Just found out I'm pre-diabetic what do I eat?
luvmakidz
Posts: 26 Member
My doctor said to come back in 6 months for another test, and to exercise and watch my carbs. I'm 5 foot 4 and 205 pounds, so I'm sure my weight (obviously from a bad diet) is the direct cause.
I know to avoid sugar, but can you suggest a breakfast and lunch to have? I'm just lost right now.
I know to avoid sugar, but can you suggest a breakfast and lunch to have? I'm just lost right now.
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Replies
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Breakfast- bacon and eggs, oatmeal, avocado toast, doesn’t have to be “breakfast” food. Could be salad, steak and veggies.
Lunch- salad, protein and veggies.
What do you like?
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My husband had the same diagnosis a little over a year ago. He has done quite well, especially after being put on Trulicity. Stay away from juices, regular soft drinks, and sugary foods. Moderation of carbohydrates is key, along with exercise, which helps keep blood glucose in check. Eat complex carbs instead of simple carbs. My mom was an insulin-dependent diabetic. Tomatoes, onions, and milk sent her blood sugar to the moon. She could eat small amounts of pasta and potatoes without problems. If you have a monitor, you'll need to keep a record for a while of how your blood glucose is after meals/snacks/carbs, etc., if you have enough test strips allowed. Good luck.3
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corinasue1143 wrote: »Breakfast- bacon and eggs, oatmeal, avocado toast, doesn’t have to be “breakfast” food. Could be salad, steak and veggies.
Lunch- salad, protein and veggies.
What do you like?corinasue1143 wrote: »Breakfast- bacon and eggs, oatmeal, avocado toast, doesn’t have to be “breakfast” food. Could be salad, steak and veggies.
Lunch- salad, protein and veggies.
What do you like?
These are all great ideas, and very doable for me. I like all of these!
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bellesouth18 wrote: »My husband had the same diagnosis a little over a year ago. He has done quite well, especially after being put on Trulicity. Stay away from juices, regular soft drinks, and sugary foods. Moderation of carbohydrates is key, along with exercise, which helps keep blood glucose in check. Eat complex carbs instead of simple carbs. My mom was an insulin-dependent diabetic. Tomatoes, onions, and milk sent her blood sugar to the moon. She could eat small amounts of pasta and potatoes without problems. If you have a monitor, you'll need to keep a record for a while of how your blood glucose is after meals/snacks/carbs, etc., if you have enough test strips allowed. Good luck.
Thank you for the input. I received no other instructions other than to exercise and watch my simple carbs.
Is there a daily carb or sugar limit one is supposed to stay under as a prediabetic?0 -
The single best thing you can do is focus on eating at a calorie deficit to lose weight. If you can cut some carbs, great, but there is kind of a misnomer that with pre-diabetes or even diabetes you have to avoid all carbs, when that really isn't the case. Try to cut out things like sugar snacks or a high amount of refined carbs. But you cna incorporate whole grain carbs in moderation in your diet.
My dad is diabetic, and he was casually telling me about how he's had it for about a decade and his numbers are pretty good while we were sitting at an Italian restaurant and he was eating a huge bowl of pasta followed by a giant sugary dessert. I certainly wouldn't recommend his diet to anyone (diabetic or not), but it goes to show that while the D word can sound super scary, it doesn't always mean you have to immediately completely change up your diet.8 -
The single best thing you can do is focus on eating at a calorie deficit to lose weight. If you can cut some carbs, great, but there is kind of a misnomer that with pre-diabetes or even diabetes you have to avoid all carbs, when that really isn't the case. Try to cut out things like sugar snacks or a high amount of refined carbs. But you cna incorporate whole grain carbs in moderation in your diet.
My dad is diabetic, and he was casually telling me about how he's had it for about a decade and his numbers are pretty good while we were sitting at an Italian restaurant and he was eating a huge bowl of pasta followed by a giant sugary dessert. I certainly wouldn't recommend his diet to anyone (diabetic or not), but it goes to show that while the D word can sound super scary, it doesn't always mean you have to immediately completely change up your diet.
Thanks Mike for sharing your dad's story with me. I'm terrified of being a diabetic, and this is the wake up call I needed to start focusing on my health. Glad to know it's not a death sentence, tho.
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Start walking and set up mfp to lose 1 lb per week. Try to keep your carbs at about 50%. With consistency, I’ll bet you can reverse prediabetes in a few months. I did.
You are right to be terrified of diabetes because it has many sad health effects, but it is 100% reversible (type 2), especially when you get on it early, as you are!5 -
Within your calorie and macro targets, eggs, fruit, bacon or smoked fish are good breakfast options. Substitute a fiber-y fruit for toast if the protein lacks the volume to make you feel full.
Soups are often a good way to trick your system into thinking you've eaten more calories than you have, at lunch.
Insulin resistance at the muscle cell level is the fundamental problem in type 2 diabetes. Exercise is what (sometimes) fixes it.
Avoid anything that contains high fructose corn syrup. There's evidence showing a correlation but not strong enough to prove causation between HFCS and type 2 diabetes.2 -
MY focus would be on protein, fruit and veg. And while you are doing that get in to see a registered dietician who can tell you what you should be eating, and how much. That is what they train for, your doc should have referred you.2
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youngmomtaz wrote: »MY focus would be on protein, fruit and veg. And while you are doing that get in to see a registered dietician who can tell you what you should be eating, and how much. That is what they train for, your doc should have referred you.
Unfortunately I did not receive a referral, and won't be able to see a RD. Hoping to gather as much info as I can to improve my health.
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Are you planning on losing weight? Chances are that will be enough to get out of pre diabetic range. Exercise definitely helps too! I'm diabetic and recently went off medication, I've had to add in more carbs because of hypoglycemia.
I mostly focus on non-starchy vegetables with protein and a little healthy fat. Examples are veggie scrambles or plain Greek yogurt with berries for breakfast, large salad with tuna or chicken and sunflower seeds for lunch, salmon chicken or turkey for dinner with roasted vegetables or a soup or chili. I still eat starchy vegetables, beans and tofu, and fruit in moderation. I don't eat many grains but there's no reason not to in moderation. I wish I'd taken my pre-diabetes diagnosis more seriously and had made the changes to my life then that I've recently done.4 -
The most important thing for you to eat is fewer calories than your maintenance level. While not everyone's blood sugar will go down with weight loss, most people's will, so unless you know for certain that your problem is related to some specific foods, you would be better off focusing on losing weight by ensuring that you are in an energy deficit.3
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Less calories.3
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Diabetes.org has a lot of info, including food.
Good luck! :flowerforyou:3 -
My doctor said to come back in 6 months for another test, and to exercise and watch my carbs. I'm 5 foot 4 and 205 pounds, so I'm sure my weight (obviously from a bad diet) is the direct cause.
I know to avoid sugar, but can you suggest a breakfast and lunch to have? I'm just lost right now.
I had pre-diabetic blood work when I started. It's not an actual diagnosis of anything...ie you don't have a disease. It's just a wake up call. Really, the biggest thing is losing weight and regular exercise. I didn't do low carb or anything like that...in fact, if anything my carbs increased because I started eating a lot more plants...veg, fruit, legumes, lentils, oats, etc.
The cause of pre-diabetes and ultimately diabetes isn't "carbs"...the number one factor is being over weight/over fat and lacking physical movement.
I did "clean up" my diet quite a bit...like I said, lots more plant based foods, and then more lean proteins and such. But I'd say the number one factor in getting my numbers in the optimal range was losing 40 Lbs and establishing a habit of regular exercise.7 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »My doctor said to come back in 6 months for another test, and to exercise and watch my carbs. I'm 5 foot 4 and 205 pounds, so I'm sure my weight (obviously from a bad diet) is the direct cause.
I know to avoid sugar, but can you suggest a breakfast and lunch to have? I'm just lost right now.
I had pre-diabetic blood work when I started. It's not an actual diagnosis of anything...ie you don't have a disease. It's just a wake up call. Really, the biggest thing is losing weight and regular exercise. I didn't do low carb or anything like that...in fact, if anything my carbs increased because I started eating a lot more plants...veg, fruit, legumes, lentils, oats, etc.
The cause of pre-diabetes and ultimately diabetes isn't "carbs"...the number one factor is being over weight/over fat and lacking physical movement.
I did "clean up" my diet quite a bit...like I said, lots more plant based foods, and then more lean proteins and such. But I'd say the number one factor in getting my numbers in the optimal range was losing 40 Lbs and establishing a habit of regular exercise.
Did you lose the weight by eating cleaner? I have 60 pounds to lose and I find that to be overwhelming at my age (46).0 -
wilson10102018 wrote: »Less calories.
This. The problem is mainly being overweight, if you stay at that weight but “clean up” your diet you might see a little improvement but you’ll probably still be pre-diabetic. Likewise exercising but staying the same weight will help some but probably not be enough.
My advice is to focus on losing weight the easiest and most sustainable way for you. Might be keto or intermittent fasting or plain old calorie counting. But it has to be sustainable, dropping a bunch of weight only to put it back on in a year only delays the health issues.
Good luck! You can do it! Coming here is a great first step.7 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »My doctor said to come back in 6 months for another test, and to exercise and watch my carbs. I'm 5 foot 4 and 205 pounds, so I'm sure my weight (obviously from a bad diet) is the direct cause.
I know to avoid sugar, but can you suggest a breakfast and lunch to have? I'm just lost right now.
I had pre-diabetic blood work when I started. It's not an actual diagnosis of anything...ie you don't have a disease. It's just a wake up call. Really, the biggest thing is losing weight and regular exercise. I didn't do low carb or anything like that...in fact, if anything my carbs increased because I started eating a lot more plants...veg, fruit, legumes, lentils, oats, etc.
The cause of pre-diabetes and ultimately diabetes isn't "carbs"...the number one factor is being over weight/over fat and lacking physical movement.
I did "clean up" my diet quite a bit...like I said, lots more plant based foods, and then more lean proteins and such. But I'd say the number one factor in getting my numbers in the optimal range was losing 40 Lbs and establishing a habit of regular exercise.
Did you lose the weight by eating cleaner? I have 60 pounds to lose and I find that to be overwhelming at my age (46).
There is no universal definition of "eating cleaner". It is what anyone thinks it is. But you lose weight by eating fewer calories that you burn. In cwolfman's case is sounds like eating more nutrient dense and higher fiber foods helped him to stay within his calorie targets.
I was also told I was pre-diabetic about 4 years ago. I lost 25 lbs, increased vigorous exercise and lowered carbs somewhat to a range of 100 to 150 grams per day. Within a few months, even before I lost all the weight, my numbers dropped down to a normal range.
It is not a matter of eating anything specific. The most important thing you can do is get to a healthy body weight. The 2nd most important thing is to increase exercise. Additional things that can be done is to lower carb intake and possibly implement intermittent fasting. One issue with many who are prediabetic, besides body weight and activity level, is insulin resistance. Increasing exercise, lower carbs and intermittent fasting all help with insulin resistance.6 -
mburgess458 wrote: »wilson10102018 wrote: »Less calories.
This. The problem is mainly being overweight, if you stay at that weight but “clean up” your diet you might see a little improvement but you’ll probably still be pre-diabetic. Likewise exercising but staying the same weight will help some but probably not be enough.
My advice is to focus on losing weight the easiest and most sustainable way for you. Might be keto or intermittent fasting or plain old calorie counting. But it has to be sustainable, dropping a bunch of weight only to put it back on in a year only delays the health issues.
Good luck! You can do it! Coming here is a great first step.
Thank you for the support. I'm happy to be here and finally take control of my health. I'm counting calories and watching my sugar intake. I know I have a lot more to learn but this is a start. I tried joining the pre diabetes boards here but haven't been accepted yet.
Also, I sprained my foot so I can text use til it heals. That's the next step I need to take.0 -
Eating cleaner (whatever that means to you) can help you lose weight, because you’ll likely reduce certain high calorie foods. You’ll probably eat more satiating foods, which helps you eat fewer calories. Eating fewer calories is the key to weight loss !2
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cwolfman13 wrote: »My doctor said to come back in 6 months for another test, and to exercise and watch my carbs. I'm 5 foot 4 and 205 pounds, so I'm sure my weight (obviously from a bad diet) is the direct cause.
I know to avoid sugar, but can you suggest a breakfast and lunch to have? I'm just lost right now.
I had pre-diabetic blood work when I started. It's not an actual diagnosis of anything...ie you don't have a disease. It's just a wake up call. Really, the biggest thing is losing weight and regular exercise. I didn't do low carb or anything like that...in fact, if anything my carbs increased because I started eating a lot more plants...veg, fruit, legumes, lentils, oats, etc.
The cause of pre-diabetes and ultimately diabetes isn't "carbs"...the number one factor is being over weight/over fat and lacking physical movement.
I did "clean up" my diet quite a bit...like I said, lots more plant based foods, and then more lean proteins and such. But I'd say the number one factor in getting my numbers in the optimal range was losing 40 Lbs and establishing a habit of regular exercise.
Did you lose the weight by eating cleaner? I have 60 pounds to lose and I find that to be overwhelming at my age (46).
@luvmakidz - 46 is a youngin! I know people that have climbed MT Everest older than you! You can do it!3 -
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a little over 3 years ago and follow a low fat plant based diet. I would recommend you check out masteringdiabetes.org, they have a lot of great into about nutrition and diabetes.2
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youngmomtaz wrote: »MY focus would be on protein, fruit and veg. And while you are doing that get in to see a registered dietician who can tell you what you should be eating, and how much. That is what they train for, your doc should have referred you.
Unfortunately I did not receive a referral, and won't be able to see a RD. Hoping to gather as much info as I can to improve my health.
If it were my diagnosis and doctor, I would not accept a lame "watch my carbs" and would insist on a referral to an RD, but the others are right - you can get this under control by losing weight and exercising.1 -
I recently went through the exact same thing! 6 months ago my A1C was at 6.0 (pre-diabetes) and my doctor told me if I lost weight it should get back to normal. I’m female, 5’7” and was 182. He scheduled me to be retested 6 months later.
Fast forward to today… I lost 22 lbs, now down to 160. Well, this morning I got my new blood test results and my A1C dropped from 6.0 to 5.5! I attribute it to losing a bit of weight and moving around more.
I didn’t do anything extreme as I knew I wouldn’t keep it up. I walk about 30 minutes on most days (sometimes 45 if it’s nice out): I start with a 20 minute walk after lunch, then a quick 10 minute walk after dinner. As winter approached I knew I wouldn’t feel like going out in the cold darkness for my post-dinner walk (Ottawa, Canada here) so about a month ago I bought an inexpensive “manual” treadmill from Walmart for my 10 minute evening walk. It has a slight incline and it’s definitely more of a workout that walking on pavement. I set it up by the living room where I can still see the TV so sometimes I’ll hop on during commercials. (I know, not up to Better Homes and Gardens standards, but at least this way it won't end up as a clothes rack.)
I switched my meals around so I eat my larger meal at lunch - I find that by doing that I’m not as hungry at the evening meal and I end up eating less. (My husband tried it but he ends up eating a large lunch AND large dinner so that doesn't work for everyone.)
I eat 3 meals spaced throughout the day, starting with oats and fruit for breakfast around 9:30am, dinner-for-lunch around 1:30pm and lunch-for-dinner around 6:30pm. I love carbs so instead of trying to cut them out I just try to keep to my calorie count of 1,220 a day (which automatically cuts down on the amount of carbs anyways), although most days I end up in the 1,300-1,400 range. Frankly I think at 1,220 I would lose too fast and would be hungry so I’m quite happy at the higher range, even though it means weight loss is a bit slower. I stay away from pre-packaged foods as much as possible and never had much of a sweet tooth so I rarely use the sugar bowl and not big on desserts.
I wish you all the best. I wanted to share this because it's encouraging that you don’t always need to go extremes to get good results!
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You are over-weight, so that should be your main and secondary focus. Learn to count calories and eat at a deficit. That sounds easy, but that is really all you need to do. It is not easy of course. Activity helps.
Then when you get to your target weight and your blood sugar is still high, start to think about changing to eating complex carbs over sugary carbs. But really, worry about your weight first.
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The Newcastle study shows type 2 insulin insensitivity is caused by excessive fat around liver and pancreas, so if you lose some belly fat it might take you out of the risk group. I reversed my own diabetes diagnosis by losing some weight and have been off medication for a few years. I went from an hba1c of 10+ to 4.5.
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal/#publicinformation
Exercise, especially HIIT depletes glycogen in of your muscles which when replenished in turn pulls glucose out of your blood.
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/high-intensity-interval-training.html
You can also google more conventional simple carb management by googling glycemic index.0 -
If you want to try conventional simple carb management, you can buy a blood glucose test kit in drugstores. The kind where you prick your finger to test where your blood sugar is. Get the pharmacist to show you how to use it. Keep track of what foods (and how much of it) raises your post prandial blood glucose to an unnacceptable level. It's been a long time since I have done this, so ask the pharmacist for advice where you should be trying to keep your blood glucose and how long after eating you should test.
Oh, you can reduce the glycemic index of starchy foods such as pasta and rice by thoroughly cooling after cooking and reheating.
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/carbohydrates-and-diabetes/carbs-and-cooking1 -
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