I'm 26 and pre-diabetic. Need some advice!

Lauren_Ellison

Hey everyone.

Been using MFP for quite awhile, started as a get healthy for wedding type thing, got married, promptly fell off that wagon into what they call the "honeymoon phase" and promptly gained 30+lbs. I've been back for a little bit and am really determined to change my life. I have a couple of amazing and strong friends on here who are achieving amazing results through their dedication and I know I can join them.

Here's the thing. Diabetes runs in the family, I'm pretty primed for it with the way I've treated my body over the years. I've had a few blood tests and I go in for my final fasting blood test on Friday with my longtime doctor. When I go then I will know finally where I stand health wise. Lately though I have been having systems of low blood sugar. I'll be the first to admit I am garbage with eat at appropriate times. Usually I forget or get busy. Totally my fault, but it leaves me shaky and dizzy. I also get slight headaches and nausea/hunger morphed feelings.

Basically, I need some advice on ways to combat where my life is headed and turn it around. Any advice from others who have diabetes on what to eat or stay away from, when/how often to eat, and what foods are good for raising blood sugar when my forgetfulness kicks in and I skip meals on accident.

Any help would be appreciated greatly! I know I can change. My mom has lost nearly 100 lbs in the past 1 1/2 years and she brought herself back from this place. I know I can do the same! Just need a little advice and friendly MFP help to get there!

Thanks again!

Lauren_Ellison

Also, *symptoms not systems.... Weird autocorrect...

MommaRoseFitness

You can add me. I will help anyway I can.

ppdes

You can add me. I too am sugar sensitive. 31. So I guess our lifestyles will not be substantially different. In fact I would love to motivate you because I have only recently started journey and realise how difficult it is to make lifestyle changes...

First thing - are you getting your H1ACs done? if that test shows an issue then you really need to fully modify your lifestyle.

If you are a meat eater, I think it will be easier for you to increase protein intake and reduce carbs. REDUCE CARBS is the key.
Reduce carbs, eat more fibre rich carbs - to slow down the process of digestion and release sugar slowly into system. MFP of course helps in all this. To know composition of your daily intake - so that you can modify it, to reduce your calorie intake to a healthy level. Just by changing my food composition, I lost 2 pounds in 2 weeks. Now I have added exercise to it. And I am going to weigh myself after only a month. Lets see.

One more tip is to include protein with every carb meal, and especially include a lots of it during your breakfast. Basically try to lower carbs as first step. You will notice the effect. Its a struggle especially because cravings set in, and you almost feel like an addict - carb addict sometimes, but its a change in lifestyle, correcting all the wrongs you did all these years and its not going to be an easy. You have to hang in there....

Additionally also suggest you to get your vitamin D levels, Body fat % tested. Most likely vitamin D levels will be low and increasing them and reducing your body fat will improve insulin mechanism. From your photos, I dont see that you need to reduce a lot of weight. So targetting 5-10% of your weightloss before you do your second sugar check-up is a great way to begin.

And also you will need to stick to this way of living for the rest of your life. All those bakery goodies - not for you!!!! :-)
Heheheh.... its okay. There are many more great tasting low carb , low gi foods...

Lauren_Ellison

Thank you so much for the advice and for replying back. I'm doing some Internet research so hopefully I'll understand more soon!

fiery777

I have been a type 2 diabetic since 2005, my sugars were so high that i had taken a seizure when i found out i was one...i was on insulin for years and worked hard at getting off that and on to the meds. You can add me as well and i will help you out as much as i can....the main thing that has worked for me is keeping a food journal, not sure if you check your sugars, but sometimes different foods effect your sugars for you that may not effect someone else...like i can't eat corn, drives my sugars threw the roof...lol

acpgee

I was diagnosed as diabetic in August and immediately joined MFP and was sent to a nutrition for diabetics class. I would recommend you google Glycemic Index. Sticking to foods with low GI will prevent blood glucose spikes during the day. I was also recommended never to have more 45 grams of carbs at a single sitting or meal.

My BG improved significantly once I lost 10% of my body weight. I was originally prescribed 2000mg of metformin, but by December my GP recommended I start experimenting with reducing medication. I test fasting glucose first thing in the morning and 2 hours after an evening meal. I am now down to 500mg of metformin and my BG is quite acceptable around 5.3. Hoping to cut it out if I lose a little more weight.

bdubya55

Hey there,

A T2 diabetic here, diagnosed in 1982, and wanted to share this very informative site packed with a wealth of invaluable information to help you gain a better understanding of good blood sugar control and diabetes management.

www.bloodsugar101.com

Hope this information is useful to you.

Best of luck with your lab work this week!

DonPidgeon

Where to start?

Got diagnosed 20 years ago. Did not to a very good job keeping it under control until about 6 years ago when my daughter was born.
Having a kid really helps getting your routine under control.

My long term values has been steadily improved since then to both my doctor and my own happiness.
Started to work out steadily a year ago or so. Helped a lot with the long term values. Started calculating calories and eating less than I used to do a week or so ago. Now I wake up in the middle of the night having to pop a few dextrosols to avoid a total blood sugar crash even if I have reduced my insulin intake with more than the half.

God damn diabetes, trying to kill you in the sleep for improving your health. :grumble:

lcfairbairn74

You are already getting good advice from people far more clued up than me on your condition. I would say, do your research. Learn everything you can about your condition and then implement it into your new healthy lifestyle plan!

Good luck! You can do this! :flowerforyou:

MSam1205

Type 2 here also since december 2010. The diagnosis scared the bejeebers out of me. Best thing was the Diabetes education class my Dr. recommended. Answered a lot of questions, and helped to get me on the right path of eating, exercise, etc. It's been slow, but I've lost almost 60 pounds and even more important, I haven't put any of it back on. Recently went to a nutritionist to get some help when I hit a plateau.

Educating yourself is a great first step. As for eating on time, if you have a smart phone, perhaps set a timer to remind yourself its time to eat, and have a variety of healthy snacks / easy meals available. Protein bars, low in carbs high in fiber are my go to snack. Thats not to say I haven't fallen off the wagon on occasion, but for the most part I try to watch my carbs (45 for meals, 15-20 for snacks) and my calories. The rest seems to fall into place.

Happy to be a MFP friend if you need one!:flowerforyou:

acpgee

I forgot a couple of other major points from my nutrition for diabetics course.

Cardio exercise is a big help, as it encourages your body to remove glucose from the blood stream and store it as glycogen in the muscles. When I used to test my BG more frequently, I noticed it was always lower after a workout.

I was told to always to mix carbs with some fats or protein because that lowers the glycemic index, by slowing down the rate that carbs are broken down to glucose.

When my body was used to running at high glucose levels, I would have hypo glycemia symptoms (shakiness and dizziness) when my BG was 4.8. Now that my readings have improved, I feel fine at 4.4. If you are bothered by hypo incidents when you forget to eat, it's recommended to have some sugary mints, or fruit juice to quickly bring your blood sugar up. My weapon of choice is a couple of wine gums.

Lauren_Ellison

Thank you so much for all of the advice y'all!! I'm definitely going to spend some time researching tonight! MFP is such a great community!!

Akimajuktuq

Type 2 diabetes is preventable. It is not purely genetic. What you eat DOES matter. And you need real food, not a "program" sold by a diet company or highly processed "protein bars".

I was pre-diabetic, with a whole truck load of other health problems, including binge eating disorder, severe depression, chronic pain/fatigue, digestive issues, sleep disorders, joint pain (which was leading into arthritis-"runs in the family", etc, etc. I have resolved EVERYTHING through diet alone. The only side effect has been effortless weight loss.

It's unfortunate that much of the dietary advice given to you will probably not be accurate, even from the health professionals. I would suggest that you do everything in your power to see a specialist that deals with metabolic disorders. Obesity and diabetes are symptoms of the same illness; one is not the CAUSE of the other. Like you said, start researching and look at many sources.

My experience: All you need to do is eat a minimally processed diet based on fat (NOT refined seed oils such as canola and soy) and protein (preferable from grassfed or wild animals) with reasonable amounts of healthy carbohydrates (mostly from leafy greens). As for fruits they should be limited, but berries are the best option. Unfortunately, you really must assess the level of ALL carbohydrates in your diet, regardless of Glycemic Index. Carbs, especially all forms of sugar, really must be reduced if you want to prevent diabetes. I made the choice to do so and while my metabolism is not fully healed (will take years) I am no longer in danger of developing Type 2 diabetes, or many other common diseases.

There is much info out there to help you. I'm speaking from my own experience, observations of others (diabetes was unknown in the community I live in one generation ago and now it's epidemic-it's very obvious why), and much, much reading of research papers and published material.

I hope you find what works for you and get well. :flowerforyou:

d_Mode

Being diabetic doesn't mean you can eat what you want. I found out two years ago I was diabetic and through diet modifications, moderation and a little exercise I have been able to get off my insulin. My next goal is to get off all my diabetes meds once I can drop this last 30 lbs.

grim_traveller

There's lots of good advice here. There are certain foods that affect some diabetics differently, but the worst for me were breads of any kind. They would immediately send my blood sugar skyrocketing, more than sweets or anything else. The very best food for me was any kind of protein. I could eat one dinner roll and have crazy high blood sugar, or a big steak, and hardly have my blood sugar change at all.

If you get put on a glucose meter, check it often, early on, after all of your usual foods. You will quickly find out exactly what affects you, and how badly.

Debbjones

You say diabetes runs in your family... type 1 or type 2? Huge difference between the two...

Type 1... mostly genetic. The organs in the body have stopped or never properly processed sugar. Most cases require insulin drug treatment.

Type 2... mostly attributed to diet and weight, although years ago it was referred to as "age onset". Type 2 can be detected through regular glucose testing, however type 2 is confirmed via fasting HBA1c blood tests. The majority of type 2 diabetics face high blood glucose levels. Type two is commonly diagnosed with a "pre-diabetic" stage.

Yes, if you are a pre-diabetic, with a good diet of regulated sugars and WEIGHT LOSS you can turn around the diagnosis. Even so, once identified a diabetic or pre-diabetic your likelihood of being diagnosed a diabetic in the future is greater than someone who was never diagnosed.

I recommend if your doctor confirms you are a diabetic you speak with a diabetic nutritionist. Most doctors recommend and most insurance cover these services. Everyone is different and it is best to get your advice from someone trained to work with your medical history.

All that said, yes you can turn this around! I was once a type 2 diabetic (I went through the pre-diabetic stage and did not heed my doctor's advice). For me, eliminating sugar from my diet and extreme weight loss (I lost over 85 pounds from my highest weight) turned things around and I am no longer a diabetic. So yes, with a little motivation and dedication you can turn things around.

neatfreakgeek

Just wanted to add my voice to the thread. I'm a 30 year-old male, and at my most recent physical, my HBA1c was at 5.9.
I have a family history of diabetes on my mom's side. My poor mom had spent most of her adult life doing what she could to avoid it -- working out and eating paleo before paleo was even a thing...but a few years ago she still got diagnosed (type 2).

I'm otherwise healthy - 5'10", 165 lbs. Although I have a small frame and could afford to lose 10 pounds or so. I exercise 4-5 times a week, eat pretty healthy (I try to stick to the 80/20 rule), and stay around 1800 calories a day.

My doctor wasn't terribly concerned with my HBA1c - lab notes just said "consistent with patient's risk of diabetes due to family history." But obviously I need to try to get that number down. I've been reading a lot of "pre-diabetes" and the things I can do. For the record, my dr never used that term, but using itself myself helps get me in the right mindset.

I've tried low-carb diets before, back in my "heavy" post-college days and could never stick with it.

JoannMichelle

I've been diagnosed with Insulin Resistance. My husband is a T2 diabetic. We were referred to a diabetes educator. It's been great. He is down 30 pounds. I have been losing one pound a week since joining MFP. We learned that controlling carbs and eating smaller meals more frequently is helpful.

stu1102

Just to add to what has already been said;

'Managing prediabetes

How is prediabetes managed?

The aim of managing prediabetes is to delay or prevent Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Making lifestyle changes is key to managing or reversing prediabetes. This includes the following steps


Managing your weight
Reducing your weight if you are overweight will help your body use insulin better.

Eating well
Eating a healthy, balanced diet that is low in fat, salt and sugar with plenty of fruit and vegetables. This will help you control your weight and blood glucose levels.

Keeping active
Regular physical activity will help manage your weight and help your body use insulin better. '

source;
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Introduction-to-diabetes/What_is_diabetes/Prediabetes/Managing-prediabetes/

My wife is a Doctor who has patients with T1, T2 if you want me to ask her when she gets back from clinic I would happy to do so about changes you could make but I believe the advice is sound in the thread