Cinnamon & chromium picolinate?

snroberts0615

I'm what my Dr. called pre diabetic with an AC1 of 5.8 (Am I saying that right?) She didn't give me any advice other than the obvious exercise, lower carb intake and start taking these two supplements. My husband and I were already starting down the path of no HFCS, no soda, no preservatives, smaller portions, 6 strains of prebiotic, green tea..... But now, I have a problem. I'm afraid to eat. "Can I eat this, and if so, how much?" How do I start to educate myself without starving? And, what's the purpose of cinnamon and chromium picolinate? Can you experts break it down for me please?

wdnisbet

Wow. That's new to me. None of my docs has ever mentioned either of these.

A good place to start would be the American Diabetes Association and/or the Canadian Diabetes Association for some basics. In the meantime I would suggest you cut out concentrated sweets, like sugar, fruit juice, pastries, candy, etc. Also cut down on processed starches like white bread, pasta and rice. These are good changes for anyone and can't do any harm. Also maybe your doc can refer you to a diabetic educator or nutritionist. There is a lot to learn, but just take it one step at a time and you'll do fine. Good luck.

JaneKnoll1

snroberts0615 wrote: »

I'm what my Dr. called pre diabetic with an AC1 of 5.8 (Am I saying that right?) She didn't give me any advice other than the obvious exercise, lower carb intake and start taking these two supplements. My husband and I were already starting down the path of no HFCS, no soda, no preservatives, smaller portions, 6 strains of prebiotic, green tea..... But now, I have a problem. I'm afraid to eat. "Can I eat this, and if so, how much?" How do I start to educate myself without starving? And, what's the purpose of cinnamon and chromium picolinate? Can you experts break it down for me please?

I am just coming up to my 1 year T2D diagnosis. Now at goal and what has helped me so much is I try and avoid processed food as much as possible. I tend to eat real food at all 3 meals. I try and keep carbs to about 45% of my day and spread them out evenly between meals. If I have to weight then I take the bigger amount at breakfast! It's important to eat the same sorts of amounts at all meals to keep your blood sugar stable.
I was a super stressor (still am to a certain extent)
Exercise HUGELY impacts your blood sugar along with steady weight loss (it did for me) and for 8-9 months I did nothing but walk and when I had reached a certain level of fitness (didn't feel puffed and could easily walk briskly for 45 minutes) then I started adding other things. Strength training is important as it also contributes to better blood sugars. If you can, take at least a 10 min walk after every meal to help burn those carbs
I eat a very balanced menu...lots of veggies, maybe 2 servings of fruit per day and lots of fish and chicken..a little red meat but not the majority.
You will be fine. Have treats but plan for them and make them "treats"...that was my biggest challenge along with portion control.
Don't under eat. That is the most important thing IMHO. You will lose guaranteed. Stay above 1200 calories.
I have lost 72 lbs this year and have been maintaining for about a month. My blood sugar is stable and my pulse and BP have also waaaay improved to optimal levels. You can do this!! There is a HUGE amount of support here. Some people follow low carb high fat and although the foods sound fantastic Hahaj I love my bread and oatmeal etc...but I eat a ton of healthy fats..avocados and almonds.
I don't know anything about those supplements as my doctor said vitamin D for me