Diagnosed with type 2 today

[Goonergal]

I do drink a lot of Pepsi max which is sugar free but are the sweeteners in it OK?

I had the same question when I was first diagnosed, having been pretty much addicted to Diet Coke. Different people react in different ways to artificial sweeteners. What I decided to do was completely cut them out for 3 weeks as irrespective of blood sugar levels, diet drinks are not good for you! After the 3 weeks I tested whether a Diet Coke affected my blood sugar - tried both as part of a meal and on its own. Neither had any impact on my blood sugar levels, so I can now safely drink, but I'm making sure it's more of a treat than a several times a day thing

 

[Pinkorchid]

It's great that your GP seems clued up enough to point you to this site as you'll very soon get a stack of replies

I wonder if it was this site or was it Diabetes UK as that is what they usually say to join as most still do not approve of LCHF

 

[ErylV]

Hi I'm Marion and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes today. I'm new to all this, no family history of diabetes. I'm 53 and fat so no real surprise I suppose.
The GP I saw happens to run the diabetic clinic so that was handy. My blood glucose was 27 somethings and should be under 7 somethings apparently. I left the surgery with Gliclazide which I have to take twice a day and a Glucomen areo blood glucose monitoring system. My main problem at the moment is that I have no idea what to eat. I had to get an appointment for the diabetes clinic where I see the dietician, podiatrist, and Doctor but that's not until April.
I'm used to calorie controlled diets - unsuccessful but I know how they work but not anything where carbs and sugar are controlled so I have no real idea what is considered low enough to be OK if that makes any sense?
Anyway, the GP recommended this site so I will read it all thoroughly over the next couple of days and any tips or suggestions where to start would be fab.
A wee bit of personal information. I'm married with two daughters 27 and 22. I live in Fife Scotland with two dogs, three cats and a tortoise. We have an elderly horse which lives nearby. I teach computer programming at college level and I love to read and crochet.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

Marion- good evening! You have reached a very significant point in your life, one which I reached in 2009 at the age of 50. I'm sorry to say that I didn't take it too seriously at the time and now realize what a mistake that was- hence my answering your post! This is a very serious disease which has seriously unpleasant consequences in later years if you choose to ignore it (like I did!!)( see BBC Panorama 'Diabetes; The Hidden Killer Oct 3rd 2016). But there is good news.. if you take charge of your life and make an effort with your diet and exercise you can turn the situation around... The basics are simple...loose weight ( carrying fat around the midriff is closely associated with the cause of type 2) and do an hour of moderate exercise every day ( increasingly challenging yourself as you get more fit). All of this is to control your blood sugar levels which is the route cause of all evil! Immediately cut out all sugar in your diet ( not so easy as sugar is hidden in most processed foods!) and cut down dramatically on potatoes ( inc crisps, chips) pasta, rice and bread. Go for the brown,, wholemeal, stoneground and unprocessed varieties if you must but cut down the portion sizes...Do not underestimate the importance of your daily exercise as this will help you with motivation and general energy levels and help you orientate yourself with the discipline needed to manage your disease. I wish you well and the best of luck from North Wales...

 

[Resurgam]

Remember, though, that the brown versions do nothing to stop your blood glucose levels rising, they are simply the 'healthy' versions of what turns to sugar as it is digested - and if you can't cope with that amount of sugar in your blood then you should avoid them.
I have been low carbing for a few months I find that I am now getting low glucose readings as my resistance to insulin is reducing - particularly in the late afternoons. My meter shows my numbers dropping hour by hour.

 

[BarbaraG]

I wonder if it was this site or was it Diabetes UK as that is what they usually say to join as most still do not approve of LCHF

I'm still remembering me a couple of years ago when I would go looking for Diabetes UK and find this site by accident. Ooh, I was so cross!!! Who do these diabetes.co.uk people think they are, they're nothing official, Grrrrr!!

So glad I started reading

 

[Pinkorchid]

I'm still remembering me a couple of years ago when I would go looking for Diabetes UK and find this site by accident. Ooh, I was so cross!!! Who do these diabetes.co.uk people think they are, they're nothing official, Grrrrr!!

So glad I started reading

I think many people find this group when searching for Diabetes UK...I did myself.. and think they are the same one. It gives different advice to what Diabetes UK and their health care professionals have told them so then they realise they are different sites. We can't blame them if many think why should they follow the advice on an alternative diet given by people who are not experts or have any medical qualifications in diabetes so many of the thousands who join probably never come back to post or ask questions

 

[Mr_Pot]

Another thing you might want to look at is the Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (google it) it is in Excel format and has nutritional info on around 3000 foods.

Thanks @miahara for this very useful reference. It certainly is very detailed, bacon rashers alone have 18 varieties shown!

 

[miahara]

Thanks @miahara for this very useful reference. It certainly is very detailed, bacon rashers alone have 18 varieties shown!

Yes, very useful and the data is used by many food companies for the data on food packaging.
If you can import to a database you can sort on any heading e.g. sort the 18 varieties of bacon by carb content etc.

Best thing since sliced bread - though sliced bread is off my menu!!