Hi, I'm new to the forum, still trying to find my feet! I was diagnosed with type 2 last March and I take oral meds to help. I'm pretty much lost when it comes to diabetes I was put on the Desmond course last June and since then I have been left to get on with it on my own. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get to grips with my diabetes with help from you all on the Forum.
Hello Forum!
- Thread starter MAGARET.WALTON
- Start Date
Mike d
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- idiots who will not learn
daisy1
Legend
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@MAGARET.WALTON
Hello and welcome to the forum
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want 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 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
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 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.
Hello and welcome to the forum
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want 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
- 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 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.
JAY1JAY1
Well-Known Member
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- 623
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Diabetes
Hi and welcome to the forum
I think it's fantastic the way they virtually say your type 2 get on with it I had the same when I was diagnosed. As Mike D said a bit of background would help your numbers , have you been told to loose weight? We will try to help , plenty of advice on here just ask , no question is silly so don't be shy .
Keep well stay safe JJ
I think it's fantastic the way they virtually say your type 2 get on with it I had the same when I was diagnosed. As Mike D said a bit of background would help your numbers , have you been told to loose weight? We will try to help , plenty of advice on here just ask , no question is silly so don't be shy .
Keep well stay safe JJ
Hi and welcome. Recommend getting your own meter if you don't have one already so you can keep a check of what affects you.
Have a good look round the site, there are some fab people and really useful info shared between members
Have a good look round the site, there are some fab people and really useful info shared between members
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi JJ, yes I've been told to lose weight and give up smoking. I've only had my HB1Ac done once since being diagnosed at that was for the Desmond course! I've recently bought myself a glucose monitor as I was refused one on the NHS, I'm now waiting to see if they refuse to give me the test strips and lancets! My readings are higher than they should be but, I'm addicted to carbs this is where I fall down. What I'm really struggling with is the fact that I don't see the damage I'm doing to myself by eating the wrong stuff if there was physical symptoms that affected me then I would probably be more careful. I know I'm in denial I just can't get my head round the fact I've got diabetes. Thanks for your message you take care and stay safe too Mags
Hi , I've just bought a Meter and was a bit surprised at how high my levels were. I'm going to find some time and have a good look round the forum for tips and info which I'm not getting from my care team. Thanks for your message Mags
Hi, thanks for the info I'll check them out. Mags
My first HBA1c I can't remember but June 2014 HbA1c 7.2 which was the highest on the Desmond course. Testing my blood on Tuesday before breakfast was 9.6 after breakfast was 16.1 I had 2x toast and spread!
Hello PatsyB, you really didn't miss much by not going on the Desmond course. It was quite rushed and they promised to answer any questions we had but, sadly this didn't happen and people who should have been running the various sections is the dietician were absent!
TyTy
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 414
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Not much
hi @MAGARET.WALTON welcome to the forum, The forum is great to get a insight and ideas on how to control you diabetes . I find it a good tool to look for answers on thing si am not sure about! just ask questions .
Phlogiston
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 163
- Type of diabetes
- Gestational
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Diabetes, ofsted inspectors, uninvited phonecalls
Hi Margaret,
Welcome. I decided that the way to approach T2D was a rethinking of my diet. Desmond and the DN gave me a load of well meaning stuff about cutting down on the fat. This was all well and good, but snacks apart what they were recommending was the diet that got me into this.
David Cavan's book was in the local library, and made sense. Other books were a bit wishy washy. This stuff about "nothing's forbidden" is all very nice and gentle and unintimidating, but it doesn't make you change.
So:
No cake, biscuits, sweets, sugary fizz, fruit juice.
Big limitations on bread, pasta, rice, potato, much fruit, root veg. Although fruit and veg are high carb, they have lots of micronutrients so get treated less harshly than Mars bars.
Don't overdo: quinoa, bulghar wheat, millet,pulses. Slow release carbs - OK for me but others in the forum know through testing that they don't work for them. Frits with names ending in berry are lower carb than apples and oranges,
Fairly free run with fish, meat, eggs, leafy veg, avocado.
Breakfast no longer comes out of cardboard boxes.
Bread goes stale in the Phlogiston house.
I have changed food choices - breakfast is often egg based. Lunch is often based around salads.
Over 3 months 20% of my body mass disappeared - I don;t think I lost any important bits.
Hope you find a regime that works for you. Keep testing
Best wishes
P
Welcome. I decided that the way to approach T2D was a rethinking of my diet. Desmond and the DN gave me a load of well meaning stuff about cutting down on the fat. This was all well and good, but snacks apart what they were recommending was the diet that got me into this.
David Cavan's book was in the local library, and made sense. Other books were a bit wishy washy. This stuff about "nothing's forbidden" is all very nice and gentle and unintimidating, but it doesn't make you change.
So:
No cake, biscuits, sweets, sugary fizz, fruit juice.
Big limitations on bread, pasta, rice, potato, much fruit, root veg. Although fruit and veg are high carb, they have lots of micronutrients so get treated less harshly than Mars bars.
Don't overdo: quinoa, bulghar wheat, millet,pulses. Slow release carbs - OK for me but others in the forum know through testing that they don't work for them. Frits with names ending in berry are lower carb than apples and oranges,
Fairly free run with fish, meat, eggs, leafy veg, avocado.
Breakfast no longer comes out of cardboard boxes.
Bread goes stale in the Phlogiston house.
I have changed food choices - breakfast is often egg based. Lunch is often based around salads.
Over 3 months 20% of my body mass disappeared - I don;t think I lost any important bits.
Hope you find a regime that works for you. Keep testing
Best wishes
P
rose25
Member
- Messages
- 6
- Type of diabetes
- Prediabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Hi Mags
Welcome to the forum. I am fairly new also. I am not yet Type 2, but have been informed I am in pre-diabetic zone. I have to say this scared me as my brother is Type 2 and on insulin and my Dad had it too but controlled with meds. My Aunt also had T2 but managed hers with diet. So, I decided I needed to take control and get myself back into non-diabetic zone.
I have reduced my carbs to 100g per day (seems to be working for me although many others on here are lower) and I use the My Fitness Pal website, they also have an app for smart phones. If you were to use this facility you can change the amount of carbs in the goals setup. Using this I can log all my food and keep track of my carb intake. In 3 weeks I have lost 6 lbs also - that is exceptional for me, normally a very slow loser. I have been dieting for years and struggled for most of them and now I seem to have also found the solution to getting rid of those excess lbs too. I hope it will continue.
I always ate a healthy diet but did allow myself treats all counted and within my allowance, but just totally wrong choices - I love cakes and of course do miss them, but the fear of what health problems diabetes can cause me has spurred me into action. I already have arthritis and heart problems and the thought of having to deal with more was enough to bring me back to reality.
I have discovered 2 loaves that I am now using, both low carb higher protein and not at all bad. I like seeded bread anyway so they suit me. One is Hi-Lo bread at 5g per slice (available in Sainsburys) and the other is LivLife bread at 3.8g carbs per slice, the slices are slightly thinner (available Waitrose and I also saw it in Morrisons @ Reading, but it was quite a big store so not sure if my local store stocks it, I will have to check). They are quite expensive at between £1.59 and £1.80 per loaf, but Waitrose did have LivLife on offer for £1.19 I think.
So far this morning I have had 1 slice of LivLife toasted with some Vitalite spread on and a large boiled egg, followed by 75g blackberries and 75g of Alpro Soya yogurt coconut flavour. This has used 14g carbs so far today. I had a jacket potato with cheese a few days ago because the only other choices were pizza or hot dogs and this did cause a jump up again of my sugar. When I took it 2 hours later it was 8.9 and I was not happy about that, so I have come to realise the jacket potato, especially a large one, is out of the question.
I do wish you well in your search for answers and do use this forum and site for info as there is a wealth of advice here and people are living the reality so can be really helpful.
Good luck Mags.
Welcome to the forum. I am fairly new also. I am not yet Type 2, but have been informed I am in pre-diabetic zone. I have to say this scared me as my brother is Type 2 and on insulin and my Dad had it too but controlled with meds. My Aunt also had T2 but managed hers with diet. So, I decided I needed to take control and get myself back into non-diabetic zone.
I have reduced my carbs to 100g per day (seems to be working for me although many others on here are lower) and I use the My Fitness Pal website, they also have an app for smart phones. If you were to use this facility you can change the amount of carbs in the goals setup. Using this I can log all my food and keep track of my carb intake. In 3 weeks I have lost 6 lbs also - that is exceptional for me, normally a very slow loser. I have been dieting for years and struggled for most of them and now I seem to have also found the solution to getting rid of those excess lbs too. I hope it will continue.
I always ate a healthy diet but did allow myself treats all counted and within my allowance, but just totally wrong choices - I love cakes and of course do miss them, but the fear of what health problems diabetes can cause me has spurred me into action. I already have arthritis and heart problems and the thought of having to deal with more was enough to bring me back to reality.
I have discovered 2 loaves that I am now using, both low carb higher protein and not at all bad. I like seeded bread anyway so they suit me. One is Hi-Lo bread at 5g per slice (available in Sainsburys) and the other is LivLife bread at 3.8g carbs per slice, the slices are slightly thinner (available Waitrose and I also saw it in Morrisons @ Reading, but it was quite a big store so not sure if my local store stocks it, I will have to check). They are quite expensive at between £1.59 and £1.80 per loaf, but Waitrose did have LivLife on offer for £1.19 I think.
So far this morning I have had 1 slice of LivLife toasted with some Vitalite spread on and a large boiled egg, followed by 75g blackberries and 75g of Alpro Soya yogurt coconut flavour. This has used 14g carbs so far today. I had a jacket potato with cheese a few days ago because the only other choices were pizza or hot dogs and this did cause a jump up again of my sugar. When I took it 2 hours later it was 8.9 and I was not happy about that, so I have come to realise the jacket potato, especially a large one, is out of the question.
I do wish you well in your search for answers and do use this forum and site for info as there is a wealth of advice here and people are living the reality so can be really helpful.
Good luck Mags.
Hi Rose25, Thanks for the info on the bread I'll have to check out my local waitrose it's not a big store but I'm optimistic! Well done on losing 6lbs Mags
