PRE-DIABETIC

[MilliVanilli]

Hello,
I was told in January that I was pre-diabetic with an HBA1C of 48.6. It came as a bit of a shock as following a routine blood test to check my thyroid, (I’m borderline hypo-thyroid so have blood tests every 3-6 months) at my request the doctor did an HBA1C as I had not had one for quite some time. I am 5ft 3 inches tall and weighed 9st 10lb. The doctor said I was not a typical candidate for diabetes and as far as I’m aware it is not in my family.

I immediately cut out bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, alcohol, cakes, sweets, crisps, chocolate ice cream and increased my exercise to 5-6 times a week. I already ran once a week however, I am fortunate that I am currently living abroad due to my husband’s job and spouses are not allowed to work unless remotely for a UK company, so I have plenty of time on my hands to exercise and the use of a free gym. I run 5k three times a week and also go to the gym, 2 PT classes a week and occasionally Zumba. Once a week I belong to a walking group and walk 6-9 miles.

Three months later I had another blood test and my HBA1C had come down to 40. I was a bit disappointed to be honest as I had given up so much and put a lot of effort into exercising and I was hoping it would be around mid thirties. The doctor told me not to be too rigid about my diet as I had been and that the occasional treat was OK. I had lost just under a stone in weight and the doctor said I didn’t need to be retested for a year. I was concerned that seemed like a long time so I asked for the test to be repeated in September. This time it had gone up to 43. We had been on holiday and I must admit I did have one gin and tonic every evening and a very small bread roll with soup each night and the occasional small piece of cake, and they were small! The whole time we were away I never had any sweets, chocolate, ice cream and as they only serve white rice everywhe in this country, I would have a small portion of it and leave the rest.

I feel really fed up now as I no longer look forward to going out for a meal only to choose salad and I’m struggling with what to eat. I eat porridge (Oatibix, 3 tablespoons only and milk) for breakfast and usually boiled eggs or omelette with peppers, carrot, raw onion and cheese. I eat a lot of nuts and peanut butter (probably too much), lentil curry or chickpea curry or Dahl.

I would love to hear from anyone else in this boat. I am determined not to tip over into diabetic as the doctor said I was currently at the top end of normal.

 

[ColinUK]

Did the doctor do any other tests which might have identified what type of diabetes you may have?

Oh and of course don't panic, don't fret and welcome to the forum. I'm sure that someone will be along shortly who can give you more suggestions about what to do but I just wanted to welcome you here 🙂

 

[MilliVanilli]

Hi,
thank you for your reply. No, I just had the HBA1C test. I assumed I’m prediabetic for Type 2. Really need advice with food.

 

[Drummer]

Hello @MilliVanilli - I suspect that you might be almost as sensitive as I am to carbs - I simply cannot have a little this and a little that and hope for no consequences - so no porridge, no peanut butter or lentils nor chickpeas nor rice, no cake however small nor even the tiniest bit of bread, and I still get Hba1c of 42 every time.
I did lower my intake of carbs from a maximum of 50 to a maximum of 40 and my Hba1c was still 42, so I decided that it was not something I could control and simply stick to my daily target. My main aim is no weight increase now, as I have done some years of low carbing.
Although I do not eat high carb foods I eat a wide variety of low carb ones, only avoiding legumes as I seem able to extract 180 percent of their carb content.
By having a low carb daily routine I can now eat more carbs once in a while - but that is not every week, or even every month at some times, but that is down to weight gain and losing it so slowly afterwards - you might find that it is not a problem. We are all individual in out response to carbs.
My usual advice is to remove the high carb foods and use a meter to test carefully assessed amounts of carbs - some people insist on it being to eat no carbs at all, which can get tiresome.
You might find that a blood glucose tester is useful so you can record the before and after numbers and keep track of your foods. I just used a little notebook and it soon became clear that the way I ate on Atkins was exactly the way to eat after diagnosis and all the 'healthy' carbs I was eating to reduce cholesterol were why I was almost spherical and feeling very old.

 

[Rick B]

Hi @MilliVanilli, Sorry to hear that you've hit this "wall". Must be very frustrating. A couple of observations: Your high carb breakfast might not be doing you any favours; and you might be able to tolerate carbs a bit better if you tried Intermittent Fasting (IF). I routinely skip breakfast in the week, waiting until after 12 noon before eating anything. I don't have milk in drinks either during this period. All foods are consumed in a 6 hour window, although realistically this means I have a lunch and evening dinner. Nothing then after 6 pm, other than sparking water with a slice of lemon. I do this 5 days per week - Monday through to Friday. IF seems to give me more latitude with foods at the weekend, which breaks the monotony. The science behind this is to do with improving insulin resistance. It maybe worth a try? Best talk it through with your doctor first though as you have the thyroid condition. Good luck!

 

[Drummer]

@MilliVanilli - I forgot to mention, I have a failed thyroid, but it seems to be improving now, after years of low carbing. I used to take 200 micrograms of Thyroxine, for a decade at least, but now I have the perfect excuse not to go on a high carb diet I am down to 125 at the moment.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hello,
I was told in January that I was pre-diabetic with an HBA1C of 48.6. It came as a bit of a shock as following a routine blood test to check my thyroid, (I’m borderline hypo-thyroid so have blood tests every 3-6 months) at my request the doctor did an HBA1C as I had not had one for quite some time. I am 5ft 3 inches tall and weighed 9st 10lb. The doctor said I was not a typical candidate for diabetes and as far as I’m aware it is not in my family.

I immediately cut out bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, alcohol, cakes, sweets, crisps, chocolate ice cream and increased my exercise to 5-6 times a week. I already ran once a week however, I am fortunate that I am currently living abroad due to my husband’s job and spouses are not allowed to work unless remotely for a UK company, so I have plenty of time on my hands to exercise and the use of a free gym. I run 5k three times a week and also go to the gym, 2 PT classes a week and occasionally Zumba. Once a week I belong to a walking group and walk 6-9 miles.

Three months later I had another blood test and my HBA1C had come down to 40. I was a bit disappointed to be honest as I had given up so much and put a lot of effort into exercising and I was hoping it would be around mid thirties. The doctor told me not to be too rigid about my diet as I had been and that the occasional treat was OK. I had lost just under a stone in weight and the doctor said I didn’t need to be retested for a year. I was concerned that seemed like a long time so I asked for the test to be repeated in September. This time it had gone up to 43. We had been on holiday and I must admit I did have one gin and tonic every evening and a very small bread roll with soup each night and the occasional small piece of cake, and they were small! The whole time we were away I never had any sweets, chocolate, ice cream and as they only serve white rice everywhe in this country, I would have a small portion of it and leave the rest.

I feel really fed up now as I no longer look forward to going out for a meal only to choose salad and I’m struggling with what to eat. I eat porridge (Oatibix, 3 tablespoons only and milk) for breakfast and usually boiled eggs or omelette with peppers, carrot, raw onion and cheese. I eat a lot of nuts and peanut butter (probably too much), lentil curry or chickpea curry or Dahl.

I would love to hear from anyone else in this boat. I am determined not to tip over into diabetic as the doctor said I was currently at the top end of normal.

It may be there are a few foods that you are particularly sensitive to, the things you mention like the cereal and lentil or chickpea based meals are quite high carb. You do not mention any meat or fish in the things you are having so if you do not eat those virtually carb free foods then it does become a bit harder. Incorporating a greater variety of vegetables in your meals, so mushrooms, green veg, aubergines to 'dilute out' the impact of the pulses may help. Full fat Greek yoghurt and berries with seeds or just a small amount of a low sugar cereal like All Bran or granola may be an alternative breakfast.
I agree that a monitor would help you determine what you could tolerate.
When eating out avoid the chips, rice and pasta dishes and ask for extra veg or salad or coleslaw.
When looking for recipes search for low carb or Keto and if you want veggie then add that to the search.

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @MilliVanilli and welcome to the forum
I see that you do a lot of exercise, which has it's own benefits, but beyond a minimum 30 min per day it doesn't do much for reducing Blood Glucose levels. Say you do more exercise, so you burn more energy, so you eat more carbohydrates, so your Blood Glucose goes up.
See what I mean?

The only 2 proven methods are either reducing carbohydrates or very low calorie diet.
I prefer low carbohydrate to low calories!
As has been pointed out, you breakfasts are very high in carbohydrates. Do you have a Blood Glucose meter so that you are aware of how your body reacts to that?
The way I found the best way of eating for me (we are all different) was by using a BG meter to test just before a meal and then 2hrs later. Aiming for no more than a 2.0 mmol rise from the meal. Before testing my breakfast used to be oat porridge made with milk and 1(large) banana - both of which my GP had said were healthy. Well not for me they weren't!

Breakfasts that are OK for me are: eggs, cold cuts of meat/fish, kippers, cheese or Greek style yogurt with a few nuts and berries in it.

Find something that gets you off to a good start each day - most (but not all) people find they tolerate carbs a little better in the afternoon/evening.

 

[MilliVanilli]

Hello @MilliVanilli - I suspect that you might be almost as sensitive as I am to carbs - I simply cannot have a little this and a little that and hope for no consequences - so no porridge, no peanut butter or lentils nor chickpeas nor rice, no cake however small nor even the tiniest bit of bread, and I still get Hba1c of 42 every time.
I did lower my intake of carbs from a maximum of 50 to a maximum of 40 and my Hba1c was still 42, so I decided that it was not something I could control and simply stick to my daily target. My main aim is no weight increase now, as I have done some years of low carbing.
Although I do not eat high carb foods I eat a wide variety of low carb ones, only avoiding legumes as I seem able to extract 180 percent of their carb content.
By having a low carb daily routine I can now eat more carbs once in a while - but that is not every week, or even every month at some times, but that is down to weight gain and losing it so slowly afterwards - you might find that it is not a problem. We are all individual in out response to carbs.
My usual advice is to remove the high carb foods and use a meter to test carefully assessed amounts of carbs - some people insist on it being to eat no carbs at all, which can get tiresome.
You might find that a blood glucose tester is useful so you can record the before and after numbers and keep track of your foods. I just used a little notebook and it soon became clear that the way I ate on Atkins was exactly the way to eat after diagnosis and all the 'healthy' carbs I was eating to reduce cholesterol were why I was almost spherical and feeling very old.

Hello,
Thank you for your reply. I think I will look at buying a glucose meter and seeing what does and doesn’t affect me. I love porridge and peanut butter, I would be gutted if it was that! I don’t eat meat and when in the UK I did eat salmon regularly but I am in Kenya and fish is very expensive to buy here, around 5-7 pounds for one fillet! The bulk of my diet is eggs, peppers, onions, porridge, peanut butter, raw carrot, lentils and chickpeas with a small amount of brown rice. I don’t eat bread or pasta or anything with white flour in, no cakes or treats. It is interesting reading other people’s stories and comments. Thank you.

 

[MilliVanilli]

Hi @MilliVanilli, Sorry to hear that you've hit this "wall". Must be very frustrating. A couple of observations: Your high carb breakfast might not be doing you any favours; and you might be able to tolerate carbs a bit better if you tried Intermittent Fasting (IF). I routinely skip breakfast in the week, waiting until after 12 noon before eating anything. I don't have milk in drinks either during this period. All foods are consumed in a 6 hour window, although realistically this means I have a lunch and evening dinner. Nothing then after 6 pm, other than sparking water with a slice of lemon. I do this 5 days per week - Monday through to Friday. IF seems to give me more latitude with foods at the weekend, which breaks the monotony. The science behind this is to do with improving insulin resistance. It maybe worth a try? Best talk it through with your doctor first though as you have the thyroid condition. Good luck!

Thank you for your reply. I have never tried IF so worth giving that a go. I am generally hungry when I get up in the morning and am currently doing some form of exercise every morning and am usually ravenous afterwards! Do you eat more normally at the weekend or have a treat? I have started having Alpro plant based milk in tea instead of semi-skimmed, would it be OK to carry on doing that do you think? Thanks for your advice.

 

[MilliVanilli]

It may be there are a few foods that you are particularly sensitive to, the things you mention like the cereal and lentil or chickpea based meals are quite high carb. You do not mention any meat or fish in the things you are having so if you do not eat those virtually carb free foods then it does become a bit harder. Incorporating a greater variety of vegetables in your meals, so mushrooms, green veg, aubergines to 'dilute out' the impact of the pulses may help. Full fat Greek yoghurt and berries with seeds or just a small amount of a low sugar cereal like All Bran or granola may be an alternative breakfast.
I agree that a monitor would help you determine what you could tolerate.
When eating out avoid the chips, rice and pasta dishes and ask for extra veg or salad or coleslaw.
When looking for recipes search for low carb or Keto and if you want veggie then add that to the search.

Hello,
Thank you for your reply. I am currently living in Kenya and mostly vegetarian. When I was in the UK I ate salmon and tuna at least 2-3 times a week but fish is very expensive here as is mushrooms so I only eat fish if we go to a restaurant. Unfortunately meals always come with white rice or chippati which I avoid. I think I will definitely purchase a monitor. I have never looked at a Keto diet so I will Google it and see what it entails. I also didn’t know that a low carb diet can aid thyroid problems. Thank you for your advice.

 

[MilliVanilli]

Hi @MilliVanilli and welcome to the forum
I see that you do a lot of exercise, which has it's own benefits, but beyond a minimum 30 min per day it doesn't do much for reducing Blood Glucose levels. Say you do more exercise, so you burn more energy, so you eat more carbohydrates, so your Blood Glucose goes up.
See what I mean?

The only 2 proven methods are either reducing carbohydrates or very low calorie diet.
I prefer low carbohydrate to low calories!
As has been pointed out, you breakfasts are very high in carbohydrates. Do you have a Blood Glucose meter so that you are aware of how your body reacts to that?
The way I found the best way of eating for me (we are all different) was by using a BG meter to test just before a meal and then 2hrs later. Aiming for no more than a 2.0 mmol rise from the meal. Before testing my breakfast used to be oat porridge made with milk and 1(large) banana - both of which my GP had said were healthy. Well not for me they weren't!

Breakfasts that are OK for me are: eggs, cold cuts of meat/fish, kippers, cheese or Greek style yogurt with a few nuts and berries in it.

Find something that gets you off to a good start each day - most (but not all) people find they tolerate carbs a little better in the afternoon/evening.

Hello,

Thank you for your reply. I am wondering if the porridge is something I will have to cut out. I am going to buy a meter and just try things and see what spikes and what doesn’t. Thank you for your help.

 

[Drummer]

Hello,
Thank you for your reply. I think I will look at buying a glucose meter and seeing what does and doesn’t affect me. I love porridge and peanut butter, I would be gutted if it was that! I don’t eat meat and when in the UK I did eat salmon regularly but I am in Kenya and fish is very expensive to buy here, around 5-7 pounds for one fillet! The bulk of my diet is eggs, peppers, onions, porridge, peanut butter, raw carrot, lentils and chickpeas with a small amount of brown rice. I don’t eat bread or pasta or anything with white flour in, no cakes or treats. It is interesting reading other people’s stories and comments. Thank you.

Hopefully by using a meter you'll see differences in the way you respond to different foods so you can keep your blood glucose under control by slight reductions or replacements.
My own menu comprises far more variety - I eat eggs, sweet peppers, onion, carrot but also a great long list of salad and other veges, berries, mushrooms, nuts and seeds - I have even grown courgettes in the garden this year.

 

[Rick B]

Thank you for your reply. I have never tried IF so worth giving that a go. I am generally hungry when I get up in the morning and am currently doing some form of exercise every morning and am usually ravenous afterwards! Do you eat more normally at the weekend or have a treat? I have started having Alpro plant based milk in tea instead of semi-skimmed, would it be OK to carry on doing that do you think? Thanks for your advice.

Hi @MilliVanilli, there is no "one size fits all" as many posters in this forum will attest, so I'm just making observations and suggestions (rather than giving advice) 😉

IF appears to be working for me, as I find it pretty easy to stop eating after 6.00 pm and skip breakfast. The "dawn effect" where the liver releases glucose and a cocktail of hormones just before waking is clearly my friend. I too workout first thing in the morning btw.

And yes, I eat more normally at the weekend (roast beef dinner on a Sunday, with trimmings as one example). However, even at the weekend,I do not eat cereals,or sugary food.

Also, I'm relatively new to this so I'll be adjusting as I go along, and I may well have to moderate my current approach. IF works for me but it might not be suitable for you. Perhaps one to try once you've consulted your doctor? GL & BW.