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Pre diabetes
- Thread starter TWLL
- Start date
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Thank you, mine is 42, so only just over, but the nurse said if I didn't act now it would only get worse. What was your HbA1c?
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
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Welcome to the forum @TWLL
Good to hear you are feeling positive!
At 42mmol/mol you are at the lower end of the ‘at risk of diabetes'’ zone. You may find you may only need to make relatively modest adjustments to your menu to steer things away from a diabetes diagnosis?
Have you thought about the kinds of positive changes you might make? There are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut out straight away, but you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits. That doesn’t mean avoiding all those things entirely, but reducing portion-sizes, and bulking meals up with lower carb veggies, healthy protein and good fats, can be very effective strategies. 🙂
Let us know how you get on, and keep asking away with any questions as they arise 🙂
Good to hear you are feeling positive!
At 42mmol/mol you are at the lower end of the ‘at risk of diabetes'’ zone. You may find you may only need to make relatively modest adjustments to your menu to steer things away from a diabetes diagnosis?
Have you thought about the kinds of positive changes you might make? There are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut out straight away, but you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits. That doesn’t mean avoiding all those things entirely, but reducing portion-sizes, and bulking meals up with lower carb veggies, healthy protein and good fats, can be very effective strategies. 🙂
Let us know how you get on, and keep asking away with any questions as they arise 🙂
Thank you. I have a very sweet tooth, so am cutting sweets out completely, I don't really have a problem with cakes or biscuits, so that's good. Carbohydrates is an issue with potatoes and bread, but I love fruit and veg so will up those. Thank you for your help
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Cutting out those sweet things will help massively, so well done for that!
Berries are generally the gentlest fruits on your BG levels. It can be worth remembering that some fruits (while good sources of vitamins and fibre) can have glucose-raising properties - particularly the more tropical varieties. Sports stars sometimes use fruits like bananas to give them access to glucose/energy during matches. Fruit can be a good addition to your menu, but it’s good to remember that it can’t be eaten in unlimited quantities 🙂
There are some possible swaps and alternatives to things like spuds at the top of this post which might give you some ideas?
The A to Z of Vegetables (from DSF)
Kindly shared from the former DSF (diabetes support forum) with permission from @Pattidevans
forum.diabetes.org.uk
I love berries thankfully and am trying to keep my portion size under control. Are grapes any good or should I not eat them? Thank you for the link, I will definitely have a read of thatCutting out those sweet things will help massively, so well done for that!
Berries are generally the gentlest fruits on your BG levels. It can be worth remembering that some fruits (while good sources of vitamins and fibre) can have glucose-raising properties - particularly the more tropical varieties. Sports stars sometimes use fruits like bananas to give them access to glucose/energy during matches. Fruit can be a good addition to your menu, but it’s good to remember that it can’t be eaten in unlimited quantities 🙂
There are some possible swaps and alternatives to things like spuds at the top of this post which might give you some ideas?
The A to Z of Vegetables (from DSF)
Kindly shared from the former DSF (diabetes support forum) with permission from @Pattidevans
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
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Alas many of the forum call grapes tiny ‘sugar bombs’. 
You might be OK with a few, but they are very moreish!
You might be OK with a few, but they are very moreish!
oh dear another one off the list thenAlas many of the forum call grapes tiny ‘sugar bombs’.
You might be OK with a few, but they are very moreish!
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
The Carbs and Cals book or app is a good resource as it gives carb values for a whole range of foods and portion sizes so it makes it easy to compare different fruits and veg etc.
It can be useful to make a list of fruits and portion size and their carbs to get a good idea but it will only ever be approximate due to the different variety of fruit and it's ripeness.
As you are just at that bottom end of prediabetes some modest changes should be all that is needed but they do need to be sustainable otherwise you can find yourself back at square one.
s'nic
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- At risk of diabetes
Mine was also 42
I also have a sweet tooth, so I need to stay away from sweets now. They told me I'd get checked yearly, which is a little frustrating - having to wait a year to see what the change is 🙄
That's the worst part isn't it? Just a yearly test, cutting out everything but have to wait a year to see how we are doing
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
But if you have a home testing blood glucose monitor then you can keep a regular check, even if it is only a couple of times a week to make sure you are on track rather than waiting a year. You would then be able to see the trend on your blood glucose from week to week.
Oh that's a great idea, I will look into that, thank you
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
The GlucoNavii or TEE2 are a couple of monitors with the cheaper strips but still worth shopping around. The strips are the consumable bit so worth looking at the price of those as well as the monitor. ON line cheaper than the pharmacy and you don't need to pay VAT so remember to tick the box.
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Perhaps I need to pay back all the VAT I must owe then as I have always ticked the box even when I was not over the threshold, does that mean if people now are at normal level they should pay VAT?
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
As you are so close to normal numbers just a few changes could make all the difference.
All starches and sugars are carbohydrates, so cutting out those least important to you could do the trick.
Avoiding bananas or eating swede or cauliflower instead of potatoes, fewer packets of crisps or dividing up packs of sweets - it is all about the same impact, so you chose the option most likely to work and can stick to it.
All starches and sugars are carbohydrates, so cutting out those least important to you could do the trick.
Avoiding bananas or eating swede or cauliflower instead of potatoes, fewer packets of crisps or dividing up packs of sweets - it is all about the same impact, so you chose the option most likely to work and can stick to it.
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