Thursday, July 5, 2018

Prediabetes - More Measurements and Goals

With prediabetes, there are many things to measure. So far, I've discussed measuring blood sugar with a monitor.

You should know the your fasting blood sugar and A1c that indicated prediabetes.

But exactly what are normal numbers - the ones you should shoot for?

Here's a chart showing normal ranges as compared to ranges for someone with diabetes:



What About Weight

One of the factors contributing to prediabetes is weight. If you eat the right foods and maintain your personal balance of the macronutrients protein, fat, and carbs, you will lose weight because you won't be consuming as much sugar. And you will eliminate white bread, white rice, and candy, doughnuts, and junk food. Plus, as I'll explain in future posts, you will be increasing your activity levels.

How do I know? Because as soon as I started eating the right foods, I dropped 7 pounds in a month.

Here's another example - one of my relatives had a minor heart attack. His doctor recommended 2 major lifestyle changes: stop smoking and stop drinking a 6 pack of coke every day. In a month, this individual lost 20 pounds. Guess eliminating sugar works!

So what weight should you shoot for?

My thought was based on BMI (body mass index). A BMI of 25 or over is considered overweight.

My starting weight was 153 and I am 5' 4" -  a BMI of 26.3. I used an online BMI calculator.

My current weight is 146, a BMI of  25.1.

In order to fit within a normal BMI range of 18.5 - 24.9, my weight should be in the following range:
108 - 145 pounds.

Obviously, your BMI should be less than 25. But if you want an interim step to help you get to your target weight, take 7% of your current weight. The loss of 7% of body weight has been shown to result in a blood sugar reduction.

So if I lose 11 pounds (0.07 of 153) for a weight of 153 - 11 = 142 (BMI 24.4), it should help reduce blood sugar.

Next post: Increasing Your Activity Level

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