hello

Hi. I am not quite sure why you have been told to wait to go on a diet. You seem to have already "gone low carb". Perhaps you have other health issues complicating things, but I don't understand this reference to an HbA1c of 58 in order to diet. I would think that anyone (frankly including non-diabetics) would only benefit from a sensible diet and way less carbs than is considered "normal". The only issue I can see from cutting carbs dramatically (as many of us have done...very successfully) is to be careful to avoid blood sugar dropping too low if you are also on meds such as Gliclazide. Weight has never been an issue for me, my Type 2 being steroid induced, but I cannot see how losing weight and reducing blood sugar levels through dieting before the level drops to this magic 58 number could be anything other than helpful. I am sure someone else will be along to clarify. Meantime, welcome to the site and good luck.

Hi @brend .. and welcome
You have made a good move coming to this forum ..

Not sure why your doctor is against dieting .. but managing and controlling your diabetes through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day, seems to be working. There is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum .. so ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need ..

I have tagged @daisy1 and I would suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she will be sending you.. you might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following websites ...
Low Carbs in 60 Seconds
Low Carb 10-week Programme

If you are considering self-testing, try the website at: https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/ for the SD Codefree meter or: http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/ who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free. The costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. I'm testing 3-4 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for the two packages above but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I will be able to manage them
Hope this helps

Hi @brend ..
Just realised that you posted another message some time ago and that you have already received a lot of the info that I fave described above .. so much of my reply will be irrelevant
Sorry for any confusion

brend said:

Hi
Hi thanks for replying I believe that anyone with a reading over 58 is given metformin they wanted to give me metformin at the start but I asked if I could wait 3 months till my next blood test and try and reduce reading through diet they agreed but she said she would like to see it down to 58 as anything above that are usually started on meds but encouraged to diet and excercise but I really didn't want to take meds hade bloods taken 3 weeks ago but still waiting for docs to read results which I feel is very slow but have made appointment for 25th so should find out then

Click to expand...

I see.That makes more sense. As for the meds...not everyone is put on metformin...I was on Gliclazide initially. While you should definitely take on board everything the doctors say, you will see form a lot of comments here that much of the advice on diet etc is way, way too general. there are clear benefits to the meds. Lost of Type 2s prefer to stick with the meds as it allows them to be less strict with diet (though even that comment is too general). Metformin has other advantages beyond keeping blood sugars down. That said, I personally prefer to avoid the drugs; I am on enough meds to prevent rejection of my new kidney as it is. further, I can judge how well I am doing and what the impact of foods is far more easily if I am not taking meds to keep the bloods sugar down. At the end of the day, whether you take the meds is up to you. I chose not to because of the progress I was making with a low carb diet alone. It helped that I had my own records (food eaten, meds taken, readings before and 2.5 hours after eating) to show my progress, which effectively supported my choice. If the diet is good, the levels will drop and you can decide whether you need those meds or not...but always do discuss it with your docs. Starting the meds does not mean staying on the meds. Once you have sound approach, stick to it, record it and discuss.

@brend

Hello 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 147,000 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.

Hello @brend - Welcome to the Forum .