New diagnosee, type 2, 39 years old

Alexandra100

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Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
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Tablets (oral)
Completely no offence intended but to me that looks awful! I can't stand fat on meat, if bacon is not well done I have to cut the rind off. I avoid pork belly because of how much fat there is. Is this really a good food to be eating?
If you drastically lower carbs, you will need to replace the banished calories with something. The other 2 macro-nutrients are fat and protein. Keto diets where one eats a huge proportion of fat, not so much protein and minimal carbs are very fashionable at present even for the non-diabetic. However if you look at the signatures under people's avatars on this Forum you will see that many of us choose rather to eat low carb but with moderate protein and fat. It's a big controversial subject. This is just to say that you don't have to force yourself to eat fatty things you don't fancy or feel may not be healthy. Personally, I don't eat eg bacon, but many here love it. The great first thing is not inadvertently to starve yourself when you cut carbs. Personally again I have about doubled my protein intake while also increasing my fat intake, but not to keto levels.
 

briped

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947
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
@EllieM ProPlus are caffeine tablets which some people use to stay awake.
Oh please please don't take those. I did back in the 80es, and they made me feel as if I was constantly on the verge of having a bad case of the flu, sweaty and shaky. A few years later they were prohibited because it turned out that they had caused some fatalities. They contained quite a bit of caffeine, but were marketed for slimming, and didn't help me at all. Oh the things I did to obtain normal weight.
 
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Prem51

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A few years later they were prohibited because it turned out that they had caused some fatalities. They contained quite a bit of caffeine, but were marketed for slimming, and didn't help me at all. Oh the things I did to obtain normal weight.
They aren't prohibited in the UK and still available. I believe students use them to study into the night before exams.
 

daisy1

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Cruelty towards animals.
@Andybyrne79

Hello Andy 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 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 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 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. 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.
 
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KK123

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,967
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Andy, would you mind telling us a typical weeks food for you? It can sometimes make it easier for us to make substitutes you will barely notice!
 

Alexandra100

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,738
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
It doesn’t really matter when you’re only having a teaspoon or two!
Agreed. But once I consider something a "carb-free" food, it's amazing how much of it I can manage to consume. Rather than start weighing out my mayonnaise, I prefer to stick to the lowest carb possible.
 
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kokhongw

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Messages
2,394
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Completely no offence intended but to me that looks awful! I can't stand fat on meat, if bacon is not well done I have to cut the rind off. I avoid pork belly because of how much fat there is. Is this really a good food to be eating?

We have been conditioned to fear fats for decades, so it is natural that most of us are apprehensive. But in reality it is not as metabolically unhealthy as we have been led to believe when it is not mixed with carbs as shown by flatline glucose charts. :D

When we monitor our pre/post meal glucose, we soon realize that many supposedly "healthy" grains will spike our glucose and subsequently our insulin levels.

Pork belly is not the only source of healthy fats...you can get it from nuts. cheese, avocado etc but you will probably learn to fuel yourself with your choice of fats/proteins rather than predominantly sugar and carbs.
 
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Bluetit1802

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Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
It doesn’t really matter when you’re only having a teaspoon or two! Personally I prefer Heinz!

A teaspoon or two? In my case it is a soup ladle or 2. :bigtears: Well, perhaps not that much, but you need a lot to make a decent 2 egg-mayo. I eat an awful lot of it.
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,849
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Due to there being no double cream available in the strawberry season I began getting the extra thick and putting a spoonful in my mug as I passed the fridge (this does mean having a spoon with the mug) I then go past the sink and collect some cold water, stir to dilute the cream, then arrive at the percolator and pour in coffee.
It does have the advantage of cooling the coffee - as I can't drink hot liquids.
Last Christmas I experimented with Yorkshire puddings to go along with the dinners I had with family - I used the thick cream and water instead of milk and was very pleased with the results on the table and my BG level of 5.6 mmol/l afterwards on both days. It was over a year since diagnosis and I had been low carbing all that time, and I suspect that in the early days I would have reacted far more. At almost 2 years since diagnosis I know that my insulin resistance is pretty much gone, so I do eat some foods which were not on my list for the first year.
I do feel a bit awkward writing to the newly diagnosed about things I can do now - but I hope that it encourages you to look forward to what might be possible before very long.
 
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briped

Well-Known Member
Messages
947
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
They aren't prohibited in the UK and still available. I believe students use them to study into the night before exams.
Sounds likely, but still ... I really can't recommend taking them every day. The side effects were very pronounced, at least for me, but it might have to do with my not being a coffee drinker at all. I just googled and see that 'my' pill contained ephedrine as well as caffeine. No wonder I felt speeded.
 

Chronicle_Cat

Well-Known Member
Messages
555
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Andybyrne79 you changed your avatar (either that or I'm remarkably unobservant ...I presume you're a Canadian now living in the UK? (I'm also Canadian, living in Toronto).

A friend with Type 2 told me about this site, she said it had lots more information than any Canadian diabetes site, especially about low carb and Type 2 (which it does). :) The people here are wonderful too.
 
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Andybyrne79

Member
Messages
23
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Andy, would you mind telling us a typical weeks food for you? It can sometimes make it easier for us to make substitutes you will barely notice!
That's a tricky one as the menu in work for lunch changes all the time, there isn't a set menu. At home, a typical week would consist of a pasta night (bolognese or lasagne) and a pizza night. One night we might just have ready meals. The rest depends on the 3 for a tenner meats in asda. I have an 8 and a 5 year old so when I get in from work I focus on getting them sorted. Sometimes it's just easier to chuck a ready meal in the microwave when they're in bed.