Hi my blood levels are now at 47 as of December 2024 (up from 46in April 2024) I'm after some tips/advice as to help it other than diet as I have a life long eating disorder call A.R.F I.D ..basically I eat the same foods every day since age 3 (I'm now 37 years old) it a selective eating disorder but unfortunately my diet is bad I only eat sausage/ bacon/waffles/chips/croquettes/ for Dinner at night and then white bread bacon sandwich/crisps and biscuits in the day and thats it every day for past 34 years and nothing else I'm at a complete loss as to what to do/help the pre diabetes situation and can only predict it getting worse and I'm worried any advice greatly appreciated
-
Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
Type 2 pre diabetes level 47
- Thread starter Hendrix
- Start date
dannybgoode
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Sorry to hear about your situation. Other conditions can make managing life very challenging.
A change in diet would be really beneficial however I appreciate that is far from straightforward.
Do you exercise? Whilst it may not prevent you tipping over into the diabetic range it would certainly help.
Other than that I'd suggest you need to try and get specialist help in managing your diet. I appreciate you may have already tried this however in some regions the diabetes centres have dieticians and also specialist nurses who may have experience of helping people in the same situation as you.
A change in diet would be really beneficial however I appreciate that is far from straightforward.
Do you exercise? Whilst it may not prevent you tipping over into the diabetic range it would certainly help.
Other than that I'd suggest you need to try and get specialist help in managing your diet. I appreciate you may have already tried this however in some regions the diabetes centres have dieticians and also specialist nurses who may have experience of helping people in the same situation as you.
@Hendrix
I agree with dannybgoode (post) and gail2 (like).
Based on my experience I have a suggestion for you to follow up with your medical team, ARFID groups and experts.
As I see it, based on the information in your post, your prognosis is spot on. If you do not change anything (diet, exercise, lifestyle, medication, professional advice) your next 34 years are likely to see you develop progressive T2D and its dire consequences.
That is the prospect my GP put to me in 2022, but she did know anything about the results of Professor Roy Taylor's team's ground breaking CounterPoint study in c.2008. The Eureka moment came 7 days into the trial. The blood glucose levels of many of the T2D's who were on clinical meal replacements instead of real food had returned to normal, implying an eventual HbA1c level in the 30s. That was the first sign that remission of T2D [and reversal of fatty liver] by diet was possible. After 8-12 weeks real food was reintroduced under medical supervision. For details see Roy Taylor on this YouTube video and this one. I followed a real food version of the meal replacement shakes and the results were the same,
Anyway your takeaway message that is clinical meal replacements instead of food can be effective for treating dietary problems. I recommend you consider them as a way out of your dilemma.
Your first step would be to choose a suitable shake: maybe a Huel product or one the shakes used in the current NHS Pathway to Remission programmes. Ask here for suggestions and have a look the r/arfit group messages on Reddit.
Next my suggestion would be to replace an evening meal with a shake. Once you have cleared that hurdle a few times, try replacing your next daytime meal with a shake as well. Or the other way round. Finally string the sequences together so you can go a full week on meal replacements only.
Obviously this needs a bit of planning with professional input. At a minimum you will also need to monitor your blood glucose and weight. Your team will advise you how long you will need to keep going with the shakes before you start to introduce the foods you should be eating in future. Some experts say a week is sufficient to break cravings, others may know better.
Just a suggestion.
Good luck.
Just a suggestion
I agree with dannybgoode (post) and gail2 (like).
Based on my experience I have a suggestion for you to follow up with your medical team, ARFID groups and experts.
As I see it, based on the information in your post, your prognosis is spot on. If you do not change anything (diet, exercise, lifestyle, medication, professional advice) your next 34 years are likely to see you develop progressive T2D and its dire consequences.
That is the prospect my GP put to me in 2022, but she did know anything about the results of Professor Roy Taylor's team's ground breaking CounterPoint study in c.2008. The Eureka moment came 7 days into the trial. The blood glucose levels of many of the T2D's who were on clinical meal replacements instead of real food had returned to normal, implying an eventual HbA1c level in the 30s. That was the first sign that remission of T2D [and reversal of fatty liver] by diet was possible. After 8-12 weeks real food was reintroduced under medical supervision. For details see Roy Taylor on this YouTube video and this one. I followed a real food version of the meal replacement shakes and the results were the same,
Anyway your takeaway message that is clinical meal replacements instead of food can be effective for treating dietary problems. I recommend you consider them as a way out of your dilemma.
Your first step would be to choose a suitable shake: maybe a Huel product or one the shakes used in the current NHS Pathway to Remission programmes. Ask here for suggestions and have a look the r/arfit group messages on Reddit.
Next my suggestion would be to replace an evening meal with a shake. Once you have cleared that hurdle a few times, try replacing your next daytime meal with a shake as well. Or the other way round. Finally string the sequences together so you can go a full week on meal replacements only.
Obviously this needs a bit of planning with professional input. At a minimum you will also need to monitor your blood glucose and weight. Your team will advise you how long you will need to keep going with the shakes before you start to introduce the foods you should be eating in future. Some experts say a week is sufficient to break cravings, others may know better.
Just a suggestion.
Good luck.
Just a suggestion
Thanks for your ideas I have been from pillow to post with my eating disorder issues but with no joy and in turn its impacted my mental health its been a vicious circle my whole life I have been on complan shakes since April 1 or 2 a day and some days I do skip my actual food meal to try and counteract it , but unfortunately I need to eat as my B.M.I is 15 .5 and just can't gain any weight I'm 8.5 stone 6ft inches and struggle with exercise as I've got c.o.p.d and now going through getting diagnosed for Athritus or fibromyalgia (they suspect the latter) I Don't think it's looking to good for me the more I think and write about it. But thanks for your input and suggestions, unfortunately my region(Bedfordshire) is pretty thin on the ground regarding help with My A.R.F.I.D but I will try to remain hopeful
CliffH
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1.5 LADA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Can I ask if you receive any help (psychological or otherwise) from the NHS with your ARFID?
Hi thanks for the reply I'm currently looking in to local Diabetes support groups, I was with the Dietetics department at my local hospital but unfortunately didn't get anywhere with them as there isn't any help/specialist,s in the area for My A.R.F.I.D problem I did find a specialist in London who has a 90% success rate of reversing A.R.F.I.D in people but it costs thousands of pounds which I don't have but would happily pay if I did. With regards to exercise I do but really struggle because I have C.O.P.D and am currently being tested for possible Athritus or fibromyalgia (they suspect its the latter) so to be honest I think I'm on a down hill journey!! But once again thanks for the reply and Happy New year
Please read between the lines of what I wrote. You have a problem you must solve. You will only be able to do that when ALL the relevant facts are available.
I am no expert on increasing weight (although I was good at that for many years!) but it seems reasonable to suppose you need to maintain a calorie excess of healthy ingredients. That is what your medical meal replacements and then your food introductions will have to provide.
One thing seems clear you must get off your current meals, somehow. Once your body is used to something different and healthy, and your weight begins to increase, your other ailments may start to recede. You need to tap into professional advice and research about them.
Have you contacted any of the organisations Google lists for an 'arfid organisations' search?
I am no expert on increasing weight (although I was good at that for many years!) but it seems reasonable to suppose you need to maintain a calorie excess of healthy ingredients. That is what your medical meal replacements and then your food introductions will have to provide.
One thing seems clear you must get off your current meals, somehow. Once your body is used to something different and healthy, and your weight begins to increase, your other ailments may start to recede. You need to tap into professional advice and research about them.
Have you contacted any of the organisations Google lists for an 'arfid organisations' search?
Unfortunately no I am on Mirtazipine anti depression tablets for various reasons which I hate taking I was with the Dietician department at the hospital but they couldn't really help with it although the did request my GP issue me complan shakes which they did , I think the problem is that A.R.F.I.D has only been recognised as an eating disorder in recent years in the uk, I used to be told it was a selective eating disorder when younger butso assume they are in the early days of understanding it and training people etc etc its not a case of I don't want to eat anything I love to but only what food I do eat. Its a strange old disorder I have to cook my food myself in a certain way eat it in a certain order only eat certain brands i can't even chew food with out ketchup as I end up gagging and can't swallow it etc etc
CliffH
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1.5 LADA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
It seems to be becoming more recognised - partly because of the number of neurodivergent people who are being open and unapologetic about only being able to eat 'beige' foods. Christine McGuinness has done great work on raising awareness of this issue with her TV programmes. So, it may be worth asking whoever's prescribing your antidepressants if there's a local NHS psychological therapies service to which they can refer you.
Docb
Moderator
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi @Hendrix.
A couple of things.
Do you have a good relationship with your GP. If so, then you might talk to them about things like Ensure and whether they might be a better bet than the Complan/Build up route. You might also press them to refer you to any services in your area to help people with eating disorders. If you get the right help, things can change. Might not get to perfection but can get to something acceptable.
Do you live alone or do you have somebody around? A bit of a personal question I know but close support might help you make the changes you need to make.
A couple of things.
Do you have a good relationship with your GP. If so, then you might talk to them about things like Ensure and whether they might be a better bet than the Complan/Build up route. You might also press them to refer you to any services in your area to help people with eating disorders. If you get the right help, things can change. Might not get to perfection but can get to something acceptable.
Do you live alone or do you have somebody around? A bit of a personal question I know but close support might help you make the changes you need to make.
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I was replying last night but the site had an oops moment.
My suggestion was that as you are only on the cusp of a diabetes diagnosis and clearly you don't need to lose weight you try just cutting down a little on your portions of the high carb foods like the bread and have more of the sausages, bacon though those are not regarded as particularly healthy options you perhaps have little choice in your current situation.
My suggestion was that as you are only on the cusp of a diabetes diagnosis and clearly you don't need to lose weight you try just cutting down a little on your portions of the high carb foods like the bread and have more of the sausages, bacon though those are not regarded as particularly healthy options you perhaps have little choice in your current situation.
Thanks for the reply I'm currently considering options and certain ideas
CliffH
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1.5 LADA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Be very wary of "specialists" claiming high 'success rates' with conditions as complex as ARFID - whether they're based in London or Edinburgh or anywhere else. Many private Clinical Psychologists support people with ARFID and it would cost a few hundred (not thousand) pounds for a thorough assessment.
However, it's always best I think to try the NHS first: having worked in the NHS as well as privately for many years, my experience has always been that the best clinicians work in the NHS for at least part of their time: it's almost always a myth that there are 'specialists' purely in private practice who have some kind of magical cure that's unknown to the NHS.
Hi I had never heard of Christine mcguinness until now but from what I've just looked up on YouTube and Google her eating condition was about image and she wanted to be skinny as possible so obviously she was very insecure where as ARFID (although has been linked with autism) it is a completely different type of disorder to anorexia (where people don't wat to eat to be skinny as possible)but ARFID has many different variations depending on the individual and most people like me love there food but only certain types and textures etc etc I'm not trying to be skinny and certainly don't care what people think of what I look like that's there issue not mine I eat a lot of c**p I admit but if the average person switched to what and the amount I eat would turn massively obese some of my friends and family envy the fact that i can get away with it and not get fat lol but trust me it'd not as great as it seems is what I tell them thanks for the reply and have taken on board some of what you've said and ideas
Yep I completely here what you are saying and that thought has crossed my mind about these so called high end specialists with magical cures I'm just getting desperate now lol due to the possible complications of diabetes and I have great respect for the NHS and their workers but just seem to hit a brick wall in my region with my disorder, I wasn't to bothered about my condition and had learnt to accept and live with it until being told about the pre diabetes . ps thank you for service and a happy new year to you
Meant to say think the best of the nhs
CliffH
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1.5 LADA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I wasn't trying to imply that your ARFID is related to the issues with which Christine McGuinness and her family struggle - just that awareness (and acceptance) of a wide range of forms of disordered eating is now much greater than it used to be, in the NHS as well as amongst the general public.
Hi @Hendrix, as @Leadinglights has said, making some small changes to your existing diet may be more helpful. Perhaps making sure that the sausages are mainly meat (I use Heck sausages as they are 90 something percent meat. Also make sure the bacon is a)not smoked, and b) use an air fryer to cook it. In terms of crisps and white bread, maybe consider replacing ordinary crisps with something like a lentil one or a vegetable crisp and also perhaps reduce the portion size. Hopefully this will allow you to make some change to the diet without actually causing issues with your other food related conditions.
The above may have some impact by reducing even slightly the level of carbs you are consuming.
The above may have some impact by reducing even slightly the level of carbs you are consuming.
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hello @ Hendrix.
I was thinking that you might be able to go on eating the same things but make the proportions different - more protein and fat, fewer carbs - if you are eating thick sliced bread swap to medium or thin, add more bacon, another sausage, fewer chips.
Check on the carb content of the sausages - some are really quite high in carbs, so finding some with fewer carbs, more meat could really make a difference over the weeks.
I was thinking that you might be able to go on eating the same things but make the proportions different - more protein and fat, fewer carbs - if you are eating thick sliced bread swap to medium or thin, add more bacon, another sausage, fewer chips.
Check on the carb content of the sausages - some are really quite high in carbs, so finding some with fewer carbs, more meat could really make a difference over the weeks.