Sorry, a bit new to this forum stuff, think I have got the title a bit wrong and a bit long! I am newly diagnosed Type 2 and am on diet only control. Its a bit daunting but trying very hard to manage it. I am 67 yrs old and overweight, so my doctor said it was just a matter of time before I had diabetes. I have a monitor which I use twice a day. I did use it more at first just so I could plan a diet. Now my daily blood sugars are always between 6.1 and 7.8. Is this ok? Thank you
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Diet Only, hope I am getting it right!! I cant seem to get my blood sugars below 6.1.
- Thread starter Jill67
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Scandichic
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There are several diets which you can follow. You might like LCHF. Try www.dietdoctor.com I have lost 2 stone 4lbs following this diet since jan 28th. Bs halved too.
daisy1
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Hi Jill and welcome to the forum 
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions 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 100,000 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 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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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.
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions 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 100,000 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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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.
Thank you for that information, i will try the web site you suggested. There are so many different opinions out there its very confusing. One diabetes site says that with daily blood sugars of between 6.1 and 7.8 all is well, and another site will say thats too high!! I guess its trial and error to start with eh! Thank you.
Thank you Jack, I will definitely try that website you suggested. I do eat carbs but have changed to all wholegrain carbs now. I rarely eat white potatoes mostly sweet potatoes, plus if I have rice its brown wholegrain rice also watching portion sizes. Everything is now low fat as well. Its been a month now since diagnosis and I have only lost a couple of pounds. A bit disheartening!! Thank you.
Bluetit1802
Legend
Hi Jill and welcome,
It is carbs that cause high blood sugars I'm afraid, not fat. All carbs turn to glucose once in the system, some quickly and others more slowly, but the same result in the end. Losing weight by reducing carb intake will help you a lot. However, you need to replace some of those lost calories (energy) by increasing fat and/or protein. I ditched all my low fat products in favour of the real thing. Do you read the food labels? Most low fat products are high in carbs and sugar, so be very careful. Fats have no impact on blood sugar at all, so as a diabetic you can eat good fats freely (unless you have some other medical condition that makes this unwise). As for weight loss, it is carbs that make you fat, not fat products. I believe if you ditch the low fat meals and replace with good fats you will start to lose weight. I know I did. I have lost 2stones 3lbs since February and am eating lovely fry-ups, full fat Greek yogurt, butter etc. but only up to 80g carbs a day.
It is carbs that cause high blood sugars I'm afraid, not fat. All carbs turn to glucose once in the system, some quickly and others more slowly, but the same result in the end. Losing weight by reducing carb intake will help you a lot. However, you need to replace some of those lost calories (energy) by increasing fat and/or protein. I ditched all my low fat products in favour of the real thing. Do you read the food labels? Most low fat products are high in carbs and sugar, so be very careful. Fats have no impact on blood sugar at all, so as a diabetic you can eat good fats freely (unless you have some other medical condition that makes this unwise). As for weight loss, it is carbs that make you fat, not fat products. I believe if you ditch the low fat meals and replace with good fats you will start to lose weight. I know I did. I have lost 2stones 3lbs since February and am eating lovely fry-ups, full fat Greek yogurt, butter etc. but only up to 80g carbs a day.
brdavies
Active Member
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- Diet only
B
Hi Jill - Bluetit beat me to it, I was literally typing about the same thing at the same time!
Carbs and especially sugar are your enemy, not fat. I am on a low carb, high fat diet - lost about 15 pounds in 8 weeks so far, and am reaching 5.5 fasting levels at the moment. Reducing carbs makes it much easier to control your blood glucose levels, and you will lose weight as well.
By the way, diabetes is caused more by genetic factors than anything else. You are not destined to get it just by being overweight; in fact most people who are overweight do not get diabetes. The reason i mention this is that this is a subtle form of 'blame the victim' mentality. Many people who get Type 2 diabetes are not overweight, and if they are, there's a good argument that undiagnosed diabetes caused the weight gain, not the reverse. Have a look at http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14046739.php for some well reasoned and researched arguments on this.
Hi Jill - Bluetit beat me to it, I was literally typing about the same thing at the same time!
Carbs and especially sugar are your enemy, not fat. I am on a low carb, high fat diet - lost about 15 pounds in 8 weeks so far, and am reaching 5.5 fasting levels at the moment. Reducing carbs makes it much easier to control your blood glucose levels, and you will lose weight as well.
By the way, diabetes is caused more by genetic factors than anything else. You are not destined to get it just by being overweight; in fact most people who are overweight do not get diabetes. The reason i mention this is that this is a subtle form of 'blame the victim' mentality. Many people who get Type 2 diabetes are not overweight, and if they are, there's a good argument that undiagnosed diabetes caused the weight gain, not the reverse. Have a look at http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14046739.php for some well reasoned and researched arguments on this.
Thank you so much for your reply. Oh dear looks like I got it a bit wrong!! So I can still enjoy some of the good fats, unsaturated of course. I have been eating brown wholegrain bread, small loaf and only little slices. Dont think that comes to many carbs. But i do love a sandwich for snacks and lunch. Cant eat alot for lunch. Its the evening meal that has me stumped sometimes. They say i cant eat white potatoes, so have been eating sweet potatoes, they are OK but not the same. I dont like pasta, and eat only brown rice. Is that ok. I will definitely read the food labels now much more closely. But do you think my blood glucose levels are ok or are they still too high! 6.1 to 7.6 daily. Thank you
K
Kat100
Guest
Hello, I am not agreeing or disagreeing with anyone , but please remember that we are all different here, there is no size fits all where diet is concerned.
It is trial and try and it is what works for you and your health needs.....
Good luck with all that you aim to achieve .....get all the support and suggestions you can and read as much information as you can then follow what works for you .....best wishes Kat
I do low fat and medium carbs but that is just me .....
Other people do different diets because it works for them ....lots of people do Lchf and it works for them ....along with others doing different diets.
Never easy all these questions and answers .....but you will get organised it really is just getting used to all the changes , easier to say than do and so much information to keep remembering .....
It is trial and try and it is what works for you and your health needs.....
Good luck with all that you aim to achieve .....get all the support and suggestions you can and read as much information as you can then follow what works for you .....best wishes Kat
I do low fat and medium carbs but that is just me .....
Other people do different diets because it works for them ....lots of people do Lchf and it works for them ....along with others doing different diets.
Never easy all these questions and answers .....but you will get organised it really is just getting used to all the changes , easier to say than do and so much information to keep remembering .....
K
Kat100
Guest
Love the fact you have mentioned the genetic factor.....a great contributing factor .....best wishes Kat
Bluetit1802
Legend
When are these readings taken? Do they include after meals or just morning fasting?
I take my first reading early on waking up and thats the 6.1 reading, then I take the last one 2hrs after my evening meal and thats the 7.6 one. Obviously they do vary but only but a couple of points or so. I once had a reading of 5.3 but since then cant seem to get it that low again. I was wondering as you say if perhaps the above readings are ok for me. I am overweight and 67 yrs old. I am also a full-time carer for my mum who is 95 yrs old bless her. I also have osteoarthritis which has 'attacked' my feet & ankles and knee, plus my hands are quite bad. So not able to exercise very much, but I do try. Thank you for all your replies, they are good to read,.
Thank you for your reply Kat100. Yes you are right there is no one size fits all in dietry terms. I am learning alot from this site. I think I can now start planning a better diet. But I would love to know at what point or should I say at what readings the diabetes starts to damage your organs and blood vessels etc. Are my readings ok or should I aim lower. 6.1 on waking and 7.6 2hrs after evening meal, with of course slight variations, but only a couple of points here and there. Thank you
Mud Island Dweller
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- An awful lot.
Do not stick on testing 1x first thing and 1x last thing...l think that can be pointless you need to test just before the first mouthful of any meal is shoveled and 2hrs after that. lt will start to give ideas of how you are affected. Keep a food diary. Concentrating on each end of the day doesnt tell you how foods are affecting you...that is critical.
I test one meal one day a different meal the next breakfast not bother as always the same...scrambled egg +/ - couple of rashes bacon. I check the other meals though and the starts ends on different days (does that make sense as l am confusing me)
Test with the bread you will probably scare yourself ditto to rice and pasta and any spuds inc sweet.
lt is not just carbs starch breaks down into glucose.
Personally l get unhappy if l hit a 6 but thats me. Read dietdoctor they have advice on all diets. l would also look at removing gluten to help the arthritis...if you have a kindle get the book Grain Brain by Dr Pearlmutter. Can by it as a book but cheaper on kindle.
By ed chapter 2 you wont eat another sandwich gluten is well implicated in inflamation and arthritis
I test one meal one day a different meal the next breakfast not bother as always the same...scrambled egg +/ - couple of rashes bacon. I check the other meals though and the starts ends on different days (does that make sense as l am confusing me)
Test with the bread you will probably scare yourself ditto to rice and pasta and any spuds inc sweet.
lt is not just carbs starch breaks down into glucose.
Personally l get unhappy if l hit a 6 but thats me. Read dietdoctor they have advice on all diets. l would also look at removing gluten to help the arthritis...if you have a kindle get the book Grain Brain by Dr Pearlmutter. Can by it as a book but cheaper on kindle.
By ed chapter 2 you wont eat another sandwich gluten is well implicated in inflamation and arthritis
jack412
Expert
As you would know. 5.5 fasting and 6.6 2 hr after 75g of glucose and 6.1 fasting, 7.8 2hr after gtt is said to be also normal
So decide which body is right, but either say cut your carbs to get your bg down
So decide which body is right, but either say cut your carbs to get your bg down
K
Kat100
Guest
I use my hba1c blood tests as a more correct measure ....but that is me and what I do for now
Totto
Well-Known Member
But unfortunately the HbA1c test isn't very reliable when you are anaemic.I use my hba1c blood tests as a more correct measure ....but that is me and what I do for now
K
Kat100
Guest
That is right , you have a special blood test ......
