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Mari Eliza

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Relationship to Diabetes
At risk of diabetes
Thank you for welcoming me to the forum. I’m here because I have a partner with Type 2 diabetes (we’re struggling) and I have recently been told I am pre-diabetic. It runs in both our families but we are our own worst enemies so, hopefully, with the help of the site and forum we’ll do much better. Take care everyone.
 
Hi and welcome.

Sorry to hear that your partner is struggling with diabetes and that you now have now got elevated BG levels oputting you at risk of diabetes too. The good thing in many respects is that you can now embark on a journey of better health and diet together, which is much easier than one partner trying to follow a set diet and the other buying/eating tempting foods.

What if any medication is your partner on for their diabetes as that can impact any dietary advice we give?

Essentially, you have two main choices in your approach although some people do a bit of mix and match.

1. Follow a very low CALORIE weight loss program to trigger rapid burning of visceral fat which can help to reverse Type 2 diabetes in some people. This is usually the Newcastle or Fast 800 diet which is generally an 800calories per day meal replacement diet for 8-12 weeks. If your partner is on certain medications then this may not be appropriate or their medication may need adjustment, so would need to be discussed with their GP or nurse.

2. A low CARBOHYDRATE way of eating. This is more a change of menu for life and involves reducing your intake of not just sweet stuff, but also starchy carbs from bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, breakfast cereals and some fruits. Not saying that you don't eat these things but reducing portion size is very important and choosing the healthier options most of the time, so if it is a choice between a biscuit or a small portion of porridge, the porridge might be a better option, but porridge is still pretty high in carbs so portion size is key.... and obviously don't then go adding sugar or banana to the porridge because that negates any benefit over the biscuit. Many people allocate themselves a daily allowance of carbs and that helps them to decide how they choose to "spend" that allowance.
This can seem really limiting but take for instance breakfast.... The typical breakfast options of toast or cereal including porridge are all high carbohydrate because they are made from grains and grains are about 60% carbs and then we often eat more than we should..... it can be a real eye opener to weight out the recommended portion of cereal and compare it to what you normally eat. On the other hand, bacon eggs and mushrooms is very low carb indeed provided you don't have bread/toast/hash browns or baked beans with it. Personally I quite enjoy an omelette as a low carb breakfast, but usually I have creamy natural Greek style yoghurt with a few berries and mixed seeds or chopped nuts.
I am not advocating bacon and eggs for breakfast every morning but having 2 or 3 low carb breakfast choices and alternating between them works well for many of us.
Again, going low carb might need to be done in conjunction with advice or medication review if your partner is on certain meds, so if we know what he has been prescribed we can give you some guidance.

I appreciate that that may all seem a bit overwhelming.... it was for all of us at first, but once you get into the practicalities of the changes you gradually figure out how to make it work for you and if you keep asking questions her we can point you in the right direction.

Good luck and please ask whatever questions you have.
 
When diagnosed I simply reduced my intake of carbs (told the GP that was it, no more stupid diet) and in a few months I was no longer diabetic
I have lost a lot of weight with no effort
 
Hi @Mari Eliza and welcome to the forum

I'm sorry to hear that you are struggling, but I hope that the forum and the website are helping you both

Feel free to ask any questions here on the forum and/or give a member of our helpline a call at 0345 123 2399. The helpline is open Mon-Fri between 9 am-6 pm.
 
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