Preventing diabetes

[LittleMermaidRose]

Hello, my dad has just found out that he has type 2 diabetes, after being pre-diabetic for some time. His mum and two brothers are also diabetic.

I know I'm at a high risk of developing it because of this, and because of the fact that I am obese. I am 29, 5"4 and weigh over 20 stone (1.5 stone gained since March). I will say I am quite fit, very muscular, and I have no health issues.

I need to get the weight off asap. Healthy eating and exercise are not a problem for me, however I do suffer from binge eating disorder. I am not receiving any treatment for this as I am too embarrassed to go to the doctor, although my binges are a lot less frequent. I also believe that I am addicted to sugar.

I would be so grateful if anyone could give me advice on the best food to eat / foods to avoid, so that I can have the best chance of losing weight and hopefully avoiding getting diabetes myself.
Are there any foods that will increase my chance of getting diabetes??

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

For reference, my diet mainly consists of fish, porridge, lentil soup, quorn, fruit, salad, potatoes, pasta, pizza, eggs, kidney beans, yoghurt, peas, sweet corn, rice. A lot of chocolate.

I think you need to go cold turkey on the sugar to be honest. Easier said then done when you have a sweet tooth.

You'll get lots of advice here, from the sensible to the extreme. Find a PT who can advise you on the best exercise and nutrition to help you lose weight.

Find a nutritionist and write a diary of your consumption. Not being harsh but I’m 5ft 4 and 14 stone I’ve been 16 I’m trying to keep losing. There is no chance I’ve ever been muscular at my weight I’m a ball of fat! Even in my weight lifting days I was deffo building muscle underneath but blubbered everywhere!

Actually, speak to your GP to start with. Anyone can set themselves up as a nutritionist. An eating plan developed by a dietician - they have to be properly qualified - which your doctor can provide would be better.

I think you should check with your gp but it sounds like the Blood Sugar Diet would be helpful to you.

Have you thought about hypnosis for your sugar addiction? It’s probably the main thing that needs to change.
I was diagnosed as type 2 about 3 years ago. I gave up sugar for a few months and got my blood sugar levels back to low pre diabetic. I used a hypnosis app.
I’ve got lax since then and my levels have increased slightly but still pre diabetic. I’m back to doing it again to lose some more weight and lower them.

I'm a type 2 and struggle to practise what I preach but;
You need to cut out the chocolate, apart from a tiny amount of dark chocolate. Plain unsweetened yoghurt in moderation.
You also need to remove the fast release white carbs (potatoes, pizza, rice) and replace with wholegrain carbs but not in huge quantities.
Also drink lots of water and eat plenty of protein.
Lots of the things from your list ( fish, porridge, lentil soup, quorn, salad, eggs, kidney beans, peas)are what I have been recommended to eat. Fruit is good but in limited amounts because it has a high sugar content. Berries are good!

Oh I definitely have a lot of fat! I've worded that wrong, when I said I was muscular I just meant that I have a lot of muscle, I'm really strong. But unfortunately I don't look it, I just look like a ball of fat too.

I think I could avoid most carbs.
Is it ok to have 1 bowl of pasta or a baked potato once a week?

Low carb is the way that worked for DH.
Diagnosed more than ten years ago, controlled with metformin.

Following low carb got his blood sugar low enough over a year to lower the dosage and then after another year finally convince how GP he is no longer Type 2

Have a look in the low carb boot camp here on MN. Brilliant support.

Encourage your families to join you

Good luck.

Michael Mosley Blood Sugar Diet is what you want. There's a long running support thread in here somewhere.

You can eat wholemeal pasta but avoid white pasta. Baked potatoes are not recommended, it's to do with their glycaemic index. I think new potatoes occasionally are a better option.
I would speak to your GP who will be able to give you information about what to eat and test your blood to see what stage you are at, if any.

Thank you everybody for the advice. After reading through all the comments, I think it will be easy for me to modify my diet and cut out carbs. My downfall will be chocolate, but I will try my very best.

I don't feel quite ready to go to the doctor yet, but I have ordered a few books online to read through.

Thank you for all the support! I think I can do it!