Getting numbers back down

Loukay1

Well-Known Member
Messages
108
Type of diabetes
Type 2
To be fair few of us want to change our foods when we start. With time and results and a weaning off carbs addiction it gets better. Many end up preferring it much to their amazement. Just got to get going and through that first stage. Be experimental and try new things to distract yourself. Tastebuds WILL change and you may end up liking things you didn’t before.

Try clicking these links for more detailed explanations that are well worth reading that give good starting advice and ideas.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog/jokalsbeek.401801/ for info including low carb made simple

And https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/success-stories-and-testimonials.43/ to show it really works

and https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/ for food ideas

also https://www.dietdoctor.com/ for more food ideas and general info of carb content of foods. Lots of other websites for recipes out there too. Just use the term low carb or keto with whatever you fancy.

I assume as you are on gliclazide you test yourself at home. It’s very important to be able to check for yourself what’s happening so you can make the necessary adjustments day to day and meal by meal rather than wait 3,6 or even 12 months and then have no idea what had what effect.

IMPORTANT: if you lower your carbs then any glucose lowering meds may need to be adjusted downwards accordingly to make sure you aren’t taking more than your new diet requires. It can cause a hypo if you have more gliclazide or insulin etc (this is not relevant for metformin on its own) than your new carb intake requires. Keep a close eye on your numbers and ideally do this with your dr. Please don’t be put off by an ill informed out dated rubbishing of low carb diets or being told you should eat carbs to match meds, it should be the other way around.
Sorry to ask but on the first link you gave me it said full fat milk, someone else said really double cream is better, what do you think?
 

Loukay1

Well-Known Member
Messages
108
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I hope you have a meter? Please test regularly and talk to your HCP about reducing the glic if you are going to try very low carb. It can have quite dramatic effects on blood sugar levels and I'd hate for you to be put off by having an unnecessary hypo.
I have a gp appointment on Wednesday so I will ask her but she may refer me to my diabetes nurse, thanks
 

HSSS

Expert
Messages
7,465
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Sorry to ask but on the first link you gave me it said full fat milk, someone else said really double cream is better, what do you think?
Yes double cream is lower carb. It can also be watered down.
 

HSSS

Expert
Messages
7,465
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thank you, my diabetes nurse told me I couldn't have a hypo unless I was on insulin but someone on here told me that it was not true, I was told that because the metformin was not working well enough I was being put on gliclazide & that's all the information I needed?
Shocking.

How dare she deny you information about your health. And giving you false and dangerous information too.

Do you have a meter? You should have been given one and. A prescription for test strips. And be advised what to do in the event of a hypo (under 4) - glucose tablets are the best bet, orange juice I think works. Ie quick acting sugars.

You must test if on gliclazide. Even more so if reducing carbs. Do it slowly so you can see the effects if you stay on the gliclazide.
 

Loukay1

Well-Known Member
Messages
108
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Shocking.

How dare she deny you information about your health. And giving you false and dangerous information too.

Do you have a meter? You should have been given one and. A prescription for test strips. And be advised what to do in the event of a hypo (under 4) - glucose tablets are the best bet, orange juice I think works. Ie quick acting sugars.

You must test if on gliclazide. Even more so if reducing carbs. Do it slowly so you can see the effects if you stay on the gliclazide.
Nope, never got a meter or prescription? Was told I still didn't need to test (I'm in Scotland but wouldn't think that would be any diffrent?) Was basically told to cut portion sizes and go on a calorie controlled diet?
 

Loukay1

Well-Known Member
Messages
108
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Shocking.

How dare she deny you information about your health. And giving you false and dangerous information too.

Do you have a meter? You should have been given one and. A prescription for test strips. And be advised what to do in the event of a hypo (under 4) - glucose tablets are the best bet, orange juice I think works. Ie quick acting sugars.

You must test if on gliclazide. Even more so if reducing carbs. Do it slowly so you can see the effects if you stay on the gliclazide.
I wonder if this is why I've felt so rubbish when trying to do (and failed) a low carb high fat diet before?
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Nope, never got a meter or prescription? Was told I still didn't need to test (I'm in Scotland but wouldn't think that would be any diffrent?) Was basically told to cut portion sizes and go on a calorie controlled diet?

Do you drive or operate machinery? If so you should be receiving a meter and test strips on prescription. If not, then you do need to buy one for yourself. Without one you are working blind. It will help with your food choices alongside a food diary. Most of us T2s on here have no idea how we would have managed without one. It will become your very best friend. We can point you in the right direction on meter choice, and those with the cheapest test strips. We can also guide you on how and when to test.
Please ignore your nurse. She is out of the ark. Your GP may be no better.
 

Loukay1

Well-Known Member
Messages
108
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Do you drive or operate machinery? If so you should be receiving a meter and test strips on prescription. If not, then you do need to buy one for yourself. Without one you are working blind. It will help with your food choices alongside a food diary. Most of us T2s on here have no idea how we would have managed without one. It will become your very best friend. We can point you in the right direction on meter choice, and those with the cheapest test strips. We can also guide you on how and when to test.
Please ignore your nurse. She is out of the ark. Your GP may be no better.
If you can advise me that would be great, I've looked at various meters on Amazon etc fairly cheap but the testing strips are so expensive?
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
If you can advise me that would be great, I've looked at various meters on Amazon etc fairly cheap but the testing strips are so expensive?

Yes, strips are expensive and you need many thousands of them but you only need one meter.

The most popular meters for self funding T2's are the Codefree and the Tee2+ because the strips are much cheaper than other meters, and you need a lot of strips. You can't usually buy them in pharmacies.

Try here for the Codefree meter
http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/

and here for the extra strips
http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/

There are discount codes if you buy in bulk. (applied at the check out stage)
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833

The Tee2+ is here
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product-category/shop/tee2/

Don’t forget to check the box that you have diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for either meter)
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,850
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
If you can advise me that would be great, I've looked at various meters on Amazon etc fairly cheap but the testing strips are so expensive?
Surely your GP should be prescribing a meter and strips for you - you need to test if you are driving or operating machinery to be legal, due to the medication you are on.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Loukay1
Hello and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and helpful.



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
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.
 
M

Member496333

Guest
Grazing is a terrible dietary habit for anyone, but for an insulin resistant diabetic it’s just about the very worst possible thing you can do to yourself. To an extent - even if the food is lower carbohydrate - constant grazing promotes constant insulin secretion which further exacerbates insulin resistance.
 
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