Am I on the right track to reverse prediabetes?
 

Hello all.
I recently was told I had a 6.0 A1C and that if I didn't change my diet, I would 100% develop type 2.
In the past month four weeks since I was told that, I have lost somewhere between 12-18 pounds (I have it at 12, but if I go by what my doctor's scale said, it's 18). I have eaten a lot healthier. I am now 268 pounds from what I originally had as a 280.8. My blood glucose levels have been 88,90,98 fasting. I've gotten levels of 110 and 112 one hour after eating. I've gotten levels of 106 and a 119 (corresponding respectively with the one hour ones). after two hours. I also had one random test two hours after eating where I got a 97. And then I took one more test an hour after my 119 and it was a 101. I took this test because I hadn't consumed much water, and was told this could falsely alter my results.

Basically what I'm asking is, does this show that what i'm doing is working? I'm getting really worried. I don't feel sick. I don't feel like I'm showing any symptoms except frequent urination, which could be caused by anything. But I peed about 10 times over the course of two hours today, and it was clear urine. So IDK.

You can definitely get those numbers lower. Eat less starches - bread, rice, etc. You really don't "need" them at all - same with juices or sweetened drinks. They are all pure sugar. eat a meal of your meat and the veggie and skip the rice or potatoes or bread. Just doing that will do wonders for your blood sugar levels.

Also-
My plan to lose this weight has been a plan of working out 5-6 times a week. Cardio every day except the days I do legs. Cardio sessions are 20 minutes after lifting, and 30-45 minutes on the days that are pure cardio. On top of that, I walk about 20-30 minutes every weekday simply because I go to school at a large campus.

My diet has been mostly perfect. I have allowed myself a cheat or two, but mostly i eat whole grain pasta, a little marinara, some chicken. I eat brown rice. My favorite vegetables have been (all uncooked) Broccoli, carrots, spinach, lettuce, and tomatoes. I feel like I have been doing everything right.

Thank you for your words. I will try a meal without carbs per day. I don't drink anything other than water, I haven't in about three years actually (well, except milk when I take a protein shake, which I haven't done in a while). Are the numbers really bad? IDK what an A1C of 6.0 would mean, but the eag was like a 126. Which is a higher number than I've seen since I've been testing in the past few days.

Also (last post that I think will contain information I forgot), is it possible that my 6.0 A1C was affected by my diet for the past few months. I was new to school (my school is a top five dining school) and when I was home I never cooked. I'm just wondering if maybe that A1C could have been more indicative of a few months rather than the actual condition of my body?

a1c is a marker for the last 3 months.

Yeah, that's what I was getting at. Because I had a really bad 3-4 months. And I had a blood test not long before that and nothing was said about it. IDK. I think I'm just trying to keep myself calm is all. Yet again, thank you for taking time to respond to my posts.

Sounds like you are doing all the right things... Losing weight and exercising should hopefully make a big difference... I don't have prediabetes, but I do have a family history so it's something I pay attention to... and I do track my blood sugars as part of my plan... and it's definitely led me to be much more carb conscious...

I see that you said that you sometimes eat whole wheat pasta and brown rice... have you checked postprandial numbers after? I know for me they were causing more of spike than I realized... so I've cut them out for now...

Another thing that I've have done... but it's definitely not for most people, is I've been incorporating IF (intermittent fasting) into my plan, which for me has seemed to help with lowering my fasting blood sugars... but once again, this isn't something that I would recommend until after you see what kind of results you get from diet, exercise, and losing weight... which might be all you need to do for now...

Sorry to go a little off-topic but is A1C what the blood test is called on the bloodwork? I had complete bloodwork done last week but didn't really know to comprehend it all. I know one of the tests is glucose but that might be different?

My father is a diabetic on insulin and I get so nervous that I will follow in his footsteps. I get bloodwork done every few weeks due to my medically supervised diet but I am not sure if diabetes is something they look at specifically.

I hope you find the answers that you need GethealthE, this forum is amazing with the wealth of information in our fellow members. :)

You are on a great track with the weight loss. Every 10% of your excess weight that you lose improves your odds greatly!

Exercise, exercise, exercise. It will help you to use glucose stores, and it will increase insulin sensitivity. What you are really concerned about is your cells being insulin resistant, which means it takes a huge insulin response to get glucose moved into your cells to be used as energy. It will also enhance your circulation. This is important because diabetes DESTROYS your small blood vessels. For somebody with diabetes or prediabetes, exercise should be part of your prescribed treatment plan, on an equal level with dietary changes. The two work hand in hand to make you healthier.

Lose the pasta and rice, except as a treat on rare occasions. Even the whole-grain and brown versions (respectively) are high in carbs, not good for someone concerned about diabetes. Get a referral to a nutritionist, and grill that person for information about glycemic index. The glycemic index sort of grades how quickly and drastically a food spikes your blood sugar. Low GI foods are going to be generally better for a person who is concerned about diabetes.

Make sure to eat lots of whole foods: veggies, some fruit, meats, less dairy, very few if any grains. You need a lot of good nutrition, because the irony of diabetes is that even though a Type 2 diabetic person may be heavy and has too much glucose in their bloodstream, the cells may actually be starving to death because the insulin can't get the glucose to the cells! This contributes to the fatigue and extreme hunger that some encounter.

I am so glad that you are taking this red flag as an opportunity to do something good for yourself. You are on a wonderful start. One of the difficulties you are surely dealing with is that doctors will say "Oh, this lab was off. Go fix your diet, now leave because our time is up and I have to keep my appointments on schedule." A good thing to do would be to schedule a visit with your doctor to make sure she has time to answer all of your questions. I would also ask for referrals to a nutritionist, and find out if your doc thinks an endocrinologist would be beneficial for you at this time. Call your insurance company and find out if they offer health coaches at your disposal. Many companies offer health coaches and even trainers at no additional cost, because to them an ounce of prevention is worth at least 3 pounds of cure. With some health plans you can get a discount on a gym membership. Take advantage of every resource you can find. I wish you luck in your journey.

A1c (HbA1c) is a test for glycated hemoglobin and is different from fasting blood glucose... and is used to identify the average plasma glucose concentration over a period of time... approximately 3 months... It is not normally ordered as part of "routine" lab work, although if you have had higher than normal fasting blood sugars and your doctor suspects prediabetes than it would definitely be something they would be looking at...

If it's something you are concerned about I would bring it up with your doctor to see if it's something that they should add to your next set of labs...

I think you are doing great and are on the right track. Type 2 diabetes doesn't make us feel "sick" usually. If we have symptoms, they tend to be, lethargy (like who isn't tired?), but the unusual thirst and resultant drinking and frequent peeing are a hallmark. Its what made me test, and I know I have overdone the carbs if that symptom comes up.
Exercise is also great, as it helps with the weight loss and reduces the insulin resistance.
Good luck, we are happy to support you.

First of all, you are doing great! Don't be too worried. Continue to track your blood sugar. The best way to control and lower blood sugar is to watch your carb intake. I find that keeping mine under 50 grams a day does wonders! It will also help with the weight loss. If you watch your carbs, continue to lose weight and add in exercise, you will totally get yourself out of pre-diabetes.

Let me start by saying this is my 2 cents...

I think that perhaps you should have your doctor check your A1C again in another 2-3 months that way you can set up a pattern. You are right it could have just been a one off. But by having two records you can now see what it really is. All else fails you can see if you can do a try glucose test where you have to drink the solution and they take your blood every hour to see how your body is processing it. That way you know for sure.

I too was diagnosed with pre-diabetes recently. My Dr. suggested I try a low carb diet. I've cut out all sugar, bread, pasta, and potatoes. Occasionally I will have breading on something, but not often. I mainly eat lots of veggies and protein with a little bit of dairy from time to time in the form of cheese and sour cream. Dairy tends to make me feel blah though. I snack on almonds and walnuts when I get the urge, but really its rare that I snack period. My appetite is non-existent some days since I cut carbs.

I do all the cooking at home and have two picky men to feed who won't give up their fired foods so lately I've switched to whole wheat flour for breading, although I try not to eat it like they do. Even whole wheat breads and brown rice will make your blood sugar spike as they are still starches. I would eat them occasionally if you must have them.

I go back next month for my 3 month blood tests, but so far my sugar has been in the normal ranges and I just generally feel loads better. I'm expecting good results, but who knows. I know I've dropped about 20 lbs in two months which has to help everything! I second the suggestion to go back and get another test after 3 months.