- Messages
- 2
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Hi, I'm James
I did a BG test 9 days ago after feeling some tingling in my arms and hands. I am naturally a huge hypochondriac. The home fasting kits (from boots) gave me a reading of between 6 and 8 on consecutive days (on their colour wagon wheel).
Last Monday I went for a fasting blood test at my GPs and will get the results back on this coming Monday. My stats are:
Age: 48
Weight: 100.4kg
Height 182cm
Father type 2 for 20 years
This just puts me in the obese range I think. I am staggered that I have to get all the way down to 77kg to get into the middle to the healthy weight range.
On the Monday I hade the fasting test I started the Newcastle Diet. I have heard of this before (TV documentary) and was quite amazed by the reports.
It is Saturday night now so I have just finished day 6. Wow, tough diet. Weird feeling all week. The closest I can describe it to is like when I quit smoking. I feel grumpy, uptight, edgy. Couple of headaches but not too bad. But no slip ups so far. My day goes like this:
1st shake (slimfast) at 1pm (coffee before that)
2nd shake at 6pm
3rd shake and veg at 8.30pm
Plus I blend the 2nd and 3rd shake with a tray of ice so it more than doubles volume (makes a slushy). So it is tough before 1pm then easy street. I have been having weird baguette dreams though!
Funnily enough my Brother has just started the Atkins diet he is starting at 110kg. No diabetes but has gotten me thinking about the role atkins could play after the 12 weeks on Newcastle. Or even any advantage to using the lower carb atkins shakes instead of slimfast.
I have a couple of concerns about seeing the nurse for the results on Monday.
1) Over the phone she seemed to indicate that the NHS is not too concerned with reading under 8. But on US sites the number should be under 6. I guess I am worried that I will be palmed off by the NHS and told to come back when it is a bigger problem.
2) Another concern is that test results will come around the 6 level and I will lose my motivation to do this diet. It seems that the time of diagnosis is the biggest possible motivator for me.
3) Third concern is when I tell her that I am doing a VLCD and limiting carbs. Are all diabetes nurses familiar with this approach? My wife would certainly pressurise me to follow her advice and not a website's. Luckily I have a PhD in molecular genetics so can find my way around a scientific paper and have read a couple of the papers around this diet. Have others clashed with dietary advice from NHS professionals?
Anyway, I hope to update this page regularly as a way of self motivation so any comments or advice would be welcome.
I did a BG test 9 days ago after feeling some tingling in my arms and hands. I am naturally a huge hypochondriac. The home fasting kits (from boots) gave me a reading of between 6 and 8 on consecutive days (on their colour wagon wheel).
Last Monday I went for a fasting blood test at my GPs and will get the results back on this coming Monday. My stats are:
Age: 48
Weight: 100.4kg
Height 182cm
Father type 2 for 20 years
This just puts me in the obese range I think. I am staggered that I have to get all the way down to 77kg to get into the middle to the healthy weight range.
On the Monday I hade the fasting test I started the Newcastle Diet. I have heard of this before (TV documentary) and was quite amazed by the reports.
It is Saturday night now so I have just finished day 6. Wow, tough diet. Weird feeling all week. The closest I can describe it to is like when I quit smoking. I feel grumpy, uptight, edgy. Couple of headaches but not too bad. But no slip ups so far. My day goes like this:
1st shake (slimfast) at 1pm (coffee before that)
2nd shake at 6pm
3rd shake and veg at 8.30pm
Plus I blend the 2nd and 3rd shake with a tray of ice so it more than doubles volume (makes a slushy). So it is tough before 1pm then easy street. I have been having weird baguette dreams though!
Funnily enough my Brother has just started the Atkins diet he is starting at 110kg. No diabetes but has gotten me thinking about the role atkins could play after the 12 weeks on Newcastle. Or even any advantage to using the lower carb atkins shakes instead of slimfast.
I have a couple of concerns about seeing the nurse for the results on Monday.
1) Over the phone she seemed to indicate that the NHS is not too concerned with reading under 8. But on US sites the number should be under 6. I guess I am worried that I will be palmed off by the NHS and told to come back when it is a bigger problem.
2) Another concern is that test results will come around the 6 level and I will lose my motivation to do this diet. It seems that the time of diagnosis is the biggest possible motivator for me.
3) Third concern is when I tell her that I am doing a VLCD and limiting carbs. Are all diabetes nurses familiar with this approach? My wife would certainly pressurise me to follow her advice and not a website's. Luckily I have a PhD in molecular genetics so can find my way around a scientific paper and have read a couple of the papers around this diet. Have others clashed with dietary advice from NHS professionals?
Anyway, I hope to update this page regularly as a way of self motivation so any comments or advice would be welcome.