Hi - I have this week been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I am waiting to have my hba1c this week to find out if I need tablets. I just haven't a clue what I should or shouldn't be eating. I need to lose 9 stone to be at right weight for my height. Any tips?
Not a clue what I'm doing!
- Thread starter Nicnac_
- Start Date
daisy1
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- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
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- Tablets (oral)
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- Cruelty towards animals.
Hi Nicnac and welcome to the forum 
Here is some information which we give to new members which should help you. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will answer you.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find well over 30,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Here is some information which we give to new members which should help you. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will answer you.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find well over 30,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake
- Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
- structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
- self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
mo1905
BANNED
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- 4,334
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
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- Rude people !
For now, try to reduce carbohydrate intake. If poss, take a little exercise, even if it's just a long walk. Until your results come back, not a great deal more you can do. Not great news but for most, diagnosis is the start of their control. Read lots of info here ! Good luck, keep us posted ;-)
Yorksman
Well-Known Member
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- 2,445
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Nicnac_ said:
It's sadly all too common. I was diagnosed around Christmas and the GP and DN have told me nothing. Not even what type of diabetes I have. There has been no mention of a plan of action or diet to be followed or even what happens next though my DN talks of us 'having agreed a plan'.
I learned here, on this forum. If you have one of these lackadaisical surgeries, you will be better off here. I started by cutting out the obvious sweet stuff, biscuits, chocolates, sweets, sugary drinks etc and then started cutting out white starches, white bread, white rice, mashed potatoes etc. Then I started exercising more and started to lose weight.
I also bought my own meter and tested regularly. I noticed quickly what worked and what didn't work for me and by keeping at it, the readings started to come down over time. My HBA1c went down from 8.9% to 6.5% in 8 weeks.
The people here will be of great help for you. Make a start, see how it goes, ask questions, make adjustments.
Thanks guys - been reading through and have read loads of useful info already! My GP practice I saw the nurse and she just said I need to go on a low fat diet - I knew that before I was diagnosed diabetes. When asking what is best things to eat to keep sugars down she didn't give me any answers and I left feeling a bit lost! Glad I have found a place with answers
- Messages
- 4,789
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Insulin
- Dislikes
-
Cruelty to Animals/Children
Liars/Manipulators/Bullying
Hello Nicnac .Nicnac_ said:
Welcome to the forum :wave:
Untill your results come back , dont worry or panic .
Use the time to read through the newbies info that Daisy1 has sent you.
Try writing a list of your favourite and least favourite food/drink/snacks etc...
This will make it easier to see 'where' things can be tweaked or even eliminated .
It is a great simple place to start, then you can tell or even show your own GP or DSN this .
To see it written down has 'more' impact than to just think about it .
You can show it to your spouse, or partner too and discuss it with them if you wish .
Wander around the forum, read up on things , please ask any questions you feel/need to .
We are here to help and support .
Some one will certainly come and help you along too.
For extra idea's with foods we have recipes n various diet sub forums .
Browse through these for new/extra ideas and inspiration :thumbup:
Anna.
Hi Nicnac and welcome to the forum.
I was diagnosed two days ago but was (due to my results) aware that I had type 2 diabetes. The moment I received the results of my final blood test I changed my way of life immediately.
This forum gave me the information to do that prior to any advice from my Doctor.
I have cut my calorie intake to around 1500 calories and try (not always successfully) to stick to 100g of carbs a day. By doing this I have lost 12 pounds in 12 days. I have upped my excersice in conjunction with my diet.
Get a meter and start testing. Without it I don't know where I would be.
Today is a bit of a blow out but it is Saturday
Best of luck for the future and I hope all goes well.
M...
I was diagnosed two days ago but was (due to my results) aware that I had type 2 diabetes. The moment I received the results of my final blood test I changed my way of life immediately.
This forum gave me the information to do that prior to any advice from my Doctor.
I have cut my calorie intake to around 1500 calories and try (not always successfully) to stick to 100g of carbs a day. By doing this I have lost 12 pounds in 12 days. I have upped my excersice in conjunction with my diet.
Get a meter and start testing. Without it I don't know where I would be.
Today is a bit of a blow out but it is Saturday
Best of luck for the future and I hope all goes well.
M...
Nicnac_ said:Thanks guys - been reading through and have read loads of useful info already! My GP practice I saw the nurse and she just said I need to go on a low fat diet - I knew that before I was diagnosed diabetes. When asking what is best things to eat to keep sugars down she didn't give me any answers and I left feeling a bit lost! Glad I have found a place with answers
Be very careful with anything low fat, usually full of sugar which is the last thing you need. I could rant about this for ages - especially the so called healthy low fat yoghurts!!!!
Nicnac_ said:Maitland said:Today is a bit of a blow out but it is Saturday
M...
Saturday? :/
that's one of the problems nicnac, memory problems! LoL
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Nicnac_ said:Maitland said:Today is a bit of a blow out but it is Saturday
M...
Saturday? :/
I see you noticed my cunning deliberate mistake ;-) It's the lack of Carbohydrates, honest ;-)
M...
Haha - I see I will have to get used to this confusion! It could be worse you could of thought it was Monday
Hi. Ref surgery advice to keep the fats in food low, some of us would challenge that advice. For diabetics, even those initially overweight, it's carbs not fats that are the problem. The media is obsessed with fats at the moment with little research evidence to back it up. So keep the carbs quite low while you are trying to lose weight. Set yourself a target of perhaps 150gm per day or less. Do have some fats, keep them unsaturated where you can, and of course have plenty of veg and protein. Any carbs you do have should be low-GI where possible. As Bigskip says, watch out for sugar-laden, low fat foods. It's not a coincidence that there is growing obesity around with low-fat/high sugar foods.
How much carbs is considered low? I've read a few topics and spotted one that said 0 to 70g low?
I checked my blood sugar 2 hours after breakfast today and it was 7.7mmol - what should an ideal BS be 2 hours after a healthy low carb breaky?
Thanks for all advice so far
I checked my blood sugar 2 hours after breakfast today and it was 7.7mmol - what should an ideal BS be 2 hours after a healthy low carb breaky?
Thanks for all advice so far
Welcome to the forum,
To your questions you will no doubt get a variety of answers. What are good numbers? For some it is the NHS guidelines and for others it is as close to non diabetic normal that you can get without putting yourself in danger of hypoglycaemic situations. That is what you have to figure out for yourself. I personally try for normal but the expense of regular testing can be prohibitive. Getting support from you doctor in that regard may be problematic. I approached the problem by first reading bucket loads about diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, the immune system, insulin resistance and the types of foods that draw a glycemic reaction. I tested at my own expense for most of the first 3 months... generally 7 times a day and I recorded everything including my weight, blood pressure and everything I ate. If something caused a reaction that put me over 7 I would try it again and if it did it again I wouldn't eat it any more. When I found a list of foods that I could eat that would keep me 100% below 7, I started trying to get below 6.5. This is impossible for some people because their situation (insulin resistance, insulin production) is different. When you gather this information you have the ability to take it all to your doctor and show them that 1) you are engaged and 2) you have made improvements without medication..... I must add that when I was first diagnosed I had to make it clear that I would not start any medication without first seeing what I personally was able to do without it. By showing my interest and obtained knowledge I have turned my doctors from adversaries to supporters with a repeat prescription for test strips and a ear to my observations. Obviously if you are in a situation where your levels are extremely high, you must mitigate the damage and work to lessen the meds over time... if you are able. I think that the answer to your question "What levels are good", resides strictly within yourself....
Kenny
To your questions you will no doubt get a variety of answers. What are good numbers? For some it is the NHS guidelines and for others it is as close to non diabetic normal that you can get without putting yourself in danger of hypoglycaemic situations. That is what you have to figure out for yourself. I personally try for normal but the expense of regular testing can be prohibitive. Getting support from you doctor in that regard may be problematic. I approached the problem by first reading bucket loads about diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, the immune system, insulin resistance and the types of foods that draw a glycemic reaction. I tested at my own expense for most of the first 3 months... generally 7 times a day and I recorded everything including my weight, blood pressure and everything I ate. If something caused a reaction that put me over 7 I would try it again and if it did it again I wouldn't eat it any more. When I found a list of foods that I could eat that would keep me 100% below 7, I started trying to get below 6.5. This is impossible for some people because their situation (insulin resistance, insulin production) is different. When you gather this information you have the ability to take it all to your doctor and show them that 1) you are engaged and 2) you have made improvements without medication..... I must add that when I was first diagnosed I had to make it clear that I would not start any medication without first seeing what I personally was able to do without it. By showing my interest and obtained knowledge I have turned my doctors from adversaries to supporters with a repeat prescription for test strips and a ear to my observations. Obviously if you are in a situation where your levels are extremely high, you must mitigate the damage and work to lessen the meds over time... if you are able. I think that the answer to your question "What levels are good", resides strictly within yourself....
Kenny
HI. 7.7 is quite good 2 hours after breakfast. Measuring in the morning can be affected by overnight liver dumps of glucose (Dawn Phenomenon) so it might be better to test 2 hours after the evening meal. An ideal meter reading might be nearer to 6.5 but few diabetics would achieve this and I can easily go above 10 after an evening meal which isn't good. Opinions of what is low-carb vary a lot on the forum. I think most of us would say it starts to be low-fat below 150 gm/day but many go below 50 gm. A normal healthy (unhealthy?!) balanced diet for the average non-diabetic person might have 300 gm of carb.
Well had my HBA1C done today I go on Wednesday for my results to see if I need tablets or not. Going to ask about testing my blood sugars. And getting lancets/strips. I tested my bs today about 2 hours after my lunch and 6.9mmols I was quite pleased with know it can be lower though!
Daibell said:
Thanks I'm really trying to keep my carbs down and I'm avoiding all cakes/sweet things! I read so many variations of how much is low carbs I was getting confused!
Yorksman
Well-Known Member
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- Type of diabetes
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Nicnac_ said:
That's not bad at all as you are only just starting out. They will come down if you continue to low carb and as yuo lose weight. If you look at daisy's post, you'll see:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
When I started around Christmas I was above those. I was comfotably inside them after 4 or 6 weeks and now I am a bit cheesed off if 2 hours after a meal I am above 7. Mostly I am high 5s or low 6s for that reading.
Patiently keep at it, try lose weight, try some exercise and it will slowly come down.
