Pre-Diabetes and Weight Gain

Included in routine screening is a fasting glucose test (otherwise known as your blood sugar). If this number is below 126mg/dl then you do not have diabetes. What happens if the number is between 100mg/dl and 125mg/dl? You have what’s called, ‘pre-diabetes.’ This means that you’re right up next to the cliff about to fall over - do something about it!

Please don’t take the ‘watch and wait’ approach. My question is, watch and wait for what? Full blown diabetes? As your blood sugar climbs higher and higher, your body processes it and puts it into that tire ring you have around your belly. You increase the fat around your organs and begin a slow destruction of your heart and circulatory system.

What can you do? Definitely do something! Because diabetes is caused by elevated blood sugar, do all that you can to lower the sugar in your diet. This includes alcohol, candy, cookies, cakes, brownies, ice cream, high sugar yogurt, fruit juice, high sugar protein powder and protein bars, actual sugar, brown sugar, sodas…and more!

Read labels and see just how much sugar is in your food. Did you know spaghetti sauce can have 9 or 10 grams of sugar per serving? Yogurt is very healthy for you if it’s plain. Otherwise you’re looking at 12, 15 or 20 grams of sugar. Add some cinnamon, vanilla flavoring or berries to plain yogurt. Fruit juice is straight sugar, even if it’s from 100% real fruit. Please, just eat the fruit!

Watch out for dried fruit and trail mixes – they are loaded with unnecessary sugar you don’t need.

Read the label of your flavored water. It usually has several grams.

Eat a diet higher in protein and lower in carbs. Skip the chips and French fries, eat only ½ a piece of bread on your sandwich and cut up the rest. Cut-up your hamburger with the lettuce, tomato, and onion to make a mini-salad.

Exercise most days of the week and include weight bearing exercise which burns blood sugar faster than regular cardio. Your muscles and brain use sugar for energy but you don’t need to overload it.

Once you become fully diabetic, you enter a whole new realm you don’t need to be in. Please take responsibility and change your ways for the healthier.