Anyone pre diabetic?

[candie]

I recently been diagnosed, been eating healthy, but it's pretty costly. I have carecredit vet bill, my pain management bill.
I have to eat cheap because of it.
Chicken broccoli and Alfredo is cheap to make but I get sick of it

Is anyone on medication and can anyone tell me if it's OK to eat in moderation with meds?

 

[susanm9006]

I am diabetic, diagnosed 17 years ago, and am on oral medications only. I started with an extremely high A1C of 12.9 but have kept it in the mid 6’s since.

Eating healthy doesn’t mean only chicken and vegetables and it doesn’t have to be expensive. All food is one of four things - fat, fiber, protein or carbohydrate. And carbohydrate is the only one that raises your blood sugar. You can have as much fat, fiber and protein as you want and carbohydrates are the only thing you need to watch. So learn to count carbohydrates (there are great pocket counter books) and limit the amount of them you have with a meal or snack. You can have fruits, starchy vegetables, and even occasional sweet treats if you limit the quantity of a serving. Example, a starter recommendation is 15 grams of carbs for a snack and 45 grams of carbs for a meal. Say you add mashed potatoes to your chicken meal - a cup is only 35 grams. You can really have a variety of foods within these kind of limits.

Hopefully you have a glucose meter and are testing yourself. If you want to see how a meal or snack affects your blood sugar, test about an hour after eating. That is when your blood sugar will be highest.

 

[MonaLyssa33]

I was diagnosed about a month ago. I don't really do anything different to be honest. I'm on Metformin and I know I should be doing more, but I don't have the mental capacity right now to try to change things.

 

[candie]

Well atm I can't get me one yet. Since I have 420 dollars worth of bills I need to take care of. I want to stay in the good credit score since I use carecredit for my cat.

 

[candie]

Does meds in pill form help your sugar levels if you still eat the same?

I cut back on pastries and sweet tea. I can stop my ice coffee that I buy from stores

I was diagnosed about a month ago. I don't really do anything different to be honest. I'm on Metformin and I know I should be doing more, but I don't have the mental capacity right now to try to change things.

 

[MonaLyssa33]

Does meds in pill form help your sugar levels if you still eat the same?

I cut back on pastries and sweet tea. I can stop my ice coffee that I buy from stores

I have no idea. I don't check my blood sugar except for when I'm at the doctor.

 

[susanm9006]

Yes, the Metformin will overall help your blood sugar but not significantly without making diet or exercise changes. Any kind of exercise, even a long walk helps to lower your blood sugar so adding more daily activity will help you. As far as a meter , you can get a meter and test tripe at Walmart for less than $30.

 

[candie]

I hope fast walks are OK. I do stepper for 10 minutes then brisk walk. Trying to get use to my stepper . Only thing unhealthy I'm drinking is a small cup of my iced coffee. I don't drink a big cup. But I have cut out things and eat healthy. No idea if can fruit is healthy but I get the 100% juice. I'm picky on bag fruits , I don't even like them

 

[Willowy]

I'm not pre-diabetic yet but do have insulin resistance (next step before pre-diabetes). No increased blood glucose yet but am showing other symptoms (skin tags, larger abdomen, fatigue, etc.). I'm trying to eat less sugar and carbs and get more exercise. So far I've only lost about 5 pounds but the skin tags are starting to clear up a little.

Chicken and broccoli is a great easy meal, maybe mix up what you put on it. Alfredo one meal, shredded cheese the next meal, salad dressing the next, etc. Also mix up the meats and veggies. Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, zucchini instead of broccoli. Frozen veggies are most affordable. Pork chop/loin or cubed steak instead of chicken (of course steak costs more than chicken but pork is pretty affordable). Maybe fish or shrimp now and then.

And, yeah, you'll have to cut out the pre-made iced coffees. Those things have SO much sugar! Try to find something else you like, maybe homemade iced coffee with stevia and cream instead of the premade kind.

And just think about how much you're saving by not buying junk food and sodas!

My mom is trying an eating plan called Eat Like a Bear, involving intermittent fasting and eating low-carb, tons of veggies, just massive salads, lol. She's lost around 30 pounds since January so I guess it's working. I haven't had the spoons to try intermittent fasting yet; it's hard for me to be hungry. But there are Facebook pages and other support systems available if you want to look it up.

 

[candie]

I'm to stubborn to give my ice coffee. But I'm hoping my exercise and most of my healthy meals would help at least

 

[Mighty Orange]

Try to get in at least 1/2 hour fast walk every 2 days. Stop eating snacks. Try to just eat 3 times a day as little sugar as possible.

 

[denice]

I am not sold on the intermittent fasting and I don't think it would help with keeping blood sugar levels steady. Years ago, I knew a middle-aged woman who did a variation of that. It worked at least as far as staying slim, she even did some modeling. She wouldn't fast or binge, but she would have three days where she ate less and then a day where she ate more. She said it kept her metabolism from going into starvation mode and trying to hang on to every calorie in the form of fat.

I was never diagnosed but I had the warning signs and changed things up a bit. Iced coffee isn't good but one small one a day provided that is the only 'cheat' during the day isn't horrible. That is better than trying to grit your teeth and give it up. That usually leads to a binge that is far worse. I kind of follow a 90 to 95 percent 'plan'. As long as I am eating and drinking what I am supposed to for roughly 90 to 95 percent of the time I call it good. It's the same idea as the iced coffee, that is better than giving up and going on a day's long binge.

 

[misty8723]

I'm to stubborn to give my ice coffee. But I'm hoping my exercise and most of my healthy meals would help at least

I am diabetic. You don't have to give up anything, you just have to have moderation and know how things affect you're glucose levels. If you have the iced coffee, wait a few hours and test to see what you're levels are. Trying to follow a strict diet and giving up everything you love is not sustainable. I don't eat right so I'm not one to talk, but I'm at least trying to find something that will help me get over my issue with not liking food.

My husband was diagnosed pre-diabetic. They have him on Metformin twice a day, claiming people that did not take medication became diabetic but those who were on medicine often didn't. So far his A1c is great. He doesn't eat right either.

Have you had guidance or been to a class? Sometimes insurance will pay for it.

 

[Jem]

No idea if can fruit is healthy but I get the 100% juice. I'm picky on bag fruits , I don't even like them

Canned/prepared fruit is actually very high in sugar. Fruit is one thing that although "healthy" that you need to watch. Some fruits have high sugar while others are OK. This does not mean you can't have any at all, just watch how much and when you eat it. But I would recommend not having canned fruit too often. I wouldn't stress TOO much about sugars from real fruit if you don't eat them that often, as much as I would recommend paying closer attention to white carbs (rice, pasta), processed foods, and junk/desserts.
Another thing to consider. It's not just the sugar content you need to watch, but also when and how you consume sugars. If you really want that iced coffee in the morning, be sure to drink it with a protein. Perhaps an egg or small bowl of cottage cheese or be sure to have some oatmeal etc......Protein helps your body process the sugar slower so it doesn't spike. Same with the fruit cup. If you want one, have a handful of nuts or something with it. This is not a "carte blanche" trick that will allow you to eat a sugar loaded diet and not change anything, but does help keep sugars more stable.
And I will also agree with the exercise to lower sugars as well. Even if you can't get out to walk. You can march in place (knees high!) at your home followed by doing some jumping jacks or whatever...

 

[denice]

That is why fruit is often referred to as nature's candy. The most consistent way I have fruit is in a smoothie. I blend frozen fruit with plain Greek Yogurt and unsweetened almond milk. Fruit at least isn't empty calories. I cut the empty calories down to a very low amount, an occasional treat. Fruit does have vitamins, antioxidants and varying amounts of fiber.

 

[susanm9006]

I'm to stubborn to give my ice coffee. But I'm hoping my exercise and most of my healthy meals would help at least

Nothing wrong with coffee itself, it’s the sweetener that you might put in it. If you do sweeten, try switching to a sugar free sweetener like Splenda.

 

[DreamerRose]

I hope fast walks are OK. I do stepper for 10 minutes then brisk walk. Trying to get use to my stepper . Only thing unhealthy I'm drinking is a small cup of my iced coffee. I don't drink a big cup. But I have cut out things and eat healthy. No idea if can fruit is healthy but I get the 100% juice. I'm picky on bag fruits , I don't even like them

I am also diabetic. I do avoid high carb foods like cake icing and candy, but don't restrict everything. Coffee is fine; just use a sugar substitute. Fruit juice is a no-no because of the sugar, but whole fruits are fine. They have a lot of fiber and dilute the little bit of sugar in them.

And yes to your original question. With medication, you can eat anything in moderation. I eat a couple of cookies before bed, muffins for breakfast, and a handful of chips for lunch, and my A1c is 6.7.

 

[candie]

I tried fish. I got sick of it . Yeah I dunno what to eat . Thats why I'm hoping medication work. Because I eat less carbs .
But my tummy growls to much. I look at the nutrition value on can fruits . So I think it may be ok. If I eat a little.

But nothing satisfied me I just eat tuna out of a can .

 

[minish]

I have been pre-diabetic as far as I can remember. I was always overweight and it's like chicken or eggs problem. insulin resistance and weight they trigger each other. With the Pandemic it got worse. I ate bad and moved less, so I'm trying to get back in order.
What you need is an insulin resistance diet and lifestyle. As said above, you need to watch out for a couple of things but not necessarily beat yourself up, starve or pay loads for edible things.
I haven't been on any meds for it but medication is not enough if you're too much overweight. I can lower my lab values if I adopt a good lifestyle and lose weight.
Whatever the diet, you know, so many are fashion, keto, intermittent fasting etc.. There are absolute wrongs for a pre-diabetic and absolute rights.
Absolute right is eating healthy and moving around. Absolute wrong is whatever that spikes your blood sugar, because it will crush down, making you hungry, leading to eating bad, then another spike..
1.Always prefer carbs with lower glycemic index, like whole grain over rice or potato, like berries over banana. Try to couple them with a protein source so that they don't spike your blood sugar.
2.avoid most processed food, including soda (added sugar, corn syrup etc). When you must, check what's in it.
3.if you're overweight, lose it slow and healthy. You can lose weight by eating only chocolate never getting out of bed, but you would lose muscle and feel starved in the process. Look up info on government websites for pre-diabetic or diabetic people.
You will see in that info, good eating habits and some form of exercise solve most problems. I don't have an insulin checking device, but I can easily understand how I'm doing. If I eat wrong (big portion, sugary snacks..), I feel lethargic short after. We are not cats, we shouldn't nap after meals.
For losing weight, if you should, calorie intake should reduce (not too much, there are calculators online). You should be aware of how much of what kind of food you should be having each day. There is info online on calories and serving sizes for each food, and apps that help you see how you're doing.
Since most fast food is around 2/3 calories of what I must take daily, and I can't run for three hours to make up for that KFC menu, it's best not to eat it I do indulge once every two weeks, so that I don't feel deprived and react by ending the diet.
People who do intermittent fasting swear by it. But I cannot imagine staying without food for more than 3-4 hours. What I can successfully do is smaller portions 5-6 times per day, so that I don't feel starved and binge.
Protein based foods an fiber makes you feel full, so it's easier to reduce intake of bad carbs. One of my successful evening meals was replacing pasta with a gigantic bowl of salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice/vinegar, adding a small can of tuna/boiled chicken breast, eat with a slice of whole grain bread. Prevents nighttime snacking need since you feel so full.
In general, try to eat a lot of veggies (boiled or raw with none or very little oil) and low glycemic fruits (raw) throughout the day.

 

[candie]

Yeah, I'm trying. I did cut alot of sugar but a super small cup of iced coffee. Until I find a recipe that's good with stevia. Trying to get a hang of my stepper 🥲 my legs hurt. Until I can do 20 I'll be doing 10 min stepper and brisk walking places. I did ate a sandwich on whole wheat and ate Fruits instead of chips/fries.