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I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes months ago based on resting blood sugar and A1C results.
Fast forward, I have given up almost all carbs and eat a whole foot diet for about a year now. A lot of veggies and some fruit. I am not a fan of meat or eggs, so I eat a lean meat only once a day and I force an egg or two a week (hard-boiled - the idea of an omelette and things mixed with egg makes me grossed out and wanna vomit). A lot of my snacking is celery and hummus, chick peas, almonds, and I eat TONS of broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, romaine lettuce, peppers, etc. Tons of salad with pre-measured quantities of light dressing. Occasionally I will have yogurt without sugar added. I'm losing weight and almost down to a normal BMI and I never eat baked goods, sweets, or breads. My treat is a clementine or apple as my "dessert" if I am craving sweets. I don't really eat pre-packaged foods either, as I have a huge hang up with anything salty. I'm kinda a picky eater, and won't eat out much, so its a lot of raw veggies and fruit for me. I drink water, coffee with milk only (no sugar), and plain tea no sugar (green, black, mint, etc.). I exercise every other day at the gym doing 2 miles of cardio and weight training. On my off days, I walk the dogs a mile or two.
So, my diet is bland and I am a very plain eater. I do not like a lot of different foods, but I do LOVE vegetables and eat anywhere from 5 to 10 servings of veggies a day depending on how hungry I am. For instance, my lunch today is brussel sprouts, cauliflower, romaine with tomato and chick pea, balsamic vinaigrette, celery/carrot sticks and hummus. Tonight for dinner flounder with garlic and probably more cauliflower and romaine lettuce based salad. I boil or bake everything and never put salt on my veggies. I may cheat this week and have a hamburger patty without a bun and a slice or two of cheese (not the biggest cheese fan) with TONS of hot sauce and jalepenos (that's my vice) - of course I will have 2-3 veggies as a side dish with this dinner.
I got blood work again, and my resting blood sugar and A1C went up! There is really nothing I can take away from my diet except for fruit as my dessert. What can I really be doing wrong? Should I just try to get put on meds? It seems like the whole diet and exercise thing is backfiring! My whole family has type 2 diabetes, but none have tried to go the natural route like I am doing. I just don't know what else I can do diet wise? I was thinking I need to actually add grains of some sort, like more fiber? Or maybe there is some kind of supplement or shake I can be drinking in lieu or forcing stuff I don't like to eat.
If you want to try supplements, try chromium and alpha lipoic acid. Take the alpha lipoic acid with food.
You may not be eating enough carbs for the exercise that you're doing. For some people, intense exercise will raise BG. It's difficult to know if that's what you've got going on without a meter to test at home. Personally, cardio will slightly increase my blood sugar just after I complete the exercise, and lifting weights will make my fasting sugar lower the next morning. But it doesn't affect all people the same way.
The hamburger patty with cheese shouldn't feel like a cheat to you...there's nothing wrong with that meal for a pre-diabetic. And if eggs are gross to you, don't eat them. There's no reason to force yourself to eat eggs.
Heredity is a factor in type 2 diabetes. Some people just have the problem as they age, no matter how well they're doing with diet and exercise. Type 2 diabetes carries the stigma of being a fat people's disease, so people who are diagnosed always look for ways to blame themselves for it, but there's not always a dietary cause. Looking at what you're eating, it doesn't seem like there's much room for improvement in your diet...you probably eat healthier than most Americans. So you're probably seeing the effects of heredity rather than a poor diet. You may end up needing medication. It's not the end of the world if you do.
Do you use a meter? You need to start testing yourself fasting and also 1 to 1.5 hours after some of your typical meals. That will tell you what is increasing you're numbers. Also it is fine if you don't like meat but you NEED to substitute fat for the lack of carbs. It will not make you fat. You can throw that concept out of the window. Also when you are severely restricting carbohydrates do not pay attention to calories. Calories mean nothing without the carbs. There are many good vegetarian and dairy sources of fat. Avocados and almonds come to mind. Coconut and Olive oils are others. Cheese, whole milk yogurt, heavy cream etc. You need the fat to give you the energy that carbs are not. Bottom line is you can get to the bottom of it or at least get a better idea of what is causing your numbers to increase by using a meter. Oh one last thing, DO NOT use "light", "low fat" or "non fat" products. They are much worse for you than the real thing. Try reading the labels and compare them to the regular versions. Do not pay attention to the fat content. I realize this may be counter intuitive but try it anyway. I cannot tell you to trust me since you don not even know me but do the research if you wish. This whole fat thing we have been taught for decades is a "Big Fat Lie".
Do you use a meter? You need to start testing yourself fasting and also 1 to 1.5 hours after some of your typical meals. That will tell you what is increasing you're numbers. Also it is fine if you don't like meat but you NEED to substitute fat for the lack of carbs. It will not make you fat. You can throw that concept out of the window. Also when you are severely restricting carbohydrates do not pay attention to calories. Calories mean nothing without the carbs. There are many good vegetarian and dairy sources of fat. Avocados and almonds come to mind. Coconut and Olive oils are others. Cheese, whole milk yogurt, heavy cream etc. You need the fat to give you the energy that carbs are not. Bottom line is you can get to the bottom of it or at least get a better idea of what is causing your numbers to increase by using a meter. Oh one last thing, DO NOT use "light", "low fat" or "non fat" products. They are much worse for you than the real thing. Try reading the labels and compare them to the regular versions. Do not pay attention to the fat content. I realize this may be counter intuitive but try it anyway. I cannot tell you to trust me since you don not even know me but do the research if you wish. This whole fat thing we have been taught for decades is a "Big Fat Lie".
I agree. I'm pretty sure the increase in type 2 diabetes and in obesity has been caused by the low fat diet that we were all taught to follow for so long, and the way that low fat and fat free foods were made more palatable by adding sugar. We were taught to substitute empty carbs for more filling fats.
If you compare light and regular salad dressings, the light dressings almost always have a lot more sugar than the regular ones.
A friend was given the pre-diabetic report and at 262 and 5'2" she took control and in the last 7-8 months has taken off 82 lbs. She wants to get to about 140 with her 5'2" frame.
She has cut out WHITE foods and doing pretty much exercise.
Carrots cause my sugar to go up. I was told to watch for root vegetables, carrots, parsnips, potatoes.....
Light dressings can be a problem. As a general rule, light removes fat and adds carbs. I use a normal oil and vinegar dressing and use sparingly, tossing the salad well to coat.
And if your family history is against you, you might end up on meds. People can be on meds and use them to get to a normal A1C readings and stay there. Think of it as a tool.
I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes months ago based on resting blood sugar and A1C results.
Fast forward, I have given up almost all carbs and eat a whole foot diet for about a year now. A lot of veggies and some fruit. I am not a fan of meat or eggs, so I eat a lean meat only once a day and I force an egg or two a week (hard-boiled - the idea of an omelette and things mixed with egg makes me grossed out and wanna vomit). A lot of my snacking is celery and hummus, chick peas, almonds, and I eat TONS of broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, romaine lettuce, peppers, etc. Tons of salad with pre-measured quantities of light dressing. Occasionally I will have yogurt without sugar added. I'm losing weight and almost down to a normal BMI and I never eat baked goods, sweets, or breads. My treat is a clementine or apple as my "dessert" if I am craving sweets. I don't really eat pre-packaged foods either, as I have a huge hang up with anything salty. I'm kinda a picky eater, and won't eat out much, so its a lot of raw veggies and fruit for me. I drink water, coffee with milk only (no sugar), and plain tea no sugar (green, black, mint, etc.). I exercise every other day at the gym doing 2 miles of cardio and weight training. On my off days, I walk the dogs a mile or two.
So, my diet is bland and I am a very plain eater. I do not like a lot of different foods, but I do LOVE vegetables and eat anywhere from 5 to 10 servings of veggies a day depending on how hungry I am. For instance, my lunch today is brussel sprouts, cauliflower, romaine with tomato and chick pea, balsamic vinaigrette, celery/carrot sticks and hummus. Tonight for dinner flounder with garlic and probably more cauliflower and romaine lettuce based salad. I boil or bake everything and never put salt on my veggies. I may cheat this week and have a hamburger patty without a bun and a slice or two of cheese (not the biggest cheese fan) with TONS of hot sauce and jalepenos (that's my vice) - of course I will have 2-3 veggies as a side dish with this dinner.
I got blood work again, and my resting blood sugar and A1C went up! There is really nothing I can take away from my diet except for fruit as my dessert. What can I really be doing wrong? Should I just try to get put on meds? It seems like the whole diet and exercise thing is backfiring! My whole family has type 2 diabetes, but none have tried to go the natural route like I am doing. I just don't know what else I can do diet wise? I was thinking I need to actually add grains of some sort, like more fiber? Or maybe there is some kind of supplement or shake I can be drinking in lieu or forcing stuff I don't like to eat.
Congrats on your weight loss!
You're eating a lot of carbs, OP. (bolded) You're on the right track with loading up on green veggies, but be careful to avoid more than a small amt. of root veggies (carrots, etc., as another poster outlined). You need more protein to balance your blood sugar. Concentrated protein (meat/fish/fowl, cheese (low fat, if you prefer), yogurt (though it's higher in carbs from a higher lactose content than cheese or cottage cheese), tofu) causes a response in the metabolic hormones that stabilizes your blood sugar. You should be getting a chunk of protein with each meal, including snacks. Otherwise, the carbs in your food (if any) will cause your blood sugar to spike. It's too bad your doc hasn't explained this to you. I would look for a doc who's more pro-active at providing patients with the info they need to manage or prevent their condition, if I were you. Few doctors do this, these days, but they're out there if you look. Find some forms of protein that agree with you, or find ways of preparing protein appetizingly. You can experiment, and make it a fun process (hopefully). Good luck!
WOW. you eat really healthy compared to the average person and you are still having issues with your blood sugar? I would be careful of the grain products because they break down into sugar components that will spike you blood sugar. What has your doctor treating you said? If I can ask. Have you talked to a nutritionist, registered dietitian (RD), certified diabetes educators (CDEs) that specializes in diabetic issues and will work with you on what the eat and {when} to eat it which could help you control your blood sugar levels?
How many grams of carbs a day are you eating, how many per meal????
Some veggies are good.....a lot of veggies may be helping to elevate your blood-sugar!
You might want to ditch ALL snacks/snacking and stick with only 3 meals a day. The 4-5-6 hours between meals may give your system time to better normalize from the last meal.
Fruit, it is mainly sugar......you probably want to eat in small amounts, not that often.
Use your meter and measure your blood-sugar after each meal, see how your body responds to different meals.
I would avoid the clementine and apple, as they would raise my blood sugar quite a bit. Same with yogurt even though it doesn't have added sugar. I had to give up apples, bananas, oatmeal, quite a few things that are good for you but do raise blood sugar.
If you aren't already doing it, get a glucometer and check your blood sugar 1-1/2 hours after each meal. You may be surprised at what you find. A glucometer will show you exactly what's going on with your food choices.
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