Type 2 Hungry, hungry!!!

[toftyac1824]

Hi All.
I was diagnosed as T2 in May this year (although I had GD with my youngest child, so knew it would probably be coming at some point). Before diagnosis, one of the symptoms (other than outrageous thirst, peeing like a horse, being knackered and never ending headaches) was being ravenous - ALL the time.
Since diagnosis, I was put straight on Metformin (500mg x2 a day - although this was later changed when I went onto slow release Met, so its 1000mg x1 per day). As soon as I started the Met my appetite went back to normal and I fortunately lost all the weight I'd put on trying to feel full for months on end.
I would say that the Metformin did bring my BG levels down from around the 13s / 14s to the 8 / 10s. I do self test and I'm constantly sitting at around the 9mmol mark (although its higher in the morning - always has been, even when I had GD).
However, I've noticed that the ravenous, never ending hunger is creeping back in, and not that slowly either. I'm not overly thirsty, but do pee a tiny bit more than normal (and the headaches are starting to creep in again as well). I just wondered whether anyone else has had this and should I go back to the GP quick smart? (We are in between doctors at the moment as we've just moved which makes things a bit more difficult, as our old GP is 20 miles away - but we have an appointment to register with the new surgery this Friday - should I mention it to the practice nurse then?). Sorry about the long post and sorry if I seem a bit dim, but the whole T2 thing is still quite new to me and not as straightforward as GD.
Thanks

 

[Diakat]

@daisy1 can give some diet advice.

What are you eating when hungry? Have you tried fewer carbs and mot fat to feel full?

 

[toftyac1824]

I'm eating far less carbs and sugar, as they don't "agree" with the Metformin (makes my visits to the bathroom far more often and unpredictable), so a bit of fruit (but not too much), nuts, veggie sticks, soup, cheese, etc - and most of the time its semi-ok, but its going back to getting to the point of eating whatever I can get my hands on that's not too terrible, because I'm just so **** hungry. My OH does the majority of cooking, and he's very much a lean meat and fresh veg man (he's not a carb lover), so he's quite often plumps for higher protein. Its just a pain, as appetite was back to normal (and normal for me is generally a snack mid-morning, a very light lunch and a proper evening meal).

 

[Diakat]

That all sounds reasonable to me. I'll tag some type 2s for you, @bulkbiker @Brunneria as they may have top tips.

 

[Brunneria]

Hi and welcome

Can I ask when you are testing? How often, and at what times?

The reason I ask is because if you are testing once a day, or at a single particular time, you may be missing the blood glucose fluctuations after food. It would be very rare for someone to sit at 8-10 all day. They are much more likely to fluctuate over a larger range, lower before food and higher after.

Here is a chart to show the relationship between prick testing blood glucose levels (mmol/l), and the HbA1c numbers (blue text if you are in UK and % figs if you are in US)

The chart shows that if you were sitting at 8-10mmol/l all day, that is the equivalent of approx 47-60 in HbA1c units - which is higher than ideal.

My suggestion would be to test before eating and then again 2 hours later, for every meal and snack - for a few days.
Then you would see the true range of your blood glucose fluctuations.
If it is higher than ideal, then you have a number of options - adjusting diet (carbs) down, or medication up, or adding in more exercise to burn up the glucose after eating. Obviously, your doc would want to know if your numbers are higher than the agreed range, and will advise on medication.

Have you come across the www.bloodsugar101.com website? It is well worth a read, and explains the consequences of high blood glucose, the studies that have been done on this, how to control Type 2 longterm. It was a wonderful source of info for me, back when I joined the forum.

Hope that helps!

 

[bulkbiker]

Maybe try a coffee with double cream? I usually find that keeps me feeling full for a while..
I would suggest trying to up your fat intake a bit as it provides a satiety feeling that carbs and protein don't (at least not to such an extent)

 

[badcat]

My diabetes consultant describes the relationship between blood glucose and hunger as being like a roller coaster - a food puts bg too high ( an average of 9 is way too high) which leads to more insulin being released by the body which crashes blood sugar level too low, so we feel hunger and put it back up in order to feel better etc etc etc
Found this which explains it better than i can

The Blood Sugar Rollercoaster

• We eat large amounts of simple carbs/sweets
• Our blood sugar spikes
• We feel temporarily good
• Our pancreas cranks out insulin
• Our blood sugar crashes
• We feel like ****
• We turn to simple carbs/sweets for more quick energy
• Our blood sugar spikes
• And on, and on, and on…

The Blood Sugar Rollercoaster is shown below:


This is the Blood Sugar Rollercoaster. This is what causes some people to have the Jekyll & Hyde personality. It also causes us to gain weight like crazy.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

Eat as much protein and fat as you need to make you feel full, avoid all sugar and as much carbohydrate as possible. I did note that you said "far less carbs and sugar" which is better but not best.

Your body may be adapting to less carbohydrates and you may need to cut back more.
If you start to eat more carbohydrates the cravings will come back big style.

Whatever, you have identified a pattern because it happened before, so you should talk to your HCP about it as soon as convenient.

 

[daisy1]

@toftyac1824

Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Have a look at the link to the Low Carb Program which should help you. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will reply.


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 250,000 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.

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[Kristin251]

For me personally, too much protein makes me hungry. Protein spikes insulin almost as much as carbs though the bg rise is lower and slower.
I was always ravenous and gobbling low carb foods, mostly protein and it just always made me hungrier. It wasn't until I cut WAY back on protein and added more healthy fats like avocado, mayo and some low carb nuts that things leveled out.
That's one reason coffee with cream works for people. Low carb no protein equals no insulin spike.
Fat does virtually nothing to insulin

Carbs and protein raise insulin and high insulin levels create hunger.

If I start the day out with the wrong bf I will be ravenous all day. I need mostly fat so I have avocado slices with sea salt. Many find the coffee and cream works great. Lots of us don't tolerate any carbs until the afternoon so we save them for our evening meal.

Just thoughts for you to play around with. I lived ravenous for years. I feel your pain. Avocado and vlc along with moderating my protein changed my world.