Type 2 Hello - Just signed up - Newly Diagnosed - A few Questions

[Bob-111]

Hello,

I've just signed up having been just diagnosed as Type II. I have no information as yet and my first appointment with a nurse is on Thursday. However that'll have been a week with no information at all!

I filled in the Profile questions as best I could but I would like to edit it and make some changes, as I have bought a test meter (eBwell) etc. It should be arriving sometime today.

First Question: Using the Dashboard
How do I access the Profile, from the Dashboard, so I can make changes to it?

Next Question(s) Concerning Carbohydrates etc:
I had started changing my diet as I was trying to lose weight when diagnosed. Now all the advice I was being given seems inapplicable and I'm really confused, especially about carbohydrates. When I was just 'losing weight' I had to cut down all of them quite drastically, i.e. no: Pasta, Rice, Potatoes, Bread or Oatmeal/Muesli etc.
Now I'm told that Porridge is good for diabetics but it's about 45% carbohydrates!!!
Is this true?
How do I tell which foods containing carbohydrates are 'safe' and which foods are not?
How much porridge is 'safe' to eat?

Being a Vegetarian: How do I gauge sugar levels on food packaging?
I am also a long-time vegetarian and it seems I have to break that now and start eating fish.
I like certain vegetarian sausages (Cauldron Cumberland) which have very low levels of sugars, < 1.0%
(Not Quorn as they are higher in sugar but at a level of around 5g/2 sausages).

So far I have been looking at sugar levels in everything but I have no real idea what is too high, except if it's double figures then it's obvious. Some are marked as a % and some in g/ portion.

What is a portion, and how do I measure it, especially when it's not in a granular-like form?

I bought a set of portion-control tubs but things like sausages don't really fit into them! LOL!
It might seem like a silly question, to some, but what is a portion of vegetarian sausages or fish fillets?
(1, 2, 3 ... ?)

Do I assume these are considered Protein?

Also: Is Muesli treated as a Carbohydrate, Protein or Fruit in terms of measuring a portion using the tubs?

Are these meals Ok?
So far, I have been living on Poached eggs on a slice of Oat & Barley bread for Breakfast/ Muesli + (3 Tbl Spoons) Greek Style Natural Yoghurt & Stir-fry Vegetables and haddock fillet with spray sunflower oil as a safe 'main meal' bet, but I'm always hungry. I hope this will pass soon.

I will be needing other options soon as this will get very boring over time.


I hope someone can help sort out all the confusion.

Bob.

 

[Prem51]

Hi @Bob-111 and welcome to the forum, you will get a lot of good advice and support on here.
In answer to your questions:
1. To amend the personal details on your profile page, click on your name on top right of page and a drop down menu will appear, click on Personal Details, which will take you to your profile which you can amend and save.

2. As a Type 2 diabetic you really should avoid or limit starchy carbohydrates which turn more rapidly into sugar in our bodies.
Porridge is a bit more difficult, some T2s can eat it without affecting their blood sugars, others find it spikes their bs. I used to eat it until I found it raised my bs to over 10, then it went in the recycling bin. It's good that you have ordered a glucometer as this is how you will find out which foods affect you.

3. You don't have to eat fish, but it is a good food for T2s, especially oily fish. Sausages are ok if they have a low carbohydrate content.
Carbohydrate content is more important than sugar content, as it includes the sugar content. You should ideally look for foods which have less than 5 gms of carbohydrates per 100 gms, ie 5%.
Portions are usually reckoned to be a serving about the size of your fist.

Muesli and most cereals are mainly carbohydrates.

The meals you have listed are ok except for the Oat & Barley Bread which probably has a high carb content. LIDL high protein rolls are a good alternative.

Have a read round the threads and ask any questions you want, the people on here are helpful and supportive.

 

[Prem51]

A lot of the Type 2s on here have found that adopting a Low Carbohydrate High Fat (LCHF) approach to eating has reduced our blood sugars, and usually weight too. The High Fat means healthy fats like eggs, oily fish, olive oil, nuts, avocados and dairy products. These replace the energy from starchy carbs and make you feel full, not hungry.

There are lots of low carb options on the Food and Nutrition on this forum and on www.dietdoctor.com

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi,

You seem to be concentrating on how much sugar is in your food. You will learn that ALL carbohydrate turns to sugar once inside our system. Therefore you need to look at the total carbohydrate amount per 100g. If it says 10g per 100g then 10% of whatever amount you eat is carb. All packets have to have this information on them by law. Some packets also say how many carbs etc in a portion but will usually also say what that portion is - sausages for example often say how many in each sausage, or in 2 sausages. You can ignore the "of which sugars" bit. (These rules apply to the UK. Other countries may differ)

Your initial weight loss diet looks about right. Potatoes, rice, bread, pasta, breakfast cereals and anything containing or made with flour are the main culprits in raising blood sugar levels. Fruit is also difficult and it is best to stay away from tropical fruits such as bananas and grapes etc. Berries (raspberries, strawberries are the best choices) Muesli is high in carbs. Look at the packets!

There is no need to stop your vegetarian diet. There is a whole subsection on the forum for vegetarians. Of course fish is important because of all the essential nutrients and because it is not carbohydrate, but you can get round this.

If I were you I would ditch the spray sunflower oil and change to olive oil for dressings, or real mayonnaise. Cooking you can use olive oil or rapeseed oil, but also excellent to use butter. (real butter that is, not pretend butter!)

When your meter arrives you must use it to test out your food choices. It will tell you if you can manage small amounts of porridge (most of us can't) and it will show you at a glance what all your meals do to your levels, giving you chance to eliminate some foods or cut right back on the portion size.

Test before you eat
Test again 2 hours after first bite
Look at the rise from before to after and try to keep this under 2mmol/l, preferably a lot less.
Keep a detailed food diary including everything in that meal and portion sizes.
Record your levels alongside.
Look for patterns emerging and learn what this means
Beware of some shocks!
This is called eating to your meter, and is the best way of approaching this.
Once you are in the swing of things and start to understand what all the numbers mean, you can test at other post-meal times if you wish, such as an hour, and 2.5 hours or 3 hours to see what else is happening.

Tagging @daisy1 who has an excellent introductory post for newcomers.

As a PS. When you see your nurse you may be even more confused because the normal NHS advice is to eat a lot of carbs with every meal. It is outdated and wrong for diabetics. Best to just nod if she goes off down that line!

 

[AM1874]

Hi @Bob-111 .. and welcome
I can't improve on the answers from @Prem51 above .. but I can add that you should read the valuable information that @ daisy1 will soon be sending you.You might find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. together with the following Diet Doctor websites, which will give you all the info that you need on what and what not to eat ...
Low Carb Intro and Information and Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

If you are not already testing your blood glucose, it is a top priority that get yourself a meter and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both which I alternate for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them.

Unless you have a relevant prescription from your doctor (unlikely). the costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. Make sure that you tick the appropriate box on the on-line order form and you won't pay VAT on your meter or strips.
For the SD Codefree, the strips are £7.69 for a pack of 50 and there are discount codes available for bulk purchases:
5 packs x 50 use code: 264086 .. cost is £29.49
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £58.98
For the TEE 2, the strips are £7.75 for a pack of 50 .. but there are no discount codes currently available

I'm testing 3-5 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for either of the two packages above but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I can now manage them

Hope this helps

 

[perry1960]

Hi Bob welcome to the forum lots of friendly folk on here that will answer any questions/concerns you may have on your journey with T2 diabetes just ask away

 

[daisy1]

@Bob-111
Hello Bob and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.


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 250,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.

 

[Christina0308]

Hi and welcome..

 

[Kentoldlady1]

Hello and another welcome. I was diagnosed on 26th june, also left hanging with no information. So glad I found this site.
Those who know what they are talking about are endlessly helpful and extremely patient. Ask any question you need an answer to and someone will be along.
I have learnt such a lot over the last few weeks and all of it was because of this forum.
We are all in the same boat.

 

[Art Of Flowers]

Get a blood glucose monitor and check which foods spike your blood sugar. Some diabetics can eat porridge whilst others find it spikes their blood. I found my blood sugars jumped from 6 to 10, two hours after eating porridge, so I stopped eating it.

In general, avoid breakfast cereals, bread, potatoes, rice and pasta. Also avoid fruit juice and fruit such as bananas and grapes.

 

[Mr_Pot]

Regarding the grams of carbohydrate per portion. Use caution here as often the manufacturers must have the appetite of a catwalk model in mind. Ready meals that most active men would consume are often marked "serves two" so the portion size is actually half a pack. I wouldn't advocate eating any cereals but if you were to measure out what they suggest as a portion you could eat from a cup rather than a bowl. If it has the carbohydrate per 100g then use that, estimate or weigh how much you are going to eat and calculate from that.

 

[DCUKMod]

Hi @Bob-111 - Welcome to the forum.

I see you've already had quite a lot of information to take onboard, so I won't pile too much more on there. What I will suggest though is that you have a looking in the Vegetarian Diet part of the forum.

There are lots of vegetarians, and even vegan members here, so it is possible to live a healthy life as a diabetic vegetarian: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/vegetarian-diet-forum.71/

Then there's an interesting thread, focusing on what people have eaten that day. In this case it's for the vegetarians amongst us. http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/thr...ve-you-eaten-today.88074/page-83#post-1550160

By your approach, I'm sure you'll get along fine.

 

[Bob-111]

Hi @Bob-111 - Welcome to the forum.

I see you've already had quite a lot of information to take onboard, so I won't pile too much more on there. What I will suggest though is that you have a looking in the Vegetarian Diet part of the forum.

There are lots of vegetarians, and even vegan members here, so it is possible to live a healthy life as a diabetic vegetarian: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/vegetarian-diet-forum.71/

Then there's an interesting thread, focusing on what people have eaten that day. In this case it's for the vegetarians amongst us. http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/thr...ve-you-eaten-today.88074/page-83#post-1550160

By your approach, I'm sure you'll get along fine.

Dear DCUKMod,

Thanks for the links. Yes, there is a lot to get my head round.

When I was just trying to lose weight, Muesli with Natural unsweetened Yoghurt was flagged as a healthy breakfast. As was the Poach Eggs on a slice Wholemeal or Oat & Barley Bread
Now, suddenly, it's not.
Very disheartening.

The advice about porridge seems contradictory to what others have said, hence my confusion.
How do I find out if I can eat oatmeal and get the blood sugar reduction I was told it contributed to?
Is it just going to be the case of eating some and testing my levels to see what happens?
I will do this when I eventually get my test kit. (It didn't arrive today).

Thank you.

Bob.

 

[DCUKMod]

Dear DCUKMod,

Thanks for the links. Yes, there is a lot to get my head round.

When I was just trying to lose weight, Muesli with Natural unsweetened Yoghurt was flagged as a healthy breakfast. As was the Poach Eggs on a slice Wholemeal or Oat & Barley Bread
Now, suddenly, it's not.
Very disheartening.

The advice about porridge seems contradictory to what others have said, hence my confusion.
How do I find out if I can eat oatmeal and get the blood sugar reduction I was told it contributed to?
Is it just going to be the case of eating some and testing my levels to see what happens?
I will do this when I eventually get my test kit. (It didn't arrive today).

Thank you.

Bob.

Do you have a blood glucose meter Bob? That really is the way to get personal, immediate feedback, on a meal by meal and day by day basis.

I have to say my meter was the best thing I ever bought at the beginning of my diabetes journey. Once I could see what each meal or foodstuff was doing to me it because a lot easier (even if I didn't always like what I saw!!).

I use the Codefree meter that @AM1874 mentions in his post, #5 above in this thread.

With your approach, plus that meter feedback, you'll romp away

Don't worry about not being too sure about how to use it, we can help you here is it doesn't make sense.

 

[Mr_Pot]

Is it just going to be the case of eating some and testing my levels to see what happens?

Yes, test before eating it and 2 hours later. If BG rises by less than 2 mmol it is ok. When you get your meter a common first time mistake is to put the blood drop on top of the test strip. You should stick the end of the test strip in the blood so that it is drawn up by capillary action. Happy testing!

 

[Prem51]

When I was just trying to lose weight, Muesli with Natural unsweetened Yoghurt was flagged as a healthy breakfast. As was the Poach Eggs on a slice Wholemeal or Oat & Barley Bread
Now, suddenly, it's not.
Very disheartening.

Those foods were ok if you are just trying to lose weight, but not good for T2 diabetics. I do eat a couple of slices of wholemeal bread occasionally which doesn't affect me too much. But if you are diabetic a lower carb bread is better. The lowest carb mass produced bread is Burgen Soya & Linseed, which is available in most supermarkets. LIDL high protein rolls are also low carb.
Do you know what your HbA1c (blood sugar) figure was when you were tested? If not you should find out from your GP surgery so you know where you are starting from.

 

[Resurgam]

The standard advice of weightloss never worked for me, and I find that all the things which increased my weight are exactly those which spike my blood glucose - I suspect that I should have been tested for diabetes long ago.
Porridge - or any grain and many seeds are labelled as 'healthy' but they cause my BG to shoot up and stay up for a long time, so the only thing to do is to eliminate them for a while and then use your meter to test how you react to them. When I started Atkins, many moons ago, I lost half a stone in three days, so it was a bit of a shock at first.

 

[Bob-111]

Yes, test before eating it and 2 hours later. If BG rises by less than 2 mmol it is ok. When you get your meter a common first time mistake is to put the blood drop on top of the test strip. You should stick the end of the test strip in the blood so that it is drawn up by capillary action. Happy testing!

Hi,

Yes I got my meter today and did my first test. The reading from my Doctor was 17.
When I tested it today a few hours after breakfast, (which was two poached eggs on toast) it was 4.6. I then had the last portion of muesli with natural yoghurt and it went up to 7.4.

How should I judge that increase?

Is that too much of a jump or is it acceptable?

Regards,

Bob.

 

[Bluetit1802]

How should I judge that increase?

It tells you that there were too many carbs in your muesli and yogurt. The rise should be no more than 2mmol/ and preferably a lot less. The 4.6 was excellent, by the way. Did you calculate how many carbs were in your muesli and yogurt? Use the labels on the packets and try to work it out. This is something you need to start doing with carby foods so you can discover how many carbs you can eat at one meal. Food diaries are as essential as meters when you are learning.

 

[Bob-111]

It tells you that there were too many carbs in your muesli and yogurt. The rise should be no more than 2mmol/ and preferably a lot less. The 4.6 was excellent, by the way. Did you calculate how many carbs were in your muesli and yogurt? Use the labels on the packets and try to work it out. This is something you need to start doing with carby foods so you can discover how many carbs you can eat at one meal. Food diaries are as essential as meters when you are learning.

Thanks for that.
That was the last of the Muesli anyway. No, I didn't calculate the carbs, just measured the portion with the control tubs I bought.
As I can't weigh my food calculating the carbs is going to be difficult. I'll probably just test each meal as I go and record the result.
I'll be sticking to the Poached eggs on toast breakfast in future, although I really miss the vegetarian 'full breakfast' (2 Poached eggs, 2 Veggy Sausages, Fried Tomatoes & Mushrooms) I used to cook every day. I suppose that'll be a Weekend treat now. I'll need to test that one next weekend to see how that fares!

The next meal will be baked haddock on a bed of stir fried fresh vegetables. As far as I can tell there are no carbs at all except for the small spray of oil I'll use to cook the stir-fry.

Cheers,
Bob.