Glucose Intolerance-Pre Diabeties

I had some blood work done in March 07 and it came back that my fasting sugar levels are at 102. My GP said that I am glucose intolerant. She said this can be a pre-cursor for diabetis and suggested a reduced carb diet...not low carb. I have to go back in October to get another test to see if it is working.

Ok so to my question.....Has anyone else been able to lower there fasting blood sugar levels by eating lower in carbs? I am trying to keep my carbs between 40-45 % of my diet. Some of the carbs I eat are fruits, veggies, brown rice, whole wheat pasta (very little amounts) whole wheat bread (occasionally) etc.

Let me know what you are doing to combat this issue and if you have any suggestions. I know weight loss is a big one, so far I have lost 67 lbs.

I have Type 2 diabetes and your fasting blood sugar is only one snapshot of where you are.  102 is just over the line for prediabetes so you should be able to get it back below 100 with weight loss and exercise.

Reduced carb diet for most of us means 130-170 grams of carbs per day.  My average since March has been 170 per day... broken up into 25 for breakfast, 45 for lunch, 60 for dinner, and 2 snacks of 20g each.  Most dieticians recommend we start with 3 meals of 45g and 3 snacks of 15-20 g.  Through testing, I've learned I can't handle carbs in the morning but can for dinner.  Since you're probably not testing, the standard recommendation would probably work well for you.

You're making great food choices, be careful of serving sizes.  They're usually smaller - 1/3 cup of brown rice isntead of 1/2 cup.

Exercise is really important with insulin resistance.  (most type 2 diabetics have this issue)  30 min a day seems to be the threshold we need to reach - it doesn't have to be 30 min all at once, for blood sugar control 3 ten minutes sessions or 2 fifteen minute sessions give the same benefits as 1 thirty minute session.

If your insurance will pay for it, ask the doctor to refer you to a diabetes education class.  You'll learn about the disease, what you need to do to prevent it, and in most cases meet with a registered dietician who will help you with a meal plan.

One book I would recommend is by Gretchen Becker called Prediabetes:  What you need to know to keep diabetes away

Lisa

Hey thanks lisa.  I really appreciate the advice.  I will start only eating 1/3 cup of brown rice instead of 1/2 cup and make sure that I am moving at least 30 minutes each day.  I had been doing more like 1 hour 3 x a week.  My carbs have been averaging around 150g per day so that is good news.  I will check out that book!

I just had my appointment with the diabetes educator this morning and all the information she gave me was included in the book.  The best part about it is that it recommends making changes slowly and being sure you can live with them.

Congratulations on the weight loss.  I'm at pretty much the same point 71lbs, and it's definitely the time that I'm needing to hear good things.

Lisa

Hi All,

I have glucose intolerance also. Another name is Insulin Resistance.  I was diagnosed over a year ago and I am just starting to get my diet down pat. Have stayed on a good diet for just over a month now. All my changes have been slow ones.

Here is what I have learned. Anyone with this condition cannot tolerate simple sugars or carbs like white sugar, white flour, white rice, etc. Our cells in our blood resists the insulin and our pancreas produces more insulin to try and metabolize the sugars in our blood. Normally when the insulin metabolizes the sugars, it sends it to our muscles to use as energy. Because we cannot metabolize the sugar in our blood, the brain will send the sugar to our liver. The liver turns it into fat and stores it in the body. We end up with too much insulin in the blood, we feel hungry with no energy and crave more carbs to fuel the body. Eventually, if the demands on the pancreas to produce more insulin continues, it will soon stop producing. This is also called a pre diabetic state. If you have anyone in your family with Diabetes II, and you are overweight, chances are, you are insulin resistance.

I am now on a strict diet. I eat 5-6 servings of grains with over 50% being whole grains, 6-7 fruits and veggies, 2 servings of protein (beans, fish or lean meat), 3 servings of low fat milk or alternatives and no more than 3 servings of fat a day. I make sure I have my 3 meals a day with 3 to 4 food groups in each meal. The balance seems to help the blood sugars and I can go for hours without feeling the need for a snack.

I can't believe the difference. I use to be hungry all day long and I never had energy. I now have lots of energy. I feel great and I am losing weight.

Now it is hard to stick to it sometimes as there are always the wrong kind of food around. I was at a meeting yesterday and they had these double chocolate chip chocolate muffins. I decided to have just one half, thinking I would count the calories when I got home.  Well, believe it or not, just one half threw my whole system out of whack. I felt drained of energy and hungry for the rest of the day. Couldn't stop feeling hungry... but I did snack on healthy foods hoping to get my system back to feeling good again.... and I kept the total calories for the day around 1600. 

Anyway, got up this morning and there was an extra lb on the scales.  I have been sticking to a 1600 calorie diet and have been steadily losing. I will stay on a plateau for a couple of days, then see a half a pound gone. Could it be from that half a muffin throwing off my blood sugars?

Well, I hate the way my body felt yesterday and that is enough encouragement to get back on track today. I love the energy I feel when I eat properly. Lost 20 lbs in one year and when I started to count calories (about a month ago) lost another 8 lbs... well it was 8 lbs... now 7 lbs.

I don't feel guilty, though. Just chalking this up as another learning experience. I am just glad I know what is wrong with me now so I can deal with it. Am learning more and more everyday about this condition. Was reading yesterday about the Glycemic Index in our foods. I am counting calories right now and will continue to do so, but thought I might educate myself on the carbs that do not effect the blood glucose levels as much. Anyone else been into this?

I am looking forward to hearing about how others are dealing with the condition.

Karen

About exercise. I have been going for 2 - 30 minutes walks a day. I also have been going to classes on managing my condition. They advise 60 minutes of normal walking a day or 30 minutes of power walking. Everyone is different, though. Consulting with your doctor is very important before starting any increase in exercise.

My aunt has Type II Diabetis and she went on a low carb (I know, not the same as you, but it's anecdotal), and they ended up cutting back her medicine and everything.

I'm 95% certain I have IR (I see a specialist Wednesday!!!) and so I've been following a lower carb diet - I eat a whole grain hot cereal in the morning with an egg, a fruit or veggie with a cheese stick or dip for a snack, a big bowl of greens with a lean protein and a light dressing for lunch, another snack as listed above, and then my dinner is usually a lean protein with a bunch of veggies and about 3-4 times a week a starchy something - brown rice, peas, sweet potato, whole wheat bread, beans. I've not been having much luck in the weight loss category. In fact, for two years I've been struggling to even maintain. I'm hoping my doctor can provide answers. BUT, I feel better when I eat this way. I had some honey whole wheat bread and popcorn for lunch one day and I was starving, emotional, and had a huge headache the rest of the day. It was just too much carb for me. If I eat sugars now I notice I get a buzz and then feel tired and want to eat more carbs.

 You actually need a certain amount of carbs everyday for fuel. It is the type of carbs we eat that is bad for us. We need more complex carbs rather than simple ones. Complex carbs are usually in their natural state where most simple ones have been processed. Simple carbs raise the blood sugar very fast where complex carbs take time to metabolize and keeps our blood sugar level at an even level.

I have insulin resistance too.... also called glucose intolerance. I am only aloud 2 servings of protien a day. One serving of meat being 2-1/2 oz or 3/4 cup beans, lentils, etc. I have been told to make more servings with meat alternatives rather than meat. The rest of the diet is made up of complex carbs, veggies, fruits and grains with about 3 servings of milk or alternatives a day. They say that yogurt is easier to metabolize than a glass of milk if you are concerned about the carbs in milk.

If I stick to this diet, I lose steadily without feeling weak, hungry or tired. So we need those carbs for fuel... you just have to choose the right ones.