Newly diagnosed T2 worried how high my sugars are

[peggybutton73]

Hello. I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago. Went to diabetic clinic given a book told to go away and book on a course and change my lifestyle. No advice about what foods or what to avoid. I don’t eat badly. I don’t snack. I do like carbs! I’m 46, 6 ft tall and overweight but not obese. I could do with losing a couple of stone or more. I don’t exercise much. I make my own food. Don’t eat much processed stuff and have read far too many books in the last 2 weeks to contradict and confuse myself!! Tonight I ate home made fish pie with a yoghurt after at about 7 pm. I ate nothing else and at 1130 pm I got up as did not feel right. My mouth so dry. Needing to pee every 5 mins. I tested my bloods which are 14.2. The highest they have been. Help. I’m really worried. They keep getting high. When I tell the doctors they said just wait 3 months for my next blood test despite telling them the symptoms! I’m also on steroids which I’ve heard can make blood sugars high? It’s a minefield out here so I would be grateful for some expert advice. Thank you all so much.

 

[Mike d]

Full run down of your typical diet? That will likely be the culprit ... carbs

You'll learn all you need to know here

 

[EllieM]

Welcome to the forums. I'm tagging @daisy1 to give you the introduction to diabetes information.

Basically, T2s don't process carbs well (think of it like being allergic to dairy or gluten) and so need to cut their carbohydrate intake down. Many many T2s on this forum have started with levels far higher than yours and got their ;levels down to normal just by low carbing. Weight gain is often a symptom of T2 diabetes, so reducing carbohydrate intake also has the advantage of often (but not always) reducing weight.

Was the yoghurt sugar free? The "healthy" low fat ones touted by the supermarkets tend to be extremely high in added sugar, though plain unsweetened is fine. Homemade fish pie (sounds delicious) will vary in carb according to how much potato, pastry etc you put in. And watch your drinks : you probably know that coke is bad but may not realise that unsweetened fruit juice is still packed with carbohydrate.

At this stage, all you can really do is reduce your carbohydrate intake. If you do blood tests before and 2 hours after meals you'll be able to tell which foods you body can and can't cope with: everyone varies.

Good luck.

 

[peggybutton73]

Welcome to the forums. I'm tagging @daisy1 to give you the introduction to diabetes information.

Basically, T2s don't process carbs well (think of it like being allergic to dairy or gluten) and so need to cut their carbohydrate intake down. Many many T2s on this forum have started with levels far higher than yours and got their ;levels down to normal just by low carbing. Weight gain is often a symptom of T2 diabetes, so reducing carbohydrate intake also has the advantage of often (but not always) reducing weight.

Was the yoghurt sugar free? The "healthy" low fat ones touted by the supermarkets tend to be extremely high in added sugar, though plain unsweetened is fine. Homemade fish pie (sounds delicious) will vary in carb according to how much potato, pastry etc you put in. And watch your drinks : you probably now that coke is bad but may not realise that unsweetened fruit juice is still packed with carbohydrate.

At this stage, all you can really do is reduce your carbohydrate intake. If you do blood tests before and 2 hours after meals you'll be able to tell which foods you body can and can't cope with: everyone varies.

Good luck.

Thank you I will try the testing and eliminate what makes my sugars high! I guess it’s trial and error at this stage! I will read everything I can to help in the forum. Thank you for your response. The fish pie had a lot of potato! I’ve started having full fat stuff after reading the diet stuff is pumped full of sugar!

 

[peggybutton73]

Full run down of your typical diet? That will likely be the culprit ... carbs

You'll learn all you need to know here

Thank you for your reply and support. I will look at all applicable threads and test before and after meals to see what the culprits are! It’s a steep leaning curve and I have to say I’m worried! You all seem kind and helpful on here though so thank you.

 

[Rachox]

Hi Peggy and welcome to the forum. Please don’t worry, it is a steep learning curve but we often say it’s a marathon not a sprint. If you’d like to get a head start daisy1s post is in my signature. Click on ‘Newly Diagnosed: what you should know. Any questions, fire away!

 

[Mike d]

Thank you for your reply and support. I will look at all applicable threads and test before and after meals to see what the culprits are! It’s a steep leaning curve and I have to say I’m worried! You all seem kind and helpful on here though so thank you.

No, that's not what you should do ... not yet at least.

Again I ask, what is your average diet by meal. You have to eliminate the obvious first before you get to the particulars

 

[peggybutton73]

No, that's not what you should do ... not yet at least.

Again I ask, what is your average diet by meal. You have to eliminate the obvious first before you get to the particulars

Ah sorry. I misunderstood. It’s not an excuse but I’m a social worker and I feel like I work so much I never have time to be organised with my food. I make what I can fresh. I don’t like ready meals. If I skip a meal I’ll typically have a toasted bagel with cream cheese, a crumpet or beans on toast. I snack on fruit bananas and sweet fruit like pineapple and mango. I know I eat too much bread. I love potatoes and pastries though tend not to eat them hardly at all. Breakfast I usually have cereal (cornflakes or weetabix) I’ll have toast too wholemeal bread just 1 slice. I’ll have 2/3 cups of tea (with sugar just 1 I hate sweetener it upsets my gut) I know I’ll have to go without. I have a sandwich or make a salad for lunch with tuna or have a tin of soup. There’s always rubbish in the office which I avoid by having a glass of water. I make things like toad in the hole at home spaghetti bolognese steak with veg and chicken but yes everything has carbs! Someone said to replace potatoes with quinoa or bulgar wheat and couscous. I don’t particularly have a sweet tooth. Now I’m looking at my foods they don’t look great do they?

 

[Mike d]

Ah sorry. I misunderstood. It’s not an excuse but I’m a social worker and I feel like I work so much I never have time to be organised with my food. I make what I can fresh. I don’t like ready meals. If I skip a meal I’ll typically have a toasted bagel with cream cheese, a crumpet or beans on toast. I snack on fruit bananas and sweet fruit like pineapple and mango. I know I eat too much bread. I love potatoes and pastries though tend not to eat them hardly at all. Breakfast I usually have cereal (cornflakes or weetabix) I’ll have toast too wholemeal bread just 1 slice. I’ll have 2/3 cups of tea (with sugar just 1 I hate sweetener it upsets my gut) I know I’ll have to go without. I have a sandwich or make a salad for lunch with tuna or have a tin of soup. There’s always rubbish in the office which I avoid by having a glass of water. I make things like toad in the hole at home spaghetti bolognese steak with veg and chicken but yes everything has carbs! Someone said to replace potatoes with quinoa or bulgar wheat and couscous. I don’t particularly have a sweet tooth. Now I’m looking at my foods they don’t look great do they?

There was a GOOD reason for me asking, going by that regime

One step at a time with newbies, but you're weren't to know

Crumpets, toast, cereals, pastries, sugars, spuds and especially bananas, pineapple and mango are total disasters. We'll have a long road with you but if you dump that junk (FULL of carbs and sugars) your numbers will be FAR better

 

[Debandez]

Take a look at this link:

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/

 

[daisy1]

@peggybutton73
Hello Peggy and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and helpful.

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 220,000 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.

 

[Prem51]

Welcome to the forum @peggybutton73. Your food is high in sugars and carbohydrates which you should avoid or cut down as much as possible. You will get a lot of good advice and support on here. Ask any questions you want to.
Do you know what your blood test result (HbA1c) was? If not you should find out from your gp surgery - you can ask for a printout which also gives a lot of other useful information. Or you can ask for online access to your test results which should be available.

 

[Traceymac23]

Hello. I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago. Went to diabetic clinic given a book told to go away and book on a course and change my lifestyle. No advice about what foods or what to avoid. I don’t eat badly. I don’t snack. I do like carbs! I’m 46, 6 ft tall and overweight but not obese. I could do with losing a couple of stone or more. I don’t exercise much. I make my own food. Don’t eat much processed stuff and have read far too many books in the last 2 weeks to contradict and confuse myself!! Tonight I ate home made fish pie with a yoghurt after at about 7 pm. I ate nothing else and at 1130 pm I got up as did not feel right. My mouth so dry. Needing to pee every 5 mins. I tested my bloods which are 14.2. The highest they have been. Help. I’m really worried. They keep getting high. When I tell the doctors they said just wait 3 months for my next blood test despite telling them the symptoms! I’m also on steroids which I’ve heard can make blood sugars high? It’s a minefield out here so I would be grateful for some expert advice. Thank you all so much.

Fish pie is great.......unless you are using mash potato as a topping....try celeriac,carrot or cauliflower mash on top instead?

 

[HSSS]

Your strongest point in all this is that you are used to preparing meals from scratch not relying on prepackaged stuff. You just need to change what you prepare! As already said your diet is extremely carb heavy but there are resources that can help you make swaps and better choices.

A few more links that may help you understand or be inspired.

**********

Can I suggest you take a good look at low carb high fat methods of eating (keto is just a version of this). It helps many of us lose significant amounts of weight, if desired, keep our numbers down and for some even eliminate medications and achieve remission and reduce or improve complications. Try clicking these links for more detailed explanations that are well worth readings

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog/jokalsbeek.401801/ for info including low carb made simple

And https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/success-stories-and-testimonials.43/ to show it really works and for motivation

and https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/ for food ideas

also https://www.dietdoctor.com/ for more food ideas and general info of carb content of foods.

Lots of other websites for recipes out there too. Just use the term low carb or keto with whatever you fancy, which will also give you loads more low carb sites to explore.

 

[Daibell]

Hi, yes your diet is too high in carbs but being on steroids is always a problem as well so don't have more than you and the GP agree you really need. Have non-tropical fruits and beware added-sugar in beans. If you can have something like eggs and bacon not cereal for breakfast

 

[peggybutton73]

I cannot thank you all enough for your help and support. I really appreciate it. Just to let you all know I had eggs and bacon for breakfast today nothing until lunch as it filled me up! I had salad with some olives and a little roasted veg couscous with full fat Greek yoghurt and blueberries and soup for tea with 1 small slice wholemeal bread. My sugars have been the best they’ve been in 3 weeks!!! I’m thrilled after just 1 day. Thank you all again so much.

 

[Debandez]

I cannot thank you all enough for your help and support. I really appreciate it. Just to let you all know I had eggs and bacon for breakfast today nothing until lunch as it filled me up! I had salad with some olives and a little roasted veg couscous with full fat Greek yoghurt and blueberries and soup for tea with 1 small slice wholemeal bread. My sugars have been the best they’ve been in 3 weeks!!! I’m thrilled after just 1 day. Thank you all again so much.

RESULT! Well done you.

 

[Traceymac23]

I cannot thank you all enough for your help and support. I really appreciate it. Just to let you all know I had eggs and bacon for breakfast today nothing until lunch as it filled me up! I had salad with some olives and a little roasted veg couscous with full fat Greek yoghurt and blueberries and soup for tea with 1 small slice wholemeal bread. My sugars have been the best they’ve been in 3 weeks!!! I’m thrilled after just 1 day. Thank you all again so much.

Brilliant......now the trick is to keep it up!!

And don't forget to throw a little bit of moderate exercise in.....walking is a good easy one......just to counteract the additional fats/proteins

 

[Gran25]

Well done! I think one of the big challenges is that what constitutes a "healthy food" has been drilled into us by various experts over the years and when it turns out that for T2 diabetics, it's all wrong. Quite an attitude adjustment for those of us who ate organic, whole grains, grew our own/cooked our own chose the healthiest options etc. It felt a little like a fall from grace! I found that eliminating all of the "no go" foods from my house really helped as well as not being hard on myself over the adjustment period. Using the BS meter really helps a you get pretty much instant positive feedback as you described above. Finding the "new to you" healthy options and stocking your pantry and fridge with those items really helps as well.

 

[Confused by differing advice]

Hello. I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago. Went to diabetic clinic given a book told to go away and book on a course and change my lifestyle. No advice about what foods or what to avoid. I don’t eat badly. I don’t snack. I do like carbs! I’m 46, 6 ft tall and overweight but not obese. I could do with losing a couple of stone or more. I don’t exercise much. I make my own food. Don’t eat much processed stuff and have read far too many books in the last 2 weeks to contradict and confuse myself!! Tonight I ate home made fish pie with a yoghurt after at about 7 pm. I ate nothing else and at 1130 pm I got up as did not feel right. My mouth so dry. Needing to pee every 5 mins. I tested my bloods which are 14.2. The highest they have been. Help. I’m really worried. They keep getting high. When I tell the doctors they said just wait 3 months for my next blood test despite telling them the symptoms! I’m also on steroids which I’ve heard can make blood sugars high? It’s a minefield out here so I would be grateful for some expert advice. Thank you all so much.