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Hi I'm new here

Paulwgun

Paulwgun

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Type 2
hi everyone, my first post, diagnosed around 4 months ago I'm on metformin and found this website around 3/4 weeks ago. After seeing some programmes on TV about diabetes which frightened me in to doing something about my weight

I'm partialy sighted in my right eye due to an accident when 11 years of age, and lost my left eye sight 2 1/2 years ago due to a central retinal occlusion. I did hit a huge low when it happened the biggest blow is that I can't drive any more and I believe this contributed to my pre diabetes and now type 2 .

I actually asked my doc if it could be reversed and his answer "even if you loose weight probably not!" I was sent to see the nurse given the usual handouts, went back after a couple of weeks to see her my blood was ok hadn't gained any weight or lost any so carried on as normal until 3 weeks ago .

I started the low carb diet not so much high fat (still trying to get my head around the fat bit) and I'm doing quite well my fasting blood glucose has come down from 10.2 and I'm averaging 6.6 I'm not testing every morning as the test strips are expensive
I've also come down from 21st10lb to 20st10lb which I'm very pleased about. I do go to the gym when I can get a lift with my mate, he unfortunately works a different shift pattern to my self. So spin classes are a bit sparodical, I've also started walking more and the next step is to convince the wife that my bike on a turbo trainer will not look out of place in our living room (we don't have a garage and only a small shed)
On my next visit to the nurse I'm going to ask for a copy of all my results past and present so that I can make some sense of my progress
Right I've mumbled enough for now,time for breakfast mushroom omelette have a good day all

Paul
 
@Paulwgun - Hello Paul and Welcome to the Forum :). @daisy1 will provide you with some basic information that all new members receive. Have a read around the threads on the Forum and if you have any questions? - Just ask. :)
 
Welcome to the forum @Paulwgun. Reducing your fbgs from 10.2 to 6.6 and your weight by 14lbs in just three weeks is quite impressive. Well done! :)
I know what you mean about getting your head round the high fat part of LCHF. I found this a bit difficult to come to terms with at first, but it has worked for me. If you are apprehensive about increasing dairy fats you could try increasing other fats like avocadoes, oily fish, nuts and olive oil which I accepted as 'healthier' than cream, butter and cheese.
 
@Paulwgun

Hello Paul and welcome to the forum :) Well done on your weight loss and reducing your levels. Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask as many questions as 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 well over 210,000 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.
 
hi paul wellcome!!! as the forum will tell you eat to your meter i have eaten some things that are a bit taboo
but does not effect my readings to much if you go high then it don't work for but at least youv'e tried , it works
for some but not all so good luck exersise is good for i walk about 1 mile a day changed some things i eat and
have lost over a stone in the last 2 months
ps maybe get a bigger shed keep the wife happy :);)
 
Hi and welcome,

You have made an excellent start, so well done.

If you are finding the strips too expensive, have you considered buying a different meter with much cheaper strips? The Codefree is the most popular on this forum because of the cheaper strips.
 
Well done on what you have achieved so far and your diet sounds good as you have lowered the carbs. As to high fat that does not mean you have to eat a lot of saturated animal fat like red meat and full fat dairy if you don't want to. Good oils like coconut and olive oil nuts and avocados are a good source of fat and oily fish is good to
 
Thanks for all the replies everyone, I'll certainly look in to changing my meter. Pinkorchid I wish I could eat oily fish, I'm ok with tin tuna and salmon but just can't stomach fresh oily fish, I put it down to being fed a spoonful of cod liver oil on a regular basis as a child
I'm a chef by trade and love cooking fish in all manner of ways but have to trust my judgement when cooking oily fish as I just cant sample it
 
Paulwgun said:
Thanks for all the replies everyone, I'll certainly look in to changing my meter. Pinkorchid I wish I could eat oily fish, I'm ok with tin tuna and salmon but just can't stomach fresh oily fish, I put it down to being fed a spoonful of cod liver oil on a regular basis as a child
I'm a chef by trade and love cooking fish in all manner of ways but have to trust my judgement when cooking oily fish as I just cant sample it
Click to expand...

No need to eat fresh salmon. Tinned salmon is just as good for you. I eat 3 or 4 of the small tins a week.
 
Sounds like you've got a fab attitude and are definitely going in the right direction! Hopefully with your hard work, and the support you can get on here, you can prove the doctor wrong!
 
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