Do you feel tired after meals? If that happens frequently, you might be overwhelming your body with too many carbohydrates at once.

 

An article lists that as one of the early warning signs of prediabetes, which means a fasting blood glucose 100-125.

 

Monique Biddle is a certified diabetes educator at Memorial Regional Hospital.

 

“If you overeat you do have a chance of having high blood sugar and getting sluggish from the high blood sugar. The key is not to overeat on carbohydrates” said Biddle. 

 

According to the Diabetes Nutrition Placemat, the dinner plate should be half veggies, a quarter protein and a quarter starch, for better balance. Skipping meals is not a good idea, in fact light healthy snacking is encouraged.

 

“It helps regulate the sugars more in that you go long periods of time without eating anybody can get a low blood sugar," Biddle said.

 

Being overweight and unable to lose weight is another prediabetes warning sign. The body might be holding onto fat because its primary source of energy, sugar, is not being properly absorbed. 

 

In particular, belly fat is a red flag.

 

“And that all has to do with insulin resistance, that you’re making the insulin but you’re not able to use it efficiently,”  Biddle said.

 

High blood pressure and insulin resistance often can go hand in hand. 

 

For women specifically, gestational diabetes is a concern. So is having a baby that weighs more than nine pounds at birth. About half of women who have diabetes during pregnancy are at risk of developing it again later in life. 

 

In general, prediabetes often develops into Type 2 Diabetes.  But you can prevent that from happening in most cases by changing you diet, losing weight and with regular exercise.