my diet far more than the low fat high carb diet my GP dictated.

 

[Windy]

Good diet advice from Leadinglights and Drummer.
The NHS do free exercise videos if you've got space for exercising in your house. Or there's videos on youtube for exercises which you can do at home.
I can recommend not having tempting foods in the house, as it's easier to resist temptation if you can't see the temptation!
Best wishes, Sarah

 

[MackemLad]

Again, thanks for the replies.

Looking at the little signature bio things, both @Windy & @Drummer you both seem to have had great success with losing weight! Well done!! Do any of you have a sample of a good meal plan I could fllw?

 

[Windy]

Do any of you have a sample of a good meal plan I could fllw?

I don't, but Diabetes UK have various diets on their main site for you to choose from.
Or think about what you have now, and what you can change to make it a bit better for you, so maybe cut back on the starchy/carby parts of the meal and have more vegetables instead, like making mashed potatoes, but with mostly cauliflower, and just a small amount of spuds to make it taste of potato.
I'm vegetarian, so my diet has a fair amount of omelettes, veggie curries/chillis/bolognaise, roasted cauli/broccoli with curry paste on, hummus with vegetable dips, soups etc. and I try and eat low carb.
Hope this helps, Sarah

 

[Lucyr]

Did you have the blood tests at home or did you go to the GP for those? You’ll have to go out for more appointments now you’re pre diabetic so If you can leave home for blood tests then continuing to go out is something to keep working on as getting exercise will help your blood sugars

 

[MackemLad]

Did you have the blood tests at home or did you go to the GP for those? You’ll have to go out for more appointments now you’re pre diabetic so If you can leave home for blood tests then continuing to go out is something to keep working on as getting exercise will help your blood sugars

I didn't, the district nurse came toy home.

 

[MackemLad]

I don't, but Diabetes UK have various diets on their main site for you to choose from.
Or think about what you have now, and what you can change to make it a bit better for you, so maybe cut back on the starchy/carby parts of the meal and have more vegetables instead, like making mashed potatoes, but with mostly cauliflower, and just a small amount of spuds to make it taste of potato.
I'm vegetarian, so my diet has a fair amount of omelettes, veggie curries/chillis/bolognaise, roasted cauli/broccoli with curry paste on, hummus with vegetable dips, soups etc. and I try and eat low carb.
Hope this helps, Sarah

Thank you. I've looked at that link for the diet plan. Looks like I've got plenty of changes to make, when the wife is home, most of our meals are spag bol, wraps, jacket taties, things like that.

 

[Drummer]

I need to keep my carb intake very low by most standards, under 40 gm a day, and I only eat twice a day, but I have two proper meals - I have tuna or egg and cheese salads in warm weather, cauliflower cheese, curries with cauliflower rather than rice, mashed swede rather than potato - and it makes a good bubble and squeak too. some breakfasts are steak and mushrooms, or sausages and stir fry. The basic ingredients are lower in carbs than the 'normal' choices, but the cooking is simple and straightforward.

 

[MackemLad]

I need to keep my carb intake very low by most standards, under 40 gm a day, and I only eat twice a day, but I have two proper meals - I have tuna or egg and cheese salads in warm weather, cauliflower cheese, curries with cauliflower rather than rice, mashed swede rather than potato - and it makes a good bubble and squeak too. some breakfasts are steak and mushrooms, or sausages and stir fry. The basic ingredients are lower in carbs than the 'normal' choices, but the cooking is simple and straightforward.

Simple & straightforward is what I need considering I'll be cooking for 1 most of the time

 

[sarahb83]

Don’t panic to much. Can I just ask are you very overweight? I’m 38 (nearly 39) and I diagnosed type type last September it was the shock of my life and I suffer from depression and rarely used to leave the house if I could help it which undoubtedly contributed to the position I found myself in and I was obese! Unlike you though my hba1c was 89 shockingly high so now really is the time for you to jump on this, the stats say if you sort this out now at pre diabetic levels and push your numbers down you’ve got 90% chance of never developing full blown type 2 (which Is a tag I’m now stuck with) it’s taken me 6 months but I’ve come down from 89 to 38 (normal levels) I feel great, fitter, healthier and so much happier and I love walking in the countryside (never thought I’d say that) I’m now a size 12/14 and I’m 5ft7 still would like to lose another 2stone but il get there. You can 100% do this x

 

[nonethewiser]

Echo sensible advice from Sarah above, wife was told she was pre diabetic then went on to lose 5 stone & since then all bloods have been normal, so it can be completely reversible.

 

[MackemLad]

Don’t panic to much. Can I just ask are you very overweight? I’m 38 (nearly 39) and I diagnosed type type last September it was the shock of my life and I suffer from depression and rarely used to leave the house if I could help it which undoubtedly contributed to the position I found myself in and I was obese! Unlike you though my hba1c was 89 shockingly high so now really is the time for you to jump on this, the stats say if you sort this out now at pre diabetic levels and push your numbers down you’ve got 90% chance of never developing full blown type 2 (which Is a tag I’m now stuck with) it’s taken me 6 months but I’ve come down from 89 to 38 (normal levels) I feel great, fitter, healthier and so much happier and I love walking in the countryside (never thought I’d say that) I’m now a size 12/14 and I’m 5ft7 still would like to lose another 2stone but il get there. You can 100% do this x

I don't mind you asking you at all, I'd say I'm considerably overweight, I'm not entirely sure what I weigh though as I never weigh myself and I don't have scales, I guess I'll need to change that haha. Thanks for the advice

 

[Drummer]

I don't mind you asking you at all, I'd say I'm considerably overweight, I'm not entirely sure what I weigh though as I never weigh myself and I don't have scales, I guess I'll need to change that haha. Thanks for the advice

Not necessarily - when I was on the high carb low fat diet I put away the scales as I could not face the constant increase no matter how little I ate or how much I tried to exercise.
I was really shocked when I noticed all my clothes were loose and decided to weigh myself. It seemed impossible that my weight had reduced so much, but there was the written evidence of my last recorded weight and what I saw before me. I had to get my husband to stand on the scales to check they were reading correctly.

 

[MackemLad]

Not necessarily - when I was on the high carb low fat diet I put away the scales as I could not face the constant increase no matter how little I ate or how much I tried to exercise.
I was really shocked when I noticed all my clothes were loose and decided to weigh myself. It seemed impossible that my weight had reduced so much, but there was the written evidence of my last recorded weight and what I saw before me. I had to get my husband to stand on the scales to check they were reading correctly.

You're doing fab, 50lb down is a hell of an achievement.

 

[Drummer]

You're doing fab, 50lb down is a hell of an achievement.

I can't take any credit for it - I never even thought about my weight at first, just wanted to control blood glucose levels - which I did.
It wasn't until I stood up and my trousers fell down that I even noticed any change, I was so beaten by the low fat diet to reduce cholesterol (which it didn't) that I had given up any thought of ever losing weight.

 

[MackemLad]

I can't take any credit for it - I never even thought about my weight at first, just wanted to control blood glucose levels - which I did.
It wasn't until I stood up and my trousers fell down that I even noticed any change, I was so beaten by the low fat diet to reduce cholesterol (which it didn't) that I had given up any thought of ever losing weight.

Would you mind if I DM you?

 

[Drummer]

DM sent.