Hello. Type2.

BoggyBimbleJr

Member
Messages
15
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hello everybody.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 three days ago and was told that my mmol/mol was 68. The nurse has told me that she wants it down to 55 or less by my next blood test in three months time or she will put me on Metformin three times a day plus something else once a day (only I can't remember what the something else was). Within six months she wants it down to below 48.

Since having a second blood test the previous Tuesday, my first was during an asthma clinic before Christmas, and which was ordered by the doctor after he received the results of the Asthma clinic one, I have been on the LCHF diet (although it does relate quite strongly to the Omni Diet) and between the Asthma clinic nurse weighing me and the diabetic nurse weighing me I have lost 4Kg. I am hoping this will continue as I do not want to go on Metformin and whatever the other drug was.

I would also like to say that I only discovered this site yesterday while searching the internet for a diabetes related problem and the posts I have read make more sense than the bumf the nurse gave me to read.
 

Goonergal

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
13,466
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Welcome @BoggyBimbleJr

I'm relatively recently diagnosed too and very glad that I came across this forum. Also doing LCHF diet and my blood sugar is coming down. Do you have a meter to test your blood sugar? I bought one after reading on the forum and find it really helpful to understand which foods spike me and which don't. It's also really motivating to see sugar levels gradually coming down,

I'm sure you'll get lots of good advice and support here.
 
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KezG

Well-Known Member
Messages
239
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Tripe, most shellfish.. mussels, cockles etc...
@BoggyBimbleJr Hello and welcome to the forum.. sounds like your'e on top of things already.. good that you found this site too.. they're a friendly bunch with experience and info should you ask for it.. Tagging @daisy1 who'll hopefully be able to give some further info.
 
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Maggie/Magpie

Well-Known Member
Messages
279
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Butternut Squash, Cabbage and confrontation.
Hi and welcome to the forum,

Sounds like you've got the right attitude to all of this. Keep going with the LCHF diet it's worked for me, my Hba1c has reduced dramatically since starting it, hopefully yours will to.

Good luck
Maggie
 
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MikePea

Well-Known Member
Messages
160
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Garlic
Like they say. You are walking in the right direction. LCHF worked for me Lost over two stone in under a year. Was taking two Metformin Now none required.. LCHF diet with exercise did the trick. Still o n the diet of course and the exercise. Keep following this forum. You will get so much advice. Some good, some need careful thought, but all with the same aim. To live a better life. So welcome, put your feet under the table and live again.:happy:.
 
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Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello and welcome,

This is the best place to be for advice. Do buy a meter and use it to test out your meals whilst keeping a food diary (including portion sizes) and you will soon learn which foods agree with you and which don't. Be careful if you look for a meter. Many are given away for free but then charge the earth for replacement test strips. Always check on the cost of the test strips before you buy. You only need one meter, but you need many hundreds of test trips.

I follow the LCHF diet. I lost over 33% of my body weight within the first year and have kept it off for the past 2 years. I was diagnosed 3 years ago and have never had to take medication. I ignored the dietary advice I received from my nurse (after I found this forum) and have never looked back.

You will find most people on here follow the LCHF diet, but not all. What works for one may not work for another, but if you eat to your meter and your scales, you can't go far wrong.
 
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Jillytee

Active Member
Messages
34
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello everybody.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 three days ago and was told that my mmol/mol was 68. The nurse has told me that she wants it down to 55 or less by my next blood test in three months time or she will put me on Metformin three times a day plus something else once a day (only I can't remember what the something else was). Within six months she wants it down to below 48.

Since having a second blood test the previous Tuesday, my first was during an asthma clinic before Christmas, and which was ordered by the doctor after he received the results of the Asthma clinic one, I have been on the LCHF diet (although it does relate quite strongly to the Omni Diet) and between the Asthma clinic nurse weighing me and the diabetic nurse weighing me I have lost 4Kg. I am hoping this will continue as I do not want to go on Metformin and whatever the other drug was.

I would also like to say that I only discovered this site yesterday while searching the internet for a diabetes related problem and the posts I have read make more sense than the bumf the nurse gave me to read.


Hi there @BoggyBimbleJr, I was diagnosed last September and have found this forum a godsend. Funnily enough I was diagnosed after previous results from an asthma attack. I have really taken my own course on this as my surgery is not particularly pro-active, I've been on the lchf diet (not NHS recommended ) for 3 1/2 months and have lost 18kg and my bg has gone from 6.8% to 6.3% so feeling very optimistic! :)
I got a meter 2 days ago , it's the SD code free available on Amazon, I bought the starter pack plus extra test strips and lancets. Also look at getting a book called The First Year Type 2 Diabetes by Gretchen Becker, also available from Amazon, highly recommend it, I wish I'd had it from the start.
So keep going and good luck, this forum is one of the best places to find encouragement and answers.
 

daisy1

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

Hello 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 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 free 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. They're all 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.
 

Prem51

Expert
Messages
7,393
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
*
Hi @BoggyBimbleJr and welcome to the forum! Have a read round the threads to see how LCHF works and ask any questions you want, the people on here are friendly and supportive.
 

catephoenix

Well-Known Member
Messages
52
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I'm newly diagnosed too and so thankful to have found this forum. I've been following the low-carb diet for a week now and feel so much better. I followed the advice to buy a blood glucose meter and its made me feel much better about what I'm eating.
 

BoggyBimbleJr

Member
Messages
15
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Thanks everybody, I'll buy a blood glucose meter like you suggest as I need to find out what effect porridge has on me. I used to have a big bowl of Quaker Oats will a good squeeze of runny honey in before I was diagnosed and the nurse said I could have a smaller bowl but with no honey, as apparently oats are a complex carbohydrate and shouldn't effect my blood glucose as much. It would be quite nice to have some for my breakfast again instead of eggs, which admittedly I'm getting a bit fed up of, though I don't know whether I'll be able to eat it with it not being sweet.
 
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lowedb

Well-Known Member
Messages
254
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Complex carbs apparently still affect BG. It's just they take longer. So the peak may not be as high, but it will be longer. As you are planning, a BG meter will tell you what happens to you.
 
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Jay-Marc

Well-Known Member
Messages
218
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
The response to oatmeal in general can vary a lot between individuals - spikes me terribly but some people hardly at all. This is the reason for testing your own response to various foodstuffs and not relying just on generic advice.
 
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Liam1955

Master
Messages
10,964
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Anti-Gay People, Self Centre People, Two Faced People and Bad Language.
Hello @BoggyBimbleJr and Welcome to the Forum :). If in doubt - just ask questions, someone will always be available to give you an answer.
 

BoggyBimbleJr

Member
Messages
15
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Okay, here's a question.

So I had my first HbA1c just before Christmas and my second about two weeks ago. During the run up to Christmas when all the supermarkets were selling cut price chocolate, there wasn't a day went by that I didn't eat at least half a tub of Cadbury's Heroes or a whole Chocolate Orange or a couple of packs of 5 Double Deckers or one of those 1Kg bars of Cadbury's Milk Chocolate and some other huge load of sweet stuff like tinned fruit with rice pudding or ice cream etc.

There is a distinct possibility that my result from the blood tests being 66 and 68 where due to all the chocolate and sweet stuff I had been eating. The question is: If I carried on my normal diet (including wholewheat pasta, potatoes, wholegrain rice and wholegrain [home made] bread, but in much smaller amounts) but didn't eat any chocolate, rice pudding, ice cream etc, would the results of my next HbA1c be much lower?
 

Alison Campbell

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,443
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Why wait 3 months when you can find out in a week? buy a meter and test your regular diet to see the effect it has on your blood sugar levels.
 
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Liam1955

Master
Messages
10,964
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
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Anti-Gay People, Self Centre People, Two Faced People and Bad Language.
@BoggyBimbleJr - Hi. I agree with member @Alison Campbell buy a meter and you can find out first hand the effect(s) it has on your blood sugars, test before you eat and then test 2 hours later.
I can provide you with the link for a popular Codefree Meter that is used by forum members because it has the cheapest test strips. :)
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
All that chocolate you ate in the run up to Christmas will have had very little effect on your HbA1c unless you had been eating it regularly for the 3 months prior to the tests. That sounds a bit like head in the sand attitude to me.

As the others have said, only a meter will tell you how you are doing now, in real time, and whether you can eat all those starchy carbs.
 

DevonVee

Well-Known Member
Messages
108
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi
If like me you need a patch to help with sweet things try buying erythritol. It is zero carbs but a straight sugar replacement but unlike xylitol does not act as laxative. Sugar alcohol you just wee out.. can bake with it as well. Just keeps the edge off. If smokers can use a patch I don't see why a sugar addict shouldn't.
I was diagnosed before xmas and got a meter as I cannot take metformin. Horrid side effects on me. Have found some surprising things that I cannot tolerate.
 

BoggyBimbleJr

Member
Messages
15
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I've ordered a 'Exactive Easy Blood Glucose Meter Monitoring System Kit' from the big river company (don't know whether I'm allowed to say) because replacement test strips and lancets (50 of each) can be bought as a set for £11 with next day delivery, which compares favourable with the Codefree ones. It arrives on Friday, so I shall test on Saturday morning, have some porridge and test again two hours later.

I bought some Pure Stevia so I can put a pinch into the porridge because I don't like it plain. Thanks DevonVee, I'd ordered the Stevia before I saw your post but I'll buy some Erythritol granules anyway due to Stevia having a bitter aftertaste. Another thing someone told me to do whenever I felt I fancied some sugary food was to go online and look at some photo's of diabetic's feet just before amputation, then decide whether you really need that sugar after all. Just don't look while you're eating or shortly after.

In reply to Bluetit1802, I've been eating too much chocolate every day for the last 20 years (morning snack, pudding after lunch, afternoon snack, pudding after tea, watching TV in the evenings, when driving for work, can't just have one Double Decker, I'd have to have at least five with a fizzy drink) and recently because the tubs of Heroes and Celebrations were available since about August last year at least one tub a day between then and Christmas (especially when they went down to two tubs for £7, really stocked up but they didn't last long) plus all the extras (some days ate nothing but chocolate) and got up to 23st (though was 20st in August anyway). So yes you are right, I was hoping someone would say "it's okay to eat all those carbs like rice, pasta, potatoes etc. if you're not eating the chocolate" and I could go back to having banana sandwiches with sugar on. The trouble is, I don't have any of the usual symptoms of Type 2 and I was hoping the big reading was just from all the sugar I had been absorbing.

I've been through the tins and packets in the kitchen cupboards and anything that has more that 10g carbs and/or more than 2g 'of which sugars' in the whole tin will be going to the food bank, which is about 90% of them). Another problem I am having at the moment is with Loyd Grossman pasta sauces. When they were on special offer a few months ago I bought loads (I've got about 150 jars in my shed) and about three large bags of fuisili . The problem is that although some are about 30g carbs with 25g sugar which will definitely be going, one I really like is 19g carbs with 16g sugar (four teaspoons!) and I'm trying to persuade myself that most of it is natural sugar from the tomatoes. I shall therefore have to do a before and after test on Saturday and be prepared to lose them too. Is there such a thing as a non carb home made pasta sauce?