Newly diagnosed looking for advice

[T2 Woman]

I get lower carb wraps from sainsburys in the free from section. they are called Bfree. 4g carbs per wrap and £3 per pack if 4.

there is also an online company called lo dough which make an even lower calorie wrap, more expensive but good as a pizza base. They make a low carb vanilla sponge mix which with some different flavourings can make lots of different cakes and muffins.

I find cauli rice is ok with chilli, but I don’t bother with curry. I found a low carb naan bread recipe which is nice instead. For me morrisons frozen sachets taste the best, and they are individual portions which is helpful.

My low carb Bfree Wraps arrived today on my Sainsbury's order so I'm gonna make fajitas in the next few days and see if I like them. Thanks for the advice!

 

[johnme]

You might be pleasantly surprised on your cholesterol levels when eating less carbs and more fats.
All my lipids greatly improved over the last 5 years, and I eat more fat than before, including lots of butter, cheeses, pork belly, eggs, things like that.
And again, eating stuff you don't like is a good way of setting yourself up for giving up on your chosen diet.

If I were you, I'd focus on blood glucose first, and leave everything else for later, unless something unexpected happens like lots of weight gain or such.
For one, it's less overwhelming, an secondly, both weight and lipids may improve all by itself with the improved diabetes.

Please see if you can get the extended release version, many people report a lot less side effects!

<<I'd focus on blood glucose first>> This is great advice. The trouble is for most newly diagnosed T2s diabetes presents a confusing blizzard of terms, requirements, definitions, acronyms. Most doctors and nurses are in a muddle over it, what is the poor patient to do?

 

[Marianne67]

I hate Benecol! Only put myself on it as I was worried that my cholesterol level will go up with eating more fat. Lurpak all the way for me normally! I’m going to try counting all the calories to see how I’m going with that. Good idea, thanks.

Welcome to the forums. You will get lots of advice and support and will soon find out what works for you.

I use Kerry gold grass fed butter and olive oil. I avoid anything low fat as they often add sugar to flavour. I found I need much lower carbs at the moment, but as already said we can all tolerate them differently. I also avoid all others oils so buy my tuna in spring water and add olive oil to it. We now use cream in coffee, but I have mine mostly black with a pinch of sea salt.

 

[T2 Woman]

Someone checked and a fried egg doesn't absorb fat, so it isn't high fat at all - adding butter and cheese to scrambled egg now - that counts as high fat for me at least.
I do not bother trying to eat grain, they need to be fortified to provide any actual nourishment anyway, so I eat my carbs as tasty veges, stir fries, salads, crunchy things with vitamins and minerals (with any luck) or even berries.
I thought Metformin was contra indicated when there were already existing problems with the gut - I had such dreadful side effects I threw out the tablets 5 years ago, and found that I never needed them.

Now been prescribed Slow Release Metformin. Hopefully that will help with the bowel issues!

 

[Resurgam]

Now been prescribed Slow Release Metformin. Hopefully that will help with the bowel issues!

If it doesn't - well - maybe you don't need it anyway.
When I began to feel better I had a meter by then, and my glucose levels were normal, so I didn't worry about it.

 

[Poursomesugaronme1682]

Hi Poursomesugaronme1682. Cool name! Sounds like you are a pretty similar profile to me. My Christmas day and Boxing day were certainly very restrained! Sounds like you are lucky and got some decent advice. I hope to get the same and really want a meter and test strips on prescription but if not I’ll be buying one as soon as I get back from my appointment. Seems from the advice on here it’s the only way to get proper control of it. I am upset to be going through it. It is major change for me, but I needed a shock and this certainly gave me it. Apart from the sugar reduction my other goal is a good weight loss so I’m gonna give it my best shot. How are you feeling about it all? Do you have much weight to lose? I don’t even know how much I weigh. I’m too scared to get on the scales so this appointment no doubt will be truly shocking for me. The kick up the behind I need. I wear size 18 jeans and am bigger on top as I have big boobs but I carry a lot of the worst visceral fat around my middle which is the worst kind so hoping to shift that. Hoping for New Year, new me!

Hi sorry for the late reply! I have a lot of weight to lose I am classed as morbidly obese. I also carry most of my fat around my middle. It's all daunting but I am much more focussed than in the past, I've decided to concentrate on eating better rather than focussing solely on the number on the scales. I've already managed to get my numbers lower than when I started, they still aren't optimal but I feel like I am making progress. Have you had an appointment? Hope it all went well.

 

[T2 Woman]

Hi sorry for the late reply! I have a lot of weight to lose I am classed as morbidly obese. I also carry most of my fat around my middle. It's all daunting but I am much more focussed than in the past, I've decided to concentrate on eating better rather than focussing solely on the number on the scales. I've already managed to get my numbers lower than when I started, they still aren't optimal but I feel like I am making progress. Have you had an appointment? Hope it all went well.

I had my appointment which went fine. There was nothing they told me that I hadn’t already heard from the friendly members on here or read on the posts! Nurse agreed that low carb was the way to go and like you I have a review in March. I got a Gluco navii meter but I was having difficulty getting enough blood with the lancing pen in the starter kit. I had read one review that said it wasn’t great. I used so many strips I’m waiting for another Amazon delivery before I can test again but it left my fingers black getting enough blood, so I felt a bit down. I now think I might also be a bit dehydrated as well as my hands not being very warm which won’t have helped. I did get a recommendation for a hopefully better lancing device, so I bought that today. Gets very good reviews in the main and apparently it’s not painful which will be a bonus if it suits. Someone else in here in the same boat as me uses it. Trying to drink more before I test again in a few days when hopefully the bruising has gone from my poor fingers. I haven’t been drinking anywhere near as much as I used to now that my raging thirst has subsided. I guess this is down to my sugar levels going down so at least I’m doing something right! Are you using a meter too? How is it going for you? Feel free to message me if you would like some support from another newbie!

 

[Resurgam]

I have a set routine for taking drinks of water - it really helped. A mug in the morning first thing, before I even get dressed, another when I go into the kitchen to start making my first meal, a second one before my second meal and another one when closing down the kitchen. Along with two mugs of coffee that seems enough.
I lost 12 inches off my waist without any effort - wasn't even thinking about weight loss at the time, only keeping BG levels down in the normal range.

 

[T2 Woman]

My low carb Bfree Wraps arrived today on my Sainsbury's order so I'm gonna make fajitas in the next few days and see if I like them. Thanks for the advice!

Update on the wraps - sadly I thought they were disgusting. I ate one and then tried another before binning the other two. They looked like thin undercooked pastry that had been dropped on the floor all dirty and grey. Floppy and ripping when filled. I thought they tasted awful. Well if you don’t try you’ll never know. Back to the drawing board I think with carb substitutes. So far I’ve not liked any of them!

 

[EllieM]

Back to the drawing board I think with carb substitutes. So far I’ve not liked any of them!

Can you eat the wrap contents without the wrap ? I know you'd need a fork but when my husband has wraps and puts the fillings in I just skip the wrap.

 

[Resurgam]

Update on the wraps - sadly I thought they were disgusting. I ate one and then tried another before binning the other two. They looked like thin undercooked pastry that had been dropped on the floor all dirty and grey. Floppy and ripping when filled. I thought they tasted awful. Well if you don’t try you’ll never know. Back to the drawing board I think with carb substitutes. So far I’ve not liked any of them!

Have you tried cheese waffles? Known as chaffles they are low carb and can be made sweet or savoury

 

[Deediabetic]

Update on the wraps - sadly I thought they were disgusting. I ate one and then tried another before binning the other two. They looked like thin undercooked pastry that had been dropped on the floor all dirty and grey. Floppy and ripping when filled. I thought they tasted awful. Well if you don’t try you’ll never know. Back to the drawing board I think with carb substitutes. So far I’ve not liked any of them!

https://www.sweetashoney.co/flaxseed-wraps-keto-vegan-gluten-free/

Try this recipe. It's pretty good and so easy to whip up. I add a few tablespoons of grated parmesan into the mixture and if I want to make it into crackers, I also add some fresh rosemary from my garden, roll it out thin onto a baking sheet and bake it in the oven. I then attack it with a pair of scissors and cut the sheet into into several little crackers and then put it into the oven to crisp up further. Goes great with some good cheddar as a cracker and made as wraps like In the recipe, it really holds up and is flexible enough to wrap and won't break or go soggy with wet fillings.

 

[T2 Woman]

Can you eat the wrap contents without the wrap ? I know you'd need a fork but when my husband has wraps and puts the fillings in I just skip the wrap.

Hi EllieM, Yes that’s what I’m doing now. Just eating the contents!

 

[68foodie]

Hi everyone. I was diagnosed diabetic (I presume type 2 although nobody has actually said it yet) just before Christmas after an HBA1C test result of 101. I have long suspected I might be, due to having all the classic symptoms of diabetes so I asked to be tested when at my GP for a possibly related ongoing infection (still ongoing) which I’m told may resolve itself once I get my blood sugars under control. I’m 54 years old and overweight having had a very high carb and sugary diet previously. My GP started me on Metformin 2 x 500mg tablets daily with breakfast and dinner which I have just built up to gradually. I think they are causing major gastric issues but I have bowel issues usually anyway as I have bile salt malabsorption and IBS, so I’m trying to stick with the meds in the hope they will help in some way. Doc did say I can abandon them if I truly cannot tolerate. I’ve taken a lot of advice on board from extremely helpful posts and answers on here and I guess I’m just eager to find out more before I have an appointment with the practice nurse at the doctor in a few days time. Will this just be a general weight, bp, cholesterol testing appointment? Do I actually get referred to a specialist diabetes nurse/clinic? Or is this just a substitute for that due to NHS cuts? Will they advise me on how many carbs I can eat per day based on BMI etc and the HBA1C result and what my numbers post meal should be? or do I just have to guess at this myself until I get my own glucose meter? I have read up on low carb suggestions on the forums here and at the moment (after reading one persons experience here) I’ve been trying to stick to less than 180 carbs per day to start. I have cut out all “free” sugars (massive misnomer!) No cakes, biscuits, sweets, fruit juice etc which have made me feel quite hungry despite upping fats and protein. At the moment I am still having 2 weetabix (recommended on here as the least bad carb cereal) for breakfast with semi skilled milk and sweetener, usually eggs and 2 slices of whole grain toast spread with Benecol for lunch with protein either Steak/Chicken/Fish and veg/salad for dinner. Sweetener in tea with semi skimmed milk about 3 times daily and an occasional sugar free jelly or 5 carb yoghurt as dessert or snack. My indulgence has been 2 Rich tea biscuits of an evening around 12 carbs. So far I have managed to be under every day to varying degrees depending on how hungry I’ve been. Is this way too much carbs? I’ve started with this on the guess that I will have to reduce once I start testing, but I didn’t want to kill myself in the first weeks and lose motivation straight away. A friend diagnosed a year or two ago is heading for a bad outcome after going totally off the rails. I had spoken to him hoping for some hints and tips and he couldn’t give me any as he had given up and was carrying on with his old eating habits. I want to get a meter asap and have looked at recommendations here but was waiting till my appointment with the nurse to see if they also had any input for me. Apologies for the long and rambling post but I’d be most grateful if anyone can comment with how many carbs they are having daily and how much they can tolerate to stay within their limits so I can see if I’m in the majority or minority. I know I won’t get the full picture till I start testing. Just want to know if I’m heading in the right direction or I’m way off. Thanking you all so much in advance for any help you can offer me. I was hoping I could at least fit some carbs into my diet after hearing about someone sticking to within 45-60 carbs per meal.