A T2 Newbie

Kittiwake

Newbie
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2
I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes in mid October after two Hba1c results of 48, and the diabetes nurse told me about these forums. As I am very overweight we agreed that I should try to get my Hba1c and blood pressure down by diet before starting any medicine.

As of this morning I have lost 1st 7lb by a low-ish carb diet and intermittent fasting, but I am finding the IF easier than going low carb as I love bread, although I have managed to change my weekday lunch from a sandwich and crisps to low carb soup.

My new year’s resolution is to go properly low carb so I have been lurking on the low carb forum here and watching YouTube videos to get meal ideas.
 
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Diakat

Expert
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5,591
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Type 1
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Insulin
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The smell of cigars
Have you tried looking at the dietdoctor website or ditch the carbs? Also the what have you eaten today thread here?
Nice to have you aboard.
 

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
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15,808
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I reversed my Type 2
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Hi Kittiwake and welcome!
In case you haven’t seen it already, I’ll tag in @daisy1 for her useful info post. I reduced my carbs gradually as you are doing when I was first diagnosed and avoided carb flu which some get by dropping carbs dramatically. I post daily along with many others on the thread @Diakat refers to “what have you eaten today” in the low carb forum. Here’s a link in case you haven’t come across it: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/page-1078#post-1952851
Lots of support and ideas there :)
 

Phoenix55

Well-Known Member
Messages
577
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Welcome @Kittiwake, long may you fly. You have lost a sizeable amount of weight in a relatively short time, well done. It is not just a case of losing fat but also stepping your exercise to burn off some that excess bg that is circulating, so I started with short walks and gradually lengthened them, no need for gym membership or special clothing, just a sensible pair of shoes. It has also helped to keep my body toned, fewer wobbly bits that need to be disguised or hidden. Do buy yourself a bg monitor to check what bread is doing to your system, I was surprised to find that it was not only sugar in all its forms that I needed to avoid but also grain products. I have gone lowish carb so far (3 + years) and found acceptable bg levels sustainable without any medication. Best wishes for the New Year and your aims for the year.
 
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Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
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Insulin
Hi. I think you will find doing low-carbing seriously will help a lot and more than the fasting. Personally I have never really seen any convincing evidence that fasting helps but I'm sure some others will disagree.
 

daisy1

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

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 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.
 

Kittiwake

Newbie
Messages
2
Thanks everyone. I have already looked at the diet doctor site and downloaded the ketogenic diet for beginners leaflet onto my phone which lists the types of food that I should and shouldn’t be eating. I will look at the “what have you eaten today” section of the forum to give me ideas and posting on there should help to keep me on the straight and narrow.

I have just joined a local Get Fit walking group which is run via Facebook and meetup, as I should be able to cope with their level 1 walks, and 8 have started going for a walk at lunchtime as I only live 7 minutes walk from work and I need to be doing more walking than that.
 

Phoenix55

Well-Known Member
Messages
577
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Well done for joining the group. in the meantime get out there and walk for yourself even if it is to the end of the road and back. Then you may find that you can progress more quickly to the level 2 walks. These planned group walks tend to be social meetings than at a pace to raise your heart rate for long enough to improve health.
Please choose a meter, look at the cost of the strips as these work out to be the most expensive part in the long term. Then use it before eating and 2 hours after first bite. We are all different and react differently to food, you need to personalise your diet and find what you can eat without raising your bg.
 

rhubarb73

Well-Known Member
Messages
709
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
aubergine

rhubarb73

Well-Known Member
Messages
709
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
aubergine
@rhubarb73 I was interested to read your blog but it can't be found using your link
not sure what to suggest as it is working when I click on it.
It is in the Blogs section of the site, and is dated 5 July if that helps.