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gardel0

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi Everyone
I have been type 2 Borderline for 2 years and was about to be prescribed Metformin which I am trying to avoid.
Following Diabetes.co.uk trends I invested in a self testing program that truly revealed the problems from the very first test.
Previously I had relied on my GP and various online experts for diet advice which clearly did not address the problem
(porridge, highly recommended, gave me a reading of 10.4 post meal after 2 hours and 5 a day was life threatening!). Clearly something drastic was needed.

I honed my sugar intake and strictly adhered to my shopping method of checking the labels and discarding anything that had sugar content higher than .5 per 100 grams and I adjusted my portion control to limit total sugar to 1.5 grams per meal. Over 3 months I lost 3 stones in weight and my readings were coming down from in the tens to now in the lower 6's. I no longer test in the daytime but the nocturnal fasting BS Level was still in the 7's and 8's. I re-arranged my meal times to 6am, 12pm and 6pm then I swapped my evening meal to mid-day.Strict portion control and my nocturnal fasting reading was permanently in the 6's dipping once to 5.8 in the past week for the first time ever.

HERE IS THE QHESTION
Ready to murder for a slice of bread I went on a binge, Granola bars, Walnuts and several small apples, all to excess. I would have expected my reading to be in the lower 9's but no the nocturnal fasting BS level was an astounding 4.8 (I was beginning to think my meter didn't have such low readings!).

My simple question is WHY could such a low reading be possible in the circumstances? Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

I am 76 and I do not exercise (only as a necessity).Before diagnosis I ate and drank of life quite freely, overindulging more often than not.
The first step was no sugar, bread, rice, pasta, flour, biscuits nor cakes and definitely no alcohol. Porridge and 5-a-day had me leaning on the graveyard wall with one foot in the grave!

I would appreciate any observations you may have.

Best wishes to all and thanks in advance.
 
It would fit in with the hypothesis that we each have a personal fat threshold above which we develop Type 2 diabetes. Losing enough internal fat can bring us back below the personal fat threshold which enables the body to cope with dietary carbohydrates again. The weight loss would need to be done in the early stages of diabetes, before high glucose levels damage the beta cells of the pancreas.

As you have lost 3 stone, perhaps you have lost the internal fat which was preventing your liver and pancreas from coping with the glucose obtained from eating carbohydrates and put your diabetes into "remission". The hypothesis also predicts that if you put the weight back on, the diabetes would recur,

On the other hand, it might be worth checking your meter.
 
I think you have done very well with the weight loss and reducing your blood sugar levels. Maybe your levels are more under control now with your new diet most of the time.
I don't think you have had @daisy1 information pack for newcomers so I've tagged her.
 
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-glucose/dawn-phenomenon.html
Hello gardel0 it could be that your higher fasting numbers are caused by the dawn phenomenon, the above link explains it in more detail.
One of the ways to counteract the dawn effect is to have something to eat before bedtime, some nuts or cheese maybe. My favourite way to tackle it is with a glass of wine or a good malt before bed, apparently dealing with the alcohol keeps your liver occupied and prevents it from pumping glucose into your system.
 
Welcome to the forum sounds like you are doing good.. even after your binge... well done for the weight loss
I am the same age as you and after being prediabetic for some years at my annual blood tests this month.. two at two weeks apart.. I have finally tipped over the edge at a level of just over 7. I had already modified my diet and like you cut out all sugar stuff and the starchy carbs. I have never been one to really indulge in anything never had a sweet tooth so hardly ate any cakes biscuits puds etc and I have never drunk alcohol.. tried it when I was young just didn't like the taste... and being of the older generation never been into a lot of processed foods or the so called junk foods I have always cooked our meals from scratch lots of vegetables and fruit...which I have now cut down on...I have never been overweight and no family history of it but T2 still reared it's ugly head so it just shows it can happen to any of us. My exercise is walking my little dog every day
 
@gardel0

Hello and welcome to the forum :) Here is the information we give to new members, mentioned above, which I hope will help you with your levels. Ask more questions 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

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


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.
 
Hi. Yes, having reduced your insulin resistance thru sugar reduction your body can more easily use carbs. Walnuts are an excellent low-carb food, apples aren't too bad and even granola bars can be sort-of OK although some are drowning in fructose. Just keep avoiding sucrose and highly refined flour products and you should be OK
 
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