HbA1c

[kim2109]

I was diagnosed 3 weeks ago my HbA1c was 102 and my blood sugars were 28 was feeling really awful. Have been put on metformin and my blood sugars are around 10 today and am up to a dose of 2 tablets aiming to get to 4 a day, my dr is unsure on whether I’m type 1 or type 2 as I’m in between so waiting to see a specialist, this is all a minefield and a learning curve, I am overweight so my 1st task is loosing lbs and eating well, I’m struggling to find low carb family friendly foods any advice on bringing these high bs’s down? Thanks in advance

 

[Resurgam]

If you prove to be type two then hopefully just changing what you eat will be sufficient to push you back into the normal range - and fairly quickly too.
If you concentrate on basic core meals with meat or fish you can then make yourself a stirfry or salad or roast some veges with the meat and then add in some foods with more carbs for the family. Don't be surprised if they want some of what you've got though - low carb foods can be tasty and aromatic, colourful and attractive too.
I used to do it all the time when I had to cater for a family - though I got myself a halogen oven - the little thing which sits on a countertop and is just so handy for cooking and keeping things warm without drying out. I also got a Tefal Actifry - supposedly versatile, but worth the purchase just for the way it cooks chicken thighs - with crispy skin.
I found a notebook in the bathroom and realised that I have lost 15 percent of my maximum weight by eating low carb - I can't remember when it was I weighed myself (it can't be that long ago though) as I took Metformin and Atorvastatin between diagnosis and Christmas 2016 and my memory deteriorated very significantly. The weightloss has been purely incidental to controlling BG levels, and totally painless. I would hardly have noticed except my clothes started falling off - literally down to my ankles a couple of times, so I can only recommend that you try to eat low carb for weight control no matter what your eventual diagnosis.
I can't help but feel lucky to have type 2 diabetes

 

[Rachox]

Well done on getting your sugars down. Over the summer I would cook meals like spag Bol, normal for the rest of the family but low carb spaghetti substitutes for me. I even did a half and half lasagne, using slices of butternut squash in place of pasta in one half! (See picture!) Curry with rice for the family but cauliflower rice for me. It made for a few extra pots and pans but was worth it. Now both children have left for uni it's a lot easier as my husband is happy to eat low carb meals, he makes up for it elsewhere!

 

[maglil55]

Like @Resurgram I have an Actifry and I also have an Instant Pot - great tools for cooking from scratch.
What I found invaluable was the low carb/keto web sites for delicious recipes and for the most part family eat what I eat as mostly they don't know what it is as it looks so "normal".

The following are great sites

https://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/
Diet doctor.com
https://www.ditchthecarbs.com/recipes/
http://healthylivinginbodyandmind.com/24-fathead-cheese-dough-recipes-low-carb-gluten-free/

Healthy Living site is great in itself but I've copied the main link for the Fathead recipes. I have given my family Fathead pizza and they actually prefer it.

https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/

And the brilliant better than potatoes cheesy cauliflower mash

https://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2012/01/better-than-potatoes-cheesy-cauliflower.html

I started by doing a two week low carb challenge to get into the way of things. There's one one diet doctor and another on this site. I used diet doctor as it did everything - shopping lists the lot.
As a spaghetti substitute I use oomi noodles which I get in Tesco. Lidl high protein rolls are very popular as it the new Hovis lower carb seeded bread.
A lot depends on what you can tolerate by way of carbs as we're all different. You won't find the answer to that without a meter and testing strips. For example , some people can eat porridge but loads can't (myself included and I love it). Even the butternut squash in the above recipe would be too many carbs for me but will be fine for others.
It all seems very confusing but once you get into the way of it then you wonder why you worried about it.
By the way excellent results so far.

 

[Valanne]

Well done. I was diagnosed in January. Numbers are now in the normal range on a low carb diet. Like another commentator I didn't try to lose weight..it just happened. I also agree the meter is the key along with a scale. I also look out for low carb/low GI recipe books in charity shops and the library and write down the useful ones. Phone is great for looking up carbs. I have a little book in the kitchen where I've written down the foods I use most often.

 

[kim2109]

If you prove to be type two then hopefully just changing what you eat will be sufficient to push you back into the normal range - and fairly quickly too.
If you concentrate on basic core meals with meat or fish you can then make yourself a stirfry or salad or roast some veges with the meat and then add in some foods with more carbs for the family. Don't be surprised if they want some of what you've got though - low carb foods can be tasty and aromatic, colourful and attractive too.
I used to do it all the time when I had to cater for a family - though I got myself a halogen oven - the little thing which sits on a countertop and is just so handy for cooking and keeping things warm without drying out. I also got a Tefal Actifry - supposedly versatile, but worth the purchase just for the way it cooks chicken thighs - with crispy skin.
I found a notebook in the bathroom and realised that I have lost 15 percent of my maximum weight by eating low carb - I can't remember when it was I weighed myself (it can't be that long ago though) as I took Metformin and Atorvastatin between diagnosis and Christmas 2016 and my memory deteriorated very significantly. The weightloss has been purely incidental to controlling BG levels, and totally painless. I would hardly have noticed except my clothes started falling off - literally down to my ankles a couple of times, so I can only recommend that you try to eat low carb for weight control no matter what your eventual diagnosis.
I can't help but feel lucky to have type 2 diabetes

Thank you I have an actifry I will dig it out had totally forgot about it, I’m hoping I will be type 2 too.

 

[kim2109]

Well done. I was diagnosed in January. Numbers are now in the normal range on a low carb diet. Like another commentator I didn't try to lose weight..it just happened. I also agree the meter is the key along with a scale. I also look out for low carb/low GI recipe books in charity shops and the library and write down the useful ones. Phone is great for looking up carbs. I have a little book in the kitchen where I've written down the foods I use most often.

Thank you I hadn’t thought to look in charity shops for recipe books I will do that today

 

[kim2109]

Well done on getting your sugars down. Over the summer I would cook meals like spag Bol, normal for the rest of the family but low carb spaghetti substitutes for me. I even did a half and half lasagne, using slices of butternut squash in place of pasta in one half! (See picture!) View attachment 23942 Curry with rice for the family but cauliflower rice for me. It made for a few extra pots and pans but was worth it. Now both children have left for uni it's a lot easier as my husband is happy to eat low carb meals, he makes up for it elsewhere!

Thank you I love the idea of butternut squash in place of lasagne sheets I’ll give that a try

 

[kim2109]

Like @Resurgram I have an Actifry and I also have an Instant Pot - great tools for cooking from scratch.
What I found invaluable was the low carb/keto web sites for delicious recipes and for the most part family eat what I eat as mostly they don't know what it is as it looks so "normal".

The following are great sites

https://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/
Diet doctor.com
https://www.ditchthecarbs.com/recipes/
http://healthylivinginbodyandmind.com/24-fathead-cheese-dough-recipes-low-carb-gluten-free/

Healthy Living site is great in itself but I've copied the main link for the Fathead recipes. I have given my family Fathead pizza and they actually prefer it.

https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/

And the brilliant better than potatoes cheesy cauliflower mash

https://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2012/01/better-than-potatoes-cheesy-cauliflower.html

I started by doing a two week low carb challenge to get into the way of things. There's one one diet doctor and another on this site. I used diet doctor as it did everything - shopping lists the lot.
As a spaghetti substitute I use oomi noodles which I get in Tesco. Lidl high protein rolls are very popular as it the new Hovis lower carb seeded bread.
A lot depends on what you can tolerate by way of carbs as we're all different. You won't find the answer to that without a meter and testing strips. For example , some people can eat porridge but loads can't (myself included and I love it). Even the butternut squash in the above recipe would be too many carbs for me but will be fine for others.
It all seems very confusing but once you get into the way of it then you wonder why you worried about it.
By the way excellent results so far.

Thank you I’ll have a look on those sites, and I’m finding that most things that are high in carbs send my bs up, it’s a bit of a battle to get test strips prescribed also, the dr has asked me to test 4 times a day at the moment but then after that I shouldn’t need to test more than once a week unless I feel unwell do you buy your own?

 

[Kentoldlady1]

Can I ask what low carb stuff works well n an actifry? I am really hoping that you say delicious low carb chips. I really really reallly miss chips.

 

[maglil55]

Thank you I’ll have a look on those sites, and I’m finding that most things that are high in carbs send my bs up, it’s a bit of a battle to get test strips prescribed also, the dr has asked me to test 4 times a day at the moment but then after that I shouldn’t need to test more than once a week unless I feel unwell do you buy your own?

I'm lucky - mine are prescribed but many on here self fund because they can't get them on prescription. I do self fund Libre sensors. They give a different answer to testing strips as they measure different things but it does let you see what different foods do to your BG as they measure constantly and you can see what spikes. Saves the fingers! You can always try reasoning with your Doctor as well. You need to do a lot of testing at first to find out what foods affect you but even when you build up knowledge you still need some daily checks. Even with the Libre on I still jab 2 or 3 times a day.

 

[Mike d]

Thank you I’ll have a look on those sites, and I’m finding that most things that are high in carbs send my bs up, it’s a bit of a battle to get test strips prescribed also, the dr has asked me to test 4 times a day at the moment but then after that I shouldn’t need to test more than once a week unless I feel unwell do you buy your own?

No. Stupid advice from your doctor. You MUST test FAR more often than once a week. Blunt, but the truth

Few here would disagree with that.

 

[maglil55]

Can I ask what low carb stuff works well n an actifry? I am really hoping that you say delicious low carb chips. I really really reallly miss chips.

No such luck! I make chips with other things though such as celeriac, aubergine or courgette.
Celeriac I cut into slices then trim off the skin (it's a seriously ugly veg). Cut into chips then I just deep fry or I blanch them for a couple of mins in boiling water and when cool cover them in a mix - various options such as garlic salt and parmesan, ground pork rinds and parmesan. I've even added a touch of chilli or paprika to the mix. Pop the coated chips in the oven and just keep an eye on them - they don't take long.
Aubergine I've used these coating too but just coat and into the oven. They might work in the Actifry without the paddle (paddle would mush them up).
Aubergine and courgette work better in a batter and deep fried. I'm going to experiment with egg, coconut flour and baking powder but Avidlite do a low carb batter mix too.

http://www.avidlite.co.uk/acatalog/Low-Carb-Breading---Batter-Mix-ALB060.html#SID=33

 

[Resurgam]

I have avoided anything which looks like chips since diagnosis, but I did eat one yesterday and did not believe how much I did not like the taste. I bit into another, found the same thing again and threw the rest of it away.
My diabetes has been suppressed by eating low carb, so I am relaxing my diet a bit and starting to test regularly again - just to see what I can tolerate now. I am not going to use words such as cured or reversed - as I can't see that happening as I have never been able to eat lots of carbs without putting on weight.
My weight is dropping, and foods which would have put BG levels into the high teens now show results in the low teens - as that is in under a year from diagnosis it is quite pleasing, but I am not going to relax the usual rules of my eating, I'm just testing to see what changes have been made.
Use of my Actifry is to tip in a 1kg pack of chicken thighs, nothing added, then cook for between 35 and 45 minutes depending on the size of the thighs. The skin goes all crispy, and the meat is moist - I have been known to put the chicken into a hot dish and then cook mushrooms or a stir fry in the juice and fat left in the Actifry - or frozen cauliflower - set the paddle in motion for only a minute or so after putting in the cauliflower straight after removing the chicken and then leave to cook in the residual heat. I usually program in 2 minutes and turn off the paddle once there are the first signs of disintegration.

 

[maglil55]

I have avoided anything which looks like chips since diagnosis, but I did eat one yesterday and did not believe how much I did not like the taste. I bit into another, found the same thing again and threw the rest of it away.
My diabetes has been suppressed by eating low carb, so I am relaxing my diet a bit and starting to test regularly again - just to see what I can tolerate now. I am not going to use words such as cured or reversed - as I can't see that happening as I have never been able to eat lots of carbs without putting on weight.
My weight is dropping, and foods which would have put BG levels into the high teens now show results in the low teens - as that is in under a year from diagnosis it is quite pleasing, but I am not going to relax the usual rules of my eating, I'm just testing to see what changes have been made.
Use of my Actifry is to tip in a 1kg pack of chicken thighs, nothing added, then cook for between 35 and 45 minutes depending on the size of the thighs. The skin goes all crispy, and the meat is moist - I have been known to put the chicken into a hot dish and then cook mushrooms or a stir fry in the juice and fat left in the Actifry - or frozen cauliflower - set the paddle in motion for only a minute or so after putting in the cauliflower straight after removing the chicken and then leave to cook in the residual heat. I usually program in 2 minutes and turn off the paddle once there are the first signs of disintegration.

Yes you got me hooked on chicken thighs in the Actifry. Crispy chicken skin is something else

 

[Kentoldlady1]

I have avoided anything which looks like chips since diagnosis, but I did eat one yesterday and did not believe how much I did not like the taste. I bit into another, found the same thing again and threw the rest of it away.
My diabetes has been suppressed by eating low carb, so I am relaxing my diet a bit and starting to test regularly again - just to see what I can tolerate now. I am not going to use words such as cured or reversed - as I can't see that happening as I have never been able to eat lots of carbs without putting on weight.
My weight is dropping, and foods which would have put BG levels into the high teens now show results in the low teens - as that is in under a year from diagnosis it is quite pleasing, but I am not going to relax the usual rules of my eating, I'm just testing to see what changes have been made.
Use of my Actifry is to tip in a 1kg pack of chicken thighs, nothing added, then cook for between 35 and 45 minutes depending on the size of the thighs. The skin goes all crispy, and the meat is moist - I have been known to put the chicken into a hot dish and then cook mushrooms or a stir fry in the juice and fat left in the Actifry - or frozen cauliflower - set the paddle in motion for only a minute or so after putting in the cauliflower straight after removing the chicken and then leave to cook in the residual heat. I usually program in 2 minutes and turn off the paddle once there are the first signs of disintegration.

I am definitely going to try the chicken . Thanks for that, a very good idea. Dont think I would hate the taste of chips tho. Did I mention I really really really miss chips?
This is the reason I had to give it all up at once. I dont think I can just have 2. No will power. Is there a pill for that?

 

[Resurgam]

I am definitely going to try the chicken . Thanks for that, a very good idea. Dont think I would hate the taste of chips tho. Did I mention I really really really miss chips?
This is the reason I had to give it all up at once. I dont think I can just have 2. No will power. Is there a pill for that?

You will not regret cooking the chicken - and of course as the one cooking it, the skin is fair game - a lot of mine evaporates though.
Most mysterious.
Mushrooms cooked in the fryer after removing the chicken are delicious too. I get the small misshapen ones but still button shaped so they roll around easily.
I was prepared to have to resist the temptation to eat chips, though, and was rather gratified to find that there was no need.
It is, perhaps only the thought of eating chips which is the problem - the reality was a real surprise, and not a good one. I did check with the DH that the chips were as they should be - and got an odd look.

 

[maglil55]

@Resurgam @Kentoldlady1 - my crispy chicken skins vanish in to thin air too - funny that

 

[Kentoldlady1]

Mmmm, disappearing chicken skin . A mysterious epidemic sweeping the kitchens of people diagnosed with t2d and owning an actifryer. Funnily enough I think it might strike at the kent old peoples home as well.

 

[maglil55]

I found it essential to cook a batch of chicken thighs yesterday as they were getting close to date. Will be having them at late lunchtime but a crispy skin vanished on the way to the fridge.