Just tipping into at risk of diabetes

[keepitkent]

Hi everyone, I'm new here!

I've just been told I'm at 42 on the scale, so just tipping into the at-risk group. I do a fair bit of exercise, and eat quite healthily. I love cooking, so am exploring the recipe finder 🙂 We're thinking about starting a family as well in the near-ish future.

Any hints/tips/nuggets of wisdom are welcome!

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi everyone, I'm new here!

I've just been told I'm at 42 on the scale, so just tipping into the at-risk group. I do a fair bit of exercise, and eat quite healthily. I love cooking, so am exploring the recipe finder 🙂 We're thinking about starting a family as well in the near-ish future.

Any hints/tips/nuggets of wisdom are welcome!

Welcome to the forum, It is a shock even to get a prediabetes diagnosis but good in many respects as it gives you a good opportunity to make some positive changes to your life style.
I assume you live in Kent so wonder if this is something you could access, I think it still applies.
“Kent and Medway CCG, in partnership with Paula Carr Diabetes Trust, are currently offering free access to the myDiabetes app for people living with Type 2 Diabetes in Kent. This would give them access to expert advice, structured education, nutritional guidance, exercise programs and much more.”

The self-referral form is here https://mymhealth.com/resources/kent

Otherwise you are in a good position with some modest tweaks to your diet to reduce your HbA1C a few mmols/mol to get into the normal range and prevent progression.
You want to look to reducing the amount of carbohydrates you have, primarily cutting down on cakes, biscuits and sugary drinks including fruit juice but also starchy veg like potatoes and parsnips, pastry, bread, breakfast cereals, rice, pasta and tropical fruits. It is not to say you can't have any of those things but portion size is important, if you actually had a diabetes diagnosis then probably those things would largely be off the menu. But there are still planty of things you can have, meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, nuts, vegetables and salads and fruits like berries and a moderate amount of apples, pears and oranges . Beware of high carb snacks and prepared sauces and ready meals.

Many foods considered healthy are not so for Type 2 diabetics.
You may also find this link useful to find a way forward that suits you.

Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home

lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk

 

[keepitkent]

Thank you so much - I am indeed in Kent, so I have applied to the myDiabetes app and have also had a look at the Freshwell project. I love fruit so that's great to hear! We also have Skinny Bars as snacks, which are lovely and all under 100 calories.

 

[keepitkent]

42 is only a step into the 'at risk' category so you should be able to turn that around by making some simple dietary changes. Make sure you take note of the carbohydrate content of Skinny Bars, though. It's carbohydrates that we have a problem with and some are up to 15g per bar, meaning a couple would be more carbohydrate than some of us allow ourselves for a whole meal.

Thank you, that’s really interesting to know. I’m on the mint ones at the moment and they have 9.8g carbs per bar.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you, that’s really interesting to know. I’m on the mint ones at the moment and they have 9.8g carbs per bar.

That's pretty good but for a change, the Nature Valley protein bars, KIND or some shop own brand are pretty low carb as well.
I used to live in a village just outside Canterbury when I was at Uni there. I absolutely loved it there.

 

[keepitkent]

That's pretty good but for a change, the Nature Valley protein bars, KIND or some shop own brand are pretty low carb as well.
I used to live in a village just outside Canterbury when I was at Uni there. I absolutely loved it there.

Thanks - I’ve never heard of KIND so will take a look. I didn’t know what was good or not so that’s interesting. I’m in Tunbridge Wells so more West Kent but have been to Canterbury a couple of times a while ago.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @keepitkent

As @Martin.A says, with you just tickling into the ‘at risk’ zone, you kay well find that just a few modest tweaks to your menu will be sufficient. Do you have any extra pounds you are looking to shed? And do you have diabetes in the family?

Alongside keeping an eye on calories, it is the total carbohydrate content (not just ‘of which sugars’) that will provide the biggest glucose-raising impact in the foods you are eating. Many new members find it can be really helpful to keep a brutally honest food diary for a week or two. Note down everything you eat and drink, along with a reasonable estimate of the total carbohydrate content in yoir meals and snacks - it doesn’t have to be gram-perfect, the nearest 5-10g is fine. It might sound like a bit of a faff, and will involve weighing portions, squinting at the fine print on packaging, and possibly looking up things on the internet, but it will give you a really good idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu.

Once you can see which meals or snacks are your ‘big hitters’, and where carbs might be unexpectedly lurking, the information might suggest some likely candidates for portion reductions, swaps, or using lower carb alternatives (eg celeriac or swede mash, or cauli ‘rice’). You don’t have to aim to avoid all carbs entirely, which isn’t really possible - there are trace amounts in lettuce! But you are trying to reduce the impact of higher carb loads to give your metabolism the best chance of coping and keeping your blood glucose in balance.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on 🙂

 

[keepitkent]

Welcome to the forum @keepitkent

As @Martin.A says, with you just tickling into the ‘at risk’ zone, you kay well find that just a few modest tweaks to your menu will be sufficient. Do you have any extra pounds you are looking to shed? And do you have diabetes in the family?

Alongside keeping an eye on calories, it is the total carbohydrate content (not just ‘of which sugars’) that will provide the biggest glucose-raising impact in the foods you are eating. Many new members find it can be really helpful to keep a brutally honest food diary for a week or two. Note down everything you eat and drink, along with a reasonable estimate of the total carbohydrate content in yoir meals and snacks - it doesn’t have to be gram-perfect, the nearest 5-10g is fine. It might sound like a bit of a faff, and will involve weighing portions, squinting at the fine print on packaging, and possibly looking up things on the internet, but it will give you a really good idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu.

Once you can see which meals or snacks are your ‘big hitters’, and where carbs might be unexpectedly lurking, the information might suggest some likely candidates for portion reductions, swaps, or using lower carb alternatives (eg celeriac or swede mash, or cauli ‘rice’). You don’t have to aim to avoid all carbs entirely, which isn’t really possible - there are trace amounts in lettuce! But you are trying to reduce the impact of higher carb loads to give your metabolism the best chance of coping and keeping your blood glucose in balance.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on 🙂

Thank you so much for your reply - I definitely think that modest tweaks will help. I could do with losing at least 2 more stones, which I am on the road to doing anyway, so will keep going with that.

I had no idea that it was carbohydrates that were the problem, and unfortunately I have a savoury tooth - give me a sandwich or anything wrapped in pastry and you'll be my new bestie! I try not to buy too much food in packaging and have certainly never weighed portions, so this will be a whole new way of thinking! I had a chat with my zero waste shop yesterday and she's kitted me out with wholewheat pasta and spaghetti and wholemeal flour. She was also explaining to me about unrefined sugar, which was another new term for me.

I think it is the lower carb alternatives which will be really helpful for me - I've never had swede mash so will definitely give that a go!

I will keep you posted 🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sounds like you are off to a great start 🙂

Wholegrain options can be very helpful to some members, but unfortunately make very little difference to others - it’s another one of those infuriatingly fickle and individual things about diabetes management.

Generally they are very slightly lower in carb than ‘regular’ (because the fibre isn’t digested), and some people find they absorb into the blood stream more gently. But for others they find there is little discernible difference in glucose profile, and it’s only the gut-health benefits of fibre that are the difference.

It seems wise to still exercise portion control either way - or you can get hold of a blood glucose meter and check immediately before and again 2hrs after the first bite to check your individual reaction. Ideally you’d adjust portion sizes to keep the meal rise to 2-3mmol/L or less.

 

[Leadinglights]

Yes I ditched even wholemeal pasta as it made a big difference to blood glucose levels and now have edamame or black bean pasta which is much lower carb.
The book Carbs and Cals is really useful in making better food choices as it gives carb values and illustrates portion sizes which is very revealing and in some cases quite a surprise. Some people use apps free or some which you have to pay for which helps monitor their carb intake.
You realise that cafe size portions have a huge amount of carb and the plate is filled with the cheaper carbs and less of the more expensive low carb meat, fish and a small amount of veg.

 

[keepitkent]

Gosh this is tough! Portion control is top of the list in our house - it's something I've struggled with for a long time. I'm trying really hard to make half my plate salad (which thankfully I love). I buy 95% of our meat from the local butcher, and cut the visible fat off, but I'll be adjusting this as well - I know that they do turkey mince and I saw a few recipes using that. I will definitely look at Carbs and Cals, and I wondered if you could recommend a blood glucose monitor please? Preferably one from amazon as I have a gift voucher for there. Thanks everyone!

 

[Leadinglights]

The GlucoNavil has the cheapest test strips and is easy to use, or the Spirtit TEE2 is also one people have.
You get a few lancets and strips in the kit so should buy more at the same time. You do not need to pay VAT.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I wondered if you could recommend a blood glucose monitor please? Preferably one from amazon as I have a gift voucher for there. Thanks everyone!

The most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - which both have test strips at around £8 for 50