Doctor said I could eat carbohydrate in small quantities. What kind of exercises should I do and how frequent. Should I trust the value accu chek glucose meter gives me? It's different from a one time result i got from lab.
Just got tested for diabetes with hba1c of 8.2, please guide me on how to keep BG normal.
- Thread starter Onwunyirigbo
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Hello and welcome to the forum @Onwunyirigbo
I am tagging @daisy1 for our new members information which is really useful.
Lots of friendly members here who can help support you too
I am tagging @daisy1 for our new members information which is really useful.
Lots of friendly members here who can help support you too
Chook
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Hello and welcome to the forum.
When your doctor said you could eat carbs in small quantities did he actually explain what he meant? Its nice that he suggested you should reduce your carbs and not just give you meds.
Many of us here choose to reduce our carbs to very low levels and, in my case, I got my HbA1c result (which is that lab test you wrote about) down to non-diabetic levels. I don't do exercise due to severe arthritis but I get by with just restricting my carbs - which means no bread, rice, pasta or anything that contains sugar at all.
This is a great forum full of friendly people at all different stages of getting their blood sugars down. There are always people around so, if you have a question, just ask.
AM1874
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Hi @Onwunyirigbo .. and welcome
You have certainly made a good move coming here. I was diagnosed T2 in early Feb and, like many people, I was a bit shell-shocked with little information and no real idea of what was happening to me. Since joining this forum, though, the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. So ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need. It can all seem uphill to start with but, in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly.
The key point to take on board is that managing and controlling your diabetes (or pre-diabetes) through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..
I see that @Juicyj has already tagged @ daisy1 for you and I suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following Diet Doctor websites ...
Low Carb Intro and Information
Low Carbs in 60 Seconds
For exercise, many people find that walking (briskly) for a few km a couple of times each day is good .. other people use gym sessions. For me, I play golf three times a week, jog about 2-3 km every afternoon and do either 16 or 24 km on an exercise bike. The pint is that it doesn't matter what you do .. anything that raises your heart rate is fine
Hope this helps
You have certainly made a good move coming here. I was diagnosed T2 in early Feb and, like many people, I was a bit shell-shocked with little information and no real idea of what was happening to me. Since joining this forum, though, the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. So ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need. It can all seem uphill to start with but, in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly.
The key point to take on board is that managing and controlling your diabetes (or pre-diabetes) through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..
I see that @Juicyj has already tagged @ daisy1 for you and I suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following Diet Doctor websites ...
Low Carb Intro and Information
Low Carbs in 60 Seconds
For exercise, many people find that walking (briskly) for a few km a couple of times each day is good .. other people use gym sessions. For me, I play golf three times a week, jog about 2-3 km every afternoon and do either 16 or 24 km on an exercise bike. The pint is that it doesn't matter what you do .. anything that raises your heart rate is fine
Hope this helps
Hi there, Welcome - lots of support here - Don't be a stranger.
My answers might be different from others.
You have diabetes but don't say what type.
Step 1 - know your type. learn from this brilliant web site and all the really amazing and helpful people you will find here.
Step 2 - whatever your type - you will be living with it daily - so adopt some DAILY routines. It might sound boring but my routine is almost identical, day in day out, when I get up, when I go to sleep (no matter where I am!!) and what I eat and awhen I eat and how I exercise.
Step 3 - exercise daily - walking is great - get up to at least 30 minutes brisk walking a day and if you are able to (you don't mention your general health) do more and do more strenuous exercise. Weight loss will help and it will definitely help manage your blood sugar. You need to become the human equivalent of a well maintained and finely tuned car. Then you will be able to manage your BG.
Step 4 Diet - may are low carb or no carb. It's not easy. You will have to find your way. Find what works - keep a diary if you have to and measure your BG. How does your body react to different foods. You need to learn this and eat little and often - keep the peeks and troughs LOW. Three large meals a day will cause spikes - it's not natural - we are grazzers!.
Step 5 - Embrace your diabetes and then deal with it. This is not a disease to ignore or run away from. Opinion is divided as to the subject of fault. i accept that my diabetes is my fault. I'm the one who put the food in my mouth. My problem was eating too much fruit and veg!
Step 6 Learn what Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load are. learn to understand them and live with them. It will help you make the right choices when you eat.
Go for it and good luck. It's tough at first. Wpork hard, be determined and make it work for you.
T2 Oct 15, time release metformin, mad crazy diet based on eggs, spinach and tomatoes and a shed load of exercise.
My answers might be different from others.
You have diabetes but don't say what type.
Step 1 - know your type. learn from this brilliant web site and all the really amazing and helpful people you will find here.
Step 2 - whatever your type - you will be living with it daily - so adopt some DAILY routines. It might sound boring but my routine is almost identical, day in day out, when I get up, when I go to sleep (no matter where I am!!) and what I eat and awhen I eat and how I exercise.
Step 3 - exercise daily - walking is great - get up to at least 30 minutes brisk walking a day and if you are able to (you don't mention your general health) do more and do more strenuous exercise. Weight loss will help and it will definitely help manage your blood sugar. You need to become the human equivalent of a well maintained and finely tuned car. Then you will be able to manage your BG.
Step 4 Diet - may are low carb or no carb. It's not easy. You will have to find your way. Find what works - keep a diary if you have to and measure your BG. How does your body react to different foods. You need to learn this and eat little and often - keep the peeks and troughs LOW. Three large meals a day will cause spikes - it's not natural - we are grazzers!.
Step 5 - Embrace your diabetes and then deal with it. This is not a disease to ignore or run away from. Opinion is divided as to the subject of fault. i accept that my diabetes is my fault. I'm the one who put the food in my mouth. My problem was eating too much fruit and veg!
Step 6 Learn what Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load are. learn to understand them and live with them. It will help you make the right choices when you eat.
Go for it and good luck. It's tough at first. Wpork hard, be determined and make it work for you.
T2 Oct 15, time release metformin, mad crazy diet based on eggs, spinach and tomatoes and a shed load of exercise.
Hi welcome to the forum
Regarding your quesion about wether you can trust your meter - your meter and the lab measure different things so the results will be different
The meter measres the amount of glucose in your blood at that moment and varies from moment to moment - a reading between 4 and 7 mmol is optimal, 4 (before meals) to 8.5 ( after meals) is acceptable, Hba1c measures the glucose that attaches to heamaglobin molecules over a 3 month period and is expressed as a % or mmol figure depeding on the system the lab uses. You want it around high 30s to low 40s mmol or 5.5 - 6%
Last edited by a moderator:
daisy1
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@Onwunyirigbo
Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
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 well over 245,000 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:
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
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.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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 blood glucose 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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
Hello and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
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 well over 245,000 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
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
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.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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 blood glucose 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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
- Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
- Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
theoldfunker
Well-Known Member
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- Type of diabetes
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- Tablets (oral)
Welcome Onwunyirigbo There are many answers here and they all agree Low Carb and exercise, for me it's walking, as for meter readings they are a guide to what's going on right at that moment so after a walk my BG level reads high so I don't test for at least an hour. The meter is a tool for me with type2.
The true effect of my diet and exercise come at my 90 day check up and that will tell you if things are going in the right direction or if you should be doing more to control sugar.
Low carb is not no carb, it's control of your diet and learning to make choices that are good for you. It is a learning curve and it will become second nature and not such a chore.
Good luck to you and welcome to the club.
