some spaghetti squash ideas
 

Brucernelson, here are some ideas for spaghetti squash. I particularly like the spaghetti sauce one.

spaghetti squash | Skinnytaste

Wow.....those look like some great dishes! Thanks for sharing on here, CFrance.

I like your way of thinking. My son is a physician and he says everyone is either diabetic or pre diabetic . If you have it, you’re diabetic. If you don’t, you’re pre diabetic. LOL

Thanks CFrance. Cant wait to try those!
And you are making me go to bed hungry.

:agree: As I understand it as we age we all trend toward becoming diabetic. Of course some groups are more genetically inclined toward diabetes so must deal with it earlier in life.

Oops! Sorry!

If you decide to do make some changes in diet that is a pretty good site with some interesting ideas.

Please name the product that helped you.
 

Please name the product. Thank you.

Weight Watchers fudge bars are almost the same in calories as Fudgsicle. The only advantage is that the box tells you how to count the WW fudge bars.

Prediabetes....hmmmm.....I am told that having prediabetes is like being prepregnant......either you are or you are not.

Who reset A1c
 

What is the official position of the American Medical Association ( AMA ) on a1c diabetic levels.

It was a 7.0 for two times within a six month period. When did it become 6.4 the 1st time indicated and is this the position of the AMA ?

Consumer Reports
 

November 2017 Issue of Consumer Reports had a great article on healthier eating. On page 21 of that issue there is information regarding a report published in the JAMA Internal Magazine revealing that in the 1960s scientific research - was released secretly bank rolled by the sugar industry - that downplayed the effect of a sugar laden diet.

This is the link to the article: Eat Smarter, Eat Healthier - Consumer Reports

If you are losing, your chances are good to lower your A1C, though there are no guarantees. As I am sure your doctor told you, avoiding high carb foods (with the exception of fruit) is key. So avoiding bread, pasta, corn, sugar, etc. It takes two readings in a row of 6.4 or greater on your A1C to be classified as diabetic. Your fasting blood sugar does matter, as well, and I think it might make sense to request a blood sugar test after consuming glucose - they do it two hours afterwards. I'm not a doctor, so confirm this with your doctor. I do volunteer work in 3rd world countries and one of the doctors I work with is a diabetes specialist - I have learned things from her. Ask your own doctor about anything I say, of course. I'm so happy to hear about your success because you do not want diabetes. It is worth what you need to go through to avoid it. One word of caution: my doctor here in the villages was not willing to follow the advice on frequency of A1C blood testing. I received a 6.3 and on my village health insurance portal, I could see that the lab advised my doctor to test again every 4 months. He just said "we'll test again in a year". I changed doctors, because testing once a year is not standard for prediabetics. So read your health portal results in full and have a serious talk with your doctor about why he or she might want to vary from the recommendations on the report. I believe sometimes doctors order too many tests (to prevent law suits) and sometimes they order too few (to be rated as a "cost efficient doctor"). I am sure they order the proper amount quite often, but you should check various sources on what tests you should have and how often they should happen. Btw, studies show curcumin at 1 gram per day is even more effective than metformin in helping prediabetics avoid diabetes. You can google these studies. Most doctors won't give a prediabetic metformin, but some will. You can ask your doctor what he or she things about this medication, but obviously, if diet and exercise suffice for you, you would not want this. But...curcumin does not need a prescription - it is a natural substance from food. If you decide to use it, be sure to get curcumin and not just tumeric . Curcumin is a natural substance in tumeric, but the studies are about curcumin (already taken out of the tumeric). It is not a miracle cure, so please continue a good diet and exercise if you take it. I believe it helps only some, so lifestyle change needs to take place, which I can see you are doing. Best wishes.

Congratulations 🎉
 

I have been a diabetic on insulin for over 46 years. I was glad to read your email and even more happy for your motivation to change your lifestyle and lose weight. Many pre-diabetics change the outcome of their future by not only doing what you are doing but by sticking to the new lifestyle. Believe me when I say, “ Don’t give up!” Fitting in, going back to your former food/drink choices because your A1C results don’t immediately change can be tempting. If you stick to your plan, you will be blessing your heart and joints and back. That alone is worth the trouble!

Thanks for the encouraging words!

Second test was 5.8. Maybe I’m being a little unrealistic but after cutting way back on carbs, losing 30 pounds and doing a lot of walking, I was hoping for a more normal non-prediabetic reading.
But then again it was just about three months from my first reading to my second and I was eating the wrong stuff for a lifetime. Just wondering what other people experiences were in getting A1C improvements and how long it took.

Losing weight is great but sometimes medications work to keep us healthier. Especially blood pressure medication and statins.

I have been a type 2 diabetic for 12 years.

Think in terms of a lifestyle change in eating habits but not a diet. Diets don't work in the long run. IMHO
It's much better to eat several small meals than a big one. To eat just enough to get you to the next snack/meal. It's all about portion control.

Exercise is a very important ingredient in controlling your A1C. The A1C test is measured over a three month period and doesn't rely on just one meal. Obviously, if you keep eating too much over that three month period, it will spike the A1C reading. On the other hand, if you get crazy and cut back too much, that is a danger also. It is a balancing act.

There are so many things to know about food choices so it's best to educate yourself in that regard. Every case of diabetes is personal so you have to figure out what works for you.

Several hints are:
1. Eat slower as it takes your brain about an half an hour to tell your body that you are full.
2. Use 9" plates instead of 12" plates.
3. Don't miss breakfast as it jumpstarts your metabolism.
4, Don't miss meals as you might get over hungry and tend to eat much more than you need to.

My niece was a very overweight child and she got a book from a doctor.The psychological aspect of eating is that some people overeat because when they are a child, their mothers put a certain amount of food on a plate, so one gets conditioned to think that much food is needed to fill oneself up when in reality, it's not.

Be gentle with yourself as most diabetics cheat once in awhile. Over time you will learn how much you need to eat to keep your A1C in the proper range.

Never forget, the best exercise is pushaways from the dinner table. LOL but true!!!

Dropping processed foods will help your cause, unfortunately that means eating out should be next on changing your life style. Walking is a good base exercise not only to lower your weight, but good heart health.

Thanks for the replies. I’ve done just about everything that’s recommended to reverse prediabetes. I’ve stuck to my new eating habits, even at restaurants, and exercised and lost 15% of my body weight. As someone else mentioned, the improved readings don’t always happen quickly. Hopefully my next A1C test will show continued improvement.

First test 6.1
Second test 5.8
Third (Walgreens Home test) 5.6

Definitely going in the right direction without medication.
It can be done if anyone is in a situation similar to mine. Cut way back on carbs. Actually trying to gain a few pounds now.

Nice work! Always good to hear these kinds of success stories which can be a real inspiration to others. :thumbup:

No one on a plant based diet has type II diabetes

Way to go Cousin Brucey. GE and another guy dbussone and another guy 2BNTV convinced me to go with The Villages Doctor.
I have attended the Lifestyle Class 5 times. It took until the 4th time to have all the suggestions my Dr makes sink in. Since that time I have lost almost 70 lbs. and feel great. I still have a biscuit or two to go to reach a better weigh. I'm on the correct track and am unstoppable. It feels so good to be doing this for me and my wife. I make an occasional mistake but don't dwell and get back to business quickly. Not having all the stress of back north has helped. Dr. Melidona and his staff are the best and I'm lucky to have them. A+++++

You mentioned Pizza and Chinese. Your lifelong love of both will solve itself easily in Florida. It's a surprise how but you'll see. :mmmm:

Likewise congrats Cousin Nucky! Have you lost your weight primarily through cutting way back on carbs? I’ve lost about 35 pounds which is about 5 pounds too much. I’ve found that gaining weight is not easy by increasing food intake if that intake is low carb.

Why will my lifelong love of pizza and Chinese be solved in Florida? Would that have anything to do with pizza and Chinese not being so good in Florida?

My best advice, aside from losing weight, is to buy a glucometer. Walmart has some for $10. No prescription is required and the test strips may be available at no charge through your insurance (with a prescription).

Everyone's metabolism is different. A food plan that works for one person may not work for you. It's easy to eat and test your glucose to see exactly how your own body responds.

I'd also recommend paying attention to and testing your reaction to sugar alcohols and so-called "net carbs." Personally, maltitol raises my blood sugar just the same as cane sugar.

Yes, Sir, you have to come to that conclusion on your own. Maybe you will like Cardboard with Ketchup. Yuck. Just kidding.

I eat 6 or 7 times a day, 2 Lean & Green meals and the other times are snack like foods in reasonable amounts. The weight fly's off dependant on how much water I drink. We bought 14 cases of Aquafina for June. So 32 X 14 = 448 bottles in 30 days is 15 bottles a day. No Problem. Most important is 5 bottles done by 9 AM. Mrs. Nucky has 2 or 3 of the 15 bottles. Its a lot and I have had sparks flying off the zipper but no forest fire yet. Go back and read the post by GE. He's on the money and I'm a huuugghhh fan of his. (But Shrinking). :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Glad you are getting settled in you ask fantastic questions. Take Care.

I just reread golfing eagles post and he really does make some great, common-sense points.
A recent post recommends a plant-based diet which confuses me. Meat doesn’t appreciably increase blood sugar but grains and starches do. Why would a plant based diet mean no diabetes then?
Also Nucky you mention your water consumption and I don’t drink a lot of water. That’s probably something I need to do. The water you drink doesn’t include salt, does it?

You might find it useful to watch the documentary "The Magic Pill" that you can find on Netflix or an Amazon download. Also, do some reading or listen to youtube videos by Dr Jason Fung. Sounds like you are doing great! Keep it up.

Thanks lanabanana73. I will look into that stuff.

Any food high in saturated fats may contribute to worsening symptoms of type 2 diabetes.

Many studies have shown that red meat and processed meat like bacon and ham are all high in saturated fats that may raise your blood sugar levels. Moreover, too much protein can also raise your insulin levels.

Just google plant based & diabetes,

I have several friends that changed very quickly from having this issue.

It works, but some prefer drugs and enjoy eating more than living a longer drug free life


All about choices


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