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Doctor took me off metformin

Mel2019

Active Member
Messages
26
Location
Northern ireland
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi all,
So I've been feeling ****** the last few months (body pains, nausea, upset tummy) went to the doctor and I mentioned to him that im near sure this started around the time I started my meds, without hesitation he told me to stop it and see if I feel better in two weeks, his words " dont worry about your readings" "forget about your sugars"! I don't feel like I can just forget about it im trying my best to get off medication and have my hb back down to normal.. now the thing is how can I work harder (food ways) without the help of my tablets, im due my bloods done next week. Type 2 also.
 
Hi Mel and welcome to the forum. I don’t know how long you’ve been diagnosed but I’ll tag in @daisy1 for her useful info post.
Can you please tell us a little about your current diet? Post us a typical day’s food and drinks, then we may be able to help you tweak things a bit. Do you know what your last HbA1c result was? Many Type 2s on the forum control their diabetes on diet alone.
 


Hi rachox,

I developed diabetes in my 1st pregnancy (2011) after baby was here, I was no longer diabetic, then around a year later I got diagnosed type 2, I havent always needed meds ,(only given in my other two pregnancies) but routine check blood test shows from I had my baby in march 2018 my HbA1c shot up.

My eating changes everyday, somedays ill do toast and bacon in the mornings with a coffee. Some days I wont eat at all, untill lunch which is probably a sandwich. Dinner would consist of homemade curries, pies. Pasta bakes. My last HbA1c was 89 that was jan 2019.

Thank you
 
Ok so there are some high carb foods featuring in your diet. The toast, sandwiches, pies and pasta are all things that I personally don’t eat. Have you ever carb counted? I do take Metformin but find it does very little to lower blood sugars anyway, so I keep to between 30 - 50g carbs per day. Save waiting for daisy1’s post, click on the link in my signature called Newly Diagnosed: what you should know. I know you’re not Newly Diagnosed but there’s a lot of info there about the role of carbohydrates in type 2.
 


I wouldn't know where to start with carb counting. Ill have a look now, thank you
 
Cut these carbs first,cut them completely out for starters.No potatoes,rice,starches.No breads.No grains.No cereal.No wheat products.No added sugar.No processed carbs.No pasta.

If you can cook all your meals,thats good,processed foods are generally loaded with carbs and sugars.Replace carbs with fats and protiens.Low carb veggies,there are a lot you can eat unlimited amounts of.You can eat pork rinds (scratchings) as a snack and it wont bother glucose a bit.

Remember,carbs ARE sugars.We dont need sugars as a type 2.When you radically decrease the carbs you eat,you replace them with fats and proteins.Dont fear fats,a low carb/high fat diet is good for most t2 diabetics.And fats arent going to give you a heart attack either,that is bunk.Or make you gain weight,many here choose to lose weight on the low carb/high fat diet (LCHF)

You dont even have to count calories,just watch the total carbs and thats it.Pretty easy,just dump the heavy carbs first.Then practice portion control,you know what a little and what a lot of food is,tweak to your weight goals

So first step,cut the heavy carb foods and processed carbs like flour,cereal.That is a good start.A simplistic start but a start,have to start somewhere.How many times can I say start in a sentence? 3 apparently.

Then start reading the threads like 'What I ate today,and my glucose numbers' You can see the diet they are doing and how it has helped them.Eat the lower carb veggies,skip the higher carbed ones.You can look those up.

Im assuming you dont have a meter? You need to get one,test first thing in AM before eating,thats your fasting blood glucose,then test before eating and 2 hours after,record diet and numbers in a journal.You will quickly see what foods you can eat,and what spikes your glucose up.Meter is very very important to actually see,real time,what is and isnt OK for you.

thats a start,a step at a time.Later you can tweak it,but this will get you going.

Folks,please correct or add to what Ive posted if I put any of that wrong,Thanks.

Yet once again....Jason Fung talks obesity and diabetes,its a good overview of what we face and how to deal with it.....watch all six if you can,he keeps it simple for most of it.

 
Last edited:
Mel2019 said:
I wouldn't know where to start with carb counting. Ill have a look now, thank you
Click to expand...

I think being aware of where the carbs are is the same as carb counting. We know where the obvious carbs are, Bread, potatoes and rice (biscuits and cake are also obvious sources of carb) and cutting right back on those is a good way to start. In my case it was a no brainer because the drugs I took for my diabetes, Rosiglitazone then Gliclazide and Januvia all helped me gain weight so I had no choice and stopped eating what I call the obvious carbs.

It isn't for everyone and it's your choice, but in my case by eating less than 50gms carb a day, all in vegetables grown above ground, I was able to stop taking Gliclazide, Januvia and Atorvastatin (total cholesterol also dropped significantly). Baring in mind type II is caused by either less insulin being produced by the pancreas or a resistance to the insulin that is produced (or both), type II diabetics will tolerate different amounts of carb. That's when you might want to count carbs. I don't eat any processed foods so if I want to know the carb content of anything I eat I weigh it and then consult Mr. Google.
 
@Mel2019
Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and helpful.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 600,000 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.
 

I actually do have a metre, sugars are usually sitten at 7 or 8 in the mornings.

Thats great info thank you
 


Can I ask what a days eating in your life is?
 
Mel2019 said:
I actually do have a metre, sugars are usually sitten at 7 or 8 in the mornings.

Thats great info thank you
Click to expand...

Do you also test before each meal and 2 hours later? (and even 1 hour and 3 hours later)? That is the best way to do things. If that meal raises you by more than 2mmo/l (and preferably a lot less than 2) then there were too many carbs for your body to cope with. Keeping a food diary including portion sizes, and recording these levels alongside will help you decide which foods are OK and which are not. Your current diet is very carb heavy and will be why your HbA1c is high. Metformin is a mild drug and only helps to a very limited extent. Diet is the key.
 
Mel2019 said:
Would anyone know how to work out how many calories I can eat a day? X
Click to expand...
I use a boditrax machine at my local gym which gives me a basal metabolic rate of 1300 calories. Your basal metabolic rate is the minimum level of energy your body needs when at rest to function effectively including your respiratory system, liver, kidneys and other organs. I add to 1300 depending on the exercise I do in the day using myfitnesspal. This helps me maintain my current weight and not get more than a 2 point rise in my blood sugars after eating. I'm also working with a private dietitian as well as a hospital dietitian to make sure that I'm getting enough macronutrients in my LCHF diet.
 
I dont count calories at all.But those bad guy carbs,they are eliminated.I know pretty much what chicken,pork beef are,same with most veggies.I just look at my plate,if its a lot of food no weight loss today,if its smaller portions I will lose.Not micro-accurate,but overall it works in the longer term.
I need simple or I get overwhelmed.

Mel2019,I like your attitude,you will definitely succeed IMO.
 
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