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Advice please

L

Lorrie

Active Member
Messages
27
Hi

I have just come across this site in the last week, and have taken the plunge to try the Low Carb way, as it seems to make total sense.

Have been typ 2 for a few years, and have in truth been in denial, as have not really taken much on board, only test in the mornings occasionally as I have been advised!

My annual reading for BS last week was 7.7 and I currently take 2x 1000mg metformin, and statins 40g.

My usual fasting readings are between 7 and poss 8.

Have been doing this for 3 days now and first 2 days looked good 6.6 and 6.7. but this morning was back up to 7 which has deflated me a bit.

Can anyone tell me how long before you can expect results, am I being impatient. whats a good reading for 2 hours after eating. last night it was 8.9 after dinner. had mostly veggies and meat.
The night before I had what I thought was a healthy meal of veg casserole, but added some country soup mix which after I had added it realised it was high carb and reading was 11.4 to which I thought aha carbs its gone high, this morning with a reading back to 7for waking up reading am not sure, has anyone else had slow start on this
 
Hi Lorrie and welcome to the forum :) Some members will be along soon to share their personal experiences with you although it will be quiet today. In the meantime here is some information that we give to new members, although you have had diabetes for a few years, which might be useful to you.

You might also find this a useful example of low carb dieting:

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=18803#p170998

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 well over 30,000 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 ... rains.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 blood glucose 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.
Click to expand...
 
Hi

As you know we all vary with our diabetes so my comments are based on my own experience to date over the last 8 years. First your annual BS reading which I assume was an HBA1C test by your GP at 7.7 is high (similar to my last one!) and does need some action to reduce it. You seem to be doing the right things ref diet and being on Metformin is a good start with the meds. I personally avoid morning BS readings as the morning liver glucose dump can give a reading which isn't very useful. I always do a 2 hour test after my main meal normally in the evening. I'm happy if the reading is below double digits but it really needs to be below 9.5'ish and lower if possible. My GP put me on Sitagliptin to reduce my HBA1C and I was already on Gliclazide with Met. If the Met and diet aren't having enough effect after several weeks, then your GP may want to add a further med to the list. Are you also taking as much exercise as you can? Don't forget to have low-GI carbs where you can e.g. beans & pulses etc
 
Hi

Thanks for your reply, that is useful to note about morning readings, as I have always felt mine were a bit higher in the morning than other times, exercise, well I have 3 dogs and walk them, but it is useually to the beach and gaze at the sea, so I do need to up the exercise I know. I think the fact that I moved to Spain for 4 years just after I was diagnosed has left me a bit lacking in knowledge, (also a good excuse to avoid the problem) but now I shall face it head on, Nurse wanted to up my meds but I asked for time, so shall stick with this new regime and see how 3 month review goes, although I must say feel more enegetic and eyesight not feeling as blurry as past week, so again thanks will not get het up about morning reading and plough on
 
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