Newly diagnosed - too much to absorb

[pavlosn]

Thank you Pavlos for your advice...
You have settled my mind a little... from some of the other posts yesterday I was thinking I was totally wrong...

I agree that that counting spoonfuls is the way I will be doing that..

This morning is higher than last night but a lesson learnt, this morning I have tried 1 piece of toast with bacon and egg fried in coconut oil...

Pavlos how did you deal with meals out? Its my fiancees birthday today so will be a meal out, My plan is too try to look at the menu before hand and make a choice before hand what I am having and stick to it.

Eating out is not that difficult as long as you can be a little disciplined.

I would prefer a restaurant where one orders one's own individual dish, than say a Chinese restaurant where everyone shares from a number of communal dishes. It is easier to control what and how much goes on your plate this way.

The things to avoid or have in very small quantities are the usual: bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, sweet sauces, deserts.

I would probably go for a salad as a starter, perhaps one with a nice soft cheese or prawns or smoked salmon. Watch out for sugar in the dressing or any dry fruit in the salad.

For a main course I would go for a protein such as a nice steak or fish or chicken with some vegetables (not potatoes or other root vegetables) either sauté or grilled or boiled. Don't be scared to add cream or butter.

Desert is more problematic and may be best avoided if you can. Not so easy I know on a birthday! If you would like to have something ask for some fresh unsweetened berries with cream if you prefer.

If you are going to a proper restaurant then do not be scared to ask the waiter to change what your meal is served with to meet your requirements better. I am sure they would be happy to leave the rice or potatoes behind for example if you ask them and serve vegetables in their place instead.

As for drink I would stick to a couple of glasses of red wine.

It is a special occasion and I would normally say allow yourself a treat. But as you are levels are still running high it is probably best not to.

With a bit of luck by Xmas you will be in a position to relax a bit.

Have a great night out.

Pavlos

 

[Nightwishing1984]

Thank you for the advice...

I am nominated driver so drink will be sparkling water, 1 diet pop.....

I am not a dessert person normally have a cuppa tea or black coffee..

It is too a chinese which is the worst thing...
thinking at the moment a fu young...

 

[alliebee]

Thanks alliebee

I just got a second soup maker delivered (they didn't charge me either) so if you'd like to pop over to OZ, you can have it

Mike

I'm booking my ticket! Lol

 

[Arab Horse]

"I just got a second soup maker delivered (they didn't charge me either) so if you'd like to pop over to OZ, you can have it "!

Was going to pop over and pick it up but my OAP bus pass doesn't stretch as far as Australia.

 

[alliebee]

Hi allibee Trust you're well

I found some AMAZING free books (pdf) online. Just search for "cuisinart pdf soup maker" into your search engine. There's at least three of them and they cover EVERYTHING (starters / sauces / drinks, not just soups) and come complete with cooking instructions.

Well worth a look

That's a great link Mike. Thanks so much

 

[alliebee]

Wish I lived in Oz for the soup maker. Retired single nurses don't get out much. Lol

 

[pavlosn]

Thank you for the advice...

I am nominated driver so drink will be sparkling water, 1 diet pop.....

I am not a dessert person normally have a cuppa tea or black coffee..

It is too a chinese which is the worst thing...
thinking at the moment a fu young...

Not an expert on Chinese but what you need to avoid is rice, noodles, sweet sauces.
Fouyoung probably ok as egg based ( I had to google it to find out what it is) I understand Chop Suey is also good choice being mainly bean sprouts.

If having duck do not have pancakes or housin sauce.

Sweet and sour sauce is the devil

In general try not to have too much of the sauces as they usually contain some starch as thickening agent.

If you do not mind making a bit of fuss at the table you could have a word with the restaurant or better still call them in advance and seek their advice. They may be able to recommend something.

Pavlos

I can usually manage anything in black bean sauce at our local Chinese but I hesitate to recommend one can never know what goes in the sauces

 

[pavlosn]

Thank you Pavlos for your advice...
You have settled my mind a little... from some of the other posts yesterday I was thinking I was totally wrong...

I agree that that counting spoonfuls is the way I will be doing that..

To be fair to some of the other posters, what they are suggesting is not wrong just a different approach.

If you wanted to bring your levels down to normal as quickly as possible the way to do it is by drastically cutting back on carbs practically eliminating bread, rice, pasta, potatoes from your diet substituting some extra fat such as olive oil, cheese, butter, full fat plain yoghurt to make up lost calories from carbs.

Once down to normal levels you could experiment with adding some carbs back to your diet.

This is probably closer to my own diet at the moment.

What I suggested for you to do was to experiment with reducing carbs to the point of keeping after meal counts within 2mmol of pre meal. I have already explained why I felt this was the best recommendation for you at the time.

Now that you are hopefully I bit more used to the idea of your diabetes, you could try the faster way down if you wish, rather than the gradual descend I advised. It is your choice.

One thing you will find reading this forum is that there are different approaches to gaining glycemic control that people have used successfully. This is s good thing as it gives as options. If one approach does not work for us, we can try another.

Pavlos

 

[Mike d]

Wish I lived in Oz for the soup maker. Retired single nurses don't get out much. Lol

If it's any consolation, neither do I

 

[Mike d]

"I just got a second soup maker delivered (they didn't charge me either) so if you'd like to pop over to OZ, you can have it "!

Was going to pop over and pick it up but my OAP bus pass doesn't stretch as far as Australia.

too funny

 

[Nightwishing1984]

Week 4 after diagnosis, HbA1c of 102 (9 days of monitoring)... and quite proud of myself.

AM - 13.7 Greek Yoghurt & Frozen Berries, phili bread stick 13.5

Lunch - 12.7 roast beef, cauli, brocoli & gravy 10.1

Tea - 7.0

Now debating what to have to eat.....

 

[Brunneria]

Week 4 after diagnosis, HbA1c of 102 (9 days of monitoring)... and quite proud of myself.

AM - 13.7 Greek Yoghurt & Frozen Berries, phili bread stick 13.5

Lunch - 12.7 roast beef, cauli, brocoli & gravy 10.1

Tea - 7.0

Now debating what to have to eat.....

That is fantastic!
How are you feeling?
How much have your numbers dropped in 9 days?

 

[Nightwishing1984]

The highest number in the last 9 days has been 18.6

On diagnosis HBa was 103 think that is around 18.0

Sounds silly but head hasnt hurt as much today and eyes arent as sore... and come to think of it have not been to pee as much... still got pins and needles

I do not think I would have been able to do this with out a BS monitor as I would have eaten porridge, weetabix, wholemeal pasta & bread which have all increased my sugars by silly numbers...

Its keeping it at this level now and experimenting with what I can and can't tolerate...

I have had the same for my evening meal as lunch with a few green beans chucked in.

In theory tomorrow morning my BS should be in normal range would that be correct to think? Also that metformin does not habe a massive effect on your levels

 

[Brunneria]

Fasting morning readings tend to be the last to go down, so don't have your hopes too high, but you never know...

Are you remembering to drink enough?
And are you having enough salt?

Those two things are a massive help to the first few days and weeks.

And be ready for when it hits you (like a brick between the eyes), that biscuits/choc/mash/whatever, are things of the past. It's a blow when the realisation finally sets in. Doom, gloom, a period of mourning. You will know it when it happens.

But it passes. And as I see it, the benefits far outweigh the cons. I mean, a mound of fluffy mash, or keeping my foot? A huge slice of cake, or being able to see in my old age? Kind of a no brainer, really.

So when you eventually hit that grief-barrier, just glance out of the window, do a bit of cloud watching, and count your blessings.

Besides, any way of eating that allows cream in coffee, cheese on everything, posh chocolate and huge dollops of mayo, is worth sticking with.

 

[Nightwishing1984]

I keep having ups and downs emotionally at the moment. If I at home all is good, but out for tea or at the inlaws its a bit of a barrier and gets me a little down when everyone else is eating certain foods..

Main thing I miss at moment is options hot choc with anchor squirty cream.

As for eyes I wear glasses and I haven't had a stable prescription ever.. (which males me wonder how maby years I have been diabetic)

I drink at least 1 litre of water a day plus tea/coffee...

salt maybe not... how would you know of you haven't had enough?

Christmas is going to be weird trying to stay in control....

Brunneria how long have you been diabetic

 

[Brunneria]

I keep having ups and downs emotionally at the moment. If I at home all is good, but out for tea or at the inlaws its a bit of a barrier and gets me a little down when everyone else is eating certain foods..

Yes. I find that too. But if you ever do indulge, then remember to test the result will be a very handy reminder that you don't want to do it again!

Main thing I miss at moment is options hot choc with anchor squirty cream.

Take a mug and add
1 heaped teasp of cocoa
1 heaped teasp of sugar substitute. I recommend xylitol or erythritol, as the least chemically, and best flavoured
Add a little cold water and stir the powders into a paste
Add boiling water
Spoon in double cream
Stir
Drink
Adjust all quantities, to taste

I drink at least 1 litre of water a day plus tea/coffee...

Sounds good. I had a look at some of the online water drinking calculators, and they all seemed to be recommending about 1 litre of water per 5 stone of body weight, every day. Works for me.

salt maybe not... how would you know of you haven't had enough?

If you ever come over all droopy, dizzy and weak feeling, it may be lack of salt.
On a low carb diet, the kidneys tend to flush salt more than on a med-high carb diet.
Volek and
Phinney recommend a couple of mugs of 'broth' a day, to add 2g of salt into the diet.
The easiest way of doing that, is to grab a stock cube, read the nutrition info on the packet, decide how much you need to have to get 2 g salt, and then drink the stock as a soup/drink.
Or add more salt to your food.

Christmas is going to be weird trying to stay in control....

Brunneria how long have you been diabetic

I was right on the borderline of diagnosis nearly 3 years ago.
Went away, read up, adjusted my diet, low carbed, found this forum, switched to low carb and high fat eating, and I still don't have a diagnosis - because I've managed to keep my BG down. Subsequent fasting BG tests have been over the Diabetic limit, but hba1c tests have come in as prediabetic.

Which puzzles the doc.

And long may it continue!

But the reality is that if I ate a 'normal' amount of carbs, I would have BG levels to match yours. Without a doubt. The last time I ate a sandwich and a cream scone I hit 14.7mmol/l

But I had plenty of warning - I've been prediabetic for decades, so I've been low carbing more and more, since the 90s

 

[Paul59]

Congratulations on the proposal! Exciting times ahead!

Pavlos

Yes indeed exciting times to come, shows he will stand by you & help you with the diabetes, I'm sure. Don't let the wedding plans side track you from the control of the condition, but planning will ease things as well. Good luck, you will do it, with the help available here.

 

[Nightwishing1984]

Been doibg some research thos evening Paul.... indeed exciting times!
The main stress is guest list and venue.. once that is done the rest will take care of itself.
As long as me and finacee are there that is the most important thing

 

[pavlosn]

Week 4 after diagnosis, HbA1c of 102 (9 days of monitoring)... and quite proud of myself.

AM - 13.7 Greek Yoghurt & Frozen Berries, phili bread stick 13.5

Lunch - 12.7 roast beef, cauli, brocoli & gravy 10.1

Tea - 7.0

Now debating what to have to eat.....

Well done on progress so far

Your 102 mmol on diagnosis corresponds to an average level of 15,7 mmol so if the above readings are typical you have already improved on that average.

Looking at your readings for the day the 13,7 on waking up is high but as has been stated by Brunneria that is usually the last number to improve, - out liver often releases glucose in our system at dawn to prepare us for our energy needs for the day.

You are staying within the 2 mmol rule which is good.

Your choice of lunch was particularly good as you can see from the drop between pre and post lunch readings and particularly from the very nice single figure reading pre dinner.(pre dinner is usually our best reading of the day)

Probably the number I would be a bit concerned about is your 12,7 pre lunch. Did you have a snack at all between breakfast and lunch? If not then you were between 13,7 and 12,7 at all times from waking up to just before lunch, which is too long to be that high,

Perhaps you could have done without that breadstick over breakfast. If your waking up level is as high as 13,7 maybe you need to be stricter over breakfast to ensure you get down to single figures as soon as possible. Some light exercise such as walking can also help bring levels down a bit.

Which all means that in looking at your meals and readings, I have moved the goalposts a bit and asking you to take the before the meals counts into consideration as well as just the 2 mmol ceiling in rise for after meal counts.

I hope I am not confusing you.

See this as moving to stage 2 and as a sign of the progress you have already made, for which you should be proud!

How did the Chinese restaurant go by the way,

All the best

Pavlos

 

[Nightwishing1984]

Chinese a rise of 2.4 .. which all in all wasn't too bad.

So now I am confused last night after evening meal was 8.6 (i had beef, cauli, brocoli and green beans with gravy) the same as lunch... and this morning reading is 9.0 . Still its the lowest morning reading I have had.

The snack was breadstick and phili... might try an apple next time.

I do get to work an hour early and walk for 30 mins as I work at a place where there is a lot of out door space (have done that for nearly 4 years)

Well this evening I have indian reastaurant meal.... at the moment I am thinking chicke and spinach with a couple of spoons of boiled rice and no Naan....