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How worried should I be?

R

redpenny24

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi everyone.
I have been losing weight steadily over a couple of months with the help of Orlistat from my doctor. At my last appointment she decided I should have a blood test for diabetes, and the nurse has rung me to say that the level was slightly elevated - 7.7 - and I should go back in 2 weeks for a further test. The initial test was at about 10am, a couple of hours after breakfast, at which I ate Granola (it's very filling & keeps me going until lunch). Would this have affected the test result? I have none of the symptoms normally associated with diabetes, and apart from being overweight I feel healthy and have a low BP - 120/80.
I've been reading advice re diet on the site and it all makes sense, especially as I have a background in catering & food, and most of what is suggested I'm doing. I would like to know how your thinking goes on complex carbs such as lentils, beans, chickpeas etc, and if vegetables like squash, sweet potatoes & parsnips count as veg or carbs. I don't eat potatoes - unless they're mashed with cream & butter, or roasted in goose fat with plenty of salt they're not worth the calories! Also, what about sauces made from tinned tomatoes? One can contains about 12g of carbohydrate - is that too much in one meal?
Any advice you all can give me would be good.
 
Hi redpenny and welcome.
The most important thing you can do is to get a blood glucose meter as it is unlikely you will get this from you GP or any HCP. I have heard the Code Free is cheapest to run and somebody using it will come along shortly to tell you how to get the cheapest test strips for it.

I eat a potato now and then, boiled or fried in duck fat, never mashed. I don't eat parsnips but small amounts of carrots, celeriac and turnips are fine and I mostly use them instead of potatoes.
Squash is fine. Never have sweet potato so don't know.

Basically you need to test and see what different things does to you bg.
 
7.7 after breakfast isn't that high, You will see if there are any problems when you do a fasting blood test and ask if the dr is doing a HBA1c which measures an average of the last 3 months.
lentils, chickpeas and the veg are a good foods.
I follow a different diet in which I reduce carbs and eat more healthy fats and oils, I see you are taking a drug that inhibits fat uptake.

it’s a long page and a few good video’s
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
For me, the more carbs we eat the more carbs we want. they don’t give up easy
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarb101/a/firstweek.htm
 
Thank-you both for that!
The low carb link is very interesting. Very sad that oranges, tangerines & grapes are not good - my favourites. I'm sure my weight problems have come from over indulgence in cheese, cream & butter, that's why orlistat seems to work for me. I will eat eggs for breakfast for a while & keep cutting down on rice, bread & pasta. I've always thought that too much wheat is unhealthy anyway. What about tomatoes? I use a lot of them, fresh & tinned.
 
I don't know about tomatoes. You'll need to test.

For many it seems it has been the carby stuff that has made them gain weight, not so much the cheese. Just look at the French, they eat cheese all the time.

Testing is the best way forward as it will teach you what you can tolerate.
 
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