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Hello
- Thread starter kayzinger
- Start date
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Welcome
A prediabetes diagnosis is a wake up call to take some action to prevent progressing over the threshold.
Depending on how close you are to that threshold fairly modest changes should be sufficient and that will be reducing your carbohydrate intake. Maybe a first step is cutting out cakes, biscuits, sugary drinks including fruit juice and reducing portion size of other high carb foods like potatoes, pasta, rice, breakfast cereals, pies and pastry and fruits like bananas, mango, pineapple and grapes.
Have a look at this link for some ideas for a low carb approach, it is not NO carb.
/https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
stephenS50
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hello there @kayzinger and welcome to the forum.
Hi kayzinger,
Welcome! I wish I'd found this forum when I was prediabetic - it might have helped me avoid becoming fully diabetic.
It's good that you have motivation to change your diet and exercise. This is a good place to get the right support with that!
I have done some digging deep. The starting point to get back to normal is going very low on carbs and exercising every day. My big challenge now is choosing what to eat. Should fruits be excluded from my diet because of the fructose content? Any help is valued. Thanks.
Martin.A
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
No, but it depends on the fruit. Berries (Straw-, Rasp-, Blue-, Black-) are the lowest carb fruits, tropical fruit like bananas and pineapple are the highest. Many of us avoid them for that reason, but berries with Greek yogurt is a popular breakfast choice. I have that with a single Weetabix most days.
Apples are in between. My apple of choice is Royal Gala but I tend to eat only a half at a time, often with a handful of walnuts.
Being more active is good - I walk and swim - but since you've said that you're pre-diabetes (this is at odds with your Relationship to Diabetes, by the way, which says Type 2) why do you think you have to go very low carb, as opposed to low carb?
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
In a rush at the minute but have a look as this link for a low carb approach and good advice on what to eat. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Low carb can make weightloss so effortless that it just happens whilst the attention is elsewhere - and if you are only in the prediabetic range there is no need to made drastic alterations in your diet - go for the easiest options and go gently - I was back in normal numbers in 6 months from full on type 2 and a HbA1c of 91.
I suggest analysing where your carbs are coming from - there are so many foods labelled as healthy or essential which are nothing of the sort.
Some weighing scales and a notebook are all I needed to get a grip on what not to eat - I used the internet to get the percentage of carbs in the foods I ate - or the packages to decide what I would not longer be consuming.
I did use a blood glucose tester, and found that I get more carbs out of beans and peas than are listed. The tester showed higher than expected levels after some meals and I narrowed it down to legumes.
You might find a copy of the last issue of Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution useful (early 2000's I think) - you probably don't need to reduce carbs right down - many people find that around 50gm of carbs a day is very effective. Being able to test glucose levels after eating was very useful. I got a Tee 2 + meter and strips from Spirit Healthcare. As a type 2 I did not have to pay VAT - you might need to check if you are eligible for that exemption - maybe phone up? They had a website with all the information when I was diagnosed 8 years ago.
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
You are only on the first rung of the prediabetes ladder so some very modest changes are likely to be all that is required.
Just reduce portions a smidgen on the high carb foods.
Martin.A
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
You're not Type 2 then, you're 'At Risk of Diabetes'. Suggest you update your account so that you get the correct responses and advice.
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi @kayzinger 🙂
Here’s your earlier thread:
Losing weight (if you need to) and increasing exercise is a good start. Try making a list of what you eat in an average day and then find places to improve your diet. This will usually be by reducing carbs and adding green veg. You could use an app like MyFitnessPal to monitor your diet.
Here’s your earlier thread:
Losing weight (if you need to) and increasing exercise is a good start. Try making a list of what you eat in an average day and then find places to improve your diet. This will usually be by reducing carbs and adding green veg. You could use an app like MyFitnessPal to monitor your diet.
Well done for catching things early 🙂. Crucially, make sure that you increase the amount of exercise that you do, even if that's just walking a bit further than you do now. It will make watching what you eat more successful and hopefully feel less of a chore. Also, exercise is good for one's psychological wellbeing.
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
No, low carb is anything under 130g carbs a day. You need to find what works for you as an individual @kayzinger It also depends on your starting point, ie what you were eating pre-diagnosis.