Newbie needs help

[Sprog]

Hello

My name is Christine and I am a newbie Type 2 diabetic. I wasn't surprised when given the diagnosis in January, my father was diabetic, my brother and his one daughter are also, but I experienced all the other emotions, the biggest one being confusion. Eat this, don't eat that, use this sweetener, don't use sweeteners at all, only have 20 grams of this, make sure you have more than 25 grams etc. etc. Food is a big issue for me because I have a very healthy appetite even though I am 74 years young. I lost a lot of weight before I was diagnosed, and with my diet I am still losing weight (which I do not want to do). I feel great I must admit, but I look awful because the skin on my face has not caught up with the flesh!

I am eager to do the right thing, and in the first three weeks I went from BS 15 to 9.4, but for the past few weeks it has fluctuated between 11.9 and 10.4 this morning. The result of this is that I have become very disheartened, so ANY support, words of comfort or advice would be VERY welcome.

Thank you

 

[angustia]

I hear you. Facial muscles get weak as we age.

I find that brisk walking daily - or dancing - or any form of aerobics - help tone muscles, including neck, along the jaws and face.

Massaging your face/neck/jaw lines regularly (as in when we apply facial creams), can also help. Massage in circular motions along with upward strokes.

Imho, it's the actual massaging of the face/neck that helps more than the creams that we use. I don't use any skin tightening products. I use moisturizing cream.

Eat high anti-oxidant veggies and fruits like romaine, broccoli, blueberries, red peppers etc... (They're also lower in carbs). Drink lots of water.

 

[HSSS]

Welcome. Hopefully can help you navigate this disease and the confusing and conflicting information. First question. What tests did they do to make sure it was type 2 or to check if you still produce insulin of your own? The weight loss makes me question this. Typically type 2 produce too much insulin and gain weight. And did they give you any medication for the diabetes, or statins?

 

[HSSS]

As for what to eat. @JoKalsbeek does a great intro here https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog/jokalsbeek.401801/

LCHF ie low carb higher fat (than typically recommended) method of eating. It’s how an awful lot of us get our blood sugar levels under control and for some even eliminate medications and achieve remission and also reduce or improve complications. It is often the easiest and most sustainable form of weight loss for a type 2 if you need that. just add mor fats and proteins if you dont. Other conditions often improve including but not limited to blood pressure, joint pain, inflammation, PCOS, and despite the dire warnings of the last few decades it improves cholesterol for most, yes improves cholesterol. Some jump right on it, others edge their toes in a bit at a time.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.26870/ is a general intro to the forum

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

also https://www.dietdoctor.com/ for more food ideas and general info of carb content of foods. Excellent site and first port of call for many getting their head round low carb.

keep coming back and asking questions too

Also it’s very important to be able to check for yourself what’s happening so you can make the necessary adjustments day to day and meal by meal rather than wait 3, 6 or even 12 months and then have no idea what had what effect. It also helps keep an eye out that any meds are working appropriately not too much or too little. Getting a blood glucose meter is the only way to do this (no matter what contradictory advice you may have heard - it’s usually budget based rather than anything more scientific). Test before a meal and 2hrs later hoping for a rise of 2mmol or less. More and the carbs eaten were too many! Please ask if you want any guidance on this.


IMPORTANT FOR ANYONE ON DIABETIC MEDS (other than metformin): if you lower your carbs then any glucose lowering meds or insulin increasing meds may need to be adjusted accordingly to make sure you aren’t taking more than your new diet requires. It can cause a hypo if you have more gliclazide or insulin etc than your new carb intake requires. (This is not a concern for metformin on its own). Keep a very close eye on your numbers and do this with your dr’s knowledge so they can reduce medication accordingly. Please don’t be put off by an ill informed out dated rubbishing of low carb diets or being told you should eat carbs to match meds, it should be the other way around. Low carb is endorsed by the NHS and the ADA as an effective method of control, even if the practice staff don’t realise that yet.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hello

My name is Christine and I am a newbie Type 2 diabetic. I wasn't surprised when given the diagnosis in January, my father was diabetic, my brother and his one daughter are also, but I experienced all the other emotions, the biggest one being confusion. Eat this, don't eat that, use this sweetener, don't use sweeteners at all, only have 20 grams of this, make sure you have more than 25 grams etc. etc. Food is a big issue for me because I have a very healthy appetite even though I am 74 years young. I lost a lot of weight before I was diagnosed, and with my diet I am still losing weight (which I do not want to do). I feel great I must admit, but I look awful because the skin on my face has not caught up with the flesh!

I am eager to do the right thing, and in the first three weeks I went from BS 15 to 9.4, but for the past few weeks it has fluctuated between 11.9 and 10.4 this morning. The result of this is that I have become very disheartened, so ANY support, words of comfort or advice would be VERY welcome.

Thank you

Hello Christine,

Lots and lots of conflicting advice out there, which is why you need to use your meter! It'll tell you exactly what is working for you, and what isn't. Basically, we can't deal with carbs. Any carbs. Sugar, starches, all of it. So if you cut down on those, your blood sugars should look a whole lot better. Part of your high readings in the morning can be explained away by Dawn Phenomenon: your liver dumping glucose so you have some energy to start the day. But I doubt that's all of it. Weetabix maybe? Toast? Cereal? That's stuff you really, really need to steer clear from. Just have some bacon and eggs, maybe some cheese, high meat content sausages or a tomato tossed in there as well... (You did mention a healthy appetite. ) . It won't cause much of a blip on your meter, I assure you.

So, as for all the conflicting advice: Personally, I follow a ketogenic diet, which is 20 grams a day of carbs or less. It works for me. Others feel perfectly content and have excellent blood sugars at 40 grams of carbs per day, or 80. Or even 120. That's where your meter comes in. It'll tell you exactly whether your body could process the amount of carbs you put in. And that is different for everyone! (To quote Monty Python: "We're all individuals!") So... Test before your meal and 2 hours after the first bite. If you go up more than 2.0 mmol/l, it contained more carbs than you could handle. (Lots of two's there, so easy to remember for a T2!). So there's your tailor made solution right there.

Sweeteners.... Those are tricky. And another part where you need your meter. Some people get a spike from sweeteners, some don't. Completely random, something you'll have to find out for yourself. Also, artificial sweeteners are poisonous to gut bacteria. I found that out the hard way. I had about 50 portions of sweetener a day in my tea in total, plus diet coke. My gut was a mess for well over a year, and honestly, I still haven't quite recovered. (The bacteria are all happy and alive now, but some scars tend not to heal). So careful with those. The sweeteners that don't do that kind of damage? Natural ones, like Stevia, or a sugar alcohol like erythritol, both of which have an aftertaste. Erythritol does fine in cinnamon omelettes and keto mug bread though. Took to taking my tea straight however, which took about a week or two to get used to.

If you don't want to lose weight, then don't go for Intermittent Fasting. Some of us eat one or two meals a day, but if you have no weight to lose, stick with low carb, but have 3 square meals and 3 snacks. If it's all low carb you should keep some weight on, maybe even regain some, without ruining your blood sugars.

https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html <-- this is everything I wish someone'd told me when I was first diagnosed. Who knows, you might end up teaching your family a thing or two. If you have any questions, throw them out there! There's always someone around who'll be happy to help.

Good luck,
Jo

 

[Sprog]

I really appreciate all the support and advice on this Forum. I'm so glad i joined. Thanks to all.

 

[xfieldok]

If you can tell us what you eat in a typical day, we may be able to tweak things.

 

[Sprog]

Hello. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my message.
Although British, I live in South Africa and they may do things differently here. I am on Glucophage 500 once a day and Aspavor 10mg once a day for cholesterol. That's why the food suggestions are really confusing. No sugar, no fat, no fun!

 

[Sprog]

Hi, thanks for your response. My daily diet consists of breakfast,
either bran flakes with fat free milk
Or 2 scrambled eggs on low GI seeded bread
Mid morning or afternoon snack is raw almonds if I feel the need
Lunch varies between tuna salad, or a wrap with chicken strips or other filling
Supper is mostly chicken with brown wild rice, or whole wheat pasta, salad or veggies.
I also have an Apple with fat free yoghurt.
I hate fish except tinned tuna so fish is definitely not an option.

 

[xfieldok]

Some statins can raise blood sugar.

We would recommend dropping the bread, bran flakes, rice, pasta. Fruit cane a problem. I sometimes have a slice of apple, but I am usually sorry for it. Can you get full fat greek yogurt where you are?

Bacon and eggs make a good breakfast, the fattier the better.

 

[Sprog]

Thanks, I appreciate the reply. If I drop the bread, pasta and rice, what do I have instead! Not sure the bacon and eggs will help the cholesterol?

 

[xfieldok]

Personally I would not have statins unless prescribed by a cardiologist.

Do you have a blood glucose meter? If not get one. I don't know what is available in SA but strips are your running cost. If you test before you eat, and again 2 hours after the first bite, if your second reading is more than 2, then you had too many carbs.

There is a lot of misinformation about cholesterol.

 

[Sprog]

Hi.
Yes I do have a glucose machine, fully paid for by my medical aid. I will test as you've suggested. Thank you.

 

[xfieldok]

If you look in the low carb forum, there is a thread something like, what have you eaten today. Might give you some ideas.

If you google keto or low carb, followed by what you fancy, there are loads of ideas. Dietdoctor.com is a popular site.

If you download the mysugr app, record your food and readings. After a few days you will get an estimated hba1c. It won't be accurate after only a week, but it is a good guide.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Thanks, I appreciate the reply. If I drop the bread, pasta and rice, what do I have instead! Not sure the bacon and eggs will help the cholesterol?

I got my cholesterol down and I eat bacon every single day. Sometimes, twice a day. Bunch of eggs too. Thing is, most of the cholesterol in your blood stream is made in the liver, it doesn't come from what you eat! And as a T2, odds are you have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which ups your cholesterol numbers as well. (It's part of Metabolic Syndrome: NAFLD, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high bloodsugars, high blood pressure and obesity. I had all of them except high blood pressure, so you can have a few of these but not all of them, or all of them). Thing is, if you get your blood sugars under control, the rest will follow suit. Mind you, as the fat/cholesterol melts off your liver as you start low carbing, your cholesterol can go up a little bit. Doesn't matter, as it's good.... It was already there, just not visible until it is on its way out! Mine went up for a little while and has come down, perfectly good now. It all comes down to blood sugar control. (I lost weight, my bloodpressure is actually low now rather than normal, cholesterol perfect, the extreme case of NAFLD resolved and blood sugars solidly in the non-diabetic range.)

So, you're wondering if not carbs and no fats, then what do you eat? And there's the mistake. If you're not having carbs, you have to fill up on something or go hungry all the time. Protein does give a tiny little blip, but fats are a blood glucose flatline, and will mitigate the effect of any carbs you do ingest. Basically the worst combination you can eat for breakfast is cereal with low fat milk. You want fats in there. It'll keep you ful, and keep your nutrients up, which you do have to get from somewhere: scurvy's no fun. So... That's why it's called LCHF: Low Carb, High Fat.

You've been given the link to the Nutritional Thingy twice now, so I'll not hit you over the head with it again, but it has quite a few food suggestions that won't blow up your blood sugars. And you can check dietdoctor.com and this forum's website, www.diabetes.co.uk as well.

 

[HSSS]

Many of us find out cholesterol goes down when we eat fats instead of carbs. And the science behind cholesterol is controversial at least and misleading to wrong at worst.
156985/https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/cholesterol-and-statins. If you have time (or just dip in and out) this will teach you more about cholesterol than many drs know.


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


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


also https://www.dietdoctor.com/ for more food ideas and general info of carb content of foods. Excellent site and first port of call for many getting their head round low carb.

 

[KK123]

I hear you. Facial muscles get weak as we age.

I find that brisk walking daily - or dancing - or any form of aerobics - help tone muscles, including neck, along the jaws and face.

Massaging your face/neck/jaw lines regularly (as in when we apply facial creams), can also help. Massage in circular motions along with upward strokes.

Imho, it's the actual massaging of the face/neck that helps more than the creams that we use. I don't use any skin tightening products. I use moisturizing cream.

Eat high anti-oxidant veggies and fruits like romaine, broccoli, blueberries, red peppers etc... (They're also lower in carbs). Drink lots of water.

This made me smile, I'm not sure Sprog was after advice about her face! Surely that was just an aside.

 

[TriciaWs]

I agree about the extra, good quality fats - they are important, especially if you don't want to lose any more weight. When I started low carb for t2 diabetes my triglycerides were too high and I had a non-alcoholic fatty liver. Three months later my triglycerides had dropped into the normal range and my blood sugars were down. I had a liver scan last year and my fatty liver has also resolved. All while having full fat milk (but less than the skimmed milk I used to have due to the carbs), double cream, full fat Greek yogurt, eggs and cheeses. And olive oil on salads.

I no longer eat rice, and have learned to love cauliflower rice instead.
I only eat a high protein/low carb bread and just one slice maximum a day.
No pasta.
No cereals, but because I didn't like eggs first thing I have a porridge made from milled flaxseed with a little oatbran and some chia seeds - made with a mix of coconut milk and water.
But I have found recipes for some great meals, snacks, cakes, etc!

On a typical day I will have
Porridge mix, served with cinnamon and double cream, with a milky coffee but less milk, more water than before).
late morning, a second coffee
If I have lunch it will be a green salad with cheese/egg, no bread. Or a slice of very low carb/high protein cake or a nut butter ball (if away from home during the day these make a great snack that is easy to pack).
Dinner is chicken or fish with loads of green veg/mushrooms/cauliflower rice/green salad/ etc. Maybe a little onion or peppers or tomato depending on whether I am making chilli, curry or spaghetti sauce (spaghetti bolognese eaten without pasta but extra meat, loads of cheese and some green beans on the side instead). Chicken might be cooked in mushroom sauce made with a little cream or in lemon juice as a change.
Greek yogurt with raspberries or blueberries
Bedtime is cocoa and a couple of square of 85% chocolate or a stevia sweetened chocolate.

I sometimes make the 90 second bread (made with ground almonds), or a cake/scone made with coconut flour. I might have a low carb pancake with blueberries at the weekend instead of porridge - there are loads of low carb (Keto) recipes out there.

If joining friends for a meal I make a chocolate mousse - cream, 90% chocolate and some stevia sweetener - or a low carb chicken curry/chilli with extra veg in it. Or take eggy muffins (egg, cream, cheese) or nut butter balls.