Newly Diagnosed Terrified and in Denial!

[kesun]

He wanted to put me on a statin as well as my cholesterol is 7.5 but I said no as I thought one slew of life changing drugs was enough;

There is no evidence that high cholesterol is dangerous to women and a certain amount that it actually improves our health. So I'd carry on refusing it if I were you. My understanding is that Metformin decreases insulin resistance, so it may be worth taking if it doesn't upset your tummy (which seems to be the main complaint of posters here who don't like it). But it seems logical to see how diet and exercise helps first, if only to help the doctor gauge the dose to match your new blood sugar levels after a few months.

According to a doctor friend of mine, denial is actually helpful in cancer cases. In diabetes it isn't - but despite your subject line it doesn't sound to me as if you're in denial, more in shock and using the shock to give you the impetus to sort things out.

Kate

 

[Neohdiver]

Welcome to the club no one wants to join!

I was diagnosed on October 2. You can see what my inner control freak helped me accomplish (weight, cholesterol, and A1c). I don't specifically seek out fat, but my fat consumption is high as a consequence of limiting carbs and protein (the only other source of calories is fat). My general eating guidelines are also included.

You did not cause your diabetes. There is often a correlation between weight an diabetes T2 and between carb consumption and Diabetes T2 - but it is far from resolved whether weight or carb consumption cause it, trigger it, or are a consequence of a broken metabolism. Regardless of the truth guilt serves no useful purpose - it can't change any

All carbs (including brown bread and pasta) turn into blood glucose. The browner carbs just turn into blood glucose more slowly. Fats and proteins, generally, do not effect blood glucose (they do, for some, so be sure to check for yourself)

There is not a direct connection between dietary fats and cholesterol - and people eating a LCHF diet typically improve their cholesterol panel.

Embrace your inner control freak. You'll have this under control in no time (it took me 3 days to achieve normal BG levels - although my numbers started lower than yours).

 

[andcol]

Hi @Lindy1706 you are doing great. I also started out with levels like yours and within 3 months I was back to normal. Doc and DN had never seen or heard of such a thing before. I did a very low calorie diet for many months and took off over 5 stone in weight an reversed my T2 (well for now). So keep reading about IF as it is a useful tool to help bring those numbers down.

 

[Hiitsme]

Welcome @Lindy1706
I was almost as high as you when diagnosed. HbA1c 95 and fasting 18. I was also prescribed Metformin but violent reaction and doctor told me to stop for a couple of weeks. By then I was adamant I wanted to try by life style changes. Diet, weight loss and exercise. Yes this has worked for me and for the last 6 months have been in the non diabetic range. Still having to watch what I eat. My doctor says he has never heard of a diabetic having as low an HbA1c as 33. Some on here have even lower readings so I'm not abnormal on here. I've lost all the weight I needed to so just trying to maintain it. I eat to my meter which I think you are doing. I only walk for exercise but that has helped me a lot and means I can eat more. It was reading success stories on here which really encouraged me such as @Andrew Colvin amongst others. Do read his blog.

 

[Lindy1706]

Really pleased to report that my morning level was this morning 8.5 (was 9.3 the last two days) yesterday I went down to 7 after lunch and stayed there till bedtime, so it looks like I have the food pretty much cracked.

What a differance a week and a lot of support and information makes....you guys rock!

 

[Lindy1706]

Oh and I still have not opened the Meds.

 

[Hiitsme]

You are doing really well. It took me months to get down to your present figures. Keep it up.

 

[muzza3]

Tremendous Effort keep it up

 

[jingyd36]

Great news.

My hba1c is almost pre diabetes. My cholesterol is 6.9. My LDL and triglycerides are both high. I'm considering the LCHF diet to help my sugar levels but hight fat worries me.

Can I ask how you get your fats? And when is your go re testing your cholesterol and hba1c? I can't wait to hear an update from you. You're doing amazing. Well done

 

[Lindy1706]

@jingyd36 I eat fattier cuts of meat e.g Rib eye steak, pork belly, chicken thighs with skin. I eat half an avocado with a salad, and if I am cooking I use Duck Fat butter or Dripping. I am at the moment just eating green leafy veg. And I make my own Mayonaise with Light colour olive oil (Virgin Oil makes mayo taste like diesel!)

I m sue to go back to the Doc in Mid June for another HbA1C test.

I am testing fasting AM, then before and after meals and again before bedtime.

 

[AtkinsMo]

Great news.

My hba1c is almost pre diabetes. My cholesterol is 6.9. My LDL and triglycerides are both high. I'm considering the LCHF diet to help my sugar levels but hight fat worries me.

Can I ask how you get your fats? And when is your go re testing your cholesterol and hba1c? I can't wait to hear an update from you. You're doing amazing. Well done

Two excellent books that can help you come to terms with raising fat (if theat is what you would like to feel confident in doing) are Nina Teicholz's 'Big Fat Surprise', which examines the science that caused the saturated fat advice to be given, and Malcolm Kendrick's 'The great Cholesterol Con' that critically examines the whole Cholesterol / Heart Health message. A Low Carb, High Fat Diet will lower your triglycerides (it always does) and will raise your HDL (it nearly always does). Your LDL will likely reduce (in some people it reduces, in some it stays the same in a few it goes up). But once you've read The Great Cholesterol Con it won't worry you. Alternatively, follow Malcolm Kendrick's blog (Malcolmkendrick.org) and read some of the back postings if you don't want to buy the book. I love the book, even sent a copy to my GP.
@Lindy1706 is bang on the money with the fats, natural fats are the way to go, no vegetable oils, no seed oils, definitely no margarine, especially the stuff supposed to 'lower cholesterol' it lowers HDL as well.

 

[Lindy1706]

Really recommend Kendricks's book and interesting and eye opening read.

Also worth looking at Is Zoe Harcome and her Harcombe diet which is effectively LCHF or if you want an easy way into LCHF then the Diet Doctor dietdoctor.com does a two week low carb challenge where you are given al the recipies and told what to eat to keep below 20 carbs for two weeks (this is how I started out). Some of the recipe's on the challenge are wonderful so it may be worth you giving the challenge a try for two weeks and testing during that period to see houw your sugars are.

 

[jingyd36]

Two excellent books that can help you come to terms with raising fat (if theat is what you would like to feel confident in doing) are Nina Teicholz's 'Big Fat Surprise', which examines the science that caused the saturated fat advice to be given, and Malcolm Kendrick's 'The great Cholesterol Con' that critically examines the whole Cholesterol / Heart Health message. A Low Carb, High Fat Diet will lower your triglycerides (it always does) and will raise your HDL (it nearly always does). Your LDL will likely reduce (in some people it reduces, in some it stays the same in a few it goes up). But once you've read The Great Cholesterol Con it won't worry you. Alternatively, follow Malcolm Kendrick's blog (Malcolmkendrick.org) and read some of the back postings if you don't want to buy the book. I love the book, even sent a copy to my GP.
@Lindy1706 is bang on the money with the fats, natural fats are the way to go, no vegetable oils, no seed oils, definitely no margarine, especially the stuff supposed to 'lower cholesterol' it lowers HDL as well.

Thank you so much. I just bought the Great Cholesterol Con for 99p on kindle. I shall give it a read.

So are the plant sterol drinks a bad idea? I have been drinking those for a few months.

 

[jingyd36]

@jingyd36 I eat fattier cuts of meat e.g Rib eye steak, pork belly, chicken thighs with skin. I eat half an avocado with a salad, and if I am cooking I use Duck Fat butter or Dripping. I am at the moment just eating green leafy veg. And I make my own Mayonaise with Light colour olive oil (Virgin Oil makes mayo taste like diesel!)

I m sue to go back to the Doc in Mid June for another HbA1C test.

I am testing fasting AM, then before and after meals and again before bedtime.

Thank you Lindy.

 

[Lindy1706]

Just as an update my fasting BG this morning was 8.0 so its still on the downward trend.

Stepping on the scales I have lost another 1.5 kilos so that is 12.5 kilos since the 10th Feb.

Oh an a massive step forward I can now actually "prick" myself rather than having to hold my hand out and shut my eyes whilst my Husband does it:

 

[AtkinsMo]

Thank you so much. I just bought the Great Cholesterol Con for 99p on kindle. I shall give it a read.

So are the plant sterol drinks a bad idea? I have been drinking those for a few months.

In my opinion, yes, they are a bad idea. But it always comes with the the understanding, I am not a doctor, I am a serious cholesterol sceptic, well read, including lots of original research, but not medically qualified in any way! I just wish our doctors had more time to actually read and critically evaluate research!

 

[Lindy1706]

Fasting Blood sugar was 8.3 this morning, very very busy day so at about 2pm I decided that this was going to be a 24 hour fast day. I have been stable at 6.3 when I have randomly tested.

Just about to break fast with some salad greens, rib eye steak and a little blue cheese and some mayo......will be interested to see what happens ,

 

[andcol]

Fasting Blood sugar was 8.3 this morning, very very busy day so at about 2pm I decided that this was going to be a 24 hour fast day. I have been stable at 6.3 when I have randomly tested.

Just about to break fast with some salad greens, rib eye steak and a little blue cheese and some mayo......will be interested to see what happens ,

rib eye - can I come round. I have been fasting since Sunday with just a small lunch each day and there you go making me feel hungry

 

[Lindy1706]

It has to be Rib Eye sadly to get the protein fat ratio correct lol......sorry

 

[andcol]

although how about a lovely fatty lamb steak or a whole duck roasted to perfection and crispy. Come to think of it how about the crackling off of a roast pork joint with over a centimetre of fat under it.



TOOOOOOORTURE

PS hope you arent feeling scared and worried anymore with all this lovely food