Hi I am type 2 been diagnosed for 4 years

[suewill]

I am more confused now more than ever of what to eat, I need to lose a lot of weight and this year Ive just eaten what I wanted so now my blood sugars are up !!! confused and fed up, theres so much conflicting information........help

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi and welcome,

My first question is do you have a glucose meter? If not, I strongly urge you to buy one.
My next question is what diabetes medications are you taking?
And finally, what was your last HbA1c and if you do self test, what sort of levels do you see?

Sorry for the questions, but without the answers it is difficult to help you. Of course, all this is purely voluntary on your part.

 

[suewill]

Hi and welcome,

My first question is do you have a glucose meter? If not, I strongly urge you to buy one.
My next question is what diabetes medications are you taking?
And finally, what was your last HbA1c and if you do self test, what sort of levels do you see?

Sorry for the questions, but without the answers it is difficult to help you. Of course, all this is purely voluntary on your part.

Hi Bluetit,

I have a monitor and do my readings often.
I take 500 mg metformin 3 times a day.
My last review (last year) the diabetic nurse said I average about a 6
taking my readings this year they are around the 7 -6.9 area sometimes more, I know this is because of poor eating choices, but I have read so many different opinions, slimming world, low carb, no sugar, herbalife that I just don't know what to do any more and totally gone off track therefore putting more weight on my fault I know but I don't know who or what to believe anymore. Would just like some sound advice that will help me lose weight and lower my blood sugar

 

[Guzzler]

Hi there and welcome to the forum. I agree with you, there is so much conflicting information and advice out there that it is no wonder that people are confused. But, who better to take advice from than other people who have been in exactly the same place as you? Stand by for lots of information and advice from members who will answer any and all of your questions.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Thanks for answering my questions.

Have you tried forgetting all the confusing information about diets, and actually eating to your meter? Doing this is an organised fashion will help you lower your numbers and as a bonus, should help you lose weight at the same time.

This involves using your meter to help with your food choices.

Test immediately before you eat
Test again 2 hours after first bite
Look at the difference between the before and after levels
Try to keep any rise under 2mmol/l and preferably less
If it is more than that there were too many carbs in that meal
Keep a detailed food diary including portion sizes
Record your levels alongside the food
Look for patterns, and work out which carbs in which portion sizes are not good for you personally..
Then play about with the portion sizes until you arrive at one that is good for you.
You may have to be prepared to eliminate some carbs completely.

If you give that method a go for several weeks, you may find a diet that is great for you personally.

 

[suewill]

Hi there and welcome to the forum. I agree with you, there is so much conflicting information and advice out there that it is no wonder that people are confused. But, who better to take advice from than other people who have been in exactly the same place as you? Stand by for lots of information and advice from members who will answer any and all of your questions.

Awwww thank you Guzzler cant wait for the information, this is what I thought too, all the other people are really only going to promote their own programs and Im fed up of going from one to the other and actually getting nowhere then I had a light bulb moment why not go to the people that will know xx

 

[suewill]

Thanks for answering my questions.

Have you tried forgetting all the confusing information about diets, and actually eating to your meter? Doing this is an organised fashion will help you lower your numbers and as a bonus, should help you lose weight at the same time.

This involves using your meter to help with your food choices.

Test immediately before you eat
Test again 2 hours after first bite
Look at the difference between the before and after levels
Try to keep any rise under 2mmol/l and preferably less
If it is more than that there were too many carbs in that meal
Keep a detailed food diary including portion sizes
Record your levels alongside the food
Look for patterns, and work out which carbs in which portion sizes are not good for you personally..
Then play about with the portion sizes until you arrive at one that is good for you.
You may have to be prepared to eliminate some carbs completely.

If you give that method a go for several weeks, you may find a diet that is great for you personally.

Wow Bluetit thank you so much, I have an idea that I do not react well to carbs anyway, but I will definitely try this and keep the food diary and readings together, thank you so much xx

 

[Guzzler]

I wil

Awwww thank you Guzzler cant wait for the information, this is what I thought too, all the other people are really only going to promote their own programs and Im fed up of going from one to the other and actually getting nowhere then I had a light bulb moment why not go to the people that will know xx

l start you off by tagging @daisy1 who will swing by and give you loads of information that is great for all newcomers. And do read around the forum for personal insights into our condition.

 

[Grateful]

I don't know who or what to believe anymore.

This is a natural response. Confusion is normal because the advice on how best to treat Type 2 diabetes is sometimes conflicting.

You have come to the right place. You seem to be on Metformin-only. This means you may benefit from a low-carbohydrate diet as a key route to lower your blood glucose levels. You already have the meter, and the advice you have received in the earlier posts is very good. Eat to your meter and see what effect the various foods have.

By the way the reason for the confusing advice is that there is genuine disagreement about "what works best." The low-carb route for controlling Type 2 is controversial, although I have never really understood why. It works well for some people and is worth a try, if at all possible. On this forum you will come across quite a few people who made it work for them.

Best wishes.

 

[daisy1]

@suewill

Hello Sue 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 want and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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.

 

[suewill]

This is a natural response. Confusion is normal because the advice on how best to treat Type 2 diabetes is sometimes conflicting.

You have come to the right place. You seem to be on Metformin-only. This means you may benefit from a low-carbohydrate diet as a key route to lower your blood glucose levels. You already have the meter, and the advice you have received in the earlier posts is very good. Eat to your meter and see what effect the various foods have.

By the way the reason for the confusing advice is that there is genuine disagreement about "what works best." The low-carb route for controlling Type 2 is controversial, although I have never really understood why. It works well for some people and is worth a try, if at all possible. On this forum you will come across quite a few people who made it work for them.

Best wishes.

Thank you Grateful, I am getting so much good advice here, I have always had to diet (yoyo Dieting mostly) but this is different to low fat dieting, slimming world was ok but found blood sugars were raised, want to lose weight too

 

[Grateful]

Thank you Grateful, I am getting so much good advice here, I have always had to diet (yoyo Dieting mostly) but this is different to low fat dieting, slimming world was ok but found blood sugars were raised, want to lose weight too

You need to say good-bye to yo-yo dieting. Unfortunately, the low-carb approach (if you stick with it, and if it works for you) is a lifetime commitment.

Low-carb for the rest of your life = a chance to control your diabetes, and perhaps stop the Metformin, for a while and possibly forever.

A typical "elimination diet" done for only a few weeks or a few months = pretty useless, even if it is low-carb. (I make one exception, and that is something very extreme called the "Newcastle Diet" which is explained elsewhere on this website.)

 

[Resurgam]

I am more confused now more than ever of what to eat, I need to lose a lot of weight and this year Ive just eaten what I wanted so now my blood sugars are up !!! confused and fed up, theres so much conflicting information........help

To be blunt - your own experience shows you that if you eat what you have been eating your weight will increase and you will see your diabetes getting worse. I suggest changing what you eat - lots of looking at the backs of packages - not the traffic light system, that is useless for diabetics.
Diabetes is an inability to deal with a diet full of carbohydrate laden foods. If you have a glucose tester than it will show you which foods spike your BG levels, and by removing them or cutting down, or substituting lower carb options, then you should see your BG levels drop - and for me that resulted in effortless weightloss.
I was surprised to find a record of my weight from the recent past and realize that I am over three stone lighter. I know that my waist is so much smaller - I have had to replace so many clothes, and I can get down to wipe out the bottom of the fridge, no problem. Even better - I can get up again afterwards.

 

[Mark_1]

Dietdoctor.com has an example 2 week menu which may be a good starting point for you. There are also loads of recipe ideas on there.

 

[suewill]

To be blunt - your own experience shows you that if you eat what you have been eating your weight will increase and you will see your diabetes getting worse. I suggest changing what you eat - lots of looking at the backs of packages - not the traffic light system, that is useless for diabetics.
Diabetes is an inability to deal with a diet full of carbohydrate laden foods. If you have a glucose tester than it will show you which foods spike your BG levels, and by removing them or cutting down, or substituting lower carb options, then you should see your BG levels drop - and for me that resulted in effortless weightloss.
I was surprised to find a record of my weight from the recent past and realize that I am over three stone lighter. I know that my waist is so much smaller - I have had to replace so many clothes, and I can get down to wipe out the bottom of the fridge, no problem. Even better - I can get up again afterwards.

Dietdoctor.com has an example 2 week menu which may be a good starting point for you. There are also loads of recipe ideas on there.

So true Resurgam, your post made me smile and thank you very much for your great advice x