Diagnosed today
- Thread starter PhilC 2
- Start Date
Bluetit1802
Legend
- Messages
- 25,216
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
NewTD2
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,563
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
terminalbreaker
Newbie
- Messages
- 2
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Back in May 2017, I was also diagnosed with type 2. With fasting glucose of 140. I went on strict ketogenic diet which is a low carb diet consisting of moderate protein, lots of low carb vegetable and high amounts of fat. My blood sugars are now in the high 80's and low 90's and feeling great. I follow a ketogenic diet plan food list, I think many can benefit from this.
G'day from down under Phil. Wish I'd have found this place the day I was diagnosed. You're probably just trying to take it all in about now. No doubt you will be off to see the diabetic educator and dietician soon.
How high was your blood glucose by the way. You will learn more and more as time goes on and surprisingly quickly. For now though, don't just rely on the metformin and assume all will be good. Diet is super critical. Can't stress that enough. Critical on two fronts as well. Firstly you will be told to reduce the amount of carbohydrates you eat. Secondly, if you are overweight, lose it. Early responses to these two key areas will avoid future, nasty complications.
Latest protocols for Type 2 seems to be heading towards no self testing and just relying on quarterly HbA1c tests and eating from the prepared chart from the dietician. Don't have a bar of it. Personally, I only achieved improvement once I took control of my condition myself which means testing before and after meals until you get used to what your body does and lots of education.
Have fun,
Glenn
How high was your blood glucose by the way. You will learn more and more as time goes on and surprisingly quickly. For now though, don't just rely on the metformin and assume all will be good. Diet is super critical. Can't stress that enough. Critical on two fronts as well. Firstly you will be told to reduce the amount of carbohydrates you eat. Secondly, if you are overweight, lose it. Early responses to these two key areas will avoid future, nasty complications.
Latest protocols for Type 2 seems to be heading towards no self testing and just relying on quarterly HbA1c tests and eating from the prepared chart from the dietician. Don't have a bar of it. Personally, I only achieved improvement once I took control of my condition myself which means testing before and after meals until you get used to what your body does and lots of education.
Have fun,
Glenn
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@PhilC 2
Hello Phil and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like 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:
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 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. Most of these are free.
Hello Phil and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like 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
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 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. Most of these are 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.
manhattan
Active Member
- Messages
- 40
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
hello and welcome! like you i’m newly diagnosed and it looks as though us type 2 people aren’t being offered blood glucose monitors unless we’re on medication . i’m now starting to read food labels extremely carefully. especially amount of carbohydrates.. never paid much attention before.. .. but you can bet your life i’m paying more attention now! lol
Last edited:
Ross.Walker
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 291
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- sprouts, evil things
Hi.
Glad you joined us, there is lots to learn so please ask away, you will find these people a great resource.
write down everything, ask questions, question the answers, it won't take long until you know what is good for you and how to live a great life, it really can happen.
Ross
Glad you joined us, there is lots to learn so please ask away, you will find these people a great resource.
write down everything, ask questions, question the answers, it won't take long until you know what is good for you and how to live a great life, it really can happen.
Ross
