Well, this is a surprise.....

[NewDawn]

Following swiftly on the heels of @Bowbell, I have just been told that I am prediabetic, just over the line at 42 mmol/mol.

And this has come as a bit of a shock as my BMI is 21, waist size 33, other than at breakfast I don't eat sugary things, drink on average 3 units of alcohol a week, don't smoke, and exercise a lot. Doing a bit of reading, I am suspicious of the protein bars I eat when I am out and about as, while they have little sugar, they do have artificial sweeteners.

So the breakfast cereals are gone, as are the protein bars pretty much. I don't eat nuts, so seed trail mix it is. Which will be....dull.

My question is how best to monitor whether these changes have any effect or not. There seem to be home monitors, some with paper strips, some with continuous monitoring.

All advice gratefully received.

Thanks,

Simon

 

[NewDawn]

My question is how best to monitor whether these changes have any effect or not. There seem to be home monitors, some with paper strips, some with continuous monitoring.

 

[snowball12]

Hi Simon and welcome to the forum. I always thought that Diabetes was caused by eating to much sugar but it's the carbs that get you. I know sugar turns into carbs. Try porridge for breakfast or eggs, bacon and sausage if you like it. I can't eat nuts or seeds either. Research low carb diets and see what you think. Good luck

 

[Docb]

Can I just correct you there @snowball12 - sugar does not turn into carbohydrate because it is already a carbohydrate! To be pedantic, the sugar we try to control in our blood, glucose, is also a carbohydrate.

The term carbohydrate covers a vast range of stuff from very simple compounds that we generally call sugar through to very complicated compounds that we generally call starches. All carbohydrates have the potential to be converted into glucose in the gut and be absorbed into the blood stream.

@NewDawn - my suggestion is that you don't panic and stop rushing about trying to solve a problem that maybe does not exist. My thought is that you carry on with life as normal and in 6 months to a year get another HbA1c and see if it has changed. If it has increased significantly, then begin to think about the changes you might make to stop it rising. If it is the same, then treat it as your natural HbA1c. But then, as many on the forum will know, I am a bit of a pragmatist.

 

[Docb]

I replied to your other thread @NewDawn.

 

[NewDawn]

@NewDawn - my suggestion is that you don't panic and stop rushing about trying to solve a problem that maybe does not exist. My thought is that you carry on with life as normal and in 6 months to a year get another HbA1c and see if it has changed. If it has increased significantly, then begin to think about the changes you might make to stop it rising. If it is the same, then treat it as your natural HbA1c. But then, as many on the forum will know, I am a bit of a pragmatist.

Thank you. I am all for pragmatism. Would it change your view if the figure had climbed from 37 two years ago?

 

[saffron15]

Welcome to the forum @NewDawn. I was diagnosed in July. I'm fat and didn't exercise. My first reading was 69 and four weeks later 64. I asked for the test. Despite having a blood test for another condition each year I was never tested for diabetes. Has your GP suggested another health condition may be involved? I was an avid label reader for salt and calories I didn't read for carbs however carbs convert into glucose.
Freshwell is a great site run by some doctors look at the graphic where carbs are located. Starchy vegetables include them. Have you recently had steroids for a sports injury. If there is nothing that shows a problem the best thing you can do is try and eat less processed food and chill. If looking at a label or the freshwell site there is something you can ditch or change for something less sweet or carby do it. You have just been warned in the future you might be diabetic. No doubt your blood will be tested in a year.
I used to have a lovely pink New Dawn rose but I assume your name pick is for other reasons.
If you want to do a deep dive there is a lot of info on the forum but if you are diagnosedvas diabetic it can be bewildering. Dip in if you wish but you have a long way to go before you might be diabetic so do not stress yourself.

 

[NewDawn]

Thank you. Most helpful.

I am afraid that NewDawn was the name I chose for the Millwall FC messageboard when I was looking at a career at the club!

 

[tomgaret73]

My name is Simon, 59, and I have just been told that I am prediabetic, just over the line at 42 mmol/mol.

And this has come as a bit of a shock as my BMI is 21, waist size 33, other than at breakfast I didn't eat sugary things, drink on average 3 units of alcohol a week, don't smoke, and exercise a lot. Doing a bit of reading, I am suspicious of the protein bars I eat when I am out and about as, while they have little sugar, they do have artificial sweeteners.

So the breakfast cereals are gone, as are the protein bars pretty much. I don't eat nuts, so seed trail mix it is. Which will be....dull.

All suggestions gratefully received.

Well Simon, all I would say is you’re lucky in a way. You’ve got all the time and chances to turn it around. Stay clear of carbs sac much as you can, things will change you’ll see.
I was 125mmol/mol a few weeks back. I’m now at 85. So believe me, a bit of work, you’re there!!!

 

[Robin]

Thank you. I am all for pragmatism. Would it change your view if the figure had climbed from 37 two years ago?

I also think that before you dive into major dietary changes, you should take into consideration that the HbA1c test measures how much glucose has stuck to the red blood cells over the past few weeks and months.

If you have fewer red blood cells than average, more glucose will have stuck to the ones that you do have. You may have fewer red blood cells if you are anaemic, and also as we age, red blood cells are renewed less frequently, so there is a smaller turnover, so more glucose hanging around for longer.

 

[Martin.A]

Thank you. I am all for pragmatism. Would it change your view if the figure had climbed from 37 two years ago?

If it's gone up that much from 2 years ago then you definitely need to do something to stop it going up any further, otherwise your next test might give you a nasty surprise and you'll be kicking yourself for not taking note of the yellow card that diabetes has just given you. If you're slim and fit that leaves diet, so it would be wise to keep an eye on your carbohydrate intake going forward but, as @Robin says, without going overboard.

 

[stephenS50]

Hello there @NewDawn and welcome to the forum.

 

[Leadinglights]

I also agree that there is no need to panic as it sounds as if you haven't got the normal risk factors associated with Type 2 so so modest changes to your diet should be sufficient to prevent any increase in your Hba1C and even drop it down a bit
There is quite a difference in the carbs content of some of the protein bars which if it is the odd one every so often won't make much impact but if it is several a day then look for those with less than 12g carbs per bar.
May find a good breakfast is full fat Greek yoghurt with berries and some low sugar or Keto granola which is filling enough, or eggs in any form with other additives and just 1 slice of toast.
You need to be careful of cutting carbs too much as that may lead to weight loss which it seems is not what you need so making sure you have plenty of protein and healthy fats will help.
Often dietary approaches for Type 2 assume that weight loss is needed so may need careful food choices in your case.
The Freshwell program is full of good ideas so have a look at that. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
But go easy and make any changes gradually.
You can self fund a finger prick blood glucose testing kit so you can keep a track of your progress and there are plenty of suggestions as to how best to do that.
A few reliable monitors are GlucoNavii, TEE2 and Contour Blue, generally cheaper on line and they have the cheaper test strips.

 

[Drummer]

Hello and welcome @NewDawn.
You are only just over the line with your 42.
One thing I do notice is how often people eat these days.
I do wonder if you were eating more protein than you needed and were breaking it down to make glucose, effectively making your body deal with more carbs than it could cope with through normal channels.

 

[CliffH]

Thank you. Most helpful.

I am afraid that NewDawn was the name I chose for the Millwall FC messageboard when I was looking at a career at the club!

I went to Goldsmiths College and lived in Deptford in the early 1980s: we stayed well clear of The Den in those days 😱.

 

[saffron15]

@NewDawn had you hopes of playing for Millwall? I remember in my year at school two boys joined Saints one broke his leg in the reserves the other who was a very good footballer was a passenger when a car crashed when he was 23. He had played for England U21 but was unable to get fit for the first team and retired. Years later a huge testimonial was held for him when he was fighting leukaemia. Sadly he died at 34 still liked by everyone.
I remember acting for lots of Millwall fans when they played Pompey.

 

[JITR]

@NewDawn
I was somewhat taken aback on Monday when I learnt my HbA1c had gone up from about 35-36 (estimated) to 39 in a few months. As Martin says I do not want another nasty surprise next time.

Did you know that HbA1c closely relates to weight? A rough rule of thumb, according to scientists who analysed the figures, is a 1kg increase in weight leads to 0.1% (1.13 mmol/mol) increase in HbA1c. On that basis I am aiming to lose 3-4 kg over the next three months. I don't eat protein bars but I probably need to cut down on healthy fats like my wife's abundant mayonnaise and jars of nuts.

 

[NewDawn]

@NewDawn had you hopes of playing for Millwall? I remember in my year at school two boys joined Saints one broke his leg in the reserves the other who was a very good footballer was a passenger when a car crashed when he was 23. He had played for England U21 but was unable to get fit for the first team and retired. Years later a huge testimonial was held for him when he was fighting leukaemia. Sadly he died at 34 still liked by everyone.
I remember acting for lots of Millwall fans when they played Pompey.

No! This was for a purely back office function.

 

[NewDawn]

You can self fund a finger prick blood glucose testing kit so you can keep a track of your progress and there are plenty of suggestions as to how best to do that.

I am a bloke who loves a piece of tech. How do people feel about something like https://www.freestyle.abbott/uk-en/products/freestyle-libre-2.html?

 

[NewDawn]

Hello and welcome @NewDawn.

I do wonder if you were eating more protein than you needed and were breaking it down to make glucose, effectively making your body deal with more carbs than it could cope with through normal channels.

This is a very interesting question. But the issue is how do I get the daily 2,500ish calories into my system to keep a stable weight without quite a lot of carbs or protein?