Help

[Dawn999]

I've recently been diagnosed with Type 2 and I'm trying to get used to what foods do to my blood sugar. The last 2 days when I've woken up my levels are already high before I've eaten. Can not eating enough the day before make my levels high?

 

[Dollylolly]

What are you eating is the question

ok here goes your Fasting blood sugars can be high so don’t sweat it

are you on medication or going it alone with diet and exercise

I do the eat to my meter which is test before eating and 2 hours after. If I spike more than 3 I don’t eat that food again. It’s very much trial and error.

 

[Dawn999]

What are you eating is the question

ok here goes your Fasting blood sugars can be high so don’t sweat it

are you on medication or going it alone with diet and exercise

I do the eat to my meter which is test before eating and 2 hours after. If I spike more than 3 I don’t eat that food again. It’s very much trial and error.

 

[Dawn999]

Hi, I take Metformin twice a day and no exercise at the moment due to injury recovery. I've quit all sweets and anything that contains more than 5g sugar per 100g as much as I can. Anything that was white is now wholemeal. I'm eating lots more fruit but not convinced that my nurses advice is right in that I can eat a much as I like. I'm thinking grapes and orange maybe a bit high with sugar. Early days but get a bit freaked when I see higher numbers. I started off at 89/13.8 when diagnosed 8 weeks ago and roughly 51/8.2 but get a bit worried seeing +56/9.0 when I first wake up.

 

[In Response]

@Dawn999 the morning number is often the last to come down.
This is due to a perfectly normal activity by our oh so helpful livers. At the start of the day, if releases glucose into our blood to give the cavemen within us the energy to get moving and go hunting. This happens to most people. But only those of us "lucky enough" to have diabetes see it - with a healthy pancreas, we just release insulin to convert the glucose-present from our liver into energy.
This is call Dawn Phenomenon. Take a look around the forum (the search in the top right is really helpful) to learn more.

Just remember, managing diabetes is a marathon not a sprint. Your improvements so far are great. Congratulations on making the change and starting to see some results.

 

[KennyA]

I've recently been diagnosed with Type 2 and I'm trying to get used to what foods do to my blood sugar. The last 2 days when I've woken up my levels are already high before I've eaten. Can not eating enough the day before make my levels high?

Hi and welcome to the forum. The advice I'm going to give worked (and works) for me.

First, you have to let go of what you think you know about healthy eating. I mean all of it. Wholemeal, all that, makes no difference. The NHS recommends that you base all your meals around starchy carbohydrates and says fruit is good. This is dangerous for T2s and is in my opinion what led me to becoming diabetic in the first place. As a T2, we have potentially huge problems with all carbohydrates, and most fruit is high in sugar.

Secondly, you need to test before and two hours after a meal to work out what impact the things you eat have on your blood glucose. Record what you eat and what the readings are, so you can work out cause and effect. Other things as well as food will raise and lower your BG - illness, outside temperature, alcohol, etc. If a meal raises your BG to 8 or above, or by more than 2 mmol/mol, you aren't tolerating it and you need to cut out at least something in it. The proportion of sugar or carb in a food can be important, but so too is the total carb you take in each day. 600g of a 5% carb food is 30g carbs. I can't say what the right level is for you - you have to find that out for yourself by testing and experience.

Thirdly, your high levels in the mornings is probably a thing called dawn phenomenon, where your liver helpfully tips a load of glucose into your blood to help you get the day started. It is often the highest reading of the day and for many of us is the last reading to start to come down. It took mine about 18 months to stabilize. Don't worry tuo much about that now - concentrate first on what food does to your readings.

The good news is that LCHF lifestyle can bring your blood glucose back into normal range very quickly - I was back in four months, others have reduced from higher levels more quickly....


As background - I eat around 20g carb/day, mainly from vegetables, very little fruit, (only strawberries, blackberries etc maybe twice a week) no standard bread at all, and no pasta, rice, sugar or potatoes/most root veg. I also do intermittent fasting, although it's often not so intermittent - I often go 18-24 hours before I'm hungry enough to want to eat.

I do eat meat (all kinds) and dairy, and green above-ground veg. I can tolerate some legumes, some root veg and have found a decent but expensive low-carb bread substitute.

Best of luck. This is a great forum and you will get any number of viewpoints and experiences. Ask questions.

 

[Dawn999]

Hi and welcome to the forum. The advice I'm going to give worked (and works) for me.

First, you have to let go of what you think you know about healthy eating. I mean all of it. Wholemeal, all that, makes no difference. The NHS recommends that you base all your meals around starchy carbohydrates and says fruit is good. This is dangerous for T2s and is in my opinion what led me to becoming diabetic in the first place. As a T2s, we have potentially huge problems with all carbohydrates, and most fruit is high in sugar.

Secondly, you need to test before and two hours after a meal to work out what the impact the things you eat have on your blood glucose. Record what you eat and what the readings are, so you can work out cause and effect. Other things as well as food will raise and lower your BG - illness, outside temperature, alcohol, etc. If a meal raises your BG to 8 or above, or by more than 2 mmol/mol, you aren't tolerating it and you need to cut at least something in it out. The proportion of sugar or carb in a food can be important, but so too is the total carb you take in each day. 600g of a 5% carb food is 30g carbs. I can't say what the right level is for you - you have to find that out for yourself by testing and experience.

Thirdly, your high levels in the mornings is probably a thing called dawn phenomenon, where you liver helpfully tips a load of glucose into your blood to help you get the day started. It is often the highest reading of the day and for many of us is the last reading to start to come down. It took mine about 18 months to stabilize. Don't worry to much about that now - concentrate first on what food does to your readings.

The good news is that LCHF lifestyle can bring your blood glucose back into normal range very quickly - I was back in four months, others have reduced from higher levels more quickly....


As background - I eat around 20g carb/day, mainly from vegetables, very little fruit, (only strawberries, blackberries etc maybe twice a week) no standard bread at all, and no pasta, rice, sugar or potatoes/most root veg. I also do intermittent fasting, although it's often not so intermittent - I often go 18-24 hours before I'm hungry enough to want to eat.

I do eat meat (all kinds) and dairy, and green above-ground veg. I can tolerate some legumes, some root veg and have found a decent but expensive low-carb bread substitute.

Best of luck. This is a great forum and you will get any number of viewpoints and experiences. Ask questions.

Thank you for your response. Makes sense and feel a bit better knowing that this is a slower process than In trying to make it be. It's such a steep learning curve and totally debunks what I previously regarded as healthy eating. My nurse has advised eating plenty fruit and I shouldn't worry about eating lots which I found a bit odd. Having been caught out with reading American diabetes sites which promoted muffins and pancake towers I'm now sticking to the Diabetes UK site and forum.

 

[Alexandra100]

I'm thinking grapes and orange maybe a bit high with sugar

Your thought is correct! Already you know better than your nurse - well done! To evaluate the carb levels in the fruit, vegetables and all other foods you might want to eat or drink, you might find these visual guides helpful: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/visual-guides

 

[jenfoolery]

When I was first diagnosed my doctor recommended not paying attention to fruits and vegetables, and I honestly don't think it was out of ignorance. I think it was more like "baby steps" because at least they do have nutritional value and it was a way to get me to focus away from starchy carbs. But in all honesty an apple is just a donut with better PR. These days pretty much the only fruit I eat is berries, and small numbers at that. All starchy carbs based on wheat, rice, potatoes are off the table. There are some green veggies that it is safe to pay no attention to, so I just always make sure to have those on hand.

I live in the US, and I will say that there has never been a better time to eat this way with the keto diet being so trendy. There are very low-carb options around for things like bread and snacks although I haven't yet found a good keto pasta. Pasta was my personal kryptonite before.

 

[Geordie_P]

Telling a diabetic to 'Eat as much fruit as you like' is like telling someone with pulmonary obstructive disease to vape as much as they like as long as they stay off cigarettes. Your nurse is unfit for purpose.

- saying fruit is better than starchy snacks or sweets might be defensible, but as much as you like would almost guarantee serious problems in the future.

 

[ianf0ster]

........................... But in all honesty an apple is just a donut with better PR. ..................

I really like this phrase even though it's an exaggeration and fruits are considerably better than the same amount of carbs in a highly processed food.

 

[KennyA]

When I was first diagnosed my doctor recommended not paying attention to fruits and vegetables, and I honestly don't think it was out of ignorance. I think it was more like "baby steps" because at least they do have nutritional value and it was a way to get me to focus away from starchy carbs. But in all honesty an apple is just a donut with better PR. These days pretty much the only fruit I eat is berries, and small numbers at that. All starchy carbs based on wheat, rice, potatoes are off the table. There are some green veggies that it is safe to pay no attention to, so I just always make sure to have those on hand.

I live in the US, and I will say that there has never been a better time to eat this way with the keto diet being so trendy. There are very low-carb options around for things like bread and snacks although I haven't yet found a good keto pasta. Pasta was my personal kryptonite before.

Yep. Anyone who can produce a good low-carb "pasta" will make a fortune.

 

[Alexandra100]

Yep. Anyone who can produce a good low-carb "pasta" will make a fortune.

Are you aware of the "Holland and Barrett Slim Range" conversation going on right now in another part of the wood?:

 

[KennyA]

Are you aware of the "Holland and Barrett Slim Range" conversation going on right now in another part of the wood?:

Yes

 

[Dawn999]

Your thought is correct! Already you know better than your nurse - well done! To evaluate the carb levels in the fruit, vegetables and all other foods you might want to eat or drink, you might find these visual guides helpful: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/visual-guides

Thank you so much for this. Annoying that I threw away a fair bit of good food having been advised wrongly that it was bad. I'll just need to learn to go without all sugars including fruit based. If started using fruit as a crutch when I had a sweetie urge but would probably have been just a bad eating the sweets. I'm sure I'll get there, my life depends on it after all. X

 

[Dawn999]

When I was first diagnosed my doctor recommended not paying attention to fruits and vegetables, and I honestly don't think it was out of ignorance. I think it was more like "baby steps" because at least they do have nutritional value and it was a way to get me to focus away from starchy carbs. But in all honesty an apple is just a donut with better PR. These days pretty much the only fruit I eat is berries, and small numbers at that. All starchy carbs based on wheat, rice, potatoes are off the table. There are some green veggies that it is safe to pay no attention to, so I just always make sure to have those on hand.

I live in the US, and I will say that there has never been a better time to eat this way with the keto diet being so trendy. There are very low-carb options around for things like bread and snacks although I haven't yet found a good keto pasta. Pasta was my personal kryptonite before.

It's an absolute minefield. I did the 8 week blood sugar diet (extreme keto) a few years back and lost 38lbs in the 8 weeks which took me from prediabetic back to healthy but after the 8 weeks I went keto but let a few sugars slip back in and then blew it. I put the 38lbs back on plus another 3 stone which leads me to where I am now. I've got rid of nearly 2 stone since I was diagnosed T2 but got a long long way to go. I just wish good advice was the same across the board and all this digging wasn't needed. I am finding that Diabetes UK and forums where I can talk with T2 folk tend to have the same consistent advice which makes things that bit easier. X

 

[EllieM]

Yep. Anyone who can produce a good low-carb "pasta" will make a fortune.

I've a fondness for spaghetti courgetti ....

 

[KennyA]

I've a fondness for spaghetti courgetti ....

Tried it....I miss pasta....

 

[Alexandra100]

Tried it....I miss pasta....

I miss peaches much more, and cherries, and mangoes ... Will anyone invent a carb-free mango? I don't think so. I do enjoy an occasional portion of stewed rhubarb - the only "fruit" on Dr Bernstein's "What can I eat?" list.

 

[pinkjude]

I was diagnosed in 2018 and have never been on medication. In January of this year i didnt feel well and rang my GP who said I had a UTI. It took ages to clear up and I still wasn't right so he did an HBA1c and it had gone to 84. I was upset because I had been eating well and exercising but hadnt been testing my sugar levels as told not to by the D nurse. I bought a meter and started testing. I found out that any cereals, pasta, rice, and bread spike my levels so I don't eat those now. I also joined the low carb programme via a link on this site. Very helpful and informative. Through following low carb and testing I started to see my weight drop and my numbers. I then got a free place on second nature which is run in conjunction with the NHS ( I looked up diabetic services in my NHS area and found the link there and applied) Again so helpful. I received a recipe book, hand book, digital weighing scales and a fitness tracker and got the services of a nutritionist and health coach. My latest HBA1c was 48 and I have lost 1 stone 10 bs. My DN thinks I could go in to remission.
I think testing before and 2 hours after meals is so helpful to find out what you can and can't eat as we are all different. I can eat berries with no issues but I do watch my portion sizes. I also downloaded the lists of green, amber and red foods and started by only eating those from the green list., Now I eat some foods off the amber list in moderation. I eat an apple occasionally but only a small one as the fibre etc is good for you. It isn't easy but it can be done but I needed that initial support I got and still get from the programmes I joined and sites like this