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

First, a good book to get is "Diabetes for Dummies"...explains things in easy to understand ways.

Second, it's not just about sugar or fried foods, it's about carbs...which can be sugar, fruit, veggies, breads, cereals, etc. Yes, sugars have more carbs than fruits/veggies, but you need to watch all your carbs.

Finally, the American Diabetes Association recommends that diabetics get 45% of their calories from carbs, so Custom Set your Food percentages to that, then 20%-25% protein, and 30-35% fats.

Also your doctor should get you an appointment w/a nutritionist, so help you understand diet issues until you feel comfortable doing it on your own. Many people try to just figure it out for themselves, but that's challenging. If your husband has been a diabetic for a while & you still don't understand how to eat w/it, then I'm thinking you could both benefit from seeing someone to really explain things well. But go to a professional that your doctor recommends, usually paid for by insurance. Do not just go to some grocery store health program...the one in our area was completely worthless. I'm not diabetic, but felt I did a better job of answering the attendees questions after the "class," than the lady who taught the class. It takes a little bit to get into good habits & understand things, but eventually it'll be easier & you'll feel better & live longer. If you don't take care of yourself, or just take insulin when your sugar is bad, then they say it's like broken glass in your veins causing damage to your vessels & your body.

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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????

The only way to tell is to test before and after a meal with oatmeal. I make steal cut oatmeal and mix it with protein powder. There is no sugar or fat added. Even with all the protein, the oatmeal spikes my blood sugar. It isn't too bad, but about 10-15 points above my usual breakfast. It still doesn't go over 130, so I will occasionally have oatmeal as a treat for breakfast.

Because everybody is different what works for one person might not work for another. Folks here can give you ideas based n what has worked for them, but that doesn't mean it will work for you. There is a lot of trial and error in dealing with this disease. You should work with your dietician to come up with a plan that works for you.

Bumping to read links later

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????

The only way to tell is to test before and after a meal with oatmeal. I make steal cut oatmeal and mix it with protein powder. There is no sugar or fat added. Even with all the protein, the oatmeal spikes my blood sugar. It isn't too bad, but about 10-15 points above my usual breakfast. It still doesn't go over 130, so I will occasionally have oatmeal as a treat for breakfast.

Because everybody is different what works for one person might not work for another. Folks here can give you ideas based n what has worked for them, but that doesn't mean it will work for you. There is a lot of trial and error in dealing with this disease. You should work with your dietician to come up with a plan that works for you.

I second this opinion. Work with your doctor/dietitian and TEST TEST TEST. Oatmeal is the one grain that would raise my sugar THE LEAST (I usually have it with peanut butter and milk). There is actually some research that it may actually help with blood sugar control because of the soluble fiber. Note that I said "may". Even if it comes in a scientific paper there is no substitute for testing and working with your doctor to see what works for you personally. Just test and pray you're one of the lucky ones not to get a horrible spike from it

When you test makes a huge difference as well. If I am not feeling well, did a really hard workout, didn't wash my hands properly (touching fruit/sugar and testing) will all skew my results. My A1C wend from over 7 to just over 5 by following a reasonable nutrition and exercise plan for 15 months. I worked with a diabetic counselor and a nutritionist.

Wow, your AIC level is that of a non-Diabetic now! That's what I hope to get down to. I'm embarrassed to say that my last level (last week) was 11.2 I know--terrible. I was eating completely out of control and totally downing candy and sweets. I finally wised up at that last visit because I had spillover into my urine and that means complications. Now, I'm really eating much better and trying to get exercise in when I'm feeling well.

I was told that anything higher than 99 is at the diabetic stage...go figure!

Wow... I didn't know what you ate in the earlier day could affect your next day.
I was told 2 weeks ago that anything past 99 is diabetic, #'s can be so daunting!

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????

The only way to tell is to test before and after a meal with oatmeal. I make steal cut oatmeal and mix it with protein powder. There is no sugar or fat added. Even with all the protein, the oatmeal spikes my blood sugar. It isn't too bad, but about 10-15 points above my usual breakfast. It still doesn't go over 130, so I will occasionally have oatmeal as a treat for breakfast.

Because everybody is different what works for one person might not work for another. Folks here can give you ideas based n what has worked for them, but that doesn't mean it will work for you. There is a lot of trial and error in dealing with this disease. You should work with your dietician to come up with a plan that works for you.

I always thought oatmeal was good for you...minus the sugary 1's but I didn't realize that even the good oatmeal had that kind of effect & I wouldn't have thought to add protein powder. Can that be found in any grocery store?
I recently bought some steel cut oats but I haven't done anything with it yet.

Some studies have shown that although it does initially raise your blood sugar, it keeps the curve smoother throughout the day in the long run. It's a carbohydrate, so it will raise your blood sugar. Does that mean it's bad for a diabetic? Not exactly. It's a healthy carb that is good for heart health, which is very important for diabetics. The trick is to learn how much you body tolerates it. It's different for everyone. Some people can only eat tiny portions, others like myself can eat a double portion without a problem (rice however is my worst enemy). It depends how your insulin production/tolerance is. A slight spike above what is normal for you does not warrant cutting a food off, but it does mean you need to have it less often than you thought you could, or decrease the amount to one you can handle.

Check out; :flowerforyou: dlife.com

exercise and try to lose at least 10% of your body weight.

I heard that is supposed to work...unfortunately it doesn't for everybody I had normal sugars when I was big, have lost almost 54% of my body weight and now have higher FBS

I went to a nutrtionist regarding a pre-diabetic warning. She recommended to never have more than 45 grams of carbohydrates in one meal...to lose weight she recommended staying at the 30 grams level. I continue to struggle with my weight though I am still at a pre-ciabetic level. Good Luck!

There is a lot of good information on here but also a lot of questionable information being spread around. Regardless of what particular number is used to decide if you have diabetes, you have gotten the message that you need to clean up your eating habits. I am a Type II diabetic, and I encourage you to see a dietitician (not a nutritionist). The first step for you is to keep an accurate food log of not only what you eat, but WHEN you eat it. You see, carbs can affect us in different ways at different times of the day. Personally, I struggle with my liver dumping sugar into my bloodstream overnight and I struggle the most with my after-breakfast numbers. Lunch and dinner are when I see my lowest numbers, even though I'm eating more carbs.

Another important thing is that not all carbs are created equal. Or should I say, what you pair with your carbs really does matter. Try to add protein and fiber with your carbohydrates as they can help to minimize your blood sugar spikes throughout the day. Eat healthy fats and lean protein. Watch your servings of the more sugary fruits and get a lot of nutrition from less starchy sources. You CAN eat bread, but stick to a serving and go for something with whole grains that is high in fiber.

The only way to know how YOUR body will react is to test your blood sugar after meals. It will help you to know which foods your body processes well, and which ones might need to be avoided, cut back, or moved to a different time of the day. Every body is so different. Some diabetics can't be in the same room with rice without their blood sugar rising, while others can handle an appropriate serving of rice. If you do want to have white bread, pizza, pasta, etc, resign yourself to taking a brisk 20-minute walk after dinner to help your body metabolize the glucose better. Last week I had something a bit higher in carbs for dinner (because I wanted it, we can't be good ALL of the time). I tested before walking (157) and after a 20-minute walk (122). HUGE difference in just 20 minutes of physical activity.

My carb totals (as an example) are: 15 grams for breakfast, 15-30 for lunch, and 30-45 at dinner. I keep snacks between 15-20 grams.

After a bit, your body stops craving all of the extra sugar (and believe me, if you eat something sweet, it is almost sickening). Diabetes is a different lifestyle, but fearing it won't help. You can live a very long and healthy life with diabetes by testing and changing your eating habits (and adding in exercise--that is SO important).

Best wishes.

I was told that I was borderline diabetic, I went vegan, now my blood glucose levels are spot on. I hope you find a solution :flowerforyou: