Good morning

barriebanana

Well-Known Member
Messages
113
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone I new here
I was diagnosed T2 around 2 years ago
I still don't have a regular plan of diet and exercise
I look through diabetic cookery books and make recipes from them some weeks and then slip back to my love of chips (actifry) burgers curries other weeks
Exercise swimming every weekday some weeks others the odd day
Drink too much wine
I have recently bought a meter which is giving me more determination to take back control
I would love to talk to someone regularly for a bit of mutual support
 

Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome!

Sounds like you are already having some significant effect on your health, with some meal changes and regular swimming.

I visit the forum regularly, because I find it so motivating in controlling my diet and blood glucose, so maybe you will find the same. :)

Also, if you start testing regularly, before and 2 hours after meals, you will quickly see how much/little control you have - and which foods are the ones that send you high. That is pretty motivating too! :D

So basically, keep reading, keep testing, and if you want, keep posting. It really helps.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@barriebanana

Hello and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope it will be useful to you. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


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 245,000 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 free 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. They're all 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.
 
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Hammer1964

Well-Known Member
Messages
249
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Meat, meat substitutes and fish
Hi everyone I new here
I was diagnosed T2 around 2 years ago
I still don't have a regular plan of diet and exercise
I look through diabetic cookery books and make recipes from them some weeks and then slip back to my love of chips (actifry) burgers curries other weeks
Exercise swimming every weekday some weeks others the odd day
Drink too much wine
I have recently bought a meter which is giving me more determination to take back control
I would love to talk to someone regularly for a bit of mutual support

Hi barriebanana, welcome to the forum, this place is packed with advice and people chatting so just chat away.
 
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pleinster

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,631
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
ignorance
Hi everyone I new here
I was diagnosed T2 around 2 years ago
I still don't have a regular plan of diet and exercise
I look through diabetic cookery books and make recipes from them some weeks and then slip back to my love of chips (actifry) burgers curries other weeks
Exercise swimming every weekday some weeks others the odd day
Drink too much wine
I have recently bought a meter which is giving me more determination to take back control
I would love to talk to someone regularly for a bit of mutual support

Hi. Good move buying the meter. Testing before and 2-2.5 hours after eating will soon let your know what to avoid/reduce. I'd advise recording the readings alongside details of what you ate...it's the best way to see patterns at a glance. By the way, most burgers are fine...and a number of curries are too. It's the chips you need to avoid. I used to love a nan bread with a curry but they are crazy high in carbohydrates. I recently found these microwave or oven cook curries that are very low in carbs and taste delicious. I am even managing a small amount of chips these days if my pre-meal level is low enough. You will get there but try your best to cut out things as you identify them as villains of the piece. If you arr looking at sugar content on labels..stop..start looking at carbohydrate content and aim for the stuff that is 10g of carb or less per 100g...that is where you will make the difference. The more you inform yourself, the more control you will have and the better you will feel about all of it. Good luck.
 
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leslie10152

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,110
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Ignorance
Hi everyone I new here
I was diagnosed T2 around 2 years ago
I still don't have a regular plan of diet and exercise
I look through diabetic cookery books and make recipes from them some weeks and then slip back to my love of chips (actifry) burgers curries other weeks
Exercise swimming every weekday some weeks others the odd day
Drink too much wine
I have recently bought a meter which is giving me more determination to take back control
I would love to talk to someone regularly for a bit of mutual support
Welcome to the forum @barriebanana. A wise decision, as this is something very dificult to go alone. Having a meter will assist in keeping good control.
 
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barriebanana

Well-Known Member
Messages
113
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi. Good move buying the meter. Testing before and 2-2.5 hours after eating will soon let your know what to avoid/reduce. I'd advise recording the readings alongside details of what you ate...it's the best way to see patterns at a glance. By the way, most burgers are fine...and a number of curries are too. It's the chips you need to avoid. I used to love a nan bread with a curry but they are crazy high in carbohydrates. I recently found these microwave or oven cook curries that are very low in carbs and taste delicious. I am even managing a small amount of chips these days if my pre-meal level is low enough. You will get there but try your best to cut out things as you identify them as villains of the piece. If you arr looking at sugar content on labels..stop..start looking at carbohydrate content and aim for the stuff that is 10g of carb or less per 100g...that is where you will make the difference. The more you inform yourself, the more control you will have and the better you will feel about all of it. Good luck.

Hi thanks for your advice
I will deffo start looking at labels and aiming for under 10 on the carbs
Take care barriebanana
 
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