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Hello from Trooper

Trooper1138

Member
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10
Hi People

My name is Gary this my first post, this week ive been diagnosed with Type 2. Im still a bit shocked and scared at the moment I had a lot of info thrown at me and its taking a bit to get my head round it, Ive started my medication already (2nd day) I have a follow up appointment next week, theres one question I would like to ask if I can, I have lost a lot of weight in the past few weeks which alerted me to see my gp ive lost about 10kg so im pretty thin at the moment so does anyone have any advice on the diet route I should take as much of the dietery info is for people overweight and are trying to lose weight?

Any info would be very helpful.

Many thanks

Gary
 
@Trooper1138
Hello Gary and welcome to the forum
I am bumping your post up the list so someone who is successfully putting on weight can give you information on what they are doing.
 
For the sake of your diabetes you should not eat too many carbohydrates otherwise you will raise your blood sugar so food that is low in carbs and has lots of calories should help. The good news is that if you are tending to lose weight then you can snack on any low carb food as much as you like like nuts etc.

Most T2's are overweight because they have been eating high carb food. If you continue to lose weight I think you should pester your doctor since something else might be going on.
 
Hiya. I got too thin while I was eating the NHS diet (30% carbs, low fat) but when I went on to low-carb-full-fat I stopped losing weight. So I'm hoping that keeping the carbs as low as poss and juggling with the fat will do the trick. Protein I don't think a lot about but I know that too much also ends up as glucose.
Do your best and be well. Works for me.
 
Do you have meter to check blood glucose level with? This is the single most important thing. without it you are in the dark.
You weight loss sounds rather worrying. When you see you GP next week ask about antibodies testing, GAD and islet antibodies. You may have an autoimmune diabetes. In that case you will probably need different meds.
 

Hi Totto

Many thanks for your reply. Yes I do have a blood tester which I am using each day as intructed by my gp. Ive only been on the meds he prescribed for 3 days and I have also completely changed my diet also, I know its early days and im sure ill get used to what I can eat but the fact that ive lost weight as you said is really worrying me, I havnt seen any changes in my levels since I started the tablets, am i being impatient or should they start work by now?

Also like to thanks everyone who has posted comments for me.

Gary
 

Hi Dee Jay

thanks for your info, when you say low card full fat could you give me some examples of what I should eat?
 
It seems metformin takes a couple of weeks to kick in properly. What are you readings?

Good site on food that works for diabetics: http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf Apparently Trudi Deakin who runs the X-pert diabetes education has re-evaluated fat and gone LCHF too.
Basically, as you already know, all carbohydrates turn to sugar so cutting down on them is a good idea. I eat fat to make up for the lost calories and to make sure I fill up properly while I keep protein normal. If you overdose on protein some of it will convert to glucose too while fat is fairly safe.
 

Thanks Totto

Thats great advice thanks and makes alot of sense.

My readings on a morning are around 13-14, 2 hours after Ive had breakfast or lunch around 21-22 then before bed around 15-16

thanks
 
Trooper1138 said:
thanks for your info, when you say low card full fat could you give me some examples of what I should eat?
Click to expand...
My full fat diet includes good quality butter, double cream, full fat yoghurt, fried stuff, eggs cooked any way you like, avocado, bacon and meat with the fat on and chicken with the skin on -- you get the picture? Some of us actively add fat to our meals and some just take it as it comes (as against the NHS advice to eat positively low-fat).
Low carb for me starts with green veg. Most fat I count as zero-carb. Spuds and root veg are a non-no, along with bread, pasta and rice.
Have a read on here of threads like "what have you eaten today" to get an idea.
 
Trooper are your readings coming down anything at all since you changed your diet? They should you know.

On the other hand I think I have heard that it is a bad idea to normalise high levels too fast, particularly so if your eyes are affected. I wouldn't know. Let's shout for help from the knowledgeable @noblehead , have you got any advice for this young? man?
 
Hi Gary

Your scenario sounds very similar to mine. Steadily lost weight over a few months (and wasn't overweight to start with), then discovered I had high blood sugar. If you switch to a LCHF diet, as others have described, your blood sugar will probably be under control within a few days, and you won't need the medication either. Your weight loss will probably stop too, though that largely depends on how much fat you eat. If you find you're still losing weight (and don't want to), you can increase the fat a bit (cheese, nuts, cream, coleslaw, greek yoghurt).

If you're hesitant about the LCHF approach, I suggest you treat it as a short-term fix for a couple of weeks to get things under control, then you can re-evaluate how you want to move forward longer term.

Andy
 
rapid weight loss without trying indicates T1, I would get a proper blood test to see which type you have.

it's important to test for ketones... as you are low carb, the urine strips may not be best, you may need the keto blood strips.
I would go for a ketone test now, if you have any of the following
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetic-ketoacidosis/basics/symptoms/con-20026470
 
Last edited by a moderator:
What about @Spiker @Dillinger @donnellysdogs @tim2000s then? I think Trooper may need advice on things I have no knowledge of.
 
Hi Gary (@trooper), just seen the tag. Thanks @Totto.

As I understand it, weight loss in type 2 is quite unusual but not unheard of as @AndyMc mentioned. It would be worth getting your GP to get you a c-peptide test to rule out t1 or t1.5, which could also cause significant weight loss over a short period. The other item mentioned (a ketone urine test) could also provide an indication of being non t2.

If you can get hold of some ketostix, on a low carb diet they would typically show a level around 3mmol/l after a week or so of being on the diet . If they show a higher number, e.g 8 or more, then I would recommend a trip to A&E and demand that c-peptide test.

Typically T2s don't develop ketoacidosis due to there still being insulin to control ketone release. In t1s and t1.5s this is missing and therefore ketones at high levels can and do occur.
 
Thank you so much everyone, this is really helpful when I saw my GP (after my blood test) I gave a urine test and cant quite remember what he said but basically the results swayed to type 2, im going to try the LCHF for a couple of weeks as @DeejayR @AndyMc has suggested as along with getting my blood sugar down I need to put on some weight so this seems the best route.

Cant thank you all enough

Gary
 
Welcome Gary! See, you already know this is the best place for great advice!!
 
Hello again everyone, I thought I would give you an update on my progress after my diagnosis a week last tuesday, thanksfully my sugar levels are dropping to single figures now so it seems the 2mg of Glemipiride and my LCHF diet seems to be working, Ive also put on about 4 pounds and seem to be getting a liitle more muscle bulk back aswell as ive been in the gym a bit more, although after all that my GP sent me back for another blood test to measure my Insulin Antibodies, fingers crossed I dont have type 1. I have still alot of experimenting to do with my diet as yesterday I had a bowl of porridge and 2 hours later my BG was back up in the high teens so I wont be doing that again. One thing that is worring me is I keep having dizzy spells and blurred vision, is this common when you instantly alter your diet like I have or is it the meds? I havnt had any sugar for 10 days my carb intake is low will my body need to adjust to all this change, im hoping this is a normal reaction.

Many thanks in advance and Im finding this forum invaluable as I try to adapt to all this.

Thanks

Gary
 
Hello Trooper , welcome , and nice to meet you ...
I have known quite a few type 2 diabetic people.who are thin ...but worth seeing what more your GP has to say ...
As well as reading and thinking about all this new information , so much to take onboard , but you have made a really good start ...
Look forward to hearing how you get on...best wishes ..Kat
 
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