Oh dear. New life starts here.

alpman65

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello. I am a 49 year old male. 6ft tall and weighing more than 17 stone. I have led an appalling life. Far too much alcohol and cigarettes. I have been a health disaster waiting to happen. I have managed to justify my excesses by being reasonably active but to be honest being the fattest and slowest triathlete in the world isn't that brilliant. Two weeks ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 and am pretty fed up about it. I am not a stupid person and am fairly sure that I have largely brought this on myself. I am very much hoping that if I take it as a major kick up the backside, dramatically change my lifestyle (no more drinking 2 bottles of wine every night for a start) and really step up my exercise regime then things will be okay. Have been too scared to look on the internet for advice as I don't want to hear the horror stories. Just bought a blood checking machine in Boots, have joined a gym and have set myself some realistic weight loss targets. Haven't smoked since diagnosis and wont ever again. Have an education day at a local support group on Friday. Hopefully this is the wake up call I needed. Finding the mood swings really difficult. Go from feeling really positive to not being able to see past the next few months. Quite scary. Not a usual feeling for a strapping bloke like me. Hopefully reading the experiences of other sufferers will help me come to terms with it. Anyway, that's enough rambling. Feel better already.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 people

mo53

Expert
Messages
7,869
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello @alpman65 and welcome to a fantastic forum filled with kind, friendly and knowledgeable people who have been exactly where you are now. Wow a triathlete! That's fantastic! And the exercise will certainly help. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

noblehead

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
23,618
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
Disrespectful people
Hi Alpman and welcome, hopefully @daisy will be along shortly with her advice to new members of the forum, good luck and hope you reach your goals.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi and welcome. Exercise is always good and holding the alcohol down is always a healthy option but diet is the number one priority. You need to keep the carbs down a lot and hold the portion sizes. Yes, set yourself an initial weight target and I would suggest a carb target for starters. You probably need to stay below 150g/day and you will need a meter to monitor what foods affect you and by how much. Using the meter and scales you can adjust your food accordingly. It's a big challenge but if you stick with it, it will work. Some meds may also be needed such as Metformin but possibly not.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 people

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hi Alpman and welcome, hopefully @daisy will be along shortly with her advice to new members of the forum, good luck and hope you reach your goals.

Hello Alpman 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 many members will be able to 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 over 100,000 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

Reduce your 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-and-whole-grains.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
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

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 bloodglucose 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.
 

Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome!

Believe me, it's not all bad.
Lots of us on here find that once we get our blood glucose under control, we feel better than we have for years.

Good luck with your support group.
Just a teensy word of warning - many such groups suggest a diet that contains a lot of carbs in the form of potato, whole wheat bread and pasta, etc. most of us here have found that reducing carbs allows for MUCH better blood glucose control.
But I may be completely wrong - your group may offer brilliant lower carb advice. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 people

ally1

Expert
Messages
5,402
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
liver
hello and welcome
you will get alot of support here
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 people

Jamrox

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,166
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Mushrooms
Garlic bread
Walking up steep hills
Alpman 65 you are not alone , this forum will give you loads of help.

You will probably see this on the posts but here is what I have done over the passed 19 months
* downloaded my fitness pal app and record what you eat , tracked carbs , it's amazing how many you can reduce.
*test blood sugar often , it helped me to understand what I could and couldn't eat and what my symptoms meant.
* I have become much more active , for months I did some sort of activity for 40 minutes every day , I have a couple of days off a week now but will monitor my weight and bs .

Good luck with it all , you seem to be positive and if it helps I feel great now and so can you. By the way I'm not an angel and have the occasional carb fest but I just get over it and get back on track.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 people

alpman65

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi and welcome. Exercise is always good and holding the alcohol down is always a healthy option but diet is the number one priority. You need to keep the carbs down a lot and hold the portion sizes. Yes, set yourself an initial weight target and I would suggest a carb target for starters. You probably need to stay below 150g/day and you will need a meter to monitor what foods affect you and by how much. Using the meter and scales you can adjust your food accordingly. It's a big challenge but if you stick with it, it will work. Some meds may also be needed such as Metformin but possibly not.
Thanks. I am looking at my carb intake. Seems to be very important.
 

alpman65

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Alpman 65 you are not alone , this forum will give you loads of help.

You will probably see this on the posts but here is what I have done over the passed 19 months
* downloaded my fitness pal app and record what you eat , tracked carbs , it's amazing how many you can reduce.
*test blood sugar often , it helped me to understand what I could and couldn't eat and what my symptoms meant.
* I have become much more active , for months I did some sort of activity for 40 minutes every day , I have a couple of days off a week now but will monitor my weight and bs .

Good luck with it all , you seem to be positive and if it helps I feel great now and so can you. By the way I'm not an angel and have the occasional carb fest but I just get over it and get back on track.
Thank you. Its nice that everybody seems to be so positive on here!
 

Enclave

Well-Known Member
Retired Moderator
Messages
2,602
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
welcome, i think i was the bloke behind you in that triathlon race ... my T2 was almost one of the best wakeup calls I had ever had .. Lost 4st and my sugars are now normal .. I owe it all to these forums, they got me on the right track .. unlike my DSN who i think is so out of date with advice its criminal .. wander around the forums and do ask any questions you want as we have all been their.. I now fit into the T-shirt ..:rolleyes:
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 people

this is too difficult two

Well-Known Member
Messages
852
Type of diabetes
Don't have diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I was 20 stone and 6ft so you are far from lost:). I could still drink 2 bottles of wine without it effecting my BG too much. But the nonsense I would talk would be too embarrasing:oops:
 

Catlady19

Well-Known Member
Messages
644
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi, I was diagnosed 7 weeks ago. You have come to the right place, everyone here is brilliant and full of excellent advice. Dont panic,take it easy. ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people