. I’m in

Welcome

Well! The good news is you've come to the right place and are in good company.
I know how you feel re: "I need to reverse this as soon as possible"
The good news is that there is a good possibility that it is reversible in quite a good number of cases.
Very generally it's a metabolic disease meaning that how your body metabolizes the sugar (glucose) in your bloodstream is no longer "normal" (It's special!) someone more clued to giving you the facts you need to know will probably post in this thread.
But there's lots of good info on the forum already and on the website.

For me personally, I looked up Dr Michael Moseley's book (ISBN 978-1-78072-240-5)
"The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet."
He himself was diagnosed with T2D and managed to reverse it.
His book tells you how he did it and the science behind what he recommends doing.

I found it an easy read and very motivational.
I can't tell you if I have managed to reverse my diabetes yet. Like you I'm pretty new.
But I'll keep you updated.
Meanwhile hang in there it's not the end of the world - it's the beginning of a new and way healthier you <3

KookieMunchster said:

Welcome

Well! The good news is you've come to the right place and are in good company.
I know how you feel re: "I need to reverse this as soon as possible"
The good news is that there is a good possibility that it is reversible in quite a good number of cases.
Very generally it's a metabolic disease meaning that how your body metabolizes the sugar (glucose) in your bloodstream is no longer "normal" (It's special!) someone more clued to giving you the facts you need to know will probably post in this thread.
But there's lots of good info on the forum already and on the website.

For me personally, I looked up Dr Michael Moseley's book (ISBN 978-1-78072-240-5)
"The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet."
He himself was diagnosed with T2D and managed to reverse it.
His book tells you how he did it and the science behind what he recommends doing.

I found it an easy read and very motivational.
I can't tell you if I have managed to reverse my diabetes yet. Like you I'm pretty new.
But I'll keep you updated.
Meanwhile hang in there it's not the end of the world - it's the beginning of a new and way healthier you <3

Click to expand...

Well said.

For the OP
Tagging @daisy1 for the info pack offered to all newcomers. Have a wander around the forum and ask as many questions as you like.

You might find that a copy of Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution will be of help - they used to be available for pennies, but perhaps that was then....
I think that the last edition from 2003 might be the most useful for type two diabetics, it has food lists, menus, graded amounts of carbs - though I tend to stick to the same sorts of foods, just eat more of them, rather than trying to cope on small portions of higher carbs.
I dropped out of the diabetic range of Hba1c in 80 days - and I didn't really try hard.

KookieMunchster said:

Welcome

Well! The good news is you've come to the right place and are in good company.
I know how you feel re: "I need to reverse this as soon as possible"
The good news is that there is a good possibility that it is reversible in quite a good number of cases.
Very generally it's a metabolic disease meaning that how your body metabolizes the sugar (glucose) in your bloodstream is no longer "normal" (It's special!) someone more clued to giving you the facts you need to know will probably post in this thread.
But there's lots of good info on the forum already and on the website.

For me personally, I looked up Dr Michael Moseley's book (ISBN 978-1-78072-240-5)
"The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet."
He himself was diagnosed with T2D and managed to reverse it.
His book tells you how he did it and the science behind what he recommends doing.

I found it an easy read and very motivational.
I can't tell you if I have managed to reverse my diabetes yet. Like you I'm pretty new.
But I'll keep you updated.
Meanwhile hang in there it's not the end of the world - it's the beginning of a new and way healthier you <3

Click to expand...

Hello @GARTS60 . I also am relatively newly diagnosed (December 2018), bought the Michael Mosely book )as recommended by a friend), followed the 8 x 800 diet and got on really well with it, it certainly gave me a head start anyway. Since then, I've been following the Low Carb High Fat way of eating and it suits me and many others extremely well. You're in the right place for support and information BTW - this forum is a great resource. Good luck with your journey xx

Can I suggest you take a good look at low carb high fat methods of eating (keto is just a version of this). It helps many of us lose significant amounts of weight, if desired, keep our numbers down and for some even eliminate medications and achieve remission and reduce or improve complications. Try clicking these links for more detailed explanations that are well worth readings


https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog/jokalsbeek.401801/ for info including low carb made simple


And https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/success-stories-and-testimonials.43/ to show it really works and for motivation


and https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/ for food ideas


also https://www.dietdoctor.com/ for more food ideas and general info of carb content of foods. Lots of other websites for recipes out there too. Just use the term low carb or keto with whatever you fancy.


Also it’s very important to be able to check for yourself what’s happening so you can make the necessary adjustments day to day and meal by meal rather than wait 3,6 or even 12 months and then have no idea what had what effect. Getting a blood glucose meter is the only way to do this (no matter what contradictory advice you may have heard - it’s usually budget based rather than anything more scientific). Please ask if you want any guidance on this.



IMPORTANT FOR ANYONE ON MEDS CONSIDERING LOWERING CARBS: if you lower your carbs then any glucose lowering meds may need to be adjusted accordingly to make sure you aren’t taking more than your new diet requires. It can cause a hypo if you have more gliclazide or insulin etc (this is not relevant for metformin on its own) than your new carb intake requires. Keep a close eye on your numbers and ideally do this with your dr. Please don’t be put off by an ill informed out dated rubbishing of low carb diets or being told you should eat carbs to match meds, it should be the other way around.

Perhaps you could tell us a bit more about yourself.

What was your last HbA1c result?
How much weight do you have to lose, if any?
Why do you have to reverse it quickly? How quickly is quickly?
Not everyone manages to achieve remission.
There is no cure - just well controlled remission.

KookieMunchster said:

Welcome

Well! The good news is you've come to the right place and are in good company.
I know how you feel re: "I need to reverse this as soon as possible"
The good news is that there is a good possibility that it is reversible in quite a good number of cases.
Very generally it's a metabolic disease meaning that how your body metabolizes the sugar (glucose) in your bloodstream is no longer "normal" (It's special!) someone more clued to giving you the facts you need to know will probably post in this thread.
But there's lots of good info on the forum already and on the website.

For me personally, I looked up Dr Michael Moseley's book (ISBN 978-1-78072-240-5)
"The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet."
He himself was diagnosed with T2D and managed to reverse it.
His book tells you how he did it and the science behind what he recommends doing.

I found it an easy read and very motivational.
I can't tell you if I have managed to reverse my diabetes yet. Like you I'm pretty new.
But I'll keep you updated.
Meanwhile hang in there it's not the end of the world - it's the beginning of a new and way healthier you <3

Click to expand...

Well said Kookie Great advice!

HSSS said:

Can I suggest you take a good look at low carb high fat methods of eating (keto is just a version of this). It helps many of us lose significant amounts of weight, if desired, keep our numbers down and for some even eliminate medications and achieve remission and reduce or improve complications. Try clicking these links for more detailed explanations that are well worth readings


https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog/jokalsbeek.401801/ for info including low carb made simple


And https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/success-stories-and-testimonials.43/ to show it really works and for motivation


and https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/ for food ideas


also https://www.dietdoctor.com/ for more food ideas and general info of carb content of foods. Lots of other websites for recipes out there too. Just use the term low carb or keto with whatever you fancy.


Also it’s very important to be able to check for yourself what’s happening so you can make the necessary adjustments day to day and meal by meal rather than wait 3,6 or even 12 months and then have no idea what had what effect. Getting a blood glucose meter is the only way to do this (no matter what contradictory advice you may have heard - it’s usually budget based rather than anything more scientific). Please ask if you want any guidance on this.



IMPORTANT FOR ANYONE ON MEDS CONSIDERING LOWERING CARBS: if you lower your carbs then any glucose lowering meds may need to be adjusted accordingly to make sure you aren’t taking more than your new diet requires. It can cause a hypo if you have more gliclazide or insulin etc (this is not relevant for metformin on its own) than your new carb intake requires. Keep a close eye on your numbers and ideally do this with your dr. Please don’t be put off by an ill informed out dated rubbishing of low carb diets or being told you should eat carbs to match meds, it should be the other way around.

Click to expand...

Great advice here in this post!

@GARTS60
Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and helpful.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 300,000 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 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.