Hi and thanks for you reply........
Last week my BG was 17 but the day before I had a huge binge - today it was down to 14, still very high, right? Do not (yet) know what HbA1c is - it is all so new to me and so much to learn.
Yes, 14 is extremely high - almost 3 times higher than it should be!
As for my diet - I eat every 2-3 hours as it helps control binges and seem to keep my fat-burning up too. I'll have a regular yogurt for breakfast and if needed a piece of fruit. Make sure the yogurt is a low carb one (below 10g carbs per 100g) Snack fruit or a pastry (well, not any more!), lunch a pice of bread (Oberland or German Rye) with tuna, egg, pate or ham or similar. Good choice for lunch, but maybe add some green salad/tomato/peppers to make it healthier? Snack again fruit or cake or bisquet (obviously changing now!). Drop the cake and biscuit. Dinner I'll have pasta with spag bog or bake potato with something (spag bog most often) - twice a week I'll have mash with 4 different veg (no meat). I also have homemade chicken korma with rice and similar. Pasta, rice and potatoes are 3 of the worst possible foods for a diabetic - all very high carb and will spike your blood sugar. In the evening I have a couple of plain digestives with a mini baby bell or a little soft cheese. Good choice.
I have very little bread in my diet and obviously my pasta and rice will need to change to wheat/brown rather than white. Wheat/brown are lower GI, but that simply means they convert into glucose slower than the white varieties. Look for low carb breads (like Nimble or WeightWatchers) and cut down the rice by at least a quarter.
Fruit - I eat lots of melon and LOVE watermelon which will have to change, I know. I don't like apples, but eat bananas, pears, oranges, grapes, strawberries etc. Melons and bananas are two of the highest sugar fruits and most of us tend to give them a wide berth.
My downfall is my sweets which I desperately try to change, especially snacking on in the evening! I have tried to make my own raisins/nuts mix but again struggle to take just a handful - again the compulsive overeating kicks in .......... if it is there I just cannot keep my hands of it! Nuts are a good idea, but raisins are almost pure sugar! Also avoid peanuts and cashews - these are members of the pea family, not nuts, and are high in carbs.
My diet cokes obviously will need to be a rare treat now, rather than a daily intake. I don't see why you've dropped diet cokes - contain no sugar and no carbs so won't impact either your blood sugar or weight.
I look forward to seeing the diabetes nurse and discuss diet and food planning. You need to bear in mind, as our dietitian Ally has often stated, diabetes nurses and GPs have no dietetics training and should not give dietary advice. We'd be interested to hear just what your DN recommends!
Do not have test meter or strips - my doctor is not keen to give in the first couple of months as he wants to see if can be controlled by diet changes and exercise. I have a new fasting blood test in 3 weeks and see him in 4 weeks. The same day as the blood test I see the diabetes nurse too. So how are you expected to know whether you have achieved control if you can't test to see the results? Unfortunately the truth (but your GP is unlikely to admit it) is that the PCTs are telling GPs to stop prescribing test strips because, with an ever increasing number of diabetics, they are costing the NHS too much money. You can argue the point with your GP, but you may just have to bite the bullet and buy your own tester and strips as many on here do.
I have purchased a couple of books about managing my diet etc – from the Diabetes website, so hope they will help getting to grips with all this new stuff! There are some great books and some that give terrible advice - which books did you get?
Exercise – well, I am currently out of work and I am lazy by nature! But I do walk at least 2 miles each day, more often 4 miles and take a stroll after my evening meal – approx. ¾ miles. I would say that's pretty good - probably more than many of us get!
So this is about it ……………. How am I doing for starters??
Thanks again
Alice
Ps. I have dropped from 118kg to 86kg and 3 dress sizes in the last 20 months – ideally I should loose another 10-12kg, but it worries me as I have not been that low for over 25 years and nature have changed my shape naturally over the years with childbirth etc. Should I relax and just keep going and take things as the come, as long as my blood sugar levels are controlled?? I would love to join a gym, but cannot afford to do it. Ideas??
