Out of the blue I found out 2 months ago I have "metabolic syndrome" or pre-diabetes. I cut out the carbs and lost 9 pounds in the last 9 weeks not that I was overweight before, I'm sure skinny now. Dr says I will be OK if I limit carbs and keep up by 1 hour walks 5 days a week.

The bummer is I can't drink orange juice any more and am limited to 2 oranges a day. I was drinking around a quart of juice a day. That last gallon of page mandarin juice sure tasted good.

Wonder who will eat the fruit off my 25 inground citrus trees now? Most I think will be cut down before we move in 6 months to the Houston area from Beaumont.

All this is very-very sad! Although I am glad that you should be fine with this diet.

Okay, here's the deal: have your higher glycemic index carbs in the morning. Exercise more. A LOT more. Lots of cardio. You can also have higher glycemic index carbs right after strenuous exercise. And, don't juice your fruit. Instead, blend it with all the pulp. The addtional fiber will slow down the absorbtion of the fructose. Lastly, always have as balanced a meal as possible, with the correct proportions of carbs (lower glycemic index or citrus with all its fiber), healthy monosaturated fats, and lean protiens, eating a meal every 3 hours. Do not let more than an hour go by after waking up in the morning without eating. You can enjoy your citrus, just have to make some modifications (from nurse Patty, who specializes in wellness)

You could move to container trees in your new home, they obviously take up less space & produce much less but you still get all the enjoyment of growing and eating the fruit.

Phil first, why would anyone in their right mind move from Beaumont to Huston.....especially to Huston???

I am a diabetic and still eat most everything. Exercise is the great leveler for diabetics. A half hour on a stationary bike after a meal can reduce blood sugar from 150 to 90. I ride the stationary bike a half hour after lunch, and after supper, plus take my medicine. My A1C has been in the 5.5+- range for quite some time. I can tell you as time goes by it takes a LOT of will power to maintain a continual routine of exercise, exercise, exercise and more exercise. Being pre-diabetic does not mean you will ever actually become diabetic. Good luck.. Millet 73

Very, very wise words from Millet. Exercise and reducing body fat are key for those who have metabolic syndrome and are pushing the edges of type 2 diabetes. Even for those with type 1 diabetes, exercise is critically important. And, as Millet has described, some significant cardio exercise. Instead of walking, start jogging. Then work up to interval training (sprinting then jogging, one of the best ways to improve cardiovascular health and reduce body fat. Can be done on foot, treadmill, elliptical, staionary bike, etc.) Try to exercise in the morning and then again, in the afternoon or evening. Instead of monitoring your weight, monitor your body composition, muscle mass to body fat ratio, and reduce body fat (not necessarily overall weight). The more muscle mass you can carry, with less body fat, the healthier you will be. Don't look at BMI, it is a poor indicator of a healthy weight. Instead, watch your ratio of muscle to fat. Your blood sugars will stay normal and your LDL cholesterol levels will drop. If you end up having to take a statin, there are statins out there that do not react with the chemical found in pummelos and grapefruits, so you can continue to enjoy them in your diet. Eating 6 meals a day (every 3 hours) and within an hour of awakening in the morning also helps significantly, and as I mentioned, as balanced as possible, carbs to proteins to fat. The key being even blood sugar levels without spiking your insulin. You can do this and still enjoy your wonderful citrus.

A lot of people are diabetic and do not know it until symptoms develop like blindness or kidney failure! The last time I check my blood glucose it was normal but that was two years ago. Avoid foods with high corn fructose syrup content especially soft drinks. I no longer drink soft drinks, I drink water instead.

Sorry to hear(read) the bad news, I know how you feel. I have had diabetes over 25 years and it is difficult but not impossible. Don't give up citrus if you still enjoy it, I won't tell how much I eat but I am on a pump and can adjust (cheat) for the extra sugar. I too was growing citrus when I found out.

I have found that walking takes too long, and really does not lower blood sugar all that much for the amount of time expended. A more strenuous cardio type exercises does a much better, and faster job of reducing blood sugar. . - Millet 71

Bingo. Walking is a great form of exercise, but for those with Metabolic Syndrome or just Type 2 Diabetes, it isn't enough. I have this tank I wear at the gym. It says, "I Hate Cardio". I wear it on my days I run intervals on the treadmill or do intervals on the elliptical. And, we are also finding that we need to exercise longer than we thought, especially for Metabolic Syndrome folks. At least 45 mins. An hour if you can squeeze in the time. And, for those who really need to turn things around, an hour in the morning, and an hour in the evening for a while.