Hi guys from stoke on Trent

Hi Stokie
Have a read around on the forum there are lots of useful articles and threads here and we're a pretty friendly and helpful bunch..
I'll tag @daisy1 so she can give you the beginners guide to helping yourself get a lot better.
If you have any questions please ask.
ll the best and welcome
Mark

Hi Stokie, welcome to the forum, like bulkbiker said we are a friendly bunch all in the same boat. Look around the forum ask as many questions as you like someone will always answer you. I was diagnosed in Jan this year and with all the help and advice off this site I am feeling a lot better and more confident. Good luck stay with us all.

Hi and welcome. Do ask any questions. Daisy1 will post suitable diet and other information shortly.

@Stokie99

Hello Stokie and welcome to the forum This information we give to new members should help you to get going. Ask all the questions you want 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 over 150,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

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

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


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 bloodglucose 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.

Stokie99 said:

Hi there just been diagnosed on sat as T2D reading 59 and 7.9 cholesterol ,it's all alien to me at the moment just saying hello atb stokie99


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Hi, I was diagnosed T2D reading 55 and 7.1 cholesterol 6 weeks ago. I have since cut out all bad carbs, chocolate (ouch), sweets, biscuits and cake etc and have been eating a low carb, clean food (no processed) diet since and have reduced my 55 to 47 - pre diabetic level! I still have the cholesterol and a fatty liver to deal with (and high blood pressure, but one thing at a time eh?) so as from yesterday I am on statins and being booked in for a liver scan. Will have a blood test in 6 weeks to see if the statins are working or the dose needs adjusting. Will keep you posted.

Hi Stokoe and welcome. Looks like we are sort of neighbours as I live in Stafford. I was also recently diagnosed as T2 and with hypothyroidism.

In 2007 I had a stroke where it was identified that I had high BP ... well they couldn't really miss it as it was 225/127 when I was admitted!!! The nurse was ... well, let's say less than helpful when she told me ... "Oh, I've never seen anyone with a BP this high who has lived"!!!
Astonishing, but true.

Anyway, the BP is in hand now and I got over the stroke. When I was told I was T2, I felt beaten and scared. I didnt I ow what I should eat or what to do. Nurses and doctors weren't overly helpful and so I stumbled into the forum. People here put up with what I thought were stupid questions and have intelligent advice and support.

A month on and I have lost over a stone, feel healthier and happier. Stick around and ask for help. The people here are a wealth of knowledge and expertise - and they will help

When I went for my HbA1c test I was 17.5 stone. I am now 15st 10lbs. All I did was calorie control and stay away from spud, pasta and rice. My BG monitor continues to tell me whether I can eat the other stuff. Why not take a look at the ideas people put on here for meals? I am forever stealing their ideas

You can do this Stokie .. 4st sounds a lot but in 6 months a !ot of it will be history. Just plod away and you'll get there

Personally, I steer clear of all rice, potato and pasta. Instead I have bulgar wheat, or occasionally a small sweet potato.

Ive tried to break away from old patterns and gone for more vegetables too.

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Hi Stokie and welcome,

As it happens, my HbA1C on diagnosis was exactly the same as yours at 59. I switched to a low carb diet and lost some weight. Three months later my HbA1C was 34. My doctor was astonished. I've just had my next follow up (about 8 months after my last - I was a bit busy to fit in the appointment) and despite having put back on some of the weight I lost (mostly on account of my wife mastering a range of very delicious low carb but very high fat recipes like cheesecake, chocolate pudding etc) my HbA1C hasn't budged and was exactly 34 again. What that experience told me was although I'm sure the weight loss helps, the single biggest factor is to avoid carbohydrate. Ignore the NHS advice. Don't deliberately eat carbs. Don't worry if you end up eating some from time to time (because someone's put a breaded coating on some meat or because there was no low carb option at the restaurant) but don't set out to eat them. My personal recommendations are strawberries (incredibly sweet, but low carb) and Lidl High Protein rolls (halve them, toast them and bingo you've got some of the nicest bread you'll ever taste - at 29p each and they don't push up your blood sugar). Plus nuts.. lots of nuts.. .careful which ones you choose. Some (brazil nuts, walnuts) are amazingly low carb. Others (cashews, chestnuts) are amazingly high carb. If you go for peanuts, they're in between. Avoid the coated ones, and be careful to check to the carb levels on the pack (for some reason one brand will be literally twice the carbs of another - I'm not sure if there are different varieties of peanut plant or something). Nuts have all sorts of good stuff in, and they are massively high calorie so they'll fill you up really well.

Stokie99 said:

The doc said I have to loose 4 stone !!! So I'm just trying to get my head around carbs and sugar and which diet to go for and how to get over the long time relationship with STELLA and chips cooked in beef dripping

I only said that fish looks good enough for jehovah!!!!!

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Drop the Stella and the chips, keep the beef dripping. Voila, you're on the LCHF diet.

Welcome Stokie! This is a wonderful community of caring, kind fellow travellers with some truly inspiring stories. Enjoy


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Welcome Stokie99, lots of good advice and friendly people on here to support you. We all try to help one another as we are all fighting the same battle. Go on the forum What Have You Eaten today lots of daily meals on there for you to try and test. Good luck. Ask any thing you like someone will always answer you.

Stokie99 said:

Hi Devonbear,
That sounds great well done I have started on a low carb diet and at the moment I am just eating fish, chicken ( with the skin off) and selected chopped up veg stir fried in a small drop of olive oil, I have knocked beer on the head for now and have lost 5lb in the first week so I'm pleased with that I just need to cut down my portion sizes a bit but it is my first week , I love nuts ( almonds and walnuts) I just need to not eat as many in one hit lol

. And the doc was saying rice ,pasta, bread with every meal that's how I started until I joined this forum,are you still on the meds or just diet controlled? Atb stokie





I only said that fish looks good enough for jehovah!!!!!

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Eat that chicken skin! best bit.. don't need to avoid fats and they fill you up much better than nasty carbs..Fry your veg in butter.. gives nicer flavour. We tend to use fats to keep our appetites sated.. also they fill your for longer so you don't get hunger pangs.