My struggles with type 2

[Richmy]

I’m 45 years Old 6ft 2in weigh around 19 stone but I’ve always been a big lad and carries my weight well im married 3 step daughters and a lovely grandson I’ve been diabetic now 10 years and I still struggle not only that I’ve loads of other health issues going on low testosterone depression osteoarthritis diabetic neuropathy under active thyroid My last hba1c was 73 having covid 19 as scared me I want to be able to see my grandson grow n do things with him

 

[LaoDan]

Sounds like you need a plan. Make a plan, let your family know you have a plan, stick with the plan. What does your doctor say?

 

[HSSS]

How are you managing your type 2? Sadly few drs know how effective diet can be or don’t believe patients will stick to it so don’t mention it other than to (wrongly) say low calorie/low fat. Many of the type 2 in here successfully manage it with a low carbohydrate way of eating.
See the links in red below in my signature for details.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

I’m 45 years Old 6ft 2in weigh around 19 stone but I’ve always been a big lad and carries my weight well im married 3 step daughters and a lovely grandson I’ve been diabetic now 10 years and I still struggle not only that I’ve loads of other health issues going on low testosterone depression osteoarthritis diabetic neuropathy under active thyroid My last hba1c was 73 having covid 19 as scared me I want to be able to see my grandson grow n do things with him

https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html <-- that should help, it's a bit of a quick-start guide. You have plenty of motivation, so this should be quite do-able for you.
I hope you'll feel better soon!
Jo

 

[Peterj12]

I don't think that type 2 diabetics need any special diets. If you eat sensibly of every day meals you can still enjoy most of the foods that you used to eat prior to becoming a diabetic. But it has to be done in moderation like if you had sugar on food or in your hot drinks use something like candeler instead and so on it might be a bit more expensive than sugar but it's better for your health and wellbeing. You don't need to waste your money on low carb foods but if they help people who have diabetes than that's there choice. But it might not be right for everyone who has diabetes it's the same with normal medications what works for one person might not work for the next person

 

[Peterj12]

I’m 45 years Old 6ft 2in weigh around 19 stone but I’ve always been a big lad and carries my weight well im married 3 step daughters and a lovely grandson I’ve been diabetic now 10 years and I still struggle not only that I’ve loads of other health issues going on low testosterone depression osteoarthritis diabetic neuropathy under active thyroid My last hba1c was 73 having covid 19 as scared me I want to be able to see my grandson grow n do things with him

 

[Peterj12]

Good morning Richmy
I read with interest about your other medical conditions being a diabetic sometimes can be linked to other medical conditions. I also see that you say you suffer from depression is it acute or severe depression because if you get depressed over many things then maybe you should seek help with your depression because depression can make your diabetes worse. We all worry about coronavisus and what it could do to us who suffer from diabetes. I take it that if you are a diabetic like most of us are on here you will be shielding. I am a fairly new diabetic of about 2 years now but I have multi medical conditions like you have but they might have caused me to get diabetes or it could of been caused by the lifestyle that we had when we were younger I am 66 years old In am a retired nurse .

 

[Tophat1900]

Carbs are the problem for type 2's.... you just cannot process them. The easiest way to understand it is that you are carb intolerant. @JoKalsbeek has posted a real good guide for you to take a look at. It's in my signature line in red also. It's solid advice.

Many people have gained great control and remission (Normal hba1c's and blood glucose levels by going low carb. Some get off all medications and others cut way back on them because the diet is so effective. I do it also, I find it is incredibly effective for treating not just diabetes, but a lot of other issues related to it or not related to it. It is sustainable, I've been low carb for 10 yrs. Others have been for much longer.

It's worth your time to research and see if you want to give it a try.

Try www.dietdoctor.com for a host of information and food information as well as recipes/

 

[mike@work]

I don't think that type 2 diabetics need any special diets.

@Peterj12

May I ask - have you checked with a blood sugar meter, to be able to make such a statement?

Edited only to insert tag


And edited a second time to insert the following lines:

Yes, got a little bit too surprised and upset, because of the quoted line above, that I forgot to also say

Welcome, "Peterj12" - don't let some critics stop you from posting !

 

[hankjam]

I don't think that type 2 diabetics need any special diets. If you eat sensibly of every day meals you can still enjoy most of the foods that you used to eat prior to becoming a diabetic. <snipped>

Without wanting to derail this thread I would suggest that an awful lot of people who use this site have drastically altered their diet after the diagnosis of T2, with good results to their diabetes and has helped many of their other conditions.

I would ask @Richmy to consider giving us some information on what he eats and if he thinks there could be some flexibility to his diet, not knowing his home circumstances.
@Richmy, are you testing your blood glucose. If you are, how is it going. If not, I would suggest it is a very useful tool to manage your glucose and to see how you react to a given food type / meal. Good luck.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

I don't think that type 2 diabetics need any special diets. If you eat sensibly of every day meals you can still enjoy most of the foods that you used to eat prior to becoming a diabetic. But it has to be done in moderation like if you had sugar on food or in your hot drinks use something like candeler instead and so on it might be a bit more expensive than sugar but it's better for your health and wellbeing. You don't need to waste your money on low carb foods but if they help people who have diabetes than that's there choice. But it might not be right for everyone who has diabetes it's the same with normal medications what works for one person might not work for the next person

Since you are a retired nurse, I find it a bit odd that you'd begin this statement with "I believe". (Mind you, I'm not attacking you, just asking you to consider your own situation and maybe, improve it). As a nurse, I would assume you'd go by measurable evidence. For me, measurable evidence is going low carb, for almost 4 years now, and having gotten my HbA1c back into the normal range in three months after starting and staying there ever since. My blood sugars only go up when I am ill or get a steroid or flu jab, and then I still see a 9.0 mmol/l max. Used to be, after bread for lunch, I'd see 20.0 mmol/l and over. No sugar in any form on there, so it was purely the bread that made me skyrocket. I tested my little heart out and amazed my doctor with the results. I have no complications anymore, my very, very bad non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is gone and my liver fully functional again, my cholesterol is down and I am off statins. The IBS and rheumatism have improved significantly too, as carbs are inflammatory by nature. I have no need for medication for my diabetes, cholesterol, or rheumatism. And yes, I know, I am but a patient. But if you won't take it from me, try taking it from Dr. Jason Fung (The Diabetes Code is an excellent book and as detailed in the inner workings as you could possibly wish for), or Eric Berg, or Dr. Berry, Dr. Unwin... Lots of them out there. Ask yourself this (no need to reply to me, just stuff you might want to wonder about): Are your blood sugars under 8,5 at all times, not counting extraordinary circumstances like jabs/operations/illness? Is your HbA1c in the normal range? How much medication do you need to control your blood sugars? Do you have complications? Do you use a meter that'll tell you how you're doing, or are you relying on your HbA1c once every half year or so?

You're a nurse. I am guessing that also means you've seen first-hand what diabetic complications look like. Would it not be worth it to consider your own situation and see whether there is room for improvement anywhere? Also, one more thing to touch on: I don't buy expensive low carb foods. I have real food. Like eggs, and cheese, above ground veggies, meat, poultry, fish... Are there expensive low carb foods out there? Yeah. Overly processed and murder on the wallet. I actually spend less on my groceries now than I used to. Cut the expenses in about half.

In any case, I see you're pretty new here and who knows, we just might rub off on you. Or at least, make you think about the status quo, and whether you feel it is good enough for you and your future. Always room for improvement!

Anyway, welcome to the madhouse.
Jo

 

[HSSS]

I don't think that type 2 diabetics need any special diets. If you eat sensibly of every day meals you can still enjoy most of the foods that you used to eat prior to becoming a diabetic. But it has to be done in moderation like if you had sugar on food or in your hot drinks use something like candeler instead and so on it might be a bit more expensive than sugar but it's better for your health and wellbeing. You don't need to waste your money on low carb foods but if they help people who have diabetes than that's there choice. But it might not be right for everyone who has diabetes it's the same with normal medications what works for one person might not work for the next person

Sadly this is outdated thinking that is still too widespread in practising medical professionals. See https://drc.bmj.com/content/8/1/e000980.long for example of how it works better than the old fashioned “moderation Or low fat advice”, and there’s many more like this too. In recent years LCHF has proved itself in many studies and in real life experiences of a huge % that try it. It manages type 2 better, enables more weight loss when desirable better and also helps a whole host of other conditions and does it better and with fewer complications than much medication does. And low carb food is just real food without the starches and sugars - meat, vegetables and dairy etc and nothing there is wasting money. Sure there are some more specialist ingredients but they are optional (and admittedly sometimes a marketing gimmick like any other aspect of any type of food)

 

[bulkbiker]

I don't think that type 2 diabetics need any special diets. If you eat sensibly of every day meals you can still enjoy most of the foods that you used to eat prior to becoming a diabetic. But it has to be done in moderation like if you had sugar on food or in your hot drinks use something like candeler instead and so on it might be a bit more expensive than sugar but it's better for your health and wellbeing. You don't need to waste your money on low carb foods but if they help people who have diabetes than that's there choice. But it might not be right for everyone who has diabetes it's the same with normal medications what works for one person might not work for the next person

What kind of results are you seeing following your own advice Peter?

 

[Richmy]

Hello everyone right a bit about me I’m a veteran served in Northern Ireland an Bosnia I had a real bad accident which severed all the tendons in my Right arm which led to me being medically discharged in 2000 and this is where my problems began I got a job as a security guard working In a local supermarket now working in a supermarket is were my problems began as I worked nights as a guard I’d be working Monday -Friday 20.00-06.00 I’d only eat one meal a day which would be around midnight and the rest I’d eat **** n drink 2 litres of Diet Coke and at weekends I’d drink about 15-20 pints and as the years went on I went from 12 stone to 24 stone in 2007 my girlfriend at the time took me on Jeremy Kyle lose weight or lose me after the show I dumped her then I was lost going home from work sleeping from 06.30-19.00 then going to work and eating rubbish I believe this is when the depression started in 2008 i was falling asleep at work I went to the doctors had they diagnosed me type 2 but put me on insulin and tablet my cholesterol was poor and was put on statins and also I had a under active thyroid so was on 250 ml of levothyroxine then as the years went on I was then diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my shoulders and spine and awaiting operation on my spine I also have been diagnosed with ptsd and mental health issues which I’ve seeked help with as I was self Arming I’ve had a lot of things happen in my life which as taken it’s toll on me my saviour came along In 2011 I met my wife we got married in 2014 she tries her best to keep me on the right path I don’t like much veg and that’s my downfall really she’s got me eating cabbage n leek on my Sunday dinner but bread n biscuits are my problem which I do admit his my problem but I always feel hungered after a meal I was tried on victoza now it did work but I could only be on it for 12 months I went from 24 stone down too 19 stone but I still struggle with food I’m 6ft 2 and 19 stone as for exercise I do walk a bit but I can’t Go n do a gym session and I know I need to help myself

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hello everyone right a bit about me I’m a veteran served in Northern Ireland an Bosnia I had a real bad accident which severed all the tendons in my Right arm which led to me being medically discharged in 2000 and this is where my problems began I got a job as a security guard working In a local supermarket now working in a supermarket is were my problems began as I worked nights as a guard I’d be working Monday -Friday 20.00-06.00 I’d only eat one meal a day which would be around midnight and the rest I’d eat **** n drink 2 litres of Diet Coke and at weekends I’d drink about 15-20 pints and as the years went on I went from 12 stone to 24 stone in 2007 my girlfriend at the time took me on Jeremy Kyle lose weight or lose me after the show I dumped her then I was lost going home from work sleeping from 06.30-19.00 then going to work and eating rubbish I believe this is when the depression started in 2008 i was falling asleep at work I went to the doctors had they diagnosed me type 2 but put me on insulin and tablet my cholesterol was poor and was put on statins and also I had a under active thyroid so was on 250 ml of levothyroxine then as the years went on I was then diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my shoulders and spine and awaiting operation on my spine I also have been diagnosed with ptsd and mental health issues which I’ve seeked help with as I was self Arming I’ve had a lot of things happen in my life which as taken it’s toll on me my saviour came along In 2011 I met my wife we got married in 2014 she tries her best to keep me on the right path I don’t like much veg and that’s my downfall really she’s got me eating cabbage n leek on my Sunday dinner but bread n biscuits are my problem which I do admit his my problem but I always feel hungered after a meal I was tried on victoza now it did work but I could only be on it for 12 months I went from 24 stone down too 19 stone but I still struggle with food I’m 6ft 2 and 19 stone as for exercise I do walk a bit but I can’t Go n do a gym session and I know I need to help myself

Oh honey, you should've led with all this!

You've been through hell and back, and you know what? It can only get better. Believe it or not. I have depression, PTSD and a bunch of other mental things, so yeah.... While I'll never be labeled an actually "well" person, my panic attacks have gotten a whole lot more manageable and much, much less frequent. The depression isn't this gaping painful hole in my chest anymore, and I haven't tried to off myself in quite a while. High blood sugars feed into depression and anxiety, and as you get control of your blood sugars, you'll find, gradually, you'll start feeling better. It'll never be perfect or happy-go-lucky, but it doesn't have to be the way it was, okay? Life doesn't have to be a waking nightmare. Secondly, your thyroid. I have Hashimoto's myself, and it is very important your hormone supplement is spot-on, because it can influence your blood sugars too. Mind you, as I lost weight on the low carb diet, I could reduce my hormones from 175 micrograms to 125 per morning, so if you start losing weight, keep getting your horomone levels checked, as your needs are likely to change. The working shifts and eating and drinking a lot of carbs will have contributed to you becoming a T2 when you did, but honestly? It was coming already. It's a genetic disposition, and with the carb-heavy diet we're eating in the west, it would've come sooner or later. Between shift work, coke and what have you, it just caught up with you a bit sooner. Might've been 10 years off otherwise, or 20... But it was coming.

Now, as for not liking veg.... I gave you the link to the Nutritional Thingy, right? There's some veg in there (above ground, mainly), but there's others here who go further, and have a practically zero carb diet, like @bulkbiker and @Jim Lahey , to name just two. It's called Carnivore. Meat, poultry, fish, butter/ghee/duckfat, cheese, eggs... It's all animal-based, all the time, and it's a sure-fire way to get your levels down quick. It'll also, in all likelyhood, make you quite ill for a week or two with something called either carb flu or keto flu, but then, any low carb diet will, considering your starting point. (If you do feel flu-ish, with everything hurting and your head aching, fatigue and whatnot, get yourself some bone broth and get your electrolytes back up!). And, not to forget, you're on one heck of a lot of blood glucose lowering medication, so.... If you want to change your diet, keep in mind you'll hypo on the drugs you're on now. So test your heart out and discuss any changes you're making with your diabetic team. Share The Nutritional Thingy with your spouse, see what works for you both and what doesn't, and maybe consider going mainly Carnivore rather than Low Carb/High Fat or Keto. You have options and they don't all include cabbage. Also... You're feeling hungry after a meal because from the sound of it, you're not having a whole lot of fats. Cut the carbs, up the fats, keep protein moderate, and eat your fill... Thing is, with carbs, they can make you feel hungry while you aren't. They're severely addictive (actually light up the same areas in the brain as hard drugs do!), so your body'll always demand more. If you feel hungry and want to snack, go for some cheese, pork scratchings, olives, extra dark chocolate (Lindt's 85% is nice), and fill up on tea, coffee and water. It'll keep the hunger pangs at bay and (unless you go nuts on the chocolate) shouldn't spike your bloodsugars.

There's solutions out there that can and will fit your situation. Also, carbs are inflammatory by nature, so cutting them out might also alleiate the osteoarthritis some. Helped my rheumatism a whole lot, anyway. The IBS too.

Throw questions out there if you have them, that's what we're here for!
Jo

PS: Unless you have insane cholesterol and a heart condition, you might want to discuss ditching the statins. They up blood sugars too. Not to mention... One of the side effects is joint pain. My simvastatine set my joints aflame.

 

[Col Rides To France]

Good Morning Richmy,
Thanks for sharing. thanks for protecting our country! You are already a hero in my book.

If you were deathly allergic to peanuts, would you eat them? Well we as type 2 diabetics, are essentially allergic to Carbohydrates. They will not kill us instantly, but slowly... Bread and biscuits are slowly poisoning us. When I look it this way, then they are less appealing to me. Maybe a small shift may work for you. A nice picture of your grandson by the bread bin?

Do the Army have any extra resources to help you? Keep reading on here. The success stories - low carb areas here give me inspiration. Maybe they will for you too. Others wiser- more experienced than me, will be along to offer even better support.

I wish you & your family well. Be nice to yourself. Keep asking questions, life can improve so much.

 

[HSSS]

Can I clarify what medication you are currently on please? You talked about starting with insulin and being on insulin and Victoza in the past but not what the current regime is.

Also when you go and discuss low carb with the diabetes nurse/dr be fully prepared for resistance. Some are quite up to date and supportive, others live in the dark ages and either dismiss or actively discourage it, usually with little justification. It is usually lack of knowledge on their part. They don’t all know it is NHS endorsed, there is an NHS paid for low carb program, professional learning modules for them to study about it and there are guidelines to help them reduce and manage medications safely in conjunction with low carb to avoid hypos. We can give you links to it all if you want or need them.

They might tell you it only works for newly diagnosed diabetics. Again, rubbish. There’s some in here that have come off long term insulin use and others that have reduced all sorts of medications. Many that have stopped all diabetes medication as a result too. They might try and get you to do Something known as the Newcastle diet By Professor Roy Taylor or an extremely low calories diet instead. It works, short term, so is an option but is definitely not for everyone. Most of us choose to eat real food not shakes and not go hungry. if you’re getting the resistance a lot get then they’ll probably faint at the idea of eating more fats but again many of us find we get better cholesterol results on this way of eating as again it’s the carbs that cause the rise not the fats. Lots of science about that too when you’re ready for it.

You can do this and improve so many aspects of life. Not even a custard cream is worth giving up the chance to achieve that and from me that’s saying something.

 

[Hotpepper20000]

You don't need to waste your money on low carb foods

Your right. No need for fancy flours and low carb pasta.
But.... Meat, cheese, cream and above ground Vegetables are the best to treat Type 2 diabetes. Doesn’t have to be complicated.

 

[Resurgam]

I have toys for the kitchen - a Tefal air fryer to do the chicken thighs and then a pack of stir fry or something I chop up myself - I have a grill which senses temperature and can be set for different types of food, cook from frozen is an option, I have a waffle maker which does 'chaffles' - waffles with egg and cheese as the main ingredients. The Bamix hand held mixer with accessories is useful even if it is just to make a nice frothy coffee with the very thick cream I get, but it can make veges and stock into a gravy, whip up sugar free jelly and Greek yoghurt into a dessert. There is the slow cooker, the halogen oven, the pressure cooker - all help inspire low carb meals.
I use cauliflower instead of rice, and courgettes can make noodles, though so can eggs beaten with a little water and cooked in thin pancakes then rolled and sliced Try cauliflower, steamed until almost done, placed in a warm dish, covered in cream cheese and then Red Leicester cheese, grated, and maaybe a sprinkle of blue cheese just for good luck. Add in any herbs or spices you fancy. I have a very acute sense of taste so I don't need much seasoning, just put the dish into a warm oven until the cheese melts and gets just the slightest golden tan. Allow to cool as it can be rather hot inside. Ordinary cauliflower cheese with a flour based sauce is very much a disappointment after a low carb version, I am told.

 

[Member496333]

Now, as for not liking veg.... I gave you the link to the Nutritional Thingy, right? There's some veg in there (above ground, mainly), but there's others here who go further, and have a practically zero carb diet, like @bulkbiker and @Jim Lahey , to name just two. It's called Carnivore. Meat, poultry, fish, butter/ghee/duckfat, cheese, eggs... It's all animal-based, all the time, and it's a sure-fire way to get your levels down quick.

Thanks for the mention. I will add that, for me, carnivore wasn’t about getting my levels down. I had already beaten my diabetes with a ketogenic paleo diet. Carnivore is more about avoiding fibre, lectins and oxalates. Diabetes is pretty much a thing of the past for me now. I’m more into (what I consider to be) optimal, primal nutrition. I enjoy it immensely, with the added bonus that it ensures my diabetes will never return. Win win