I last wrote about this subject on 12/18/18. You can read about it here https://wautrails.blogspot.com/2018/12/confession-prediabetes-motivation.html Today I had my bloodwork done for 2019. In the interest of sharing about prediabetes and how serious it can be, I hope to encourage others to take this disease seriously and change somethings in their lives so that they can be healthy. In 2018 I wrote:
"Prediabetes is not the same as diabetes, but from all my reading it is a serious condition in and of itself. According to the CDC about 84 million American adults, more than 1 out of 3, have prediabetes and 90% of them don't even know they have it. Prediabetes usually flies under the radar. There are no clear symptoms, so it often goes undetected for years. It's linked to a great risk of heart disease and stroke due to the chronic damage that elevated blood sugar can cause to heart and blood vessels. It puts me at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, neuropathy, kidney failure, blindness. It's a wake up call to make some changes so that I don't develop type 2 diabetes with all of its complications. Prediabetes is a fork in the road, if I ignore it I will probably end up with type 2 diabetes down the road. If I actively do something about it, I could prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Hence, I've now got plenty of motivation to stay on my diet and always get my exercise. Prediabetes is an important condition not to be ignored. I hope that by sharing others will know to take this seriously and get help if they have this. The point I'm trying to make is to DO SOMETHING, don't ignore it. Please educate yourself and take care of yourself."
As a recap there are 5 things a person can do to reverse their bloodwork from a prediabetes diagnosis to a normal one.
1. Watch your weight. Being overweight increases your risk of prediabetes/diabetes
2. Stop smoking. Smoking increases your risk of prediabetes/diabetes
3. Reduce your stress levels. Unchecked stress in your life increases your risk of prediabetes/diabetes
4. Exercise. Exercise has been proven to help prevent prediabetes/diabetes
5. Diet. What we eat greatly affects us, we can help prevent prediabetes/diabetes with our diet.
For me, numbers 1, 2 and 3 are things I don't need to worry about. Numbers 4 and 5 were things that I could work on. (I also have genetics working against me on this issue, many in my mothers family have diabetes). In 2018 I said I would try the vegan diet and try to be more consistent with my exercise.
Here we are in 2019. What has happened?...
I can't say that I stayed on a vegan diet. I found a great support group on the web-PowerInTheGroup.com. It's a group to "guide and support women to regain and nourish their health without all the confusion". They have a diet plan called the 95-5 wellness solution diet that "focus on eating primarily high fiber plant-based whole foods and a minimal portion of farm-raised meat. It's focus is on choosing 100% plant-based meals whenever we can, and if you eat meat, "just keep it to a minimum of 3 ounces per day (or the size of a deck of cards). Once a day is enough" In other words just 5% of your diet is to be meat, if you choose to eat it at all. This was a plan that I could do. I didn't want to be a person that had to count carbs, calories, sugars etc for every meal and turn my meals into mathematical equations. This plan made sense to me and was easy to do. I haven't been 100% faithful to it but for the most part I stick to it. I treat meat as a condiment not as a main portion of my meal. I stick to mostly a whole food, plant based diet. I cook meat and many times add it to Mr WAU portions. And sometimes he eats a meatless meal.
I have also stayed consistent with my exercise. I still run and I try to run 3 times a week. I also kayak for about 6 months of the year (fair weather kayaker I am), walking, hiking, horseback riding, and pickleball make up the rest of my exercise routine.
The results....drum roll please.....
My fasting glucose went from 120mg/dL to 111mg/dL. It would be best if it was under 100mg/dL, but it is going down! Prediabetes is 100-125mg/dL and diabetes is 126+mg/dL.
My A1c (measures average blood glucose, or blood sugar, level over the past 3 months) went from 5.8 to 5.5. If it was under 5 that would be great and I am getting lower! Increased risk of prediabetes is 5.7-6.4. Diabetes is 6.5+.
Another great result of all of this is my cholesterol levels. I went from 238mg/dL to 174ms/dL! Anything under 200mg/dL is best, high is 240+mg/dL. So good news there.
I do have a few things to tweek on my diet. My HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) went down, not to anything bad but it would be best if it was back where it was. So I will be adding some things back into my diet to make that number go back up.
So I'm encouraged to keep up with my diet and exercise plan.
I hope that this will encourage people that diet and exercise can change your health picture. You do have choices. For me, diet and exercise are reversing my prediabetes and as a bonus improving my cholesterol numbers. I know that for some people more things need to be tackled on the 1-5 list and that for some people medication is needed to control their diabetes. I'm just here to say that we all have choices to make regarding our health and to please take those choices seriously, don't ignore a prediabetes/diabetes diagnosis. DO SOMETHING and take care of yourself.
