Hello to all members

soularc

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
my bloomin weight going up instead of down :(
Hi

My name is Nicola (most people call me Nikki or Nix). I’m 43.

Health wise I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome & High Blood Pressure. I also suffer intermittently from Depression. This morning I was told that I have Type 2 Diabetes. My HbA1c says 57. I knew diabetes would eventually give me a hug as it’s on both sides of my family (mum has a pen while dad is diet/meds controlled) & because of my weight. Am so very fed up of dieting to loose weight as no matter what I do, it’s not going anywhere. In the last 2 years, I’ve put on almost 3 stone – so my depression is pretty much in my face at the mo.

I’ve got one child – he has Aspergers Syndrome and is pretty much my world. We moved to our current home in 2009. My partner moved in with us in 2010 and we’ve not looked back since. My partner’s a chef so has promised to help tailor my diet to better suit my health condition (not that he wasn’t doing that anyway). Due to my health problems, my work decided I’d be better off at home and so I’m a retired civil servant – which is okay by me as it means I can look after my son better. Has to be said, since that happened, my stress levels have dropped right off.

I’m a bit of a tech head – not so much building computers but I love playing on them. Current gaming interests are World of Warcraft & Diablo 3. My son plays with me (when he’s not messing around with his lego). I try to walk the dogs daily, ones a huskey & the other’s a golden lab, so its often more them taking me out than the other way around. Our house is a home, it’s totally crazy here and we love it.

Going to shut up for now before I really start to babble. Is nice to meet you all. Blessed be.
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello Nikki, and welcome to the forum. Thank you for telling us a bit about your life. You seem to be settled into a happy routine now, and maybe ready to grasp diabetes by the horns and control it, along with losing weight.

If you have any questions, just ask.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hi Nikki and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 100,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 
A

Avocado Sevenfold

Guest
Hi Nix

Bad luck with the diagnosis, but welcome to the forum. The good news is that the diet for good T2 control is also good for weight loss (in my experience). Congratulations on having a personal chef! :D
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi and welcome. Daisy has provided a lot of good information. In particular note that to reduce weight and blood sugar you need to reduce the carbs in your diet. Don't worry about fats and protein. This goes against traditional food advice but is based on good science and not the poor science that said to avoid fat. Set yourself a daily carb limit of, perhaps, 150gm and see how that goes. Have low-GI carbs when you can. Do get hold of a glucose meter as this will guide you as to what foods affect you most and by how much. Typically test 2 hours after a meal.
 

Alan S

Well-Known Member
Messages
192
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Snake oil salespeople and other slime who try to profit from our condition.
Hi

My name is Nicola (most people call me Nikki or Nix). I’m 43.

Health wise I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome & High Blood Pressure. I also suffer intermittently from Depression. This morning I was told that I have Type 2 Diabetes. My HbA1c says 57. I knew diabetes would eventually give me a hug as it’s on both sides of my family (mum has a pen while dad is diet/meds controlled) & because of my weight. Am so very fed up of dieting to loose weight as no matter what I do, it’s not going anywhere. In the last 2 years, I’ve put on almost 3 stone – so my depression is pretty much in my face at the mo.

I’ve got one child – he has Aspergers Syndrome and is pretty much my world. We moved to our current home in 2009. My partner moved in with us in 2010 and we’ve not looked back since. My partner’s a chef so has promised to help tailor my diet to better suit my health condition (not that he wasn’t doing that anyway). Due to my health problems, my work decided I’d be better off at home and so I’m a retired civil servant – which is okay by me as it means I can look after my son better. Has to be said, since that happened, my stress levels have dropped right off.

I’m a bit of a tech head – not so much building computers but I love playing on them. Current gaming interests are World of Warcraft & Diablo 3. My son plays with me (when he’s not messing around with his lego). I try to walk the dogs daily, ones a huskey & the other’s a golden lab, so its often more them taking me out than the other way around. Our house is a home, it’s totally crazy here and we love it.

Going to shut up for now before I really start to babble. Is nice to meet you all. Blessed be.
G'day Nikki. I wrote this to help you begin: Getting Started