Just joined

[oceanwave1950]

Good morning,
It is early, 5.13 to be precise and I have been reading stuff about diabetes since 2.30 and have just signed up to this group. I have been spending a lot of time in the middle of the night reading about diabetes over the last few months. I am 70 and a few months ago after a regular GP check up/blood test was told that I was pre diabetic. They said that my level was 40 or maybe 41 can't remember exactly and that I should lose weight. That's all they said and I have only just come across this hba1c and readings of 40 42 etc together and realised what it is.
I have been trying to look up stuff about diabetes for the last few months

 

[oceanwave1950]

Sorry I didn't mean to send that then it's the small screen fat thumbs syndrome strikes again.
See, I have never thought of myself as anything but fit and active and maybe slightly overweight at 6ft and 14st. I have always kept myself fit, I joined the Royal Marines when I was 16 so got a good start and have kept it going. stopped smoking 11years ago and for more years than that I have not put sugar in drinks or salt on food and I don't have junk food and then I get told this. And I can't afford to be ill because my wife already is and I have to help her quite a bit. The doctors are busy which is understandable and working out what to do on your own is flippin hard work.

 

[Docb]

Hi @oceanwave1950 and welcome to the forum. I think you might have worked out that diabetes is not an on/off thing. It is a sliding scale and where you are on that scale determines what, if anything, needs to be done. A good indicator of where you are on the scale is the HbA1c blood test result because it reflects your average blood glucose levels over the last couple of months or so and smooths out the fluctuations you get in spot measurements.

HbA1c varies from 30 to over 150 with two break points. The more important is 48 because at this level it is considered that it is sufficiently high to merit action to get it down to prevent the long and short term complications of running at high glucose levels. If you are over 48 then you get a diabetes diagnosis and is the level at which the medics start to consider medication. A second break point is set at 42. At this level it is considered that the chances are it will go up with time and a bit of work on lifestyle to stop that happening is worth the effort. It gets you a diagnosis of "at risk of diabetes".

These numbers are a bit arbitrary and the reaction of GP's to them a bit variable - if forum members experiences are anything to go by. Your GP is a bit on the cautious side if he is flagging an HbA1c under 42 as something to react to. Some would argue that is not a bad thing.

In order to keep your level below 42 then a few tweaks to your diet is likely all that is needed. Fundamentally this means reducing carbohydrate intake. Check around the site and the forum and you will get the picture.

By the way, there are a few of us on here who combine sorting our own diabetes with carer duties. Perfectly doable, the key is to keep your diabetes under control. You have got the fundamentally easier task of ensuring that your diabetes does not develop to a point where you need serious intervention.

Finally, what we say to all newbies. We have all been where you are now and appreciate there is a learning curve to climb so ask all the question you want. Somebody somewhere will have an answer. Nothing is considered trivial or silly.

 

[goodybags]

Hi @oceanwave1950 welcome to this friendly forum.

As @Docb has just posted, the key to good diabetes management and control is identifying
a change in our diet / reduction to any foods that that cause, our higher BS levels (usually foods high in carbs)

if your Hba1c is 40/41 you will only need some minor changes,
it took me many years to make the major changes I needed to myself.
but this forum is a great help.

 

[oceanwave1950]

Hi @oceanwave1950 and welcome to the forum. I think you might have worked out that diabetes is not an on/off thing. It is a sliding scale and where you are on that scale determines what, if anything, needs to be done. A good indicator of where you are on the scale is the HbA1c blood test result because it reflects your average blood glucose levels over the last couple of months or so and smooths out the fluctuations you get in spot measurements.

HbA1c varies from 30 to over 150 with two break points. The more important is 48 because at this level it is considered that it is sufficiently high to merit action to get it down to prevent the long and short term complications of running at high glucose levels. If you are over 48 then you get a diabetes diagnosis and is the level at which the medics start to consider medication. A second break point is set at 42. At this level it is considered that the chances are it will go up with time and a bit of work on lifestyle to stop that happening is worth the effort. It gets you a diagnosis of "at risk of diabetes".

These numbers are a bit arbitrary and the reaction of GP's to them a bit variable - if forum members experiences are anything to go by. Your GP is a bit on the cautious side if he is flagging an HbA1c under 42 as something to react to. Some would argue that is not a bad thing.

In order to keep your level below 42 then a few tweaks to your diet is likely all that is needed. Fundamentally this means reducing carbohydrate intake. Check around the site and the forum and you will get the picture.

By the way, there are a few of us on here who combine sorting our own diabetes with carer duties. Perfectly doable, the key is to keep your diabetes under control. You have got the fundamentally easier task of ensuring that your diabetes does not develop to a point where you need serious intervention.

Finally, what we say to all newbies. We have all been where you are now and appreciate there is a learning curve to climb so ask all the question you want. Somebody somewhere will have an answer. Nothing is considered trivial or silly.

Thanks for the reply, I might not get all the bits and pieces correct on this forum. It's not me being rude, I just don't know how it works.
My GP must have said 42 if that is the critical number, it was all a bit rushed, as if they had got better things to deal with. Nothing was explained at all. I have also realised today that one of the symptoms I was having every now and then is a sort of hypo?
I have, up until about 18 months ago done a lot of running/exercising. coming up 4 years ago I started to get the odd dizzy spell when running sometimes tingly fingers funny feeling in chest and swimmy head. I went to the doc, had each blood tests etc and they could find nothing, in fact they said I was very fit and my heart looked ok. I got one of these hand held ecg monitors and that has shown up nothing.
I have now stopped exercise routine of the last 40 odd years and just go walking and I have had no dizzy spells. Thinking about it I think it was after these tests that they told me I was pre diabetic.
After reading a lot re diabetesover the last few months and getting a blood sugar monitor I think I have worked out what I need to do. This is where I think I am. I am a white Male, 70 years of age, I can't remember my exact BMI but it puts me in the overweight category. My waist measurements is 40", my fasting levels are 6.5, 6.1, 7.3,7.0, 7.1 and my 2hrs after eating are8.4, 6.6, 7.8, 4.3, 11.5. I would like to get my waist down to 37 and to keep my blood sugar below 6.9 and lose about a stone. How does that sound? And what does anyone think of these very low carb 12 week diets?

 

[goodybags]

@oceanwave1950 If you wanted to check your BMI
I use this simple online NHS calculator see below:
www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/bmi-calculator (if I’ve done that correctly)

It’s great to see your already testing
if 2 hrs after your meal your levels are less than 2 units above the pre meal reading I think that shows your eating the right stuff, and will be in good control

 

[Docb]

Your targets in the last paragraph look pretty good to me except maybe I would allow a bit more leeway on your max BG, the odd excursion into the 8's, 9's or 10's is not going to do any real damage if your long term average is decently below 8.

Personally I am not convinced by the crash dieting approach. My preference was to make a few distinct changes in diet which I knew could easily become part of my normal long term routine. But that's me, we are all different and we have to work out what will work for us as individuals. There are members who have got good results from short term crash dieting. The problem with that route is maintaining the gains you have made when you try to return to "normal".

 

[oceanwave1950]

@oceanwave1950 If you wanted to check your BMI
I use this simple online NHS calculator see below:
www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/bmi-calculator (if I’ve done that correctly)

It’s great to see your already testing
if 2 hrs after your meal your levels are less than 2 units above the pre meal reading I think that shows your eating the right stuff, and will be in good control

Thanks for that info. Is the if it's less than 2 units above after 2hrs a standard recognised thing or just something that you have noticed yourself?

 

[oceanwave1950]

Your targets in the last paragraph look pretty good to me except maybe I would allow a bit more leeway on your max BG, the odd excursion into the 8's, 9's or 10's is not going to do any real damage if your long term average is decently below 8.

Personally I am not convinced by the crash dieting approach. My preference was to make a few distinct changes in diet which I knew could easily become part of my normal long term routine. But that's me, we are all different and we have to work out what will work for us as individuals. There are members who have got good results from short term crash dieting. The problem with that route is maintaining the gains you have made when you try to return to "normal".

Ok, I dieted for a few weeks a month or so back but didn't keep it going when we went off in the caravan, we go home tomorrow and I am going to start again but this time instead of just counting calories I will try and watch the carbs as well. I have been in the habit of eating 2 big meals a day, I can see that that might cause a high sugar reading. Am I better off having more small meals so as not to get the sugar too high? My previous dieting at about 1700-2100 cals a day, I might try and cut that down a little .

 

[SB2015]

Ok, I dieted for a few weeks a month or so back but didn't keep it going when we went off in the caravan, we go home tomorrow and I am going to start again but this time instead of just counting calories I will try and watch the carbs as well. I have been in the habit of eating 2 big meals a day, I can see that that might cause a high sugar reading. Am I better off having more small meals so as not to get the sugar too high? My previous dieting at about 1700-2100 cals a day, I might try and cut that down a little .

Hi @oceanwave1950 , and welcome to the forum

I don’t have any experience of specific diets, but I did reduce the amount of carbs that I rated when I saw the size of spikes after my meals. We did this by reducing the portion sizes at meals and/or swapping things to lower carb options. For example eliminating mashed potatoes and swapping to new potatoes reduced the carbs and the speed of the rise. I swapped pasta to black bean pasta which halved the carbs for the same size portion. Small changes made a big difference. The importance is finding something that you can stick to.

As @Docb said, with your current levels small tweaks could help to bring you back in non diabetic range.

 

[oceanwave1950]

Hi @oceanwave1950 , and welcome to the forum

I don’t have any experience of specific diets, but I did reduce the amount of carbs that I rated when I saw the size of spikes after my meals. We did this by reducing the portion sizes at meals and/or swapping things to lower carb options. For example eliminating mashed potatoes and swapping to new potatoes reduced the carbs and the speed of the rise. I swapped pasta to black bean pasta which halved the carbs for the same size portion. Small changes made a big difference. The importance is finding something that you can stick to.

As @Docb said, with your current levels small tweaks could help to bring you back in non diabetic range.

That's interesting about the new potatoes and I've never heard of black bean pasta.

 

[Drummer]

What worked for me, with a high sensitivity to carbs was reducing the carbohydrates and making up the calories with protein and fat - so I might have steak and mushrooms, perhaps with some leftover swede mashed and fried, or maybe a tomato - and that will be enough until I eat 12 hours later, when I might have fish or meat and the rest of the carbs for that day. A couple of times a week I have a dessert. I drink coffee with cream after meals.
I find that keeps my blood glucose well within limits, and my Hba1c is normal. I don't limit calories.
It has always been the carbohydrate which caused me problems with weight gain and lack of energy. I was never believed when I claimed that I lost weight when eating more, but it has happened over and over again, always worked for me.
As you are not sure of your test results, assuming that your present diet is the problem and removing some of the high carb foods - bread and potatoes, pastry, rice, pasta, and adding in foods which are lower in carbs should be a good start.
If you get a BG level rise over 2 whole numbers at 2 hours then consider reducing the carbs in that recipe.

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Hi oceanwave1950, warm welcome to the forum.

You've got some great advice above so I'm just popping in to say hi. Luckily your numbers are low enough that a few small changes will help so it's worth looking into what changes are sustainable for you and make the adjustments needed to stick to them.

We've got a wealth of info on the site including meal options so do take a look around and let us know if you have any questions.

 

[oceanwave1950]

Hi oceanwave1950, warm welcome to the forum.

You've got some great advice above so I'm just popping in to say hi. Luckily your numbers are low enough that a few small changes will help so it's worth looking into what changes are sustainable for you and make the adjustments needed to stick to them.

We've got a wealth of info on the site including meal options so do take a look around and let us know if you have any questions.

Thanks, you know what one of the hardest things is, finding recipes that look like normal food. I bought a few diet books and they are full of stuff that I haven't heard of let alone tried before. Then I realised that the what I call normal every day food is the problem. I like my food and I think it will take me some time to get used to all this different food. I've never even had a wrap or a tortilla and that's just the start of what I don't know. I reckon I am in for a step learning curve.

 

[SB2015]

That's interesting about the new potatoes and I've never heard of black bean pasta.

The black bean pasta is made from beans. I have bought Slendier and Explore Cuisine.
The carbs in these is about 3.5g per 100g, rather than about 35g per 100g. A big difference, but just as good to ‘carry’ some very nice sauces.

With the potatoes the longer they are in the ground the more carbs they will contain.
Another useful rule of thumb for me is if the veg grow
- under the ground they are high carb (potatoes, parsnips, …)
- above the ground they are medium carb (beans, peas, …)
- on the ground they are low carb (celery, lettuce, …)
I found this useful in making swaps.

 

[oceanwave1950]

The black bean pasta is made from beans. I have bought Slendier and Explore Cuisine.
The carbs in these is about 3.5g per 100g, rather than about 35g per 100g. A big difference, but just as good to ‘carry’ some very nice sauces.

With the potatoes the longer they are in the ground the more carbs they will contain.
Another useful rule of thumb for me is if the veg grow
- under the ground they are high carb (potatoes, parsnips, …)
- above the ground they are medium carb (beans, peas, …)
- on the ground they are low carb (celery, lettuce, …)
I found this useful in making swaps.

Thank you. You know, everyone on here is being very helpful and supportive thank you to all of you.

 

[SB2015]

Thank you. You know, everyone on here is being very helpful and supportive thank you to all of you.

Glad that you are finding the forum helpful. Keep the questions coming. No one minds, and No questions are considered silly on here.

 

[Leadinglights]

If you don't want to be experimental then using the principal of basing meals on meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy with lots of veg and salads but avoiding ready prepared sauces as they can be high carb. Instead you can use dry seasonings, herbs and things like chilli, ginger and lemon to zip things up. You can use the books you have to give you ideas but use the ingredients you have.
Having a look at the thread 'What did you eat yesterday' might give you some ideas, just bare in mind that the amount of carbs people have may depend on whether they are on insulin or other meds.

 

[goodybags]

Thanks for that info. Is the if it's less than 2 units above after 2hrs a standard recognised thing or just something that you have noticed yourself?

I based the rise of 2 rule on advise previously given to me, as I was told should be aiming for that (can’t remember by who)
I‘m currently testing usually before eating, plus on waking and usually before sleep, but previously I was testing after meals also,
I found it a great help to understand what I should and shouldn’t eat to maintain within range BS
although I often found I would need nearer 3 hours for levels to fall after eating

 

[trophywench]

Things like 'an increase of no more than 2.0 after 2 hours' all have 'hyphen ish' after them - but it makes it sound ridiculously vague if you say or type them.

"Try when you can to aim for an increase of about not much more than 2-ish after 2-ish hours."

I once read a document from an international source on diabetes followed to a greater or lower degree by most civilised countries in their national guidelines for diabetes where the precise figure of 2.8 was used for this. But if you state it as being exactly 2.8 (or any other exact number) you'll risk people starting to panic if it's either 2.81 or 2.79 - and that won't do their BP much good, or their BG !

(FWIW I read this document some years ago when there was an awful lot of heated discussion on DSF about hypos and at what point they affect the brain. Couldn't care less what Joe Soap on Google or Facespace etc says - 3.2 and it does affect the brain. Oh yes indeed - at 2.8 I and my body can certainly still apparently function to some degree - but not for very long or for very much, At All.)