Smoothie help and thoughts

If you find it acceptable for a meal, then sure. By that, I mean does it fill you up or were you hungry 5 minutes later, do you like it (taste-wise), do you like drinking your meals, is it something you can see yourself maintaining, at least for a while ....

Did your doctor tell you you had to make smoothies, or is that just something you decided. Did you decide it because you think smoothies are the key to weight loss, or because you actually wanted/like smoothies? Just asking, because if the smoothie isn't something you have to do or want to do, you can lose weight just as well eating your meals (rather than drinking them). Of course, I'm not pre-diabetic, and I'm definitely no doctor, so I don't know the foods you should eat and/or watch out for, but it goes with my answer for your question of if that smoothie was an acceptable breakfast

for about the same calorie wise i can have bacon and eggs and be much fuller, longer. if i do it right, i could even slip in a slice of toast or half an english muffin, and not go much higher.

but then, i like to eat my food.

eating a well balanced diet and getting regular exercise and losing weight will more than likely slip your blood sugar numbers back into the normal range. no need to eat smoothies and crap (unless you want to). but watch them cause its easy to go high on sugar in those things

That is too much sugar in one meal. I have had diabetes for 11 years. Carbs matter a lot with diabetes. Try finding a more balanced breakfast. What about some veggies and/or protein in there?

I also do smoothies for breakfast. Mine consist of:

• water
• plain, high fat greek yogurt (11%)
• low carb protein powder
• frozen strawberries

Typically around 300-350 calories, with the majority of the calories coming from the yogurt. Yesterday it worked out to 21g net carbs (mostly lactose, plus fructose from the berries), 16 fat, and 31g protein--numbers vary, of course, depending on how much of each I use but I aim for ~100g of the yogurt and ~140g of berries.

Between the smoothie and the coffee I drink at work with whipping cream, I stay pretty full until lunch, which is about 5 hours after breakfast.

Are you supposed to adhere to a diabetic friendly diet? I know for me, if I eat too many carbs for breakfast and it isn't balanced with enough protein and/or fiber, my blood sugar is sky high and then wonky all day.

Maybe I'd have the smoothie in the middle of the day of you really want it.

An ideal breakfast for me is some form of egg, maybe a meat (ham, bacon, turkey sausage something like that) and a serving (about 15g) of carb. Maybe it's a slice of whole wheat toast, maybe it's some yogurt.

if you're pre-diabetic then you should probably be watching your carbs and sugar. Having a 40g carb and 28g sugar smoothie for breakfast is the exact opposite of what i'd recommend.

instead, i would be consuming the foods the ADA recommends for diabetic patients which focus on proteins, fat, vegetables, and fruits only in their whole form and in moderation.


You might only be "pre" diabetic, but consuming a meal that is lacking any fat and is very low on protein is just a bad choice. So... things like... veggie omelettes, light greek yogurt, eggs, cottage cheese, whole grain bran cereal, whole wheat bread, oats, etc.

kshama2001 wrote: »

csummer8882 wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your responses. I am not hungry in the morning which is why I went the smoothie route. Hoping at some point it will coax me into wanting regular breakfast foods shortly and then I can do that instead once I get in the habit of eating. Doctor has only advised weight loss and a sugar recheck in 3 months but I know that losing weight will help with those sugar numbers. I've bought eggs and will be doing eggs and toast probably. I have oatmeal but it's flavored. This is so hard!

I'm not hungry first thing in the AM either. I make a smoothie, and when I do get hungry, that's when I start drinking it. I often don't have lunch until 2-3 PM, and it's less caloric than breakfast.


I add a pinch of salt as well.

this is a much better option. Notice how the smoothie is practically evenly balanced in calories from carbs, proteins, and fat.

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

I wouldn't consider a breakfast with 40+ g carb, less than 10 g of protein, and almost no fat to be the best choice for someone who is pre-diabetic, but I suppose if it fills you up and helps you maintain a calorie deficit so you lose weight, that's a good thing.

Can you get a referral from your doctor to see a dietician who specializes in pre-diabetes nutrition? Or at least get yourself a book written by a dietician, rather than seeking idea from random people on the Internet. (e.g., I found the The Pre-Diabetes Diet Plan by Hillary Wright, R.D., somewhat helpful when I got a blood sugar reading in the pre-diabetic range, although honestly I didn't follow it that closely -- I found losing weight and getting some exercise to be more helpful).

I had the same reaction as expressed in the first paragraph, and I think this is really good advice.

I've been obsessed with smoothies this summer (mine tend to have about 350-400 calories, which is the same as any other breakfast I have, plenty of vegetables as well as fruit, and at least 25 g of protein, and I'm not IR so don't care that they are high in sugar, although mine are also quite high in fiber), but if I were IR (pre-diabetic), I probably would try to focus on a more balanced meal with fat and protein and fiber along with the carbs. I know it might be hard to figure out what you like at first if not used to breakfast, which is why a dietitian could help.

If you don't like common breakfast protein sources like eggs (good fat source too) or something like oats with greek yogurt and berries and nuts, another possibility is just leftovers from another meal. Many people have tendencies to go high carb/low protein at breakfast.

While there are some studies that show extra benefits might be had by people who eat a larger breakfast, for the most part meal timings are irrelevant when it comes to losing weight. Your total calories over the course of the day is what matters the most.

And truth be told many people reverse a pre-diabetic condition by losing a substantial amount of weight.

If a breakfast helps you control your eating throughout the day then by all means it is a good idea.

Your breakfast does sound a little bit to carb heavy for an ideal pre-diabetic meal.

I would definitely examine the idea of drinking vs eating your calories.

I would play with higher protein sources such as Greek yogurt 0%, flavored protein powder. I would also consider fruits and vegetables that are perhaps less caloric then bananas and grapes. Look into frozen strawberries or blueberries. Looking to carrots or celery (celery taste may be overpowering so use cautiously).

However in general I have personally found that smoothies help absorb the carbs and sugars in the fruit faster than eating the same. And this doesn't sound right to me for what you're trying to achieve.

Yes meal timing is irrelevant for losing weight, but it's probably different for people who are pre-diabetes... although it could just go away as OP loses weight, no? Don't diabetics have to eat breakfast to keep their blood sugar stable? I admit I'm clueless about this... and I'm guessing that pre-diabetes doesn't have the same restrictions...

Anyway, my mom is diabetic and she starts the day with bread, sugar-free jam, and butter. Yeah, I don't exactly get it either...

OP, I'd go with oats with nuts or eggs and whole wheat bread or something (I like adding some kind of bacon or sausage).

OP, did the doctor want you to eat breakfast due to blood sugar issues, or because he said it would help you lose weight?