Help and support with pre-Diabetes

Hi,
I normally post in the depression forum, but I desperately need some help and support with my prediabetes. For months I have been overwhelmed with everything going on in my life and my depression, more dysthymia than major depression, has gotten bad. I am still functioning in everything but my diet. Basically, I am having a real hard time cooking for myself. I am living on graham crackers , McDonald's chicken nuggets and sausage egg burritos, prepackaged salads and frozen dinners (I try to choose lower carb ones.) When I eat out, I go to Panera or Noodles where I can have veggie heavy meals. When I am really stressed, I drink a lot of diet coke and eat surgery foods, which boost my dopamine levels for a short time.

I live with my mother in law, who needs a lot of care and just went on a pureed diet. I tried the ADA pre-diabetes forum, but the moderators just don't get it. I feel like they would really like to tell me to just "snap out of it". When I look online for articles about dealing with prediabetes when you have depression all I get are articles about dealing with the depression that can come after you have been diagnosed. This is strange to me as depression is a risk factor for diabetes.

I have a therapist and am on antidepressants, and she does her best but I only see her twice a month. I live in a rural area. So essentially I am alone in this.

I guess I could just start taking metformin, but I really don't want to.

Any ideas?

Hi Lani
Thanks for your reply.

Yes, I am on antidepressants, as I mentioned, and have been for about 20 years, many different ones.

My doctor is not too helpful in the diet arena. The dietician I saw is sympathetic but didn't know what to tell me so she steered me to a macrobiotic diet website.

I do not have the luxury of interrupting my work day to check a one or 2 hour post prandial glucose. I am in a clinic situation and I can't just duck out in the middle of a visit.

So I will soldier on alone with the depression/diabetes dilemma.

Thanks for caring

All my brother in laws and brother and friends are taking metformin. My family doctor even told that non-diabetic people are taking Metformin because of its anti aging effects. For type II diabetic people, it is very easy to get your blood sugar low - Just don't eat carb. Eat fish or meats first, then eat vegetable, finally have only a single piece of toast. This way, your blood sugar will always be low. In between meal, have a small apple.

A1C is three month average blood sugar. AT 6.5, it mans 140. Generally, at 7 which is 160 that it starts to attack your organ. If you are at pre-diabetic at 5.8 or 6.0, there is nothing to worry. It will take many more years to advance to 6.8 or 7 to start taking metformin.

The bottom line, even you start taking Metformin, there is no big deal - as long s you don't abuse taking carb irresponsibly .

Thank you for the replies. I think my main issue is with motivation rather than knowledge. When I get depressed my diet is the first thing to go. I use to weigh/portion out low carb snacks, count carbs, check my AM blood sugars, exercise, but I am having a hard time doing that now. Every day is a new day though and I try to start again.

Buena, I've had depression for over 50 years and I absolutely know that my 'go to' food for self treatment is CARBS. Because carbs raise the serotonin levels in the brain we eat them to feel better. As a diabetic I have to limit them so I try to choose high grain/fiber carbs and for me that is home made sourdough bread. It has a lower glycemic index that regular white bread and I take it even lower by adding oatmeal, ground flax seed, chia, bulgar and corn meal to the dough. Peanut butter on it adds protein and fat to further delay glucose absorption. Works for me.