Diagnosed Type 2 01/01/2015

Welcome to the forum @tpowell29210
I've noticed that you have started to get control of your condition.
I've tagged @daisy1 to give you the newcomers welcome information. If you have any questions, please ask as someone knowledgeable will answer.
Join in the fun, best wishes.

 

Welcome! Congratulations on the quick improvement. Were your health care professionals surprised that managed to do this?

 

A warm welcome to the forum typowell29210, hope your good progress continues

 

@tpowell29210

Hi and welcome to the forum

Congratulations on the progress you have already made. This information which we give to new members should help you even more, with its advice on diet and carbs in particular. Ask as many questions as you like 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

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.

 

Yes, I bet he was pleased. But was he surprised? Mine sure were when I got to normal blood glucose levels. They believe that type 2 is progressive.

 

Just wanted to say hi and well done on your latest results sounds like you are doing brilliantly. I agree this is the start of a better way of life

 

Welcome from me as well,and well done,stay with us and keep up the good work.

 

Welcome and very well done

 

Hello and welcome...you have done so well ...keep it going

 

I ask whether your doctor was surprised because since I was diagnosed I have been in contact with quite a few nurses, doctors, and pharmacists and they all seem to have been trained that type 2 gets progressively worse and definitely does not get better. They were all (pleasantly) surprised that I had gotten my blood glucose levels to normal values and gotten off metformin. I seem to be an exception to what they see with their other patients.

As for my diet, right after I was diagnosed I lost weight with a low calorie/high carb/low fat "healthy" plate diet for about the first 6 months, then I got a blood glucose meter and almost immediately significantly reduced my carbs. I then gradually reduced even more until I had completely eliminated sugar, grains, rice and starchy veg. Now I'm starting to add a bit of sweet potatoes back in, since they don't seem to spike my blood glucose much. My dietary plan now is pretty straightforward: eat nutrient dense, whole foods and avoid factory processed "food".

 

Hi and welcome to the forum

 

Hi welcome to the forum tpowell29210, Seems you are controlling your diabetes , welldone