A few years ago, I was diagnosed with prediabetes after my A1c levels rose to 6.1.
My doctor suggested I start taking Metformin because of my weight and family history (my mom, sister, and grandfather all have type 2 diabetes).
I didn’t want another pill, so I asked him to give me a chance to make some changes myself. Dr. Brown was skeptical but agreed to monitor my progress.
But I wasn’t ready for how difficult it was to manage prediabetes.
Before my 55th birthday, I thought I had it all.
With a couple of grandkids on the way, I felt happier than ever.
But I was always feeling tired and hungry.
I couldn’t go to sleep without having a little midnight snack, and once I opened my eyes in the morning, the only thing I thought about was, “what’s for breakfast?”
The grim reality was that that year changed my life forever.
My A1c levels rose to 6.1. And I was 182 pounds at that time…
Dr. Brown mentioned that to control my prediabetes, I must control what I eat.
Editor’s note: Obese or pre-obese people have a higher risk of developing prediabetes and are up to 80 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Also, excess weight around the belly area can cause insulin resistance which is crucial for people developing diabetes. 👉 Every 2 pounds lost can cut the risk of developing diabetes by 16%. |
My doctor also informed me that I must take prediabetes seriously if I want to avoid serious complications.
And within 9 months, I managed to lower my A1c levels to 5.3 and feel lighter.
But it wasn’t easy at first. I made many mistakes before I managed to take my prediabetes under control.
And I wanted to share my story with you. Maybe you’re making the same mistakes and just don’t know it yet.
The thought of limiting my diet was scary…
But I pulled myself together, did my research, and started juggling with my diet – I’ve tried keto, Mediterranean, and other low-carb diets.
None of them got me where I am today – 36 lbs lighter, and here’s why!
I have to admit – it had nothing to do with those diets.
Just imagine – I’ve lived my life without restrictions. Eating whatever I wanted. Eating tasty food.
And then I got on those diets after with a couple of recipes I found on the internet.
It’s silly that I expected to stay on those diets with dull food.
After 4 days of dieting, I would come back to barbeque ribs or sweet and sour Chinese chicken for dinner.
Or still want that midnight snack before sleep… I couldn’t find a diet that fit me then, so I’d change them every month.
But here’s what actually worked for me. And if you face the same struggle, it may work for you too:
A personalized meal plan that spins around you instead of focusing on popular diets.
And I didn’t even have to see a dietitian or spend hundreds on nutrition plans.
At first, I was very cautious about this diabetes meal plan. I thought it was just another online diet.
But now I’m thankful that my daughter encouraged me to fill in their quiz that generates the unique meal plan.
I will tell you more about it in a second because it helped me overcome my other prediabetes mistakes too.
The first thing I noticed in those “prediabetes tips” articles was that I had to cut out carbs.
It sounded logical, as “carbs in the body are converted to sugar,” and I needed to limit that.
But all these low-carb diets I found online left me short in many needed nutrients and… happy moments.
I loved the occasional cupcake or chocolate breaks, and getting rid of them was tough.
My cholesterol levels had risen, which, as my doctor told me, can be quite common while eating a lot of high-fat foods.
I wanted to feel comfortable with my diet, but these zero-carb meals drained me little by little.
Of course, carb consumption is very individual; in my case, I just needed a little bit more guidance.
So I signed up for one of the (pre)diabetes management programs (it’s called Klinio) that my daughter found.
What I learned was that I didn’t need to cut out carbs completely. I just needed to learn which ones to choose!
This is what I’ve discovered about carbs and prediabetes:
✅ It’s possible to give our beloved desserts a new life. I switched my cupcakes to coconut chia puddings with raspberries, and I absolutely love them! I didn’t even know these sweet and healthy meals existed.
✅ Everything hides in the serving size. I figured I could have healthy carbs by reducing and tracking my intake.
✅ Even though there are plenty of tips online, it doesn’t work for everyone. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to carb management! Our diet must be personalized to our metabolic needs. From everything that I’ve tried, Klinio worked best for me because it has an individual meal plan.
Editor’s note: Participating in a lifestyle change program with a goal of losing at least 7% of body weight can lower diabetes risk by over 58%. Also, the quantity and quality of the carbohydrates we eat are important – the carbs we eat per day should contribute to a healthy weight and come from nutritious sources. |
One of the most shameful mistakes I’ve made during my prediabetes journey is inconsistent blood sugar logging.
And let me tell you why – every time I went to the doctor, I often didn’t have any data for my doctor to work on.
It’s serious – your doctor must know the trend of your blood sugar.
Without this data, it’s too complicated to know if you stepped out of the prediabetes zone or jumped right into type 2 diabetes levels…
Editor’s note: It’s better to avoid the sum-up of blood sugar metrics and trust A1C instead. A1C test results are reported as a percentage – the higher the percentage, the higher your blood sugar levels over the past 2–3 months. |
Gladly, I understood the importance of this soon enough.
I started writing every blood sugar track I made in my notebook, which was convenient at first. But I’d still start forgetting…
My daughter Susan was a huge help here – she used to call and remind me to track my blood sugar levels. But I felt ashamed to forget so easily. I didn’t want to be a burden on my girl.
Editor’s note: People with prediabetes are 42% more likely to experience memory loss. Those with diabetes have a 39% higher likelihood of cognitive decline too. |
This is where that app I mentioned before, Klinio, helped me a lot.
I used it for 6 months, and one of the features I liked the most was reminders to track blood sugar levels and log them in the app.
It was so easy. I didn’t have to bring my notebook everywhere I went. All I needed was my phone, which I have with me all the time anyway.
Every time I visited my doctor, I had everything in one place.
It took me 9 months to take my prediabetes under control and lower my A1c to 5.3.
And it’s true, the solution was hidden in my lifestyle.
I made all those mistakes along the way, but I’m happy I found an easy and affordable way to fix them with Klinio.
Besides the personalized meal plan and easy-to-use blood sugar, weight, and calorie trackers, it also has quick 5–15-minute workouts.
I think it also helped me lose weight faster. Now I feel much lighter and very proud of my progress.
I thought it would be too difficult to change my lifestyle, especially in my 50s. But it’s possible with a professional prediabetes plan that you can easily follow at home.
This plan helped me overcome the struggle of eating healthier and replaced many of my beloved meals with healthy, equally delicious alternatives. And it was all worth it.
Now taking care of my grandkids and being more active isn’t such a big challenge anymore.
I prevented the risk of my prediabetes from evolving, took my health seriously, and now I feel so much lighter.
So if you’ve been diagnosed with prediabetes, learn from my mistakes and start taking care of yourself the easier way – with Klinio.
It’s so easy – they have a quick quiz, where you have to enter your details, favorite meals, and even no-no foods. This is how they generate an personalized plan.
After taking the quiz, you can also get a free health report and explore your options for additional discounts.
If I had known this program existed before, I would have avoided the unnecessary hustle with multiple dieting mistakes and reversed prediabetes sooner.
Thank you for your comment
I find it hard to stick to any diet, and I’ve tried many of them. Maybe personalized diets could work better, especially if I don’t need to restrict myself.
I’m 172lbs and at risk of prediabetes, as my doctor informed me. I need to lose weight, and I’ve tried that before, but it’s difficult. Asked my son to put this Klinio program into my phone.
I got diagnosed with prediabetes a few weeks ago, and it is driving me crazy already! What to eat, when to eat… I think this Klinio app is definitely worth a try for newbies.