WHAT DO I EAT?

[wendy52]

Hello out there,
Boy do i need help. I`m newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and i don`t know what to do. I`m sooo hungry. I don`t know what i can snack on inbetween meals or infact what to have for meals. I`m getting scared now because it doesn`t matter what i do i can`t reduce my sugar levels. My average is 14.8 and has been for months apparently but i can`t get it lower by much. If it carries on i`ll surely end up with damage done to something or other internally. I feel sick most of the time and have a lump in my throat that won`t go away. My head gets so hazy and my body aches so much i`m spending alot of time in bed. At first my doctor put me on Metformin but that had no effect on lowering my levels AND it made me feel lousy. Last week she put me on Glucophage (which i understand is a slow release metformin) and i`m sure that`s making me moody and weepy. I`m an emotional mess. Anyway she has given me Fluoxetine and i`m praying that works for me when it kicks in.
I long for something nice to eat that won`t send my levels up to a ridiculous height n make me feel even worse. Please help if you can. I dunno how much longer i can go without eatting something that will help me. I`m not keen on fruit or raw veg. I have been eatting a lot of pasta and rice but a friend told me that is not good and more than likely why i`m feeling so rough. I`m eatting porridge but finding it bland and need something to give it some taste. Is tha anything (apart from fruit) that you can recommend?

 

[Lenny3]

Hi, you will be pleased you found this forum, it took me 2 years after diagnosis to find it but its changed my life, and prob saved it too.

My firstvadvice is cut right down if not cutting out, white & brown bread, potatos, pasta and rice. If its white carbs it will shoot your levels up. Have a browse of the low carb section, you can decide how low you go. The best advice isvto test before a meal then test 2 hours later, to start with aim for a less than 2mmol increase. Eventually you will hopefully find your levels reducing.

Good luck. Research this site, ask questions and enjoy food again safe in the knowledge that you have so much help here.

 

[Kat100]

Hi Wendy, sorry to hear you are having a bad time with this awful problem, it is a shock, I am moly a year into it, t2 also, a year on I game a few things using sweet alternatives......I had to google a lot, holland and garret sell xylitol which you can bake either instead of sugar, that's only one example....I make lots of home made soups, and I do have rice potatoes and pasta but smaller portions....have found some no added sugar jam as well, there is a lot of information around, kind people on here share idea,s of what to eat as well....do you love cheese I set cheese but the light one, and we yougurts, this is all my own choice, it is about what works for you. I used to feel so Hungary but a year on I don't I take metformin also.....i do eat fruit and veg, but not meat or fish, we are all so different....
Hope things improve for you soon and that you begin to feel better, sorry my knowledge is limited....I do see a dietitein via my gp, who has been a great help to me....
Support and ideas come from this site....
Tc and let us know how you get one....best dishes Kat

 

[Kat100]

Sorry the words have jumped on their own....

 

[2131tom]

Hi, Wendy.

I'm new to it all too, so I don't feel particularly qualified to advise you on any details of your question, except to say that I'm finding that exercise and lowering my carbohydrate intake seems to be helping me.

Echoing Lenny's point, however, I can say that I've already found this forum a great source of shared experience and knowledge.

IMHO, spending time to read through the threads and posts will help explain a lot, and that can't be bad.

 

[carmina]

I'm recently diagnosed too - just over 3 weeks - but I've learned a lot from this and other forums. There's very good thread below - link here viewtopic.php?f=39&t=47483 that gives a lot of good advice.

There's a very good book called The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes by Gretchen Becker. I got mine from Amazon and it's my bed-time, journey to work and lunch break reading. I've been following the advice to eat mainly lean protein and 'above ground' vegetables - it's had a dramatic effect on my glucose levels and I regularly have days when the level stays between 5 and 7.5. I realised that the advice on my doctor's diet sheet - rice and pasta like you've been having - doesn't work for me. I limit my carb foods to half a slice of rye bread, one piece of fruit and a digestive biscuit a day. Maybe I will be able to tolerate a small amount of more starchy veg in the future - I love parsnips! - but for now I want to get my BG more stable and reliable so I'm sticking with with the protein and veg as basic.

I make up a sachet of sugar-free jelly every few days and divide it between 5 little pots that I keep in the fridge so there's always a sweet treat available when I want a dessert. I don't use fruit yoghurts but get Tesco's Low Fat Greek-style. If I want it flavoured, I add a spoonful of Splenda and either a teaspoonful of cocoa powder dissolved in a tiny bit of boiling water or half a teaspoonful of coffee granules.

I hope some of this is useful to you. As I said, I'm very new but I've learned a lot. As my BG level came down from the 20 it was after my breakfast the day I was diagnosed, my ravenous hunger and sugar cravings started to subside.

Don't despair. You're among friends on here - friends who know how you feel and can help.

 

[Kat100]

Yes I agree exercise is good if you can...a year ago without bring diagnosed I could hardly walk at all...now a year on..I walk 4 miles 3 or 4 times a week....
Not sure about walking on cold days though....but it is a big change for me......

 

[carty]

Hi Wendy
I am not a doctor or any other type of HCP but I have type 2 DB and when I was first diagnosed I was devastated maybe you feel emotional is because you have had a shock of being diagnosed as DB .You can control your glucose levels there are many on this and other forums who have done so by lowering there carbohydrate intake My levels when diagnosed were 29+ but now are down to about 7 I cut out all white bread I can eat a couple of slices of Burgen bread in a morning I eat no pasta or potato very few root vegs but lots of cheese, butter , fish, meat ,eggs ,and veg I also eat lots of nuts. I will give you an example of my meal tonight Roast lamb creamed leeks cabbage broccoli caulli and a few slices of swede fried in butter (this is really tasty if you have never tried it )Followed by a small plum chopped up with a large helping of double cream and some almonds and a glass of red wine . Dont be afraid of good fats and oils they help you to feel full and they wont affect your glucose levels There are lots of good recipes on this forum have a good look round and also there are lots of people who will help you so hang in there
CAROL

 

[Tattyhead91]

Hi Wendy
I'm newly diagnosed T2 also and second the low carb diet, lots of lean protein and above ground veggies.

Has you doctor or DN told you about the DESMOND course? Insist you get referred for that immediately, there is lots of info there on nutrition to help if you're struggling with carbs/fats/proteins. Another thing I fund super useful is the app "my fitness pal" which you can use to log all of your food and therefore monitor your intake. It's helped me lose over two stone in little more than 2 months.

It is scary and it is rubbish, but try to take the positives which are there, like how the right diet for you will make you feel better.

Good luck, keep on posting

 

[wendy52]

Thank you everybody. I dunno how to reply to each of you as there is no obvious box under each comment. There is alot of usefull info here and it will help. I value each and every one of you and the time you have taken to come and post to me. I have been referred for the DESMOND course but can`t go on it until January next year as there is no spaces til then. I welcome ANY help i can get. I`m now looking forward to exploring here and hopefully it won`t be to hard to find my way around.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. As others have said, reduce the carbs as far as you reasonably can and have low-GI ones where you can. Don't worry about fats and protein; fats are not the rogue food that the professionals make out and will not increase you blood sugar and indeed will help slow down carb absorption. Metformin probably isn't the cause of you feeling down; it is a very good drug with few side effects but sadly won't in itself make a big difference to your sugars. If necessary there are other drugs that can be added. If you can adjust your diet you should see a big improvement

 

[wendy52]

Hi Daibell,
At a risk of sounding stupid what are GI`S ? . Thanks for coming.

 

[mrman]

GI, meaning glycemic index, hi gi foods convert to sugar in your blood quicker than low gi foods.

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[Daibell]

Yes, adding to Brett's post things like wholemeal or burgen bread are low'ish GI. High fibre foods tend to be low GI. Raw carrots for example are lower GI than cooked as the cells aren't broken down and so on. There are many websites which give food listings and their GI level (just Google for them).

 

[wendy52]

Thank you very much Brett and daibell. That is so helpful. Gratly appreciated.

 

[jampot]

Hi Wendy
I am new to all this as well. I was diagnosed type 2 two weeks ago, put on Metformin and was devastated. I had absolutely no idea what to do. My philosphy in life (having had a series of horrific life events since Jan this year, capped by this diabetes) is now "sink or swim". You can do either, it's your choice. I chose to swim .... yet again. I spent days and days trawling the internet and found several forums which have proved invaluable. One poster replying to yours, suggested one particular site to log your meals etc. I too use one, a different one (as I used it years ago when I wanted to lose weight) called Weight Loss Resources (btw, I have absolutely no connection to this site other than being a member). It is now my bible for getting this diabetes under control. Since doing all my research I have decided to cut out bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, all fruit except berries and my blood glucose is now within the limits I see published for a Type 2 - all in one and a half weeks! I am walking every day. I am experimenting with cooking, baking stuff I have never done before. A big bonus is that I am also losing weight. I have bought a blood glucose reader and whenever I have something "new" to eat, I test my blood before eating and 2 hrs later so I can identify which foods are OK for me and which are not.

I have seen information which completely contradicts what I have seen on other places. I think you have to weigh it all up and see what could suit you and your situation. if your first choice doesn't work, then you have to try another tack. All I do know is that you have to take responsibility for your diabetes and do all you can to get control.

 

[punto53]

Hi Wendy just been reading Daily Mail good health!!!! (Must be true then) it has been stated today that ALMONDS help control blood sugar levels due to a study that has been researched in Australia type 2 patients. They ate 43g a day either as a snack or with breakfast or lunch for four weeks. The results showed be levels rose less after meals including the nuts. They say its thought that the high fiber content in the almonds helps to ,maintain a steady bs level?
So we can give it a try almonds here I come

 

[Weens12]

Hi Wendy
I am new to all this as well. I was diagnosed type 2 two weeks ago, <snip> I had absolutely no idea what to do. My philosphy in life (having had a series of horrific life events since Jan this year, capped by this diabetes) is now "sink or swim". You can do either, it's your choice. I chose to swim .... yet again. I spent days and days trawling the internet and found several forums which have proved invaluable. <snip> Since doing all my research I have decided to cut out bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, all fruit except berries and my blood glucose is now within the limits I see published for a Type 2 - all in one and a half weeks! I am walking every day. I am experimenting with cooking, baking stuff I have never done before. A big bonus is that I am also losing weight. I have bought a blood glucose reader and whenever I have something "new" to eat, I test my blood before eating and 2 hrs later so I can identify which foods are OK for me and which are not.

I have seen information which completely contradicts what I have seen on other places. I think you have to weigh it all up and see what could suit you and your situation. if your first choice doesn't work, then you have to try another tack. All I do know is that you have to take responsibility for your diabetes and do all you can to get control.

Hi Jampot,

Brilliant! :clap: :clap: You've come a LONG way in a very short time! Your journey sounds very like mine - I hit the web when I was diagnosed T2 in July last year, read everything I could, and found several forums , including this one. As a result, I came to the same conclusion you did about cutting out bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, and managed to lose over 3 stones in weight in about 5 - 6 months. And I felt (and still feel) better than I have in years. I chose to swim... and I'm still swimming

Recently, I've started to add in low GI foods, wholewheat pasta, brown basmati rice etc., and a little more fruit (other than berries) in small quantities, which I am now able to tolerate and keep my BG's in the safe zone. I guess that's down to lowering my insulin resistance through losing weight. The information I got on this forum about testing before and after food was invaluable for getting my BG's under control in short order. (about 2 weeks, like you) :thumbup: I am still testing, as I adjust my diet to maintain my weight. I enjoy the challenge of trying new foods, to have as varied a diet as I can, so that I don't get fed up ('scuse the pun) with eating the same things. I cook everything from scratch, so I know what's in it

I love my daily walks too, rain or shine (I always go "equipped" with wet weather gear in my little backpack).

Would agree that there's a lot of contradictory information, and quackery on the web about diabetes and the best diet etc.,
But, as diabetics, it seems that we all have to low-carb to a greater or lesser extent - how low seem to depend IMO on how advanced your diabetes is at diagnosis. People whose diabetes is more advanced at diagnosis, have less tolerance to carbs.

Lots of folk advocate an ultra low-carb diet, and it generally works very well, if you are disciplined about sticking to it. But it's not necessarily for everyone. Each of us has to find our own unique diet, based on trying foods and testing, testing, testing to find out what will work for us as individuals. By trying different foods, testing, eliminating or reducing what doesn't work, and building on what does, we hopefully end up with a diet that suits us, works for us by keeping our BG's in the safe zone, and that we can live with now and in the future. Because it truly is a 'lifestyle change' we need to make.

I did very low carb in the early days, but found as time went on and I lost weight that I didn't want or need to go quite so low carb-wise. Now I eat around 100 - 125g carbs per day, which seems to suit me. But we're all different. What works for me, may not work for you. And I would agree that we all need to take responsibility for our diabetes, and therefore control of it - well said!

All the best,
Elle

 

[2131tom]

Thank you everybody. I dunno how to reply to each of you as there is no obvious box under each comment. There is alot of usefull info here and it will help. I value each and every one of you and the time you have taken to come and post to me. I have been referred for the DESMOND course but can`t go on it until January next year as there is no spaces til then. I welcome ANY help i can get. I`m now looking forward to exploring here and hopefully it won`t be to hard to find my way around.

If it's not heresy to suggest a resource from an alternative site :shock: you might have a look at the online course at: http://www.type2diabetesandme.co.uk/

I went through it at the weekend and picked-up some good information/ideas. It takes a couple of hours to do properly but I felt it was worth it.

 

[jooberloober68]

I have only been diagnosed a couple of months. Before my chat with the dietician, I was low carbing to the extreme based on panic and ignorance and I felt shocking. Since our chat I have reintroduced carbs in reasonable amounts while testing with a glucose monitor all the way to check for blood sugar spikes. I am not a cook so have been using convenience type things. Carb wise I can tolerate tinned Jersey Royal potatoes (Morrisons), half packs on Uncle Bens Wholegrain rice (two minutes in the microwave) and 1 slice of Hovis Granary...


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