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Diet Only type 2.

I

Imalia

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Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on Metformin v diet for my type 2.

Have been diabetic for about 8 years, diet only and my sugar levels have,nt changed much since the beginning usually around 7- 7.5 - I have been a very casual diabetic which I now know is not the way forward.

Now live in Cyprus and they have good diabetic doctors here. Last but one blood glucose was 7 but the most recent was 8 due I think to the fact that I got really fed up, ate for England and did have a very large meal the night before. Foolish I Know.

Am now determined to get back on track. The Doctor has prescribed Metformin - 1 a day 500mg.
I was fine for the first three weeks and now for the last week have had feelings of nausea and also diarrhea. It is very debilitating and I have,nt been far from the house.

I normally swim 40 lengths of my pool each day and take long walks when the weather is cooler

As I am now doing neither, nor eating much fruit and veg for obvious reasons so taking the metformin seems a bad choice to me. - No excercise and hardly any food just does'nt seem a good idea

Do the side effects normally go in time or would it be better with more diabetic control if I reverted back to excerise and a really good low GI diet. - In other words is blood sugar at 7
considered too high?? I feel sure that with a good diet I could proberbly get this down.

Whilst the Doctors here are good, but there does'nt seem to be a diabetic nurse as such or someone I can speak to.

Sorry to go on but I am at a bit of a loss really but am now determined to do as much as possible to get my diabetes under control
 
Imalia said:
Do the side effects normally go in time or would it be better with more diabetic control if I reverted back to excerise and a really good low GI diet. - In other words is blood sugar at 7
considered too high??
Click to expand...
The side effects might settle down. Slow release metformin often has fewer side effects, so see if you can switch to that.
By blood sugar 7 do you mean your hba1c was 7?
 
Thanks for your reply, everything helps - before I started Metformin - my fasting blood test was 7.
and my HBA1C was 6.1. The last time was when I really lost the plot and did'nt try to control my sugar levels then my fasting blood was 8 and the HBA1C was 7.7!!. I reckon I could really reduce that by starting a really serious LOW GI Diet - I do have the GI diet book so am going to give it a try if these pills dont settle down. I have'nt had a blood test since I went on Metformin. In England they were happy with 7 but In Cyprus they follow the American system and the parameters are lower.
 
Hi Imalia and welcome to the forum. :D

Although you have been diagnosed for some time you could do worse than to follow the advice often posted on here by Ken or Sue, the Forum Monitors:

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=14797&p=135232#p135215

You can get a handle on this yourself and whether you are on medication or not it will help you enormously.

I use the Collins gem Carbohydrate Counter to help me work out my food choices and have cut down my carbs intake to the point where I no longer eat things like potatoes, rice, bread, pasta or any grain product at all and get my carbs from selected veggies and fruits and salad bits. You have to test to see what suits your own body as we are all unique! 8)

Let us know how you get on. :)
 
imalia
even on mmaximum doses, Metformin can't reduce your blood glucose by much. about 1 - 2 mmol/l.
It's mostly down to diet and exercise. You seem to have done quite well so far and you could possibly cut down on the carbs to tighten up a bit.
I use 2 x 500mg Metformin and keep my blood glucose leve;s below 6, by cutting back very hard on the eaing plan.
I have been diagnosed about 7 years now.
Hana
 
Thanks for the replys I feel no so much as if I am going it alone now I have joined the forum,

Have been trying to view the topics suggested but can't find a way to get into them if anyone can help

Also I am going to buy the Gem Carb counter but could someone tell me the best veg to eat to get a few carbs instead of potatoes, pasta and the like.

I will let you know how things go in a couple of months.
 
Imalia said:
Have been trying to view the topics suggested but can't find a way to get into them if anyone can help
Click to expand...

Synonym's link doesn't appear to work. Here is the information that Sue and I regularly post for newly diagnosed Diabetic's. Have a read.

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=14797&p=135215#p135215

Ken
 
Imalia said:
Also I am going to buy the Gem Carb counter
Click to expand...


Hi Imalia, you might want to consider the Collins Gem - GI: How to succeed using the Glycemic Index diet It has all the carb information like the Carb Counter book but also explains the Low GI diet and uses a trafic light system to show which foods are low/medium/high GI.

I saw one last week at a course I attended and was so impressed Ive just ordered one from Amazon :D
 
Following on from Sid's post, grab yourself the GL book at the same time. GI and GL work so much better than just following low GI in my opinion. Portion sizes are very important as well.

Ken
 
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