Blood sugars

[baldtyke]

Hi

I am nearing the end of week 2 and would love some advice

My BG had been at the scary levels upto me starting this new lifestyle, I was getting readings at 18 in 2 weeks my BG is down to fasting around 9.9 which for me is good.

I realise that there is a long long way to go but things are looking ok for me now, my mind is settled that this has to be my life of choice or I wont be here or at worst bits of me wont be here.

I wonder if you can give me any advice, is my BG likely to come down gradually and am I likely to have to take pills to get it to normal levels.

I am happy with my choices at the moment and am extremly focused I am seeing some small changes which are good but I guess I am like everybody these days only instant results will do, although I know it took years for me to get into this mess.

i have metformoin tabs buit dont take them as I always fought against medication but even that would be acceptable to me now so long as my body gets a chance to heal itself.

I am so grateful for all of the kind advice you all give and I am giving it my all to get fit and healthy with this new LC lifestyle.

Thanks

Tony

 

[Grazer]

Hi Tony, a few points:-

Yes, it takes a while for your body to settle. I assume you've read Daisy's "welcome" post, and are eating a reduced carbohydrate diet? Most of us here avoid the starchy carbs like rice, pasta, old potatos mashed or boiled, bread, flour products like pastry etc. That's not to say we don't eat any, just keep it right down. We try to eat low GI carbs when we do, like boiled new potatos, basmati rice, burgen soya and linseed bread, wholewheat pasta, and so on.
Take the Metformin! Their is no potenetial downside (other than perhaps tummy upsets which most get adapted to; if you can't, you can switch to slow release metformin which doesn't have the same side effects), but their is plenty of upside. It doesn't lower sugar levels much,(helps a bit though), your diet will mainly do that, but it protects long term against cardio problems.
You don't mention your weight; if you're overweight, the reduced carbs will help with that, as will the metformin. But exercise as much as possible. As well as helping with any weight issues, it also helps to lower blood sugar levels.

Good luck!

 

[daisy1]

Yes, it takes a while for your body to settle. I assume you've read Daisy's "welcome" post, and are eating a reduced carbohydrate diet?

Hi Tony and welcome to the forum This is the post that Grazer was referring to. I am sure it will be helpful.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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.