Hi Leanne and welcome. It really isn't easy is it? When I was first diagnosed I found this forum hoping for some sound advice, and can remember leaving it two hours later feeling more confused than when I first arrived. The amount of information and discussion about various 'diets' is simply... well.... :shock: :lol:
Firstly, you don't say whether you're Type 1 or 2 and if the nurse you're seeing is your Diabetic Specialist Nurse or not. Assuming it IS, then I'm hoping that he/she will be able to give you some good advice. One of the things that you can do to initially help them is to keep a food diary, and a record of your current activity along with your daily test results. If they haven't done already, then you should also get them to refer you to an NHS Dietician.
In my case, I already had a fairly well balanced-healthy diet, and my problem was that I actually lost weight leading up to my diagnosis. I specifically wanted to put ON weight and they were helpful in the advice that they gave me.
There are those here that will swear by a low-carb diet, a low GI diet, this diet and that diet, but the important thing to remember is that one size really doesn't fit all. As with most things in life, you'll find plenty of extremes here. When I read some people's food regimes I'm genuinely left thinking "Sure, your levels might be anywhere between 4.3 and 5.6 every day, but are you really happy?"
It IS about finding what's right for you - and I'm afraid that in this respect, it has to be trial and error. For instance, I can have an orange smoothie and porridge for breakfast, but for others, that would send their levels sky high. I guess that overall, my carb intake is definately lower than a 'normal' balanced diet, but in the main, I can't think of a single item of food that I don't eat now that I did before being diagnosed.
I would also suggest not to put too much pressure on yourself with regard to your achievements. Trying to reduce your weight AND your sugar levels at the same time may not be the best way to achieve either. I think that as long as your weight is stable, then the important thing first is to get your sugar levels down to a controlled level, and THEN you can look at exercise and weight loss. This isn't medical advice, just my own suggestion based on how I wasted the first few months trying to acheive both and wondering why my levels were still all over the place.
Having dropped from 14.6 in Sept last year to 8.3 in Dec, and 7.3 last week, I've been happy. That said, I figured now was the time to try and get my muscle mass back, and in the last three weeks I've had to reduce my insulin amount by a third to prevent hypos later in the day, and this is DESPITE increasing my carbs and protein to compensate for the additional exercise. And this is why I think you should do one thing at a time. Once you know the effect that food has on you, you'll be more informed and prepared for when you start either exercising more and/or adjusting your diet in order to shed a few pounds.
Let us know how you get on with the nurse on Thursday! :thumbup:
