Pre- Diabetic

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Linda_10
Linda_10 Posts: 95 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm looking for some good guide lines to getting in shape,and getting my health back!

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  • MsAmandaNJ
    MsAmandaNJ Posts: 1,248 Member
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    What did your doctor recommend when you got your diagnosis?
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
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    Well, you'll want to focus on building consistency in your nutrition and exercise habits. I would start with logging EVERYTHING you eat in MFP. Do your best to hit an appropriate calorie goal and getting your macros (protein/carb/fat) close. Lot's of fruits and veggies to get enough fiber and also make sure you eat enough protein. If you're on the diabetic spectrum, then look for complex carbs, as suggested by your doctor. For specifics on how much carbs to eat (and what kind), be sure to chat with your doctor.

    As for exercise, do something that is tough for you. As you struggle through it, you'll improve and become stronger. I would suggest a mix of weight lifting, plyometrics (if your knees are good), and cardio for a well-balanced workout regime.

    If you have more questions on specifics, I'd be happy to chat with you and dig into this more.
  • Skyblueyellow
    Skyblueyellow Posts: 225 Member
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    I'm Type II.

    Just losing weight and adding in activity might be enough for you as a pre-diabetic to improve your blood sugar. Weight loss alone can significantly help numbers.

    Be aware that if you are tracking your blood sugar high intensity exercise can cause a temporary spike in glucose readings but will then help to keep your readings lower for several hours. The body's reaction to stress (illness, high intensity exercise, etc) seems to naturally increase blood sugar.

    If you want to follow a more diabetic-friendly diet then I would suggest monitoring your carb intake. You might not need to adjust it at all. If you are using a meter, eat to it (what I mean is to log what you eat and how it affects your numbers and adjust carb intake per meal up or down accordingly). Low fat and low protein sources high in sugar content usually raise blood sugar the quickest (think fruit juice, soda, candy). When I was diagnosed though sugary drinks had to go. It is better to eat an apple and gain the fiber than to drink apple juice if you have to be concerned about your blood sugar.

    As an aside, dental health is extremely important if you are diabetic. I mean it is important for everyone but high glucose readings can speed up dental decay and likewise, the presence of bacteria (dental decay) can worsen diabetes. Brush brush brush!!!

    Diabetes is a complex systemic disease. Your best bet it to try and head it off now by losing weight and exercising.

    Best wishes and feel free to friend me!
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
    edited December 2016
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    I was pre-diabetic early this year (Feb) I did low carb/sugar. I had carbs but I limited them and I workout, for me, 6 days a week. Now I am no longer in pre-diabetic range.

    I've lost some weight
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    edited December 2016
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    A few years back my doctor labeled me a pre-diabetic, after I had a really high non-fasting glucose test, and then a follow-up -highish- glucose tolerance test (nasty nasty test :p ). With my family tree of type 2 diabetics my doctor said it was probably genetic but I could try losing weight to see if that lowered my number. He didn't give me any further instruction besides that, and I ended up doing an IF protocol for my weight loss phase (first/only time I had ever tried losing weight and literally just picked a plan off of google lol).

    Fast forward several years-I've lost 50lbs, and have fasting glucose numbers consistently in the 80-95 range :) I'm no longer labeled a pre-diabetic and my (newer) doctor has told me to just keep doing what I'm doing. I don't eat any special way and only pay attention to my calorie intake/weight. The data I have accumulated shows that my glucose numbers are directly tied to my weight, and as long as I keep it towards the lower end of a healthy bmi I have normal glucose results.

    A side note-I'm the only one in my family who's been able to maintain a significant weight loss and normalize higher glucose numbers (I've lost several relatives to Type 2 and I currently have 3 relatives who are really struggling with it-1 is overweight and the other 2 are obese).

    But, every person is going to be different so I'd ask your doctor for further instructions.

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