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Newbie Type 2 Going Downhill!

A

AndyH1

Active Member
Messages
33
Location
East Sussex
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi Everyone,

I'm a newbie to the forum and would like to introduce myself. unfortunately I'm not a newbie to diabetes.

I'm currently diagnosed as T2, have been for about 15 years. Was initially diet controlled but then went on to Metformin. Was never obese, but sometimes a bit porky, but always very active. I have diabetes in both sides of the family. I actually came of meds a few years ago as BG control was so good, but now back on them.

I'm very active, I run, cycle or swim most days, do the odd triathlon and enjoy endurance swimming, however for about the last 6 months by BG levels have risen. I have a healthy sort of low GI diet. I am currently on 2 x 30mg Nazdol and 5mg Trajenta every day. Tried Metformin, but didn't work and suffered badly with gastro issues.

Last trip to the docs was last week. I was getting concerned at overnight levels and the Nazdol didn't seem to be doing very much. I regularly have levels of 10+mmol in the mornings. the other morning I had 22mmol, hence the trip to the doctor and the Trajenta.

Getting a bit concerned, the doctor says if these meds don't work he will refer me to hospital. I get the feeling I might be heading towards insulin, which I really don't want. It would be a major change and would affect my sports activities (and my driving licence). Not keen on a low carb diet, as again, it might affect my sports activities. My GP isn't suggesting it either.

In the past my GP has always said that if things kept as they were then it was quite possible I'd never need insulin. He didn't say that this time.

Anyone else experienced similar?

Sorry about the rant, feeling a bit cheesed off.

Andy
 
Hi Welcome :)

Im not experienced enough to help im afraid but hopefully someone will have some helpful stuff for you

best of luck

nice name by the way
 
Hi

I haven't got any advice of my own but I do know we have some very active and sporty people on low carb diets so don't discount it just yet.

Andy 12345 above is one of them

Maybe put something on the exercise thread?

I brought my numbers down on a low carb diet but then I don't do 'the odd triathlon' (love the casual style)

Good luck

Cara
 
I interpreted it that he didn't fancy it because it might effect his sports stuff. Not that he had ruled it out full stop. (which he might have done), so I thought I would mention that low carb and serious exercise are not mutually exclusive .

And I like interfering! ;)

Cara
 
Thanks for the replies.

Ok, so I've found the sport and exercise section, which I will be looking at.

Andy12345, if you do stuff and have a low carb diet, I'd be very interested.

I haven't totally written it of, it's just that I'd looked at Diabetes UK, and they don't seem to go a whole deal on low carb diets, my GP doesn't seem too keen on the idea, and I tried a few days on a sort of Atkins style diet after my reading of 22mmol the other day. It certainly helped with sugar levels. I had 3 days of almost no carbs, I was starving.

At the end of the day, what I'd like is not to end up on insulin, and to be able to go for a run/bike/swim without worrying about hypo's.

Andy
 
No need to starve!

I have friends who were on high and rising doses of insulin who were able to quit all meds when they went low-carb, the trick is to add fat. Cheese, butter, olive oil, full fat creme,, nuts etc.
 
AndyH1 said:
Thanks for the replies.

Ok, so I've found the sport and exercise section, which I will be looking at.

Andy12345, if you do stuff and have a low carb diet, I'd be very interested.

I haven't totally written it of, it's just that I'd looked at Diabetes UK, and they don't seem to go a whole deal on low carb diets, my GP doesn't seem too keen on the idea, and I tried a few days on a sort of Atkins style diet after my reading of 22mmol the other day. It certainly helped with sugar levels. I had 3 days of almost no carbs, I was starving.

At the end of the day, what I'd like is not to end up on insulin, and to be able to go for a run/bike/swim without worrying about hypo's.

Andy
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im sorry i didnt talk about lchf im trying not to ram it down peoples throats lol

i have been lchf for a year give or take and im currently running 40 miles a week and 8 weeks away from the london marathon

i eat about 30g of carbs a day but never avoid fat, ive tried to find some other people doing this on the net but they are very rare, the advice is of course to eat carbs, although there seems to be a rising theory that hitting the wall is due to being dependant on carbs whereas if your ketogenic and fueling from fat, this is a much more long lasting energy source, im currently experimenting with my during run foods, so far it dosent seem to matter what i eat, energy levels are the same, the owners of my running club are currently on a lchf diet and they arent diabetics (they were doing this before meeting me so its not my fault lol), they just think its the best way forward, they are a husband and wife team and between them have something like 50 marathons, loads of triathlons and seem to be doing ironman before breakfast 3 times a week lol, they are nuts! so yes at the moment and assuming i dont die in april i think lchf is a very interesting if nothing else way to fuel for extreme exercise, its actually part of my motivation to prove it is possible.
 
I've said it once (twice ,three times and more)everyone is different and what works for some doesn't seem to work for everyone. Low carbing seems to work for me at the ,moment and its only when I have a little relapse (crimbo) do I feel **** and have to have a nap during the day. Hope you find what's good for you, either way you've taken the first steps which are the hardest. Best of luck :)
 
If you want my opinion, but it's up to you to judge, don't take too much notice of the diet advice from DUK and also the NHS also offers some very dated advice as well. Sad to have to say that but it's based on experience of many posters over the years plus basic science. Reduced carbs will reduce you blood sugar; fact. You will need to have enough calories for your sports and that means enough protein and fats. I'm not suggesting zero carbs but keeping them low'ish. Despite the above, however, I suspect you may well be a Late onset Type 1 (LADA or T1.5) rather than T2. As you are not overweight, exercise a lot and yet blood sugar is still high even with the three popular diabetes tablets, the indicators are there. The GP can do two tests to help confirm the right diagnosis. Insulin is the next step even though low-carbing might delay it a bit. Quite a few of us were mis-diagnosed T2s and gone thru the same experience so you would not be alone. Don't worry about insulin. It's quite easy overall, painless and frees you up to have a more normal diet whilst maintaining blood sugar. Yes, you have to have a 3 year licence and test before driving. I'm happier now I'm on insulin than I was struggling with the same tablets you have.
 
im sorry i didnt talk about lchf im trying not to ram it down peoples throats lol
Click to expand...

No need to apologise, I came on here hoping to get advice.

Before I go any further, I perhaps should have mentioned that I'm on statins for my cholersterol, so an increase in saturated fat is probably not a good idea. While I'm at it, I'm also on Thyroxine for an under active thyroid and Ramipril for my kidneys.

I guess at the moment I probably average about 200g per day, although sometimes a bit more (weekends:)). 30g a day does seem very low, but you are obviously a serious runner, so it is doable. Actually, I don't have too many worries about sugar levels before or during exercise as I find it really does bring them down. It's after exercise that the problem is, and particularly late night/early morning, and those days when I can't exercise at all.

Incidentally, since being on the Nazdol, I have returned home from a cycle twice with BG levels below 4mmol, although not too worried as knowing that might be an issue I can plan for it.

My big event for the year is a 10k river swim, which I've completed comfortably before, which I was hoping to do without fuelling stops, as I find it hard to keep stuff down when I'm swimming, that seems unlikely now. The last time I did it I honked up after a fuel stop. Not pleasant.

Andy
 
Don't be too sure about the relationship between sat fat and cholesterol Andy, I had very high cholesterol but changing my diet saw a massive decrease in my LDL and Triglyceride levels while maintaining my HDL levels. i do eat a lot of eggs and oily fish and although I don't go out of my way to eat sat fats I don't seek to avoid them either. The things I do avoid like the plague though are transfats and too much omega 6 which needs to be watched.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
AndyH1 said:
No need to apologise, I came on here hoping to get advice.

Before I go any further, I perhaps should have mentioned that I'm on statins for my cholersterol, so an increase in saturated fat is probably not a good idea. While I'm at it, I'm also on Thyroxine for an under active thyroid and Ramipril for my kidneys.

I guess at the moment I probably average about 200g per day, although sometimes a bit more (weekends:)). 30g a day does seem very low, but you are obviously a serious runner, so it is doable. Actually, I don't have too many worries about sugar levels before or during exercise as I find it really does bring them down. It's after exercise that the problem is, and particularly late night/early morning, and those days when I can't exercise at all.

Incidentally, since being on the Nazdol, I have returned home from a cycle twice with BG levels below 4mmol, although not too worried as knowing that might be an issue I can plan for it.

My big event for the year is a 10k river swim, which I've completed comfortably before, which I was hoping to do without fuelling stops, as I find it hard to keep stuff down when I'm swimming, that seems unlikely now. The last time I did it I honked up after a fuel stop. Not pleasant.

Andy
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im in awe at your swimming, i just cant get my breathing right when swimming, ive practiced and practiced, my body says yessss my breathing say noooo lol which suits the kids as my swims turn into exploding out of the water propelling the kids into the air which is surprisingly good exercise, and having girl means i get half hour in the steam room while they dry their hair hehe

regarding the high cholesterol my chol has gone from 6.8 to 2.8 trigs about 0.6, this has happened while eating saturated fat like it was going out of fashion, im not sure about your other health issues so im not trying to convince you to reduce any carbs, im just saying on the cholesterol issue many many low carbers have found their chol drops not the other way round :)

as for being a serious runner.... im a serious tryer is all :) but as im in a race with Mo Farrah i suppose that must make me elite hehe
 
I agree with the others about saturated fat. Much of the 'evidence' for fat causing cholesterol in the blood is becoming suspect. I wouldn't suggest stuffing yourself full of it but don't assume that a sensible amount in the diet will affect blood cholesterol. There are some of us who now believe the biggest culprits are the carbs
 
Despite the above, however, I suspect you may well be a Late onset Type 1 (LADA or T1.5) rather than T2
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That's what I'm worried about, I hadn't even heard of it until today! It may not be the end of the world, but it wouldn't be the greatest of news.

So, looking at things, it certainly seems as though getting my carbs down a bit is well worth trying, it's just that there doesn't seem to be much difference between a medium and high carb day, it was only when I did a few days of very low carbs that made the difference. I eat more fish than meat so can up my protein a bit with an increase in saturated fats.

I've got just over a week before my next visit to my GP, so I'll see how it goes.

im in awe at your swimming, i just cant get my breathing right when swimming, ive practiced and practiced, my body says yessss my breathing say noooo
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Yep, if the breathings wrong, it's an uphill struggle, have a look here, loads of good advice http://www.swimsmooth.com/. as far as being in awe of my swimming, well, I might be able to swim a bit, but I'm a distinctly average cyclist, and a very rubbish runner. I have done one marathon, it was my first and last. At the end of the day, unless you're an elite athlete, it's what you get out of it that's important, not how far up (or down) the field you come (so long as you don't come last:))

Andy
 
AndyH1 said:
That's what I'm worried about, I hadn't even heard of it until today! It may not be the end of the world, but it wouldn't be the greatest of news.

So, looking at things, it certainly seems as though getting my carbs down a bit is well worth trying, it's just that there doesn't seem to be much difference between a medium and high carb day, it was only when I did a few days of very low carbs that made the difference. I eat more fish than meat so can up my protein a bit with an increase in saturated fats.

I've got just over a week before my next visit to my GP, so I'll see how it goes.



Yep, if the breathings wrong, it's an uphill struggle, have a look here, loads of good advice http://www.swimsmooth.com/. as far as being in awe of my swimming, well, I might be able to swim a bit, but I'm a distinctly average cyclist, and a very rubbish runner. I have done one marathon, it was my first and last. At the end of the day, unless you're an elite athlete, it's what you get out of it that's important, not how far up (or down) the field you come (so long as you don't come last:))

Andy
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Thankyou for that link :) ill have look as id love to swim more :) wow 5 minutes youve been here and already helping :)
 
AndyH1 said:
That's what I'm worried about, I hadn't even heard of it until today! It may not be the end of the world, but it wouldn't be the greatest of news.

So, looking at things, it certainly seems as though getting my carbs down a bit is well worth trying, it's just that there doesn't seem to be much difference between a medium and high carb day, it was only when I did a few days of very low carbs that made the difference. I eat more fish than meat so can up my protein a bit with an increase in saturated fats.

Andy
Click to expand...

It actually takes around 2 weeks to adjust to a low carb diet, during those two weeks you may experience "low carb flu" and you will certainly notice a drop in performance, but once your body adapts you will be fine again and you will be able to increase carbs for the odd day if you feel you need to without having to readjust again.

i do between 60-80g of carbs per day usually btw.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Hi Andy! I have only been diagnosed for 2 weeks but would recommend LCHF. What prompted me to reply was that I also was referred to the same website as you and spoke to the diabetic nurse from hell who was completely unreceptive to LCHF. Did you realise that the doc may recommend this site because they have to? I was extremely sceptical over a website which in its recipes recommended making cakes with half the sugar and stumbled upon this website by accident. I was advised to go on diet doctor which I did. The guy who writes the blogg is a doctor in Sweden (hence the Swedish flag and the fact that the site is also in Swedish!). I have been on the diet for nearly 2 weeks and have halved my blood sugar level ( as well as losing half a stone). My husband , who is not diabetic and was very sporty in his youth , has also lost half a stone. He still rides 60 miles in a couple of hours. He sitting next to me as I type this and suggests you look at a book by Mark Sissons called The Primal Blue Print. He also says that there is a book called Just Ride by Grant Peterson which has a chapter on LCHF and exercise. Phew! Hope this helps!
 
I was becoming crippled after 7+ years on the DUK high carb, lowish GI, low fat diet. Following advice on this forum I cut the carbs drastically. 6 years of low carb high fat & I am well & active (at 74) playing tennis & table tennis at club standard. I have no need of energy drinks during 2 hours play, just water.
 
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