prediabetic, low carb, but can only eat carbs
Marjatta007
Posts: 22 Member
Guys, I need your help! My GP told me to get on a low carb diet as I'm prediabetic. But I have a huge problem with that: I live of carbs! I cannot eat much protein because I get terrible reflux in my esophagus from that and stomach pain. My stomach just feels so full for a long time after eating. And I think I cannot digest fat properly. Sorry for being so explicit, but my poop floats and when wiping it always feels slippery and oily. What can I eat? Meat and eggs are particularly bad for reflux 
As a note: I'm in the UK and did get a referral to a gastroenterologist. But the waiting time is at least 25 weeks I've just been informed. I just don't know what to do. Apparently I cannot get a referral to a dietist either. I just don't know what to eat now.
As a note: I'm in the UK and did get a referral to a gastroenterologist. But the waiting time is at least 25 weeks I've just been informed. I just don't know what to do. Apparently I cannot get a referral to a dietist either. I just don't know what to eat now.
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Replies
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Losing weight - however you do it - should help with the pre diabetes.
As far as the fat digestion, are you lacking your gall bladder?
And are there particular proteins that cause you trouble? Certain meats, dairy, or something else? Maybe you could tolerate some kind of protein powder if meat is the issue.
I like Royal Sport LTD. for what that is worth because I find I have less digestive issues with it. Your mileage may vary on that though.0 -
Thanks a lot. I have a lot of weight to lose.
And I still have my gall bladder. I don't think my poop (sorry) has ever been different. I never thought much of it but just realized at a certain time that fatty foods don't keep me full and thus I naturally ate only little. I only read lately that poop does not normally float and feels oily. I don't want to know what happens if I eat lots of fat.
I also don't know what exactly causes the reflux. I have those problems for years but also never thought about it. The last few weeks I tried eating more protein, and my reflux and stomach pain after eating those has never been worse before. It's meat, fish and egg white mainly, but also larger amounts of milk (full fat milk feels better for me) or yoghurt, though the latter two don't give me this full stomach feeling. A slice of fatty cheese seems to be ok, but I don't want to eat too much for poop reasons. And what's the point in eating it and stuffing my stomach if it comes out anyway again?
The only idea my GP has is to put me on PPIs, but those never worked in the past and only make things worse.1 -
I had really bad reflux until I lost about 40 lbs. It has virtually stopped, unless I drink too much beer. Maybe losing weight will make that go away for you.1
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Are you trying all of this at once? Maybe just try one thing at a time and don't make huge changes right away. A change in diet can upset your stomach, you may need to ease into it... eat carefully and find out what foods you tolerate and what foods you don't.0
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makingmark wrote: »Are you trying all of this at once? Maybe just try one thing at a time and don't make huge changes right away. A change in diet can upset your stomach, you may need to ease into it... eat carefully and find out what foods you tolerate and what foods you don't.
Yes, I've been doing that. I tried to eat other things than the rather big amount of bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and fruit. I tried breakfast first and got reflux an hour later. I never had reflux in the morning before. I went back to bread and tried it a few more times, and the reflux came back every time again when I ate more protein. If I had my normal breakfast but took more meat during lunch the same thing happened after lunch. Every single time. I'm already trying to eat differently a few weeks now. In the end my GP suggested I search for a diet forum and look for help there.
I did lose weight though, due to feeling so miserable. 0 -
I think you do have a specific problem digesting fats, so don't try and eat too much meat or eggs.
There are still many routines you can start now for the pre-diabetes that allow for carbs like eating on a schedule, starting with breakfast at the same time every day. Measure out your portions carefully and log everything. MFP is great for that.
Always eat a snack mid-day and mid-afternoon. This will help your blood sugars remain stable.
Increase the amount of vegetables at your meals, filling half your plate. This can help with fullness in the absence of protein and fat.
How about Greek Yogurt? Can you tolerate just the egg whites, say, prepared in an omelet? How about protein powders such as whey protein and PB2? I suggest eating your proteins always with plenty of fruit or vegetables and see if your stomach handles it better.0 -
If you have problems digesting both fat & protein and need to lower your carbs, then it might be time to see if your doc can refer you to a registered dietitian. They'd be able to give you much more specific advice that takes all of your medical issues into account than most of us can.1
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What does your doctor mean by low carb? Hoping he's thinking more along the lines of cutting back on carbs, not going full out kept or Atkins. If you just need to cut back, the diet changes will be more tolerable and you'll be more successful in the long run.1
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I think you do have a specific problem digesting fats, so don't try and eat too much meat or eggs.
There are still many routines you can start now for the pre-diabetes that allow for carbs like eating on a schedule, starting with breakfast at the same time every day. Measure out your portions carefully and log everything. MFP is great for that.
Always eat a snack mid-day and mid-afternoon. This will help your blood sugars remain stable.
Increase the amount of vegetables at your meals, filling half your plate. This can help with fullness in the absence of protein and fat.
How about Greek Yogurt? Can you tolerate just the egg whites, say, prepared in an omelet? How about protein powders such as whey protein and PB2? I suggest eating your proteins always with plenty of fruit or vegetables and see if your stomach handles it better.
Thanks a lot. I'm not the biggest lover of vegetables but I need to do something. Thus more vegetables it is. This at least gives me some hope. I'm devastated since my GP told me I'm pre-diabetic!
I need to try Greek Yoghurt. Fat reduced yoghurt is fatal, but yoghurt with around 3% fat is better, same as with full fat milk or hard cheeses. Chicken breast though is terrible, and there's not much fat on that. It just feels like a stone in my stomach and my reflux gets so bad. That's why I'm convinced the problem is both protein (stomach) and fat (intestines I think?). I tried omelets for breakfast. Not good! I never tried protein shakes. How do I prepare them? Just with water? I'm not too keen to have too much milk or fluid, low fast yoghurt.0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »If you have problems digesting both fat & protein and need to lower your carbs, then it might be time to see if your doc can refer you to a registered dietitian. They'd be able to give you much more specific advice that takes all of your medical issues into account than most of us can.
I asked for a referral but apparently I can only get one once I have full diabetes. There are too little consultants and too long waiting times.0 -
workhardtogethard wrote: »What does your doctor mean by low carb? Hoping he's thinking more along the lines of cutting back on carbs, not going full out kept or Atkins. If you just need to cut back, the diet changes will be more tolerable and you'll be more successful in the long run.
Not quite sure. My GP is not a nutritionist. He just told me to prevent blood sugar spikes and eat less sweet stuff and reduce carbs (and hence eat more fat and protein). When I told him I can't due to.. (see above) he could not give me further advise apart from referring me to a gastroenterologist - but it will take at least half a year until I can see one.0 -
How are you with things like beans: kidney beans, baked beans (in small quantities because of sugar), butter beans and such? Lentils/spilt peas? They are all protein sources but at least not of the animal variety, you could try upping protein that way. Maybe for reflux, smaller meals more often would be better if your lifestyle allows this, I mean I couldn't eat say 6x a day due to the nature of my job but if you could, that may help (I'm no expert though).
Just losing weight will help prediabetes though whether low carb or not. Good luck!3 -
Complex carbs (veggies, brown rice, whole wheat flour, etc) are supposed to cause less of a blood sugar spike, so maybe try to shift the carbs you are eating to less white flour, sugar, pasta. If you need to, go half whole grain , half white at first. Good luck!2
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Maybe sweet potatoes, squash, and some legumes might be worth a try. Sweet potatoes are lower carb than white potato varieties, and squash is generally tolerated by even the most sensitive tummies. Plus, both back be eaten whole or hit with a stick blender and made into soup fairly easily.0
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Well seeing as you have to wait half a year to see a physician that can help I would look into things that can help with digestion.
This is from a quick search so there may be better info out there:
https://sott.net/article/266284-Natural-solutions-to-increase-stomach-acid-and-improve-digestion
And this is book is about treating diabetes with a vegan diet. Only throwing this in because you say you don't tolerate meat or fat well so it might be a way of eating that could work for you:
https://amazon.com/End-Diabetes-Live-Prevent-Reverse-ebook/dp/B0089LOG7U?ie=UTF8&keywords=diabetes%20cure&qid=1464732955&ref_=sr_1_2&s=books&sr=1-22 -
When I got my pre-diabetes diagnosis I got myself a blood sugar tester and diarized all my food for three months (before my first dietitian appointment). All those diary entries helped a lot as I started to associate certain foods with high blood sugars therefore baaaad. I was able to stave off type 2 diabetes for almost a decade. My diabetes went in to remission a few years ago from significant weight loss.This at least gives me some hope. I'm devastated since my GP told me I'm pre-diabetic!
Diabetes is a controllable condition, so there is definitely hope!
I love the suggestions above to switch to unrefined and complex carbs. Indeed, they process much more slowly, so are good for blood sugar control.3 -
Open your diary.
Caring people will help you.
Log food for a few days, and put your symptoms on the note section.
Did you know that many doctors know about this program? Use it !
Do you eat salads?2 -
Drop wheat in a hurry. That was my prediabetic issue. Look up Wheat Belly diet. (Several of your issues are the same I had-even the BM) Then, start bouncing for 5 minutes a day. Either with one of those little trampolines, or jogging, or just bouncing. I know it sounds crazy, but I was diagnosed with GERD and my Dr put me on meds for it. THEN I started getting heartburn. Talked to my chiropractor, and he explained that runners don't get Reflux because the bouncing motion causes the stomach to drop lower in your abdomen. My brother was suffering with the same issue, and it helped him too. Now, no prediabetic issues, no GERD, no heartburn, and the only thing I don't eat is wheat. You will know within 7 days if it works though. Just stick with it for 7 days.
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I agree with the others. Log everything you eat and make notes about how you feel. You will have lots of data for the dietian to review when you see them. Also check into a diabetic diet plan. Losing weight will hopefully solve both the reflux and prediabetes. Good luck.1
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If you are considering a protein powder for shakes/smoothies, you might try a vegetable-based protein powder (I use Naturade pea protein powder that I buy on Amazon.) Many people are bothered by whey protein. Also, I was having many of the symptoms you describe before losing weight, and I know my diet at the time was very high in carbohydrates and lacking in good quality protein & fats. I too avoided dietary fat and greasy foods because I seemed to have trouble digesting it. Now that I have lost weight and improved my diet overall, I find I actually tend to eat more fat, but have much fewer digestive problems than I used to have. I would agree with a previous poster, that the focus on reducing carbohydrates right now is less important than actually taking some of the weight off, which simply requires a calorie deficit. Reducing carbs seems to be standard Dr's advice for weight loss, but that's probably based on the assumption that many of the extra calories in a person's diet likely come from carbs, not that they need to be on a low-carb diet per se.0
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Marjatta007 wrote: »Guys, I need your help! My GP told me to get on a low carb diet as I'm prediabetic. But I have a huge problem with that: I live of carbs! I cannot eat much protein because I get terrible reflux in my esophagus from that and stomach pain. My stomach just feels so full for a long time after eating. And I think I cannot digest fat properly. Sorry for being so explicit, but my poop floats and when wiping it always feels slippery and oily. What can I eat? Meat and eggs are particularly bad for reflux
As a note: I'm in the UK and did get a referral to a gastroenterologist. But the waiting time is at least 25 weeks I've just been informed. I just don't know what to do. Apparently I cannot get a referral to a dietist either. I just don't know what to eat now.
You have a legal right to be seen (and start treatment) within 18 weeks of them receiving the referral. You also have the Right To Choose, and can choose a gastroenterologist at a hospital with a shorter waiting time. I'm not sure why you've been told that you can't be referred to a dietician, as it's standard practice here to send diabetics and prediabetics to the Diabetes Clinic where they see a Diabetic Specialist Nurse and a Registered Dietician (might depend on who your Trust is though, check with your surgery to find out what Diabetic Education they provide).
http://www.nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Rightsandpledges/Waitingtimes/Pages/Guide to waiting times.aspx
http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/appointment-booking/Pages/about-the-referral-system.aspx
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You could just pay to see a dietitian, that is what most people do here.
I suggest upping your veggies, aim for at least 5 servings a day. Look into roasting them, they taste wonderful and that helps with eating more.
Also look into alternative sources of protein. Try fish, like tilapia and haddock. Good white fish. Beans and a greta source too.
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I was diagnosed with prediabetes last year, and after seeing the nurse and the dietician I was advised to go on a low GL diet. I'd already lost quite a bit of weight by then, enough that my results should have been better, but after 6 months or so of low GL my results were lowered out of the prediabetic range.0
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Drop wheat in a hurry. That was my prediabetic issue. Look up Wheat Belly diet. (Several of your issues are the same I had-even the BM) Then, start bouncing for 5 minutes a day. Either with one of those little trampolines, or jogging, or just bouncing. I know it sounds crazy, but I was diagnosed with GERD and my Dr put me on meds for it. THEN I started getting heartburn. Talked to my chiropractor, and he explained that runners don't get Reflux because the bouncing motion causes the stomach to drop lower in your abdomen. My brother was suffering with the same issue, and it helped him too. Now, no prediabetic issues, no GERD, no heartburn, and the only thing I don't eat is wheat. You will know within 7 days if it works though. Just stick with it for 7 days.
I'm sorry, but this is bull. There are enough properly done and reviewed studies now that state this wheatbelly book is quack and so-called evidence in it taken out of context so that it fits the authors crude theories.
Besides, this TO clearly cannot eat large selections of food, and you suggest she drops another large group? Clesrly you did not read this thread, but why should you? As long as you can spread your believe it's fine and you feel great.
No reflux with running is rubbish as well. Then I should not have reflux either or if I had would just need to get out of bed at night and go on a run. But besides, you suggest to go running while you have no idea how heavy TO is. Would you recommend a 300lbs person to just go on a run because an alternative healer said something that is clearly bull? Ghee!
But chiming in on what someone else has said: have a look at too low instead of too much stomach acid. Reflux with protein and meat feels like a stone might sound like it. You need sufficient acid to break down protein, as otherwise the food stays in your stomach longer than it should. Seems to be a common problem with poorly treated hypothyroid people if I can trust uk thyroid discussions. Not sure though if true. How do you feel with acidic or spicy food? But don't run out now and buy acidic pills as you might have completely other stomach problems and cause harm with that please. My reflux seems to be related to too little acid, and since I eat and drink things people with reflux should avoid things are getting better indeed and since my gp upped my thyroid medication my stomach is imroving. But again, please don't run out and start experimenting with all sorts of strange things.
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Eat the foods that feel o.k. /safe for you.
My Mom has acid reflux due to the side effects of a medication she was on.
These are the foods she has stopped eating:
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/condition-15/heartburn/treating-acid-reflux-disease-with-diet-lifestyle-changes
These are the foods that she can eat
http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/foods-that-fight-heartburn
Bananas, watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew.
Oatmeal, Bread. Rice and couscous.
Green veggies. Broccoli, asparagus, green beans, celery, and cauliflower
Lean poultry and turkey -- grilled, broiled, baked, or steamed. Just remove the skin -- and don't fry it. Even ground beef and steak can be fine, as long as they're lean.
Potatoes. Other root vegetables are good, too -- just not onions.
Fish -- grilled, poached, and baked
Egg whites.
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A person will move out of the pre-diabetes stage by losing weight no matter the specifics of
certain individual foods.
Good luck to you.0 -
I never tried protein shakes. How do I prepare them? Just with water? I'm not too keen to have too much milk or fluid, low fast yoghurt.
IF you want to try protein shakes make a very small one first. Do it with water or something like almond milk that is mostly water or tea that has cooled. Try a shake that is marketed to vegans: usually pea powder, hemp seed, rice powder or a combination.
Sometimes the shakes come with flavoring. Other times you add your own flavoring. Add some foods you can eat or some honey or jam. You could add some rice or whatever you feel safe eating.
Do what feels right for you. Your body will start healing.0 -
Oh dear, so many comments. Thanks a lot everyone. I'll try to get through everything you wrote. First of all, let me say writing here was a fantastic idea. It kind of got me out of the shock state and my brains are starting to work again. I'm a data analyst, and realised last night that I need a proper hold on how many calories I'm eating, and the margin of error is probably too big with just guessing. I just love cooking and baking, and entertaining friends so much. Guess I need to stop that now, at least to a certain extend 2
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How are you with things like beans: kidney beans, baked beans (in small quantities because of sugar), butter beans and such? Lentils/spilt peas? They are all protein sources but at least not of the animal variety, you could try upping protein that way. Maybe for reflux, smaller meals more often would be better if your lifestyle allows this, I mean I couldn't eat say 6x a day due to the nature of my job but if you could, that may help (I'm no expert though).
Just losing weight will help prediabetes though whether low carb or not. Good luck!
I don't know if I have problems with pulses as I never really eat them. I always have the idea that they take a long time to cook while I prefer quick meals during weekdays. But maybe I could try it next weekend. Lentils with potatoes, carrots, some other vegetables and bacon? Or is that too much sugar again?1 -
Complex carbs (veggies, brown rice, whole wheat flour, etc) are supposed to cause less of a blood sugar spike, so maybe try to shift the carbs you are eating to less white flour, sugar, pasta. If you need to, go half whole grain , half white at first. Good luck!
Thanks a lot! That helps a lot. I'm already eating whole grain bread from a specialist bakery. Never got used to what the British call 'bread'
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