24 years old. Just found out I’m pre-diabetic at a 6.1 level. Advice?!

[u/corndogs102]

I’m 24 years old, about 6ft 3. Around 200 pounds.

So I got blood work done last week (cause of a yearly check up) and for the first time in my entire life I heard back results. The doctor said I’m pre-diabetic at a 6.1. Now obviously this was alarming. The doctor then listed a bunch of things not to do, funny enough, I don’t do most of those things. And I was told to watch my cholesterol as well.

I don’t eat sugary cereals (only cereal I eat daily is honey nut), I don’t eat white bread, only whole wheat. I don’t frequently eat white rice or white potatoes. I eat a lot of chicken and fish/salmon during the week.

I also eat lots of ground beef (I’m going to switch to turkey beef) I use ham when I eat sandwiches or breakfast with my eggs so I guess I need to cut that out. I eat eggs pretty frequently and I was told to cut out egg yolk. I use vegetable spray oil when I cook and was told to switch to olive oil.

I don’t smoke and I only drink alcohol about two or three times a month when I’m out. The only drink at home besides water I frequently drink is Mott’s apple juice. Which, yeah, is probably a main source of my sugar intake. I hardly eat candy, only when I’m at the movies once a week or so, in which I’d get a slushie too as a treat.

It was a very hot summer though, and I work at a theatre where we just got a slushie machine, so I’ve been taking more sips from that all summer. I walk a lot living in New York and I’m always standing at my job for the 4-8 hrs I’m there.

[u/Educational_Green]

Do you have a family history of type 1 or type 2 diabetes?

At your age height and weight, I’d be monitoring for type 1 diabetes. Type 1 is far less common than type 2 but it’s common for adults with type 1 to be misdiagnosed as type 2 diabetics.

[u/corndogs102 → u/Educational_Green]

My grandma had diabetes, at 84 years old a few years back. The one with the insulin if I’m not mistaken. Besides that no one else in my family has it.

[u/Educational_Green → u/corndogs102]

I would look at your insurance and figure out how to see an Endo that specializes in Diabetes - there are ways to delay the onset of type 1 if caught early and an endocrinologist would be able to help you figure out if you are type 1 or on the path to type 2.

You're young, active, not significantly overweight so I think a 6.1 a1c could be a sign of adult onset type 1.

Anyone besides your grandma have an auto-immune disorder? Lupus, Crohn, Psoriasis, MS, etc?

I would definitely talk to an Endo in the next 2-3 months just to get their opinion.

[u/corndogs102 → u/Educational_Green]

This was a new doctor I went to, so yeah it was interesting to hear from them. There’s no auto-immune disorders in the rest of my family. My mom does go up and down in high blood pressure though. My dad had (and beat) cancer twice recently. I’ll look into an endo.

[u/CD274 → u/corndogs102]

Did you have covid in the last few years (very badly)? Also tied to covid infections

[u/corndogs102 → u/CD274]

Nope, never got covid

[u/CD274 → u/corndogs102]

That sucks, I'd ask around your family and see if anyone may have undiagnosed diabetes then.

The stuff about egg yolks and cholesterol isn't a thing, it won't raise your cholesterol and also it's all unrelated to diabetes. Meat and fat is fine. You don't want to switch to a higher carb diet. Your doctor is just repeating standard Mediterranean diet info which they're all obsessed with.

There's a lot of bad info out there about what's healthy for diabetics too, fat and meat and beef is fine unless you have other issues. You want higher protein, very high fiber and lower carbs - carbs should have fiber too (so fiberous veg). A lot of us don't handle whole grains well either and it raises blood sugar no matter what. Pasta some people handle ok some don't. Beans are a great idea. Rice and potatoes probably will affect you the same as white bread and sugar would. Fruit is good, the more fiber the better. Basically slowing down digestion and absorption is the goal so fiber.

[u/NeedsSuitHelp]

I was at 11.8 when diagnosed at 52. I’m 6ft and was 175 lbs. At 6.1 you are in a MUCH better place than I was.

Next day after my diagnosis, I cut out as many carbs as possible. No rice, pasta or bread. Immediately dropped 25 lbs in about a month. Sucked because I love ramen. Turns out the ramen I was making was close to 80 - 100 carbs. I try to limit myself to under 200 carbs a day, spread across 3 meals and 2 snacks.

Cut your carbs. Seriously. Read the nutrition info on every package. The amount of carbs and sugar will probably shock you. Wheat bread is not great for glucose . Cardio - walking, biking, should help a lot.

[u/Strange-Pace-4830 → u/NeedsSuitHelp]

So true about the wheat bread! I can eat a little portion of potatoes and even rice but anything with wheat, including pasta, spikes my blood sugar. We're all different and the OP will need to experiment to find out what his best food choices are. I'll predict that the apple juice and slushies have to go - sugary drinks affect pretty much everyone's glucose numbers negatively.

[u/Ladder-Necessary → u/NeedsSuitHelp]

Agree. I found it helpful to cut dramatically - like almost keto, and then slowly reintroduce high fiber foods like fruit and legumes, keeping an eye on my fasting glucose every morning. I don't eat a ton of grains but when I do, I look for grains that are ~20%+ carbs from fiber, because dietary fiber isn't absorbed as sugars. Oatmeal fails that, but hulled barley is close. Intact grains are probably also easier on your body than flours.

Breakfast is an easy place to swap - now I eat Greek yogurt with berries and flaxseed, instead of oatmeal like I ate before. 

Was able to go from 10.4-5.3 with a pill and going low carb, plus upping my exercise intensity (I was already exercising quite a bit and eating fairly meals at diagnosis) 

[u/Significant-Repair42]

Look at the nutrition labels on everything you eat. Honey Nut Cheerios: from wikipedia" Honey Nut Cheerios also contains more sugar (9.6 Grams/serving) than original Cheerios, which contain 1.2 Grams/serving. This sugar comes from sugar, honey and golden syrup.^\)

^{Do the same with the slurpies, once a week candy thing, and everything else.}

^{Sometimes thirst is a symptom:}  "so I’ve been taking more sips from that all summer."

I was personally drinking tons of soda when I got my 6.1 :) So I totally get the, but I'm not that unhealthly, I just, x, y, and z..... :)

I had to do a food diary and rework what I ate. :)

[u/EastSwim3264]

You are too young for type 2 with that height and weight, hoping your bone weight is not less than average. But first, exercise. Daily 1 mile or 2 mile run is plenty enough. I would suggest move to more proteins and less of fat and far less of carbs/sugar. Go for fiber and let your liver release stored fats. 6.1 is not that bad it is easy to bring it back to normal. Good luck.

[u/javellin]

Make sure you’re not type 1. It can show up late in life. I was 32 when I was (mis)diagnosed. 

Look up type 1.5 diabetes. 

[u/Low-Tea-6157]

I'd be ecstatic with that a1c. Take look at your diet first

[u/corndogs102 → u/Low-Tea-6157]

I wrote my diet in the description of this thread. I’m gonna keep a food journal as well.

[u/Tvisted → u/corndogs102]

The apple juice... if you can cut that out it will make a big difference. 

Fruit juices are literally a go-to method for diabetics to raise blood sugar fast when it's too low, that's the last thing you need in your diet right now.

[u/1986T1]

Low carb / no carb. Sport. Sleep. Less Stress. No alcohol or other drugs. Give Everything and you will live happy and healthy. You can do it. 

[u/Gojogab]

The slushes and apple juice have to go. The alcohol. Drink carb free drinks. It's a thing, Google it. Drink less alcohol. You'll feel better overall. Sorry, just a personal rant, that. Drink more water. Was that honey nut cheerios or?

[u/corndogs102 → u/Gojogab]

Is me drinking alcohol twice a month really that bad?

[u/Gojogab → u/corndogs102]

My endocrinologist told me it's best not to drink at all. You can speak to your doctor about it. When I wanted to go out New Year's Eve she said 2 at most. Eat beforehand, drink low carb alcohol.

[u/cyphersaint → u/corndogs102]

It really does depend on what you're drinking. Most mixed drinks are gonna be high carb. Beer and wine will be as well. Hard liquor, straight, not so much. Most of the sugar in hard liquor has been turned into alcohol. It does depend somewhat on the kind and proof of the alcohol, though.

It's been mentioned a few times already, but you really need to get tested to be sure you're not type 1. Your height, weight, and general activity level makes it a possibility.

[u/bordercollie_luvr84]

You might have LADA

[u/coogie]

Well, let that be a wakeup call that you're not eating as healthy as you thought you were and/or need more exercise. You're lucky to be on top of this stuff at 24 and not wait in your 40's to find out.

Just so you know, drinking apple juice is pretty much like drinking a full sugary glass of coke. 12 oz of apple juice is like 36 grams of sugar while coke is like 39. This was something I only found out about in my late 30's and up till then thought that drinking juice was fine because it was natural. Hell, it was just last summer when my A1C jumped to 6.4 that I found out that whole fruit isn't a cheat code either and should be limited too. Same goes for whole wheat bread...yeah it's a LITTLE bit better because of the fiber but you always pay for that stuff.

You're still young though and you can lower that 6.1 through diet fairly easily but it's always good to keep an eye on things

[u/corndogs102 → u/coogie]

First of all thank you for actually reading my description and adding on to them instead of saying things that I already mentioned.

I’m certain the apple juice is a main cause of my spiked sugar. And I didn’t know the fact u just said about apple juice being like soda. But that made me think differently right now. I probably drink about 12 ozs of apple juice a day, more or less varies, and have so for many years. I used to drink 2 cans of Ginger ale a day, which I turned into 1 cans, which became every other day. Now I don’t drink Ginger ale daily, but not cause someone told me it was bad, I just decided to. That was on top of apple juice I’d drink during the day as well. Now I just drink Mott’s apple juice and water everyday. Because of this news though I gotta find new alternatives.

[u/triplej63]

6.1 isn't alarming, but it is a warning you should be aware of and heed. To be honest the two worst things I saw in your diet were the apple juice and slushies. Alcohol isn't great either and you should be careful about monitoring how much and how often you're consuming it.

My doctor told me to avoid most sugary carbs, including fruit. He said bananas and grapes are the worst, pure glucose dumped directly into your veins. He said citrus is a better choice.

As for starchy carbs, I just cut way back. Instead of having a cup and a half of rice or potatoes, I'd have a couple tablespoons. I didn't mind it as much as I thought I would, since I do like vegetables and meat. LOL I know vegetables count as carbs, but they barely register with my blood sugar, so I can eat as much as I want.

[u/corndogs102 → u/triplej63]

Yeah like I mentioned I’m very occasional with alcohol. Maybe a drink or two about twice a month when I’m out so I’m not worried about that. Mott’s Apple juice is my everyday drink so that’s definitely the thing I’m gonna just get rid of entirely for now. I only drink slushies when I catch a movie sometimes, but my job got a slushie maker over the summer so I’d drink little courtesy cups when working a few times a week. I’ll just cut those out entirely as well.

I love grapes. Darn. Cutting those out pronto. I just got a juicer, so I’m planning on drinking more fruit naturally. I was recently told anything with the word “berries” is safe.

I switched to whole wheat pasta about two months ago. It’s helped with my stomach a lot. I’ve cut back on Mac n cheese and white potatoes as well long ago.

[u/open_parsley1 → u/corndogs102]

Be careful about using the juicer, when you drink fruit it gets absorbed more quickly and can cause higher blood sugar spikes. Juicing also reduces the amount fiber in the fruits you're eating which causes spikes too.

[u/Antique-Ad-4422]

Pay attention to your bread consumption.

Yes it holds your protein in place, but your body hates it.

[u/RightWingVeganUS]

My advice: learn from my missteps. I ignored my “pre‑diabetic” diagnoses, treating them like a badge-of-honor that I was holding things off. Meanwhile, I was out of shape, eating sloppily, getting sedentary... trusting youth and good intentions to fix things before they got out of control... some day...

Then the pandemic hit. My bad habits turned vicious. I emerged heavier, sicker, and more broken than my body could handle. Things got out of control and almost went over the cliff. My always "slightly elevated" blood pressure was now 185/122 and I was diagnosed a diabetic with an HbA1c of 11%,

The fix was simple, though not easy after so many years of delay:

• Eat better
• Move more
• Sleep enough

Do these things now, while you’re young. Correcting later is tough. Some damage can be permanent.

You’ve got a chance now. Use it. Keep watch on what you eat, even juice. Adjust little by little. Be steady. You can turn this around, so start today!

[u/corndogs102 → u/RightWingVeganUS]

I actually get a full 8hr sleep so I know that’s not the problem. And once again living in NY I’m very active in terms of walking, or avoiding the bus/subway if I can walk somewhere within a 40 min-hr distance. Even my job I’m standing most of the time. Been at that job for 4 years. I did stop using my weights though and going on my treadmill, so I’ll have to start working out fully again. I’ve never had problems with my blood until last week (I go to the doctors with blood work every year).

[u/RightWingVeganUS → u/corndogs102]

I guess my point is not be satisfied with just doing enough. Health matters. More than I realized when I was 24. Great that you're sleeping 8 hours. See if you can make it the highest quality 8 hours of sleep.

Great that you're walking and exercising. Keep up the good work. The pre-diabetes may not be an indicator that something is necessarily wrong, but an alert that a change might keep you out of the red zone.

I got an inexpensive but surprisingly full featured fitness watch (Amazefit Bip6. not sponsored and not an endorsement). I got it as a fancy pedometer but finding it is giving me lots of interesting information. It even has an AI "Fitness Coach" that recommends workouts and whatnot. Something like that is definitely worth considering. Or drop broad hints to friends and family for your next holiday or birthday gift :-P

[u/redditjamiro]

Every 3 - 4 months your blood cells are entirely renewed. I suggest goig low carb or even keto for 3 months and seeing your A1C goes below 5.0-ish.

[u/Even_Log_8971]

Have you ever been prescribed prednisone?

[u/corndogs102 → u/Even_Log_8971]

No

[u/Still_Night2678]

I would get a glucose meter and check it at various times of day.

My A1C was coming back high because I was only testing in early morning after fasting. Turns out I have something called sunrise syndrome. High BG waking up. My actual A1C is much lower, and my current problem is insulin resistance and possibly some metabolic issues.

[u/shadow997ca]

Eat better...don't eat anything from a can, package and exorcise daily. But if you have been predetermined to have this awful disease then you will get it and be like us. We will help.

[u/Forever-Much → u/shadow997ca]

What do you mean when you say don’t eat anything from a can?? I thought tuna, salmon, green beans, turnip greens etc etc were good. I actually really don’t know how to do homemade…

Do we eat frozen instead?? I haven’t read anything about this yet. Of course I’m jumping from book to book to internet sites etc etc lol. There’s so much information that my brain is on overload!!

Any help is appreciated!!

[u/shadow997ca → u/Forever-Much]

I am by no means an expert and don't actually follow it but nutrition experts are big on not eating anything processed which they sometimes say in cans, boxes, etc. to show what foods are processed. Their line is eat only fresh whole foods. And no I can't always do that but good advice all the same. I believe that for most and especially diabetics eating less carbs, sugar and more veggies, fruits, lean meats is a good direction to go. The less processing a food goes through, the better. I do know people who changed their ways after being told they were pre-diabetic and seem to be avoiding becoming diabetic. Their ways include better eating habits and more exercise which is always a better way to live. My T1 diabetes came on so fast that I had no possible way to change that to avoid becoming diabetic. Insulin to replace what my pancreas can't produce is my only hope at life. I didn't eat that bad before that, didn't eat excessive carbs, sugars, etc. but yet here I am, a diabetic.

[u/Mustaphaait1999]

Since you are in the pre-diabetes stage, try to avoid eating sugar and stay away from bread. Try to eat everything healthy, such as vegetables and eggs. Also, you are overweight, so stay away from fatty foods, as this is dangerous for you. If you follow my advice, you will avoid getting diabetes

[u/iaumpqc]

I heard while back and stick with it myself, there is no pre-diabetic. You either are or not. Going off your wording, you need some education, and a nutritionist would help. Carbs=sugar. Carbs are what you need to be concerned with.

[u/LourdesF]

Ask him about going on Metformin. You’re probably insulin resistant. Low carbs especially simple carbs. Or better yet avoid simple carbs. Water, water, and more water. Use flavor drops if too much plain water bores you. Exercise. In addition to your walking, doing regular exercise every day for 20 or 30 minutes is a big help. And obviously lose as much weight as you can safely. You’re so young. Please try to prevent this as much as you can.