Reversing Prediabetes? (No Keto or Low carb)

[DuranDance]

My younger sister (40) was diagnoised as type 2 diabetic last year and is now on tablets to try and control it. I am a couple of years older and while I know my basic diet is better then hers I also knew that I had similar bad habits too much snacking on sweet stuff, too many full sugar fizzy drinks (I can't take artifical sweetners and stevia tastes bitter to me). Anyway I got a blood glucose tester and saw that it was a bit high so did make some changes like switching to xylitol for my tea and cutting out fizzy drinks and snacks which lastes a while until earlier this year an elderly relative became ill and needed a lot of help which I did most of and I was back to drinking cola and snacking to get energy to keep going.

Sadly my relative died about a month ago and we buried him about 2 weeks ago. I feel like I am just about coming up for air and need to think a bit about myself and so checked my fasting blood glucose again and for the past few mornings it has been around 6.1 - 6.3 which I know is in the prediabetic range.

I would like to try and tackle this myself if I can I am going to cut out cola, snacking on sweet stuff or crisps, start exercising, drinking more water. I am a vegetarian and I don't want to do keto or low carb as I find it too restrictive to completely cut out carbs like bread and pasta and I can't stick to it. I could do low GI though. I am also open to intermittent fasting, I am perimenopausal (on HRT) and I suffer from quite frequent migraines (had migraines since childhood) so changes in diet and high intensity exercise can be difficult for me. I'm also a few stone overweight and suspect that if I did just lose weight and get down to health weight things would be a lot better.

I have previously spoken to my GP about all this but they can't really do anything until I become diabetic.

Any advice would be great.

my friend was given metformin for polycystic ovary syndrome

Just to clarify, my basic diet (main meals) is good and would probably be excellent with a few changes and portion control but my snacking habits are awful too much cola, chocolate, crisps etc.

Sorry I wasn't clear enough. I was given metformin after a diabetes diagnosis. I'm in Australia and GPs here can give metformin for a pre-diabetes diagnosis though. Pre-diabetes is a recognised diagnosis here. I think it's daft not to offer it as it is an old and cheap medication and could help head off a full on diagnosis.

I think it is diet, weight loss, exercise and meds all working together for most of us. I also only accept someone has reversed diabetes if they can eat carbs with no bad results. I fully expect to have a normal HBA1c and normal blood glucose once I am on ozempic. Will I expect to have reversed my diabetes? Nope, I don't believe I could go back to eating carbs.

OP I mean a continuous monitor that goes on your arm, not finger prick tests if that’s what you currently have

@Egglantine Ah I see you mean getting a free trial 2 week sensor to use the the app then buying extras if I want to continue? Ok that sounds like a good idea!

OP - I think losing weight and adjusting your diet is the key for getting on top of your pre-diabetes. I'd suggest:

16:8 fasting
not drink any calories - none at all
cut out all ultra-processed foods
focus on high-protein foods - eggs, tofu, lentils, quinoa, oats, wild rice, chia seeds, nuts/seeds
as well as protein-rich vegetables - broccoli, asparagus, sprouts, sweetcorn, sweet potatoes - and fruits, especially berries and bananas (the latter in moderation)

Many of the above also contain healthy carbs and hopefully will curb your need for processed carbs (if you need bread, try bread made with sprouted grains)

Try exercising, especially HIIT and weights. You will not only feel more toned, but in my experience it also helps with motivation. Growingannanas on Youtube has a lot of good workouts, both with weights (dumbbells) and without.

Yes, honestly it’s been a game changer for me. Hope I can stay n too if it without the monitor. I plan to get another one in six months to see where I’m at.

I find low glycaemic index foods really yummy so follow that diet.

I also avoid sweeteners and anything ultra processed to support a healthy gut.

Red wine, dark chocolate, and good quality ice creams are all low GI so it’s easy to have ‘treats’.

Swap normal potato with seeet potatoes, sourdough granary for ordinary bread.

peanut butter and apple is a great healthy snack.

Previous message to OP

should say ‘stay on top of it’!

Another one who would recommend the Glucose Revolution book by the Glucose Goddess (yes it's a daft moniker). The book outlines quite a few 'hacks' to help keep your blood sugar curves flattened and are things you can easily include into your daily life, one example being eat plenty of vegetables at the start of a meal.

I suggest a WFPB diet (whole food plant based) which is suitable if you are vegetarian, is not low carb and has other health benefits as well.
How Not to Die by Michael Greger has a section on diabetes and how it can be helped by a WFPB diet.

Look at the Newcastle Diet
www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal/#publicinformation

Prof Roy Taylor is internationally renowned for his diabetes remission work. Long before all the charlatans (MM 👀)

www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news/direct-cost-six-years

@DuranDance It's so hard isn't it? I expect I may be in a similar position to you in a few years.
You've probably tried CGRP inhibitors then too?

I’ve been prediabetic. I didn’t change my diet but started to run in a regular basis again. This brought down my blood sugar levels and they’ve stayed down for a number of years now

What is it you find so restrictive about low-carb? I'm vegetarian and low-carb, and do it no problem at all. I guess I'm lucky in that my husband does all the cooking (he enjoys it, I hate it), but we have a whole range of food, including homemade low-carb bread/rolls.

We aim for around 20 carbs a day, although don't religiously count them (but do know roughly what's in each of our 3 meals), but some days will be around 25 (if we have wine!).

It is the only diet that works for me, especially since being diagnosed with Hashimoto's.

800 calories a day might be great for controlling diabetes, but it's also miserable. Who eats 800 calories a day and keeps it up?

I was pre diabetic and try to control it by doing low carb. But I eat wholemeal bread and I make my own pasta with Einkorn wholemeal flour. Einkorn is a type of wheat that doesn't spike blood sugar as much as modern wheat.

But I am coming up to my blood test soon so hoping my sugars haven't gone up. I could do with losing a stone too, but there's no way I'll do 800 calories.