PreDiabetic

(Tammy G) #1

Hello, I am new. I just received my blood test results today and I am pre diabetic. I feel overwhelmed and discouraged and ashamed I let this happen.
I am a 47 year old female who hates any form of working out, loves bread and snack foods but I know I am headed for a major life change.
I need help.

(Randy) #2

Welcome. :smile:

This is a great intro to low carb/high fat.

#3

Welcome to the forum. We’ve been led astray by nutritional guidelines for many years. Don’t be down on yourself, but take responsibility for making a change for the better. Sometimes “working out” can be as simple as talking a walk or riding your bike. :slight_smile:

#4

My A1C was 6.4 (.1 away from diabetes) and switched to low carb and drank bitter melon tea each night. Just got my bloodwork back and I am now 5.6 which is no longer even prediabetic. You can do this and you will be thrilled with the result!

(Keto in Katy) #5

Let go of the discouragement if you can and channel your energy into being well. You will do it.

I agree with the video suggestion by @KHAN — it is excellent and Dr Hallberg knows what she is doing.

Also, while exercise is good for many reasons, I would suggest your initial focus be on getting your diet right and address the underlying metabolic issues. I expect that you will soon feel much better, with more energy, and maybe that will be a good time to introduce some more physical activity into your routine.

Best wishes! You’ve got this.

(Brian) #6

Don’t let the close call worry you. Lots of us have been in similar situations. Be thankful you know and understand where you are but be just as aware that you have the power to totally change your situation.

Yep, it seems a little overwhelming to think that everything we’ve been taught since we were but wee little ones is probably wrong. But it’s really not so bad.

Figure out what a good keto meal might be, something that you would enjoy, something you would find satisfying, and start there. Then find another. It won’t be too long before you’ll figure out that you can really eat pretty well and still dump the carbs and sugars. And you’ll probably find a lot of other benefits… like having more energy, losing weight, clothes fitting better, and a few other little goodies you’ll discover along the way.

You may hit a few snags along the way. And if you do, look through the posts here and see if someone else didn’t have the same thing and find out what they did.

Good luck! You’ll be fine!

(Richard Hanson) #8

I was T2D for more then 15 years. I was taking six medications for T2D including 75 units/day of insulin. After just three months into living a ketogenic lifestyle I was also pre-diabetic, right on the line of T2D, a rather arbitrary line, when I had my lab work done at three months.

Keto for the cure.

You are so very lucky to be in the right place at the right time instead having to suffer for fifteen or more years before someone tells you that keto is an option.

Warmest Regards,
Richard

(Doodler for @KetoKailey) #9

That’s awesome, @FatMan! I am following the path, fighting Type 2 D.

(Darlene Horsley) #10

I am fighting that path as well! Keto on.

(Lynne Austin Whitmore) #11

I am 46 and have been diagnosed as pre diabetic recently likely from my years of high carb low fat following the prescribed ‘healthy diet’ now we know we can make changes to improve our blood sugar control and monitor our blood sugar to prevent T2 and other diseases caused by high blood sugar. I imagine a lot of the population is pre diabetic but don’t know it.

(Richard Hanson) #12

High blood sugar is not the problem, it is only a symptom of underlying problem, hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance, and indicative of an end stage progression of metabolic dysfunction.

The standard treatment for T2D focuses on “blood sugar control”, mitigating the symptom, while continually ignoring the underlying cause, hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance.

The focus, the target of treatment, should be insulin control, not “blood sugar control”.

I apologize for the lecturing tone, all you have expressed is the same view that has been inculcated in the entire population for decades. The greatest barrier to learning is to first unlearn those things we believe to be true that are not true.

For over 15 years I focused on “blood sugar control” and it took only a few short weeks to reverse my T2D when a new doctor prescribed a ketogenic diet that focused on insulin control. It is hard not to be a keto-evangelist after my personal n=1 experience. The only other events that have had a comparable impact on my life include when a hot tempered, redheaded, green eyed, Irish girl so foolishly agreed to be my bride, and the subsequent births of our children.

Warmest Regards,
Richard

#13

Bitter melon tea is awesome (but yucky tasting). Helped me a lot.

(Lynne Austin Whitmore) #14

Ok so am I doing this right, I am not taking any blood sugar lowering medication and as I cannot check my insulin at home I try to stick to foods which do not cause a spike in my blood sugar and are low in carbs. I do use a blood glucose monitor to check this as it is the only way I know to check I’m on the right track and to see effects what I’ve eaten on me. I assumed if I didn’t eat foods which caused my blood sugar to rise it would keep my insulin low is this correct. If so then I need to change the way I think of it in terms of insulin control not blood sugar control.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #15

This is correct, but be aware that your insulin level may take a while to come down, depending on how insulin-resistant you are. Insulin control is definitely the best way to think of keto, because low insulin allows your body to mobilize and use your stored fat for energy. Carbs are an issue only because they are metabolized into glucose, and glucose is an issue only because it stimulates the secretion of insulin. Keeping insulin low has other benefits bedsides allowing the body to metabolize fat.