What should i do now

[Mark Parrott]

Would that be a finger prick test you do Mark? This compared to a HbA1c, and between diabetics and none diabetics, is where it gets complicated.

Yes, finger prick test. The different readings (mmol/l, mmol/mol & percentage) is confusing and when a GP just gives you a number with no details, it could mean anything.

 

[Maz2]

My understanding is that anything over 48 is diabetic. 43 is pre-diabetic. However, when I finished my diabetes prevention course I was told they prefer it under 40 so perhaps they have brought it down again, I don't know.

I had results of hba1c 33, 35, 37 and 35 during that time and was told they were all fine.

 

[Ralph-YK]

My understanding is that anything over 48 is diabetic. 43 is pre-diabetic. However, when I finished my diabetes prevention course I was told they prefer it under 40 so perhaps they have brought it down again, I don't know.

I had results of hba1c 33, 35, 37 and 35 during that time and was told they were all fine.

There where the boundaries are and there's what They're bothered about.
I believe your results Maz are healthy, and non diabetic. Fine doesn't cover it. More great

 

[Maz2]

Thanks Ralph. I was very pleased about it. I worked very hard at it and took lots of advice from members of this Forum. in fact, I took more notice of people here than the "Eat Well Plate" which I thought was too carby.

I have an Accu Check machine and I also bought an SD codefree as the strips are much cheaper. I try to stick to foods I know don't affect me too much with the occasional treat. I also check if I eat a food I don't normally eat just to see what happens and if I can tolerate it as tolerance of food seems so individual. I check fasting bloods from time to time and also random ones. If I get a series of readings I am unhappy about I will alert my GP. My pre diabetes came as a total shock and I was so grateful I was caught in time, unlike a couple of friends of mine who had diabetes with no symptoms and were picked up by accident on a health check.

 

[Beck S]

The Eat Well Plate is good, but aimed at a 'normal' person's diet. When I went on my Xpert course, it was recommended to cut that down to 5-7 portions from the carbs side (avoiding white carbs) which is roughly half the recommended daily amount, and to increase from the veg side to compensate - although keep to 'above ground' veg as they're generally better. In gram terms, this is about 100-130g a day. As long as you look to either up your fat or protein intake a bit to cover the lack of energy you'd usually get from the carbs, you're ok. Of course, this is just a starting point - you still have to look at what you're eating to see of that's acceptable to your personal tolerance level, but I found it a good place to aim for to start with to help get used to my carb reduction.

 

[Maz2]

The Eat Well Plate is good, but aimed at a 'normal' person's diet. When I went on my Xpert course, it was recommended to cut that down to 5-7 portions from the carbs side (avoiding white carbs) which is roughly half the recommended daily amount, and to increase from the veg side to compensate - although keep to 'above ground' veg as they're generally better. In gram terms, this is about 100-130g a day. As long as you look to either up your fat or protein intake a bit to cover the lack of energy you'd usually get from the carbs, you're ok. Of course, this is just a starting point - you still have to look at what you're eating to see of that's acceptable to your personal tolerance level, but I found it a good place to aim for to start with to help get used to my carb reduction.

About 120 g a day was what my GP said so I tried to stick to around that or under.

 

[Mark Parrott]

I have to stick to below 60g carb a day to keep my BG in line. I find anything more than 20g a meal will cause a spike, especially if it is a low fat meal. But of course, we are all different & tolerate carbs differently. It's good to start off with a ballpark figure though, as Beck says.