Diabetes!! Pre/Borderline/Elevated.... WTH!!

Did your doctor give you any recommendations to go by? I'm not an expert on diabetes - but I do know that not all sugar is created equal. Such as the sugar in fruit is different from the sugar in a donut.

My brother in law was diagnosed with diabetes in the past year - and he has worked to modify his eating habits to avoid going on meds. (Note to self - need to check w/ my sister for an update on how that is going.) I know they now look at the carbs on food labels much more than before, not just sugar. And he was told to increase his exercise. Take regular walks and such, as that can help the body manage insulin and blood sugar levels. Walking is good for so many things!

I'm sooooo afraid that Im about to become a diabetic.. There's a history of diabetes in my family and I was told about 3 weeks ago that I needed to watch my sugar and fried foods... I'm like "huh" my doctor said that my sugar level was elevated... I asked her for my number and she said 105... When I told my family, they told me "oh that aint nothing" but the doctor said that your number should be 99 and under.... During that same week, my numbers started going down 102 and then 89 (now I'm happy again) but this morning my husband checked it for me and it was 105 again.... OMG!!!... Am I eating too many strawberries or mangos, too much oatmeal everyday???? I doon't know what to do or where to start....

My husband is a diabetic and I watch him prick his finger, get light headed, fatigue, etc.... I don't want to go thru all of that, I already have high blood pressure.. This is just another thing for me to worry about.. I thought that I was doing good with shedding a few pounds and exercising and now I have to worry about this....

Please help me understand this diabetes stuff...

Ask your doctor about seeing a nutritionist or if there's an eating plan he wants you to follow.

In the meantime, look at this website:
http://www.diabetes.org/

and look under "Food and Nutrition", also meal plans. You can also sign up to receive recipes by email.

I had gestational diabetes (which has since resolved) and controlled it through a doctor supervised, super-strict diet.
Since my case and yours are not quite the same (and I only stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night) I can't really give you medical advice. But until you get back in touch with your doctor:

• Try to pair your (complex) carbs with protein. Always
• Go for a walk after dinner. (It does wonders for fasting sugar numbers)
• Try to substitute low glycemic fruit (and foods in general) for what you are eating now
• Have small meals throughout the day to prevent spikes.

bump

I am a type 2 diabetic, and my doctors never told me when I was in that pre-diabetes range. I wish they had.

In addition to a diet where you watch your carbohydrates, you should think about adding some form of exercise. Exercise, strength training in particular, helps to make your body more sensitive to the insulin you are already producing.

You might want to see if your local library has 'Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars' Dr Bernstein is a type 1 diabetic and there is lots of info in the book about how your body works when you have diabetes. Much of the advice will hold true for someone who is prediabetic too. He is an advocate of a high fat/low carbohydrate diet for diabetics.

Good information on diabetes: http://www.diabetes.org/

That is the American Diabetes Association website.

I had that scare when I was 37. The doctors office was right next door to a Baskin Robbins ice cream parlor. I remember going back to my car after I got the news and just crying my eyes out thinking I'll never be able to have chocolate or ice cream or cookies ever again and I thought to myself what's the point of living?! I have a history of diabetes in my family on my dads side. His mother had it and eventually went blind and lost part of one of her legs and now my dad is a full blown diabetic and has to take medicine. I thought to myself there is no way I'm going down this road and the doctor did say I could correct it with my diet. So long story short I did the low carb high fiber diet . I omitted ice cream cookies candies except those that were labeled sugar free and I watched my intake of those. At the time I got the news I was 200 pounds. Within 3 months of eating lots of beans lowcarb tortillas occasional sugar free candies and lots of water collard greens Black Eyed Peas okra green beans and getting rid of potatoes rice bread, I was able to lose 50 pounds and this was all without exercise. I went back to the doctor and had my blood sugar re tested with the 3 month test and all my levels were completely normal. I did buy the lifestyle blood sugar testing kit after I got the initial news and was adamant about checking it every day at least 6 times a day just before my meals and an hour and a half to two hours after meals just to make sure that the foods I was eating were not affecting my blood sugar levels. If something made it spiked above 130 I omitted whatever it was that I thought caused the spike because it had t too many simple carbs or starches in it and eventually got my diet down to a science of foods that were good for me. If I can do it you can certainly do it. the funny and sad thing about my dad was I put him on that diet when he was first diagnosed with it and we got his blood sugar levels down to the proper levels to where he could stop taking his medication.then he decided he didn't like the foods I was preparing and went back to eating a pot of rice a sleeve of Ritz crackers at night for a bedtime snack and bread without limitations and eventually it caught up to him and now he can't reverse it. When our bodies give us warning signs we need to listen. I was so grateful I was able to catch it in time to do something about it. And it sounds like you are at that stage . One thing I've learned is that if you have the majority of your carbs especially since I read that you like fruit so have those things as part of your breakfast and lunch but try to stay away from things with natural sugars an excess of carbs once you've had your lunch. This way your body has a chance to burn no sugar is an extra carbs off and your body will go into almost a fat burning state from say 1 or 2 o'clock whenever your lunch is over until you get up the next morning. This is key because this part of the meal plan is what helps you lose the pounds. it is not too late girl! You are still very much in control of the future of your health...it's all about eating the right foods at the right times. So just get proactive and of course doing a brisk walk of say 2 miles a day within a 30 minute time wiill vastly improve your blood sugar levels as well. I hope this helps...feel free to add me as a friend and of course.... good luck!

. . . Although, even will lifestyle changes you may still become a diabetic because it runs in your family. Sometimes no matter how healthy you eat and no matter how much weight you lose and how much you exercise, a person will still develop diabetes if there's a family history.

I just want to underscore this. Type II diabetes is cast as being solely the result of bad health habits, and that is NOT true. Many factors will increase your risk, and it is true that good diet and exercise can help cut down the risk, but sometimes people will get diabetes no matter what they do. You have gotten a lot of good (and some questionable) info here--I second the recommendation to meet with a nutritionist who specializes in diabetes--you will get good info on how to eat, and how your husband should eat.

I would think it would be a good idea to talk to a doctor who works with diabetics and maybe get in touch with a Registered Dietitian (different than nutritionist).

http://www.eatright.org/programs/rdfinder/default.aspx

Most RDs work with diabetics, but you can check the diabetes specialty on the search to narrow it a little.

I had a fasting glucose level of 105 for two years and my doctor said it was not yet in the pre-diabetes range at that time. Now I'm at 120 and officially pre-diabetic. 126 is considered diabetic. I've not seen anything saying 120 is diabetic, as a previous poster stated. Generally 100-125 is prediabetic, and above that is the 'real thing'.

In any case, your doctor should be giving you guidance on your diet so you can get it under control. As several people already mentioned, you can definitely still eat carbs.

If I overdo the carbs I get very sleepy and have no energy. Keeping them in check has given me more energy. I could not live happily if I could never have bread or baked goods, so I have them. Just not all at once.

Good luck!

It depends on the lab. Some labs set it as low as 110, others as high as 125. Mine has it as 120

Some of you have mentioned eating carbs with fiber and a protein, can you explain why?? I'm asking because I love to eat oatmeal in the morning for my breakfast... Do I need to add something else to the oatmeal or will I be ok with just oatmeal...

Maple Brown Sugar (High Fiber) is my favorite..... Do I need to eliminate oatmeal from my diet????

When you eat carbs with fiber and protein, the body breaks them down together and it takes longer, causing less glucose spikes. (simplified explanation)

I was in a similar situation; they described it as "one toe over the edge" towards diabetes. I got down to low normal after a couple of months of exercise and losing several pounds. That was before I started on MFP. My last fasting test, after several more months of exercise, MFP and losing more weight, was low normal again.
You can definitely do it. Good luck.

Hey there.

Before you can start jumping to conclusions you really need for your doctor to actually sit down and test you properly.
Did the doctor say what type of test it was. If it was random it is done at anytime of the day, and as you know our glucose level fluctuate throughout different times in the day. Hence the reason why diabetics take different types/stengths of insulin and at different times in the day. So lets say before walking into the consulting room you demolished a mango and and a chocolate bar. Natrually your levels will be high.

A HBA1C is a good test. It gives you an average figure over a period of time, which is a very useful indicator. From what I've learned, the best test is a Random Glucose Tolerance Test. Have you had this done? It might be worth contacting your doctor and seeing what has been done. Is all tests are conclusive then ask for referral to a diabetes nurse/ clinic. I'm not sure how the system works for you, but diabetes is such a common disease of MEDCs that there is bound to be official help readily available.

I don't know if this helps, but basically be sure all the tests have been done. Also there are many official diabetes groups online (try NHS) or even try patient.co.uk (that site is a gem!)

Also I want to STRESS this! Everyone here and myself included can only tell you there experiences and what they MAY know. The Expert is your doctor who will undoubtedly seen many diabetic patients in his/her career. Lay people make mistakes and have different methods of coping, but really you need to consider what the professionals have to say first. I don't intend to offend anyone, but please consult your doctor before consulting us

I really hope everything works out for you and please drop me a message if you need to Diabetes IS scary but diabetics walk among us without us even realising!

I have high fasting blood sugar and my last glucose tolerance test came back as ''JUST within acceptable range". I've just done another one as required by the donor team that is deciding whether or not I'm a good candidate to donate a kidney, so I'm still waiting on the results of that. In the meantime I've done a fair bit of reading up on what foods are best or most appropriate to my situation which sounds kind of similar to you.

When choosing your fruits/veg/carbs, you should look not just at how many grams of sugar in each item but also where they fall on the Glycemic Index...and further to that, what their Glycemic Load is.

Things that come with lots of fibre and take longer to digest will do less of a number on your insulin than something without (like straight sugar). So, an Apple has 11 - 16 (ish) grams of sugar and a Banana has not too much more than that. However, all fruits are not equal. That Apple has a Glycemic index number of 39 which is low whereas a banana has a GI number of 62. Already that apple is looking better for you than the banana. Add to that the fact that the Glycemic Load (which has to do with how much carbohydrate you're getting in the food) for the Apple is a 6 (which is low) but is a 16 for the banana, the better choice is becoming clear.

The importance of taking glycemic load into account as well as the index is apparent when you look at something like watermelon. If you look at a watermelon's grams of sugar (18g) and where it is on the glycemic index (72 - very high), you'd think it was about the worst kind of fruit you could get your hands on as someone with insulin resistance issues. However, because it's essentially water and you're not getting much in the way of carbohydrate in your serving of watermelon, it only has a glycemic load of 4, which is very low.

In any case, don't freak out. Eat your fruits and vegetables. Just look to find some go-to staples that suit your body as far as the index and load go (unfortunately I don't think mango is going to make that list....but once in a while is no biggie.)

Here's a site with a list of all kinds of stuff (not just fruits and vegetables) that you can have a look through to get started. Anything lower than 55 on the Glycemic Index is considered low and anything lower than 10 for Glycemic Load is considered low

http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm

Some of you have mentioned eating carbs with fiber and a protein, can you explain why?? I'm asking because I love to eat oatmeal in the morning for my breakfast... Do I need to add something else to the oatmeal or will I be ok with just oatmeal...

Maple Brown Sugar (High Fiber) is my favorite..... Do I need to eliminate oatmeal from my diet????

I've seen an awful lot of debate on the subject of how diabetics/pre-diabetics should eat. Most of the people that have responded appear to be in one camp, so I'm here to share the perspective of the other one.

I've heard all the other advice for diabetics that's been presented here. I've also heard a lot of people say that advice doesn't work. Be sure to check multiple sources of information, don't rely on just one (even if it's your doctor, remember that debate I mentioned? It's always ok to get a second opinion). What I've read is that following the advice about fiber and mixing carbs with protein doesn't seem to reverse the condition. Nor limiting your carbs per meal. Those techniques seem to merely avoid glucose spikes, not reverse the insulin resistance that causes them. By that I mean that instead of getting a whole bunch of glucose at once, you get it drawn out over a longer period of time. This might keep you from losing your sight, but it won't reverse the condition. I suppose using those techniques while simultaneously losing weight might help. I don't know, I'm no expert.

I've also read arguments that you can reverse diabetes by reducing your body's dependence on carbs. This means a low-carb, high-fat diet.
So, in addition to what others have recommended (the books and articles, talking to a nutritionist, etc), I suggest you also read Why We Get Fat, by Gary Taubes. He promotes a low-carb, high-fat diet. But, more importantly, he clearly explains the science behind it (including how insulin works, what insulin resistance is, etc.). He cites actual research, not just recommendations from agencies (that may or may not have any research to support them).

The bad news is that if you follow Taubes' advice (even loosely) you won't be able to eat oatmeal anymore. Oats and grains are at the top of the restriction list, right up there with refined sugar. The good news is that eggs and bacon are back on the table.

Maybe I'm wrong, but do your research. I expect you'll find two kinds of recommendations: Those that say you can eat bread, and those that say you shouldn't. Pay attention to the reasons and the research behind the conclusions.

One thing remains constant in all forms of diet advice I've ever read: Eat lots of vegetables. Go heavy on the green ones, and light on the starchy ones.