Pre diabetic but so fucking exhausted to change it

[DaringMentor]

I know I HAVE to change it! In short, Diabetes 2 will end up killing me if I don’t, eventually. Or make me very unwell.

I am a size 12 and on my feet most of the day —and up running around the place when most people are tucked up in bed—

I am quite ‘fit’ and have a lot of muscle mass. So some people seem surprised if I say I have pre diabetes

But I am pre diabetic. Had my review last week and had to cancel because respite carer cancelled last minute and I couldn’t take DS with me.

I keep weeing pale coloured stuff and wondered why despite missing drinks at times. But I googled it and it can be a sign of diabetes

In short, my days start at 4am to 4.30am latest. 5am is a rare lay in. 365 days a year. I finally get to sleep around 11 to midnight. Sometimes later.

Sugar helps me stay awake and gives a quick burst of energy. I have tried high protein diets and my actual ‘food’ is high in protein. But it doesn’t give a quick boost when you’re on your knees, permanently, with exhaustion.

I am wondering if anyone’s tried anything that’s helped their sugar addiction when they feel so dependent on it?

I don’t really get any breaks. I have respire funding but no actual carers to reliably do the job.

I am 27 so it’s very young to get sick from lifestyle habits. I must, must change but I am feeling so tearful writing this when I am just so bloody tired and need to remain active and focused all the time

It sounds like you're going from one sugar rush to another. Try eating pasta dishes with chicken or tuna and some cucumber and peppers thrown in. Pasta is filling and releases energy slowly. If you haven't time to make them, supermarkets sell them. Aldi do some lovely ones for £2 each.

Worth a try. Thank you. I thought I had to avoid pasta etc

Are you eating properly in the evenings? Slow release foods like high protein and wholemeal will store up energy to start next day, for breakfast could you have porridge, oats, unsweetened cereal or plain yoghurt with fruit instead of raw sugar for example.

Unfortunately it is the sugar that is doing the damage ,protein keeps you fuller for longer and if you try to eat more complex carbohydrates that is better. For you, I.e. wholemeal bread, wholewheat pasta , brown rice etc. I stopped eating added sugar around 6 months ago and the first couple of weeks are tough but once you get past that stage it becomes surprisingly easy. My DH reversed his prediabetes by cutting out added sugar although he didn’t eat a lot of it to start with and has always been very slim

Oh gosh you poor thing - you don't get nearly enough sleep. I expect you have done everything you can to try and improve this already but just in case melatonin made a huge difference to my son's sleep pattern. You probably don't need this information though.

I would try and eat more fat and protein rather than carbs. Just try and eat more of the good stuff as a first step

I found out I was pre-diabetic last year. I have to admit I have a biscuit every day and if we're out I often have cake, but I've certainly cut down on sugary foods. It isn't just about sugar though, it's better to chose wholegrain carbs (ie wholegrain bread, wholewheat pasta, brown rice, other low release grains/cereals). Reduce amount of potato in meals and add extra greens.

If you're hungry, something like wholegrain toast with peanut butter is fairly quick. Nut are as easy to grab as a couple of biscuits. Fruit does contain sugars, but still a much better option than some cake. If you're eating out, don't double carb, ie pasta with garlic bread, or burger in bun with chips - ask for a salad instead.

Any adjustments you can do will help, and you can work on others over time.

I'm about to have my annual glucose test so no ideal how I'm really doing, but over the last few months I've been able to say I feel really well, not so tired, so I think the adjustments have helped my health either way. I used to feel I was often on the edge of a cold, stomach problem, but hardly getting anything now.

There seems to be a lot of evidence that eating refined carbs alone causes the blood sugar to spike (making you feel good) then crash (making you feel worse) and that this can be alleviated to some extent by eating the carbs with plenty of fibre. So you could try eating a handful of nuts or seeds, for example, or maybe an apple, with or just before your sugar and see if that makes you feel better for longer without the crash. Even dried fruit, easy to grab, would be better than sweets or chocolate. Life sounds hard so there's no point in making the perfect the enemy of the good.

As a last resort I suppose you could try a spoonful of psyllium husk, with plenty of water, with your sugar, but as that is like eating wallpaper paste it might not be such a great idea. It illustrates the principle, however.

This is brilliant advice - just wanted to say you can get psyllium husk in capsule form for those who can't face drinking gloop

Two of the things that are really bad if you are pre-diabetic are stress and poor quality sleep. The lifestyle changes aren't just changing your eating habits.

I am pre diabetic. Had my review last week and had to cancel

wait... what kind of review? How long ago did you get formal blood sugar tests to establish you're pre-diabetic? Those aren't routine tests, so why did you get them, what symptoms do you have now?

I keep weeing pale coloured stuff

pale urine? Can mean nothing, too.

This- it's not clear from your OP whether a doctor has actually confirmed you're pre diabetic? ^^

Pale urine is normal, and usually means you are well hydrated. I'm diabetic type two, and I have plenty of meat - chicken usually - with perhaps a small amount of pasta or rice, and some veg. However, how do you know you're pre-diabetic if you haven't been to your review yet?

I know I am pre diabetic because I was told about it 12 months ago. I am suppose to have an annual blood test and review but had to cancel

Thanks all for the advice. Believe it or not, I don’t eat carbs in the form of savoury foods.

I don’t like bread, pasta makes me tired, etc. Meals for me are soups, chicken breast, I eat loads of chicken, things like that. I don’t eat sandwiches, have bread with food, that type of thing.

The problem, I have to admit, is pure sugar like sweets, chocolate, fairy cakes and these Tesco cinnamon buns that are to die for! Literally it seems.

My actual food is quite good stuff. The problem is these quick fixes I’m turning to just for a quick energy shot because I constantly feel bloody awful. Some days I feel like I’m on my knees with exhaustion amongst very high adrenaline levels.

I have read so much on healthy lifestyle and people always go on and on about good sleep. But it’ll never be the case for me, it seems, and I will eventually die from it because diabetes aside, it seems to be a major killer

Anyway, I am going to see if I can have a chat with a private dietician to come up with a plan of action tailored to me

Thanks again for all your advice and sorry to anyone who has sudden found themselves with pre diabetes

I was pre diabetic and did a course organised by my local health centre. The advice given was that carbs convert to sugar too, and should be avoided. They recommended the Freshwell app which is based on low carb and a traffic light system of foods- red avoid as much as possible, amber, have occasionally in moderation, and green, really good to eat.
There's also some prediabetic cookbooks available on eBay etc. that have some good recipes based on the above principal

Are you caring for a child with special needs? Apologies if you’ve tried all of this already but could you seek help with your kid’s sleep issues? I think that would really help.

Yeah, thank you. I appreciate it because there’s always a chance someone hasn’t tried x y z

Unfortunately, he’s coming up for 9 now and it’s been many years of all this. He’s as fit as a flea and extremely active. With the danger awareness and communication skills of 0-18 months in most areas

When he’s asleep, a bomb could explode and it wouldn’t wake him! He just doesn’t need that much sleep. His brain is wired in such a way that it sleeps well but not for long

My OH was borderline and now eats a handful of nuts for a boost instead of something sweet.

I have similar issues to you with a very sweet tooth getting me through the times I need energy. I find evenings the worst as I succumb to snacking when I am most tired.

I have tried various diets and have adapted my meals:

Breakfast
Porridge oats (dry rolled, not cooked) with natural yoghurt (no sugar) fruit (berries mainly, fresh or slightly warmed frozen berries on cold mornings), nuts and seeds. It's easy and keeps me full until lunchtime.

Lunch:
Usually some form of eggs or cheese with a slice of wholemeal bread. I then add vegetables of some sort - coleslaw, tomatoes, salad stuff, asparagus or mushrooms, etc. Quick to prepare and fairly nutritious.

Dinner:
Meat or fish and vegetables, but here my downfall is potatoes - I love potatoes! I don't feel like a meal is complete without them. Very occassionally I substitute with rice or pasta.

I struggle to sleep so am always awake into the early hours by which time I am hungry again and reach for unsuitable foods. I need to find a healthier snack than a bowl of cornflakes, or glass of milk and a few biscuits!

This week I have actually bought bottled water to try and stop myself drinking tea with sugar or squash. I don't like the taste of our tap water and although I am against bottled water for environmental reasons, I thought I should give it a go.

Sleep duration and sleep quality plus hydration and stress all have big impacts on blood sugars- unless you can fix your chronic lack of sleep then I am not sure you’ll get your sugars back into the “ normal “ range by diet alone.

id be asking your LA to re-assess you for overnight respite care for your son given your health .

I think you’re so exhausted that you’re thinking the worst, but even if your pre diabetes progresses to actual diabetes, it can be well controlled with medication. But of course it would be better not to get diabetes in the first place.

My experience of sugar ( having not eaten at all for years) is that it certainly is addictive and if you allow it, you’ll always want it. But a tired brain does crave an energy boost. I am again trying to avoid sugar as I am edging towards pre diabetes. I understand that sugar doesn’t raise your blood sugar as much if you have it after a meal. Also, have you tried dark chocolate? 85% or 90% cocoa solids? Not much sugar in a square of that. If you can cut the sugary things a bit, gradually your taste buds will adapt and dark chocolate will become palatable. Contains caffeine so maybe don’t eat it in the evening.

Also…you know this, but please reschedule your pre diabetic review. If you’re prediabetic, you need to know what’s happening with your blood sugars.

In your OP, you write that you have funding but no actual caters to do the overnights? I wonder if we could help with some ideas on where to find someone? Have you tried melatonin at all?

My tip for snacking is at least to switch to fruit, which does have a high sugar content but comes with fibre. When I’m snacking too much on rubbish I try to switch to half-melted frozen fruit which tastes like ice cream.

Do you like nuts, OP? A few almonds will work almost as well as the sugar. They are high in protein so will keep you feeling full for longer, and are so easy for on the go.

surely pale wee is healthy?

sorry i see that has been covered

Something to try...I have used ChatGPT to give me advice on what to eat together with a diabetes testing kit off eBay (these are pin prick tests - pay about £15). I test on wake up and 1hr after meals - I record with ChatGPT what I eat, and what my levels are. It acts as a private dietitian- will give advice on what to eat, suggestions for meals and snacks, over time has recorded my levels so will produce a chart for me, tell me what foods trigger a spike in me. It has totally changed what I eat and is surprisingly motivational-tells me I'm doing well etc.

I now tend to avoid pasta rice etc even if wholemeal. Snacks are nuts, cheese, boiled egg. I've significantly brought my levels down.