[Kimmers]

I am a 42-year-old SAHM. My BMI is 39.1
I have not been diagnosed with Diabetes and I don't have health insurance at this time. I have had a series of hints or clues in the last 4 years (a blood test FBS reading of 101 in 2007, failing the 1-hour glucose challenge while pregnant in 2008, a dramatic difference in how I feel when I go too long without food) that have made me concerned. I have an aunt who is diabetic and I was always pestering her with questions, but I don't think she understands it well enough to help me.
Anyway, I was visiting her last weekend so I used her meter first thing in the morning and got a reading of 109. I bought a meter last night and followed the the instructions on the page titled "Am I Diabetic? How to Test Your Blood Sugar To Find Out" over at Blood Sugar 101. My FBS this morning was 104. I ate 72g of carbs and an hour later my result was 168. 2 hours later it was 161. 3 hours later it was 89.
I have a lot to learn and a lot of changes to make, so I'm glad to be here!

 

[beefy]

If you were still 161 two hours later... I have bad news for you. It's called pre-diabetes. You basically failed a two hour OGGT.

If you don't have health insurance the BEST advice I can offer is to switch to a LCHF (Low-Carb, High-Fat) diet and start some moderate exercise.

... and :welcome: to the forum!

 

[Kimmers]

Thanks for the welcome, beefy!

Pre-diabetes. I am not surprised, but I am sad and I do feel overwhelmed.

As far as diet, I've experimented with several LCHF diets in the past, but I only lasted a week or two. Should I be aiming for a certain percentage of carbs or just eat all the veggies I want?

As far as exercise, I enjoy walking on a treadmill. I'll just aim for 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week for right now.

 

[Kimmers]

I just found your guide to weigh loss, Beefy! Please disregard my questions : )

 

[jwags]

Welcome to DF. Your fasting bgs are definitely in the pre- D range. But they can escalate very quickly into full diabetic range if not controlled. Since you say you have a high BMI, the best thing you could do is to try to get into shape. The best way to do that is LC/HF diet and exercise. We all have different levels of carbs we can handle. I keep mine between 10-15 per meal. That way I rarely spike over 115-120. The main part of my meal is protein and fat and carbs from veggies, seeds, nuts, etc. The foods I have banished from my diet are wheat, cereal, fruit, sugar, flour, pasta, rice, potatoes and corn. Pretty much everything else is allowed. I tend to eat 2-3 oz of protein at each meal which is about 14-21 grams of protein. I also eat about 20 -25 grams of fat at each meal which is a couple of tablespoons of butter or coconut oil or a few Tablespoons of peanut butter. For me the fat helps me to keep my bg stable and it allows me to burn fat for energy. I keep my carbs fairly low.

 

[beefy]

Thanks for the welcome, beefy!

You're welcome!

Pre-diabetes. I am not surprised, but I am sad and I do feel overwhelmed.

That happens to most all of us... The key is realizing you can still lead a healthy life. Fix it now, and keep it under control and everything should be fine.

Many people think diabetes is a deteriorating disease, and it's NOT, if you reduce carbs, keep your weight where it needs to be, and exercise.

As far as exercise, I enjoy walking on a treadmill. I'll just aim for 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week for right now.

That's awesome. If you find the treadmill is not helping weight loss, keep it at 45-60 minutes but reduce to 3 days a week. For some people, daily exercise can cause physical stress, which releases the hormone cortisol and screws up our weight loss efforts. I should add that to my guide.

Also of note, if you have insulin-resistance (and you likely are, somewhat) then maybe substitute weight/resistance training once or even twice a week instead of the treadmill. Weight Training has been shown the most-effective exercise for insulin-resistance.

Good luck!

 

[marti]

Welcome aboard i am Martina from Burnaby BC Canada i am a type 2 for 6 years and i am on lantus insulin twice a day