Diagnosed today.

Fleegle

Well-Known Member
Messages
775
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I went to the DRs today to collect my blood test results. I was sure I had Type 2 before I got there given I had sugar in my urine at my annual health check a few weeks before. It was confirmed and at 95 a high start!.

In the time between my urine sample and my blood test result, three weeks, I have already started the LCHF diet to some degree and any help on resources for that would be welcomed.

I think I had a reasonably forward thinking DR. He did not want me to go on medication but to see how diet could help - I am about three stones over weight. He was concerned about my Cholesterol and prescribed some satins to try and get that down from 6.2 to below 5. He was supportive of low carbs and felt that weight loss in any form would be the first best start.

He said that in order for him was to reduce weight which would have an impact on everything else, then the likelihood of stroke and heart attack then reduce sugar over time.

Good advice?
 

Juicyj

Expert
Retired Moderator
Messages
9,018
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
Hypos, rude people, ignorance and grey days.
Hello @Fleegle Welcome to the forum :)

A good starting point on the site is reading through the information Daisy provides for all new members @daisy1 - this will be posted soon on this thread for you to look through ;)
 

britishpub

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,722
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Yes.

I firmly believe that rapid weight loss was the primary driver in getting my levels down into the non diabetic range.

My HbA1c was 88 on diagnosis and in the next 3 months I lost over 2 stone and dropped my A1c to 32.

I cut out all obvious (what I call heavy) Carbs such as Bread, Potatoes, Pasta & Rice and the weight fell off quickly along with my BG levels.

It's my belief that excessive consumption of Carbs, especially processed carbs is behind many of the health problems in the Western world, especially Obesity so cutting your consumption can only help you long term.
 
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psignathus

Well-Known Member
Messages
180
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
NICE guidelines in reference to nutrition
Hmm. Forward thinking until it comes to statins. I would read carefully everything you can about statins before I let one past my lips. You may well find that a lower carb diet brings down your cholesterol without the need for a statin. Also research if 6.2 really is high!
 
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daisy1

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


Hello Fleegle and welcome to the Forum :) As mentioned above, here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful, in addition to the replies you have received so far. Ask more questions when you need to and someone will 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 235,000 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

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
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 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.
 
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Fleegle

Well-Known Member
Messages
775
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
@Fleegle


Hello Fleegle and welcome to the Forum :) As mentioned above, here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful, in addition to the replies you have received so far. Ask more questions when you need to and someone will 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 235,000 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

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
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 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 all - really helpful advice.
 
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Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,849
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
If you eat a LCHF diet then your blood glucose levels should fall - all the other problems might reduce, or not - they don't matter to me. The possibility of heart attack and stroke and the need to reduce weight and cholesterol are matters of opinion, high blood glucose is a matter of urgency and should be addressed at once - in my opinion.
 

Freema

Expert
Messages
7,346
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I went to the DRs today to collect my blood test results. I was sure I had Type 2 before I got there given I had sugar in my urine at my annual health check a few weeks before. It was confirmed and at 95 a high start!.

In the time between my urine sample and my blood test result, three weeks, I have already started the LCHF diet to some degree and any help on resources for that would be welcomed.

I think I had a reasonably forward thinking DR. He did not want me to go on medication but to see how diet could help - I am about three stones over weight. He was concerned about my Cholesterol and prescribed some satins to try and get that down from 6.2 to below 5. He was supportive of low carbs and felt that weight loss in any form would be the first best start.

He said that in order for him was to reduce weight which would have an impact on everything else, then the likelihood of stroke and heart attack then reduce sugar over time.

Good advice?
welcome here Fleegle :):):):)

well done allready doing low carb, that is what really works... concerning statins well.... they are maybe not as healthy as claimed.. your cholesterol is not higher than mine were at diagnosis, and my GP was angry with me for not wanting to take statins.. really angry actually, but in 3 month I got my cholesterol down just by eating lower carb and low calorie well not much fat in that period, which I eat now .. I found that it is actually the high carb that raises my cholesterol and not what fats I eat ... I tend to eat more of the healthier fat (claimed healthy) like always roast in virgin olive oil , or coconut oil and I eat lots and lots of nuts mostly macadamia, valnuts and peanuts , I did eat a lot of brazil nuts but that particular nut is so filled with selenium which can lead to a selenium poisoning if one eat more than 3 on a daily basis... they are healthy but only in smaller amounts. Selenium is beneficial in preventing cancer actually so everything in the right amounts...

please take care to vary your foods even when you go low carbs, berries are also a fine choice in smaller daily amounts insead of the much more high spiking fruits like bananas , watermelons and mango and orange juice which is best to avoid in general ..
 
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Fleegle

Well-Known Member
Messages
775
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
welcome here Fleegle :):):):)

well done allready doing low carb, that is what really works... concerning statins well.... they are maybe not as healthy as claimed.. your cholesterol is not higher than mine were at diagnosis, and my GP was angry with me for not wanting to take statins.. really angry actually, but in 3 month I got my cholesterol down just by eating lower carb and low calorie well not much fat in that period, which I eat now .. I found that it is actually the high carb that raises my cholesterol and not what fats I eat ... I tend to eat more of the healthier fat (claimed healthy) like always roast in virgin olive oil , or coconut oil and I eat lots and lots of nuts mostly macadamia, valnuts and peanuts , I did eat a lot of brazil nuts but that particular nut is so filled with selenium which can lead to a selenium poisoning if one eat more than 3 on a daily basis... they are healthy but only in smaller amounts. Selenium is beneficial in preventing cancer actually so everything in the right amounts...

please take care to vary your foods even when you go low carbs, berries are also a fine choice in smaller daily amounts insead of the much more high spiking fruits like bananas , watermelons and mango and orange juice which is best to avoid in general ..

Thanks - again great advice from everyone. What a shame about fruit - I love orange juice as well...
 

Freema

Expert
Messages
7,346
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thanks - again great advice from everyone. What a shame about fruit - I love orange juice as well...
orange juice is about the worst... so save it for your birthday and christmas...


I have taken a multi fascetted aproach so I did first low carb low calorie, then also intermittent fasting and long daily walks the first 4 month , then also started doing fitness for really many hours, now try to get fitter and bigger muscles too as a top trained body can regain 30% better insuline sensitivity ( and now I do eat a piece of the forbidden fruit once in a while )
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. Yes, the proviso is the statins as others have said. The total level isn't too relevant but the lipids ratios are for the HDL, HDL and Trigs breakdown. Next time you have an HBa1C make it a fasting one and ask the GP to include Lipids tests. The fasting makes the results more reliable. Research the lipids ratios on this forum or the web and if they now appear very good you may want to reduce or stop the statins. I do take a small level of statins but my ratios are bad and the statins don't give me any side effects.
 

debbiek

Active Member
Messages
33
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I went to the DRs today to collect my blood test results. I was sure I had Type 2 before I got there given I had sugar in my urine at my annual health check a few weeks before. It was confirmed and at 95 a high start!.

In the time between my urine sample and my blood test result, three weeks, I have already started the LCHF diet to some degree and any help on resources for that would be welcomed.

I think I had a reasonably forward thinking DR. He did not want me to go on medication but to see how diet could help - I am about three stones over weight. He was concerned about my Cholesterol and prescribed some satins to try and get that down from 6.2 to below 5. He was supportive of low carbs and felt that weight loss in any form would be the first best start.

He said that in order for him was to reduce weight which would have an impact on everything else, then the likelihood of stroke and heart attack then reduce sugar over time.

Good advice?

Hi im newly diagnosed to , my doctor did same diet only at first, but after 3 months now on medication, i also am on statin and it is working my cholesterol has dropped alot , you might ache for a few days at begining of taking statin it will soon go ,i have had same advice loose weight it will all help with diabetes . good luck on your weight loss
 
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Fleegle

Well-Known Member
Messages
775
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
It would be good to know more detail if you wanted to share on your first three months.

The confusion I have on satins is that they now come with a warning that they raise blood sugar which is not ideal when you are trying so hard to lower it.

Would love to hear people's experiences of that.

Dean.
 
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lowedb

Well-Known Member
Messages
254
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
When diagnosed my first GP didn't mention cholesterol but did advise the standard 'eat carbs every meal' message. Then I saw another GP who talked about low carb and brought me here. On that front I'm doing really well and last A1c was technically pre diabetic.

Now the odd thing, though the first GP didn't mention cholesterol, the second who I found much more clued up regarding LCHF did mention it but said 'we will worry about that later'. I wonder if she is really waiting to see if the LCHF actually also eventually fixes the cholesterol issue.

I wish I could quote my numbers but according to the surgery I've not had a cholesterol test to get results from. Sometimes the NHS works but sometimes it is just carp.
 
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bulkbiker

BANNED
Messages
19,576
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi im newly diagnosed to , my doctor did same diet only at first, but after 3 months now on medication, i also am on statin and it is working my cholesterol has dropped alot , you might ache for a few days at begining of taking statin it will soon go ,i have had same advice loose weight it will all help with diabetes . good luck on your weight loss
Were I in your position I would read up on statins and cholesterol and see if you really want to artificially lower your levels. For females they have been shown to be fairly ineffective against CVD and higher levels of cholesterol have been shown to be beneficial to overall health.. might be worth some research.
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Worth remembering that statins have nothing to with diabetes other than, annoyingly, raising blood sugar a bit. You should never take more than needed to get your lipids ratios into a good range as the body needs cholesterol for various reasons
 

Daphne917

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,320
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
It would be good to know more detail if you wanted to share on your first three months.

The confusion I have on satins is that they now come with a warning that they raise blood sugar which is not ideal when you are trying so hard to lower it.

Would love to hear people's experiences of that.

Dean.
My Hba1c rose from 48 to 54 when I took statins. I came off them due to other side affects and my Hba1c dropped to 36 so, in my experience, statins do raise bs levels.
 

Mbaker

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,339
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Available fast foods in Supermarkets
You may also wish to look at the "success" stories on this forum. I have noticed that many Type 2's drop their HbA1c's by at least half by their next 3 month test. If you look at my avatar picture you can see my typical 3 month drop (and this was with an ignorance about the correct foods to eat).
I note that you were remorseful about fruit, within the same post which mentioned this as an issue, was a reference to berries. So specifically you can try strawberries, raspberries, blue berries and blackberries which are readily available at all the supermarkets / stalls - these have significantly less sugar than items such as pineapples, mangoes etc; if you add some full fat Greek yogurt, and maybe some nuts and seeds your body will love you. It would be a good idea to test your blood sugar before eating and then 1 hour after eating, followed by another test at 2 hours to see how you handle such food.
 

Art Of Flowers

Well-Known Member
Messages
956
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I have a total cholesterol level similar to you, but would never take statins as they are dangerous and can have seriously bad side effects in a large number of patients. They don't improve your overall risk of dying and increase the risk of liver disease and cancer. People in the UK and USA who have heart attacks have lower cholesterol levels than the average, so it appears that lower cholesterol doesn't help.

The risk is from small dense LDL. If you calculate triglycerides/HDL then this should be 2 or less. If a high number, e.g. 5 or more this indicates a high percentage of sdLDL. The the overall cholesterol number is not that important. Watch the film Statin Nation for the background facts about statins, their risks and side effects.
 
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Fleegle

Well-Known Member
Messages
775
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Once again folks thanks for all your help. I had a lovely Greek Yog/blueberries and almond mix for breakfast and will test in an hour.

So today my blood test meter arrived - so exciting love technology - shame about the finger prick!

I had dinner last night at 830pm and a cuppa about 930pm then nothing before the test I did as soon as it arrived at 945am today. My blood was 6.6mmol. Very early days and nothing great but it wasn't horrific either!

I have read so much great advice already and one the things particularly good for a newbie I think is the carbs and cals app, it is brilliant. I was just so ignorant about carbs and sugar it has stunned me. I dread to think how many carbs I had even last week! Let alone free sugar.
 
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