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- Thread starter Simonle37
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- Relationship to Diabetes
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Welcome to the forum. Being 'on the verge' probably means that the results of the HbA1C blood test you have had will be in what is referred to as prediabetes or at risk and will be somewhere between 42 and 47 mmol/mol, the threshold for a diabetes diagnosis is anything over that.
It is a warning to alert you that your body is struggling to cope with the amount of carbohydrates not just 'sugar' in your diet. Some modest changes should be sufficient to make a difference as will losing some weight if you need to.
The obvious things to be cutting out are cakes, biscuits and sugary drinks including fruit juice and high carb snacks but also reducing portions of high carb foods like potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, breakfast cereals, pastries and tropical fruits. It may sound as if there is nothing you can eat but basing meals on meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, vegetables and salads and fruits like berries will still give options for tasty filling meals.
Have a look at this link for some ideas for modifying your diet, it is a low carb approach which man have found successful at reducing blood glucose and losing weight if they need to. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
Remember depending on where you are in the 'at risk' zone will indicate how much work you need to do and low carb does not mean NO carb.
But whatever you do has to be enjoyable otherwise it will not be sustainable for the long term.
It is a warning to alert you that your body is struggling to cope with the amount of carbohydrates not just 'sugar' in your diet. Some modest changes should be sufficient to make a difference as will losing some weight if you need to.
The obvious things to be cutting out are cakes, biscuits and sugary drinks including fruit juice and high carb snacks but also reducing portions of high carb foods like potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, breakfast cereals, pastries and tropical fruits. It may sound as if there is nothing you can eat but basing meals on meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, vegetables and salads and fruits like berries will still give options for tasty filling meals.
Have a look at this link for some ideas for modifying your diet, it is a low carb approach which man have found successful at reducing blood glucose and losing weight if they need to. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
Remember depending on where you are in the 'at risk' zone will indicate how much work you need to do and low carb does not mean NO carb.
But whatever you do has to be enjoyable otherwise it will not be sustainable for the long term.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
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- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @Simonle37
Sorry to hear you have been told you are at increased risk of developing diabetes.
Sounds like it has come a bit out of the blue and you weren’t expecting it?
Does anyone in your close family live with diabetes?
One of the biggest questions when told you are at risk of diabetes is often ‘what can I eat’ and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.
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 (not just ‘of which sugars’) in your 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, you might also spot some likely candidates for swaps, portion reductions, or using lower carb alternatives (eg celeriac or swede mash, or cauli ‘rice’).
It’s quite likely that just a few modest tweaks to your menu might go a long way.
Were you told the result of your first HbA1c? Do you know how close to the diagnosis line of 48mmol/L you currently are?
Sorry to hear you have been told you are at increased risk of developing diabetes.
Sounds like it has come a bit out of the blue and you weren’t expecting it?
Does anyone in your close family live with diabetes?
One of the biggest questions when told you are at risk of diabetes is often ‘what can I eat’ and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.
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 (not just ‘of which sugars’) in your 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, you might also spot some likely candidates for swaps, portion reductions, or using lower carb alternatives (eg celeriac or swede mash, or cauli ‘rice’).
It’s quite likely that just a few modest tweaks to your menu might go a long way.
Were you told the result of your first HbA1c? Do you know how close to the diagnosis line of 48mmol/L you currently are?
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