What A Difference A Change Makes!

MickeyJ

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi all,

Just had to register on here to share my feelings of absolute joy this afternoon after receiving my HbA1c results from my docs....

Down from over 100 to 50! with a huge pat on the back from the docs as well - this is within a 3 month period!

After 5 years of being in denial, I've finally made the changes to diet and exercise and so pleased its paying off!

Cutting down the Junk food, eating fruit and shifting over 13kg in weight since 14th June (down from 95kg to 82kg) has made one hell of a difference - i can finally see progress and look forward to continuing the journey to becoming tablet free! currently on statins, aloglyptin, metformin, and Jardiance and looking forward to not having to remember to take all those sodding tablets every day - eventually! (despite the bad press, Jardiance has been awesome for me)

sorry for the overly smug post - just needed to share with people who understand the challenges of living with T2 :)

next checkup in 3 months and hopefully even better results to come!
 

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,809
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Very well done! Not smug at all, we call it inspiring here!
Just tagging @daisy1 as is tradition here for new posters. She’ll post an info sheet which may have some info you’re unaware of, though you sound like you have got this smashed already.
 
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daisy1

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

Hello MickeyJ 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 need to and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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.
 

porl69

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,647
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Stupid people
Congratulations @MickeyJ. Smug post well and truly deserved :) Keep up the amazing work and in 3 months you will have yet another smug post :D
 
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Guzzler

Master
Messages
10,577
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
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Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.
Yay! Well done, sounds like you will make Pre D numbers very soon and then, who knows, maybe non D numbers! Keep it up.
 
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Terrytiddy

Well-Known Member
Messages
835
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Welcome to the group. Fantastic results @MickeyJ well done. Be as smug:smug: as you want its a great achievement.:happy::singing::woot:
 
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jayney27

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,643
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Brilliant achievement well done, as already said you’re not being smug, shout from the rooftops, we all know the dedication and determination involved to see the results you have, keep up the excellent work.
 
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MickeyJ

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
What sort of fruit are you eating and how often?
What sort of fruit are you eating and how often?
Mainly satsumas and apples. They've become my snacks along with cashew nuts and peanuts instead of family sized bags of sweets and McDonalds!

I probably have about 3sataumas and 1 or 2 apples a day. Sugar free jelly and sugar free ice pops have sated my sweet tooth as well.

Amazing how once you drop the processed sugar your appetite drops as well!
 

MickeyJ

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Thanks so much all for the positive feedback, just had a Chinese takeaway....oops...once in a while hey? Gotta splurge sometimes :)

Back to normal in the morning!
 
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ringi

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,365
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Have you used a BG meter to check what effect this fruit is having on you? Clearly they are better then lots of sweets, but you may find chease for example is even better.
 
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Prem51

Expert
Messages
7,393
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
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*
Great HbA1c and weight reductions in just 3 months @MickeyJ - well done you! :)
Your figures could probably be reduced more if you cut out the satsumas and apples. Fruit especially tropical fruits contain a lot of fructose sugar. Berries would be better if you need something sweet, or a bit of dark chocolate with a high cocoa content (over 70%).