Hi everyone, hope you are keeping well under the circumstances atm. It's my first time here, I have recently been told that I am prediabetic by my doctor. I am changing my diet which i am struggling with abit as i haven't had healthy eating choices foe years... Which explains alot. I am currently unable to walk far due to an injury. I am using myfitnesspal to keep an eye on calories and what i eat during the day and doing my best to eat more fruit and veg, but then i also dont know what healthly stuff i should keep away from ie too much sugar and carbs.. Any suggestions that I can make? Thanks
-
Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
Newbie needing advice
- Thread starter CAGreen
- Start date
- Status
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Welcome @CAGreen 🙂 The best thing, I think, is to look at your pre-diagnosis diet and see where you can make improvements. Also, consider whether you have weight to lose.
If your diet was previously not good and you’re ‘only’ prediabetic, then you might not have to change too much to have good results.
What kind of thing do you like to eat?
If your diet was previously not good and you’re ‘only’ prediabetic, then you might not have to change too much to have good results.
What kind of thing do you like to eat?
Thank you 🙂 I had a really unhealthy diet, didnt eat much fruit or veg and liked sweets and crisps.. Im now starting to eat healthier but still struggle not eating sweets and crisps. But i know I can't or shouldn't. So they are in the bin as is the chocolate. It was abit of a shock from the doctors but i understand why and it was half expected as i know i don't eat the best. All the doctors said was that i am prediabetic and they are keeping an eye on me. So quite a few blood tests
Toucan
Forum Host
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hello @CAGreen and welcome to the forum.
It sounds as if you are taking some good steps in the right direction with healthier eating, and chocolate in the bin!
The diagnosis can be a bit of a shock, but this is not a one-way street, and if you act now you can give yourself a great chance of a future free of diabetes.
It is very hard I know to ditch the sweet stuff, but the cravings do reduce with time - they say it takes 2 weeks to change a habit.
As well as cutting back in the sweet things, if you can reduce your starchy carb intake, eat more leafy and low carb veggies, and go for for berries rather than high carb fruits, then things should improve for you.
I understand that walking is easy for you, but are you able to do any 'at home' exercise?
If you have a look on U-Tube there are plenty of free sessions at all sorts of levels available, and increasing activity levels can be a great help.
Best wishes and hope you will keep posting and let us know how things are going.
It sounds as if you are taking some good steps in the right direction with healthier eating, and chocolate in the bin!
The diagnosis can be a bit of a shock, but this is not a one-way street, and if you act now you can give yourself a great chance of a future free of diabetes.
It is very hard I know to ditch the sweet stuff, but the cravings do reduce with time - they say it takes 2 weeks to change a habit.
As well as cutting back in the sweet things, if you can reduce your starchy carb intake, eat more leafy and low carb veggies, and go for for berries rather than high carb fruits, then things should improve for you.
I understand that walking is easy for you, but are you able to do any 'at home' exercise?
If you have a look on U-Tube there are plenty of free sessions at all sorts of levels available, and increasing activity levels can be a great help.
Best wishes and hope you will keep posting and let us know how things are going.
Hi, thank you.
Yeah its difficult i may only have one pieve of chocolate instead of half the bar now but when its gone its gone. Starchy carbs as in bread, pasta? Ive been told that i can have it as long as its brown and very little of it. But om not sure how much that is.
I can walk but not far. I have physio exercises and probably can do some at home. But i feel constantly tired all the time which makes it hard.
Yeah its difficult i may only have one pieve of chocolate instead of half the bar now but when its gone its gone. Starchy carbs as in bread, pasta? Ive been told that i can have it as long as its brown and very little of it. But om not sure how much that is.
I can walk but not far. I have physio exercises and probably can do some at home. But i feel constantly tired all the time which makes it hard.
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
If there are foods you can’t resist, it’s easier not to buy them than have them sitting there calling to you all the time, I find!
Yes, whole grain carbs are better, and choosing carefully is important. For your portion size, look at what you have now and see how you could reduce it. With something like pasta, it’s best to weigh it as it’s easy to just dollop loads on the plate without realising how many carbs are in it.
Hi,
Thank you im only have one slice of brown bread for toast and trying to stay away from sandwiches. I am assuming i can have mash just not a lot of it or very often.
Ive never had celeriac and wouldn't know where to start with it.
I will give cauliflower mash a try though.
That's very true.
I will weigh out pasta/rice if when i have it. But it is better for me just to not eat it at all?
Im struggling knowing what is and isn't good for me right now. Its a minefield!!
Docb
Moderator
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
There are as many opinions as there are people on that one.
Depends entirely on you. Weighing out is one way of cutting intake of stuff that gives you a big rise and if you are that sort of person then it is a way to go. If you have better things to do (in your opinion) than weighing this that and everything then cut it out altogether. When I found that flour in general and wheat flour in particular was a problem for me, I simply cut out things with flour as a major ingredient and found other things to eat. Suited me, but I recognise it would not suit everybody. Far better to find your own way because I think that way you are much more likely to turn it into a new lifestyle rather than a short term fix.
trophywench
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
But if it's easier to just not have it, then fine. But - you still need to be able to enjoy what you do eat - cos this isn't just for a couple of weeks. If your body has told you that it can't cope with eating what you eat now, then because that won't change, you're going to have to!
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
One reason for testing after eating is to see just how far from the normal range the foods have pushed you, or not, because people do digest different foods with different efficiency - I can get more carbs out of peas and beans than are listed, for instance, and white or brown makes little difference.
I knew that I needed to eat low carb because I have always had to if I wanted to feel well. The meter just confirmed it with no exceptions.
I knew that I needed to eat low carb because I have always had to if I wanted to feel well. The meter just confirmed it with no exceptions.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @CAGreen
Sounds like you are making great progress with changes to your menu - but yes it can be confusing!
One of the tricky things is that different people can react very differently to exactly the same foods, so there is no one ‘safe’ list of things which are fine, and others which must be avoided.
As folks have suggested, it may be that relatively small and permanent changes to your menu may be sufficient to allow your body to process food properly.
Lots of new members find that keeping a food diary can be really helpful in the early weeks, writing down everything you eat and drink, along with an estimate of the total carbs (not just sugars) involved. This can be a really useful learning exercose as it begins to give you a sense of where the main sources of carbs are found, and which of your meals may benefit from some tweaks.
If you want to dig into real detail of how different meals are affecting your BG as an indididual, you may choose to get hold of a BG meter. This doesn’t suit everyone, but it is an immediate and very visual way to see how food and BG interact. You can check just before eating, and 2hrs after the first bite, and see the difference - the ‘meal rise’. Ideally you would aim for this rise to be 2-3mmol/L or less. If you see bigger rises, you can target those meals for changes, but you can continue to eat any foods (even supposedly tricky ones) where your BG remains within 2-3 - while recognising that obviously BG outcome is only one way of assessing how healthy a food is!
If you’d like to try this approach, you will probalby need to self fund your BG meter, because GPs only tend to prescribe meters for people on certain meds. The meters are fairly inexpensive, but the ongoing strip cost can vary wildly. 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
Good luck and let us know how you get on 🙂
Sounds like you are making great progress with changes to your menu - but yes it can be confusing!
One of the tricky things is that different people can react very differently to exactly the same foods, so there is no one ‘safe’ list of things which are fine, and others which must be avoided.
As folks have suggested, it may be that relatively small and permanent changes to your menu may be sufficient to allow your body to process food properly.
Lots of new members find that keeping a food diary can be really helpful in the early weeks, writing down everything you eat and drink, along with an estimate of the total carbs (not just sugars) involved. This can be a really useful learning exercose as it begins to give you a sense of where the main sources of carbs are found, and which of your meals may benefit from some tweaks.
If you want to dig into real detail of how different meals are affecting your BG as an indididual, you may choose to get hold of a BG meter. This doesn’t suit everyone, but it is an immediate and very visual way to see how food and BG interact. You can check just before eating, and 2hrs after the first bite, and see the difference - the ‘meal rise’. Ideally you would aim for this rise to be 2-3mmol/L or less. If you see bigger rises, you can target those meals for changes, but you can continue to eat any foods (even supposedly tricky ones) where your BG remains within 2-3 - while recognising that obviously BG outcome is only one way of assessing how healthy a food is!
If you’d like to try this approach, you will probalby need to self fund your BG meter, because GPs only tend to prescribe meters for people on certain meds. The meters are fairly inexpensive, but the ongoing strip cost can vary wildly. 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
Good luck and let us know how you get on 🙂
- Status