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Newly Diagnosed
4 months in and going well (I think!)
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<blockquote data-quote="NorthernPam" data-source="post: 402094" data-attributes="member: 76218"><p>Hi Lee,</p><p>Seems like you and I have a similar approach. You have no idea how good this makes me feel as I was beginning to think I was being somewhat anal about this and taking it too seriously. When I saw the GP at my 3-month check-up he took a look at a selection of my charts with much head shaking, saying he couldn't do something like this. I think he thought I was a bit mad but must have been impressed as I blagged him into prescribing more tests strips for me so I could test more meals and also the effect of timings and exercise. I would love to see your charts please if you are willing to share as I think I could learn a few things and would also welcome some more tasty veggie meal options. Please feel free to send me a personal mail with them attached. I haven't tried this facility on this site yet but understand it is possible by clicking on the person's user name like on Ancestry.</p><p></p><p>I have adopted the principle that no food is forbidden but that certain foods bring consequences. As I have said before I have never been into dieting as such but have watched family and friends dieting and having food cravings. This 'nothing forbidden' approach seems to be working for me as I haven't craved anything yet in 4 months. I have to say that I do miss a home-delivery Chinese but not to the point of fantasising about it. At some stage I shall indulge though. From various things that I have read including the 'Blood Sugar 101' book my understanding is that the occasional ... and I do mean occasional ... sugar spike will not result in excessive harm and that it is OK to eat off-plan occasionally. Luckily I do not have a sweet tooth so cutting out such things has not been difficult for me. I did have a small piece of cake with a friend on her birthday last month and have also had the occasional square of 85% cocoa chocolate (low GI) but very rarely and that little bit is enough to satisfy me. Interestingly the dietician said at the educational session that there was no such thing as a diabetic diet and if we wanted a piece of cake then to be aware that blood sugars would rise sharply and take longer to come down but also recommended that the best time to eat such a thing was with a meal. I am not convinced about this as surely this just makes the carb content of a meal higher overall? I have only tried the chocolate 2-3 hours from eating and tested before and after. Yes, sugars did go up but not much and came back down within 2 hours. More testing still needed though. We're all different and it seems that what works for one person sends sugars sky high in someone else.</p><p></p><p>You have done very well indeed with your weight loss so well done on that. Well done too on getting off most of the pills. Personally I hate the thought of stuffing my body with chemicals as often meds bring their own problems. An old family friend takes 21 pills a day for various things and I would hate to be like that! I've read on the forums that some folk have been prescribed meds immediately even if their A1c was relatively low/pre-diabetic and I was quite relieved that my GP has not even suggested meds to date. I was quite amazed though by the lack of knowledge of other new diabetics at the educational session. The lady next to me had an A1c in the 20s and had been put on Metformin immediately. She didn't know why she was on the educational session as she had finished the prescription (not ordered more) and thought she would be cured now!</p><p></p><p>I'm pleased with my weight loss to date although it has been incidental rather than premeditated. My aim was to get sugars down so I adopted the reduced carbs strategy and the weight just fell off as a consequence. I have 16 pounds to go now before I am back at the weight I was when I left school (a long time ago!) and this is the weight I have been most of my adult life. Clinically the NHS will still classify me as overweight (only just) but I have always been comfortable at that weight and looked and felt good. My weight loss is coming in at about a pound a week now which I am happy with. Already I have a waist again - 9 inches off that as of a month ago (not measured since) plus several inches off boobs and hips and it is noticeable. I really don't want to lose much more than this though so may need to look again at calories in due course.</p><p></p><p>The first month I talked to a number of diabetic family, friends, and acquaintances in an effort to learn how they managed it and pick up some tips. I wasn't too happy with what I learned as by that time I had done a lot of research online and also read some books. A neighbour no longer has butter or any alcohol but still eats white bread and is under the impression that cutting out those things is good for his sugars. A cousin treats himself to a hot cross bun for elevenses every day and when I visited recently he produced puff pastry cheese and onion slices for lunch! I think this is a direct result of the lack of sugar focus in the educational sessions and the way diabetes is approached at government level. Such a shame as the cost to the individual as well as the health service is huge. What particularly saddened me is that both of these guys (and others I have spoken to) expect an inexorable decline in their health over time along with more meds as and when needed. I do not believe this is true and that those people who make the effort to look after themselves will not necessarily decline.</p><p></p><p>I think you are so right to be testing again as your weight loss and being off meds will have resulted in a big change for your body. I've seen various posts about people not being able to get test strips prescribed and the NICE guidelines and think it is awful. How do you know what you are aiming for unless you know where you are? A good saying is 'if you do what you have always done then you'll get what you have always got' but how do you know if something has to change if you don't have the data to make that decision?</p><p></p><p>I agree that the spreadsheet approach is great for meal planning, particularly just before a supermarket trip. The first month in this was a nightmare for me as it was taking so long - not just to meal plan but also looking at labels in the supermarket to make the best choices. I also went right through my food cupboards and freezer and got the values of everything in the house and that took time. Some things such as a frozen garlic baguette and a pack of dried fruit were immediately given away due carb content. Other things I kept and am eating in small portions from time-to-time. These days my shopping trolley is almost exclusively fresh stuff but that does mean more shopping trips! Luckily I have a large Tesco about 5 minutes drive away.</p><p></p><p>Need to get out more? Sounds like you have this well organised now. I have to say that the first couple of weeks I spent a great deal of time both reading and setting up my spreadsheets. Thankfully it was a quiet work period for me so I didn't have to juggle time and could focus. Now I am back to normal activities and only think about diabetes at mealtimes. Hopefully as time goes on that will become second nature too.</p><p></p><p>Thanks again for the support but I think you have the same approach so you are doing a fantastic job too. Not many people would have the time or the inclination to go into this much detail. There are many people who are not IT-literate and would not have the skill or knowledge to be able to create such a database anyway. For me it was essential to enable me to learn about content of different foods as no way I could remember it all in my head or keep a running tally of what I ate each day. I've got enough data now to start looking for patterns but shall continue to record everything until I feel confident enough to make good food choices without the charts. Already I do some in advance and others at the end of a day or even two days.</p><p></p><p>I think it would be very helpful for newbies to have a bit more direction and knowledge when they start out even if it was only a list of items known to contain high sugars. The advice 'watch your sugars' was by no means adequate. The other 5 people in the room on my educational session clearly didn't have a clue as evidenced at the end when one guy asked what he could eat to fill him up if he couldn't eat 4 chocolate bars! Maybe a project for us?</p><p></p><p>From your phraseology my guess is that you are UK based - correct? Whereabouts? I'm up in the northeast of the country.</p><p></p><p>Thanks again for your support. I know I have a way to go and welcome both support and suggestions.</p><p></p><p>It is really hot up this way today. My niece has just been to visit and we took my lab round the local woods. Since then I have cut the grass but come back in to finish this as it is too hot to do more garden work. Sam is now in the cool of my study at my feet panting from the heat so better for him to be indoors too. Hope you've had a nice day where you are.</p><p>Pam</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="NorthernPam, post: 402094, member: 76218"] Hi Lee, Seems like you and I have a similar approach. You have no idea how good this makes me feel as I was beginning to think I was being somewhat anal about this and taking it too seriously. When I saw the GP at my 3-month check-up he took a look at a selection of my charts with much head shaking, saying he couldn't do something like this. I think he thought I was a bit mad but must have been impressed as I blagged him into prescribing more tests strips for me so I could test more meals and also the effect of timings and exercise. I would love to see your charts please if you are willing to share as I think I could learn a few things and would also welcome some more tasty veggie meal options. Please feel free to send me a personal mail with them attached. I haven't tried this facility on this site yet but understand it is possible by clicking on the person's user name like on Ancestry. I have adopted the principle that no food is forbidden but that certain foods bring consequences. As I have said before I have never been into dieting as such but have watched family and friends dieting and having food cravings. This 'nothing forbidden' approach seems to be working for me as I haven't craved anything yet in 4 months. I have to say that I do miss a home-delivery Chinese but not to the point of fantasising about it. At some stage I shall indulge though. From various things that I have read including the 'Blood Sugar 101' book my understanding is that the occasional ... and I do mean occasional ... sugar spike will not result in excessive harm and that it is OK to eat off-plan occasionally. Luckily I do not have a sweet tooth so cutting out such things has not been difficult for me. I did have a small piece of cake with a friend on her birthday last month and have also had the occasional square of 85% cocoa chocolate (low GI) but very rarely and that little bit is enough to satisfy me. Interestingly the dietician said at the educational session that there was no such thing as a diabetic diet and if we wanted a piece of cake then to be aware that blood sugars would rise sharply and take longer to come down but also recommended that the best time to eat such a thing was with a meal. I am not convinced about this as surely this just makes the carb content of a meal higher overall? I have only tried the chocolate 2-3 hours from eating and tested before and after. Yes, sugars did go up but not much and came back down within 2 hours. More testing still needed though. We're all different and it seems that what works for one person sends sugars sky high in someone else. You have done very well indeed with your weight loss so well done on that. Well done too on getting off most of the pills. Personally I hate the thought of stuffing my body with chemicals as often meds bring their own problems. An old family friend takes 21 pills a day for various things and I would hate to be like that! I've read on the forums that some folk have been prescribed meds immediately even if their A1c was relatively low/pre-diabetic and I was quite relieved that my GP has not even suggested meds to date. I was quite amazed though by the lack of knowledge of other new diabetics at the educational session. The lady next to me had an A1c in the 20s and had been put on Metformin immediately. She didn't know why she was on the educational session as she had finished the prescription (not ordered more) and thought she would be cured now! I'm pleased with my weight loss to date although it has been incidental rather than premeditated. My aim was to get sugars down so I adopted the reduced carbs strategy and the weight just fell off as a consequence. I have 16 pounds to go now before I am back at the weight I was when I left school (a long time ago!) and this is the weight I have been most of my adult life. Clinically the NHS will still classify me as overweight (only just) but I have always been comfortable at that weight and looked and felt good. My weight loss is coming in at about a pound a week now which I am happy with. Already I have a waist again - 9 inches off that as of a month ago (not measured since) plus several inches off boobs and hips and it is noticeable. I really don't want to lose much more than this though so may need to look again at calories in due course. The first month I talked to a number of diabetic family, friends, and acquaintances in an effort to learn how they managed it and pick up some tips. I wasn't too happy with what I learned as by that time I had done a lot of research online and also read some books. A neighbour no longer has butter or any alcohol but still eats white bread and is under the impression that cutting out those things is good for his sugars. A cousin treats himself to a hot cross bun for elevenses every day and when I visited recently he produced puff pastry cheese and onion slices for lunch! I think this is a direct result of the lack of sugar focus in the educational sessions and the way diabetes is approached at government level. Such a shame as the cost to the individual as well as the health service is huge. What particularly saddened me is that both of these guys (and others I have spoken to) expect an inexorable decline in their health over time along with more meds as and when needed. I do not believe this is true and that those people who make the effort to look after themselves will not necessarily decline. I think you are so right to be testing again as your weight loss and being off meds will have resulted in a big change for your body. I've seen various posts about people not being able to get test strips prescribed and the NICE guidelines and think it is awful. How do you know what you are aiming for unless you know where you are? A good saying is 'if you do what you have always done then you'll get what you have always got' but how do you know if something has to change if you don't have the data to make that decision? I agree that the spreadsheet approach is great for meal planning, particularly just before a supermarket trip. The first month in this was a nightmare for me as it was taking so long - not just to meal plan but also looking at labels in the supermarket to make the best choices. I also went right through my food cupboards and freezer and got the values of everything in the house and that took time. Some things such as a frozen garlic baguette and a pack of dried fruit were immediately given away due carb content. Other things I kept and am eating in small portions from time-to-time. These days my shopping trolley is almost exclusively fresh stuff but that does mean more shopping trips! Luckily I have a large Tesco about 5 minutes drive away. Need to get out more? Sounds like you have this well organised now. I have to say that the first couple of weeks I spent a great deal of time both reading and setting up my spreadsheets. Thankfully it was a quiet work period for me so I didn't have to juggle time and could focus. Now I am back to normal activities and only think about diabetes at mealtimes. Hopefully as time goes on that will become second nature too. Thanks again for the support but I think you have the same approach so you are doing a fantastic job too. Not many people would have the time or the inclination to go into this much detail. There are many people who are not IT-literate and would not have the skill or knowledge to be able to create such a database anyway. For me it was essential to enable me to learn about content of different foods as no way I could remember it all in my head or keep a running tally of what I ate each day. I've got enough data now to start looking for patterns but shall continue to record everything until I feel confident enough to make good food choices without the charts. Already I do some in advance and others at the end of a day or even two days. I think it would be very helpful for newbies to have a bit more direction and knowledge when they start out even if it was only a list of items known to contain high sugars. The advice 'watch your sugars' was by no means adequate. The other 5 people in the room on my educational session clearly didn't have a clue as evidenced at the end when one guy asked what he could eat to fill him up if he couldn't eat 4 chocolate bars! Maybe a project for us? From your phraseology my guess is that you are UK based - correct? Whereabouts? I'm up in the northeast of the country. Thanks again for your support. I know I have a way to go and welcome both support and suggestions. It is really hot up this way today. My niece has just been to visit and we took my lab round the local woods. Since then I have cut the grass but come back in to finish this as it is too hot to do more garden work. Sam is now in the cool of my study at my feet panting from the heat so better for him to be indoors too. Hope you've had a nice day where you are. Pam [/QUOTE]
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