5 Things to Know about Your Prediabetes Diagnosis
It’s not an emergency. Yes, it can feel extremely urgent - it’s a new diagnosis and it’s one that is severely misunderstood in our culture - but it is not an actual emergency. Why? Because prediabetes can take years (sometimes even decades) to develop into Type 2 Diabetes AND, crucially, sometimes it doesn’t develop into Type 2 Diabetes at all. And that’s without you taking any action!
If you have the urge to toss all your bread and rice into the trash, don’t! Your body still needs carbohydrates to function. Heck, even if you did develop Type 2 Diabetes you still need carbs in your life. Carbohydrates are your body’s primary source of energy. In order to properly manage your blood sugar levels you need to still be eating carbs.
It’s not all diet and exercise related. Increased stress, lack of sleep, genetics, environmental factors, and illness can all cause higher blood sugar levels. Too often diabetes is seen as something that is 100% preventable and, therefore, 100% your fault. No matter what the causes, I don’t believe shaming is ever productive.
You don’t have to focus on weight loss. Yes, losing weight in the short term has been shown to decrease blood sugar levels. However, and this is critical, if your body then gains the weight back (as we know often occurs with restrictive diets) the benefits are gone. What matters most in blood sugar regulation is developing sustainable habits over long periods of time, not losing x amount of pounds in a month.
You’re not alone. Prediabetes can be a scary diagnosis, but it’s incredibly common and, at the end of the day, totally manageable. In fact, it’s become something I’ve seen so often in sessions that I’m starting a virtual group (“Prediabetes…Now What?”) to help break down exactly what you need to know about managing blood sugars and how to do it with weight-inclusive care and without restrictive diets.
If this article resonated with you and you found yourself asking “Okay, so what’s next? How do I manage it?” Check out the Prediabetes…Now What? Virtual Group page for more about the next cycle!