Hello from Canada

[CeeCee59]

Hello, I have been doing a lot of looking around on the internet since my diagnosis of Type 2 in December and so far this forum seems to be one of the better ones I have come across. As an ex-pat now living in Canada (since 1967!) I still tend to appreciate the British "no nonsense" approach to things.

It seems there is so much to take in - and I think the best advice I've been given so far is to not try to do everything all at once. So for now, I'm trying to eat a healthy diet and monitor 2-4 times a day. When the weather improves, I will start some moderate exercise (walking) and then take it from there.

It is also interesting to see how our health care systems differ. I live in a very small remote northern community. Even so, I have been referred to a local clinic where there are weekly discussions on various topics. You sign up for a topic if you are interested (foot care, medications, reading food labels, nutrition to name just a few). There was even a talk on monitors and we were told to take whichever one we thought would suit and if we didn't like that one we could come back after the test strips had run out and try another. The monitors were provided free of charge by the various companies so no direct cost to the health care system. This service may not be available in all communities, but I am thankful that it is available where I live.

Well that seems enough as an introduction. I hope to be able to ask questions and share experiences with those going through the same thing.

 

[candyfloss]

Welcome to the forum ceecee59!

I think its good we have people from other countries joining us so we can share our experiences.

Tell us. What to you constitutes a 'healthy diet'?

 

[daisy1]

Hi CeeCee and welcome to the forum Your discussion groups sound interesting, where you can learn about topics that interest you and, more important I think, is the opportunity to meet other diabetics and exchange experiences. I have to do that on here but that's also a good way to do it. You seem to have made a good start in managing your diabetes. That could help to reduce any complications later. You will find an enormous amount of information on here, use the search engine to find what you want, or post a question and someone will know the answer.

Since you are fairly newly diagnosed here is some basic information written by the forum monitor's which you might find interesting and helpful:

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17088#p155405

 

[CeeCee59]

After a talk with the nutritionist - a healthy diet means that a quarter of your plate should be protein, another quarter a starch and the last half vegetables. This is easier said than done! And then choosing the right starches takes getting used to. Also spreading out your caloric intake throughout the day (eating smaller meals and healthy snacks - or what I call grazing). I work full time, so find it difficult to eat healthy snacks as I am often in meetings or on conference calls and no one likes to hear the sound of chewing in their ears.

Another challenge I find is taking my bs readings two hours after eating. Should that be two hours after you started your meal or two hours after you finished (I am a VERY slow eater). Also again due to work and just life schedule problems I find that I sometimes miss which makes it difficult to see if what I have eaten is as healthy as I thought it was.

 

[cugila]

After a talk with the nutritionist - a healthy diet means that a quarter of your plate should be protein, another quarter a starch and the last half vegetables. This is easier said than done! And then choosing the right starches takes getting used to. Also spreading out your caloric intake throughout the day (eating smaller meals and healthy snacks - or what I call grazing). I work full time, so find it difficult to eat healthy snacks as I am often in meetings or on conference calls and no one likes to hear the sound of chewing in their ears.
It all depends what the advice does to your Bg levels........should be fairly easy to work out what you can eat from the advice given. However if Bg levels rise then you may need to restrict the carb amount to something better suited for you. As for grazing....some do, I don't. Just have a breakfast, very small lunch and a main meal in the evening. No snacking between meals. Works fine for me.
Another challenge I find is taking my bs readings two hours after eating. Should that be two hours after you started your meal or two hours after you finished (I am a VERY slow eater). Also again due to work and just life schedule problems I find that I sometimes miss which makes it difficult to see if what I have eaten is as healthy as I thought it was.

Whether you test 2 hrs from the start or 2 hrs from when you finish is a matter for you. So long as you are consistent in what you do that is all that matters really. Personally I prefer 2 hrs from finish of meal, much more convenient than testing during a long meal with all that entails ! We have had a few discussions about this before with no definitive answers as yet, depends on who you talk to and what you have read.