Prediabetic looking for support

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ohhhhjenn
ohhhhjenn Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was diagnosed as prediabetic on Monday with an A1c of 5.8
I am currently 5'5 and 243lbs which I know plays a big role in my risk for developing type 2 diabetes especially since I carry my weight a lot in my stomach area. Until now I've lead a pretty inactive lifestyle and quick frankly ate like complete crap and saw food as a comfort and not a necessity to survive. All of these factors have brought me to the point I'm at now. My dr didn't offer up much encouragement or insight aside from "oh cut out a lot of carbs and stay away from sodas and juices" which was a little disheartening to say the least.

After leaving his office very scared about the potential for developing type 2 in the future, I knew I needed to get answers and guidance but there's so much info on the internet it's easy to become overwhelmed and confused so I contacted the ADA to get help.

They gave me the number to a local diabetes education class in my city. I was able to speak with a wonderful lady there who advised me about an upcoming class and some dietician services available that may be covered by my insurance. I called my insurances health ed dept and found out that even in my pre stage, they will cover my glucose monitor, lancets and test strips as well as dietician services if my dr refers me so I was back at the dr yesterday getting that done.

I now have my true track monitor and testing supplies as well as a referral in the works of being authorized. Thank God for this getting taken care of because I am so lost on what to eat and avoid.

My bg was 93 before bed last night 2 hours after eating a protein style cheeseburger from In & Out.
This morning my fasting bg was 92 and I plan to check it again shortly to see how the carbs I ate affect my sugar.

For breakfast I had
1 Thomas whole wheat English muffin
2 scrambled eggs (whole not whites)
4 small slices of the small roma tomatoes (2 on each)
28g (1/4 cup) of Walmart brand low fat shredded mozzarella
8oz vanilla almond breeze

I would really love some help and insight on meal plans and what I can do to reverse this a1c enlighten that I'm not at risk of being pre anymore.

I've also started walking a minimum of 30 minutes a day which doesn't seem like much but for me, it's a lot and I will gradually work that up to more time but don't want to overwhelm myself more than I am now.

I truly appreciate any help and suggestions.

Replies

  • ohhhhjenn
    ohhhhjenn Posts: 12 Member
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    Just tested 1 hour after my meal and I'm at 143. Should this decrease after 2 hours?
  • Kullerva
    Kullerva Posts: 1,114 Member
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    My family is riddled with type 2 diabetics. Fortunately I'm not one of them.

    I think you need to talk to your doctor more and have him give you some education and nutrition resources. You should be eating foods with a very low glycemic index and relatively few net carbs. This doesn't mean cutting carbs completely, but limiting them and pairing them with fiber and protein. 45g net carbs per meal is what is usually recommended for diabetics, but your mileage may vary.

    Your meal, while ok for a normal healthy adult, is pretty carb-heavy, especially if your almond milk was sweetened. General advice for diabetics 101:

    AVOID white bread (yes, English muffins count), simple carbs like refined pasta and non-whole grains
    AVOID high-carb/sugar foods (we're talking mainly sweets, but keep in mind some bananas can pack in 19g of sugar!)
    EAT foods high in fiber (vegetables and berries especially) and protein (lean meat especially)
    READ labels. Sugar and carbs metabolize in similar ways. Just because something is labeled "low carb" doesn't mean it is.

    My aunt eats this way and doesn't need insulin anymore.

  • AspenDan
    AspenDan Posts: 703 Member
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    Well I don't know for sure, because I didn't get any blood tests, but this last summer my doc told me I had high blood pressure and probably was pre diabetic due to certain symptom-like descriptions..she said I could go on blood pressure medicine but suggested I instead lose weight..like, a lot.

    The threat of being 28 and on daily meds was more than enough for me to start trying..so I quit sodas, for a week or two (can't remember for sure) and when I was able to handle that, I realized I could absolutely do it.

    After a lot of research, commitment and time I've lost over 80lbs and every health stat like sugar levels, bad cholesterol, blood pressure have normalized. More over I look better (getting new attention from girls is nice) and I just feel WAY better..

    TLDR: Maybe this is the kick you need to commit to a weight loss system..start slow, see what you can manage and keep at it..good luck!!

  • ohhhhjenn
    ohhhhjenn Posts: 12 Member
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    I've been hearing over and over again that 40g of carbs is appx where I need to be each meal and that you're supposed to deduct the fiber grams from that number. I'm seeing a dietician soon so hopefully they can help me further it's just super confusing. I feel like I have to starve right now to stay safe but I know that will do more bad than good
  • Kullerva
    Kullerva Posts: 1,114 Member
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    Starving isn't the answer. You need to eat! Think of this as encouragement to eat good things. Here's a list of low-sugar fruits and veggies:

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/272829-low-sugar-fruits-vegetables/

    Good rule of thumb: if it comes in a box, don't eat it. No cereal, pasta, or anything processed. Eat real food. Use this to determine which foods are ok and which aren't so you can incorporate them into your plan.

    http://www.glycemicindex.com/

    Most of all: good luck! You're only pre-diabetic and you can beat this. You'll probably feel much better eating mainly real food. I know I do. :)
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    Cut out Bread, Cows Milk, and soda pop. Keep carbs under 100/day.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    When you reduce carbs, you ordinarily increase fats and proteins.
    Instead of the English muffin, you could have more eggs or add some cheese to the eggs.
    Or if you keep the muffin and like a big breakfast, add butter to the muffin.
    The Vanilla Almond Breeze has added sugar. A better choice might be to eat regular whole cow milk or soy milk (unsweetened) because they have more protein.

    Other options to keep the blood sugar low and steady throughout the day: regular mayonnaise, regular salad dressing, cheese, cooking oils.

    Think dark meat chicken, pork chops, small hamburgers or steaks. Also lots of broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, dill pickles, olives, kale, spinach, mushrooms, lettuce.
    Depending on what your testing shows you, eat carrots and winter squash and some limited fruits.
    You will find that tomato sauce has lots of sugar (tomatoes are a fruit) but you can probably have it in moderation if you make chili or something like that.
  • cbelc2
    cbelc2 Posts: 762 Member
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    Your dietician will help a lot! I would have eaten half the English muffin and one egg instead of 2 and added a cup of steamed broccoli to that breakfast.
  • ohhhhjenn
    ohhhhjenn Posts: 12 Member
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    I really need to get in to see the dietician because when I feel like I'm making better choices, it turns out I'm still not doing something right. It's a big change for me because normally would've just had a huge bowl of cereal or something, way over the suggested serving size.
  • shinycrazy
    shinycrazy Posts: 1,081 Member
    edited February 2016
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    I am a type 2 diabetic. When I started my journey, I was 300lbs with an a1c of 8.7 in july 2015. I'm down to 215ish lbs and my a1c was 5.4 at the end of January 2016. I count calories and carbs. Generally keep to 15g to 30gs carbs for breakfast and snacks, 45g carbs for lunch and 60g carbs for dinner. I am on meds which help, metformin and tanzeum. I hope to be off the tanzeum by the fall. I have pcos and will probably take metformin for the foreseeable future. A diabetes dietician and a education class will be instrumental in giving you tools to manage. Oh, I suggest mysugr to log your blood glucose readings. Can log onto their website and print a pdf chart of the numbers for your doc. Please add me if you like!
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    I was prediabetic too. A very low carb high fat ketogenic diet has allowed me to normalize my blood glucose. Not all of those with insulin resistance need to cut carbs as much as I did (under 20g of carbs per day) but my insulin resistance is stubborn, and I am only satisfied with healthy normal levels of BG - diabetic "normal" is not good enough IMO.

    I followed the plan in Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution which is LCHF. It is set up to lessen your insulin needs. It worked fantastically for me for which I was very thankful since I was not given any medical advice to help myself either. By keeping carbs low, I can keep my BG below 110, even after a meal.

    Good luck! I know it is intimidating at first but within a few days I was feeling better. Anticipating the change was harder than actually changing my diet. Hang in there.
  • jxb1959
    jxb1959 Posts: 8 Member
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    I had pre-diabetes and pre-hypertension even though I exercise daily. I lost 25-30 lbs and both my A1C and blood pressure are perfect now.You don't really need to worry about what you eat (carbs vs. whatever) as long as you lose the weight no matter what the current fad diet says. The history of diet treatment for diabetes is all over the place, but weight. Loss. Always. Works.

    You could look at the Newcastle diet, if you wanted to try the latest extreme diet for diabetes. I did fine though with nothing more than portion control and tracking intake.

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