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What is pre-diabetes?

Pre-diabetes is a condition that comes before type 2 diabetes. Blood glucose (sugar) levels are higher than normal but aren’t high enough to be called diabetes. Pre-diabetes is a silent disease, meaning you can have it but not know it. The good news is that cutting back on calories and fat, being physically active, and losing weight can reverse pre-diabetes and therefore delay or prevent type 2 diabetes. Diabetes doesn’t go away once you have it, so it’s better to prevent it in the first place.

Increasing your Physical Activity

Place a check mark next to the ways you’ll try to add physical activity to your daily routine.
• I’ll take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• I’ll park at the far end of the parking lot.
• I’ll find an activity I enjoy, such as working in the yard or riding a bike.
• I’ll take a walk every day, working up to 30 minutes of brisk walking. 5 days at week. Or I’ll split the 30 minutes into two or three walks.
• I’ll try strength training by lifting light weights several times a week.
• Other ways I’ll try to add physical activity to my daily routine are

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

A lot of your diabetes care is up to you.  You may have already changed some habits to take better care of yourself.  Perhaps you exercise more now than you did before you were diagnosed with diabetes.  May be you'd like to change other habits but you're stuck-you feel like you just can't get started.  Changing habits can be hard to do.  But you can learn a step-by-step approach that will help you reach your goals.

What happens when you change a habit?
Every change involves several stages:


• Pre-contemplation. Maybe you think that a change would help but you're not ready or interested.  You feel the change would be too hard to make
• Contemplation. You're thinking about making a change, but not right away.  At this stage, the costs of making the change still outweigh the benefits.
• Preparation.  You're ready to make the change within the month.  You've made a realistic plan and you've gathered what you need to carry out your plan
• Action. You've taken action and started your new routine.  But sometimes you're tempted to go back to your previous habits.
• Maintenance.  After more than 6 months of your new routine, you're used to doing it.  It's now a habit.

Think about what stage you're in for changes you'd like to make.  Are you in the early stages-not yet ready for a change?  Or maybe you'd like to make a change but you don't know how.  Knowing what stage you're in can help you choose the best approach to changing habits and attaining your goals.

You can make it easier to eat low-fat foods by stocking up on fruits and vegetables.

Changing Habits: Getting started

Think about your diabetes care.  Then fill in your answers.

What's my goal?

What change would help me reach my goal?

What stage am I in for this change?

o I'm not ready to change right now.
o I'm thinking about doing it sometime.
o I might do it in the next month
o I'm doing it now
o I've been doing it for more than 6 months

Not quite ready to take action?

Here's what to do next.
To move from the "not-ready" stage to the action stage:
o Consider the benefits of the change.  For example, if you took a half-hour walk every morning, how would that help your health?  What effect would it have on your weight?
o Answer these questions:

What part of this change would be hard for me?

Ready to make a change?

Here's what to do next.

To change a habit, you'll need a realistic, achievable plan.  Your plan should be as specific as possible.  Your health care team can provide information to help you.  Write your plan here:

o Here's what I'll do:

Example: I'll take a brisk walk 5 days a week for half an hour

o Here's when I'll do it:

_______________________________________________________
      Example: I'll walk after breakfast.

o Here's what I need to get ready:
________________________________________________________
      Example: I'll need comfortable walking shoes.

o This might get in the way of my plan:
________________________________________________________
      Example: If it's raining I won't be able to walk outside.

o If that happens, I'll do this instead:

________________________________________________________
      Example: I'll go to the recreation center and walk around inside.

o Here's when I'll start:

________________________________________________________
      Example: I'll start my walks on Monday.

Ready to take action or already taking action?

Here's What to do next.

Once you've started your new habit, you'll want to take steps to keep doing what you're doing.

These steps can help:

o Set up things around you so it'll be easier to stick with your new habit.  For example, stock up on vegetables and fruit instead of high-fat snacks
o Make it easy to find time for your new habit by changing your schedule or your routine.  If you prefer to walk in the morning before work, get up a little earlier so you'll have time.
o Think about roadblocks that might come up and plan ways to get around them.
o Ask for support from family, friends, and your health care team.  For example, ask a family member to watch the kids while you go for a walk.
o If you sometimes slip up and go back to your old habit, don't despair.  You can start fresh tomorrow
o Keep track of your efforts by writing down what you're doing
o Vary your routine to keep it interesting.  For example, if you're tired of walking around your neighborhood, walk inside the shopping mall instead.
o Reward yourself for sticking with your plan
 Remember: it takes time to make new habits, but your patience and persistence will pay off in the long run


Protect Your Heart
Cook with Heart-Healthy Foods


You can protect your heart and blood vessels by eating less saturated fat and by choosing the types of fats that help your cholesterol levels.
The ingredients you use and the way you cook can make a big difference. Try these tips:

• Cook with less fat.
• Choose lean meats, poultry, and pork.
• Choose low-fat dairy foods.
• Substitute lower-fat ingredients in recipes.

Cook with less fat

Use a low-fat or fat-free way to cook. You can cut down on total fat by broiling, microwaving, baking, roasting, steaming, or grilling foods.
Nonstick pans and cooking sprays also work well.

Boost the flavor with seasonings and sauces instead of fats. Look for recipes that use herbs and spices for flavor instead of fat. Try these ways to season food:

• Squeeze fresh lemon juice on steamed vegetables, broiled fish, rice, or pasta.
• Try lemon pepper or mesquite seasoning on chicken.
• Use onion and garlic to liven up meats and vegetables.
• Try baking chicken with barbecue sauce or low-fat Italian dressing.
Trim the fat when possible. Cut away visible fat from meat and poultry. Roast food on a rack to let the fat drip off. Make soups a day ahead so you can chill them and then remove the fat that has risen to the top.

Choose lean cuts of beef, poultry, and pork

To help keep your cholesterol on target, choose lean cuts of meat and poultry. Try some of your favorite recipes with these lean choices:

• When selection beef, choose lean cuts such as round, sirloin, and flank steak, tenderloin; rib, chuck or rump roast; T-bone, porterhouse, or cubed steak.  
• Choose poultry such as chicken, turkey, or Cornish hen without the skin. The white breast meat is lower in fat then the darker meat in the thigh and leg pieces.
• Learn types of pork include ham, Canadian bacon, pork loin, and center loin chops.