At a loss

[KirstyRobbie]

Please I do not know what to do and I’m feeling so down!

I’m type 2 ( since 2 pregnancies 2018) I’m 34, weigh 80kg 5’2. I take Sukkarto SR 2 tablets at breakfast. The last year my results have been between 58/62 hba1c. I’m been extremely stressed with the pandemic, home schooling, and I’m awaiting an operation for a hernia in 2 weeks, also from yesterday I have now been asked to shield.

I was given a blood monitor machine (8 Feb) to measure my sugars and they was all in double figures , 10–16mmol, so they suggested due to the op to also give me gliclizide 2x a day 40mg, this really did help bring my sugars down to single figures 5-9 each day. But I was so lightheaded and hypo feeing, also the side effects were weight gain, so the nurse on Tuesday this week asked me to stop. So now I am just continuing on the metformin.

I am eating low carb and only snacking if I really really need too and if I do it’s nuts or a very small apple.

Each morning my sugars I cannot get lower then 9 and I don’t know what to do? The rest of the day it’s between 5/7 before meals and rough 6/9 after meals.

Has anyone got any advice?

 

[Tophat1900]

It may well help to have a run down of what you are eating for meals and snacks on a daily basis. Apples can really send some people's levels through the roof and not all nuts are the same, some can have a lot more carbs then others. So, just a rough idea of what you are typically eating would be helpful to make some suggestions.

 

[KirstyRobbie]

Breakfast- individual pots of natural yogurt or Greek yogurt with berries, or the live life low carb bread with poached eggs/bacon.

Lunch- plain salads, cold meats, or peppers with full fat cheese spread, if I had yogurt for breakfast sometimes a low carb seeded flatbread and houmous.

Evening meal- stir fries ( udon noodles) loads of veg, soy sauce ect. Last night plain pulled pork and I had lettuce instead of buns, with salad and coleslaw. If I have pasta I have a very small cupful ( my toddlers small drinking cup) and then protein and lots of salad, or I’ll eat little to no carbs in the day and have a smaller portion of pasta as my daily carbs.

As I said I dont snack everyday, depends how much running around etc I do with my kids if I feel really sluggish and hungry I will, and it’s walnuts/cashews or a Granny Smith or a small snack size apple.

 

[xfieldok]

Swap out the udon noodles for courgettes. Either spiralise them or make ribbons using a vegetable peeler.

Cashews are quite high carb. Apples are a no go for me. Greek yoghurt is fine but check the labels on the pots.

Pasta and rice is problematic. Have you tried cauliflower rice?

Never found a low carb flatbread. Would be interested in what you use.

 

[EllieM]

Each morning my sugars I cannot get lower then 9 and I don’t know what to do? The rest of the day it’s between 5/7 before meals and rough 6/9 after meals.

Most T2s find that their morning reading is the very last to come down. This is because though you are low carbing during the day the liver produces sugar to help you get up first thing in the morning and there're no way for you to tell your liver to push out less carbs. So I'd argue that your figures aren't too bad at all, because the rest look pretty good (in range for NHS T2 recommendations anyway.)

But apples are honestly pretty high in carb (even a small one may well be 10g of carbs), and you may find it better to snack on cheese, nuts, eggs, ham.... If you want fruit then berries are a much lower carb option - try frozen berries mixed with zero sugar Greek yoghurt for a delicious ice cream alternative....

 

[KirstyRobbie]

Most T2s find that their morning reading is the very last to come down. This is because though you are low carbing during the day the liver produces sugar to help you get up first thing in the morning and there're no way for you to tell your liver to push out less carbs. So I'd argue that your figures aren't too bad at all, because the rest look pretty good (in range for NHS T2 recommendations anyway.)

But apples are honestly pretty high in carb (even a small one may well be 10g of carbs), and you may find it better to snack on cheese, nuts, eggs, ham.... If you want fruit then berries are a much lower carb option - try frozen berries mixed with zero sugar Greek yoghurt for a delicious ice cream alternative....

It’s such conflicting advice isn’t it, everyone I speak too. I was told all nuts are ok, and to stick to apples which were green in colour, try to avoid exotic fruit. But I was told to never have low fat, low sugar etc and to have everything as natural as possible . It’s just so disheartening.

 

[xfieldok]

I eat keto so 20g carbs a day. Stick to berries. Fruit contains fructose only your liver can process that.

Do you have a carb allowance you try to stick to?

Have a look at dietdoctor.com for ideas. There are millions of recipes online. You need to know what to search for. Just put keto first.

 

[Tophat1900]

You might find this helpful.... https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/visual-guides

You can click on the guides to see the value (Carb wise) and if you look at nut you can see how much cashews have in them, walnuts are pretty good.

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/nuts

 

[KirstyRobbie]

No I don’t have a carb allowance, I wouldn’t have a clue to be honest?

 

[xfieldok]

Your carb allowance is something you set yourself and it's trial and error. I went keto because I started very high. I am still keto because I like it.

So keto is around 20g per day. LCHF can be 100g per day. You find what works for you. I was testing before every meal and 2 hours after the first bite. If the rise is over 2 then something in the meal was too carby.

I recorded my numbers and food in the mysugr app.

If you eat something out of a packet, read the label. It's the carbs your interested in, although you should learn all the names for sugar.

Anything fresh you eat you can google the carbs. It's a bit overwhelming at first but it soon becomes second nature.

 

[NicoleC1971]

Please I do not know what to do and I’m feeling so down!

I’m type 2 ( since 2 pregnancies 2018) I’m 34, weigh 80kg 5’2. I take Sukkarto SR 2 tablets at breakfast. The last year my results have been between 58/62 hba1c. I’m been extremely stressed with the pandemic, home schooling, and I’m awaiting an operation for a hernia in 2 weeks, also from yesterday I have now been asked to shield.

I was given a blood monitor machine (8 Feb) to measure my sugars and they was all in double figures , 10–16mmol, so they suggested due to the op to also give me gliclizide 2x a day 40mg, this really did help bring my sugars down to single figures 5-9 each day. But I was so lightheaded and hypo feeing, also the side effects were weight gain, so the nurse on Tuesday this week asked me to stop. So now I am just continuing on the metformin.

I am eating low carb and only snacking if I really really need too and if I do it’s nuts or a very small apple.

Each morning my sugars I cannot get lower then 9 and I don’t know what to do? The rest of the day it’s between 5/7 before meals and rough 6/9 after meals.

Has anyone got any advice?

You've been type 2 for a while and I am glad you are low carb because that is your best tool. However insulin resistance can be slow to change hence your higher overnight sugars so please keep hopeful and be glad that you have test strips so that you can see that your post meal sugars (test at 2 and 4 hours) are no more than 2 mmol more than what you started at.
If you get a slightly higher reading then learn from it - did you eat some carbs? have a stressful day (likely if you are home schooling so here's for March 8th! return) or coming down with something. Even not drinking enough liquid can cause a higher reading. Ditto a poor night's sleep.
If you are losing a little weight or your stomach is getting smaller that would be another good sign that your insulin resistance is reducing. If it isn't but your sugars are better then check that you're not snacking on more ish things too much e.g. cheese, nuts by which I mean eating more than your body needs/beyond appetite.
If you are losing some fat and your sugars are better then keep going and consider if you ca increase your time outside walking after meals as the next step if you're not already doing that.
Low carb and exercise are likely to be better options than anything the pharmacist can offer to reduce your risk of diabetic complications.
Its nearly Spring and things will get better or so I keep telling myself!

 

[VashtiB]

Hello,

I am sorry you feel frustrated- it can be overwhelming.

My suggestion is there are 2 possible ways to approach this. My way- I went very low carb straight away- keto less than 20 grams of carbs. I usually am under 10 grams of carbs. I did this to bring my levels down as quickly as possible and to attack the insulin resistance. this is my preferred way of approaching it. I've lost weight and my levels are well within the normal range.
Another approach is to start logging the carbs and the readings. I think it is important to log as without kn owing what your carb intake is you can't work out the level of carbs your body can tolerate. There are carbs in the most surprising of this such as cucumbers or tomatoes. Some nits are way higher than others.

What works for me is to stick with food with little to no carbs. Meat, fish, hard cheese, double cream etc. I can eat as much of those as I like. I use artificial sweeteners which many here don't. I have just had some iecream- total of 7 grams of carbs which is way more than usual in a meal. As it is evening I expect my fasting blood levels to be higher than I would like but it's a once a week treat. (and it was really yummy). When I have lost all the weight I have to lose I may try to see if my body can tolerate say 50 grams of carbs a day but I suspect that it won't. You an build a bit more tolerance with a. walk just after the meal.

Everyone has to choose their own way. You need to be able to sustain the consequences of your decision. While I love love carbs I hate the thought of losing my sight or a limb more.

Good luck and welcome.

 

[KK123]

It’s such conflicting advice isn’t it, everyone I speak too. I was told all nuts are ok, and to stick to apples which were green in colour, try to avoid exotic fruit. But I was told to never have low fat, low sugar etc and to have everything as natural as possible . It’s just so disheartening.

Hi Kirsty, I would say it's only conflicting when you are talking to people without diabetes or those simply parroting the average medical mantra! You will see that the vast majority of those WITH it are in agreement, they have it, they are living with it and they KNOW because they are the experts. If there's one bit of advice I can give you, it's to stick around this site and believe. x

 

[Resurgam]

It’s such conflicting advice isn’t it, everyone I speak too. I was told all nuts are ok, and to stick to apples which were green in colour, try to avoid exotic fruit. But I was told to never have low fat, low sugar etc and to have everything as natural as possible . It’s just so disheartening.

some things called nuts are actually - botanically, not nuts, and so their composition is different.
Walnuts, almonds, brazils, hazelnuts all seem OK.
I buy frozen berries from Lidl - they usually have a variety of single sorts and also mixtures.
I buy sugar free jellies and add in some gelatine to make it stiffer to cope with the fruit being added.

 

[KirstyRobbie]

Hi Kirsty, I would say it's only conflicting when you are talking to people without diabetes or those simply parroting the average medical mantra! You will see that the vast majority of those WITH it are in agreement, they have it, they are living with it and they KNOW because they are the experts. If there's one bit of advice I can give you, it's to stick around this site and believe. x

Thank you

 

[KirstyRobbie]

Thank you so much everyone, I seem to be able to tolerate a small amount of potato, but rice pasta or anything pastry is a no!

I appreciate all your advice, is the book on here advertised worth a purchase? And I’ll definitely be asking you guys now rather than a non diabetic.

 

[KennyA]

Breakfast- individual pots of natural yogurt or Greek yogurt with berries, or the live life low carb bread with poached eggs/bacon.

Lunch- plain salads, cold meats, or peppers with full fat cheese spread, if I had yogurt for breakfast sometimes a low carb seeded flatbread and houmous.

Evening meal- stir fries ( udon noodles) loads of veg, soy sauce ect. Last night plain pulled pork and I had lettuce instead of buns, with salad and coleslaw. If I have pasta I have a very small cupful ( my toddlers small drinking cup) and then protein and lots of salad, or I’ll eat little to no carbs in the day and have a smaller portion of pasta as my daily carbs.

As I said I dont snack everyday, depends how much running around etc I do with my kids if I feel really sluggish and hungry I will, and it’s walnuts/cashews or a Granny Smith or a small snack size apple.

Careful with the coleslaw if it's ready-made. There is often a lot of sugar in it. Soy sauce likewise usually has sugar added. Hummus is way too carby for me but I'm doing around 20g carbs/day. Cashews and peanuts (if I recall correctly) are actually legumes rather than nuts, and are therefore a bit more carby. Good luck.