Totally confused T2

Almac

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi everyone,
I'm feeling very confused at the moment and looking for some advice, was diagnosed about 4mths ago, my Meds are 80mg Gliclazide and 4x500mg Metformin, blood sugars now ave 6.4 and 7.8 2hrs after meals, my calorie intake does not exceed 2000 per day.
I work in construction so very active, I'm confused with the fact that I'm actually putting weight on,and feel bloated,current weight 14st 10lbs , was 14st 2lbs 4 weeks ago, also still thirsty most of the day.
Thanks
Allan.
 

Lamont D

Oracle
Messages
15,793
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Hi @Almac

Can you give us an idea what you eat in a typical day?

I've tagged @daisy1 to give you the newcomers welcome information.
 
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Almac

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
6am Breakfast: 45g Special K

10am break: 45g Special K, war burton wrap with chicken,salad and slice light dairy lee and banana and bottle water

1:30pm break: wrap as above, chicken leg, nectarine and go ahead bar, bottle water

5:30pm break: baked potatoes, salad, either gammon steak, fish or chicken.
8pm sometimes 45g low sugar Alpen.
 

Lamont D

Oracle
Messages
15,793
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
6am Breakfast: 45g Special K

10am break: 45g Special K, war burton wrap with chicken,salad and slice light dairy lee and banana and bottle water

1:30pm break: wrap as above, chicken leg, nectarine and go ahead bar, bottle water

5:30pm break: baked potatoes, salad, either gammon steak, fish or chicken.
8pm sometimes 45g low sugar Alpen.
That's a lot of carbs!
It's not a surprise, I was on a similar low calorie, low fat diet for years, and I steadily gained weight!
You would be wise, to look at the low carb forum, there are some great recipes and ideas there.
I have been low carbing for over two years and lost nearly five stone. From nearly 16 and a half stone to last month under 12 stone. And never felt better!
 
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Southbeds

Well-Known Member
Messages
260
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
That's a lot of carbs!
It's not a surprise, I was on a similar low calorie, low fat diet for years, and I steadily gained weight!
You would be wise, to look at the low carb forum, there are some great recipes and ideas there.
I have been low carbing for over two years and lost nearly five stone. From nearly 16 and a half stone to last month under 12 stone. And never felt better!
6am Breakfast: 45g Special K

10am break: 45g Special K, war burton wrap with chicken,salad and slice light dairy lee and banana and bottle water

1:30pm break: wrap as above, chicken leg, nectarine and go ahead bar, bottle water

5:30pm break: baked potatoes, salad, either gammon steak, fish or chicken.
8pm sometimes 45g low sugar Alpen.
Drop the Special K and stick to a builder breakfast bacon eggs and mushroom but no bread
 
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Lamont D

Oracle
Messages
15,793
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Have a good read around the forums, knowledge is all important.
Control is the key to a healthy lifestyle.

Get yourself a monitor to see what food does to you!
Eat to your meter!
 
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poohtiggy

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,365
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Getting old and diabetese
SPECIAL K bananas Alpen. Baked potatoes & wraps are all high carb foods so is the Go Ahead bar plus sugar Have a look at the “what have you eaten today“ Thread and the low carb forum for inspiration
 
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Redsnapper

Well-Known Member
Messages
257
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi, I agree with a previous post that seems like a lot of carbs.Personally my B.G. would be on a roller coaster with those meals.I have had success with a Low Carb High Fat diet.You could try cutting out bread,cereals,pasta,rice and be careful with fruits,especially bananas,berries being a good alternative.These foods are loaded with carbs which turn into sugars pretty quickly,whole wheat varieties do too,just more slowly.
There is an excellent resource here to help you find low carb alternatives for most things.
Cut out or cut down the carbs,they are the baddies despite what you may have been told elsewhere.I feel much better since doing so!
Good luck.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Almac

Hello Almac and welcome to the forum :) Plenty of good ideas above and here is the information we give to new members which should help you with your food choices. Ask more questions and you will get more answers.


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 150,000 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.
 
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Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Yes, everyone above is right. You are eating far too many carbs. All carbs turn to glucose once inside the system, so it makes sense not to eat them!

Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and cereals are the worst offenders, and we must also be careful with fruit and milk. Berries are the best fruits, or a small apple, but bananas are the worst one you could chose. (instant glucose)

Carbs are also the baddies that make you gain weight. Cut the carbs, lose weight, improve blood sugars. Win-win. :)

Do be careful though. If you cut your carbs and thereby lower your BS levels, you will need less Gliclazide or you may end up with hypos, so it will be wise to check your levels frequently and discuss matters with your diabetes nurse/GP.
 
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Suzannelife

Well-Known Member
Messages
45
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
BOLL
If you are looking for some good advice, here is a good place. You do your best that your calorie intake doesn't exceed 2000 per day. But I don't understand that why you so weight? and why you thirsty most of a day?
 
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MsPrim

Well-Known Member
Messages
90
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Lemons
If you find you are still thirsty after you cut carbs then you should say it to your diabetes team as you might need to get your kidneys checked
 
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Almac

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
That's 2 days now my carb intake is 60g feel good also cut out gliclazide bloods fine and thirst is getting a lot better, thanks for all the advice, best thing I've done is join the forum
 
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Almac

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Update, that's a couple of weeks, sticking to 60g max carbs,per day, and I've lost a stone in weight, again thanks for the advice guy's.
 
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