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Prediabetes

Discussion in 'Physical & Sexual Health' started by thepandaboss, Feb 17, 2016.

  1. thepandaboss

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    Had a doctor's appointment and blood testing yesterday. Results already came back and it turns out I basically have prediabetes.

    I'm freaking out to be honest. I'm already trying to lose weight (lost almost ten pounds in about three weeks), cut out stuff like soda and candy a couple weeks ago, so I didn't think this would happen. And I really didn't see it coming. I'm basically obese but I was doing better. I was finally working out. I didn't have any weird symptoms (I've been pretty tired lately but figured that was just work stress).

    What did I do wrong? Is this going to affect me going on T? I don't want this to turn into Type 2.
     
  2. Chiroptera

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    What are you eating? Cutting of soda and candy, but eating pizza and hamburguers frequently aren't really a helpful option, for example.

    My family has a history with diabetes, and i'm fighting to avoid it too. The hardest part is changing your eating habits, for sure.

    Try to eat whole breads, instead of the "normal" ones, take a break from fried things, etc. Remember that not only things that contain sugar are harmful in this case.

    But, my biggest advice is: Go to a nutritionist. In my case, it didn't work 100% because i still lack the discipline to work in my diet all the time, but i really helped, and i lost some weight.
     
  3. greatwhale

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    It looks as if your doc caught this early, consider yourself lucky!

    You need to cut out all the bad carbs, especially fruit juices and the like. White bread, white rice and bananas all have high glycemic index, eliminate them from your diet. Keep fruit consumption to a minimum and increase your consumption of vegetables.

    Do not fret about high-fat meats, eating those will tend to reduce your appetite, as long as you don't eat them concurrently with sweets. It's not fats that are the problem, it's the pattern that causes problems, and the most common pattern is combining fats with carbs (e.g. donuts).

    Start the morning with a couple of eggs, maybe with some home-made salsa that does not contain sugar (get rid of ketchup, that stuff is laden with sugar!) and that's it. You will be amazed at how not hungry you feel.

    Eating a banana in the morning will make you want to eat more at lunch, the same goes for most high-glycemic index carbs.

    Exercise: many people think this is a good thing, and it is, in moderation. It is better to just walk a few miles a day than to run or do other strenuous cardio because these activities will tend to make you hungry. Weight-lifting is a better option, and keep it moderate.

    By following these guidelines, I lost 20 lbs., my cholesterol and sugars went down and I edged away from the diabetes precipice, you can do it too!
     
  4. thepandaboss

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    I have an appointment with a weight loss coach (over the phone but considering an actual nutritionist) that I scheduled before I found out about everything. Augh. I had my glucose levels checked several months ago too so I thought I was in the clear (especially since I weigh less now than I did several months ago)

    Only eat whole bread. I'm not always good about pasta and rice though and I'm sure I overeat it. I've been trying to eat better so lately it's been leaner proteins and I haven't really been going out to eat anymore (it's been a few months since I've had stuff like burgers and fries but I can't really say the same thing about pizza).
     
  5. CharacterStudy

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    I had gestational diabetes and am now pre-diabetic. I have a healthy BMI, but am trying to reduce my weight to the lower end if the healthy BMI. I walk about 2 miles a day and do about 2-3 hours of proper exercise a week. I'd like to do more but can't fit it in.

    Great Whale is talking a lot of sense (he always does I notice). Weight loss and exercise is important, but as well as cutting out the obvious sweet stuff - sweets, cakes, biscuits, soda, fruit juice, you need to look at the carbohydrates too. Pasta, rice, bread etc all need to be (1) wholemeal and (2) in much reduced portions. I found when testing blood during pregnancy (when it's super important to control diabetes) that my blood sugar levels would go over the limit even after just a regular sized latte!

    There's a great book recommended by dieticians and by diabetes nurses in the UK: Carbs & Cals | The UK's leading carb & calorie counter book & app and an app too. What is really startling is how big our portions of cereal, pasta etc, and how little you should actually have. I have always had a pretty healthy diet and been sporty, but my muesli bowl was about 3 times what it should have been!

    I don't drink fruit juice unless I have a sore throat - even then I water it down at least 1/3 with sparkling water. Tastes great.
    I swapped hot chocolate for cocoa powder and milk, and stopped adding a spoon of sugar (you could do this gradually). Now hot chocolate is so sickly sweet I feel sick drinking it.
    I also found I no longer had a sweet tooth after a few weeks. Just wasn't interested, and didn't crave it.

    You can improve your situation A LOT, especially if you catch it early enough.
     
  6. thepandaboss

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    Thanks everyone by the way. I'm just really, really glad I caught this early. Think the biggest thing right now is to maintain the good things I'm already doing and trying to reduce some of my bad habits now. I can only imagine what my glucose levels would've looked like a month ago. :eek!: Like for example, I work a desk job. So I need to start exercising more. I don't feel comfortable with a gym but I do have some equipment around the house. So I guess it's just a matter of actually taking time out to work out.
     
  7. Mikelhpc228

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    ALL great suggestions. Do you drink alcohol? Alcohol can increase risk for diabetes.
    My pre-diabetes went away once I stopped drinking and made the other changes to diet and lifestyle. Good work so far!
     
  8. thepandaboss

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    Unfortunately, I love alcohol. I'm willing to cut back though. I've already cut back a lot of the stuff I was drinking (like beer, rum, etc) and the only thing I have now is the occasional glass of red wine. I did just turn 21 though so I haven't been drinking that long. But I guess the fact I went a little carte blanche could be part of it. Thanks! :slight_smile: I know from calorie tracking that drinks really add up.
     
  9. taken

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    Don't let this get you down. Instead, use it as encouragement to continue your weight loss journey. Minimize your carbohydrate intake. Don't cut it out completely, just minimize it. Continue exercising. Exercising has been shown to increase cells' glucose intake (basically increases insulin's activity). If you've only recently (3 weeks ago) changed your diet and lifestyle, its soon. You are probably not seeing all the effects of the weight loss and exercise just yet. It will take some time for your body to kind of "cleanse" itself and get to a better physiological state.
    I would suggest doing research on prediabetic diets and such. If you have a full understanding of what diabetes is, its much easier to adapt your diet if you know why you are eating the things you are eating.
    Don't get down on yourself! Strive for improvement!! Stay strong and you'll continue to reap the benefits of the work that you put into it!!!
     
  10. baconpox

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    Progress is progress, and you're definitely going in the right direction.

    The only real way to lose weight is calorie intake<calorie output. Calculate your BMR, eat more than your BMR but not too much more (it depends on your level of activity, and it can take awhile to find the right #). I'd recommend using something like myfitnesspal, Supertracker, or a fitbit to track. Try to minimize junk food, but especially soft drinks. Also drinking a lot of water will decrease your appetite. Don't let it become an obsession though, you don't want orthorexia.

    As for exercise, just try to find something you like doing, whether it be cardio, weights, or whatever else. Having a natural drive to work out will help a lot. Also, taking the stairs, parking further away, not getting whip cream on your coffee, etc. adds up, so do things like that. If you don't like any exercise, try doing small things. Like doing 5 pushups right now, or jumping jacks at the top of every hour, or lifting weights while watching TV. It will become a habit.
     
  11. SiennaFire

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    I'm in a similar situation, and I agree that reducing unhealthy carb consumption is key for countering metabolic syndrome (including prediabetes) caused by the Western diet.

    Unfortunately, my efforts to reduce unhealthy carbs since the New Year has not been as successful as I'd like. I definitely feel carb withdrawal and feel the need to resort to carbs to fuel my brain, so I'm wondering what strategy for unhealthy carb reduction has worked for folks here.

    Do people taper off unhealthy carbs, go cold turkey, or use some other approach?

    Thanks
     
  12. photoguy93

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    Sorry you're going through this! It can be a lot to take in.

    First, pre-diabetes is exactly that - pre-diabetes. It's saying that you're on the wrong path but have time to get off before the train comes.

    I'm not sure what tests you had done - but certain tests (like an A1C) go back 3 months so cutting out candy for 2 weeks won't make much of a difference.

    It's important to realize that you do need to make lifestyle changes. If you have to start small, you have to start small. While cutting everything out right now might help for a few days or a few weeks, you're going to probably go back to the same ways. Always remember that one less bad thing is one less bad thing. :slight_smile:
     
  13. brightbutterfly

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    @SiennaFire: What has been working for me, when it comes to avoiding unhealthy carbs, is that I made an overview in a document. I had decided that I would only buy unhealthy carbs once a week. If I felt the urge to buy chocolate when I was at the grocery store/supermarket I would pick up the chocolate and look at the description and put it back. After several weeks of trying to avoid buying unhealthy carbs, and continuing to fill in my overview, I managed to convince myself that chocolate, among other ingredients, isn't what my body needs. My motivation is to see how long it has been since I bought something I know I should avoid eating.

    I think it could be a good thing to find other ingredients that can substitute the carbs that you want to avoid. If you manage that, it can be easier to cook similar meals. And you can motivate yourself by calculating the differences in the total amount of calories for the substitute ingredients and the unhealthy carbs.

    Also, if you know what kind of food that easily makes you itch to eat more, you can try finding healthier alternatives for it. An example of mine is that when I was a teenager I loved eating potato chips, and I loved it because it tasted spicy. So my solution back then was to make spicy dips and eat those with chopped vegetables.
     
  14. SiennaFire

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    Thanks - Based on research I've done today, I'm going to taper the unhealthy carbs while finding healthy but satisfying snacks, the lack of which has been the problem area for me in the past.
     
  15. Chloe

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    Yes, and many people, including those who are pre-diabetic, but other people too, have insulin resistance (it's worth looking up online, for those who don't know about it). You can actually see this if you measure your blood sugar before and after exercise.

    Cocoa itself isn't usually the problem, so if someone wants chocolate and can enjoy it in liquid form, you can buy unsweetened chocolate powder and sweeten it with stevia, which is natural and very sweet without adding carbs. It's certainly not the same as a bar of chocolate, but it's better than total deprivation.

    Two things about stevia -- it can have a slightly bitter taste (which doesn't bother me), and it's rarely sold in pure form. They add various bulking agents to make it easier to use. The pure form is more difficult to dissolve, but I'd rather not have the other ingredients and I've gotten used to leaving a little extra time.
     
  16. brightbutterfly

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    Chloe, thanks for providing further advice.

    My education isn't that of a nutritionist or within healthcare at all, so I basically speak from experience. I haven't bought white sugar in two years now, instead I buy bananas and acacia honey when I want to bake. It has been a good thing for me to quit the white sugar.

    I haven't tried stevia so far but I have heard of it. There is also another sugar substitute product with fewer calories than actual sugar, called Sukrin, which has an informative website for Americans, but probably is more well-known within Scandinavia.
     
  17. Chloe

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    I don't want to discourage switching from white sugar, which is a step in the right direction, but it's still important to cut the sugar from all sources, even fruit. Overall, with insulin resistance and diabetes, the form of sugar isn't going to be all that important even though there are some differences in glycemic index, metabolism, nutrients, etc. There's also a risk of eating more grams of sugar in total when it seems to be in healthy ingredients.
     
  18. brightbutterfly

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    Chloe: I'm aware of what you say. My reason for not buying white sugar is simply that I would like to avoid it, as it's easy to fall into a pattern where one only wants to eat more of the food that contains white sugar.
     
  19. SiennaFire

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    brightbutterfly

    You are doing the right thing by not buying white sugar. I agree that eliminating the bad white carbs (sugar, flour, rice etc.) - all of which contribute to elevated blood sugar levels - is the biggest thing you can do towards healthier eating. Chloe is saying that after you take that step, you'll also want to keep an eye on other sources of sugar, such as fruits and whole gains, to make sure sugar is not sneaking back into your diet. Once you get to this point, you'll definitely want to know the sugar content and glycemic index of these foods. Ultimately if your blood glucose level is normal, then you are doing the right things.
     
  20. brightbutterfly

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    SiennaFire:

    Yes, I know. My most recent tests of my blood glucose level, were within the normal range, and my doctor told me it was no issue. I do try to keep an eye on what kind of fruits I choose to eat, and pick the alternatives with less calories and sugar content. I'm a member of a site similar to WeightWatchers to keep an overview of what I eat, which is motivational for me. Also, there is a website written in my mother tongue, which shows the sugar content and amount of carbs, protein and fiber for many different kinds of food, so I'm lucky enough to have the access to that kind of information.