Hi all. I'm new here and a little shy. I used to be slim but took to comfort eating after I separated from my husband. I have piled on the weight over the past few years and had no motivation to lose it. A routine blood test showed I am prediabetic at 43. My cholesterol is high and I have been trying to lose weight many times but I think I've wrecked my metabolism because as soon as I hit a plateau I fall off the wagon. I can't seem to lose weight no matter what I try. I've had no help from my doctor and I don't know what to do. Please help!
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Newly diagnosed pre diabetic
- Thread starter lolay
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Vonny
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi @lolay and welcome to the club no one wants to join! I doubt you've wrecked your metabolism, just maybe sedated it a bit and I'm sure it will bounce back.
As you are only pre-diabetic you can probably get back to "normal" levels by making some changes to the way you eat. If you've piled on the pounds (as many of us have done!), reducing the amount of carbs you eat can make a significant difference. I just cut out all potatoes, bread, rice and pasta, luckily I didn't have a sweet tooth. However, I've learned from this forum that it is better to do it gradually as otherwise you may get problems with your eyesight.
If, like me, you are a carb monster, please don't worry. Once you reduce them the craving definitely lessens.
It's important not to think of it as a diet, more as a new way of eating. I'm over 2 years into my new way of eating and I really don't miss the old way now. I'm happier, more confident and certainly a great deal healthier than I was when I was diagnosed. I genuinely feel 20 years younger and it's great to be back in size 10 clothes after years of increasing through to size 20!
Any questions, just shout out. There are so many people here with masses of information and there is never such a thing as a stupid question. Best of luck 🙂
As you are only pre-diabetic you can probably get back to "normal" levels by making some changes to the way you eat. If you've piled on the pounds (as many of us have done!), reducing the amount of carbs you eat can make a significant difference. I just cut out all potatoes, bread, rice and pasta, luckily I didn't have a sweet tooth. However, I've learned from this forum that it is better to do it gradually as otherwise you may get problems with your eyesight.
If, like me, you are a carb monster, please don't worry. Once you reduce them the craving definitely lessens.
It's important not to think of it as a diet, more as a new way of eating. I'm over 2 years into my new way of eating and I really don't miss the old way now. I'm happier, more confident and certainly a great deal healthier than I was when I was diagnosed. I genuinely feel 20 years younger and it's great to be back in size 10 clothes after years of increasing through to size 20!
Any questions, just shout out. There are so many people here with masses of information and there is never such a thing as a stupid question. Best of luck 🙂
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
I used to read 'the Screwtape letters' fairly often - it is advice to a novice tempter from a seasoned old devil.
One thing which has always stayed with me was the observation that the poor Human was just about to reach a state where doing the right thing was becoming easy, a simple habit, but some small thing tripped them up and sent them off at a tangent - if only they'd realised how close they were..... the old devil sniggers.
Perhaps if you think of the plateaus as pauses where things are sorted out, repaired, a chance to rest and recover before continuing on the journey they might be seen not as a failure to be compounded but rather as proof of progress. We are not mechanical things but biological marvels, or a bunch of systems struggling along a catastrophe curve and it is not always clear what is going on, but something always is.
I too feel decades younger eating low carb foods - which I do stick to month on month - but from time to time I indulge in ice cream or Yorkshire puddings - just not every week. I can do that because my metabolism has recovered to be able to deal with such things once in a while. I have not fallen off the waggon though - it is simply that I can do that now, and I understand at least a little bit of what is going on.
One thing which has always stayed with me was the observation that the poor Human was just about to reach a state where doing the right thing was becoming easy, a simple habit, but some small thing tripped them up and sent them off at a tangent - if only they'd realised how close they were..... the old devil sniggers.
Perhaps if you think of the plateaus as pauses where things are sorted out, repaired, a chance to rest and recover before continuing on the journey they might be seen not as a failure to be compounded but rather as proof of progress. We are not mechanical things but biological marvels, or a bunch of systems struggling along a catastrophe curve and it is not always clear what is going on, but something always is.
I too feel decades younger eating low carb foods - which I do stick to month on month - but from time to time I indulge in ice cream or Yorkshire puddings - just not every week. I can do that because my metabolism has recovered to be able to deal with such things once in a while. I have not fallen off the waggon though - it is simply that I can do that now, and I understand at least a little bit of what is going on.
Thanks so much for your reply and the really sensible advice! I will try to take it on board as it's been brought home to me that it's not just a vanity issue but a health wake up call. You've done really well and if I could get anywhere near your results I'd be over the moon. Thanks again for taking the time to reply. 🙂
nonethewiser
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Good chance if you lose that weight you will reverse your prediabetes diagnosis.
Wife was in same position after putting on fair bit of weight mainly due to meds & ill health at time, told she was prediabetic after routine bloods so went about trying to get rid of that weight, joined local Slimming World group & lost 5 stone in total, since then all bloods have been normal.
Thank you so much for your reply. I'm going to do whatever it takes, Thanks
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
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What a great encouragement @Vonny - thanks for sharing.
Welcome to the forum @lolay
Sorry to hear you’ve been having a tough time recently, and have been feeling like your efforts aren’t working out as you’d like.
I think there’s a lot of wisdom in the comments people are making about making an overall shift to a new way of doing things, a sustainable approach for you long term, rather than seeing any changes you are making as a short term fix after which you’d go back to ‘normal’.
It may be that in the beginning you need to be a little more careful with your choices, and later can exercise a little liberty now and again, but I think it’s helpful to look for an overall approach to menu and portion that your body copes well with, in terms of BG levels and weight - and then just let the additional pounds gradually ebb away.
The really encouraging thing to see you joining and posting here. You’ve identified that something isn’t right… and you want to do something about that. That’s half the battle to be honest!
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