Preventing Diabetes

[LittleMermaidRose]

(have also posted in the diabetes chat, posting here for traffic)
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.

Is the pasta white?
Simple carbs aren’t great for your weight / diabetics so potatoes, pasta, pizza and lots of chocolate aren’t great. Swapping to wholemeal pasta, cutting out pizza and sticking to correct portion sizes by weighing & measuring portions correctly would also help. Eating simple carbs can also trigger sugar cravings so by cutting them out, increasing lean protein, you may find you no longer crave them.
There’s a bit on this link if you scroll down to the ‘tune up your diet’ bit it gives you a bit of info.
www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/disease-prevention/diabetes-prevention/preventing-diabetes-full-story/
You could even follow the diet advice for diabetics on the diabetes U.K. website, I’m sure your dad would be happy to have the moral support & it could also help with your weight loss and a better diet could help prevent you getting diabetes.

www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/what-is-a-healthy-balanced-diet

Simple carbs =sugar cravings
www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/choosing-healthy-carbs.htm

I'm type 2 diabetic, and it took me a while to learn that it wasn't just sugar I needed to kick out of my diet, it was the amount of carbs I ate! I can't be arsed with very low carb, it's too strict but I do try and follow a more moderate carb intake. It's quite simple to follow - I eat seeded wholemeal bread for breakfast with peanut butter; soup or a nice salad for lunch and dinner is a veggie casserole/curry with lots of veg. I also do a lot of walking. My Dad and grandmother were both T2 diabetics, and both ended up as insulin dependent which I'm working hard to try and avoid........ so far Metformin seems to be working well.

www.diabetes.co.uk is a really good source of info.

Have a look at the Low Carb Bootcamp thread. There will be a new bootcamp starting next Monday. The sign up thread is here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/low_carb_bootcamp/4121273-2021-Low-Carb-Bootcamp-easing-ourselves-back-in

It's low carb and medium protein and high fat which is great for those of us that are prone to diabetes. I lost a stone in 8 weeks (I had an operation so skipped the last two weeks). The first couple of weeks were a bit difficult - but nothing major - weeks 3+ were fine and by week 5 I was rarely hungry which I found weird, but could just be how people who don't have issues with carbohydrates feel! They're a friendly bunch. It's worth giving it a go.

Diabetes runs in my family too, so I share your concerns... I’ve watched my mum get rid of her diabetes meds after losing 20 pounds and has controlled it for a decade through healthy diet and walking so it’s totally doable

I’ve read a bit on the topic relating to plant based diets (eg China Study, Neil Barnard/Joel Fuhrman/Micheal Greger). You might find what they say about simple carbs interesting regardless of if you have any interest in vegan/plan to based diets

Your diet sounds generally ok (well, apart from lots of chocolate). as @SilentlyLaughing lists, what to watch is the pizza (could you just have if you go out & share/have a smaller serving?) , pasta (there are healthier pastas, and you could reduce the serving and bulk out meal with veg), swap white rice for brown or eg cauliflower rice

To reduce the blood sugar impact, your meals should have fat and protein as well as carbs. I have a diabetic friend and he needs to avoid simple sugar esp juice, soft drinks as without fat these cause spikes

Lastly, I’m not a healthcare professional, but as you have said you have had binge eating, I think you should take it gradually and not try to drastically cut out all your favourite foods as this will increase likelihood of binging...including them in moderate amounts might be a better idea. If you feel ready to seek help for that issue I’m sure it would be a good idea - doctors, dieticians, counsellors etc are there to help, not to judge

Diabetes type 2 is caused by excess fat in liver which overspills to the pancreas making it less able to produce the insulin necessary to manage the blood sugars.

In other word, it is a fatty pancreas that is the cause of diabetes. Lose the fat in the pancreas, you will lose the diabetes because your pancreas will function as it should.

To lose the pancreatic fat you need to lose the weight. Period.

And I disagree with previous poster, your diet 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. is not healthy.
Where are the greens? the reds, the orange, your only vegetables are sweet tasting ones. Sweetcorn (in a can) is engineered for its sweet taste and not to be considered a vegetable. A tomato, a cucumber, carrot, celery, lettuce, radicchio, spinach.
Quorn is processed food, and you don't specify if the fish is fresh or fried from frozen packets.

Be honest with yourself, you are obese, not fit, not muscular.
Buy and cook fresh. Eliminate the chocolate, the pizza, and all the processed crap.
Clean your cupboards, all the unopened cans and packets can go to a food bank and on the way back, stop at a grocers market and buy onion, zucchini to make a stew with those beans.

Own your health. What to avoid. Easy:

• no added sugar in any packet, can, jar, bread, if sugar is listed on the ingredient list, leave on the shelf....
• no refined grains so no white bread, white rice, white flour (listed a wheat flour) on package
• no processed oil so no chips, crisps, snacks, ....

You are so young. You still have your life to live.
Go to your GP, head high, and just open with:

" I want to fix my weight, can you help me. I need your help, because when I have tried alone, I end up binging"

He/She won't lecture you, but will give your all the resources they can to help you.

You have created habits you need to break.
Make it a house rule nobody eats in front of TV. Only at dining/kitchen table, without any screens, magazine, phone, ....NO eating in the car, no food in handbag, no eating while walking

When you eat, it is the only thing you do.

You can't resist a piece of chocolate? Grab a plate. sit down and eat the chocolate at the table.
Ditch the sugary milk chocolate and buy 70% minimum dark chocolate. You will eat a lot less of it.

1. Book the GP
2. Clean your pantry
3. Hit the fresh food at the supermarket.
4. New eating seated rules.

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!