Pre Diabetes

[carpiste]

For anyone who is just starting out on the diet route for T2 or pre diabetes let me tell you that the diet thing does get easier and you will discover lots of new foods you probably never considered in the past!
Cutting out carbs was my big fear but I replaced potatoes with butternut squash! They are fantastic roasted in the over, with skins on. They are fantastic in soups and are both full of fibre, vitamins and really do fill you up. Just like spuds but, to me, even tastier!
Rice and pasta I replaced with various beans, peas, seeds and, again, I haven`t missed them at all.
I was gifted a soup maker and I now make soup every other day. I make 1.6 ltr of soup which is more than enough for me and MrsC for two days. The added bonus with soup is that it is incredibly cheap as most veg is almost thrown at you for pennies, and of course it is full of good stuff. All the vitamins you can ask for as well as being tasty. It takes about 10 minutes to roughly chop vegetables, add hot water to stock cubes and add spice. 30 minutes later it`s ready to eat!
The worst thing for me, being a cake and biscuit monster, was replacing sweet stuff. But once again I found there are some nice low fat, sugar free biscuits out there and best of all I discovered I really like yoghurt! I go for fat free, 0% fat, Greek yoghurt and I add a low fat regular yoghurt to it for the sweetness. My preferred choice is Morrisons date, fig and grain added to Fage Greek yoghurt. I have also just found Aldi do a Greek 0% fat yoghurt by Brooklea. They also do a Greek style coconut yoghurt I mix to it to add that sweetness I like.
It`s strange, but the thought of eating cake, chocolate or chips makes me feel quite ill nowadays!
Oh yes, alcohol!.....
Whilst it`s true there are a lot of carbs in beer you can still have the odd one if you are that way inclined or, better still, you can have the odd spirit.
I don`t drink very often but I have had a few glasses of Whisky when the SIL and daughter have been here for the evening.

 

[grldtnr]

For anyone who is just starting out on the diet route for T2 or pre diabetes let me tell you that the diet thing does get easier and you will discover lots of new foods you probably never considered in the past!
Cutting out carbs was my big fear but I replaced potatoes with butternut squash! They are fantastic roasted in the over, with skins on. They are fantastic in soups and are both full of fibre, vitamins and really do fill you up. Just like spuds but, to me, even tastier!
Rice and pasta I replaced with various beans, peas, seeds and, again, I haven`t missed them at all.
I was gifted a soup maker and I now make soup every other day. I make 1.6 ltr of soup which is more than enough for me and MrsC for two days. The added bonus with soup is that it is incredibly cheap as most veg is almost thrown at you for pennies, and of course it is full of good stuff. All the vitamins you can ask for as well as being tasty. It takes about 10 minutes to roughly chop vegetables, add hot water to stock cubes and add spice. 30 minutes later it`s ready to eat!
The worst thing for me, being a cake and biscuit monster, was replacing sweet stuff. But once again I found there are some nice low fat, sugar free biscuits out there and best of all I discovered I really like yoghurt! I go for fat free, 0% fat, Greek yoghurt and I add a low fat regular yoghurt to it for the sweetness. My preferred choice is Morrisons date, fig and grain added to Fage Greek yoghurt. I have also just found Aldi do a Greek 0% fat yoghurt by Brooklea. They also do a Greek style coconut yoghurt I mix to it to add that sweetness I like.
It`s strange, but the thought of eating cake, chocolate or chips makes me feel quite ill nowadays!
Oh yes, alcohol!.....
Whilst it`s true there are a lot of carbs in beer you can still have the odd one if you are that way inclined or, better still, you can have the odd spirit.
I don`t drink very often but I have had a few glasses of Whisky when the SIL and daughter have been here for the evening,

you would be better of not eating the 0% fat free yoghurt ,that goes for any low cal , fat free products , to make these products palatable they add Sugar or sweeteners, counter productive !
But if you like it ...Also I advise against eating too many Sugar free products like biscuits or cake ,they replace the sugar with a sweetner ' Sorbitol' I think, which is a known laxitive , I found out the difficult way.....on top of the Metformin, .......Sheesse!!!!!!
So keep of the biccies and sugar free sweets.

 

[CXRAndy]

I'm new to this very low carbohydrates diet, so are sticking to staples. I like the idea of a soup maker, I love soups.

Great way of getting vegetables without a daily salad. I can drop in butter to bump my fat intake

 

[Spoked Wheels]

That's one of the things with Carb control with Diabectic's, what is tolebro for one is different for another, some have to be very strict, if they wish to be medication free.

I have to disagree with that statement.
If you truly want to control diabetes through diet only then you have to be very strick with carbs.
I have reverted diabetes twice, the first time round, 10 years ago, I cut carbs down a lot but not as much as now, however, I was doing huge amounts of exercise and that allowed me to eat more carbs but it just wasn't sustainable in the long run.

What is 20g of net carbs?

8 cups of green leafy salad + 3 eggs + 4 spoons of double cream + half medium size avocado. From memory that's about 20g.... I eat a variation of these everyday, although probably the green salad is a permanente fixture.

I hear the same reports from a bunch of fellow diabetics.

Incidentally, I would not like to be a type 1 diabetic. Some type 2 that don't control their diabetes can actually get to the point that their pancreas can't any longer produce insulin so they become type 1.

 

[sasquath]

I have type 2 diabetes, I must correct you, whilst it's true you can be in remission, i.e. reverse diabetes, that's have normal glucose levels, unfortunately you will still be Diabectic, being in remission isn't a get out of jail card, so you will still have to maintain the LC/HF diet.
Best of British in remaining pre Diabectic, I am just hovering on the cusp myself.

My colleague at work have type 2 diabetes, currently on the tablets. His pancreas is not producing enough insulin. If he lost 5 of his 13 stones he would be in normal range. But being lazy git and fussy eater(likes maybe 5 meals all junk) he's headed for insulin injections. All he had to do 5 years ago when he was first warned was to cut the crap food and excercise a bit. We even got training room set up at work so he could do some HIT after work, used it for a week and stopped.
Now he's happy cause his prescription s are free - moron.

Sorry, had to vent.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

My colleague at work have type 2 diabetes, currently on the tablets. His pancreas is not producing enough insulin. If he lost 5 of his 13 stones he would be in normal range. But being lazy git and fussy eater(likes maybe 5 meals all junk) he's headed for insulin injections. All he had to do 5 years ago when he was first warned was to cut the crap food and excercise a bit. We even got training room set up at work so he could do some HIT after work, used it for a week and stopped.
Now he's happy cause his prescription s are free - moron.

Sorry, had to vent.

I wouldn't be so quick to judge.

His pancreas probably needs to produce a great deal of insulin but it just can't so that's were tablets come in... but he will only get worse unless he understands what's happening to him and learns to control the condition. Doctor's adivese are probably 40 years out of date, they treat diabetes exactly the same as they did then but with more modern medicines.

It's not easy to lose nearly half of your body weight, specially when you are insulin resistant.... it's a battle and even harder when you don't understand why you can't lose weight.

He needed to cut processed food and the snacks between meals.

HIT might not be ideal for him when he's carrying all that extra weight, walking an hour or two a day would be far more beneficial to him than running..... running would cause his body to release too much cortisol and that would raise his glucose level, etc...walking is much more effective.

It's hard to exercise when you are a diabetic, you don't have the same energy than a normal person has, furthermore, if you do the wrong kind of exercise then you have to do an awful lot to make little difference. The most effective way to control diabetes is through a low carb diet and fasting.

I've been there, having said that, I have the support of my wonderful wife and she has helped me get better.

 

[sasquath]

I wouldn't be so quick to judge.

His pancreas probably needs to produce a great deal of insulin but it just can't so that's were tablets come in... but he will only get worse unless he understands what's happening to him and learns to control the condition. Doctor's adivese are probably 40 years out of date, they treat diabetes exactly the same as they did then but with more modern medicines.

It's not easy to lose nearly half of your body weight, specially when you are insulin resistant.... it's a battle and even harder when you don't understand why you can't lose weight.

He needed to cut processed food and the snacks between meals.

HIT might not be ideal for him when he's carrying all that extra weight, walking an hour or two a day would be far more beneficial to him than running..... running would cause his body to release too much cortisol and that would raise his glucose level, etc...walking is much more effective.

It's hard to exercise when you are a diabetic, you don't have the same energy than a normal person has, furthermore, if you do the wrong kind of exercise then you have to do an awful lot to make little difference. The most effective way to control diabetes is through a low carb diet and fasting.

I've been there, having said that, I have the support of my wonderful wife and she has helped me get better.

He was warned 8, 6, and 3 years ago about being pre diabetes. He insists he never had the for an hour of excercise a day, so doctors suggested hit as alternative, he even got 15 minutes off work to do it. He had 8 years warning, and changed nothing, still drinks 4-6 pints a week while stuffing his face on pub grub and McDonald's breakfasts.
Then he winges half a Monday how shitty he feels...while munching on white bread sarnies for lunch.

God give me strength, or deafen me so I won't hear that daffodil whining again.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

He was warned 8, 6, and 3 years ago about being pre diabetes. He insists he never had the for an hour of excercise a day, so doctors suggested hit as alternative, he even got 15 minutes off work to do it. He had 8 years warning, and changed nothing, still drinks 4-6 pints a week while stuffing his face on pub grub and McDonald's breakfasts.
Then he winges half a Monday how shitty he feels...while munching on white bread sarnies for lunch.

God give me strength, or deafen me so I won't hear that daffodil whining again.

Lucky to have 3 warnings. I had none.

The first sign of trouble is when I was diagnosed with fatty liver, the doctor said 3/4 of the population have a fatty liver and suggested I did more exercise. I followed his instructions but years later I learnt I had developed type 2. I regret not looking for a second opinion or at least searching on Internet.... I'm not sure I would have found any useful information at the time but at least I would feel better now I think
Now I know that asking me to do more exercise was pretty much useless advice, on the other hand, had he suggested intermittent fasting and stop snacking between meals I'm pretty sure I would not have developed type 2 diabetes and I would have reversed the fatty liver ( based on the information available to me know)
Bad food choices was not my problem, the problem was snacking on fruits.... I thought that snacking on fruits was OK but when it's done over many years it is not OK.... everytime I had a few grapes, an apple or a banana my pancreas produced more and more insulin until I became resistant to insulin.
I don't blame anybody, I did this to myself, having said that the food industry has a lot to answer for, since the 50s they have gradually and systematically have given consumers incorrect advice and they have done it purposely. They have modified products and introduced new products and ideas that have people craving for more food, foods that are designed that way so that when you eat them, you get a glucose spike but when the glucose level drops in a couple of hours you feel hungry again, just in time for a snack.
We have been brain washed into believing that all vegetables oils are good for us and that animal fats are bad for us when it's totally the opposite, with the exception of olive and coconut oils. Vegetables oils are in fact largely responsible for causing fatty liver.
Anyway.... just my 0.002

 

[grldtnr]

He was warned 8, 6, and 3 years ago about being pre diabetes. He insists he never had the for an hour of excercise a day, so doctors suggested hit as alternative, he even got 15 minutes off work to do it. He had 8 years warning, and changed nothing, still drinks 4-6 pints a week while stuffing his face on pub grub and McDonald's breakfasts.
Then he winges half a Monday how shitty he feels...while munching on white bread sarnies for lunch.

God give me strength, or deafen me so I won't hear that daffodil whining again.

I would suggest he needs a 'buddy' to help him confront his issue with diabetes, has he a partner, having one for support is very helpfull in the battle, another thing , HIT exercise is counterproductive, better to have a low impact routine, a daily walk or amble along & around on a bike, is better long term, 'Spokey' upthread said increased physical exercise increases Glucose levels, which probably is true, I am not a medic ,so can't say.
Ian a singleton, but I let my friends know about my condition, they don't 'nag' me about it , but they understand that I can't or should not indulge in what I used to, so don't force things on me, but support me about it.
Your aqaintance needs friendly support, he won't get it unless you offer it, then it's up to him to make the change.
Diabetics don't always choose to be so, but some end up like him.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

better to have a low impact routine, a daily walk or amble along & around on a bike, is better long term, 'Spokey' upthread said increased physical exercise increases Glucose levels, which probably is true, I am not a medic ,so can't say.

I'm not a doctor either but I've read so much about this condition over the last year and I have three cousins that are doctors but don't want to see me and my endless questions again lol

I would agree with you, walking and gentle cycling is an excellent exercise to tackle diabetes.... although I understand that exercise counts for 15% max in the battle for control of glucose levels.

As for Spokey's comment I think he refers to aerobic exercise, when the heart rate goes up to above 80% of max capacity....in that case the hormone cortisol goes up and that converts fats into glucose and in extreme cases even from protein. So the effect of exercise is actually undesirable..... for people that are pre diabetics, insulin resistants, diabetics.... normal people have nothing to worry about.

 

[sasquath]

How would you rate importance of getting out of severe obesity?
40%

 

[BoldonLad]

The Michael Mosely TV shows demonstrate a wide variety of approaches as shortcuts to improving health. Reversing and eliminating the descent to T2D is a common theme.
Diet and HiiT are the usual approach. Less strenuous forms of exercise are often demonstrated too.

This is usually demonstrated by a group of volunteers, plus another control group. Small groups, so a little unscientific and anecdotal, but interesting anyway.

My Sister-in-Law (77) has been T2 diabetic for as long as I have known her (30+ years). She is/was a notoriously inactive person (although not significantly overweight). Her GP recently convinced her to join a (gentle) exercise class. After two months, she was able to dispense with her medication (Metformin? of some such name).

As you say, not scientific or statistically significant, but, interesting.

 

[grldtnr]

How would you rate importance of getting out of severe obesity?
40%

Very important,, I had been a chunk for most of my life, with little input or want to change , like many I wasn't overly concerned that I was losing weight, but I didn't think I was becoming Diabectic, for some, it is a symptom, what was the decider for me was increased thirst, and piddling, a classic symptom, but on the face of it, wasn't a red flag.
Most Type 2 develop it through being obese, general medical advice is lose weight, best way is to diet, but that is a broken wheel.
The best way is to Change your diet to lose weight, not diet ,i.e cut back on this and that, the best way is eat LC/HF, / keto, eat the Mediterranean diet, eating proteins and fats is counter intuitive, but shun the sweet stuff and the bread & pasta, you feel fuller and less hungry.
Sugary ,carby food makes you content , but when the sugar has gone ,your hungry again, and so starts the cycle.

 

[sasquath]

Very important,, I had been a chunk for most of my life, with little input or want to change , like many I wasn't overly concerned that I was losing weight, but I didn't think I was becoming Diabectic, for some, it is a symptom, what was the decider for me was increased thirst, and piddling, a classic symptom, but on the face of it, wasn't a red flag.
Most Type 2 develop it through being obese, general medical advice is lose weight, best way is to diet, but that is a broken wheel.
The best way is to Change your diet to lose weight, not diet ,i.e cut back on this and that, the best way is eat LC/HF, / keto, eat the Mediterranean diet, eating proteins and fats is counter intuitive, but shun the sweet stuff and the bread & pasta, you feel fuller and less hungry.
Sugary ,carby food makes you content , but when the sugar has gone ,your hungry again, and so starts the cycle.

I would say the post carb hyper hunger thing is individual too.
I can't feel the hunger spikes after eating carbs, sweets yes but not carbs. Saying that I'm almost vegetarian, so unusual diet from what I can see. I'm a bit overweight(bmi 24.5) but that's my GF's fault, she started baking cakes every week in the lockdown.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

I would say the post carb hyper hunger thing is individual too.
I can't feel the hunger spikes after eating carbs, sweets yes but not carbs. Saying that I'm almost vegetarian, so unusual diet from what I can see. I'm a bit overweight(bmi 24.5) but that's my GF's fault, she started baking cakes every week in the lockdown.

Indeed, the amount of glucose in the blood of a non diabetic person is about one tea spoon. For a diabetic, it can be as much as 3 and a half so the swing between a glucose spike and a drop, hence the cravings.
There's a gentleman at my local cycling club that eats everything I wouldn't eat, however, he is very disciplined with portions and 3 meals a day. He is very slim and no issues with food choices for him on a Saturday club ride we stop for breakfast and he eats two large toats with honey that would get me in trouble.

Sweets are sugar and carbs are converted into glucose ( sugar in the blood) very quickly... I think it takes the body 15 min to convert a slice of bread into glucose.

Go easy on those cakes