So I am Pre Diabetic

[Sparky]

My hemoglobin A1C is hitting 6.2 and 6.5 is considered diabetic. Now I sit here contemplating life changes to get this under control before it's to late.

[bnred9]

Good Luck, with that

[Teufelhund]

My wife got the same diagnosis about a year ago. Crazy thing is, she's not even remotely overweight. They put her on some medication that is supposed to regulate her insulin.

My father has been diabetic for many years; he doesn't take the insulin shots, but he has to check his blood sugar several times a day and be very careful about his diet.

You'll be fine as long as you don't ignore it. Like you said, just time to make some life changes. On the plus side, a good diet and regular exercise will make you feel a lot better overall.

[motohooligan]

Try the Paleo Diet, or at least cut wheat out of your diet for a month and see what happens.

[blacklabel]

Try the Paleo Diet, or at least cut wheat out of your diet for a month and see what happens.

Keto would help as well. Cut out bread, pasta, etc.

[JohnTRourke]

Keto would help as well. Cut out bread, pasta, etc.

keto keto keto keto

plus one bazillion (or whatever our current debt is)

has done wonders for me.

http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq

[obisean68]

Just remember, its a warning, not a death sentence. Get weight under control (if it's not), regular exercise (if you don't already), and watch the carbs. Those are basically the lifestyle changes that top the list.

[Sparky]

Just remember, its a warning, not a death sentence. Get weight under control (if it's not), regular exercise (if you don't already), and watch the carbs. Those are basically the lifestyle changes that top the list.

I need to do all those

[Jesus-With-A-.45]

Diet, exercise & you will be ok.

[Drucker]

Diet, exercise & you will be ok.

^ exercize your ass off.

[lv2tinker]

Cutting carbs & sugar, plus taking a walk around the block three or four times a day has sure helped me.
Dosen't take much effort, just commitment.

[Cman]

I got the same news from my Dr. Stopped eating all boxed food, anything made from refined flour, no more sugar and most foods that were a starch. Now I'm down to 5.2. I think this is like the Keto diet.
Good luck with whatever way you decide to go!

[Sparky]

I got the same news from my Dr. Stopped eating all boxed food, anything made from refined flour, no more sugar and most foods that were a starch. Now I'm down to 5.2. I think this is like the Keto diet.
Good luck with whatever way you decide to go!

That sounds reasonable. I was thinking along the same lines. Lean meats and lots of good veggies and I need to find someone who can tune up my bike so I can go riding.

[TheGrey]

Sparky-

being Pre Diabetic means that you can get a handle on things.
Not all veggies are created equal, so you can still overdo it with the starches.
Our household is on a diabetic diet, and as someone who LOVES carbs, it was tough for the first month but now is actually pretty doable.
Instead of buying bread, I make it with whole wheat flour and add flax seed to it.
Rinse off canned veggies before you cook them, to eliminate the sodium added to them.
Cut back on sugar. Replace it where you can with Truvia (NOT Splenda.)
Baically, try and keep your carb count per meal below 40g, and make sure you have a minimum of 15g of protein with those carbs. Pair up carbs and proteins.
Try to eat veggies with each meal.
Have you been to a dietician/nutritionist? We finally met with one last month, and it's made a world of difference in understanding what we need to do.

[Shootersfab]

Type 1 for 13 years now. I bet I can school most dietitians on carbohydrates and starches.

[TennVol]

1. Try a low carb & low glycemic index diet. Calories are important, but the number of grams of carbs/serving are more important. You might be suprised how little one serving is of some foods
2. Exercise at least three times/week. I am on my ellipitical for 35 mins at least 3 times/wk
3. Do your own research. There are some well meaning people on this board, but some of them don't know shit

After I was diagnosed w/ DMII my dietician put me on a low carb/low glycemic diet in addition to the oral meds I was prescribed. I can eat almost anything I want - I just had to eat the right foods & also cut down on my portions. I am 6' 3" and when I was diagnosed I weighed 218 lbs - not overweight at all - and there was no history of diabetes in my family. Now, four years later I weigh around 180 and my A1C is consistently below 7.

...Being diabetic is not a death sentence in an of itself. You just have to work at controlling your blood glucose levels & A1C and you'll be fine.

[Sparky]

Sparky-

being Pre Diabetic means that you can get a handle on things.
Not all veggies are created equal, so you can still overdo it with the starches.
Our household is on a diabetic diet, and as someone who LOVES carbs, it was tough for the first month but now is actually pretty doable.
Instead of buying bread, I make it with whole wheat flour and add flax seed to it.
Rinse off canned veggies before you cook them, to eliminate the sodium added to them.
Cut back on sugar. Replace it where you can with Truvia (NOT Splenda.)
Baically, try and keep your carb count per meal below 40g, and make sure you have a minimum of 15g of protein with those carbs. Pair up carbs and proteins.
Try to eat veggies with each meal.
Have you been to a dietician/nutritionist? We finally met with one last month, and it's made a world of difference in understanding what we need to do.

I have not seen a dietician yet.

[Dave]

Just remember, its a warning, not a death sentence. Get weight under control (if it's not), regular exercise (if you don't already), and watch the carbs. Those are basically the lifestyle changes that top the list.
Not in my family. You get diagnosed and you kick off before 50. Mom died at 47, her mom at 42, uncle at 49, her brother at 43, a few cousins before 50 and one made it to 51 running 5k races monthly. Only my mom was overweight and disregarded the doctors. Been type 2 for three years now and realizing I have about 10-15 years left most likely.

[Ronin13]

My mother was diagnosed as pre-diabetic last year and has dramatically changed her diet. Seeing her going through all these changes and whatnot just scares me. I'm not yet 30 and already looking at diet modification so I don't run the risk of contracting "diabeetus" (sorry, trying some humor out on this)... but holy schnike! This watching what you eat and changing your diet is a ton of work! I liked it better when I just ate whatever I want and everything is fine.

[NFATrustGuy]

I had pretty much the same experience about 15 months ago. A1c of 6.3 and fasting glucose of 117. Cut out most of the carbs, lost about 25 pounds, stopped eating after 6pm and a year later my fasting glucose was down to 83 with an A1c of 5.1. My Triglycerides went from 275 to 175 and my total cholesterol went from 225 to 100. People who say low carb doesn't work can suck it!

Be careful if you go to a dietician. Some of them are still promoting the food pyramid and a high carb, low fat diet. Following that diet will guarantee you a future of oral meds at a minimum and insulin injections at some point. I'm super anal about these kinds of things and was scared to death at the prospect of being diabetic so I read a half-dozen books on the subject. The best overall book was Dr. Bernstein's Diabetic Solution.

Hope this helps.

RWW

[TheGrey]

Be careful if you go to a dietician. Some of them are still promoting the food pyramid and a high carb, low fat diet. Following that diet will guarantee you a future of oral meds at a minimum and insulin injections at some point.
RWW

I did not realize this! When we went to speak with the dietician, the first thing out of my mouth was, "we want to get off the meds." So the dietician went over options as to how to do that.

[Kraven251]

The Burpee Diet, eat a meal and then 3 hours later due burpees until you dry heave [Beer]

Seriously though it's a tough road, but just walking 30 minutes a day will change everything. If you want to get busy with the more intense cardio go fo it, but the simple act of a well paced 30 min walk a day will make you feel better and improve your overall well being.

[Sharpienads]

My wife has type 1 diabetes. Her body attacked her pancreas when she was a young teenager and now she is on an insulin pump. Her diabetes is well controlled, but can still be a pita and sometimes can be scary.

There are things you can do to avoid getting diabetes, and you should do them. Educate yourself, eat right, and exercise. Some people don't get a choice, but you do.

[TS12000]

Girl is trying to talk me into getting tested and it freaks me the f out. Best of luck to you Sparky.

[Sparky]

Girl is trying to talk me into getting tested and it freaks me the f out. Best of luck to you Sparky.

If it is suspected you should. Don't wait until you drop in a diabetic coma

[motorep]

Kill your tv. Seriously. Buy a treadmill and put it in front of your television and only watch while you're using the treadmill. Find a good doc who's a diabetic specialist, do not deal with a GP unless he/she is actually a diabetic. I've been a diabetic since 1968, longer than most of you have been alive. You need to make it the second most important thing in your life, after your family.

[Big Wall]

Cut out sugar and loose weight. It worked for me.

[NFATrustGuy]

...since 1968, longer than most of you have been alive.

OH... Now that part HURTS. Am I really the OLD guy at 44 years old?

Tough crowd.

[20X11]

My hemoglobin A1C is hitting 6.2 and 6.5 is considered diabetic. Now I sit here contemplating life changes to get this under control before it's to late.

I went through a pre-diabetic study at university of CO...bicycle saved my ass...get on and ride my friend

[JackRyan]

Im type 2. It would do you alot of good by making changes to your diet NOW. You don't want to become a full blown diabetic. Try to cut out soda, sugars and starches. Anything flour or corn, will help alot. Its hard to change, but you might just turn it around in time.

good Luck

[motorep]

OH... Now that part HURTS. Am I really the OLD guy at 44 years old?

Tough crowd.

Nope, I was 20 at the time.