What to Feed My Husband?

pearso21123

My husband was diagnosed as prediabetic, with high cholesterol and high blood pressure. He's lost about 60 pounds since then and is at the lowest weight he's ever been in our 16 years of marriage. He's currently 5' 10" and 170 lbs. His normal weight when we were married was 190. He was a serious weight lifter back then and still lifts, but not as much. He wants to get back up to about 190, but has to be very careful with carbs and sugar because of his prediabetes. What do I feed him to help him bulk back up but that he can actually eat? All of the "fattening" foods are no longer on his diet. Any ideas other than meat and veggies? He's not supposed to have much meat or eggs because of his cholesterol, and can't have much bread/pasta because of the carbs.

queenliz99

He should ask his doctor.

nutmegoreo

Have him ask his doctor for a referral to registered dietician (unless you are somewhere that doesn't require a referral). All foods are fattening when eaten in excess. So he could eat larger portions of what he is currently eating. But it would be a good idea for him to be monitored during this process.

pearso21123

His doctor barely gave him any information to go on, other than telling him to lose weight. I think he came home with a one or two-page printout on how to eat healthy. I've done all of the research on what he should/shouldn't be eating and tried to adjust his diet based on my research. Which is how I found out that diabetics shouldn't eat carbs. I always thought it was the sugar that mattered, but apparently not. Unless I'm completely wrong? It wouldn't surprise me...

queenliz99

Can he see a registered dietitian?

Zinka61

Yes, it sounds like a dietician will be able to help you both sort all this out and teach you more than his doctor probably knows about diet for diabetes. You can ask the doctor for a referral.

pearso21123

nutmegoreo wrote: »

Have him ask his doctor for a referral to registered dietician (unless you are somewhere that doesn't require a referral). All foods are fattening when eaten in excess. So he could eat larger portions of what he is currently eating. But it would be a good idea for him to be monitored during this process.

I don't know if dieticians are covered by our insurance, but I can find out. That's a good idea.

His doctor is currently on maternity leave, so it may be awhile before we can get a referral, if it is covered.

psuLemon

How lean is your husband (i.e. - does he have a six pack or good ab definition)? If not, I wouldn't suggest bulking up until his body fat is low enough. You will limit fat gains by limiting the level of surplus. You can mitigate some of the blood sugar affects by eating carbs that are high in fiber and eating them with fats and protein (slower absorption).


Is he still pre-diabetic, have HBP or high cholesterol?

itsbasschick

has your husband had his blood sugar checked after he lost the weight? when i lost weight, my blood sugar went to normal, so was able to eat normally.

try morningstar farms vegetarian meatlike foods - their sausage is very good. my non-vegetarian son loves them. and gardein makes the best faux meat i've had. delish! oats are a good carb as they have lots of soluble fiber that helps with cholesterol and slows absorption of the carbs in it, as well.

overw8gosk8

Most doctors do not know anything about nutrition. I would look into speaking with a specialized dietician and start researching proper food choices for diabetes. It depends on several factors, blood type, medical history, etc.

Here is a good resource to look at:
http://www.joslin.org/info/the-truth-about-the-so-called-diabetes-diet.html

pearso21123

Sorry for the late response, everybody, I just got back from vacation and didn't check the forums while I was away. Internet too slow...

Anyway, to psulemon and itsbasschick, he hasn't been checked since losing the weight. His doctor has been on maternity leave. He still takes his blood pressure medication and says he can tell if he doesn't take it, so that probably hasn't resolved, though that particular issue was around a long time before the pre-diabetic diagnosis.

He's muscular but not 6-pack muscular. He spends a lot of time cutting firewood and doing heavy lifting around the farm, so he has a "farm" build with a lot of muscle but not the body-building type. Most people don't believe him when he tells them how heavy he is, because he just doesn't look it.

Thanks, itsbasschick, I'll give them a try. I've seen them in the store but have always been afraid to try them.

overw8gosk8, when I put in that URL it was already highlighted, so I must have found that site at some point when I first started researching. It was probably one of the articles that taught me about carbs and not just sugar. I always thought diabetics just had to not eat sugar, but I learned that is not the case. My husband says he doesn't miss sugar, though. He says he feels so much better on his new diet and he just hasn't been craving any sweets, so he hasn't eaten any.

I've got to get him to set up an appointment and see if he can get retested to see if things have changed. His doctor was supposed to be back in the "spring." It should be any time now.