Hi, i'm sharron, i was told 3 week ago i had type 2 diabetes, told to loose weight, cut down on carbs, and sent home with sheets of paper to read, and a prescription for metformin, 1 a day, for a week, then increase to 2, 3, then 4 a day, my blood reading or what ever i had, was 53,and it should be 48 or 49, that was it, iv been reading lots of stuff, cutting down on everything, im just lost, what i can eat, what i can't eat, not been given a blood meter, so dont even know, if what i am doing is making a differance, i do think im loosing weight, so im doing something right, thanks for reading, and any help please,
Any help please
- Thread starter Sparkess
- Start Date
Hi Sharron
Take a deep breath and read more of this forum. Things will seem all over the place for you at the moment but dont worry there is loads of support and experience here to read and listen too. Its about what works for you as we are all different in how we manage our diabetes. Ask as many questions as you want and an sure you will get some great responses.
I personally have cut down on carbs like bread and potatoes as I struggle to break them down. I upped my exercise to 30 min walk a day. Smaller portions at meal times and that helped me lose weight and lower my BS.
Am sure more people will comment soon. Hope all goes well. [SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Take a deep breath and read more of this forum. Things will seem all over the place for you at the moment but dont worry there is loads of support and experience here to read and listen too. Its about what works for you as we are all different in how we manage our diabetes. Ask as many questions as you want and an sure you will get some great responses.
I personally have cut down on carbs like bread and potatoes as I struggle to break them down. I upped my exercise to 30 min walk a day. Smaller portions at meal times and that helped me lose weight and lower my BS.
Am sure more people will comment soon. Hope all goes well. [SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
P.s If you have trouble with the metformin, like upset stomach etc go back to the doctor and ask for the slow release ones. Much better, well worked for me.
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Andy12345
Expert
- Messages
- 6,342
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Doctors
Hi welcome
The advice you've been given is basically correct, losing weight will help your blood readings, as will exercise if you can do it, cutting carbs is a good idea because carbs are basically sugar, it's unfortunately not as simple as cutting bread rice potatoes and pasta, there are a lot of foods containing carbs, you would benefit from doing some reading on this forum about what is good to eat, getting a meter and test strips is very important as you are right without them how would you know, you can if you afford them buy them in the chemist or online is cheaper but read some threads about it, there are some ways to approach your doc about getting them on prescription, the good news is your numbers are not terrible so hopefully with some lifestyle changes you should be able to live a longer happy life, please feel free to ask questions, there is a lot to learn.
good luck
Andy
The advice you've been given is basically correct, losing weight will help your blood readings, as will exercise if you can do it, cutting carbs is a good idea because carbs are basically sugar, it's unfortunately not as simple as cutting bread rice potatoes and pasta, there are a lot of foods containing carbs, you would benefit from doing some reading on this forum about what is good to eat, getting a meter and test strips is very important as you are right without them how would you know, you can if you afford them buy them in the chemist or online is cheaper but read some threads about it, there are some ways to approach your doc about getting them on prescription, the good news is your numbers are not terrible so hopefully with some lifestyle changes you should be able to live a longer happy life, please feel free to ask questions, there is a lot to learn.
good luck
Andy
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
Hi Sparkess and welcome to the forum 
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will help.
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 the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will help.
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.
Hi. I agree with the info others have given you. The blood reading of 53 will be your Hba1c reading which shows your 3 month average blood sugar. Yes, cut down portion sizes and carbs and have low-GI carbs where you can. You may want to set a target of, say, 150gm/day of carbs and perhaps less initially to bring the carbs down. The Metformin will help a bit with reducing your insulin resistance from any excess weight. You can eat proteins, fats and vegetables together with the lower carbs. Do get hold of a meter one way or another if you can afford it. The manufacturers will often provide the meters free. The strips are not cheap but buying off the web can be cheaper.
Thanks everyone, taking in all your info, just one thing what do you mean, low-GI carbs, thanks again
This will help you to understand the G.I. levels of different foods.
http://www.glycemicindex.com/about.php
http://www.glycemicindex.com/about.php
Hi Sharron, just to let you know you are not alone and I too am feeling equally confused at present. My situation pretty much mimics yours. Told last week type 2, lose weight,manage diet/carbs etc, Metformin prescribed, rising from one to three tablets etc.
I am usually pretty organised and determined but this came as a bit of a shock/surprise and simply trying to take all the information in. I just think it is natural to find out as much as possible about diabetes to try and take positive action but must admit that there is a lot of conflicting info out there which is confusing.
Anyway we will battle on and hope all works out well for you.
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
I am usually pretty organised and determined but this came as a bit of a shock/surprise and simply trying to take all the information in. I just think it is natural to find out as much as possible about diabetes to try and take positive action but must admit that there is a lot of conflicting info out there which is confusing.
Anyway we will battle on and hope all works out well for you.
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Hi, thanks Dave, its a joke really to send you home with just that, go home and get on with it, im hoping to find out more tomorrow, I'm at docs, fingers crossed, thanks again.
No problem, hope visit is useful and provides a bit more clarity for you. If I find anything out regards these early stages etc. I'll let you know.
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Hi Sharron & Dave,
It can be a little over-whelming at first. Losing weight (if you are overweight/obese) and getting more exercise are key goals.
Watching your portion sizes for weight loss will naturally reduce your carb intake. Fitter muscles burn more glucose while resting, thus consuming the glucose that is leaking from your liver. Less of you needs less insulin and there is evidence that losing weight reduces insulin resistance.
You will read on here about the patchy service people get from the NHS. If you turn up to your next appointment having lost weight, stopped smoking (if you do) and done more exercise, that shows you are motivated and may well encourage your GP to go the extra mile.
One further tip: have you been offered a structured education course like X-PERT Diabetes or DESMOND. They are well worth going on so if you have been offered one, do take the offer up and if you have not been offered one, ask your doctor about going on one.
It can be a little over-whelming at first. Losing weight (if you are overweight/obese) and getting more exercise are key goals.
Watching your portion sizes for weight loss will naturally reduce your carb intake. Fitter muscles burn more glucose while resting, thus consuming the glucose that is leaking from your liver. Less of you needs less insulin and there is evidence that losing weight reduces insulin resistance.
You will read on here about the patchy service people get from the NHS. If you turn up to your next appointment having lost weight, stopped smoking (if you do) and done more exercise, that shows you are motivated and may well encourage your GP to go the extra mile.
One further tip: have you been offered a structured education course like X-PERT Diabetes or DESMOND. They are well worth going on so if you have been offered one, do take the offer up and if you have not been offered one, ask your doctor about going on one.
Hi Ellis
That's very helpful and interesting. Much appreciate your post.
It's certainly focused my mind and better that I now know and can act instead of making every effort possible to not go the doctors if I could possibly help it. I just knew something wasn't right and really went as a result of all the mens health stuff in the media. That's when they found this.
Anyway, I shall crack on and look out for the things you mention, thanks again.
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
That's very helpful and interesting. Much appreciate your post.
It's certainly focused my mind and better that I now know and can act instead of making every effort possible to not go the doctors if I could possibly help it. I just knew something wasn't right and really went as a result of all the mens health stuff in the media. That's when they found this.
Anyway, I shall crack on and look out for the things you mention, thanks again.
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
can any one tell me I am t1 diabetic want to go out for a meal with partner but should I take my insulin with me.only been diagnosed less then a year and not been out since been told because of the injections
Neil,
I'm T2, but I would say that you should carry on just as you do when you eat at home. Try to estimate the amount of carbs in your meal, not easy, particularly if you should be injecting before your meal arrives. Remember to keep your insulin cool.
Take a look at : http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/eating-o ... betes.html
I'm T2, but I would say that you should carry on just as you do when you eat at home. Try to estimate the amount of carbs in your meal, not easy, particularly if you should be injecting before your meal arrives. Remember to keep your insulin cool.
Take a look at : http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/eating-o ... betes.html
Hi, Dave, Ellis, thanks to you all, only thing i got from docs, was a talk, about loosing weight, can cut tabs down to 3 a day instead of 4, was finding it very hard to get them down, was taking 2 on last meal, and making me feel very sick, and i going to see nurse on wed, so ill mention that about the X-PERT, and DESMOND, can anyone tell me, after eating, do they get stomach pains, not bad ones just peculiar felling, I don't no if its the tabs, or something you get with diabetes, its as if your stomach trying to tell you something, I no that sounds daft, but that's how it feels, thanks again.
Hi Sharron, yes I am going to mention those to the nurse too when I see her next week. I have just upped dosage to two tablets so haven't really had any issues with my stomach but I have read that it can be a little while before you get used to them. Thanks to all for the comments too, new to the forum but it certainly makes you realise you are not alone.
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Hi everyone, As anyone tried cinnamon, I keep reading about, and its on youtube, and if so how do you take it, iv tried it in herbal tea, yuk, I can just about manage it in coffee, and I'm not sure how much a day,
