Yikes! I have Type 2!!

DaveInCali

Member
Messages
15
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Diabetes
I just got diagnosed yesterday :(. I asked my GP "What can I eat now??" He told me if it tastes good spit it out!
Goodbye yummy foods and lovely beer!!
 
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Indy51

Expert
Messages
5,540
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome to the forum, Dave.

I know it's a lot to take in, so I'd suggest you have a good read around the board, especially the Type 2 and Low Carb forums.

I'm tagging @daisy1 so that she will post the introduction for newcomers.

Three years down the track and I'm still finding plenty of delicious food to eat, so no worries on that front ;)
 
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NoCrbs4Me

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,700
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Vegetables
I just got diagnosed yesterday :(. I asked my GP "What can I eat now??" He told me if it tastes good spit it out!
Goodbye yummy foods and lovely beer!!
Get a new GP. Unless he doesn't think bacon,eggs, cheese, beef ribeye steaks, wild salmon, full fat yogurt, and berries taste good:

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
 
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BooJewels

Well-Known Member
Messages
443
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
I'm with NoCrbs4Me - your doctor sounds like an imbecile and clearly knows nothing about treating or managing diabetes. Fancy leaving you with that advice to go out and deal with it. I hope that he actually gave you more guidance than just that, although I don't know what typical treatment you can expect in the US.

It's not flavour that raises your BG, it's carbohydrates predominantly - they're the starches and sugars in bread, pasta, rice, cakes, biscuits, pastry, cereals, fruit etc. And I'm afraid they're in beer too - my son calls it liquid bread. In fact, seasonings and flavourings are some of the things we can add with relative impunity. If you reduce what you eat from that group of foods, you'll make improvements straight away.

I've relatively recently dropped more carbs from my diet and have had a total rethink on what I eat and am enjoying my food more than ever - I'd developed a bad relationship with it because anything I ate raised my BG badly, so I felt guilty every time I ate and stopped enjoying it. I've now improved my control, lost weight and my diet is more varied, tasty and interesting. It takes a bit of effort and thought in shopping and planning meals and will take a while to adjust and embrace the changes, but it will certainly be worth it when you reap the rewards. My husband has lost weight with me too as he's adopted some of my modifications.
 
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PatsyB

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Messages
2,956
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
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Diabetes
hello and welcome ...it can be a bit scary finding out you have diabetes I know I was shocked, but I am sure many in the forum will advice you on many questions you wish answered and yes your Doctor sounds as though he does not understand like mine that is why I was so happy to find this forum.....:D
 
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kateincornwall

Well-Known Member
Messages
645
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
People who lie , animal cruelty , boredom and pineapple !
Welcome from me too , as the others have said, it shouldn't mean the end of nice food , you will find much information here to help you , just sad that your doctor wasn't able to do the same .
 
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CollieBoy

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,974
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
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Hi carb Foods
I just got diagnosed yesterday :(. I asked my GP "What can I eat now??" He told me if it tastes good spit it out!
Goodbye yummy foods and lovely beer!!
lots of tasty D friendly food out there!
Sorry but most beers are out now though!
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@DaveInCali

Hello Dave and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful, much more useful than the advice you got from your doctor ! Ask as many questions as you like and someone 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 150,000 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.
 
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Welshgooner

Well-Known Member
Messages
185
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Tottenham and High BS scores
Strangely beer doesn't cause me any problems....bread, rice, Jersey Royals and Bananas DO
There is a God see!

I manage a few lagers with some diet lemonade to increase the quantity lol.
Am amazed but have tested it to exhaustion several times......the meter doesn't lie lol
 
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Welshgooner

Well-Known Member
Messages
185
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Tottenham and High BS scores
Oh and welcome

Guess the main bit of advice I have is...eat it...test it...remember it

Good luck on your journey and don't forget to have fun as its not all doom and gloom
 
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Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. Well I've just had eggs and bacon and small portion of homemade muesli with added no-added sugar dried fruit. I hope the GP had a smile on his face when he said what he said. BTW beer is OK as long as it's not one of the higher carb ones (read label). Some people think because alcoholic drinks are made from carbs that they contain carbs at the end. Most of the carbs are converted to alcohol which is high calorie but has very little effect on blood sugar.
 
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Brunneria

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

All good advice above.

The only thing to add is to have a an internet search for 'Low carb cake'
you will see a million recipes, and realise that you are NOT doomed to a life of misery! :)

Also, have a look in the low carb section of the forum. there are threads on recipes, what we eat on a daily basis, and lots of help and advice.

I'm not suggesting that you cut all carbs and go hardcore (though you may move in that direction in time), but as a first step, removing the obvious carbs from your diet - portions of bread, potato, cake, rice, etc. is a quick and simple way of lowering your blood glucose quite quickly, and learning how too high blood glucose affects your body.

Controlling carb portions is the easiest, drug free way of getting control of diabetes, with exercise a close second.

Did your doc give you a meter to test your blood glucose?
 
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JAY1JAY1

Well-Known Member
Messages
623
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diabetes
Hi and welcome
As said above lots and lots of food you can have if you can test to find out what upsets the apple cart all well and good you will soon get used to it , don't be shy ask what you like and someone will try to help.
Keep well stay safe JJ
 
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TimLaws

Active Member
Messages
29
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi & welcome.
I received my diagnosis a couple of years ago now now Type 2 etc.
If I am honest it is only now I have really accepted the fact I am type 2.
The forums are great and the info I have taken from it have enabled me to reduce my weight by 2 stone, my need for metformin by half and enabled me to get a glucose meter plus strips from my GP/ Diabetic nurse.
I am about to start testing my blood sugars with the meter in a more structured way to identify what foods etc to avoid.
I am exploring the No Carbs High Fat option to see if I can shift another stone.

Has anyone out there got any experience of moving off medication and back to diet control only, only with the right numbers etc obviously?

This is not denial of my condition but more wanting to take control & responsibility for it.
 
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Gezzabelle

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,280
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome to the madhouse :) My doctor could be related to yours....he told me to go home eat spinach and drink wine !!!! Not very helpful and nothing worse than being left on your own to cope with a diagnosis like that. I was fortunate enough to find this forum and it was the best thing I ever did.....so much help, advice, information and support from people who truly understand the way you feel right now :) Have a mooch round and you will find lots of information and yummy food to eat and ask anything you need to know...always someone who will have the answers :)
 
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CollieBoy

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,974
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Hi carb Foods
Found that when I had a pint or 2 of ale, my BG went up, but If I got hammered I tended to be OK. (That' my story offisher and I'm sticking with it!:confused:)
 
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BooJewels

Well-Known Member
Messages
443
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
It can be a dilemma choosing what booze to drink as any carbs can raise BG, but the alcohol itself lowers it. So there's probably some truth in what CollieBoy says. So presumably you have to drink just enough to reach equilibrium. ;)

I once witnessed my (also diabetic) Dad keel over after downing a long cold G&T at the end of a walk on a hot day. If he hadn't had slimline tonic he might have avoided the hypo.
 

DaveInCali

Member
Messages
15
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Diabetes
Thank you everyone for the great responses! I don't feel bad about the dianosis, after all I wasn't so nice to my body over the years (but we had a lot of fun!!) Now I just need to regroup and eat / drink like a sane person.

My GP is sending me to a nutritionist next week so hopefully she will set me on the path to low carb bliss.
For now I'm off all carbs except for veggies and a daily fruit - blueberries today - until I see the doc.

I'll be lurking here and I look forward to learning from all of you!

Thanks all!
Dave
 
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NoCrbs4Me

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,700
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Vegetables
It's doubtful the nutritionist will tell you to eat a low carb diet. They usually will tell you to eat to the government dietary guidelines aka the food pyramid - the one with all the carbs one the largest slot on the bottom. I have found the medical advice wrt type 2 diabetes I've been given by nurses, doctors, dietitians, and pharmacists next to useless and I did not follow their advice. However, they are quite happy with my results.

Good luck, though, and let us know how it went.
 
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