Pre-diabetic :(

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moonbeams896
moonbeams896 Posts: 191 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I just got my numbers back from my doctor. Looks like I"m pre-diabetic. I'm sure I'll be hearing from my doctor on Monday. My A1C was 6.4

I've only recently begun my journey to getting healthier. I've lost a little more than 9 pounds since May. Do I *have* to go low carb or will losing weight be good enough to stave this off?

Ugh, I was really hoping to avoid this.

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  • moonbeams896
    moonbeams896 Posts: 191 Member
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    spiriteagle99 wrote: »
    Just losing weight will make a difference. So will increasing your exercise. Will it be enough? I don't know, but it is a place to start.

    I'm definitely doing both of those. Exercise everyday now and stay under calorie. Wish I had started sooner, but what can you do?
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,461 Member
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    moonbeams896 wrote: »
    I just got my numbers back from my doctor. Looks like I"m pre-diabetic. I'm sure I'll be hearing from my doctor on Monday. My A1C was 6.4

    I've only recently begun my journey to getting healthier. I've lost a little more than 9 pounds since May. Do I *have* to go low carb or will losing weight be good enough to stave this off?

    Ugh, I was really hoping to avoid this.
    moonbeams896 wrote: »
    I just got my numbers back from my doctor. Looks like I"m pre-diabetic. I'm sure I'll be hearing from my doctor on Monday. My A1C was 6.4

    I've only recently begun my journey to getting healthier. I've lost a little more than 9 pounds since May. Do I *have* to go low carb or will losing weight be good enough to stave this off?

    Ugh, I was really hoping to avoid this.

    Truthfully question for your doctor. Best of luck.
  • ZoneFive
    ZoneFive Posts: 570 Member
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    No, you don't have to go low carb unless you want to eat that way. Definitely talk to your doctor, but continuing to lose weight, exercising reasonably and eating a healthy diet will have a good effect on your A1c and just about everything else.

    Don't let this scare you; just look at it as a wake-up call. Best of luck to you.
  • Sharon468
    Sharon468 Posts: 12 Member
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    I'd say it depends on why your blood sugar is increasing. Losing weight is great for many reasons, but it's no guarantee that your blood sugar will go back to normal. There are plenty of "normal"-weight people who also have high blood sugar. In fact, a 2016 study found that one-third of Americans over 45 with a BMI below 25 have pre-diabetes.

    The body metabolizes carbohydrates, fats, and proteins differently. If you're interested in understanding this, you might want to read a book like "The Diabetes Code" or watch the surprisingly popular YouTube video "Sugar: The Bitter Truth" (surprising because it has 13 million views although it's a fairly lengthy medical education lecture). They've convinced me that too many carbohydrates aren't healthy. The steep rise in obesity in the US corresponds almost exactly to new dietary guidelines back in the 1980s that encouraged people to cut back on fat, which meant people ended up eating more carbs.

    You also may want to talk to your doctor about "time-restricted eating." Only eating during an 8-hour window during the day gives your body 16 hours to reset its insulin and blood sugar levels. A physician friend of mine strongly believes in this as a way to help some patients with high blood sugar.


  • xrj22
    xrj22 Posts: 197 Member
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    Depends a lot on what your health and diet habits are now. If your eating now is high in sugar, refined flower, and/or high-glycemic carbs, then clean eating with whole grains may be a big improvement. If you have already been eating pretty healthy, and still developed prediabetic, then you may have to go low carb to make much of a difference. I would recommend choosing a diet that looks healthy and sustainable to you. Stick to it for 3 months, see where your numbers are, and then decide what the next step should be.
  • MargaretYakoda
    MargaretYakoda Posts: 2,437 Member
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    Take this as good news. You have a warning shot across the bow. You can do something about it before you lose feeling in your toes (which is how I found out I’m diabetic)
  • Strudders67
    Strudders67 Posts: 980 Member
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    I missed the pre-diabetic bit and went straight in at a "you're diabetic" level. My A1c number is now back below pre-diabetic.

    I didn't go low carb, I simply reduced the portion sizes of rice, potatoes and pasta to the recommended portion sizes for those items, rather than having half a plateful. I did significantly reduce the amount of refined carbs I was eating though.
  • lianatherunner
    lianatherunner Posts: 45 Member
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    I have been pre-diabetic three times in my life. I have finally gotten off the roller coaster and I have maintained a healthy A1C (it stays around 4.9 or 5.0) for several years. I have never been able to stick to a low-carb diet, but I do try to make sensible choices. I don't eat a lot of bread anymore, and lately I've been eating "Keto" bread (though I am not on a keto diet). I almost never have pasta, and I actually quite like cauliflower "rice." I eat oatmeal, fruit, vegetables. I don't really eat candy and I try to go for low-sugar options if I want something sweet.

    I have lost 120 lbs and that's the main reason I got out of being pre-diabetic. The reason I was pre-diabetic three times is because I have lost and regained weight multiple times. As long as I remain consistent, the weight stays off and my A1C stays happy.
  • moonbeams896
    moonbeams896 Posts: 191 Member
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    lianatherunner wrote: »
    I have been pre-diabetic three times in my life. I have finally gotten off the roller coaster and I have maintained a healthy A1C (it stays around 4.9 or 5.0) for several years. I have never been able to stick to a low-carb diet, but I do try to make sensible choices. I don't eat a lot of bread anymore, and lately I've been eating "Keto" bread (though I am not on a keto diet). I almost never have pasta, and I actually quite like cauliflower "rice." I eat oatmeal, fruit, vegetables. I don't really eat candy and I try to go for low-sugar options if I want something sweet.

    I have lost 120 lbs and that's the main reason I got out of being pre-diabetic. The reason I was pre-diabetic three times is because I have lost and regained weight multiple times. As long as I remain consistent, the weight stays off and my A1C stays happy.

    I have given up quite a lot of bread products. My husband and I went to a nice Italian restaurant for our anniversary last week. Normally, I eat a LOT of the bread beforehand and finish my meal. This time, I had one slice of bread and took half home ;) I've considered trying the cauliflower rice but haven't gotten to it yet. I'm trying to make healthier decisions. My doctor basically said I should try to reduce fat and come back in 3 months. She didn't sound overly concerned. I'm hoping for much improvement between now and then :)

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