Jamesy_Boy

Member
Messages
23
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)

Hi everyone,

I thought id take the time to introduce myself and give a little background on me.

I’m 30 years old from Cumbria and was diagnosed with type 2 this year. I was at an impromptu health check at work which showed a blood glucose level of 12 mmol the nurse was worried to say the least as she was telling a friend beside me ideally there looking for numbers between 4-7mmol and would be alarmed at anything double figures. I was referred to my doctor and they did a HBA1C which came in at 76. I was then put onto metformin at 1000mg ( 500g twice a day ) they didn’t seem to do my stomach any good and after a trip back to the doctors I was put on the metformin slow release. I started to eat better and joined a gym which brought my weight down by a stone from my diagnosis weight.

The days were still a struggle working a late shift at work I was sleeping till at least 10am and still finding I was waking with little to no energy and no motivation, although maintaining a steady weight the gym soon stopped, still maintaining good habits like walking the small trip to work instead of driving.

After a talk with a friend at work and telling him of my recent diagnosis of type 2 he was shocked that I was so blasé about it, he told me of its complications later in life and proceeded to tell me of a study at the Newcastle university he had read about a diet of 800 calories helping type 2 patients go into remission, I was sceptical to say the least! But after reading the study by Professor Roy Taylor and watching his interviews and presentations on youtube I decided to give it a shot.

Im currently on day 9 of the Newcastle Diet ( the hardest day yet) and have had some incredible results with it, there has been a dramatic weight loss, a big decline in blood glucose levels and increased energy and focus.

I will be starting a thread shortly to document my progress and for discussion and motivation as I don’t think I have ever followed such a strict and gruelling diet in all my life.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, Jamesy
 

zand

Master
Messages
10,784
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Welcome to the forum :) I look forward to reading about your progress. Well done so far! :)

I'm tagging @daisy1 so she can post some info about T2 for you.
 

hca

Well-Known Member
Messages
336
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hello @Jamesy_Boy and welcome to the forum. Hopefully someone will be along soon and tag in @daisy1 to send you the useful new starters information.

It sounds like your getting to grips with your diabetes, a few people here have tried the Newcastle diet, personally I do Lchf and intermittent fasting, which seems to work for me.

You have done the right thing coming to this forum with its wealth of knowledge and experience. One of the best things you can do is test your bgs regularly.

Ask as many questions as you like and do start your new thread, I am sure more people will be along shortly. Good luck with the diet

Jo x
 

keitjones

Well-Known Member
Messages
102
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello and welcome. Congratulations on a fantastic start.
 

daisy1

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

Hello and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope this will be useful to you. Ask as many questions as you need to 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 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
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.
 

Jamesy_Boy

Member
Messages
23
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Thanks everyone, and thanks daisy i read the sticky thread when i joined up. Im just waiting to get a little more organised before i start a thread on the Newcastle Diet as i want to include as much info and pictures as possible. and if im honest i was almost quitting yesterday it was a very tough day indeed. thanks all again for the warm welcome i look forward to speaking with you all.

Jamesy
 
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Jamesy_Boy

Member
Messages
23
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I will also be sharing my experience on the DESMOND course i took and my follow up HBA1C since diagnosis and metformin.
 
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ringi

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,365
Type of diabetes
Type 2
You are already doing better than 90% of people with diabetes, the first and most vital step is to take control and you have aced that:)

The Newcastle Diet seems to work well, one issue some people get is when they finish it and go back on normal food they gain a lot of weight quickly.

We Type2 people get on a lot better counting carbs then counting calories, so this is a good time to start to think about what you will eat for the rest of your life. (Steak good, bread bad etc). I have found the “Living Low Carb” book very helpful, as it presents lots of options for long term eating plans.
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi and welcome. You made a great start and the Newcastle diet should help a lot. Just be aware as Ringi says that counting carbs in preference to calories may give even better results as it's the carbs that affect blood sugar and weight more than high calorie fats. Keep at it and see where you get to over the coming weeks.
 

Jamesy_Boy

Member
Messages
23
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Thanks guys, yeah its my main concern at the moment. the requirements of the Newcastle diet are fairly well known now as the first study was carried out in around 2001 i believe and again last year, but information on the maintenance side of things after finishing the diet are non existent. a friend of mine did a diet through the chemist last year which involved only drinking shakes ( im trying not to mention the name here ) but i have borrowed there information about the 'refeed' after the diet. fingers crossed i can go the 8 weeks and stay less weight there after.
 

ringi

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,365
Type of diabetes
Type 2
As you know your body does not like carbs, you are likely to find that LCHF is good for maintenance with testing BG often to keep you on track. However you may find that due to doing the Newcastle diet you can cope with carbs two or three meals a week unlike me, as I am just doing LCHF.
 
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Jamesy_Boy

Member
Messages
23
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
goto tell you guys really struggling with this Newcastle Diet, the low calories and the about intensive job i do arent mixing too well :(
 

ringi

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,365
Type of diabetes
Type 2
goto tell you guys really struggling with this Newcastle Diet, the low calories and the about intensive job i do arent mixing too well :(

Keep it up, soon your body will learn how to live on your own fat, and you will start to feel better.
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,850
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
If you are really struggling on the low calorie regime, consider eating low carb - I feel that I could not have done better since diagnosis.
I am going to knit myself a jersey with 'Dr Atkins was right' - in a Medium - I have already got back to a Large size.
I find the way of eating very easy to stick to and can't see any problem in going on this way for the rest of my life. That's the key for me - diabetes for the rest of my life means that I just stick to the way of eating which controls the blood glucose in the normal range.
 
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