Diabetes

[Dinahmite]

I have been pre diabetic for years. With careful management it has stayed at 42. Now, since PMR & Pred from November2023, it's jumped to 46... despite huge cuts in anything sweet and also cutting most carbs. 48 is consistent with diabetes. Has anyone done the Michael Mosely diet? I know nothing about it nor which book of his is easiest to follow. Thank you. This result is disheartening.

[Positive__]

Hi, I am so sorry your diabetes marker has gone up. I haven't done Dr Moseley's diet but I did manage to get step back from the brink of diabetes through diet change. My HbA1c marker was 47 (top of prediabetic range) taken on the day I started on 15mg Prednisolone (so before the pred effect).

After drastic diet change and on 20mg Prednisolone by then it was 38 (in the normal range) 3 months later.

I was really pleased with this because I didn't know if it was possible since my mum had diabetes so I though it was possibly inevitable even without the spanner of Pred being thrown in.

So I just wanted to sayI'm sure you can effect a change through diet. My understanding is that Prednisolone means your body can't process carbs properly so best to cut them right down.

Good luck - you can do thus. 🍀🙂

[Dinahmite in reply to Positive__]

Thank you. What was your diet change. I've already changed mine a lot. Doc says more exercise.

[Positive__ in reply to Dinahmite]

I was really scared of diabetes and keen to eat healthily/anti inflammatory in case it helps with the PMR too. Also I have osteoporosis so wanted to keep calcium high.Also I was really worried about putting weight on with Prednisolone).

So I switched to absolutely no refined carbs and actually only eat complex ones occasionally.

I've embraced cauliflower/broccoli rice and just have extra veg/salad instead of potatoes/bread.

I have a dessert spoon of oats each morning for breakfast. I read that overnight oats mean you get more nutrients. So I make up bowls and put in the fridge so they soak at least overnight with the oats, about 2-3 dessert spoons of yoghurt/kefir, some sort of seeds (raw hemp seed hearts or ground flaxseeds mix), one portion of fruit (e.g. small apple or nectarine or orange or small handful or berries) and either nuts or nut butter. I also add ground cinnamon/ginger/cloves to increase the number of plant to help microbiome.

I broadly do Mediterranean diet but without the bread/potato.

I only have chicken once a week and have fish all the other evening meals. Occasionally we swap the chicken for pork. Lamb or duck.

A wide variety of vegetables, at least half a plate full and a good serving of protein with every meal.

Plus olive oil on all salads (I read it help you get more nutrients from the leaves).

I have 2 pints of full fat milk each week and lots of cheese.

I've lost weight and am now in healthy BMI range. I don't eat anything I don't like. 😂

So I eat all vegetables including all root ones and peas/sweetcorn/tomatoes etc. and I also eats beans, lentils, hummus etc. Which all have carbs.

I try to avoid all the synthetic Ultra processed foods.

Good luck with any changes you decide to make. Even a single small change can help. Good luck. 🍀🙂

[SnazzyD]

You may need to cut carbs drastically not just cutting back. I had to cut out all potato, rice, flours (no bread), maize, pasta etc. This is because the Pred induces your liver to create more glucose from its glycogen stores. Carbs eaten will add to this.

[Dinahmite in reply to SnazzyD]

Yes I've done all of that! The only exception is a small bowl of muesli no dried fruit, just nuts and fresh berries. I have added prunes which do wonders for your bones and in my case for everything to work as it should! Bowels!

[SnazzyD in reply to Dinahmite]

Ah ok.

[Dinahmite in reply to SnazzyD]

But I am going to rethink. Thanks for your reply.

[Koalajane]

I haven’t used this diet but I had a hba1c of over 100 3 months after starting prednisolone. I was put on gliclazide and cut my carbs drastically and walked a lot more. 6 months later I was taken off gliclazide as my hba1c was 36 and have been in remission for the last 6 years or so. I still reduce my carbs. t the start I cut down to about 50g a day, now it is a bit higher. I miss out lunch and don’t snack.

Good luck to you

[Dinahmite in reply to Koalajane]

Well done! Thanks for your reply. I'm going to have a think. Doc says more exercise. I have a crumbling hip and in need of a new one. Been putting it off but it does make exercise tricky. I also have a very sitting occupation!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Dinahmite]

If your hip is bad as you says, then prolonging the operation won’t help in the long run. That will get worse, you be able to do less exercise [the more you can do before the op helps rehab enormously] and likely to affect your gait so that has a knock on effect on other leg, hip and back.

[Dinahmite in reply to DorsetLady]

Hip replacement has been on the cards for quite a while but my surgeon and I agreed to see if we could stretch it a little longer. Then along came PMR and the steroids masked the pain. It's back with a vengeance now so I'm phoning for an appointment this pm.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Dinahmite]

Good..hope you can get it done sooner rather than later - it really does improve quality of life no end…😊

[piglette in reply to Dinahmite]

Hi Dinahmite, as PMRPro says I use an app which offers all sorts of things such as exercise, nutrients, recipes, etc etc. It also allows you to put in your planned diet and checks the nutrients in it versus the daily nutrients you require. I really just use it for planning my meals. There is a free version and one you can pay for which offers more options. It is called MyNetDiary mynetdiary.com. I have been using it for seven years and find it really useful for planning my meals.

[Dinahmite in reply to piglette]

Thank you so much. Will check it out.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Our experience on the forum has been that when people say they have cut right back on carbs but still are gaining weight (the other reason for cutting carbs) and we suggest keeping a food diary - they discover they are eating a LOT more carb than they thought they were!!

A bowl of muesli can contain a LOAD of carbs and prunes do too! It is a cumulative effect and every little counts so it soon adds up. piglette has an app that counts her diet for her, otherwise keep a diary and for a while weigh everything and honestly calculate how much carb there is using google - it isn't difficult. You may be a bit surprised!

[Dinahmite in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you. I have cut back on all carbs and sugars except for muesli, berries and prunes. I had hoped that would be enough. It clearly isn't so that will have to change.

[tangocharlie in reply to Dinahmite]

See also my posts on Zoe etc. It's also important WHEN you eat which in my case was best about 6 hours after taking the Pred. It's also worth listening to the Zoe podcasts such as this recent one, there is a link to the transcript or you can also listen to the podcast. It explains very well how blood sugar levels are affected by different foods and can even cause brain fog! Useful tips like how eating salad or vegetables first and exercising within 30 mins can reduce BS levels

zoe.com/learn/transcript-bl...

open.spotify.com/episode/4V...

youtube.com/watch?lid=oonfu...

[Dinahmite in reply to tangocharlie]

Thank you.

[tangocharlie]

My GP says he's happy if HbA1c is under 53. On its own it's a pretty meaningless measurement anyway as I found. I did the Zoe program and then used Continuous glucose monitors to take constant measurements of my BS and keep it within range. Unfortunately you can't get these CGMs on the NHS yet for type 2 diabetes. The only reason I can think that my HbAic was high was because it is an 'average' and the Pred causes blood sugar spikes, so if you have spikes from high carbs and sugar as well that pushes up the average. But when I looked at the graphs from the CGM I was in normal range for about 96% of the time so my pancreas wasn't having to work too hard to keep it in range, in fact my body seemed to be doing it's job beautifully without any need for diabetes meds. My quest for answers all started with Michael Mosley's Blood sugar diet which explains things very well. He changed my life

[Dinahmite in reply to tangocharlie]

I have just bought his blood sugar book.

[Dinahmite in reply to tangocharlie]

Also did you put on weight. I've never until Pred put on weight before. Now I've put on just over a stone.

[Dinahmite in reply to tangocharlie]

Which CGM do you use? My diet is already close to Mosley's Blood sugar diet so won't ha e to change an awful lot.