Monitor

[maggie b]

I'm due to go to see my diabetic nurse on Wednesday when I was first diagnosed with type 2 at the end of august I asked the nurse about a monitor but she said I didn't need one yet as I'm diet controlled. After reading many posts on hear I feel I should have one so I can monitor my blood sugar levels how am I supposed to know what I can have & what I can't as it will make my blood levels spike any advice please

 

[jack412]

it's like driving a car without a speedo, but you may have to buy your own
for advice, cut down your grain grain product, potato and sugary stuff, no fruit, [new research says that T2 convert glucose to fructose at 10x the normal rate]

eat lots of non starch veg, normal protein and some good fats/oils [no marge or grain oil]

that will start you off till you learn more and work out what's best for you

 

[Robbity]

Yes most of us completely agree with this, but the powers that be don't - and it's partly a cost cutting exercise, and the "party line" is that we don't need to test!! There's no logic to it, is there! Some lucky type 2s may be prescribed test strips by their enlightened doctors, but generally we have to buy these and our meters ourselves. Sometimes you can get a free meter, and these don't cost much to buy anyway, but strips can be expensive. The cheapest strips appear to be for the Codefree brand of meter, and you can buy them & the meter via eBay, Amazon, and I believe direct from the suppliers.

Robbity

 

[maggie b]

Thanks jack 142 I don't eat potatoes,pasta & very seldom eat rice I do eat 2 slice of white bread per day (don't like brown bread) only fruit I eat is a small banana & sometimes melon don't eat breakfast cereal just a slice of toast with low fat spread for breakfast. My down fall is chocolate I know I have to give it up been told I can have some now & again but feel I should try & give it up altogether I eat loads of chicken & salad need to start eating veg like cauliflower,broccoli etc to fill my plate up more but would like to know apart from the chocolate if I'm doing things right so will ask on Wednesday if she says no I will buy one because how else am I supposed to know if I'm doing things right.

 

[maggie b]

Robbity I am going to ask for one was told you get one free but I didn't need one just yet I'm going to get my feet checked keep getting a burning sensation on the soles of my feet don't know if it's to do with the diabetes. Apart from that I have no other symptoms at all & it was only picked up by a blood test I had done I do worry incase I'm doing something wrong so if the nurse refuses to supply me with one I will buy my own as having this disease is scaring me & the thought of not knowing my blood sugar levels frightens me.

 

[jack412]

no need to give it up...85% chocolate will satisfy with a couple of squares [I use to eat a whole block]
cocoa powder makes a good hot choc, with 1/2 cream 1/2 water with vanilla concentrate and peppermint essence

 

[maggie b]

Jack 412 I eat a small twirl every night but don't know how that works with my blood sugar levels I'm sure it probably sends them high but with out a machine I can't tell just how bad it is. As I say I have no symptoms at all except for the soles of my feet burning hot I'm not on any medication but have to loose weight eating healthy but chocolate is my little treat which I know is bad.

 

[jack412]

LOL...you know they send you high, without even testing

the style of eating I said, will also lose weight, the first week sucks
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf it’s a long page and a video
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbliving/a/Food-Cravings.htm For me, the more carbs we eat the more carbs we want. they don’t give up easy.
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarb101/a/firstweek.htm
http://www.lowcarbdietitian.com/blog/carbohydrate-restriction-an-option-for-diabetes-management

blood testing
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php
http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm
food counting
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

Newcastle diet aims in 8+ weeks to mimic or better the rate of ~80% remission, for surgery T2
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/
http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2010/mar/weight-loss-surgery-and-type-2-diabetes.html

American diabetic association ( http://www.professional.diabetes.org/)
http://www.professional.diabetes.or...=DP&s_src=vanity&s_subsrc=nutritionguidelines
Evidence is inconclusive for an ideal amount of total fat intake for people with diabetes;
therefore, goals should be individualized; fat quality appears to be far more important than quantity.

In people with type 2 diabetes, a Mediterranean-style, MUFA-rich eating pattern may benefit
glycemic control and CVD risk factors and can therefore be recommended as an effective alternative to a lower-fat, higher-carbohydrate eating pattern.




SD codefree meter
http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm
if you buy extra boxes of strips there is a discount code
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833

 

[maggie b]

Lol yeah I know but just want to see by how much god it's not fair having to give up the only thing you like for a treat. I stopped eating biscuits & cakes I ate a few biscuits a day but thought 1 small bar of chocolate might be ok but I guess I'm kidding myself :-(

 

[jack412]

try the 85% chocolate, you will be happy with it in a week or two and that will be your new favorite
you can also melt and mix it with nuts/coconut etc and put it in the fridge

 

[ally1]

i would be lost without my monitor

 

[Robbity]

Lol yeah I know but just want to see by how much god it's not fair having to give up the only thing you like for a treat. I stopped eating biscuits & cakes I ate a few biscuits a day but thought 1 small bar of chocolate might be ok but I guess I'm kidding myself :-(

If you want to know if you're kidding yourself or not, even without a meter you can gather some fairly accurate information on what to eat or avoid, by looking at the food labels on packaging - check for total carbs rather than the more prominent sugar figures - and work out how many carbs you would be eating in a given size portion. For fruit and veggies and non-packaged food you need to do a little more work, but there is a lot of this sort of data on-line for you to search out.

So back to chocolate: for example I eat a very low carbohydrate diet, but can still manage to include a piece of chocolate a day if I want to. My 85% Lindt dark chocolate is (very conveniently! ) a 100 gram bar divided into ten pieces; there are 19 grams of carbs in the whole bar, so it works out at just under 2 carbs per piece, which is not likely to do much harm. If you're worried still, eat a piece as part of you meal, and those 2 carbs will be all mixed up with the protein and fats you have eaten as well, and will have less impact than eating it on its own.

When you've got yourself a little more settled, you can go looking for low carb treats cakes, cookies, cheesecake, and sweets, which generally include "good for you" ingredients like butter, coconut oil, eggs, flaxseed , ground almonds and other nuts. So you can scoff to your heart's content without upsetting your glucose levels or feeling guilty! Nuts in their own right can be slightly sweet, but you can add some (non sugar) sweetener to your baking - you'll need to find one that you find OK to use. I prefer a natural one such as stevia, Unsweetened nut butters can be a nice sweetish snack; I like Meridian almond butter, which is made purely of almonds and is sweet in it's own right. Whole Earth peanut butter is another sugar free one I sometimes eat a small spoonful of as a "treat".

So you see there's hope for you yet...

Robbity

 

[maggie b]

Thanks for that Robbity I don't eat cakes & biscuits & only use sweeteners in my tea so i think I'm doing ok but will be able to tell better when I get a monitor