Type 2 How long to drop my bs levels

It does take time as your body lowers it set point but I'd say days, not weeks if you lower your carbs enough and get a few walks in.

What does a days meals look like for you? Have you counted carbs? How much protein and fat are you eating?

Are you eating lots of processed foods or high carb foods?

Some of us eat less than 20 carbs per DAY to keep the control we want and others are much more lenient and have a higher carb tolerance.

Glad you're checking and testing. This is the only way to know which foods and portions spike you.

Philb69 said:

Hiya
Pretty new to this. Was diagnosed about 3 weeks ago a couple of days before i went on holiday. I cut down a little on holiday but still tried to enjoy it. Before i went i had a day or so with a bs checker and i was around 10-15 marks with eating. Now I'm back i have been checking 15 times a day especially before and 2 hours after a meal. My readings now are always around the 7-10 mark but how can i get it down to 4-6 mark. Does it take time ie days weeks or months would not eating for a couple of days help. Im on 2 500mg metformin a day.

Thanks

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Welcome to the forum @Philb69, the best option is to lower your carb intake. Carbs will raise blood glucose levels so ensure your diet regimen iliminates foods with high carb count and high glycemic values. Raise your fluid intake and insure you can some form of regular exercise to assist. I'll tag @daisy1 to supply you with some valuable information for newly diagnosed diabetics. In the meantime, stay calm and keep with the program. Good luck.

Once I removed carbs to the point I was around 8 ish after meals I then saw my numbers start to drop without any changes - and I even began to eat a bit more without disrupting the process - even though there was chocolate involved - the 81 percent cocoa one from Lidl. I had been doing more exercise though.
I did not want to lower my metabolic rate, which is my usual reaction to lower calorie intake.
The last time I checked my after meal level was 6.2, so I am happy to continue like this.

Hi @Philb69 .. and welcome
You have certainly made a good move coming here .. since joining this forum the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. So ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need. It's still early for me but, in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly.

The key point to take on board is that managing and controlling your diabetes through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..

I see that @leslie10152 has already tagged @ daisy1 for you and I suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following Diet Doctor websites ...
Low Carb Intro and Information
Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

Testing 15 times a day seems a bit excessive and I suggest that you should conentrate on your readings before eating and then two hours after your meal .. this enables you to check on which foods give you a steady reading and those that may cause you to have a spike. It's also a good idea to test your fasting blood glucose first thing in the morning .. this gives a pattern of your BG levels over time. It sounds as though you already have a test meter but if not it is a top priority that you get yourself one and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 (you don't pay VAT) or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them. Unless you are prescribed test strips by your doctor (unlikely), the costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. I'm testing 3-5 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for either of the two packages above but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I can now manage them
Hope this helps

Philb69 said:

I have the sd meter and finding it easy to use. I have been out and bought everything low carb but haven't taken much notice of fibre etc. I ate a steak meal (no chips the other day and didn't go up much) chicken salads are good for me but my readings are 8 before i eat then 9.5 or so after but i want it to be 5 before eating and 6.5 after. When might i see this happen. I am aware of the dawn effect and woke this morning to 8.7 then 2 hrs after 10 without eating anything. Only been doing for around 5 days but as from my original question how long as a ballpark figure might it take and will it deffo happen if i keep low carb. Ps i am a really fussy eater which doesn't help.

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Taking a slow to moderate 20 min walk in the morning MIGHT help. Many of us struggle with the morning rises from cortisol and adrenaline waking up. Some of us need to eat something even if small to stop it. Many just have coffee and full fat cream, I have some avocado. Many also cannot eat carbs in the morning and save them for later in the day when we're more insulin sensative. Some have eggs and bacon, cheese etc.

We are all different and testing will help you find what works for you

You could try coffee and cream
Or walking
Or eggs
Or a slice of cheese
Or full fat no sugar yogurt
Or a few nuts
Just something to stop the rise.
This works for some and some find nothing works.
I still get a rise with avocado but worse if I DONT eat

This is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep testing, learn from what your meter tells you post meal and tweak those carbs. Your pre-meal levels will drop eventually. Everyone is different, and stressing about it won't help. You have already dropped from 10 to 15 to 7 to 10, and that is an excellent start and going in the right direction.

If I were you I would stop testing your morning fasting for the time being. There are too many things that influence it that are outside our control. Far too much importance is placed on it, and I believe this is wrong and stressful. Keep on with testing your meals though.

It may help if you tell us what a typical days food is. Maybe we can spot something.

Philb69 said:

Hiya
Yesterdays meal was pretty much nothing through the day exept a few strawberries and a few walnuts then chicken salad on the evening 7.30 pm was 8.5 then 9.30 it was 8 but then wake up and its 8.7

Thanks

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It can take a little time for your body to reset its set point. When it's used to being high it likes to stay high. Then slowly it adjusts and stays lower providing you aren't spiking it with carbs and excess protein. Are you eating enough fat? Fat will slow the absorption of carbs. Avocado is great for this as it's also full of slowing fiber and very filling.
Starving isn't the answer. Keep carbs low, moderate protein ( as protein CAN raise be especially in the absence of carbs) and eat enough fat to satisfy and no more.

Philb69 said:

Hiya
Thanks again
But I still dont know yet what sort of food is low carb but high fat?dont like avacado although i tried some yesterday and am going to have to get used to it. Also dont like fish except chippy kind thats not good i know. Love meat. What could i put on avacodo to try and make it taste better.

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No-one is forcing you to eat avocado. No-one could ever force me to eat it. Horrid stuff. They are good for us though.

Maybe it is time to re-educate your pallet? Fish, especially the oily kind like salmon, tuna, sardines and mackerel are so good for us in many ways and will help keep bad cholesterol levels down and keep your heart healthy. I love a small tin of red salmon at lunch time with some Hellmans real mayonnaise, some cherry tomatoes and half a Lidl high protein roll (toasted with butter). I also add some milled flaxseed for the omega 3 and fibre. Failing that, I may have a 2 egg mayo instead of the salmon, or a nice fry/grill up with an egg, bacon, a high meat content sausage (97%), mushrooms, a tomato and yes, half a Lidl roll.

You can eat any sort of meat you like, beef, lamb, chicken, pork etc. Eat it with vegetables such as cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms or a few frozen peas. Just leave out the potatoes, other root vegetables, and gravy. Or have the meat cold with a salad.

Then there is cheese and eggs and so much more.

Hi I found this book very useful https://thebloodsugardiet.com/how-it-works/. My doctor advised against restricting my diet to 800 calories. So i trzck to kerp below 1500. I drink a lot of water.The good thing about this book is it tells you all the amazing things you can eat!

Philb69 said:

Hiya
Thanks again
But I still dont know yet what sort of food is low carb but high fat?dont like avacado although i tried some yesterday and am going to have to get used to it. Also dont like fish except chippy kind thats not good i know. Love meat. What could i put on avacodo to try and make it taste better.

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Avocado has been miraculous for my bs and staving off hunger. I'm glad you're willing to give it a try and there are SO many ways to eat it.
Chop it on a salad, scoop out , smash it with a fork and add sea salt. You could also add some chopped onion. . Salt changes everything on avocado. Steak seasoning is good too with pepper garlic and onion salt. Make it into guacamole adding salt hot pepper onion tomato cilantro and jalapeño. It makes great smoothies I would think though never tried it. I think smoothies might metabolize too fast and raise me.
It goes great on red meat. I often have grass fed deli beef and smash some in it and add salt. Then roll it up and eat it with my fingers. Deli chicken and turkey work well. Smash or chunk it on a large piece of lettuce and add sandwich toppings instead of bread. Lettuce wraps are great if you eat lettuce.

Low carb foods are all forms of protein ( without fillers and breading) so beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, eggs, etc
Low carb veggies are those that grow ABOVE ground with the exception of carrots and peas.
Good fats are avocado , cheese, olive oil, butter, olives, nuts and seeds.
Low carb fruits are berries. The highest carb are tropical like pineapple mango etc.
some people like coconut oil.
There's a thread going right now with a low carb food list you should check

I'm not sure about the curry as I don't care for it but check ingred and if they're ok you could thin it with water or eat small portions. You're meter will tell you.

Hi Seems you want to finish the race before you have started There is no quick fix it is slow and steady Dont test yourself to much start with before and after meals There is a guide to what is low carb and it may help you here
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

Also google for a LCHF shopping list there are so many and they will give you a guide to what to buy
Also some fruits are high in sugar and may spike you Take it slow and learn what is best for you We all had to start at the beginning Good luck

Philb69 said:

Hiya
Thanks again
But I still dont know yet what sort of food is low carb but high fat?dont like avacado although i tried some yesterday and am going to have to get used to it. Also dont like fish except chippy kind thats not good i know. Love meat. What could i put on avacodo to try and make it taste better.

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Hi @Philb69 ..
I suggest you have a look at the the two Diet Doctor links that I put in my earlier post .. that will give you all the info you need about what to eat on Low Carb. Here are the links again ...
Low Carb Intro and Information
Low Carbs in 60 Seconds
For your info, I weighed 106.1 Kg when I started my LCHF lifestyle on Feb 7th .. today, the scales read 77.0 Kg. That's a loss of 29.1 Kg (4st 8.1lbs) in 21 weeks
Hope this helps

@Philb69

Hello Phil 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 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 245,000 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

Stick with it you are doing fine. As for how long it takes ... I did the 600 calorie a day diet and it took about 3 weeks. I did the diet against the advise of the nhs . It does make you feel week but the recipes are good especially the soups. As for advocodo I like to blend one with almonds stevia ( sweetener) a few berries double cream and water ....