I am on the very close edge of getting diabetes what can I do to prevent it?

My docter just told me I am very close to getting diabetes. She also said that I need to lose 30 pounds, so how can I lose 30 pounds and prevent becoming diabetic. Please help?

We're talking Type 2 here, the most common sort in the developed world by far.

The advice you got is good, but doesn't quite cover the whole story-- at least as far as we know it now. It turns out that fat is an endocrine gland, like the thyroid or pituitary. Big surprise there when the evidence turned up a few years ago. No one saw that one coming. And it turns out that it's not just any fat, mostly, but fat in and around the abdominal organs which is the main part off the problem. We all have some, but above a certain amount (not very well understood how to figure out how much), this fat starts sending out hormones which have the effect of greatly increasing the chances of becoming type 2 diabetic. If some -- not all -- of that fat can be burned off, the signals seem to stop. Subcutaneous fat (eg, thunder thighs, or swivel chair spread) doesn't seem to be involved, pretty much.

So the weight loss thing is really, lose some of the abdominal fat. The trouble is that we don't know how to target fat loss; thsoe exercise nearby muscles to burn off this part of that are bunk. So you'll just have to lose general fat, which will take some of the abdominal fat with it. Exercise really helps too, and not just for losing fat. The thing with Type 2 is that cells stop listening to insulin (more or less) and this leaves more glucose in the blood than should be there. Exercise doesn't need insulin (mostly) to get muscle cells to take in insulin, bypassing the problem. And exercise does things which can be seen in large studies, even if we don't really understand most of them. It';s clear that regular excise helps avert diabetes (at least statistically), and for diabetics helps reduce the risk of complications. And the good news is that marathons aren't needed. A brisk walk (30 minutes to an hour) three times a week seems to be enough.

Your doctor's advice is correct (well maybe 25 might be enough or maybe 35 will be required), but there are reasons behind the advice.

As for what to eat, just do what you know you should do. Eat your veggies, avoid the sugary empty calories (perhaps especially soft drinks), avoid trans fats (mono unsaturated are best it seems, but saturated is much better than trans), cut down on the calories. Whole grains are good, white bread's mostly nothing but calories -- the added vitamins for the 12 different ways don't mean much.

There's no easy way to say it: You have to want to lose that weight, deep down inside. And you're going to have to eat more greens, less chips and drink no soda. Run/walk a mile and build up your endurance. Drink plenty of water, sleep 8 hours+ and cut out candy bars.

Only you can save yourself, and you've taken the first step to find out how you can do it. Good luck.

Eat right and exercise.