Recently learned that I'm pre-diabetic and I'm worried

[prediabetic]

I am in my early 30s and recent blood tests showed that my HbA1c is 44. Anything between 42 and 48 is considered to be pre-diabetic according to the NHS guidelines. My only symptom has been increased thirst, which I understand is a classic symptom of diabetes. I am also slightly overweight. I understand that I have the options to either attempt to lower it myself with lifestyle changes, or take medication. I would like to try Metformin, but for some reason my GP won't prescribe it until I'm "fully diabetic". I personally would prefer to get on it as soon as possible, and I'm looking at trying to get it privately if they won't prescribe it. I'm also looking into dietary changes. It seems that anything at all with sugar in it should be avoided, as well as carbohydrates. I typically only drink tea with sweeteners or Diet Coke.

I'm curious if anyone has been able to get their HbA1c down without taking metformin. What do you typically eat and drink? I'm honestly not sure how I'm going to get it down on my own without starving myself, which I don't really want to do.

Yes, from 47 to 35 with diet alone. My mum, mid 60s, high BMI. We were all very worried but she did it with diet alone (low carbing). And we had met it stable.

It is possible Micheal Mosely has written about it extensively

https://thebloodsugardiet.com/michaels-story/

Oh and definitely doesn't starve herself! Just eats the same as before but replaced the carbs with more protein and extra portions of low carb veg or simple salads. Lots of diet plans on the two big diabetes websites.

very typical diet, nothing fancy at all. Sunday roast with cauli cheese and broccoli. Fry up. Mushroom omelette. Veg loaded frittata. Snacking on low carb nuts. Takeaway without the rice. Sausage casserole.

DH went from 47 to 42 and is still going down just by cutting out most sugar and fat and moving to whole-wheat rice/pasta/bread (when he had carbs at all, which he only does occasionally as they raise blood sugar). It's made him lose weight, he's no longer overweight and as his BMI falls so do his blood sugar levels.

Good luck🙂

i Would very much try and do it with diet before opting for medication: you aren’t diabetic yet and diabetes even type two can be complex and difficult to manage for some people.

Diabetes U.K. has lots of meal plans for different situations, including pre diabetes .
you really don’t want to go on metformin if you don’t have to. A member of my
family went from mid forties
to early thirties by diet.

You're young to be pre diabetic

You can sort it out

You'll need to overhaul you're eating habits but that should be ok

And obviously move more by going for walks

It's too early to be taking medication

It's easy to sort out

You're young you can do it

I’m not prediabetic but take medication that puts me at risk of that so I eat in a way that keeps my blood sugars on an even keel as much as possible. I eat low carb (no sugar, pasta, potatoes, rice etc) and make sure I have a decent amount of fat as that keeps me feeling full without loading up on carbs.

Why would you want to go on medication if you can avoid it?
My dh reduced his numbers which were really high and he'd started showing other signs too. He did it fairly quickly just by doing a low carb diet for a few weeks.
He ate omelettes for late breakfast so he had some fasting time, protein and veg for other meals with things like coconut naan breads and Coconut porridge when he fancied bread and porridge.

Take a look at Jason Fung on youtube, he is pretty staightforward about this.

%3D

Diet change can reverse it. 3 of my family members have done it and at much older than you. You basically have to cut carbs but there are lots of alternatives you can eat to replace pasta/pizza/rice if you eat a lot of those things.

My husband’s hba1c was 60 and he turned it around in 12 weeks. He’s been in diabetic remission 3 years just with weight loss and low carb diet. The Gino Caldesi cookbooks are very helpful in explaining in a straightforward way what to eat. Jason Fung’s book the Diabetes Code also very good. It’s a positive that you got an early warning before too much damage is done.

Change your diet, as your general health will also benefit and it will improve the way you feel. 😊 Any prescription drug can bring side effects, it is not the magic bullet that tends to be presented. My recommendation is to take a good vitamin and mineral supplement too. Although it might not feel like it, it’s actually a gift that you’ve found out early on that you need to make changes. Good luck.

My husband went from a reading of 52 down to 38 by diet, stopping sweets entirely sticking to three meals a day upping protein and veg and cutting carbs lost 3stone to get normal BMI

Would second Caldesi book too

My husband had a result of 45 in August and has now got it down to 38 following the Mediterranean diet and has lost 11kg as well. He has never felt hungry but has cut out most sugar, he still has treats every so often but he feels so much better.

Two of my family members have done really well on diet. One has gone from prediabetic to normal range, one was diagnosed as diabetic but has got the medication right down to minimum through diet.

Basically you need to eat low carb. Lots of protein, a good amount of fat (especially as you’re already underweight). Avoid the overly sugary fruits. There’s a visual book called Carb and Calorie Counter which my husband found helpful to get his head around carb values at the beginning.

What you could consider doing privately is checking your blood sugars with a finger prick test. That way you can track across the day and see what you react to - not everyone is the same. My husband for example cannot have milk now, it shoots his blood sugar right up. So he has almond milk.

I would really try diet first. If you start medication now you’ll have to be on it for the rest of your life.

Definitely try diet first. I am just below pre-diabetic range and have a blood test to check every year as I had Gestational Diabetes and this puts me at higher risk of developing type 2. Metformin causes side effects in a lot of people so it's far better to do it via diet rather than having to medicate. I had to take it whilst pregnant.

As I had to monitor blood sugar levels during pregnancy I now have a pretty good idea what will cause 'spikes'. There are some dietary adjustments needed - potatoes, pasta, rice and bread all make it spike, as do things like orange juice. But there are substitutes, sweet potatoes instead of potatoes, for instance. So I increased amounts of protein, fat. Going for a walk after every meal also helped.

I was diagnosed last summer with a HbA1c of 42.5

My GP signed me up on the Second Nature diet - it's an app. And it's free.
You get one to one access to a dietitian, You look at why you eat, what to eat etc.

I have lost over a stone since the beginning of September .

I had a repeat blood test the other day so looking forward to seeing the results

Second nature is not normally free but only if your doctor puts you on it.

My dad did it through diet alone in his 60s. He wasn't overweight but did not have a very good diet- desk job, lots of carbs, not enough exercise.

Metformin is a horrible drug to wean onto IME. Diet would be preferred option every time until I had no choice.

Your GP is correct to not prescribe it yet.

Some great advice and anecdotes here. Good luck!

You’re not diabetic. That’s why they won’t give you diabetes medication, because you don’t have diabetes. You are at risk of developing it in the future, that’s all. You can prevent that with diet and lifestyle changes. I’d hazard a guess that you’re probably overweight and don’t exercise? That’s what they’re telling you to rectify.

You are fortunate to have this opportunity to work on your health and prevent the development of diabetes
Why on earth would you want to opt for medication rather than make the necessary lifestyle changes?