Hi my name is Rob and I have just been diagnosed with T2 Diabetes

[Moggey]

Hi all, hope you all had a good Christmas.


I thought I’d introduce myself and share a bit of my story.

A bit about me​

• I’m 59 and was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
• To be honest, I’m still feeling a bit shell-shocked.
• I have annual blood tests following a heart attack 12 years ago.
• Over the last few years my HbA1c levels slowly crept up, but as I felt fine, I didn’t really take much notice.

Weight loss & diagnosis​

• After a holiday in July 2025, I realised nothing was fitting properly and decided I needed to lose weight.
• So far, I’ve lost just over 3 stone.
• Following my annual blood tests in November, the results showed I was now Type 2 diabetic.

Where I went wrong​

I thought I was doing well by sticking to a calorie deficit, but I’ve since realised many of the foods I relied on were low in fat but very high in sugar:

• Evenings were fairly sensible (mainly Gousto meals).
• During the day:
  
  • Caramel rice cakes
  • Yfood meal replacement for lunch
• Biggest culprit: breakfast
  
  • Quaker golden syrup oats with stewed apple
  • Low fat, yes — but when I worked out the sugar content, it was well over the recommended 36g per day.

Changes I’m making​

• Switched breakfast to Weetabix.
• Actively researching better daytime options.
• I mostly work from home but like quick, grab-and-go foods for meetings or heading out.

Medication​

• Metformin 500mg – 3 times a day (for about a month)
• Gliclazide 80mg – twice a day (recently added)

I’m having an issue with the morning dose of Gliclazide:

• Around 2 hours after taking it (with food), I get the shakes.
• This doesn’t happen with the evening dose.
• I’m currently waiting for an appointment with the diabetes nurse to discuss this.

Sweet tooth & meals​

• I do have a sweet tooth, so I’ve started having 85% dark chocolate (2 squares a day).
• Gousto meals have definitely helped with weight loss, but:
  
  • They don’t use much wholemeal.
  • I’m planning to swap in wholemeal alternatives (e.g. brown rice).
  • Sugar content looks reasonable when I check it.

Foods I love (and hate)​

• Love:
  
  • Potatoes (especially roast)
  • Most green vegetables
  • Cooked cheese
  • Raw tomatoes
• Hate:
  
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Other coloured veg like carrots or swede (I know, I’m weird)
  • Raw cheese
  • Cooked tomatoes (plum tomatoes especially), though I do like tomato-based sauces

(My wife despairs sometimes!)


Thanks for taking the time to read this. I’m looking forward to some straightforward, practical advice, rather than the usual misinformation from Dr Google.


Regards,
Rob

 

[Pipp]

Hello @Moggey, Rob.
Welcome.
Well done on taking control, and the weight loss.
There is some info for new members in my signature , below my post.

Have a read, and come back with any questions you have.

I would recommend you get some understanding of carbohydrates. It is not just sugar that can be a problem for those of us with T2. You do have to be careful of lowering carbs too much with the Gliclazide meds, though. Getting a balance right can be a bit of trial and error.

If you don’t already, I would recommend you start measuring blood glucose levels, on waking, immediately before eating and two hours after eating. If you record those levels and what you have eaten, you will be able to see how various foods affect you.

Do have a read round the forums and remember that members will answer questions to help and advise you, based on their own experiences.

 

[Moggey]

Hi Pipp

Thank you for your reply.

My surgery has given me a glucose monitor with strips.

I am currently doing readings 4 times a day, before breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and bedtime.

On average I am getting between 5 and 8 , the occasions that I have had the shakes I have drunk some orange juice or dextrose sweets and these have sorted it out in about 15 minutes and my next readings were 11, 16 and 12 I have since read that I should have taken a reading before going for those options.

A real big learning curve that's for sure.

I will read through the links you have sent.

Many Thanks

Rob

 

[Melgar]

Hi Pipp

Thank you for your reply.

My surgery has given me a glucose monitor with strips.

I am currently doing readings 4 times a day, before breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and bedtime.

On average I am getting between 5 and 8 , the occasions that I have had the shakes I have drunk some orange juice or dextrose sweets and these have sorted it out in about 15 minutes and my next readings were 11, 16 and 12 I have since read that I should have taken a reading before going for those options.

A real big learning curve that's for sure.

I will read through the links you have sent.

Many Thanks

Rob

Hi and welcome @Moggey . To get the best out of your glucose monitor most people using these meters, test just before a meal then 2 hours after. If the second reading is over 2 Mmol/Ls above the first then it signifies your nobody is struggling with the food you ate. Glucose meters are a good way to find out what foods your body can deal with and what foods your body struggles with .
All carbohydrates regardless of whether they are whole wheat , brown rice or some other healthy food item will be turned to sugars by your body. It matters not all carbohydrates turn to sugar. I would not be able to eat weetabix as my blood sugars would go high.

 

[grantg]

welcome
sounds like you've made a good few positive changes already and learning. steep learning curve for sure, dsn's appear to like to spoonfeed prob so not to overwhelm with information overload sometimes.

noticed you had cooked cheese in the list of things you love. if used to like some crisps grate a little cheese put into small balls in the oven til melts, couple herbs/spices for some added flavour. can hit that salty craving.

best wishes.

 

[Lupf]

Hi @Moggey welcome to the forum and well done for making a good start.
Many of us including myself were shocked when we got a T2 diagnosis,
however in hindsight, I consider it a blessing. I finally knew what the problem was.

You will need to find out yourself what works for your body.
So keep testing your blood sugar before you eat and 2h afterwards to find out how your body reacts to food.
I can tell you that in my case I went cold turkey with all fizzy drinks, including orange juice,
and that was surprisingly easy.
As a T2 we cannot (or at least have problems to) cope with carbohydrates,
The low fat-high carb diet advice is in my view a cause of diabetes.
Read the book The Diabetes Code by Jason Fung, if you want to learn more.
For this reason, I have banned all low fat food from my fridge.
As our bodies need calories to function, we need to increase fat (and protein) when reducing carbohydrates.
A starving diet is not sustainable.
For breakfast try yoghurts, natural or Greek are very low carb, but fruit yoghurts typically have 15 g of carbs per 100 g,
so a helping is also below 10g. Egg based breakfast in all varieties are great and much more satiating than cereals.
Many on this forum have gone very low carb, but not all of us, I eat and tolerate potatoes.
By checking the effect of food directly many here managed to reduce HbA1c fairly quickly to acceptable levels.
some of us were over 100 mmol/mol when diagnosed.
All that said you can be hopeful that your actions will show results fairly quickly.

I am wondering what your HbA1c is as you've been put on Gliclazide, which lowers your blood sugar.
You will need to monitor your blood sugar and talk to your GP in case you plan to make drastic changes to your diet.
I can see that you have lost a lot of weight, congratulations,
but you know that maintaining a healthy weight and acceptable HbA1c will be important,
so all changes in diet must be sustainable in the long run.

Best wishes on your journey.

 

[KennyA]

As others have said, the essence of the T2 problem is that we cannot deal properly with carbohydrate (including sugars). That means that if nothing else changes and we continue to eat a high-carb diet, we are likely to end up with abnormally high levels of glucose in our system - not just in blood, but saliva, sweat, tears, the vitreous and aquaous humours in the eyes, etc.

The problem with that is that those levels of glucose will damage both nerves and capillaries, and that can lead to physical problems. I developed neuropathy in my feet while my blood glucose was around 44/45 mmol/mol, which is far from the highest, and that was only one of a large number of really unpleasant symptoms. Other people seem to be able to tolerate higher glucose levels without obvious difficulty.

My conclusion back in 2019 was to cut the problem off at source by cutting back drastically on carb eaten. That worked for me, very quickly and effectively, and I haven't had anything other than normal blood glucose results since January 2020.

Best of luck. This forum is a great resource, and questions are strongly encouraged.

 

[Antje77]

My conclusion back in 2019 was to cut the problem off at source by cutting back drastically on carb eaten. That worked for me, very quickly and effectively, and I haven't had anything other than normal blood glucose results since January 2020.

This has worked for many on this forum and cutting carbs is an amazing tool.
However, @Moggey , should you choose to change your diet by reducing carbs, please be aware this may need a change in your medication.

Gliclazide can cause hypos so this medication may need to be adjusted if you change your diet.

 

[Pipp]

Gliclazide can cause hypos so this medication may need to be adjusted if you change your diet.

@Moggey ,
This is vitally important information to anyone on medication such as Gliclazide. Thank you for highlighting it again @Antje77.

 

[Moggey]

Hi @Moggey welcome to the forum and well done for making a good start.
Many of us including myself were shocked when we got a T2 diagnosis,
however in hindsight, I consider it a blessing. I finally knew what the problem was.

You will need to find out yourself what works for your body.
So keep testing your blood sugar before you eat and 2h afterwards to find out how your body reacts to food.
I can tell you that in my case I went cold turkey with all fizzy drinks, including orange juice,
and that was surprisingly easy.
As a T2 we cannot (or at least have problems to) cope with carbohydrates,
The low fat-high carb diet advice is in my view a cause of diabetes.
Read the book The Diabetes Code by Jason Fung, if you want to learn more.
For this reason, I have banned all low fat food from my fridge.
As our bodies need calories to function, we need to increase fat (and protein) when reducing carbohydrates.
A starving diet is not sustainable.
For breakfast try yoghurts, natural or Greek are very low carb, but fruit yoghurts typically have 15 g of carbs per 100 g,
so a helping is also below 10g. Egg based breakfast in all varieties are great and much more satiating than cereals.
Many on this forum have gone very low carb, but not all of us, I eat and tolerate potatoes.
By checking the effect of food directly many here managed to reduce HbA1c fairly quickly to acceptable levels.
some of us were over 100 mmol/mol when diagnosed.
All that said you can be hopeful that your actions will show results fairly quickly.

I am wondering what your HbA1c is as you've been put on Gliclazide, which lowers your blood sugar.
You will need to monitor your blood sugar and talk to your GP in case you plan to make drastic changes to your diet.
I can see that you have lost a lot of weight, congratulations,
but you know that maintaining a healthy weight and acceptable HbA1c will be important,
so all changes in diet must be sustainable in the long run.

Best wishes on your journey.

welcome
sounds like you've made a good few positive changes already and learning. steep learning curve for sure, dsn's appear to like to spoonfeed prob so not to overwhelm with information overload sometimes.

noticed you had cooked cheese in the list of things you love. if used to like some crisps grate a little cheese put into small balls in the oven til melts, couple herbs/spices for some added flavour. can hit that salty craving.

best wishes.

Thanks Grantg. I do like cooked cheese so I will give that a go

 

[Moggey]

Hi @Moggey welcome to the forum and well done for making a good start.
Many of us including myself were shocked when we got a T2 diagnosis,
however in hindsight, I consider it a blessing. I finally knew what the problem was.

You will need to find out yourself what works for your body.
So keep testing your blood sugar before you eat and 2h afterwards to find out how your body reacts to food.
I can tell you that in my case I went cold turkey with all fizzy drinks, including orange juice,
and that was surprisingly easy.
As a T2 we cannot (or at least have problems to) cope with carbohydrates,
The low fat-high carb diet advice is in my view a cause of diabetes.
Read the book The Diabetes Code by Jason Fung, if you want to learn more.
For this reason, I have banned all low fat food from my fridge.
As our bodies need calories to function, we need to increase fat (and protein) when reducing carbohydrates.
A starving diet is not sustainable.
For breakfast try yoghurts, natural or Greek are very low carb, but fruit yoghurts typically have 15 g of carbs per 100 g,
so a helping is also below 10g. Egg based breakfast in all varieties are great and much more satiating than cereals.
Many on this forum have gone very low carb, but not all of us, I eat and tolerate potatoes.
By checking the effect of food directly many here managed to reduce HbA1c fairly quickly to acceptable levels.
some of us were over 100 mmol/mol when diagnosed.
All that said you can be hopeful that your actions will show results fairly quickly.

I am wondering what your HbA1c is as you've been put on Gliclazide, which lowers your blood sugar.
You will need to monitor your blood sugar and talk to your GP in case you plan to make drastic changes to your diet.
I can see that you have lost a lot of weight, congratulations,
but you know that maintaining a healthy weight and acceptable HbA1c will be important,
so all changes in diet must be sustainable in the long run.

Best wishes on your journey.

Hi Lupf, it all started a few years ago, I was 47 mmol/mol, then 53, then 58 , Then 77 this November so I was prescribed Metformin, just before Christmas I was retested and it was 99 mmol/mol and that's when they prescribed Gliclazide and a blood monitor. I have started this morning and will do a test 2 hours after my meals to see what readings I get from there. The diabetes nurse has said she thinks my weight loss is mainly down to diet but does think diabetes has played a part. I will look at that book by Jason Fung and may order it. Many Thanks

 

[Pipp]

I will look at that book by Jason Fung and may order it. Many Thanks

Some public libraries have this book.

There are also some interesting videos online

 

[grantg]

Thanks Grantg. I do like cooked cheese so I will give that a go

Basic Keto Cheese Crisps

These baked cheese crisps are a quick, easy, and delicious 1-ingredient crunchy snack that are naturally low-carb, gluten-free, and keto-friendly.

www.allrecipes.com

thats roughly what i do, exception adding some chives if fancied cheese and onion wee bit of pepper/paparika/black pepper/chilli etc most herbs spices will work let know how get on with that reminds me of making cheese on toast under the grill all the melted crispy bits of cheese that fell off and went all nice and crispy (the best part imo)

let know how u get on with that

 

[Moggey]

Morning all, so as a test I had my usual Weetabix at 8:00am the reading before was 7.8 , took my Metformin and Gliclazide at 8 am as well, tested again at 10:00 and it had dropped to 6.1, is that to be expected ? Many Thanks

 

[lovinglife]

Morning all, so as a test I had my usual Weetabix at 8:00am the reading before was 7.8 , took my Metformin and Gliclazide at 8 am as well, tested again at 10:00 and it had dropped to 6.1, is that to be expected ? Many Thanks

You are on Gliclizide so that will have worked on the carbs you ate. Fasting test will be the last to go down & not much you can do about that so try not to worry about it too much, it’s a little bit high but not too bad. The difference between your 2 tests is good as you dropped over 2 points, which is what you are looking for at 2hrs - to be back where you were or a rise of under 2.

Maybe something to note. When I was on Gliclizide, in the beginning I also tested at 3 hrs, I often found that if I’d eaten more than 15g carb, although my 2hr numbers were good my 3hrs were often rising again and going over the 2 point rise. That’s just my experience though you may be different. Porridge was my nemesis, I would be in the 4s 2hrs after but in the 9s at 3hrs. Had to ditch that quickly!

When I found a meal that was suitable I did cut back on testing that meal after 2 or 3 times. In the beginning extensive testing & noting everything down for me was the way to go. But it does take time to build your own data. Even though I personally says they can’t eat “such & such” doesn’t mean you can’t- we are all different. I’m keto & can eat fruit in small portions, I know many others can’t

 

[Lainie71]

Hi @Moggey welcome to the forum and well done for making a good start.
Many of us including myself were shocked when we got a T2 diagnosis,
however in hindsight, I consider it a blessing. I finally knew what the problem was.

You will need to find out yourself what works for your body.
So keep testing your blood sugar before you eat and 2h afterwards to find out how your body reacts to food.
I can tell you that in my case I went cold turkey with all fizzy drinks, including orange juice,
and that was surprisingly easy.
As a T2 we cannot (or at least have problems to) cope with carbohydrates,
The low fat-high carb diet advice is in my view a cause of diabetes.
Read the book The Diabetes Code by Jason Fung, if you want to learn more.
For this reason, I have banned all low fat food from my fridge.
As our bodies need calories to function, we need to increase fat (and protein) when reducing carbohydrates.
A starving diet is not sustainable.
For breakfast try yoghurts, natural or Greek are very low carb, but fruit yoghurts typically have 15 g of carbs per 100 g,
so a helping is also below 10g. Egg based breakfast in all varieties are great and much more satiating than cereals.
Many on this forum have gone very low carb, but not all of us, I eat and tolerate potatoes.
By checking the effect of food directly many here managed to reduce HbA1c fairly quickly to acceptable levels.
some of us were over 100 mmol/mol when diagnosed.
All that said you can be hopeful that your actions will show results fairly quickly.

I am wondering what your HbA1c is as you've been put on Gliclazide, which lowers your blood sugar.
You will need to monitor your blood sugar and talk to your GP in case you plan to make drastic changes to your diet.
I can see that you have lost a lot of weight, congratulations,
but you know that maintaining a healthy weight and acceptable HbA1c will be important,
so all changes in diet must be sustainable in the long run.

Best wishes on your journey.

The low fat-high carb diet advice contributed to my diagnosis, I thought I was doing alright at the time.

 

[Lupf]

Hi Lupf, it all started a few years ago, I was 47 mmol/mol, then 53, then 58 , Then 77 this November so I was prescribed Metformin, just before Christmas I was retested and it was 99 mmol/mol and that's when they prescribed Gliclazide and a blood monitor. I have started this morning and will do a test 2 hours after my meals to see what readings I get from there. The diabetes nurse has said she thinks my weight loss is mainly down to diet but does think diabetes has played a part. I will look at that book by Jason Fung and may order it. Many Thanks

This is interesting. HbA1c is counting glycated hemoglobin in your blood cells, which have a lifetime of about 3 months. Thus it is measuring an average over the last 3 months. Thus the large change between November and December is huge. It points to a significant change in your blood sugar. I would point this out and ask for a retest or a new test soon. While it is difficult to establish a causality it seem clear that this HbA1 increase from below 60 to 99 mmol/mol is very likely correlated with your weight loss. How did you lose weight so quickly? Were you on a low calorie diet, i.e. low fat and only carbs left? As your diabetes nurse said, onset of diabetes can also lead to weight loss, but not 3 stones. What is your weight now? Do you plan to lose more weight or are you already at your target? I am careful here not to give advice, as there could also be other factors in play. What is certainly positive is that you are now taking control, i.e. measuring the effects of food on your blood sugar. Hopefully you will be able to change your diet such that your HbA1c will come down as fast as it ramped up. Many people here who went low carb reduced their HbA1c within a few months to acceptable levels.

From my own story, I can tell you that I lost weight by intermittent 5+2 fasting, where on two fast days I only eat 600 to 800 calories. For breakfast, I have one egg or plain yoghurt with half an apple, for lunch it is a bottle of water and coffee and for dinner it is mainly vegetables, soup and salad, maybe a bit of chicken or fish. so rather low carb. On the other five days I ate normally, but without really trying, I gradually reduced carbs in my overall diet. The interesting thing was that I never felt hungry, you can eat a lot of soup, and the pounds started melting away. I lost 10 kg and am still doing these fast days to keep the weight down.

Finally diabetes is a marathon not a sprint, so don't worry too much if you don't see results as fast as you'd hoped. What is important is to find a diet, which does not keep your HbA1c high, and is sustainable in the long run.

Best wishes