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triona

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Hello to all. I was diagnosed last May and have been struggling to come to terms with it ever since..I'm findin it hard to keep my sugar levels as near normal as I can..I'm on Gliclazide 80mg twice a day, slow release Metformin 1000 twice a day,and only last week started on Byetta 5 twice a day... I'm seeing a dietitian tomorrow but I have tried really hard to watch the weight issue... So glad to have finely said something on here..
 
Hi Triona and welcome to the forum :) Here is the basic information we give to new members. You may find that the information on diet is different from that which your dietitian will give you tomorrow but this is what we believe is the best way to control diabetes and we prove it to ourselves every day with our results. The important thing is that you test before and 2 hours after eating to see if what you are eating is suitable for you so you can decide for yourself what you will eat. Have a good read of this and ask as many questions as you need to as there is usually someone here 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 30,000 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 ... rains.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

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.
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Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.
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Hi Triona. Do look at Daisy's comments about diet and keeping the carbs low. How old are you? If you are still quite young it's always worth considering the possibility of last onset Type 1, but it's best to try a low carb diet and the meds you are on before considering other possibilities. Hopefully your dietition will give you good advice but if he/she tries the 'NHS eat plenty of starchy carbs with each meal' routine then run!
 
Well I'm nearing the age of 52,so not too young..lol..Well yep did get the nhs eat plenty of starch carbs... How the h.. do you take it all on board if your getting ill advice from the so called experts... I'm really suffering with a weight issue at the moment and have been for a while,so I'll be keeping in contact via this forum and will be trying to take in as much as I can..Since I was put in the Byetta 2 weeks ago I have been so carefull in what I've been eating , but was weighed and I have not lost an ounce.. Fingers crossed that I will start to loose something ...
 
Hi Triona

The diet I use is in the Sticky Thread section - Viv's Modified Atkins Diet. I would not advise you to go straight on to this, as it is very low carb and I believe some of your medications could get you into hypo territory with such a low carb diet, but it's a good basic food list for a low carb diet. Have a look at it.

You can then decide how many grams of carbohydrate you want to eat in a day - perhaps 150g to start with? or 100g? Get yourself a carb counter book - Collins have one in their Gem series - and add in Low GI carbs to the level you want, preferably from vegetables and fruit. You can have a little bread or pasta - small portions! - and try a littl no-or low-sugar cereal. Read the labels. Keep testing so that you see what your levels are doing.

I'm Type 2 on Metformin only. I've lost 4.5 stone on my version over the last 2 years, and my BG levels are now rarely above the non-diabetic range.

Your dietitian may freak out at the first mention of the word 'Atkins' - some do, some don't - but if you say you would like to try to lose weight by restricting your carbohydrate intake to about 150g daily, and ask her to help, you may get some good advice. It will definitely help to reduce your blood glucose levels. Carbohydrate turns to glucose in the blood - too much carb in = BG levels too high.

Let us know how you get on.

Viv 8)
 
Hi. Do try to get a meter if you can so you can check what foods affect you the most. Most meter manufacturers will provide one for free as they make their money on the test strips. Choose a meter that has low cost strips and you can buy these on the web from suppliers who don't charge VAT if you confirm you have diabetes. I supect as you are 52 and needing to lose weight you probably are Type 2 as diagnosed.
 
Hi,well good news.Seen yesterday by my nurse and my sugars are down to around lows of 5.3 and highs of 8.2 but even better news is that I have lost 5.5lbs as well..I've been taken of the Gliclazide for now so fingers crossed..Thanks again or all the info on here,and I'm slowly taken it all in..
 
Well done on your weight loss. I was sent to see a dietician at the local hospital who I found quite patronizing. She recommended a high carb diet contrary to this site and bananas which I queried as high in sugar. Her answer was it depends how much of the banana you eat. That coupled with I could go swimming at 6 am in the morning ( like her ? ) when I don't swim or even like water has stopped me going again. I am trying to follow the advice on this site from 'real people '. Any tips on a good diet gratefully accepted. Not taking medication at present although Dr has recommended I take Metaformin. Have lost 20lbs over the last 18 months.
 
jonesd said:
I was sent to see a dietician at the local hospital who I found quite patronizing. She recommended a high carb diet contrary to this site and bananas which I queried as high in sugar. Her answer was it depends how much of the banana you eat.
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Trying to convince a T2 Diabetic to eat a banana should be a criminal offence. :evil: It's tantamount to assault.

Who, in the whole history of the world, has ever eaten half a banana?

What do these people actually do for 3 years at university?
 
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