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Confused

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pippen

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
At risk of diabetes
Hi I've been pre diabetic for about 10 yrs
6 month ago blood tests showed gone up to 47..last week was 49. Being retested in 4 week
I have been following a low carb diet with help from carbs and calorie book due to wanting to loose some weight. This has always worked in the past but this time I'm at a loss
I've had no rubbish..sweet..chocolate..crisp..pasta.. rice..bread or potato.
Been drinking more water.
No weight loss but feel full and bloated
I walk 2 hours a day and very active
73 yrs old female
Any ideas?
 
Welcome to the forum. I'm new to this. Last June I asked to be tested as discovered my surgery hadn't bothered for ten years. I was bmi 32. My reading was 69. I changed my diet and was surprised to lose weight. One stone before I saw a nurse and was put on medication. I'm still on medication but by December was 44.
I'm a couple of years younger than you. BG can creep up as we age but your diet and exercise looks good. Losing belly fat is considered useful. Have you ever used a BG machine? You can test as you start a meal and two hours afterwards. It will give you the knowledge as to whether your body reacts badly to a particular food. There is no need to keep testing a particular meal. Some people here react badly to porridge others have no problem. I love pasta but eat an alternative now. A brisk walk after eating can bring down readings but I'm thinking 10 to 15 minutes but you are doing far more. Could you do some resistance training or swimming once a week?
Have you checked portion size?
I still eat bread occasionally particularly in a cafe and at this time of year have new potatoes. I don't know if you have reduced carbs too much and increased insulin resistance maybe your doctor or other members will know.
Some GPs think if you are over 70 slightly high BG isn't a problem
The freshwell app, website has useful info.
 
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The HbA1C result I would have thought would be acceptable for someone of your age where NICE guidelines suggest a personalised level bearing in mind other health conditions etc is better.
How many carbs per day are you tending to have as it is easy for diet to creep and people have more than they realise.
If you are feeling uncomfortable with bloating then you could try probiotic yoghurt or capsules to try to readjust your gut bacteria. If you are drinking enough then constipation, which can give those symptoms shouldn't be a problem.If that doesn't help then do have a word with your GP.
Have a look at this Freshwell link to see if you can get some ideas for diet https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
 
pippen said:
Hi I've been pre diabetic for about 10 yrs
6 month ago blood tests showed gone up to 47..last week was 49. Being retested in 4 week
I have been following a low carb diet with help from carbs and calorie book due to wanting to loose some weight. This has always worked in the past but this time I'm at a loss
I've had no rubbish..sweet..chocolate..crisp..pasta.. rice..bread or potato.
Been drinking more water.
No weight loss but feel full and bloated
I walk 2 hours a day and very active
73 yrs old female
Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Hello @pippen. It appears you are already taking all the right steps to manage the BG. However, if it is persistent or you feel any alarming symptoms, you can visit your GP. You may also try the suggestions made by Leading lights regarding the bloating.
 
Sorry to hear that your BG levels have been rising recently after around a decade of stability :(

As we age it is quite common for BG levels and HbA1c to rise naturally - and as @Leadinglights suggests, there is guidance that target levels should be personalised to take things like increasing age into account.

Sounds like you’ve been working very diligently at keeping your levels in check, so I’d imagine it must be quite disappointing to have seen your levels rise recently :(

Have you got an idea of now many grams of carbs per day you are generally eating?
 
pippen said:
Hi I've been pre diabetic for about 10 yrs
6 month ago blood tests showed gone up to 47..last week was 49. Being retested in 4 week
I have been following a low carb diet with help from carbs and calorie book due to wanting to loose some weight. This has always worked in the past but this time I'm at a loss
I've had no rubbish..sweet..chocolate..crisp..pasta.. rice..bread or potato.
Been drinking more water.
No weight loss but feel full and bloated
I walk 2 hours a day and very active
73 yrs old female
Any ideas?
Click to expand...

Googling full and bloated? came up with some interesting answers.
  • One was, Avoid foods that cause gas, such as beans, lentils, and carbonated drinks. Eat smaller, more frequent meals instead of large ones.
  • Another, See your GP if bloating persists.
Other than that, have you considered using an app to track your nutrients? I have used Cronometer (free version) to look after mine since day 1 over two years ago. It tracks over 80 macro and micro nutrients from the grams of each food I enter. It's a bit of a chore but well worth the effort for me to keep my weight and glucose levels down.

I don't buy the 'higher HbA1c is OK for older people' line, but I am only 82.
 
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