I have only been diagnosed for 2 days and its a nightmare

alangarry

Active Member
Messages
38
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Nosey Bossy people
Hi, it seems a nightmare trying to understand what is safe to eat and what is not, Can I drink diet drinks, eat carrots or boiled eggs, I have replaced morning toast with a bowl of shreddies, Each raw carrots with cucumber tomatoes with riveta crackers, started eating pilchards into tomato sauce.
If I do eat bread I eat seed sensation and granary bread.
I have also started to eat apples and muller light yogurts, last nights test was 8.0 2 hours after eating, how often should I do tests, what are the safe testing results, I have no charts results to follow.
Can I still eat cheese.
Its just seems a nightmare, I worried and confused, the more I try and research the more confused I get.
I also drive a bus for a living, been diagnosed type 2

Any help would be most grateful.

Thanks,
Alangarry.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

zand

Master
Messages
10,784
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi welcome to the forum. :)

I'll tag @daisy1 for her information sheet for new people. :)

Oh and cheese is fine :) Stop worrying. An 8.0 2 hours after eating isn't bad at all and you will improve on that as you gradually find your way around.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 people

alangarry

Active Member
Messages
38
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Nosey Bossy people
Thanks for the reply, its up tonight to 9.3 but then I realized I had not taken my 2 Metformin tablet, on one twice a day at moment which will increase to 2 twice a day from Thursday. I take 1 with breakfast and the other with evening meal, forgot tonight just taken it, will take another bloods later.
 

alangarry

Active Member
Messages
38
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Nosey Bossy people
Hi welcome to the forum. :)

I'll tag @daisy1 for her information sheet for new people. :)

Oh and cheese is fine :) Stop worrying. An 8.0 2 hours after eating isn't bad at all and you will improve on that as you gradually find your way around.
Thanks for the reply, its up tonight to 9.3 but then I realized I had not taken my 2 Metformin tablet, on one twice a day at moment which will increase to 2 twice a day from Thursday. I take 1 with breakfast and the other with evening meal, forgot tonight just taken it, will take another bloods later.
 

catinahat

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,386
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Reality tv
Where Sugar in the Blood Comes From
The problem for diabetics is that the body has difficulty keeping blood sugar levels down. The blood turns too sweet. So where does sugar in the blood come from?

Sugar in the blood comes from the food that we eat. The foods that turn into different types of sugar as soon as they reach the stomach are called carbohydrates. This means sugar (as in soda, fruit juice, candy) and starch (as in bread, pasta, rice and potatoes).



carbohydrates.jpg

Carbohydrates



The starch, in for example bread, is broken down to glucose in the stomach. When glucose enters the blood stream it’s called blood sugar.

The more carbohydrates we eat in a meal, the more sugar is absorbed into the blood stream. The more sugar that’s absorbed into the blood stream, the higher the blood sugar will be.

Normalize Your Blood Sugar
What happens if you remove the blood sugar-raising foods? What’s left then?

For example this:




Foods that don’t raise blood sugar

Copied from http://www.dietdoctor.com/diabetes
 
  • Like
Reactions: 9 people

wookie101

Well-Known Member
Messages
108
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi Alan and welcome!

I'll start by staying I was only diagnosed a few months ago and when I got a meter and tested my reading was 16.1 two hours after eating, so you're in a much better place! After you pick up whats good and bad to eat and then put it into practice you'll slowly start seeing your readings go down.

The real bad boys on the food front are carbs such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes so reducing them will help you lower your readings, but I'll just add that 8 isn't that high, obviously around the 6 mark is where you want to be, so you're not far off good mate. I hover between 5.5 and 9, but I'm still learning. And I've got there thanks to all the people on this forum with far more experience than me.

It looks like @Diasy will be giving your her fab sheet of tips shortly, so don't worry, you're in the right place and far better than how I started, having blurred vision countless toilet stops and out of energy. As for forgetting to take the tablets I still do that, I get carried away being busy, so if its not too late I'll take it, but otherwise I tell myself off and carry on again in the morning, after my porridge.

Where as I never used to eat regularly and never had breakfast, I treat everything as medicine and try and do things at roughly regular times, and as long as my readings 2 hours later are below 8 I'm happy, if they're not I go for a 30min stroll as that does help. But a calm stroll no use fretting and raising my blood pressure as well...

Still hang on in there, you're found some friends :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 6 people

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. It's quite easy once you get used to it. Read all the labels and keep the total carbs down. Avoid 'light' foods such as the Muller yogurt as I suspect it has loads of sugar. You can haver protein and fat to make up for the lower carb. Avoid cereals for breakfast unless they are small portions and no added sugar. Eggs and bacon are fine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 people

alangarry

Active Member
Messages
38
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Nosey Bossy people
Hi Alan and welcome!

I'll start by staying I was only diagnosed a few months ago and when I got a meter and tested my reading was 16.1 two hours after eating, so you're in a much better place! After you pick up whats good and bad to eat and then put it into practice you'll slowly start seeing your readings go down.

The real bad boys on the food front are carbs such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes so reducing them will help you lower your readings, but I'll just add that 8 isn't that high, obviously around the 6 mark is where you want to be, so you're not far off good mate. I hover between 5.5 and 9, but I'm still learning. And I've got there thanks to all the people on this forum with far more experience than me.

It looks like @Diasy will be giving your her fab sheet of tips shortly, so don't worry, you're in the right place and far better than how I started, having blurred vision countless toilet stops and out of energy. As for forgetting to take the tablets I still do that, I get carried away being busy, so if its not too late I'll take it, but otherwise I tell myself off and carry on again in the morning, after my porridge.

Where as I never used to eat regularly and never had breakfast, I treat everything as medicine and try and do things at roughly regular times, and as long as my readings 2 hours later are below 8 I'm happy, if they're not I go for a 30min stroll as that does help. But a calm stroll no use fretting and raising my blood pressure as well...

Still hang on in there, you're found some friends :)
Thanks for your reply, t seems we are part of a good family on here
 

alangarry

Active Member
Messages
38
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Nosey Bossy people
thanks for all the replies, I feel a little better, Trying to eat better loose weight and live longer and with the help from my new family on here I feel I may be able to achieve that.

Many thanks to you all.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 9 people

daisy1

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

Hello and welcome to the forum :) As mentioned above, here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helps you, especially with regards to carbohydrates. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will come and help you.


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 over 150,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

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

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 bloodglucose 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.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

Sobeit

Well-Known Member
Messages
227
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi Alangarry Welcome to your new family!:).. I think your numbers look pretty good.Well done!! My first fasting bloods were 16.6! Im starting to really realise that lower carbs means lower numbers through trial and error!Its very tough at first accepting u have this condition . I cried many a tear,and still do. But Im feeling more positive now and getting used to tthis new way of eating. Its a bit more challenging to keep carbs down as Im a vegetarian who doesnt eat eggs ! Great u have found this forum. I wish u the best of luck getting to grips with your new healthier eating plan and healthy living ! :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 people

jgordon5

Well-Known Member
Messages
76
Hi, it seems a nightmare trying to understand what is safe to eat and what is not, Can I drink diet drinks, eat carrots or boiled eggs, I have replaced morning toast with a bowl of shreddies, Each raw carrots with cucumber tomatoes with riveta crackers, started eating pilchards into tomato sauce.
If I do eat bread I eat seed sensation and granary bread.
I have also started to eat apples and muller light yogurts, last nights test was 8.0 2 hours after eating, how often should I do tests, what are the safe testing results, I have no charts results to follow.
Can I still eat cheese.
Its just seems a nightmare, I worried and confused, the more I try and research the more confused I get.
I also drive a bus for a living, been diagnosed type 2

Any help would be most grateful.

Thanks,
Alangarry.
I'm sure you'll get lots of help from other members soon but basically foods which are high in carbohydrates tend to make your blood sugars rise and of course foods with added sugar do.

I don't know whether shreddies have added sugar or not but to decide whether to have shreddies or toast you would need to compare the carbohydratw/sugar content in each and see which has the lowest.

You don't say what medication you're on and I'm not familiar with T2 medication so I hope someone will come along and give you more help.

Good luck.

Jill

PS boiled eggs would be fine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 6 people

alangarry

Active Member
Messages
38
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Nosey Bossy people
I'm sure you'll get lots of help from other members soon but basically foods which are high in carbohydrates tend to make your blood sugars rise and of course foods with added sugar do.

I don't know whether shreddies have added sugar or not but to decide whether to have shreddies or toast you would need to compare the carbohydratw/sugar content in each and see which has the lowest.

You don't say what medication you're on and I'm not familiar with T2 medication so I hope someone will come along and give you more help.

Good luck.

Jill

PS boiled eggs would be fine.
Thank you for your reply, I'm on Metformin, 1 x 2 a day and 2 x 2 a day from Thursday, I'm also on 1 a day of Atorvastatin but I'm going to ask doctor to change these because I have pain in my limbs at night, this morning I had bacon on Whole grain bread because it had lower carb contents than the shreddies, Have boiled eggs cooked, cooled and in fridge ready for tomorrow morning, are carrots and apples ok to eat because I have been snacking on these, Doctor says small amounts of food and often. Going to shops to see cereals contents for the better option of cereals.

Regards Alan
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 people

alangarry

Active Member
Messages
38
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Nosey Bossy people
thanks again for all your replies much appreciated
 

Alisonjane10

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,671
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Bullies, discrimination of any kind, bad manners, parents who let their kids run amok & spoil things for everyone else, unkind spiteful people, being a clumsy clod, toast crumbs in the bed, cold feet!!
Hi @alangarry. Welcome to the forum hun. We've all been where you are now, believe me. It's very overwhelming, isn't it. But, you WILL cope, & you WILL learn to manage your Diabetes. You just need to educate yourself. Once you have a better understanding of foods, & their impact upon your blood glucose now that you're diabetic, everything will naturally fall into place. I asked the same questions you are when I was diagnosed & came across this website. I wasn't sure I believed the replys I got from members who responded to my posts when they said everything would be fine, given time. They all seemed SO knowledgeable & experienced. I couldn't see myself like that, ever! Wrong! You'll increase your knowledge base on here, and the panic you're feeling right now subsides. Firstly, look at your diet. To start with, you need to reduce your carbs, alongside obvious sugary foods. Put simply, carbs are converted into glucose by the body, thus raising your blood glucose levels. The aim for a diabetic is to alter their diet & bring their blood glucose levels down. A very simple explanation, but I don't want to overwhelm you with too much at this stage. Managing this disease is going to be life-long. It's not a race. Over the coming days, take a look at the "Explore" topics on the homepage here. There's loads of good information.

When I was diagnosed this year, one of the first books I bought to help me was Carbs & Cals. It gives a visual cue to foods, portion size & the carbs/calories that food contains. It might be useful for you. I bought mine at Amazon.

  • Moderate carbohydrate: 130 to 225g of carbs
  • Low carbohydrate: under 130g of carbs
  • Very low carbohydrate: under 30g of carbs
Here's a link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1908261064/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1908261064&linkCode=as2&tag=caca00-21
A sample below. Hope you find it helpful. Best wishes. AJ.

image.jpg


image.jpg

 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: 13 people

alangarry

Active Member
Messages
38
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Nosey Bossy people
Hi @alangarry. Welcome to the forum hun. We've all been where you are now, believe me. It's very overwhelming, isn't it. But, you WILL cope, & you WILL learn to manage your Diabetes. You just need to educate yourself. Once you have a better understanding of foods, & their impact upon your blood glucose now that you're diabetic, everything will naturally fall into place. I asked the same questions you are when I was diagnosed & came across this website. I wasn't sure I believed the replys I got from members who responded to my posts when they said everything would be fine, given time. They all seemed SO knowledgeable & experienced. I couldn't see myself like that, ever! Wrong! You'll increase your knowledge base on here, and the panic you're feeling right now subsides. Firstly, look at your diet. To start with, you need to reduce your carbs, alongside obvious sugary foods. Put simply, carbs are converted into glucose by the body, thus raising your blood glucose levels. The aim for a diabetic is to alter their diet & bring their blood glucose levels down. A very simple explanation, but I don't want to overwhelm you with too much at this stage. Managing this disease is going to be life-long. It's not a race. Over the coming days, take a look at the "Explore" topics on the homepage here. There's loads of good information.

When I was diagnosed this year, one of the first books I bought to help me was Carbs & Cals. It gives a visual cue to foods, portion size & the carbs/calories that food contains. It might be useful for you. I bought mine at Amazon.

  • Moderate carbohydrate: 130 to 225g of carbs
  • Low carbohydrate: under 130g of carbs
  • Very low carbohydrate: under 30g of carbs
Here's a link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1908261064/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1908261064&linkCode=as2&tag=caca00-21
A sample below. Hope you find it helpful. Best wishes. AJ.

View attachment 15514

View attachment 15515

Thank you, the advice is well noted and very useful, you have all been very kind and very helpful with all your information, when I was diagnosed the Doctor signed me off work with anxiety because I could not take it all in, I'm more relaxed now having joined this great family with all their experience and helpful advice.

Once again I thank you all
 
  • Like
Reactions: 8 people

Alisonjane10

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,671
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Bullies, discrimination of any kind, bad manners, parents who let their kids run amok & spoil things for everyone else, unkind spiteful people, being a clumsy clod, toast crumbs in the bed, cold feet!!
Thank you, the advice is well noted and very useful, you have all been very kind and very helpful with all your information, when I was diagnosed the Doctor signed me off work with anxiety because I could not take it all in, I'm more relaxed now having joined this great family with all their experience and helpful advice.

Once again I thank you all

You are most welcome @alangarry. It's a big shock being diagnosed with diabetes, as you know. So, take the time you need to get your head around it all. The more you learn, the better you'll begin to feel, & your anxiety level will reduce. Be kind to yourself. You didn't do anything wrong to get this disease, remember that. Ask as many questions as you need. So many people just want to help. Like I've said hun, it does get easier. Honest! Chin up. You're stronger than you may think. :happy:
 
  • Like
Reactions: 6 people