Hi there - just diagnosed type 2 this week. Been told to use diet control and given leaflets about diet and a meter with the advice to 'play with it'. My question is - if my level at the beginning of the day is 11.2, every time I eat this will go up and I need to metabolise the sugar which I am obviously not doing well, so how do I get the baseline levels to fall between 4 and 7?
The obvious answer is to eat less at each meal than I can metabolise, but I am eating so little already. I was so upset by the whole thing yesterday that I couldnt decide what to eat for the best. So I didnt eat anything after breakfast and by 4pm my level was 7.8. I was hungry but pleased and thought I would eat something when the level dropped below 7. Tested again at 8pm and the level was 8.7! How had it gone up when I had had no food or drink all day? I'm afraid I flipped at that point and had beans on toast, cheese and fruit.
So here we are again with 11.2 before breakfast, and I dont want to eat anything in case its the 'wrong' thing. My 2 hour level after porridge was 0.5 up on the pre-breakfast reading so I presume that isnt a good choice for me. I thought it would be a healthier option than other cereals. I understand about the low carbs and I've seen advice on having a vegetable only diet and then re-introducing carbs and seeing what effect it has on the levels, but its almost impossible for me as I don't eat many vegetables and dont like meat or eggs. I am prepared to try, but a plate of half a tin of tuna (in water) with fresh garden peas and carrots (nothing else at all) put the 2 hour level up by 2 points. Very despondent and scared at the moment . Sorry its such a long post.
The obvious answer is to eat less at each meal than I can metabolise, but I am eating so little already. I was so upset by the whole thing yesterday that I couldnt decide what to eat for the best. So I didnt eat anything after breakfast and by 4pm my level was 7.8. I was hungry but pleased and thought I would eat something when the level dropped below 7. Tested again at 8pm and the level was 8.7! How had it gone up when I had had no food or drink all day? I'm afraid I flipped at that point and had beans on toast, cheese and fruit.
So here we are again with 11.2 before breakfast, and I dont want to eat anything in case its the 'wrong' thing. My 2 hour level after porridge was 0.5 up on the pre-breakfast reading so I presume that isnt a good choice for me. I thought it would be a healthier option than other cereals. I understand about the low carbs and I've seen advice on having a vegetable only diet and then re-introducing carbs and seeing what effect it has on the levels, but its almost impossible for me as I don't eat many vegetables and dont like meat or eggs. I am prepared to try, but a plate of half a tin of tuna (in water) with fresh garden peas and carrots (nothing else at all) put the 2 hour level up by 2 points. Very despondent and scared at the moment . Sorry its such a long post.