- Messages
- 6
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Hi all.
T2 diagnosed in August after 2x HAC1 tests of 86 & 94. I went to my GP because of persistent gout that I was no longer able to control with water & ibuprofen. As my consultation ended I said I though I might be diabetic also. I had gained a lot of weight in the last two years, I was constantly exhausted & lethargic + I was getting odd periods of blurry vision, usually first thing in the morning. And I was sweating a lot from just moderate exercise....I had fobbed myself off with the excuse that all these things were due to my obesity (6'1'' but 24 stones as I found out when the nurse weighed me - but only after she had to go off and find another set of scales because the first didn't have enough numbers! lol).
After I got the results of my first test we knew I was diabetic but they insisted on a second before it was official. I made use of the two week period to scoff as much as I could of the things I loved knowing full well that a diet had to follow (so the second higher reading was no surprise really). But I also used the two weeks to do research; I bought lots of books and found this website which was a Godsend after the appalling Janet & John style patronising **** on the official NHS website & the other Diabetes UK website.
I read all the positive advice on LCHF dieting and I knew that was the way I was going to go. It just made sense to me that I had to avoid carbs/sugar and pick my meals from protein, fat and low carb veg. I was familiar with Atkins and had successfully lost weight with it in the past, although I fell in to the same old trap of losing the weight and returning to 'normal' eating.
My return visit to see the practice DN was interesting. She immediately wanted me on Metformin but I said i was confident I could control it with diet alone and that it would be LCHF. She tried to dissuade me and offered me a diet sheet (lots of healthy carbs like wholemeal bread, brown rice, etc) which I declined and I also declined the offer to visit the dietician and the escorted trip to the supermarket to look at what foods I should be buying. I think she felt offended that I was dismissing her medical opinion out of hand.
As recommended by everybody here I bought myself a meter and started my LCHF diet. I started off with my Atkins induction phase target of no more than 20g per day. I'm not religious about weighing and portion control but I have a good grasp of how to watch the carbs so that was easy. If I go slightly above 20g I don't worry but I like to be below 30g. My first BG test reading (after wasting about 10 strips!) was 11.7 on 31/8/15. My pre meal test tonight was 4.8 with a 7 day average of 5.7. I only tend to test two or three times a day though so those readings may not be too accurate but I rarely spike past mid 6's at 1 or 2 hours after eating. It keeps me motivated to get lower but I did think it wouldn't happen when I was only 2 weeks in and still getting high readings. Oh, I've also lost some weight too if the belt, shirt and trousers are anything to go by - I'm now fitting in to stuff I haven't worn in ages.
A long way to go yet, but I appreciated everything I read on the forums - advice that I think might save my life - and I wanted to share my findings with the next person diagnosed as T2 to help them take control of their illness. I keep getting asked at work if I miss bread or beer or biscuits and yes, I tell them, I do - but not as much as I'd miss my eyesight or legs...
T2 diagnosed in August after 2x HAC1 tests of 86 & 94. I went to my GP because of persistent gout that I was no longer able to control with water & ibuprofen. As my consultation ended I said I though I might be diabetic also. I had gained a lot of weight in the last two years, I was constantly exhausted & lethargic + I was getting odd periods of blurry vision, usually first thing in the morning. And I was sweating a lot from just moderate exercise....I had fobbed myself off with the excuse that all these things were due to my obesity (6'1'' but 24 stones as I found out when the nurse weighed me - but only after she had to go off and find another set of scales because the first didn't have enough numbers! lol).
After I got the results of my first test we knew I was diabetic but they insisted on a second before it was official. I made use of the two week period to scoff as much as I could of the things I loved knowing full well that a diet had to follow (so the second higher reading was no surprise really). But I also used the two weeks to do research; I bought lots of books and found this website which was a Godsend after the appalling Janet & John style patronising **** on the official NHS website & the other Diabetes UK website.
I read all the positive advice on LCHF dieting and I knew that was the way I was going to go. It just made sense to me that I had to avoid carbs/sugar and pick my meals from protein, fat and low carb veg. I was familiar with Atkins and had successfully lost weight with it in the past, although I fell in to the same old trap of losing the weight and returning to 'normal' eating.
My return visit to see the practice DN was interesting. She immediately wanted me on Metformin but I said i was confident I could control it with diet alone and that it would be LCHF. She tried to dissuade me and offered me a diet sheet (lots of healthy carbs like wholemeal bread, brown rice, etc) which I declined and I also declined the offer to visit the dietician and the escorted trip to the supermarket to look at what foods I should be buying. I think she felt offended that I was dismissing her medical opinion out of hand.
As recommended by everybody here I bought myself a meter and started my LCHF diet. I started off with my Atkins induction phase target of no more than 20g per day. I'm not religious about weighing and portion control but I have a good grasp of how to watch the carbs so that was easy. If I go slightly above 20g I don't worry but I like to be below 30g. My first BG test reading (after wasting about 10 strips!) was 11.7 on 31/8/15. My pre meal test tonight was 4.8 with a 7 day average of 5.7. I only tend to test two or three times a day though so those readings may not be too accurate but I rarely spike past mid 6's at 1 or 2 hours after eating. It keeps me motivated to get lower but I did think it wouldn't happen when I was only 2 weeks in and still getting high readings. Oh, I've also lost some weight too if the belt, shirt and trousers are anything to go by - I'm now fitting in to stuff I haven't worn in ages.
A long way to go yet, but I appreciated everything I read on the forums - advice that I think might save my life - and I wanted to share my findings with the next person diagnosed as T2 to help them take control of their illness. I keep getting asked at work if I miss bread or beer or biscuits and yes, I tell them, I do - but not as much as I'd miss my eyesight or legs...
