Thank you so much, Daisy! I'm feeling quite mind-boggled at the mo, but being here has made a huge difference to feelings of anxiety and, to be honest, complete cluelessness. I only saw the doc yesterday (and received those initial results a couple of days before that) but already it feels like I've lived a year in one day. Now I just have to live all the days that come next.@DooWop
Hello DooWop and welcome to the ForumHere is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful and interesting. Ask as many questions as you need to 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 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 carbohydrates
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake
- Choose ‘better’ 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
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.
- 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 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.
Hi there AnnI had a slightly high cholesterol when I was diagnosed. And after starting the LCHF my cholesterol is still at 4.1 the sam s before starting it. My hubby non diabetic had a cholesterol level of 5.6 before starting this diet nd now it’s down to 4.3. We have lots of cream single and double, cheese etc but try a medium fat option if that would help.
There's just a few things to remember... Shoppinglist-wise. No rice, potatoes, bread, corn, cereal, you know, anything wheat-y. Careful with condiments, check the label! Fruits are full of fructose, but berries are often okay. (Your meter will tell you). What can you eat, you're wondering? Full fat cream, greek yoghurt (the unsweetened kind. I add stevia, but I believe it spikes some people.), eggs, bacon, any meat really, that's got no carby additives, so steak, or well, basically anything that comes from a cow, pig or bird rather than mostly from a factory. Fish too. (No batter though!). Cheeses! Above ground vegetables are usually good, beans not so much. Too starchy. Nuts are quite wonderful in moderation, and good for you. Avocado is your friend. I've fallen in love with cauliflower rice, it's the perfect replacement for my usual potatoes and rice. I'm not much of a cook, I always keep it simple, but I added a whole lot of herbs to my countertop to make relatively basic dishes more interesting.Examples; start the day with scrambled eggs with bacon and cheese, lunch with a green salad with tuna, olives, capers and mayo, steak or salmon dinner with flavored cauliflower rice and a bulletproof coffee for dessert. (It's coffee with butter/coconutoil).
I don't know if you've read this somewhere already, but if you do get straight into keto, you might feel flu-ish for a little while. Headache, jointpain, nausia. Basically your body is going through withdrawal and has to switch from burning carbs to burning fat. It takes a few days or a week or two, but adding salt or a broth to your menu, and plenty of fluids, should help with the symptoms.
Hi ContraltoI hit the optimistic rating button for you because you have done all the right stuff and are on the way to success. But normally you would be testing 5 times a day, i.e. upon waking, before breakfast and 2 hours after breakfast, 2 hours after lunch and 2 hours after dinner.
Hi there Crocodile@DooWop
Welcome from down under. One thing that nobody has mentioned but is equally as important. Are you overweight. If so, lose it. The impact is in line with low carbing. At diagnosis, I was 106kg and have lost 18kg now. controlling BG with my new body is just so much easier.
Your story is not dissimilar to mine. Diagnosed at about the same age and about the same levels. In my case, I took myself off to the doctor not knowing what was wrong. I felt OK but my glasses prescription kept on changing, I was peeing a lot and losing weight faster than I anticipated under the diet I was following. I just knew something wasn't right. It came as a shock and like yourself felt very exposed and overwhelmed.
I have also recently been given a statin but only for three months. I admit to complete neglect of fat types I was consuming while getting the carb intake right. Now that I'm on top of that bit I can address the LDL cholesterol. I suspect that you've been given a statin because apart from high total cholesterol your trigs are way high as well. That's not good. Anyway, hang in there. This is a long game and you will find that as you adjust your diet with controlled carb intake you will eventually be able to manage cholesterol composition as well.
So, get a meter that is not too costly to run and if overweight, lose it. There is a plethora of good information here about carb management. Good luck,
Glenn
Hi there stephenlopez
Very disheartening! I agree with you, this community is a fantastic place! Thanks for the encouragement and for the link. Have you used any of the herbal remedies suggested there? won't you let me know which you found beneficial? Yes, I'm looking forward to a good eating plan - I'll be getting that next week, I hope. Until then, I'll be looking at what everyone else here eats!
I so love my Earl Grey, but I guess that's going to have to change too. I have some green tea here, I'll start using it ...Well, right now I'm only using green tea. I carry some green tea powder in my office bag and when I get some free time either after lunch or during morning, I just brew a quick cup of green tea. I use it because there are many researches that show that green tea has lots of health benefits including weight loss. I read this and they talk about so many amazing benefits: https://bit.ly/2Iftlon
I'm planning to try psyllium husks as they say it can help in controlling the hunger. It's just been 2 months since my diagnosis, I'll somehow use most of these herbal remedies listed by them by the end of this year I guess! I hope they work for you too!
At this moment getting used to the tests themselves is quite something! I've done three now, more to come today...good idea. the meter will help you learn your own body's rhythms and which foods are friends and which enemies. You can learn the kinds of exercises that work, for example. I found testing before and after a hot bath interesting, and different between having small midnight snack and not having one
I so love my Earl Grey, but I guess that's going to have to change too. I have some green tea here, I'll start using it ...
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