Newly diagnosed, scared and confused

Red_river_

Well-Known Member
Messages
124
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I use almond flour (well ground almonds, just as good but cheaper) or coconut flour.
Thank you, I will have to try sometime. Can you get it in supermarket? I didn't even know they exist!
 

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,810
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Thank you, I will have to try sometime. Can you get it in supermarket? I didn't even know they exist!
Tesco sell both. You’ll need to Google recipes to use them, I don’t think you can simply substitute them for wheat flour unfortunately. I think it’s to do with how much liquid they each absorb.
 

Red_river_

Well-Known Member
Messages
124
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
It is a long learning curve, and you are at one end of it right now. Sit back, enjoy your weekend, take some deep breaths. This is not a sprint. You will get there, no need to rush. :)
Yeah I forgot just now, it's a marathon... I am taking a deep breath, and going to cook now. Thank you. Have a good weekend everyone!! Thank you for your help!!
 

woodywhippet61

Well-Known Member
Messages
489
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I said that about testing because Red River is obviously very stressed about the whole thing at the moment including testing and does not know what to do for the best Just cutting out the obvious starchy foods for a while will give her time to take it all in

Yes I know that's why you said it. :)I still don't agree with that comment even if I can understand why you wrote it. I can see your point of view and yet not agree with it.
 

Pinkorchid

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,927
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
You are right, too much information can stressed one out.. any everybody I see different.. I am about to cook dinner and thinking of cooking some potato, just one each... I am so used to lots of carbs and cut it out totally is so difficult, and upsetting too. I walk up and down stair after meal because I read somewhere that say it I still advisable for PWD to have a walk after meal. It's dark and cold outside so I choose to " walk in door". I wonder anybody does it? Is it a necessity?
I have not heard of anyone here walking up and down the stairs after a meal but maybe someone does.
Yes takes things slowly do not cut out the carbs to drastically to soon it is not good for your body to do that to much to soon and people suffer from what they call carb flu. You have been getting advice from all directions some that may suit you some that may not so no wonder you are stressed and upset try to relax now and give yourself a chance to think about what you have read and what you want to do Remember there is no ..one size suits all... people here can only tell of their own personal experience with their diabetes and that can vary so much from one to another with how many carbs they have and what they can or can't eat because we are all different people
 
  • Like
Reactions: woodywhippet61

Pinkorchid

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,927
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Yes I know that's why you said it. :)I still don't agree with that comment even if I can understand why you wrote it. I can see your point of view and yet not agree with it.
Yes no worries you are perfectly entitled not to agree i am sure we all do that sometimes on here
 
  • Like
Reactions: woodywhippet61

Red_river_

Well-Known Member
Messages
124
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi, nice to meet you. I was recently diagnosed with diabetes too. Within the last six weeks. I had a rougher time than you as my diabetic journey began in the hospital with very high blood sugar. I was calm about things while in the hospital, but shortly after I got home, I had a meltdown. I felt like I just won't be able to cope. But I managed to pull things together. Taking charge of my diabetes management helped, tracking my blood sugar with a monitor helped to provide a routine to my day. I also kept a journal of my meals, this was another thing that provided me with some structure. Lastly, finding this forum and interacting with its member has been very helpful. You probably have noticed that there a lot of friendly people who have a lot of experience dealing with diabetes, having this as part of my support network has been an important part for me being largely positive about things.
Good luck
Hi, nice meeting you too. Sorry I didn't reply any sooner, I just needed to step away, calmed down and let things sink in. You are right, I do find people on this forum very friendly and helpful. I am sorry to hear about your rough time, must be so scary, and I totally understand your meltdown. Like me, I only had a meltdown on day 4 I think. I am luckier in a way that I was diagnosed in earlier stage. I've been trying to count carbs and after a week already lost a pound if not more, which is not sth I wish to happen. I am still reading all thing about diabetes and really, still haven't found a solid answer.. I wish you best of luck in bringing your Bg down.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Prem51 and Ixarix

Grateful

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,398
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I've been trying to count carbs and after a week already lost a pound if not more, which is not sth I wish to happen. I am still reading all thing about diabetes and really, still haven't found a solid answer.. I wish you best of luck in bringing your Bg down.

It's great that you are losing weight and starting on the carb-counting process. It is a bit tedious to start with but gets easy over time.

I would like to apologize for some of the things I said, earlier in this thread. In particular, that silly stuff about "people with diabetes" (and fortunately I was put back in my place). Also, some of the things I said, and some of the terms I used, may have increased the anxiety level and that is both counter-productive and unfair to someone who was recently diagnosed and is fearful (as I was, when it happened to me).

I am relatively new to this and still have a lot to learn. We are here to support each other, and try to figure out the right strategy amid the plethora of confusing and sometimes conflicting advice.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Red_river_

gauravkgoyal

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
I will look into getting a meter this weekend as I now realised that it I should a must, that I am driving blind at the moment like you said. I've been reading too much about diabetes and got drown in the sea of different information. It has been only a week today since I was diagnosed and I guess I am still emotionally unstable, and I had been trying too hard.. Nevertheless I do find it very hard to think of what to have, that I will enjoy..
Hi Red_river_,
I have been diagnosed with T2D in Jun-2017 with HbA1C as 6.9 with high cholestrol levels. I want to share my personal experience here if it is helpful for you. I apologize in advance that many people on this forum may not agree with me but here I am sharing only my personal experience here with no offence to anyone.

After getting to know about LCHF diet, I was fully convinced that only way to lower BG levels is reducing carbs. Being an Indian and Vegetarian, it is nearly impossible for me to live without carbs, so I decided to reduce carbs to my tolerance level. So I followed the flexible diet which was based on LCHF. My diet consists of:
Drinking 2-glasses of water after waking up.
Empty stomach: home made juice of 1 small bitter guard with half tomato sprinkled with cinnamon powder. Not eating anything for next 30 minutes.

Breakfast: one portion of Papaya or 1 cup full fat yogurt with few berries and a pinch of salt or 30-40 grams of Muesli (Oats) with full fat milk
+
5 almonds, 2-3 walnuts soaked overnight in water

Morning snack: 1 Green tea (if required)

Lunch: one big bowl of salad (consisting of Lettuce, Cucumber, Kale, capsicum for crunch, tomatoes) with topping of either guacamole or 1 tsp cheese spread or 1/2 cup boiled kidney beans/black beans sprinkled with salt and Lemon.
and
200 ml of full fat buttermilk sprinkled with roasted cumin seeds and salt.

Evening snacks: handful roasted/ salted peanuts (if hungry)

Dinner: Stir fried vegetables (any except Potatoes) or legumes or kidney bean curry or chickpea curry with 1 or 2 Indian chapati (Tortilla) made from mix flour of whole wheat, oats and barley.

Before sleeping: 1 glass full fat milk if hungry without sugar.

With this diet. I have been able to recover my HbA1c levels from 6.9 to 6.1 in 4 months and lost weight of around 10 Lbs. My fasting blood sugar improved from a level of 8.6 to 5.9. My cholestrol levels have also improved than earlier.

I have not been much disciplined to check my sugar levels every now and then because I was sure that cutting on unhealthy food will surely make a positive difference in my Blood Sugar levels however it may take more time to achieve the desired HbA1c level or reverse my diabetes completely.

In terms of exercise: I have only walked on average 6k-8k steps per day for last 4 months with no Gym.

My personal recommendation to you would be: Do not starve much, opt for natural and healthy food. try to reduce carbs to a level you believe you can tolerate.

Apologies if my response confuses you more.

Disclaimer: Not taking any medicines for Diabetes or Cholestrol
 
  • Like
Reactions: Prem51

Red_river_

Well-Known Member
Messages
124
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
It's great that you are losing weight and starting on the carb-counting process. It is a bit tedious to start with but gets easy over time.

I would like to apologize for some of the things I said, earlier in this thread. In particular, that silly stuff about "people with diabetes" (and fortunately I was put back in my place). Also, some of the things I said, and some of the terms I used, may have increased the anxiety level and that is both counter-productive and unfair to someone who was recently diagnosed and is fearful (as I was, when it happened to me).

I am relatively new to this and still have a lot to learn. We are here to support each other, and try to figure out the right strategy amid the plethora of confusing and sometimes conflicting advice.
You have nothing to apologise for. I find you very friendly and helpful. I can see you've been doing really well to bring down bg level. Great job! I don't understand though how can you be overweight if your BMI is only 21 sth? I am a bit like you though, love all kind of carb ( rice, pasta, bread, potato), low fat, big on fruits and vegs, skinny frame, BMI 22, so losing weigh is not sth I wish for at all. I saw a GP this morning, and he advised me to not make any dramatic changes, stick to my healthy diet, just look at the plate of food and think about what I can do to improve it. And what else? A lot of people are not gonna like this :" Don't read too much online. Forget about that ( this) website. Follow the diabetic nurse advices". Well, at least now I feel kinda relieved, that I don't need to carb count, just need to be sensible with what I eat. No need to test!! Hurray..!!! ( because the bg goes up and down all the time anyway- he said). He said what is more important is the HbA1c level that will be tested after a couple of months and tat will show I feel I am going the right way.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Prem51

Grateful

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,398
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I don't understand though how can you be overweight if your BMI is only 21 sth?

That's an excellent question. You are right that it is counter-intuitive.

We are all different. I am the proverbial "beanpole" and for much of my life, my BMI (not that I was paying any attention to it) was way in the "underweight" category. My stomach was concave, and when I met my future wife she complained that my hips were "too sharp"! At school, the nurse kept telling me I needed to put on weight. Yet, as a teen-ager and for much of my young life, I ate like a horse and could never put on weight. I was healthy, but weedy and under-muscled. (It runs in the family, on my mother's side.)

I am now 60. Eighteen years ago, I moved to the United States (from the Middle East) and my lifestyle became much more sedentary. I run a home business. I did not take regular (i.e. daily) exercise, although I was by no means "inactive" -- I took hiking holidays, and use public transport quite a lot rather than driving. Still, it was a fairly typical American "suburban existence." The nearest shop is a half-hour walk from home so I usually went by car.

I went from having a 34" waist to 40" and it happened over those 18 years, so I barely noticed. It turns out that there is a feeling among some in the medical community that it is not just weight, but also waist size, that should be taken into account as risk factors for health. This by the way is especially the case for some ethnic groups, Asians for example. I am not a member of any of the listed groups, but that doesn't mean it was not relevant for me.

My doctor insists that I was not overweight at diagnosis, but (with all due respect to my wonderful doctor) I think he missed a relevant metric. I was still just as skinny overall, but had this bizarre "beer paunch" and there is a lot of research pointing to "visceral fat" as being associated with Type 2 diabetes. I will never know for sure whether this is what helped cause (or accelerate) my T2D but it is very suggestive, in my opinion.

So -- for me, not necessarily for everyone -- "BMI is bunk" and provided false reassurance.

Sorry to rabbit on like this, and thank you for your friendly post.
 
Last edited:

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,850
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
As your Hba1c will be tested in a few months and you will be able to see the results it should be easy to work out just how effective your doctor's advice is for your continued good health.
 

gauravkgoyal

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
That's an excellent question. You are right that it is counter-intuitive.

We are all different. I am the proverbial "beanpole" and for much of my life, my BMI (not that I was paying any attention to it) was way in the "underweight" category. My stomach was concave, and when I met my future wife she complained that my hips were "too sharp"! At school, the nurse kept telling me I needed to put on weight. Yet, as a teen-ager and for much of my young life, I ate like a horse and could never put on weight. I was healthy, but weedy and under-muscled. (It runs in the family, on my mother's side.)

I am now 60. Eighteen years ago, I moved to the United States (from the Middle East) and my lifestyle became much more sedentary. I run a home business. I did not take regular (i.e. daily) exercise, although I was by no means "inactive" -- I took hiking holidays, and use public transport quite a lot rather than driving. Still, it was a fairly typical American "suburban existence." The nearest shop is a half-hour walk from home so I usually went by car.

I went from having a 34" waist to 40" and it happened over those 15 years, so I barely noticed. It turns out that there is a feeling among some in the medical community that it is not just weight, but also waist size, that should be taken into account as risk factors for health. This by the way is especially the case for some ethnic groups, Asians for example. I am not a member of any of the listed groups, but that doesn't mean it was not relevant for me.

My doctor insists that I was not overweight at diagnosis, but (with all due respect to my wonderful doctor) I think he missed a relevant metric. I was still just as skinny overall, but had this bizarre "beer paunch" and there is a lot of research pointing to "visceral fat" as being associated with Type 2 diabetes. I will never know for sure whether this is what helped cause (or accelerate) my T2D but it is very suggestive, in my opinion.

So -- for me, not necessarily for everyone -- "BMI is bunk" and provided false reassurance.

Sorry to rabbit on like this, and thank you for your friendly post.
Yes..I agree with you...instead of BMI, Body fat percentage is something which has to be looked as one of the parameter..
 
  • Like
Reactions: Prem51

Red_river_

Well-Known Member
Messages
124
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi Red_river_,
I have been diagnosed with T2D in Jun-2017 with HbA1C as 6.9 with high cholestrol levels. I want to share my personal experience here if it is helpful for you. I apologize in advance that many people on this forum may not agree with me but here I am sharing only my personal experience here with no offence to anyone.

After getting to know about LCHF diet, I was fully convinced that only way to lower BG levels is reducing carbs. Being an Indian and Vegetarian, it is nearly impossible for me to live without carbs, so I decided to reduce carbs to my tolerance level. So I followed the flexible diet which was based on LCHF. My diet consists of:
Drinking 2-glasses of water after waking up.
Empty stomach: home made juice of 1 small bitter guard with half tomato sprinkled with cinnamon powder. Not eating anything for next 30 minutes.

Breakfast: one portion of Papaya or 1 cup full fat yogurt with few berries and a pinch of salt or 30-40 grams of Muesli (Oats) with full fat milk
+
5 almonds, 2-3 walnuts soaked overnight in water

Morning snack: 1 Green tea (if required)

Lunch: one big bowl of salad (consisting of Lettuce, Cucumber, Kale, capsicum for crunch, tomatoes) with topping of either guacamole or 1 tsp cheese spread or 1/2 cup boiled kidney beans/black beans sprinkled with salt and Lemon.
and
200 ml of full fat buttermilk sprinkled with roasted cumin seeds and salt.

Evening snacks: handful roasted/ salted peanuts (if hungry)

Dinner: Stir fried vegetables (any except Potatoes) or legumes or kidney bean curry or chickpea curry with 1 or 2 Indian chapati (Tortilla) made from mix flour of whole wheat, oats and barley.

Before sleeping: 1 glass full fat milk if hungry without sugar.

With this diet. I have been able to recover my HbA1c levels from 6.9 to 6.1 in 4 months and lost weight of around 10 Lbs. My fasting blood sugar improved from a level of 8.6 to 5.9. My cholestrol levels have also improved than earlier.

I have not been much disciplined to check my sugar levels every now and then because I was sure that cutting on unhealthy food will surely make a positive difference in my Blood Sugar levels however it may take more time to achieve the desired HbA1c level or reverse my diabetes completely.

In terms of exercise: I have only walked on average 6k-8k steps per day for last 4 months with no Gym.

My personal recommendation to you would be: Do not starve much, opt for natural and healthy food. try to reduce carbs to a level you believe you can tolerate.

Apologies if my response confuses you more.

Disclaimer: Not taking any medicines for Diabetes or Cholestrol
Hi ,thank you very much for sharing your experience. It's amazing that you have achieved such a big change in just 4 months! Almost unbelievable!! ( not that I don't believe what you say). You have given me confidence that I too can make it better with a sensible low carb diet and not worry too much about pricking my fingers. Like you, I find it impossible to avoid carbs altogether, but have been cutting it down quite significantly. I saw a GP today who said I could keep on going with my normal healthy diet, just try to find way to improve it bit by bit, which I was delighted to hear. So I allowed myself to have some rice for dinner tonight :) . I will learn from your low carb diet, sounds you have kept quite low, down to only once a day. I used to drink vegetables juice before but stopped now as the nurse says it's better to consume vegs with fibres, and that way sugar won't get to blood too quickly. I have a few questions for you though : if you have high cholesterol, I would have thought you should avoid anything high in fat? And why soak almonds and walnuts in water? I eat them just as they are. Thanks for your advice, too. I think it sounds very sensible and basically just like what the GP told me today. Keep up the good work! Oh, I do try to walk when I can, but not much during the week. At weekend we go for up to 9 miles walk. Gym will be first thing to do in the New year.
 

Red_river_

Well-Known Member
Messages
124
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
As your Hba1c will be tested in a few months and you will be able to see the results it should be easy to work out just how effective your doctor's advice is for your continued good health.
Yes, probably I will have another blood test when I see the nurse in mid Dec. I know for a lot of people here, what my GP said doesn't make sense, but really he gave me a peace of mind. He said with my level of 6.6 I am just over the edge, and it's a long process, so take it step by step. At the moment I still stick with low carb diet, allow myself a little carb such as potato, rice or pasta for dinner only. I will see how that will effect my bg when I have it next test.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Prem51

gauravkgoyal

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Hi ,thank you very much for sharing your experience. It's amazing that you have achieved such a big change in just 4 months! Almost unbelievable!! ( not that I don't believe what you say). You have given me confidence that I too can make it better with a sensible low carb diet and not worry too much about pricking my fingers. Like you, I find it impossible to avoid carbs altogether, but have been cutting it down quite significantly. I saw a GP today who said I could keep on going with my normal healthy diet, just try to find way to improve it bit by bit, which I was delighted to hear. So I allowed myself to have some rice for dinner tonight :) . I will learn from your low carb diet, sounds you have kept quite low, down to only once a day. I used to drink vegetables juice before but stopped now as the nurse says it's better to consume vegs with fibres, and that way sugar won't get to blood too quickly. I have a few questions for you though : if you have high cholesterol, I would have thought you should avoid anything high in fat? And why soak almonds and walnuts in water? I eat them just as they are. Thanks for your advice, too. I think it sounds very sensible and basically just like what the GP told me today. Keep up the good work! Oh, I do try to walk when I can, but not much during the week. At weekend we go for up to 9 miles walk. Gym will be first thing to do in the New year.
Hi, Thanks for your comments.
Yes I'm sure that you will be able to do it in couple of months only as your levels are not too high. You can enjoy rice by replacing white rice with brown rice and no major difference in taste. Always check if you can replace simple carbs with complex carbs. Complex carbs with higher dietary fibre are always better than simple carbs. I have even ate home made Pizza's for couple of times made from whole wheat floor crust :) it's OK to have such things occasionally in moderation. Just to mention here that my Carb count was not too low but I tried to restrict carb (except from Veg and fruits) to max 2 meals only and every meal is having some protein (my protein intake was low due to limited options as vegetarion). Vegerables are always better than juice. To make it more tasty, you can add boiled or canned beans into your salad to give a creamy flavor.
No need to prick your fingerseveny now and then but still I would recommend to keep a check at least once in a week (fasting BG).
Coming to Colestrol, there are multiple confusing advises in terms of fat intake. However, after studying a lot, I came to a conclusion that go slow on fats and you can include all the natural fats in your diet without second thought but in moderation such as full fat dairy, cheese, avocado, nuts, extra virgin olive oil etc. In last 4 months, my Triglycerides have reduced to 50% however, in LDL and HDL numbers there was slight improvement only. To improve HDL numbers, I need to increase soluble fibre intake and more exercise than a simple walk.
Soaking almonds and walnuts in water is something recommended to us by elders to increse the absorption of nutrients into them. You can refer below links to find out more. I see no harm in doing it..it just take 1-2 additional minutes for me.
http://www.foodmatters.com/article/the-benefits-of-soaking-nuts-and-seeds
https://caloriebee.com/nutrition/Almonds-And-Health
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,850
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I would warn that for me there is no difference between brown and white rice, brown and white bread, sweet potato is more glucose elevating than white, and that carbs from fruit and veges affect me equally if they are over 10 percent carbs.
Without testing these things for yourself you should err on the side of caution, and avoid 'the usual suspects' until you get your next Hba1c. If it has gone down a lot then you will know that you can be more lenient, but eating grains and other things which contain carbs could be problematic even then.
 

Red_river_

Well-Known Member
Messages
124
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I would warn that for me there is no difference between brown and white rice, brown and white bread, sweet potato is more glucose elevating than white, and that carbs from fruit and veges affect me equally if they are over 10 percent carbs.
Without testing these things for yourself you should err on the side of caution, and avoid 'the usual suspects' until you get your next Hba1c. If it has gone down a lot then you will know that you can be more lenient, but eating grains and other things which contain carbs could be problematic even then.
Sadly it's true that Brown contains as much carbs as white, it just release sugar a bit slower that's all it is. My nurse recommended porridge for breakfast which I had first few days, but when checked the label I was shocked to find out that it has 69% carbs, ( or was it 60?). I could have 4 slices of brown toast for that. I find breakfast is most tricky, apart from eggs I don't know what else to have.
 

Hotpepper20000

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,065
Sadly it's true that Brown contains as much carbs as white, it just release sugar a bit slower that's all it is. My nurse recommended porridge for breakfast which I had first few days, but when checked the label I was shocked to find out that it has 69% carbs, ( or was it 60?). I could have 4 slices of brown toast for that. I find breakfast is most tricky, apart from eggs I don't know what else to have.
How about full fat Greek yogurt with a few berries or nuts?