Hello & Help

[Lil_Miss_Cuddly]

Hello Everyone
I am new here and I haven't recently been diagnosed, its more of a corrected diagnosis. I thought I was pre-diabetic, from a diagnosis back in 2014. But it's come to light recently after being told off by my doctor for not going to regular check ups that I actually am diabetic. So for all this time I have not been taking it seriously and have been putting my health at serious risk. I think it may have worsened since I have been furloughed because I am not a very active person anyway so not working has made a big impact on my activity. And I am also very overweight which just puts me more at risk
So basically my doctor (not my usual doctor) gave me a right old roasting (in a good way) and told me to do the 800 calorie diet. I tried so hard but I lasted 5 days and could not see myself lasting another 7 weeks. So now I don't know what to do, don't know what to eat, don't know which diet is ok to follow, haven't a clue what I should & shouldn't eat. My go to diet would normally be weight watchers or slimming world, but I don't know if they are ok? I just feel very confused, and I have till mid July to make a good attempt at losing weight and improving my HBA1C result. It was 11.8 by the way!!
So any help, tips and info would be greatly appreciated right now.
Thanks in advance.
Fat, Frustrated & Diabetic Nikki xxx

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hello Everyone
I am new here and I haven't recently been diagnosed, its more of a corrected diagnosis. I thought I was pre-diabetic, from a diagnosis back in 2014. But it's come to light recently after being told off by my doctor for not going to regular check ups that I actually am diabetic. So for all this time I have not been taking it seriously and have been putting my health at serious risk. I think it may have worsened since I have been furloughed because I am not a very active person anyway so not working has made a big impact on my activity. And I am also very overweight which just puts me more at risk
So basically my doctor (not my usual doctor) gave me a right old roasting (in a good way) and told me to do the 800 calorie diet. I tried so hard but I lasted 5 days and could not see myself lasting another 7 weeks. So now I don't know what to do, don't know what to eat, don't know which diet is ok to follow, haven't a clue what I should & shouldn't eat. My go to diet would normally be weight watchers or slimming world, but I don't know if they are ok? I just feel very confused, and I have till mid July to make a good attempt at losing weight and improving my HBA1C result. It was 11.8 by the way!!
So any help, tips and info would be greatly appreciated right now.
Thanks in advance.
Fat, Frustrated & Diabetic Nikki xxx

Rest easy, there's a more sustainable diet than the 800 cal... Which isn't supposed to be a for-life thing because you'd get malnourished after going beyond a month and a half. Type 2 is going to be with you permanently. Your diet, alas, will have to be too. So it's more of a lifestyle thing that a diet, as it often implies something temporary. And you can't keep it up for long if you're continuously starving yourself. So, the problem for a T2 is carbohydrates. We can't really do much with them. They turn to glucose once ingested (so not just the various sugars, but starches too), and end up either stored in fat cells, or floating around our bodies, doing damage. That's really all there is to it: Carbs do damage. White, brown, whatever. All bad. So you ditch the carbs. Up the fats and keep protein moderate, and you're very likely to lose weight, on top of getting your blood sugar under control.

Nope, WW and SW aren't suited for diabetics... Too many carbs in there. https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html might help you figure out what you can and can't eat, and you'll be surprised at some things, I'm sure. But all in all, yeah, you can move mountains before your appointment, and you won't have to starve to do it.

Good luck!
Jo

 

[xfieldok]

I am a great fan of lchf or keto diet. It brought my numbers down quickly and weight loss was a byproduct.

It is a different way of eating but I wouldn't go back to my old ways.

 

[EllieM]

Fat, Frustrated & Diabetic Nikki xxx

Be aware that weight gain is a side effect of T2 diabetes rather than a cause, and modern "healthy" diets tend to be a cause rather than a cure for T2, because they promote carbohydrates as a means for reducing fat. It's very very likely that if you reduce carbs your weight will reduce with your blood sugars.

It's no coincidence that that the anti-fat pro carb diet promoted since the (now discredited) 1970s anti-fat study has resulted in massive obesity throughout the "developed" world.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Be aware that the 800 Calorie diet is based on shaky science. Forget Calories and think Carbs. Carbs are the main source of BS and weight gain and not Fats. If you follow the 800 Calorie diet you may end up reducing the wrong foods. So, keep the Carbs down and have enough Fats and Protein to keep you feeling full. Veg and non-tropical fruit are fine.

 

[Lil_Miss_Cuddly]

Thank you everyone I can honestly say I have learned so much from this Forum today than I have learned in the past few weeks since I spoke to my doctor. The Nutritional Thingy was really helpful and gave me a better understanding of what I need to do and I have also been on the diet doctor website. I have set myself up on Nutracheck, and have gone with 50-100g Carbs to start with to get myself used to the foods I need to eat. For the first time I feel like I might know what I am doing now.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi,

Have you got your own meter? if not, it is important to buy one. Most of us find they are the most useful tool we can have. Using one appropriately can teach you which of your food choices are OK and which are not. Testing immediately before we eat and again 2 hours after first bite is the way to start. Later on, you can test after an hour and 3 hours, or whenever you like to get a better picture. The meter will tell you how much your blood sugar levels have risen due to that meal, and by keeping a food diary and recording your readings alongside the food, patterns will emerge. Without a meter we are just guessing that we have it right.

 

[xfieldok]

We normally point newbies to dietdoctor.com for ideas on diet. Lots of good ideas and information.

There are all sorts of good stuff but you need to know the lingo.

If you like pizza there is.fat head dough. If you like Indian there is headbangerskitchen.com.

All sorts of free recipes out there. Muffins? Google keto muffins, there are sweet and savoury. Some can be frozen.

Sweet tooth? Google keto fat bombs.

 

[xfieldok]

When you have your meter, download the mysugr app and record your food and numbers. You will find it incredibly motivating.

 

[VashtiB]

Hello and welome,

It is great that you have already started reducing your carbs- I really believe that as a type 2 reducing your carbs is the way to go.

I agree with previous posts that you should get yourself a meter. There are many type but realise the cost is in the strips. I personally went for one that could sync with the mysugr app on my phone. After a few days of regular testing it can give you an estimated HBa!c. Whichever meter you choose you then need to test very regularly at first. It really is the only way to work out what food your body can tolerate.

Having found this site made such a difference in my life. My doctor was of the view that is is a progressive illness and after less than 12 months is started to look at it as resolved in some sort of way. She doesn't approve of the low carb (I do less than 20 grams a day) but she can't argue with the results.

With a positive attitude like you have you really will find that by getting the correct advice you an make a difference to your health.

Good luck and welcome.

 

[Lil_Miss_Cuddly]

Hi,

Have you got your own meter? if not, it is important to buy one. Most of us find they are the most useful tool we can have. Using one appropriately can teach you which of your food choices are OK and which are not. Testing immediately before we eat and again 2 hours after first bite is the way to start. Later on, you can test after an hour and 3 hours, or whenever you like to get a better picture. The meter will tell you how much your blood sugar levels have risen due to that meal, and by keeping a food diary and recording your readings alongside the food, patterns will emerge. Without a meter we are just guessing that we have it right.

I have yes I have the accu-check mobile meter, this is how it all came about, I had an appointment at my doctors for something else, and he mentioned I hadn't had my bloods taken for 2 years. I said I know I was not very good at remembering to make my appointments, but that I was pre-diabetic and he said, no, your last result was diabetic. So I left all confused with a letter to get bloods done at the hospital. I ordered a new cassette for my meter, and tested myself, by then I was on lockdown, and my result came out at 29 mmol. I went into complete meltdown, I had diabetes for a long time and had been unaware. I rang the doctors which was when I spoke to a different doctor the one that gave me a right roasting....this was about 3 weeks ago, since then I attempted the 800 cal diet, and didn't get on very well, I tried just calorie counting but I felt like I didn't really understand what I was doing, thanks to this group I no know which way to go xx

 

[Lil_Miss_Cuddly]

We normally point newbies to dietdoctor.com for ideas on diet. Lots of good ideas and information.

There are all sorts of good stuff but you need to know the lingo.

If you like pizza there is.fat head dough. If you like Indian there is headbangerskitchen.com.

All sorts of free recipes out there. Muffins? Google keto muffins, there are sweet and savoury. Some can be frozen.

Sweet tooth? Google keto fat bombs.

Thank you so much, I have saved all of that info. I especially love the idea that when I searched for the muffins, my favourite blueberry popped up

 

[xfieldok]

When we start out, we tend to concentrate on everything we can't have. It's nice to be able to find some of our favourites to have in our back pockets.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I have yes I have the accu-check mobile meter, this is how it all came about, I had an appointment at my doctors for something else, and he mentioned I hadn't had my bloods taken for 2 years. I said I know I was not very good at remembering to make my appointments, but that I was pre-diabetic and he said, no, your last result was diabetic. So I left all confused with a letter to get bloods done at the hospital. I ordered a new cassette for my meter, and tested myself, by then I was on lockdown, and my result came out at 29 mmol. I went into complete meltdown, I had diabetes for a long time and had been unaware. I rang the doctors which was when I spoke to a different doctor the one that gave me a right roasting....this was about 3 weeks ago, since then I attempted the 800 cal diet, and didn't get on very well, I tried just calorie counting but I felt like I didn't really understand what I was doing, thanks to this group I no know which way to go xx

Good, I am glad you have a meter, but now you must use it to your advantage - test before you eat and 2 hours later. The rise should be no more than 2 and hopefully a lot less. Good luck!