Pre-Diabetic...WHAT?!

trospert

So I was told this weekend, by my dr., that according to a recent blood test, I appear to be pre-diabetic.

Can anyone else give some insight into what this means or how it's affected them?

I don't THINK I am overweight (5'2" and 139 lbs) but I'm going to go ahead and try to lose about 10 lbs or so just to see if it helps. Kinda a bummer. . I really don't know what else I can do. I don't eat much sweets, I don't even really like them!?

Thanks!

muffle1969

I don't know if there are multiple meanings for this, but I can tell you what it meant for me. It was determined by means of the following symptoms: PCOS diagnosis, Insulin resistance diagnosis, elevated blood sugar and triglycerides, and my elevated weight that I was "pre-diabetic". What this meant was if I did not make serious changes, I would be diabetic sooner rather than later. I was put on Metformin ER for the PCOS and Insulin Resistance. Metformin is a medication given to some diabetics to help the body process sugar better.

It is important to understand that the issue is not necessarily sweets; it is instead how your body processes carbohydrates. Sweet foods are one form of carbohydrate. This does not mean all carbohydrates are bad, but I know that I personally had to learn to balance carbs with proteins and fiber. The balanced meal helps slow down the body processing carbs, thereby slowing down your pancreas in producing insulin.

The bottom line is that insulin resistance your cells don't process sugar properly and as a result you have too much sugar in your blood. Your pancreas releases insulin to deal with the sugar...vicious cycle.

The good news is that this is reversible if you do something about it before you are diabetic. My A1c had been borderline for a long time making me pre-diabetic. For the last two checkups, my A1c is NORMAL, as are the rest of my blood tests. This past visit, my endocrinologist told me that as long as I keep up with the Metformin, the exercise and eating balanced meals, I should never get diabetes.

I'm sorry if this is confusing. I am not a doctor...I can only tell you about my own experience. Don't panic...just take care of yourself!

omma_to_3

You don't have to be overweight to be pre-diabetic. I would ask how they determined that - fasting blood sugar (glucose)? Fasting insulin? 3 month HbA1c?

If it was from the A1c or the fasting glucose, I would want to check your insulin levels. Better yet, an insulin-glucose tolerance test (it takes 3 hours). If your insulin levels aren't high, it could mean something different than typical type II diabetes.

di1428

So I was told this weekend, by my dr., that according to a recent blood test, I appear to be pre-diabetic.

Can anyone else give some insight into what this means or how it's affected them?

I don't THINK I am overweight (5'2" and 139 lbs) but I'm going to go ahead and try to lose about 10 lbs or so just to see if it helps. Kinda a bummer. . I really don't know what else I can do. I don't eat much sweets, I don't even really like them!?

Thanks!

what does your dr. recommend? i too as told that (but was over weight and loved sweets) so i followed the south beach
plan and within 6 months all my blood work was fine.....( and down over 40 lbs so far)

ahamm002

It means you should consider re-evaluating how healthy your diet really is. It's great that you don't eat sweets, but there are lots of foods that your body basically breaks down into sugar very quickly. Many of the refined and processed carbs like pretzels, snack packs, chips, bread, rice, pasta, etc., are quite hard on your pancreas.

The LOGI pyramid is a good starting point: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3299312/?tool=pubmed

Since you're prior military I assume you're no stranger to intense exercise (unless you were chair force). It might also be time to reevaluate what shape you're really in. You may not weight all that much, but that's not necessarily a reflection of your body composition which is more important in this case. Perhaps it's time to start exercising more. Since you want to lose weight, it's would be very beneficial to perform some resistance training at the same time to preserve your lean body mass while losing the fat.

kristen6022

I'd say 10 pounds would do a world of good as diabetes is concerned. Also try and lower your carbs (learn the difference between slow/fast carbs) and up your protein. Diabetes isn't something to play around with. A friend of mine was diagnosed at 40 with Type 2 and was on the verge of losing her eye sight.

You may not be very overweight, but you are in the overweight BMI category. I'm 147 and 5'11, so there's is only 8 pounds between the 2 of us and 9 inches. I'd say 10 pounds would help boat loads for your health. You'd also be surprised how much better you will feel (I didn't realize how crappy I felt until I lost my first 10!)

b1essed

My doctor suggested south beach to get me on the right track.....

mjYanaGirl

It means you should consider re-evaluating how healthy your diet really is. It's great that you don't eat sweets, but there are lots of foods that your body basically breaks down into sugar very quickly. Many of the refined and processed carbs like pretzels, snack packs, chips, bread, rice, pasta, etc., are quite hard on your pancreas.

The LOGI pyramid is a good starting point: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3299312/?tool=pubmed

Since you're prior military I assume you're no stranger to intense exercise (unless you were chair force). It might also be time to reevaluate what shape you're really in. You may not weight all that much, but that's not necessarily a reflection of your body composition which is more important in this case. Perhaps it's time to start exercising more. Since you want to lose weight, it's would be very beneficial to perform some resistance training at the same time to preserve your lean body mass while losing the fat.

Very helpful information. I was also told pretty much the same. You can be of normal weight but it depends how much of that weight is fat as opposed to muscle.

JUDDDing

Yeah, cut back on the carbs - not just sugar/candy. But bread, rice, etc.

Exercise is also important.

And if your insulin is high - I'd ask about taking metformin as a preventative. There were some studies that said this could actually prevent or delay type II diabetes.

If your stomach can handle metformin (after it gets used to it) - it's not a bad drug (IMO).

knutbonn

You've been given some good explanations and suggestions on prior replies so I'll just tell you what worked for me. I consulted with a nutritionist who specialized in diabetes and followed the plan she suggested. I track my meals and snacks very carefully on MyFitnessPal and keep all meals between 30-40 net carbohydrates per meal. (if you don't know how to calculate net carbohydrates, contact me and I will expalin.) All snacks have to be at 15 or below carbohydrates. They count as a snack if they are two hours after or before a meal. If not eaten within this time period the snacks are counted in with your meal carbohydrates because that is how the body processes them. At times this diet seems a little boring because carbohydrates are so much more fun to eat than protein. I know that I do not want to be a diabetic so I put up with the boring. You will definately loose weight eating like this. I am 5'2" and 101# and when I started I weighed 118#. I am not on FitnessPal to lose weight but to track my food intake.

Being a pre-diabetic is a serious condition that you cannot afford to be casual about. I suggest that you read about the condition and seek out a nutritionist to get you on the right track.

mfpcopine

My sister, who is a few inches taller than you, and who probably weighs more than you do, received this diagnosis. She was told to lose weight in six months or they'd have to put her on medication. She like sweets, but not to excess. Both my parents have Type 2 Diabetes, and they're both obese. I believe in Diabesity.

fightingformylife

I was told by my MD that I was pre-diabetic but she didn't say anything else. I had, what my family believes, was a diabetic episode last week. It scared me! My dad is borderline so he has a meter, I checked after dinner and I was 180! I have dramatically changed my diet and every day my fasting level is getting lower.
I have an appointment with my MD next week and hopefully my endo soon as well.

But like everyone else has said, carbs are the key. Limiting carbs and cutting out excess sugars will help tremendously. I'm hoping that by summer, that I'll be another 30lbs lighter and I'll have normal readings.

Good luck to you, check out dlife.com. It's a website all about living with diabetes. I know you aren't diabetic yet, hopefully never, but it helps when trying to figure out how to change your diet.

omma_to_3

I was told by my MD that I was pre-diabetic but she didn't say anything else. I had, what my family believes, was a diabetic episode last week. It scared me! My dad is borderline so he has a meter, I checked after dinner and I was 180! I have dramatically changed my diet and every day my fasting level is getting lower.
I have an appointment with my MD next week and hopefully my endo soon as well.

How long after the start of your meal? 180 could be fairly normal depending on how long after dinner you tested.

kristinL16

I had gestational diabetes with my third and fourth pregnancies. When I went in for my follow up last year I was told my fasting glucose was slightly high so I was considered to be pre-diabetic. They told me to continue to lose weight, exercise for 30 minutes a day (at least) and continue to follow the gestational diabetes diet. Is your doctor going to send you to a dietician? When I went to the GD class, they explained how your body processes carbs, taught about the diet and how to count carb choices. It isn't necessarily as cut and dried as saying "no more than x amount of carbs" but that is a rough guideline. For the gestational diabetes diet, this was the breakdown of carbs per meal/snack. They also give tips like eating protein with carbs (so if you have an apple for a snack, have some almonds or string cheese with it). I am also supposed to be testing a few times a week but ran out of my strips and need to get a new prescription. If you have never tested before, it would be helpful to do so. If nothing else you can see how your body reacts to various foods.

*breakfast--when pregnant I was to eat 2 carb choices (each carb choice is approximately 15 g carbs) but not milk
*morning snack--1-2 choices
*lunch--4 choices
*afternoon snack--1-2 choices
*dinner--4 choices
*bedtime snack--1-2 choices

I don't know if insulin resistance means the same as pre-diabetic but my understanding is that you are pre-diabetic if your blood sugar is higher than the normal range but not in the diabetic range. It is diagnosed using a three hour test and they should also test your A1C levels.

trospert

Thank you EVERYone for your suggestions/advice and personal experience(s)!

My dr did conduct a few more test since this post & it looks like the test probably wasn't wrong, I more than likely am in the "pre-diabetic" range. Who knew? Just glad I found out now in the "pre" stage vice the "too late" stage!

I haven't had a chance to consult with my dr yet, either in person or via phone, but taking into account my own research & what everyone has been posting here, I am just trying to cut the carbs back drastically. I am going to be speaking with a nutritionist as well because the blood panels have all indicated severe anemia as well, so obviously SOMEthing isn't working with either how I eat or how my body processes things.

Thank you again tho everyone! *XOXOXO*

simonsayzzz1

I was diagnosed prediabetic when I was 45 now I'm 57 and still managed to stay prediaberic. All I've done is;

Avoid foods that spike insulin levels (processed foods, sodas)
Workout every other day for about 45 mins
Eat more veggies and less starchy foods

I still enjoy my comfort foods but I eat/drink less of them.

I wrote a book on this subject because I got annoyed with all the conflicting advice I was getting from doctors and alike. If you want to find out more on this subject from someone who has lived through this you can get the book on Amazon, Lulu or ibookstore.

The Rise in Prediabetes:The Threat of Insulin Resistance and Hyperglycemia