Deciding what to do next.

Hello and welcome, by chance do you have a glucometer? It's the instrument that measures your glucose. Most doctors say not to bother with testing for type two but how will you know which foods effect you?

How low carb are you? I'm doing like a moderate carb high fat intake because I work construction. Pasta is fine but it'll spike you depending how resistant to insulin you are.

I eat whole wheat pasta/multigrain and only half a cup (40g for 30g carbs) with chicken and some veggies.

Also I would read more about cholesterol and how it works, a good deal of members are on the keto diet to control their sugars and etc

https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/comments/3l6qdx/6_months_in_doctor_says_my_bad_cholesterol_is_too/

I'm not sure what the rules are for linking to other forums but anyway I'm at the gym going to finish my set.

I wish you the best in your management and care

Tiger55 said:

Hi first of all. New here but been a 'lurker' for a week or so.

Was diagnosed late April , Edit - with type 2, and have spent many hours reading online and joined this forum a week ago. Gout took me to the Doctors and was diagnosed from that. My HbA1c was 52. My cholesterol was high at 6.2. I am 5 foot 8 and 14 stone. Could lose a few pounds sure.

This has hit me hard. Imagine a typical building site male, 53 years old, ex smoker for some years (thank god) but loves a few pints after work and red wine with dinner, but also loves to cook and eat. Very active job can have me walking miles and carrying heavy loads. Starting very early and/or finishing very late.

I instantly cut out sugar and changed to low fat/salt/sugar everything. Now everything I read says low carb hi fat. My nurse says pasta is fine so I have chicken with pasta and salad for lunch every day. Cut out red meat all week and have fish or chicken. Weekly treat is ribs or steak. Breakfast is oats and low fat yoghurt with fruit.

I start metformin in 2 weeks. I am starting to reduce the alcohol and the exercise bike should help but what now? Surely low carb but high fat will only add to my cholesterol problem? So much conflicting information in such a high volume is difficult to process.

Now I don't know what to do next. Any advice?

Thanks

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I'm struggling with this a bit myself Tiger but what I can say is Diabetes CAN be reversed if you are willing to put in the hard work. I will leave more experienced folks to tell you what you should be eating but in my humble opinion (I was only diagnosed with pre diabetes 2 months ago) I wouldn't listen to your nurse! I would say that pasta, low fat yoghurt and fruit is the last thing that you should be eating.
Here is a link that might help you https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb
Good luck!

Hi and welcome @Tiger55
As Ragmar said, an important start is getting hold of a blood test meter. (NHS says you don't need one). If you test before your oats/ pasta and then test two hours later it will tell you if that food is good/bad for you.
Many of us have gone here for one: https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/
though many others are available. The strips here are the cheapest and you can even get discounts off their prices.
I'm going to stick my non-medical, non-professional neck out and say with your active lifestyle, you may well do well to try the Low Carb High Fat diet (LCHF) which has helped me. I started out at 104 and dropped to 40-odd within the first months. You are way more active than I ever was. You might upset the NHS, but it's a small price to pay.

Tiger55 said:

I instantly cut out sugar and changed to low fat/salt/sugar everything. Now everything I read says low carb hi fat. My nurse says pasta is fine so I have chicken with pasta and salad for lunch every day. Cut out red meat all week and have fish or chicken. Weekly treat is ribs or steak. Breakfast is oats and low fat yoghurt with fruit.

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Hi and welcome,

If it were me, what I would do next is abandon all the low fat products (they are not good for anyone, and are higher in carbs than the real thing), I would not change my salt intake, I would cut out all pasta products and oats unless my meter told me some were OK (but this is unlikely) and I most certainly would never cut out red meat. Why cut out red meat?

Your nurse is wrong, by the way. She is using NHS advice that is not appropriate for T2 diabetics.

It is known, and has been known for centuries, that carbs convert to sugar once eaten. So eating them makes no sense when we already have too much sugar circulating. When we reduce carbs we also reduce our energy intake, and this has to be replaced, which is why fat is necessary. It is also necessary because it stops us from being hungry.

Have a watch of this wonderful video. It is quite short.

Low fat/Low Sugar will be doing you no favours at all. Low fat usually means they have replaced the fat content with some kind of sugar. Low Sugar/No added sugar usually means that the foodstuff was very high in sugars to begin with and they (the manuctureres) havn't added as much extra sugar on top.

Carbohydrates, of whatever colour, will affect your blood glucose levels to some degree so it would be wise to get yourself a glucometer to teach you which foodstuffs are too high in carbohydrates for you.

There are plenty of lower carb recipes out there. Have a look at Dietdoctor or Ditchthecarbs websites.

And finally, welcome to the forum, have a wander around the site and ask as many questions as you like.

Tiger55 said:

Ok I will get a test meter.

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If you want to lower your bg by eating a lower carb diet, you need the feedback a meter can give you. We are all different and whereas one person may be able to consume 150g carbs daily, another (eg me) has to reduce their carbs to <20 daily. We only find out by testing.

These two are the meters many of us on this Forum who self-fund use. They have probably the cheapest strips.

(1) The TEE2 meter is free, but alas not the strips to use with it, which cost £7.75 for 50 ex VAT.

With your free meter you get a useful little carrying case, 10 free strips, 10 free lancets (which will last for ages if, like me, you re-use them) a free lancet gun and free bottles of testing fluid. Customer service is fantastic. You can speak directly to a REAL PERSON 24/7 on a freephone line (0800 881 542 whenever you have a question or if you prefer not to order online. Your order arrives pretty much by return of post. You can have a replacement gun, more batteries and more testing fluid all free. The meter works fast and it only requires a small drop of blood. It supposedly will transfer readings to an app by bluetooth, but only some phones and tablets are suitable. Mine aren't.

http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-plus-blood-glucose-meter/

Alternatively you can buy a CodeFree meter starter kit for £12.89 here:

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/

The advantage of the Codefree meter is that the strips work out slightly cheaper than for the TEE2 if you buy 50 (£7.69), but much cheaper if you buy in bulk. (To do this you have to put in a special code, available here on the Forum.) One disadvantage is that the Codefree customer service is way inferior to that of the TEE2 and only available during working hours Monday to Friday. This is particularly important if one is new to testing, as it means with the TEE2 one can get advice at any time of the day or night. One's Codefree order arrives much more slowly than the TEE2. So if, like me, you have a tendency to forget to order until you are about to run out, the TEE2 is better. With the Codefree not only do you have to pay for the meter, you also pay for any replacement batteries or testing fluid you may need later.

Don't forget that as a diabetic you don't have to pay VAT. You can sign up for this on the order forms.

Tiger55 said:

No test meter! Friends have tested me within the last 2 weeks and, late afternoon, I tested at 9.0 and 9.9.

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http://www.diabeteschart.org/mgmmol.html

Jenny Ruhl of bloodsugar101 says that blood sugar over 140 causes damage

http://mobile.dudasite.com/site/phlaunt1?url=http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/&utm_referrer=#2989

Hi Tigger and welcome! A couple of things to add to the really good advice you’ve already received.
I’ll tag in @daisy1 for her welcome info, I guess as you’ve been lurking you’ll have seen it, but just in case.
Also if you decide on a Code Free meter here’s the discount codes for strips. If you order 10 packs of 50 they work out at £5.98 per pack. It sounds a lot to buy but you will need a lot to begin with.
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833

@Tiger55

Hello Tiger55 and welcome to the Forum Here, in case you haven't already seen it yet, is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful and interesting. Ask as many questions as you want 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 well over 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

Tiger55 said:

Hi first of all. New here but been a 'lurker' for a week or so.

Was diagnosed late April , Edit - with type 2, and have spent many hours reading online and joined this forum a week ago. Gout took me to the Doctors and was diagnosed from that. My HbA1c was 52. My cholesterol was high at 6.2. I am 5 foot 8 and 14 stone. Could lose a few pounds sure.

This has hit me hard. Imagine a typical building site male, 53 years old, ex smoker for some years (thank god) but loves a few pints after work and red wine with dinner, but also loves to cook and eat. Very active job can have me walking miles and carrying heavy loads. Starting very early and/or finishing very late.

I instantly cut out sugar and changed to low fat/salt/sugar everything. Now everything I read says low carb hi fat. My nurse says pasta is fine so I have chicken with pasta and salad for lunch every day. Cut out red meat all week and have fish or chicken. Weekly treat is ribs or steak. Breakfast is oats and low fat yoghurt with fruit.

I start metformin in 2 weeks. I am starting to reduce the alcohol and the exercise bike should help but what now? Surely low carb but high fat will only add to my cholesterol problem? So much conflicting information in such a high volume is difficult to process.

Now I don't know what to do next. Any advice?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Hope this helps mate -
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

I've lost 40 some lb - I am trying to gain muscle at the moment so all my clothes keep growing even though my weight is stable.
I eat a low carb diet with the natural fats which come with the meat and fish.
Recently I decided to buy a small bottle of groundnut oil for cooking mushrooms - and was in such pain after a few days - my hips and legs, joints and muscles were stiff and I was creeping about and taking tablets every day - when the oil ran out I did not buy any more, and the pain has subsided.
After trying statins and feeling dreadful I have been using animal fats for cooking and been just fine, my triglycerides have been tested twice and were 2 and then 1.5 - non fasting - so I think that is OK I shall be avoiding cooking oil after my recent experience. 'Healthy' eating is no use if it makes you feel that it is not worth the effort.