Prediabetes Freak Out

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  • FarmFoodDiet
    FarmFoodDiet Posts: 10 Member
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    You are going to need to cut your carbs. 1) Cut the sugar out of your diet, 2) Cut refined grains out of your diet and limit the less refined grains. That includes rice, pasta, bread, etc. Even whole grain foods can raise your blood sugar levels sky high. Get familiar with the glycemic index!

    I read an example ADA diet that called for 60 grams of carbs with every meal. That's just ridiculous!! I average about 120 per day, and that includes fiber. I use low carb tortillas instead of bread (or those sandwich thins) and, on the rare occasion I eat pasta, I just eat a handful of pasta with a big hunk of meat.
  • TheCaren
    TheCaren Posts: 894 Member
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    I am a RD and Cert. Diabetes Educator...Prediabetes (otherwise known as "Insulin resistance" or "glucose intolerance") is diagnosed either by a fasting blood sugar between 100 and 125 or an A1C of 6.0-6.4% or by a Glucose Tolerance Test where your blood glocose rises above 140 but not above 199. If you had a random blood sugar test and were NOT fasting then you need to ask for 1 of the above tests to get a definative diagnosis.

    If you are prediabetic, you should definately work with a Registered Dietitian to learn how to eat right and control the types and amounts of carbs you are eating to meet your bodies needs. Also increase exercise, focusing on resistence (strength) training. Muscle is very sensitive to the hormone insulin, so building muscle can essentially help reverse insulin resisitance.

    Being diagnosed with prediabetes and treating it aggressively with diet and excercise can give you a 75% chance of preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes. Also, side note...There is NO such thing as a "Diabetic Diet". The American Diabetes Assoc. has not promoted a specific macronutrient breakdown or "diet pattern" since 1994. The recommendations are to eat a basically whole foods type diet that supports optimal health for the individual and that vary in composition from person to person greatly.

    Thanks for this. I have reactive hypoglycemia that my doc says is heading me toward insulin resistance. I appreciate the infromation you've provided. Gives me some goals to shoot for.
  • enigmachik
    enigmachik Posts: 150
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    What test did they do to test your blood sugar? Did they do the finger prick or did they test your A1c? The finger prick only tells them what your blood sugar was right at the time of the test, in which case it's possible that the truffles were the problem. If they did an A1c, that test tells you what your sugar was averaging over three+ months period of time. If it was an A1c result that you got, you can't blame the truffles and you likely are pre-diabetic. I would get yourself a monitor from a local drug store and start testing yourself daily for awhile to get an idea of what your day to day fluctuations are like. Also, I know it's scary, but you don't need to freak out, there are steps you can take now to avoid or delay becoming diabetic. You may have to make a few lifestyle adjustments, but life will go on as before and you'll be happier and healthier for it :)
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    You probably have insulin resistance - it's in the genes (me too). But as the only non-obese person in the family, I'm also the only non-diabetic/prediabetic one.

    Did they do a regular test or a fasting test? I disagree with the earlier poster. It's not that it's a fluke, it's just that insulin/sugar levels fluctuate a lot. To get a good consistent read, you need to do it under controlled conditions with the fasting. It's not just sugar, it's also CARBS big time.

    Finally . . .

    I may eventually get diabetes. But staying thin, eating well, and exercising substantially decrease your risk. More importantly - and I hold onto this thought a lot - every year I don't have diabetes is another year I don't have diabetes. Diabetes damages all parts of your body and does so cumulatively over time. The longer you postpone it's onset, the longer you will stay healthy.

    Don't freak out. Do take it as a warning. It's what's motivating me.
  • victoriannsays
    victoriannsays Posts: 568 Member
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    Try to keep your carbs limited, and also try to include just complex carbs. I agree with what the RD said above, the hba1c or the glucose tolerance tests are something you should look into. Those will tell you more about your insulin resistence situation.
  • emcdonie
    emcdonie Posts: 190 Member
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    You need your bloodtests for sure, see exactly what you didn't do good on. It is always a great idea to keep a copy of your medical file at home. Depending on which test they used to classify you, it could have been a fluke. ie if you were not fasting but they marked you as such.

    I have been a type II. I was badly diabetic and insulin dependant during my pregnancies, and a metformin dependant when not preggers. Currently I am in remission at a 40 pound weight loss with still 170 or so to lose. I was surprised that such a little percentage of the weight I needed to lose resulted in stopping diabetes already. My last A1C was like 5.3 or 5.4. Definitely non-diabetic. My fasting blood sugar range pre-diabetic, just barely now.

    I have found I can not just watch calories. I HAVE to monitor calories AND carbs. I don't mean super low carb, but medium. I keep to around 80-100 most days. I have to be careful at breakfast (if I eat it) as anything very carby will spike my b.s. at that time of day. I still can't do orange juice of a morning. But as a whole watching carbs and calories can help you immensly.

    I will say, I can not handle the level of carbs the dietician recommend for me. It was too much. That might change with weight loss, and muscle building, time will tell. But for right now I try to listen to MY body, which is different from others. (I also factor in that I am hypothyroid and my metabolism is not necessarily what someone's elses is. )

    I strongly advocate get all of the information you can, but in the end monitor your sugars and your body. Do what you must to make your body maintain a good blood sugar average. Keep good records on what you eat, and if you can, log blood sugars or 'how you feel' right into the notes area of MFP daily. Take note of which foods make you feel good, and bad respectively. You will learn a lot about yourself. I know I did. I wish you well and pray you can kick it if you are boardering on diabetes. It is no fun at all I know that.
  • gpoliver
    gpoliver Posts: 87 Member
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    YOU SAID "AT RISK FOR DIABETES" THIS IS DIFFERENT THAN BEING PRE-DIABETIC AND HAVING A HISTORY OF DIABETES IN THE FAMILY. YOU HAVE WORKED YOUR BUTT OFF ARE DOING A GREAT JOB AND YOU MAY NOT NEED TO CHANGE MUCH. mEETING WITH A DIETICIAN IS THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO, AND IT IS COVERED BY AL LOT OF UNSURANCE COMPANIES FOR DIABETIC DIET PLANNING. EVERYONE HERE TALKING ABOUT CUTTING CARBS IS CORRECT, BUT USING THE CARBS YOU DO EAT YOUR BEST ADVANTAGE IS IMPORTANT TOO! A DIETICIAN WILL MAP IT OUT FOR YOU, AND HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND PROCESSING FOOD (CARBS, PROTEIN, ETC) SO YOU WILL BE ABLE TO LOOK AT ANY FOOD AND THINK "OKAY BECAUSE OF WHAT ELSE I ATE, I NEED TO SKIP THAT" OR "ITS A GOOD IDEA TO INCORPORATE THAT INTO TODAYS MEAL SINCE I HAVE ALREADY EATEN____" GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND BE PROUD OF YOURSELF FOR BEING HEALTHY
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I doubt it was a fluke.

    You are Insulin Resistant, so yes you will have to be very mindful of the amount of carbs you eat.

    Stick with carbs in the following order and you will be able to get those numbers back to a normal state.............

    Vegetables first and foremost (especially green leafy vegetables)
    Fruit - limit fruit intake to no more than 1 or 2 small servings per day
    Legumes and grains - if you can't give them up, then severely limit them to just a serving or 2 per WEEK

    If you can adjust to this lifestyle, then you will not develop Diabetes and will actually reverse your numbers back to normal.

    Nonsense.

    http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20121022/bean-diet-health
    Oct. 22, 2012 -- Adding beans and other legumes to the diet appears to help people with type 2 diabetes improve their blood sugar control and lower their risk of heart disease, according to new research.

    http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/recipes/Beans-and-Legumes/
    DIABETES-FRIENDLY RECIPES (featuring beans)

    http://www.diabetes.org.nz/food_and_nutrition/healthy_food_choices__and__tips/food/legumes
    Research indicates legumes may help to reduce cholesterol levels, prevent heart disease, control blood glucose levels in people with diabetes and prevent some cancers.

    http://www.dlife.com/diabetes-food-and-fitness/diabetes-superfoods/nuts-and-legumes
    Nuts, seeds, and legumes don't often take center stage on the dinner table. But when you take note of how much these mini foods have to give, nutrition-wise, you might change your mind! Nuts and seeds provide healthy fats, protein, and other great nutrients. Legumes like lentils and soy deliver protein, fiber, and much more.
  • samblanken
    samblanken Posts: 369 Member
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    I'm diabetic.

    Definately ask your doc for a meter and testing supplies. My doctors office had meters at my last visit and gave me one for free. If you have insurance and the doc writes a prescription, the meter and testing supplies should be covered by your insurance plan.

    It's been about 6 years for me. What I do different now
    1. No soda, no sweet tea, no juice, no gatorade etc. Those are all liquid sugar bombs. I will drink a coke on the extremely rare occasion that my blood sugar is very low. I've only had 1 in the last year.
    2. Severly limit bread, cakes, pie, etc. I found that once I did that, my taste changed. Now those kinds of things are so sickenly sweet that I can only eat a bite or two. A bite or two won't kill ya.
    3. Eat protien and carbs together. Apple sounds like a good snack, but it's loaded with natural sugar which will spike your blood sugar. I still eat apples for a snack, I just add in natural almond or peanut butter for protien. The protien helps your body deal with the carbs and keeps your blood sugar from spiking.
    4. See a nutritionist/diabetes educator. I thought I was pretty schooled up but I still learned quite a bit from a few sessions. Again, if you have insurance this is something that should be covered. Even if you don't, the local hosiptal may offer some things like this for free - just have to check their website.

    Best of luck to you.
  • Sylkwyrm
    Sylkwyrm Posts: 75 Member
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    5lbs would put me at 125lbs at 5'8". :-S
    if you reduce your weight by just 5lbs you reduce your risk of diabetes...


    why is the receptionist telling you this advice and not your doctor????
  • qnih
    qnih Posts: 16
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    Check out the very informative website http://bloodsugar101.com/
  • Sylkwyrm
    Sylkwyrm Posts: 75 Member
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    Got my results today. They did a fasting test and my Hemoglobin A1c was 5.8 H. My doctors current plan is just to test it again at my next years physical (I'm not sure if the is an insurance thing). Fluke or not, my test result is low enough for me not to freak out terribly, but high enough to start watching carbs and continue my normal exercise routine and maybe step up the weight training. Lots of good advise in this thread. Thank you everyone!
  • tdfarmer
    tdfarmer Posts: 176 Member
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    Thanks for sharing! I'm in same situation.
  • dancerom
    dancerom Posts: 174 Member
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    Thanks for sharing. I'm IR and though I'm not happy about it, I'm happy I learned about it. Now I can understand what happens with me, omit sugars and fast carbs and omit spikes and lows that made me feel like drunk or shaky...
    I also start to lose weight! And the sugar cravings disappeared.

    I'm relatively new on mfp and happy about new friends. Especially 'similar eating' ones!
    So feel free to add me!

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