Pre diabetes, feels like it is inevitable (vision, insulin, blood)

[stan4]

Originally Posted by Mikala43

My A1c had come back at 5.9 for 3 doctor visits in a row and as I understand it that is pre diabetic. I get quarterly testing for a bunch of things, and always get a personal copy of results, and for the first time my blood sugar came back at 146.

This is hitting me really hard as I have spent a lot of time and effort getting other chronic conditions under control so it does not impact my daily living.

I feel like diabetes is inevitable because I eat very healthy and I am not over weight (5'5 and 130), and exercise strenuously 5 days a week. I can tweak my diet a bit, but there is not much wiggle room.

I have literally been breaking down in tears at the thought of having something else to manage.

I'm not sure what else to do besides sit and watch the numbers go up.

I'm sorry. That is frustrating and scary. That really sucks.

Do you lift weights? Adding more muscle could help.

[gguerra]

Originally Posted by CSD610

No, never, nada in anything. It is worse for diabetics than a serving of real sugar.

Incorrect. If you buy you sweetener at the supermarket, most of that is full of fillers which are worse than real sugar. Maltodextrin is a common filler and has a GI of 110.

Taste and other health concerns aside, what you want is a sweetener that does not raise blood sugar. Even though they are not real sugar, many do affect BG. I happen to like pure stevia. It has a GI of 0, and is a natural product. Many like Stevia are many times as sweet as sugar and are sold with the filler to help it measure out like real sugar and to make more money obviously. Another example of that would be Sucralose also known as Splenda.

Here is a chart that lists most of them.
Glycemic Index for Sweeteners

Next time you go to the supermarket, try reading some of the labels on the sweeteners to see what the ingredients are. You will see what I am talking about. If you see Maltodextrin or Dextrose you will see those on the chart that I posted at the top of the list.

This is the Stevia I have used before. It does not taste like granulated stevia. It is pure and organic.
https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Extra...%2Bstevia&th=1

[TimAZ]

Wheat of any kind and potatoes are glycemic bombs. Look into the low carb, protein based alternatives for your bread needs and simply stop eating potatoes:

Great Low Carb Bread Co.
Joseph's brand low carb pitas and Lavash bread
Various brands of low carb tortillas
Aldente brand low carb pastas
Ciao brand proto pastas

[Mikala43]

Originally Posted by stan4

I'm sorry. That is frustrating and scary. That really sucks.

Do you lift weights? Adding more muscle could help.

Yeah, every other day for over an hour. The other days cardio, but I still do the 7 ab exercises and squats to military press. But I was coming out of a few months where I had not been going to the gym, so that could have an effect on the numbers.

Earlier I said around 60 grams of carbs a day, and that is wrong, that is what I was eating a few months ago when I was trying to lose weight, it is higher now, but I will need to start tracking again to get a handle on it.

[Mikala43]

Now that whining day is over, it is time to start working with quantifiable data, I'll get the blood monitor and start logging my food.

Any tips and tricks for finding out what are the problem foods? DH jokes that I am not capable of making a sandwich without 20 ingredients..... I'm guessing I will have to start eating single foods for awhile to see what causes spikes?

On of my favorite features of fitness pal is it will upload recipes from the internet and break down the servings for you, which helps a lot.

For dinner I normally have a version of a buddah bowl, a base (eg: quinoa, buckwheat noodles, etc.), a protein (imitation meat, tofu, etc.), then a whole bunch of veggies and a sauce (chimichuri, miso, etc.), and toppings (nuts, peppers, nori, etc.). If I eat like that I am guessing it will be hard to tell what causes spikes?

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Mikala43

Thanks for the input and links.

Honestly, the more I read the more depressed I get (it will pass).

Heck, the recommended diets I see are much less healthy then what I eat. The majority of my diet falls within the "low" glycemic foods.

The worst I have done is allowed my self to have some potato a couple times. Once the 10 lbs came off (from Lyrica) I allowed a little more flexibility in my diet. Like having potato or white rice a few times (over a few months). Whoo hoo!! Party.

I can: completely eliminate potatoes, white rice, flour tortillas (don't eat a lot of them), I usually eat sprouted grain bread, but can remove that (don't eat that often either, it's like Ezekiel which is listed as low glycemic), I'll eat some of the grapes when I buy them for kidlet..... Then I am basically out of things to remove. I did start eating yogurt with sugar, but eat only like a quarter container a day.

That's why I feel it's inevitable.

Are you testing your BG? Food reaction is very personal.

Here's what I did. Not fun..but... I ate, and then wrote it down. Two hours after every meal, I tested. I found out I couldn't eat rice and legumes -- were out! And carrots. But I could eat potatoes. Writing it down made it easier to remember what was the issue.

Because here's the thing, it doesn't matter much if something is low glycemic, what matters is if your body tolerates it or not.

It is a battle. I'm sorry. It's one I'm fighting, too.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Mikala43

Now that whining day is over, it is time to start working with quantifiable data, I'll get the blood monitor and start logging my food.

Any tips and tricks for finding out what are the problem foods? DH jokes that I am not capable of making a sandwich without 20 ingredients..... I'm guessing I will have to start eating single foods for awhile to see what causes spikes?

On of my favorite features of fitness pal is it will upload recipes from the internet and break down the servings for you, which helps a lot.

For dinner I normally have a version of a buddah bowl, a base (eg: quinoa, buckwheat noodles, etc.), a protein (imitation meat, tofu, etc.), then a whole bunch of veggies and a sauce (chimichuri, miso, etc.), and toppings (nuts, peppers, nori, etc.). If I eat like that I am guessing it will be hard to tell what causes spikes?

You can make a sandwich with 20 ingredients as long as it's an open-face sandwich with low-carb bread*, and the 20 ingredients are meat, cheese, and veggies. There's nothing wrong with big sandwiches. But do test your BG 2 hrs. after eating, or whenever the optimum time is, to see how your body reacts.



* Pepperidge Farm makes rye breads that are only 14 carbs per slice, that has large enough slices, that you can cut them in half, and actually get a conventional, closed-face sandwich out of it. You can even make a burger using this bread, & add various trimmings.

[oldgardener]

Originally Posted by Mikala43

For dinner I normally have a version of a buddah bowl, a base (eg: quinoa, buckwheat noodles, etc.), a protein (imitation meat, tofu, etc.), then a whole bunch of veggies and a sauce (chimichuri, miso, etc.), and toppings (nuts, peppers, nori, etc.). If I eat like that I am guessing it will be hard to tell what causes spikes?

Start by eating your regular buddah bowl, wait 1-1/2 hours, and use your glucometer to test your sugar. If too high, exchange the highest carb ingredients in the buddha bowl for something less carby.

To do that, enter each ingredient of the buddah bowl separately into myfitness pal to see the carbs for that ingredient, (or you could enter the entire recipe for it, whichever way you want to do it). I suspect the quinoa and buckwheat noodles as being high carb ingredients. Even sauces can sneak a lot of carbs though, you just have to evaluate each item.

I also suspect the oats and the flour in the oatcakes...but enter the ingredients in myfitness pal and see how many carbs you are getting from them.

You have to be very accurate in the amounts of each ingredient. No cheating.

[Mikala43]

On track, thanks for a lot of the suggestions and persona experiences.

Did our shopping and read a lot of friggin' labels, but adjusted more towards proteins and reduced carbs. My bread is pretty low carb already, but bought some net 5 carb wraps (I usually dislike, but try again), and if worse comes to worse I will eat in romaine lettuce.

I did keto twice for a few months each, so I have a good idea of where to start.

I will try my oatcakes again, but put in more nuts and protein powder and tweaks like that. I have almond flour and made a great zucchini bread with it, so I can work with that, and I bought coconut flour.

I have a call in to my doc to write me a prescription for a glucose meter so I can purchase it under my FSA.

So my dinners will start to look like what I am making tomorrow night, at least until I get my meter.

Seared spicy ahi with wasabi cream sauce, zoodles with asian dressing, and charred bok choy with something like oyster sauce (need to check if it is high in sugar).

I guess it works out well as DH wanted to switch to a lower carb diet.

[Mikala43]

As compensation to myself I bought a cheese making kit.