Newly diagnosed

[Arun]

Hi,

I recently underwent a routine GTT which has come up abnormal. Results as below with a 75g glucose load

Fasting 5.4 mmol/L
1 hour 10.5 mmol/L
2 hours 9.8 mmol/L

I have been advised by my GP that I have impaired glucose tolerance which means that I have an increased risk of developing coronary problems as well as diabetes within 10 years if measures are not taken . The same test 2 years ago came up normal.

I am 43 and I don't believe I am overweight at 78kg with a height of 171cm. I Know I have not been very active due to my desk job and crazy hours of work.

I am trying to understand what all this means and what I should do. I have also started cycling for at least 30mins daily.

Probably venting here but just needed to get this out :(. Thanks

[CountYourselfIn]

Welcome. You're in the best possible place for advice.

Don't freak out. Everyone here will tell you how to fix this long before any real problems arise.

Basically it's just gonna be diet and exercise. :P

[Ronin]

Hi Arun!

Welcome to DF, the club you never wanted to join.

I have to take exception to your assessment of your height/weight ratio. It gives you a BMI of 27.6 which is approaching the upper end of "overweight" and heading towards obese. We all like to think of ourselves as being "okay" when it comes to weight (or perhaps we convince ourselves that we are just short for our weight).

Let me begin by saying I've been there. I'm 183 cm tall and, not that long ago was a whopping 107 kg and, by my own definition at the time, felt just fine. Now, thanks to a whole new approach to eating and lots of exercise I'm down to 73 kg. FWIW: I'm over 60 years old and accomplished this change in the past five years.

First of all the diagnosis of Pre-Diabetic (Pre-D) is a warning, not a death sentence. For most Pre-D's all that is required is a lifestyle change. Shifitng to an "Atkins-style" diet (higher protien lower carbohydrate) diet, increasing exercise, and generally taking better care of yourself works and you can avoid or delay full-blown diabetes.

I highly recommend reading Know Your Numbers -- Outlive Your Diabetes as a starting point. This book addresses all the symptoms you mentioned and gives solid recommendation as to how to track and attack each problem.