got diagnosed with type 2 a week ago

[umair.iqbal]

Hi I'm 26
i use to work out alot up until a year and a half ago, when i started getting alot of injuries
started feeling tired all the time, hungry all the time, aches and pains, vision would go blurry, tingling in hands and feet etc

2 weeks ago i went in for a blood test, because i started feeling really really horrible.

Results came back and now i know whats been going on, i always thought if i don't know it can't hurt me. But now i know, and it is what it is

I use to love my sugary foods, chocolate, ice cream, yogurt, snack, loads of sugar in my coffee I MEAN LOVEEE
example of day would be 10:30 chocolate and coffee, same and 1 and 4:30 along with other foods during lecture days and just generally at home just munching sweets


I have no knowledge what i'm supposed to do, and if i control it will all the symptoms disappear, will my injuries repair better? and can i get back to weight lifting?
Can i take supplements?

i use to take iso 7 (il post a picture of the nutritional value of it) I use to take 2 scoops twice a day


Can i take pure protein supplements? scoop before bed


I'd like to know a safe level of sugar i can consume?

How to look at food label and understand what i can have?

I've heard people say it can be reversed?

Things i should avoid?

From loving my food and i mean loving, now I'm scared to eat, I'm hardly eating
On top i have my ACCA exams and i just can't concentrate

Oh and does it affect the brain and concentration?

I'd really like a bit of advice, just mega stressed. I want to get my life back to normal

just came across this forum now, because its 3:20 and i can't sleep

Everyone thanks in advance for helping

 

[Indy51]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

The best place to start is with the information for the newly diagnosed:

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=26870

The main thing to do initially is to cut right down on the sugar and carbohydrates you consume.

Do you have a blood glucose meter? The best way to know how foods affect your BG is to test before a meal, then at 2 hours afterwards.

If you're looking for a healthy, low carbohydrate diet, this site is a good place to start:

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=26870

When you've had a change to read the introductory information, come back and ask questions. There will be a lot more people on later who'll be able to help you.

Best wishes,

 

[hallii]

Working out is fine, in fact it is good for you, it helps keep blood sugars lower.

The carbohydrates (including sugars) in most supplements are to high for you, and you cannot eat sugar.

Can it be reversed? No, it can be controlled so that you are almost normal, and you can stay like that for years.

Yes it affects the brain and concentration, at least while blood sugars (BG, blood glucose) are high, it can also cause blurry vision and other problems.

What to eat, any high protein food, fats, vegetables but not potatoes, parsnips, melon, grapes, banana and so on. Cereals are also high carb but some people can have a small amount. You really have to read the advice in the link above.

Stress can make your Bgs rise so try to relax, T2 is something that has taken a while to arrive, it will take a while to get back to somewhere near normal BGs, maybe months. You have a lot of learning to do, we have all been there, so just accept that things will not happen in a day, nor do they need to, it is better to do things gradually.

The Codefree meter and strips (Ebay) are the cheapest to buy, but try your doctor first, they sometimes give them out.

H

 

[daisy1]

Hi Umair and welcome to the forum

Your diet definitely needs getting under control. Here is the information we give to new members [link given above too] and I hope this will help you, in addition to the advice you have just received from hallii.


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 30,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

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

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.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. At 26 you are very young to get Type 2 diabetes. Are you roughly normal weight or BMI or even lost weight recently? At your age there is a strong possibility you have late onset Type 1 (LADA) not T2. The treatment regime is about the same but if you are LADA I'm afraid progression will be faster towards full medication. Did your GP say whether you were T2 or late onset T1? There are two tests he can arrange to confirm or eliminate LADA. You've already had good advice from the other posts so far. Yes, we're all shocked when we are diagnosed but given time you will get used to a modified diet. If the NHS tells you to have 'starchy carbs with every meal' you need to politely ignore this as it will make your diabetes worse (!) but follow the low-carb, low-GI advice on this forum. Do let us know more about your weight and any recent changes. Do come back with more questions. The thing with diabetes is to take control and not let it control you. BTW Do you have any appointments arranged with the GP for further discussion? Has he given you any blood test results and so on? You will need what's called an HBa1C test within 3 months to check your average blood sugar and this will indicate whether any medication is needed beyondthe right diet. Do get hold of a meter as it's vital that you have some idea how your blood sugar is doing.