I was diagnosed type 2 last Monday. So I immediately and radically changed my diet. But my problem is I'm hungry. I'm five foot four and 174 pounds at 44 years old. All my weight is in my torso. I got a blood testing machine but I hate it and it seems to hate me. It always says not enough blood so I end up poking my fingers alot. It occurred to me today that I am not very good at being a diabetic. I have read alot. Like I mean alot, in the last week. Maybe I'm trying too much too fast. I'm so frustrated.
This sucks :(
- Thread starter Cenakissy
- Start Date
Bluetit1802
Legend
- Messages
- 25,216
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Hi and welcome,
You must be a good diabetic. You have done a lot of reading and have found your way to this wonderful forum where you can get all the help and advice you need from fellow diabetics.
Can you tell us what sort of diet you are following? It is usually a low calorie diet with low everything that keeps you feeling hungry. If you can get the balance right between reduced carbs and increased fats, you should find the hunger isn't there any more. Is it hunger, or is a craving for some of the foods you have eliminated?
I struggle to get enough blood. I have the finger pricker settings on 3.5 and still struggle a bit, so I just give it a bit of a squeeze. These machines don't require a lot of blood, but make sure there is a nice round blob on your finger before you put it on the strip, and make sure you put it on the very edge of the strip, not on the flat part. (Unless you use an AC Mobile meter and cassette) Keep trying, keep calm. It will become second nature, and your meter will be your best friend.
You must be a good diabetic. You have done a lot of reading and have found your way to this wonderful forum where you can get all the help and advice you need from fellow diabetics.
Can you tell us what sort of diet you are following? It is usually a low calorie diet with low everything that keeps you feeling hungry. If you can get the balance right between reduced carbs and increased fats, you should find the hunger isn't there any more. Is it hunger, or is a craving for some of the foods you have eliminated?
I struggle to get enough blood. I have the finger pricker settings on 3.5 and still struggle a bit, so I just give it a bit of a squeeze. These machines don't require a lot of blood, but make sure there is a nice round blob on your finger before you put it on the strip, and make sure you put it on the very edge of the strip, not on the flat part. (Unless you use an AC Mobile meter and cassette) Keep trying, keep calm. It will become second nature, and your meter will be your best friend.
Oh no, I think I'm dieting wrong, I've been counting calories. I have a small breakfast, like a bowl of bran flakes, lunch maybe one or two hard boiled eggs and a 100 calorie salad for dinner. I'm craving pasta big time!!
NoCrbs4Me
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 3,700
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Other
- Dislikes
- Vegetables
No wonder you're hungry - you're starving yourself!
Try this site: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb
Bluetit1802
Legend
- Messages
- 25,216
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Goodness, you must be ravenous! Tip - ditch the bran flakes as your first job. Full of carbs and sugar, and the milk needs care.
Try this for suggestions on foods to eat. Follow the links on that page. https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds
It is carbs you need to count, not calories (although you can keep an eye on calories but carbs are more important). You can also throw away any low fat and low calorie foods and eat the real thing. Normal real fat is what stops the hunger.
I'll tag @daisy1 who has some excellent information for newcomers, so please read her post when it arrives and follow the links. It is all overwhelming, we all know this as we were all new once, but it soon sinks in. Please ask any questions you like.
Hey, big welcome! ! You have indeed found the best site. Has seriously the best people on it. We're all here for support and encouragement! ! Good luck
Hi. Yes, cut the carbs and forget the word 'calories' as it has little value. To help with finger-pricking, do warm the finger under a hot'ish tap to allow the capillaries to open up.
The meter can be a tricky I managed to put the strips in the wrong way round - read the instructions again and realized what I was doing wrong
If you have difficulty drawing blood consider putting your hand in hot water before you test - need to dry them ( otherwise blood just spread rather than making a blob) and sometimes I have to squeeze the finger. If I have not drunk enough liquids in the day blood will be more difficult to draw so I try and keep hydrated. I tend stab my finger and make sure I have a nice blob before I even put the strip in the machine - saves on failed test strips.
I found I need to make sure the strip is at an angle on the side of the blob so it sucks up the blood rather than dunking it in the drop.
Does get easier
As regards feeling hungry , I have found low Carb , reasonable fat resulted in no hunger pangs . I cannot say it will work for you because we are all different but might be worth a try . This forum has a lot of detail about the low carb diet. Some people go seriously low carb ( less than 20 ) but you need what level of carbs you find acceptable
If you have difficulty drawing blood consider putting your hand in hot water before you test - need to dry them ( otherwise blood just spread rather than making a blob) and sometimes I have to squeeze the finger. If I have not drunk enough liquids in the day blood will be more difficult to draw so I try and keep hydrated. I tend stab my finger and make sure I have a nice blob before I even put the strip in the machine - saves on failed test strips.
I found I need to make sure the strip is at an angle on the side of the blob so it sucks up the blood rather than dunking it in the drop.
Does get easier
As regards feeling hungry , I have found low Carb , reasonable fat resulted in no hunger pangs . I cannot say it will work for you because we are all different but might be worth a try . This forum has a lot of detail about the low carb diet. Some people go seriously low carb ( less than 20 ) but you need what level of carbs you find acceptable
Omg, I feel absolutely silly. I've been obsessively eating as little as possible, to try to burn more calories than I've taken in. I'm pretty sure all I've done is caused my self this awful headache and fatigue. Thank you everyone for the help. I'm so happy to find out I can still eat meat 
I book marked the sites you all suggested so I can learn it all tonight. And I will be trying the finger poking tricks suggested !!!!
I book marked the sites you all suggested so I can learn it all tonight. And I will be trying the finger poking tricks suggested !!!!
Bluetit1802
Legend
- Messages
- 25,216
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Yes, you are beginning to understand! You are right that your diet has caused the fatigue and headaches. You will also discover you can have bacon and eggs for breakfast! Absolutely NO need to starve.
Absolutely NO need to starve.
Hotpepper20000
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,065
Hello. I'm a couple of provinces west of you.
It can all be pretty over whelming but there is always some one here who can answer you questions.
This site has been a life saver me.
You can get your BG under control and lose weight with out being hungry. I've lost 50 pounds eating higher fat and low carb. Much of it had been from my middle. The cravings come and go for me but they do lessen with time. Concentrate on what you can eat. It will get easier.
Resurgam
Expert
- Messages
- 9,866
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
I eat really well doing the Atkins diet - despite all the sneering from my diabetes 'educator' but I did a second bloodtest a bit early so she would get the results in time for the last of the three sessions - I am heading for normal results with very little effort. Yes I might have to eat this way for the rest of my life - but that will not really be a hardship. Just eat foods low in carbs and hopefully you too will see your numbers heading back towards normal.
pleinster
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,631
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- ignorance
Have you definitely set the meter to a reasonably high "jab factor". I use mine at 6 and seldom "misfire". Good advice above. Think of it this way...most high carb foods are less than nutritious and too many are clearly bad for most people one way or another. If you want to be sure you are eating enough to stay healthy while eating as few carbs as possible, try listing what you eat in a day...thinking about portion size, using the labels (or Google), work out the amount of calories, carbohydrates, protein, calcium, fibre, fat (saturated) and sugar you are eating in a day. Most foods break these down in terms of per 100g. It may sound extreme but I did this for a week once I was fully on a low carb diet, listing the time I ate, the food I ate and the breakdown of it so I could both reassure myself and discuss with my doctors so that everyone shut up about it and let me get on with it. I was eating maybe 1500 calories average a day...and never ate anything above 10g of carbohydrate per 100g. Doctors were content, I got my blood sugars down to normal levels...and got way less rigid as time went on. the more you know...the easier it gets..bottom line.
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@Cenakissy
Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope this will help you. Have a look at the Low Carb Program which will be useful to you. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.
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 well over 147,000 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 this will help you. Have a look at the Low Carb Program which will be useful to you. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.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 well over 147,000 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.
Thank you so much for the info. I actually are yesterday and feel much better today. I have looked at the carb sites as suggested and am very happy to know I don't have to starve myself. I was in such a state last week with the diagnosis everything got jumbled in my brain. I'm very happy to say I'm pretty sure I get it now 
Hotpepper20000
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,065
I made it a bit easier, I made a list of what is not ok and what is ok and stuck it on the fridge so my husband can learn as well, so he quits asking me if I want to order food or have an ice creamPleased you have found us, counting carbs is not as easy as counting calories .. because the carb content is in the small print on the back of food packaging .. enjoy not feeling hungry
