Food is not my friend any more

[dogby]

Newly diagnosed T2 August 2018. Been pre-diabetic since 2016.

I should have taken the warning seriously and exercised, lost weight significantly, and I might have prevented or delayed the inevitable decline into T2D. But I didn't.

I am clinically obese with a BMI of around 34.5. I love food, too much. I love to snack. I am a member of food lovers/appreciation groups. I have never successfully managed to lose weight permanently, even though I have tried many times.

I was diagnosed in Aug 2018 when I entered a doctors room, and had my BGL measured at 24 mmol/L . Spent the next 24 hours in hospital (even though I felt fine),


Strangely enough the hospital and the GP advised to not measure my BGL regularly. I was put onto Metaformin, 500mg/day. Things didn't improve, Metaformin 1000mg/day/ Things still didn't improve.

Now I am on 4 different tablets per day. Being assessed by an Endo, with review in 30 days. And I have started regularly measuring BGL.

My fasting BGL is currently around 5.5-6. 2 hours after meals is around 7.9. Are these figures bad ? Do I need to work on getting these values lower ? I've head a lot about the complications, would prefer to not go there.

Have read and heard that Diabetes only progresses.

Sorry for the rant.

Forgot to mention, I am 53.

 

[Spl@]

Those numbers look OK.

Diabetes seems to be as progressive as you let it.

Fight it and its effects can be anything from slowing it down to full remission. Doesn't stop you being diabetic but means your risk of complications drops right off.

Doesn't stop you enjoying food either you just have to do it differently.

 

[briped]

Hello dogby, and welcome to the best place for diabetics There's so much you can do to improve your health and your blood glucose levels, but I'm a lazy so and so who will call on @daisy1 whose very informative post will appear in this thread. Hint, cut drastically back on carbs, as all carbs turn to sugar once eaten.
Don't be discouraged. Don't be sorry for any rants. We've all been there and will support you.

 

[Guzzler]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Two points I'd like to make, please do not blame yourself with regard to excercise as this alone may not have helped very much with weight loss. My second point is that you can still be great freinds with food, in fact I would bet that discovering a different way of eating may prove very exciting for you. Since I changed my diet I have tried foods that I would not have dreamed of experimenting with and tried different combinations of foods that have helped me to improve all of my markers as well as lose some weight.
Type 2 Diabetes does not have to be the chronic, progressive disease that some of our Health Care Professionals would have us beleive.

Check out https://dietdoctor.com for healthy, delicious recipes. I get the feeling that you are the kind of person who may soon be inventing your own healthier recipes!

 

[dogby]

Thanks for the words of support guys. I particularly like reading your histories and seeing that improvement is possible without or with fewer meds. Without diabetes, I was already on 6 pills a day for other chronic conditions (some of them related to chronic obesity I must say) I understand the ...

not giving a toss about myself, eating what I shouldn't eat, I knew my BG was sky-rocketing,​

thing. Have to constantly work on not falling back there. I feel I am prepared to give up my love affair with food, for the hope of a healthier, life with less complications

 

[Member496333]

I’m happier than ever. Enjoy food more than I ever did. Complications reversed. No medications. Diabetes gone.

If I can do it then I’m certain you can. Focus your research efforts in the low carbohydrate forums here. Say goodbye to nutrient deficient glucose laden junk, and say hello to a new, happier and healthier life eating delicious nutrient dense foods to satiety. Best thing that ever happened to me.

Good luck

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Thanks for the words of support guys. I particularly like reading your histories and seeing that improvement is possible without or with fewer meds. Without diabetes, I was already on 6 pills a day for other chronic conditions (some of them related to chronic obesity I must say) I understand the ...

not giving a toss about myself, eating what I shouldn't eat, I knew my BG was sky-rocketing,​

thing. Have to constantly work on not falling back there. I feel I am prepared to give up my love affair with food, for the hope of a healthier, life with less complications

You and food just have to reinvent your relationship. It's just the carbs that are harming you (your bloodsugars *and* your weight). There's SO MUCH good tasting stuff out there that you can eat to your heart's content, without spiking bloodsugars. Pick up The Diabetes Code by Dr. Jason Fung. Once you truly understand where it goes wrong, you can continue your love-affair with food... Just in a different way. (And there are low carb/high fat and keto groups everywhere! Facebook, instagram, pinterest... Google keto, check the image results, and stop dispairing, because the food looks and tastes really, really good). Check dietdoctor.com and check out their info and recipies too... And especially the success stories. Here too, there's a whole section of them.

Your numbers right now look alright, but what are you eating? Is it sustainable/healthy in the long run? LCHF and keto are, and enjoyable too. Just so you know. You're not doomed. And the weight, it didn't cause diabetes. It came on and stayed because it is a symptom of prediabetes. You make loads of insulin, but you become insensitive to it. So instead of being able to burn the glucose for fuel, which insulin usually facilitates, the glucose was stored in fat cells instead. And since carbs turn to glucose, and your previous diets didn't take that into account because you didn't know you were becoming ever more insulin resistant... Looking back, can you really be surprised your previous attempts at weight loss failed? It wasn't the fats that were the culprit, but a developing, metabolic (genetic!) disease.

Diabetes is progressive if you treat with medication only. Throw a LCHF or ketogenic diet in the mix and you could actually achieve remission. You'd always be on the diet (but how horrible is it to start a day with bacon and eggs?), but you could be slim and complication-free. May sound like a pipe dream, but armed with the knowledge you have now, you can really turn this around.

What do you usually eat? Maybe we can tweak it?

Welcome and good luck!
Jo

 

[kokhongw]

Thanks for the words of support guys. I particularly like reading your histories and seeing that improvement is possible without or with fewer meds. Without diabetes, I was already on 6 pills a day for other chronic conditions (some of them related to chronic obesity I must say) I understand the ...

not giving a toss about myself, eating what I shouldn't eat, I knew my BG was sky-rocketing,​

thing. Have to constantly work on not falling back there. I feel I am prepared to give up my love affair with food, for the hope of a healthier, life with less complications

Welcome to the forum...this is where we discover our love for the right type of food more than ever before... eggs, fatty meat, cheese, nuts, dark chocolates etc

 

[bulkbiker]

Newly diagnosed T2 August 2018. Been pre-diabetic since 2016.

I should have taken the warning seriously and exercised, lost weight significantly, and I might have prevented or delayed the inevitable decline into T2D. But I didn't.

I am clinically obese with a BMI of around 34.5. I love food, too much. I love to snack. I am a member of food lovers/appreciation groups. I have never successfully managed to lose weight permanently, even though I have tried many times.

I was diagnosed in Aug 2018 when I entered a doctors room, and had my BGL measured at 24 mmol/L . Spent the next 24 hours in hospital (even though I felt fine),


Strangely enough the hospital and the GP advised to not measure my BGL regularly. I was put onto Metaformin, 500mg/day. Things didn't improve, Metaformin 1000mg/day/ Things still didn't improve.

Now I am on 4 different tablets per day. Being assessed by an Endo, with review in 30 days. And I have started regularly measuring BGL.

My fasting BGL is currently around 5.5-6. 2 hours after meals is around 7.9. Are these figures bad ? Do I need to work on getting these values lower ? I've head a lot about the complications, would prefer to not go there.

Have read and heard that Diabetes only progresses.

Sorry for the rant.

Forgot to mention, I am 53.

Food can be your friend again you just have to make sure it's the right non carby food like meat, fish, eggs, dairy, green veg (if you like them), butter and some berries.
Check out the ketogenic meal ideas at www.dietdoctor.com for a start.

 

[Rachox]

Hi dogby and welcome! You have already had loads of useful info. With low carbing, self testing and a modest dose of Metformin I have lost over 6 stone, gone from a BMI in the forties to a BMI of 28.6, so still a little to lose. My blood sugars are now normal. I often say my relationship with cooking has gone from lazy cook to experimental cook. You can have a love affair with food still, just different food.

 

[daisy1]

@dogby
Hello Dogby and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful and interesting.

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.
  

 

[Member496333]

My relationship with food is actually totally different now. Delicious sustenance, at one with nature and respecting the animal that gave its life so that I may continue mine.

If I’m honest, previously it was always only ever about self gratification and stuffing my face.

 

[kitedoc]

Hi @dogby, As part of changing your outlook and diet you may need to consider who your friends are, as social setting can have much influence on what we eat and ow much of it!!
So are your gastronomic friends in these food and ? wine appreciation groups likely be a help or a hindrance. Could they be holding you back and how will they cope with your change in diet and attitude and will they cater for it.
You may ned to consider a new social scene. This is just a suggestion to think carefully about how you can maximise the effectiveness of the changes you are choosing and NEED to make. Best Wishes for every success.

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. You need to realise that the high carb diet we have all been having on the last 50 years or so is not normal and the result of heavy marketing by food companies. Stand back and look at the food you eat and what the options are. Reduce the carbs to below 150gm /day, say and increase the fats and proteins as necessary to keep you feeling full. The need to snack will fade.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I just want to say Hello. I can't add anything to what has been said already, and I agree with it all. Use your meter to tell you where you are going wrong with your food choices, keep a food diary and look for patterns. Pretty soon you will find an eating plan that suits your blood sugar levels and can be sustained - because this is for life and not for a quick fix.

 

[britishpub]

Have read and heard that Diabetes only progresses, I am 53.

I was 54 when diagnosed, and my T2D has done the opposite.

It can be done.

 

[bulkbiker]

Have read and heard that Diabetes only progresses.

Sorry for the rant.

Forgot to mention, I am 53.

I was 53 too almost 54 when diagnosed.. my HbA1c is now at the lower end of "normal". I've had Diabetes Nurses tell me I had a chronic progressive condition. I employed my anger at their incompetence to show them!

 

[Laila78]

I was 53 too almost 54 when diagnosed.. my HbA1c is now at the lower end of "normal". I've had Diabetes Nurses tell me I had a chronic progressive condition. I employed my anger at their incompetence to show them!

Hi how do you do a new post on here ! Sorry new here !!

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi how do you do a new post on here ! Sorry new here !!

Hi @Laila78 ,
Go to the forums, then pick a catagory. Then you'll see a green button in the upper right corner for new posts. Hope this helps!
Jo

 

[Juicyj]

Hi how do you do a new post on here ! Sorry new here !!

Hello Laila - welcome to the forum, hopefully the advice @JoKalsbeek has helped