Hi swsok1
Welcome to the forum and sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis.
As you probably know by now, having diabetes means that our bodies are no longer able to manage our blood glucose levels on their own.
Most of the food we eat, is converted by our metabolic system into glucose, a type of sugar which is our main body fuel. Glucose is transferred in our bloodstream to our various body cells where it is absorbed through the action of a hormone released by our pancreas called insulin. In type 2 diabetics such as you and I, our cells become insulin resistant and are no longer very efficient at taking in glucose. As a result unabsorbed glucose remains in our bloodstream resulting in increased blood sugar levels.
In some T2's, as well as all T1 diabetics, the pancreas may lose its ability to produce insulin, in which case the diabetic becomes insulin dependent and has to inject insulin in order to keep his glucose levels under control.
Diabetics manage their blood glucose levels in order to stay within target levels and avoid short term problems such as hyperglycaemia (too high blood sugars) and hypoglycaemia (too low blood sugars), both of which could be life threatening if present in extreem levels. Another aim of good glyceamic control is to significantly reduce the risk of long term diabetic complications such as cardiovascular problems (the number one cause of death amonghst diabetics), kidney failure, gangrene, neurological problems and blindness.
There are two main measures of glyceamic control:
Blood Glucose Level - This is the usual reading one gets through self testing using a home blood glucose monitor and is expressed in the UK as mmol/l.
HbA1C - This measures how much glucose attaches to a specific type of molecule in our blood called heamoglobin and effectively is measure of the average level of glucose in our blood over the three months immediately preceeding the test. This is expressed as a percentage.
According to the latest UK guidelines, T2 diabetics should aim for a maximum HbA1C score of 7.5% and blood glucose levels between 4 - 7 mmol/l. for any reading taken first thing in the morning before any food is taken (fasting blood glucose level), and blood glucose levels of no more than 8.5 mmol/l for any reading taken two hours after any meal.
Some of us on this site believe that these targets are insufficiently tight to prevent long term diabetic complications and aim for targets which are much lower and as close as possible to non diabetic. However as newly diagnosed you should aim to reach the above guideline targets. Once you have achieved these, you could consider a more aggressive approach if you wish.
So what should you do to achieve the targets. You need to adopt lifestyle changes that will assist you in the long term to gain control over your diabetes.
Diet and Nutrition. What you eat,how much you eat and how often you eat will have a direct bearing over your blood glucose levels. In particular the quantity and type of carbohydrates you eat will be particularly relevant. Carbohydrates are divided into sugars and starches such as rice, pasta, potatoes, and cereals. Both types of carbs are converted into glucose when consumed. You should try to avoid sugars (only have sugar as a rear treat not as a regular indulgunce) and limit your intake of starches to quantities that will keep your blood glucose levels within the above limits.
In order to limit your carbs effectively you will need to learn how to count them and you will also need to start self monitoring your blood glucose level and keep a food diary. By testing before and two hours after a meal you will be able to educate yourself on what foods you should avoid or restrict in order to keep your glucose under control.
You should increase your level of physical activity. Walking is very good in this respect and you should aim for about half an hour per day.
If overweight, you should aim to lose weight. Fat is much more insuline resistant than muscle so reducing weight and increasing body muscle has a beneficial effect on glyceamic control.
You should also try to avoid highly stressful situations as stress also causes glucose levels to rise.
With regards to drink, this should not be taken in excess as alcohol lowers blood glucose and in excess could cause hypocglycaemia. I believe that a couple of glasses of red wine per day, especially if taken with food, is meant to be an antioxidant and good for you.
Once again wellcome and apologies if my reply ended up being a bit long.
Regards
Pavlos