Posted on by Midlife Made Easier

What is Prediabetes? Three Lifestyle Changes You Can Implement Now to Help You Fight Back!

What is prediabetes? How can you delay or prevent a Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis? I must admit that I had no idea there was such a thing as prediabetes, also called borderline diabetes. Until that fateful day in my doctor’s office when she informed me that I was prediabetic. I thought this was going to be a routine checkup and blood draw, but it proved to be otherwise. I was devastated. First, because I had always thought of myself as a healthy person who took pride in the way I treated my body. Secondly, because I saw firsthand the devastating results of having Type 2 Diabetes first by watching mom’s daily battles with the disease, and then losing a beautiful neighbor who passed away due to complications from the disease. I knew what laid ahead in my future if I didn’t get my prediabetes under control which could include daily insulin injections.

Today’s post is for informational purposes only; it is not a substitute for you seeing a medical professional and getting a complete checkup.

In today’s post, I want to break down for you precisely what is prediabetes and provide you with three pretty easy lifestyle changes you can make to protect yourself from a Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis. These are the same lifestyle changes I made to get healthier, and I still practice all three of them today. According to the CDC, 100 million people in the US are prediabetic or Type 2 Diabetic.  “Diabetes could become the new epidemic of the 21st century, if we continue living a sedentary lifestyle and partaking of poor diets 50 percent of Americans could be prediabetic or Type 2 Diabetic by the year 2020,” Dr. Sanjay Gupta The sad thing is that this disease can be prevented or controlled by making simple lifestyle changes.

To give you a complete picture of the disease, let’s breakdown the different types of diabetes:

Today we are talking about prediabetes. If you are prediabetic, that means that your blood sugar or glucose levels is higher than normal but not high enough to be considered diabetic. A prediabetic person has trouble processing enough insulin to control blood sugar after eating. To diagnosis you, your doctor will perform one of these three blood tests.

Fasting plasma glucose test: If your doctor selects this test, you are asked to refrain from eating and drinking for eight hours before taking the test. If normal, your blood sugar will register less than 100; you are considered in the prediabetic range if your blood sugar is 100-125 and diabetic if your blood sugar is 126 or higher.

Hemoglobin A1C or Average Blood Sugar Test: This test will provide your doctor with a history of your blood sugar levels over the past three months. Your doctor can use this test to determine if you are prediabetic or if you have diabetes. Also, if you have diabetes, this test will help to determine if your diabetes is under control. If your test results show a blood sugar level of 5.6% or less, you are in the normal range. If prediabetic, your blood sugar will be 5.7% to 6.4%, and if you have diabetes, your blood sugar will measure 6.5% and above. This test may be repeated if you have another condition such as anemia or liver disease.

Oral Glucose Test: This test has two parts. First, you will take the fasting glucose test, and then you will be given a sugary solution after a two-hour waiting period your blood will be drawn. Normal results will show a blood sugar level of less than 140 after the second test. If you are prediabetic, your blood sugar level will range between 140-199 after the second test. If you have diabetes, your blood sugar will be 200 or higher after the second test.

While getting a prediabetic diagnosis can be scary, research has shown that by implementing these three lifestyle changes, controlling your weight, exercising regularly, and improving your nutrition, you could delay or prevent the onset of Type 2 Diabetes. So, let’s look at each one of these tools. 

Controlling your Weight:  The CDC research study found that when prediabetics reduced their weight by as little as 5% to 7%, they were able to delay or prevent the onset of Type 2 Diabetes. Don’t try something drastic like going on a liquid diet or telling yourself you will never eat a cupcake again, those tactics don’t work, and you could end up regaining more weight than you lost. Start by keeping a food journal and making one small change a week. For instance, if you have a large coke or coffee every morning, start with 16 ounces of lemon water and medium coffee or Coke. When you are ready, increase to 24 ounces of lemon water and a small coffee. The lemon water will promote hydration, it’s a good source of vitamin C, it supports weight loss and improves your skin. Reducing your Coke or coffee size will help you to cut calories without that feeling that you are missing something.

Incorporate Exercise into Your Daily Life: Your exercise plan does not have to be daunting, take it from someone who always overdid it and ended up sore and disillusioned. You can start with just 30 minutes of heart-pumping activity, try cycling, swimming, running, or a brisk walk after dinner. If you are currently sedentary, please see your doctor before starting a new exercise program.

Get Your Nutrition in Check:

When planning your meals include lean protein, non-starchy vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, or steam cabbage and carrots. Consider cooking more at home and take leftovers for lunch. If you cook at home, you will know exactly how the meal was prepared and all the ingredients that went into it.

Prediabetes can be controlled by making simple lifestyle changes that include weight control, exercise, and eating more nutritious whole foods. If you need help making these changes reach out to me, I completed the Prediabetes certification program Prevent T2 created by the CDC. I can tell you this program is fantastic if you would like more information to shoot me an email at info@reneereid.net The important thing is that you decide to make the change today. This decision is not something you can put off until next Monday.

Please share this post with a family or friend who could use this information; there is nothing more powerful than women helping women.

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If you are looking for a group of women who understand what its like to struggle through hot flashes, self-doubt, hormonal surges, and hard to lose belly fat.  Join the Courageous Women’s Network our free Facebook group, in this group you will receive love, support, and a little kick in the pants when you needed.  Plus, you’ll get outstanding training from me that will help you cut out the guesswork and get to your wellness goals.

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Posted on by Midlife Made Easier

5 Strategies to Survive the Holiday Parties And Stick With Your Wellness Goals

With a little planning you can keep your wellness goals in check!

Can you believe it, the holiday season is upon us, and for some us this can be the most stressful time of the year as we try to navigate the office parties and family gatherings while trying to get stick with your wellness plan.  It can be especially daunting in midlife, because the weight just does not come off as quickly as it used too, believe me I know. It’s crucial to stick with our wellness plans so that we don’t have to keep starting over, which can play havoc on us both physically and mentally.  I want to share with you five strategies that you can use to have fun this holiday season without stressing over what you’re going to eat.  Now, whether you decide to use one or all five, I promise you won’t regret it. 

I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is just a couple of weeks away, and the holiday office gathering s have already started.  If you’re like me the holiday season has always been both a blessing and curse.  I admit that it wasn’t just the time spent with family and friends gathered around the Thanksgiving table, the happy giggles of my children as they raced to open their Christmas gifts, the fancy drinks at the New Year’s Eve Party and my mom’s pork roast (when I ate meat) and black eye pea dinner that made me giddy for the holiday season.

     It was actually the relief of kicking whatever eating plan/diet I was on aside and throwing myself holiday appetite first into the delicious and delectable foods of the season.  This was the one time of the year when overeating was not only acceptable, it was expected.  I told myself it was my right to take a break from counting calories, weighing my food, and logging every morsel of food I put in my mouth.  And like the millions of fellow dieters around me, I promised myself that I would start over again January 1st, or 2nd.

     Then I became prediabetic, and I realized that my yo-yo dieting had to come to an end if I wanted to reduce my chances of becoming type 2 diabetic.  Because ladies, prediabetes is reversible just by making small lifestyle changes.  You can use these five strategies to get you through the holiday season, but you can also use them to stick to your wellness goals throughout the year.  No more yo-yo dieting.  Yeah!  

 Our first strategy is my favorite, and this really helped me to learn how to plan my meals and eat what I wanted. 

Strategy one: Stop Classifying Foods as Good or Bad and Begin to Eat Mindfully.

 Foods are neither good nor bad, it’s how we consume them that puts us at risk wreaking our healthy eating plans.  Approach your meal mindfully, this will reduce your anxiety, take your plate and fill half of it with fresh fruit, veggies, and salads-on the other side enjoy a small serving of your favorite foods, remember the holiday season lasts six weeks at least,  so you don’t have to eat everything in one sitting.  Eat slowly and savor the experience, it can take at least 20 minutes for your brain to signal that you’re full. 

Strategy two:  Don’t and Skip Meals

It can be tempting to try to save all your daily calories for one big meal.  In my mind, I was actually doing myself a favor.  But, actually, I was starving myself and making it easy to overeat during my one meal of the day.  I was so hungry and ate so fast that I sometimes didn’t even enjoy the food, and ended up with indigestion or an upset stomach.  Instead of skipping meals, try to stick to your regular eating schedule. This will prevent your blood sugar from dropping and your body from going into starvation mode.

Strategy three:  Don’t Skip Your Exercise Routine

It can be easy to put off exercising during this time of year. Who has time to fit in a workout during the never-ending scheduled festivities? According the CDC, “your workout will act as your secret weapon; it can help make up for eating more than usual and reduce your stress levels during the most stressful time of the year.”

Strategy four:  Get Your Rest

The holiday season is lovely, but it can take its toll physically.  When you’re sleep deprived your body will crave foods high in fat and sugar to provide you with the energy you need to get through the day.

Strategy five:  Take Your Own Food

If you’re invited to a party and you want to ensure that there are healthier food options, bring your own dish.  This year I will be bringing some tasty vegetarian/vegan dishes to add to the feast.  Bringing your own food will take stress out of what you’re going to eat, and you can share your healthier food options with everyone in attendance.

These tips can help you stick to your wellness goals throughout the year.  Wellness is a lifestyle, not a temporary state of mind. To be successful, we have to plan for success.  To recap:

  • Eat mindfully and, enjoy experience and savor your favorite foods- stop when you’re full
  • Don’t skip meals aim at keeping your blood sugar steady all day this will help you to prevent overeating
  • Don’t skip your workout:  short on time break your exercise routine into two 15-minute intervals.
  • Get some rest: the holiday season is stressful maintain a regular sleep pattern will help you to continue to burn calories and build lean muscle
  • Bring your own food: invited to a party bring a dish, you can enjoy your healthier options and so will the other guest.

You can enjoy the season and with a little planning, stick to your wellness goals.  You have the power to succeed.  I believe in us!

 Join the group: https://buff.ly/2AKoTIB

If you are looking for a group of women who understand what it’s like to struggle through hot flashes, hormonal surges, and hard to lose belly fat.  Join the Courageous Women’s Network our free Facebook group, in this group, you will receive love, support, and a little kick in the pants when you needed.  Plus, you’ll get outstanding training from me that will help you cut out the guesswork and get to your wellness goals.

REQUEST TO JOIN TODAY https://buff.ly/2AKoTIB