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diagnosed with type 2

brandonm

brandonm

Member
Messages
15
Location
Chicago,il
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
hello, i am 28yrs old and was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, i received a phone call from my doctor on 2/19/2018 telling me my a1c was 6.8. however my kidneys/liver was fine my Dr also went on to say my cholesterol was surprisingly low. im currently about 5'8 in height and weight around 360 pounds, initially i was in denial and upset about my diagnosis but after a day i immediately took steps to change my lifestyle. i started exercising daily (before i would just sit down playing games) and changed my eating habits drastically (cuting out the kfc junk food and soda) i have been trying to watch the carbs,sugar, etc.


i also did research and found alot of diabetics have been able to go into remission by losing weight and staying on a healthy diet.
is this possible for me also? im currently taking 500mg metformin. since i was diagnosed i lost about 5 pounds from working out so far. my Dr did tell me my diabetes was not that bad, also does remission last a lifetime if you exercise and continue to eat healthy.
 
Hi

Yes it is possible, if you eat right, drink right, exercise right and sleep well you have done everything you can to support your body and give it the best base for being/staying in remission.

There are so many things you cannot control, but in my experience the things you can control will make a huge difference, and from what you have said you are going the right direction. Keep it going, you can be amazing

@daisy1 will I am sure share the page we all start from.

Ask questions, write down the answers, question it again, arm yourself with tested knowledge , try new foods, spice everything.

Ross
 
@brandonm

Hello Brandon and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will 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.
 
brandonm said:
hello, i am 28yrs old and was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, i received a phone call from my doctor on 2/19/2018 telling me my a1c was 6.8. however my kidneys/liver was fine my Dr also went on to say my cholesterol was surprisingly low. im currently about 5'8 in height and weight around 360 pounds, initially i was in denial and upset about my diagnosis but after a day i immediately took steps to change my lifestyle. i started exercising daily (before i would just sit down playing games) and changed my eating habits drastically (cuting out the kfc junk food and soda) i have been trying to watch the carbs,sugar, etc.


i also did research and found alot of diabetics have been able to go into remission by losing weight and staying on a healthy diet.
is this possible for me also? im currently taking 500mg metformin. since i was diagnosed i lost about 5 pounds from working out so far. my Dr did tell me my diabetes was not that bad, also does remission last a lifetime if you exercise and continue to eat healthy.
Click to expand...

Hi Brandon,

If you cut carbs, become more active, and stick with it, then yeah... What one might all remission is more than possible, if you ask me. I've dropped 20 kilo's and my HbA1c is now in the non-diabetic range. But if I pig out on carby food, my bloodsugar will skyrocket again in the next 2 hours after that meal and wreak havoc. I'm a diabetic and I will remain one, "remission" or no. It'll always be a work in progress, and thankfully I've found that I actually enjoy the food that I eat now, so that's good. ;) Helps in sticking with it! Now that my numbers are good I have less infections/inflammations, and when one does occur it's gone in no time at all. (I had a LOT of those, and some lasted months, or even years. Now it's a day, maybe two, and poof, healed.). My eyesight is better than it was, and I feel a little better about my body. And for the first time in decades, I sleep well. There's a lot of discussion on what a healthy diet entails, but for most diabetics on this forum, the low-carb/high fat (healthy fats!) works rather well. It does for me, anyway. Loads of meat, veggies, berries, nuts... (I can't eat dairy, but cheese, cream and eggs are all good for you unless you're intolerant). I'm on no medication for my diabetes, haven't been for little over a year now, and my cholesterol's come down some as well. So it's quite possible for you too! Good luck!
 
my doctor decided to completely take me off medicine today on 2/19/2018 i was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (i was taking 500mg metformin twice a day) my A1C came back at 5.1 down from 6.8 i also lost a few pounds. i am currently at 290, down from 363 and i'm currently working on losing more
 
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Hi brandonm i think you are doing amazingly well since diagnose . Looks like you have taken the bull by the horns so to speak. I think you can rule diabetes and not let it rule you. I agree with joKalsbeek and also i will always be a diabetic but i'm going to enjoy life regardless and of course everyone has their bad days. I'm not that long diagnosed myself, but am starting these days to feel like it's not a death sentence. Also food is far more enjoyable and i have so much more energy then ever i have had in my life before .Good luck.
 
Moggely said:
Hi brandonm i think you are doing amazingly well since diagnose . Looks like you have taken the bull by the horns so to speak. I think you can rule diabetes and not let it rule you. I agree with joKalsbeek and also i will always be a diabetic but i'm going to enjoy life regardless and of course everyone has their bad days. I'm not that long diagnosed myself, but am starting these days to feel like it's not a death sentence. Also food is far more enjoyable and i have so much more energy then ever i have had in my life before .Good luck.
Click to expand...
thanks, i find myself having way more energy also. can i ask what was your a1c at the time of diagnosis?
 
@brandonm and @Moggely well done to both of you on your excellent progress. As Moggely has said you now control your diabetes not the other way round and it just goes to prove what a few tweaks to our diets can achieve. Moggely good luck in a couple of weeks time with your latest hba1c
 
Moggely said:
Hi brandonm i think you are doing amazingly well since diagnose . Looks like you have taken the bull by the horns so to speak. I think you can rule diabetes and not let it rule you. I agree with joKalsbeek and also i will always be a diabetic but i'm going to enjoy life regardless and of course everyone has their bad days. I'm not that long diagnosed myself, but am starting these days to feel like it's not a death sentence. Also food is far more enjoyable and i have so much more energy then ever i have had in my life before .Good luck.
Click to expand...
Good luck on your next hba1c :)
 
Thanks brandonm and Dhaphne917. I'm not going to get into a tizzy over it and just hope for the best. Good luck to you also brandonm.:happy:
 
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