Prediabetes - A Life-Changing Diagnosis

Blood Glucose Monitor

Hi All:

It's been about 2 years since I posted to the Age Defiance blog. Two years ago, I had cataract surgery and was preoccupied with the process.

Since then, I weigh 20 pounds more, added 2 additional meds to control cholesterol and blood pressure, and just recently, listened to my doctor give a prediabetes diagnosis (A1c 6.0).

Bummer - especially the last one. I paid little attention to my own advice and so I am paying the consequences. Seriously, at age 69, most of us face higher blood pressure. But full-blown metabolic syndrome? Hmmm . . . a definite wake-up call.

And since I do not want to take any more meds or face type II diabetes, I researched the issue.

Bottom line - control blood sugar with (surprise!) diet and exercise. These are the 2 biggest factors in managing blood sugar. What you eat smooths out glucose levels. Activity uses blood glucose.

There are other ways to manage sugar, including getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, stopping smoking, and losing weight (a side effect of eating the right foods).

The most important factors are diet (what you eat) and staying active. So that's the focus of my future posts - the key actions I've learned in my research.

The good news is that if you stick to a "prediabetic" diet for a month, you will lose weight. In my case, I lost 7 pounds. Not bad for not trying to lose weight. I just ate the right foods for someone with prediabetes.

More about the blood glucose monitor in the next post.