I have been on a restricted carb diet (probably between 40-50 carbs a day) lots of fish and salad, some atkins bars for about 10 weeks after I realized how bad my bg was (started off in the 20's if eating what I want which is a lot). I have lost 1.5 stone, feel a lot better. On the good side I have got my waking bg to 8.5 ish, range all day between 7-11. at night I try to not eat after 6pm, and even though I have fish and salad most nights, my system still seems to strggle in the evening. my average overall reading on my meter is 8.4. if i do fall from grace if one thing, my reading goes up to about 12 and then strggles to come down, so I try really hard not to lapse at all. I dont know if this is the place to express this, or if this space is only for positive expressions, but I am absolutely gutted that I have got this problem, especially as I know IN MY CASE it can only have been brought on by my continous overeating of vast vast amounts of carbs over many years. I feel sick about it and am very depressed. I am not a stupid person, I have a first degree however I just cannot beleive that I thought that my 20 stone figure was merely a cosmetic issue, which didnt bother me to any great extent, I considered the payoff of being able to eat what I wanted was worth it. I also cant believe that my doctor told me some years ago that I have "slightly high sugar" after a blood test and that I should watch a little what I eat. which to me had no impact whatsoever. I would be really angry that at that stage perhaps I could have turned things around better given the correct info. Also even up to the last month I have been told at my doctors surgery by the doctor and nurse that I should eat lots of beans, rice and pasta and believe it or not potato which makes me feel really ill! what in the world is going on in the health service in this country. The only thing that is making me not explode with anger is that I have been so depressed since I do have all the information and since I cannot comfort eat. Ironically although I feel physically better now since I got my bg between 7-11, I am struggling to get through a day and feel like I am just going through the motions and can not see any way out of how I feel. Anyway I have gone off the point my original question was going to be would I be right in thinking that I probably need metformin to break through the 8.5bg average as I just cant seem to do this on my own. And how much in terms of the bg readings will metformin help me. will it bring it down 1 or 6 points for example. I am sorry if what I have said is not appropriate here I am just so lonely and depressed.
I dont know what to call this! sorry
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totsy
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hya,
im awfully sorry you are feeling so bad, im sure one of our type 2s will be better equipped to help you, as for the loneliness and depression, you are not alone, we are all here for you and most of us have felt this way at some point, if you really arent coping id suggest seeing your gp, as for the diabetes ,if u really are eating healthily and low carb and your bloods are still too high then you will most likely need medication of some sort, well done on getting them down this far, as i said b4 one of our type 2s will advise u shortly,
take care and plz dont feel lonely
im awfully sorry you are feeling so bad, im sure one of our type 2s will be better equipped to help you, as for the loneliness and depression, you are not alone, we are all here for you and most of us have felt this way at some point, if you really arent coping id suggest seeing your gp, as for the diabetes ,if u really are eating healthily and low carb and your bloods are still too high then you will most likely need medication of some sort, well done on getting them down this far, as i said b4 one of our type 2s will advise u shortly,
take care and plz dont feel lonely
Hi Red.
Welcome to the forum. This is the place to be for advice and support. Just ask questions, not too many at once if you want quick responses. There is no need to feel lonely or depressed as you will get plenty of support here. You have taken the first positive step yourself by reducing the carbs you eat. Now you have taken another step by joining us here. Most of us have been where you are now and most have turned their lives around by change of lifestyle, diet and other tweaks. There are many success stories here - take a look at them all. See what YOU can achieve.
Your question about Metformin is a frequent one here. Typically it only reduces your Bg levels by around 1 - 2 mmol/l. This is also dependent on the dosage. No medication is a miracle cure for high Bg levels. Other things have to change too.
I see you are a T2 on diet only ?
If so the numbers you should be aiming for are the Feb 2009 NICE guideline figures which are as follows :
Fasting (waking)...............between 4 - 7 mmol/l.
2 hrs after meals..............no more than 8.5 mmol/l.
If you can do better than this then this is so much better.
Ken.
Welcome to the forum. This is the place to be for advice and support. Just ask questions, not too many at once if you want quick responses. There is no need to feel lonely or depressed as you will get plenty of support here. You have taken the first positive step yourself by reducing the carbs you eat. Now you have taken another step by joining us here. Most of us have been where you are now and most have turned their lives around by change of lifestyle, diet and other tweaks. There are many success stories here - take a look at them all. See what YOU can achieve.
Your question about Metformin is a frequent one here. Typically it only reduces your Bg levels by around 1 - 2 mmol/l. This is also dependent on the dosage. No medication is a miracle cure for high Bg levels. Other things have to change too.
I see you are a T2 on diet only ?
If so the numbers you should be aiming for are the Feb 2009 NICE guideline figures which are as follows :
Fasting (waking)...............between 4 - 7 mmol/l.
2 hrs after meals..............no more than 8.5 mmol/l.
If you can do better than this then this is so much better.
Ken.
Welcome Red. I'm T2 too. I can so relate to what you say. I think your story is familiar to many of us on a very personal level. I have to be half the woman I was at diagnosis :shock:
Well done for getting such a good result in a relatively short space of time, and without medication 8) 8) 8)
This site - http://www.bloodsugar101.com- and finding my way to diabetes.co.uk by a happy accident, is what turned my life around. I also bought the book of the bloodsugar101 website from Amazon. The inforamtion I found there made me stop blaming myself quite so much. I have diabetes because I chose the wrong grandparents. Overeating and weight gain is a symptom of diabetes rather than the cause because our wildly fluctuating blood glucose levels leaves us constantly hungry.
I have reached the point when I think I will accept Metformin because I want to get a breakthrough to differnt numbers and because people on here tell me it will help with my weight loss. I don't intend to take metformin on a permanent basis, there are many people on here who have reduced the amount of medication they take and some have come off metformin as they have improved their control. I have come to think that Metformin will make the continued weightloss and reduction in blood sugar numbers easier on me. I have not been ready to accept medication up to now - I have done a lot of work on my own and I wanted my GP to see I have done the work, not the medication :roll: 8) I now feel I deserve something that may make it less hard work and get a faster result.
Understanding what food does in your own particular diabetic body is important to managing your levels. Also, we all have a complicated relationship with food - I know my relationship is about more than what I put in to it to keep it going! Especially around the time my period starts - I still get carb cravings then and my readings get a bit "squirelly", as my American friends say, even when I don't change what I eat.
What I don't see in your post is exercise. I have had my lowest readings after exercise. But don't overdo it to start with. Exercise can also result in liver dumps of glucose, but in the longer term you will be fitter, turn fat to muscle which metabolises insulin better, and generally healthier.
I think the NHS has very low expectations of diabetics being able to change their behaviour. I think that is about prejudice against fat people rather than accepting the advice it gives may not be right for diabetics - one size does not fit all with the healthy plate diet. I am a vegetarian low carber.
Ask questions, especially the food and diet forums. There is so much knowledge and great advice here. You have made a brilliant start, but you need to be sure that what you are doing you can stick to for the rest of your life, because that is how long you will have diabetes. Set yourself smaller, realistic targets, perhaps based on the next blood tests at the doctors, rather than loosing all the weight quickly. Give yourself a break, you are doing great!
Well done for getting such a good result in a relatively short space of time, and without medication 8) 8) 8)
This site - http://www.bloodsugar101.com- and finding my way to diabetes.co.uk by a happy accident, is what turned my life around. I also bought the book of the bloodsugar101 website from Amazon. The inforamtion I found there made me stop blaming myself quite so much. I have diabetes because I chose the wrong grandparents. Overeating and weight gain is a symptom of diabetes rather than the cause because our wildly fluctuating blood glucose levels leaves us constantly hungry.
I have reached the point when I think I will accept Metformin because I want to get a breakthrough to differnt numbers and because people on here tell me it will help with my weight loss. I don't intend to take metformin on a permanent basis, there are many people on here who have reduced the amount of medication they take and some have come off metformin as they have improved their control. I have come to think that Metformin will make the continued weightloss and reduction in blood sugar numbers easier on me. I have not been ready to accept medication up to now - I have done a lot of work on my own and I wanted my GP to see I have done the work, not the medication :roll: 8) I now feel I deserve something that may make it less hard work and get a faster result.
Understanding what food does in your own particular diabetic body is important to managing your levels. Also, we all have a complicated relationship with food - I know my relationship is about more than what I put in to it to keep it going! Especially around the time my period starts - I still get carb cravings then and my readings get a bit "squirelly", as my American friends say, even when I don't change what I eat.
What I don't see in your post is exercise. I have had my lowest readings after exercise. But don't overdo it to start with. Exercise can also result in liver dumps of glucose, but in the longer term you will be fitter, turn fat to muscle which metabolises insulin better, and generally healthier.
I think the NHS has very low expectations of diabetics being able to change their behaviour. I think that is about prejudice against fat people rather than accepting the advice it gives may not be right for diabetics - one size does not fit all with the healthy plate diet. I am a vegetarian low carber.
Ask questions, especially the food and diet forums. There is so much knowledge and great advice here. You have made a brilliant start, but you need to be sure that what you are doing you can stick to for the rest of your life, because that is how long you will have diabetes. Set yourself smaller, realistic targets, perhaps based on the next blood tests at the doctors, rather than loosing all the weight quickly. Give yourself a break, you are doing great!
Hi Red and welcome to the forum.
Just to add to Ken's point about metformin, at your weight you almost certainly have a considerable amount of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a frequent side effect of being overweight and would certainly explain why your BS levels are much higher than you would expect for the low level of carbs you are eating. Metformin is designed to reduce insulin resistance and will allow the insulin that your body produces to be used more efficiently. I am very surprised that your doctor didn't suggest this at a very early stage.
Just to add to Ken's point about metformin, at your weight you almost certainly have a considerable amount of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a frequent side effect of being overweight and would certainly explain why your BS levels are much higher than you would expect for the low level of carbs you are eating. Metformin is designed to reduce insulin resistance and will allow the insulin that your body produces to be used more efficiently. I am very surprised that your doctor didn't suggest this at a very early stage.
Hi Red,
It sounds like you have had a rough time!
I am a type 2, luckly i am no medication i have had my rough spots, and some have been real bad! I have found tinned beans, tomatoes,peas and carrots put my blood sugar through the roof!
I can't eat normal fresh tomatoes only the cherry tomatoes! I have managed through everybody's help and support on this great forum, get my blood sugars down! Main thing is when you over do things when you are doing too much exercise i find my body craves sugar and in a real bad way!
I found out from this forum that green and blacks chocolate one square is fine as a treat!
you will find that over time things will get better and you will get more control! You made the best step by coming on here! We are here to help you and be there for youa s a team!
Sandy
It sounds like you have had a rough time!
I am a type 2, luckly i am no medication i have had my rough spots, and some have been real bad! I have found tinned beans, tomatoes,peas and carrots put my blood sugar through the roof!
I can't eat normal fresh tomatoes only the cherry tomatoes! I have managed through everybody's help and support on this great forum, get my blood sugars down! Main thing is when you over do things when you are doing too much exercise i find my body craves sugar and in a real bad way!
I found out from this forum that green and blacks chocolate one square is fine as a treat!
you will find that over time things will get better and you will get more control! You made the best step by coming on here! We are here to help you and be there for youa s a team!
Sandy
hi,
I stop eating at 6, 5pm if I can help it, becuase after this time it seems that if I eat my bg goes up and does seem to come down. or it comes down very very slowly and therefore is still high when I go to bed. Normally when I go to bed it is about 7.9 to 8.5, which I know is too high I went for a blood test two days ago and expect to be put onto metformin or on something. But it seems that if I eat after 6pm either dinner later or anything after my dinner between 6pm and 10pm it goes up to about 10 and stays there or come down only to 9. I am only on about 40ish carbs a day so I guess I need the medication (I am 10 stone overweight, have made a start on loosing but have got about another 8 stone to go!). I really wanted to get 4-7 bg without meds, but I think that I must need them as no matter what I do I can seem to get my bg into that range.
I stop eating at 6, 5pm if I can help it, becuase after this time it seems that if I eat my bg goes up and does seem to come down. or it comes down very very slowly and therefore is still high when I go to bed. Normally when I go to bed it is about 7.9 to 8.5, which I know is too high I went for a blood test two days ago and expect to be put onto metformin or on something. But it seems that if I eat after 6pm either dinner later or anything after my dinner between 6pm and 10pm it goes up to about 10 and stays there or come down only to 9. I am only on about 40ish carbs a day so I guess I need the medication (I am 10 stone overweight, have made a start on loosing but have got about another 8 stone to go!). I really wanted to get 4-7 bg without meds, but I think that I must need them as no matter what I do I can seem to get my bg into that range.
Hi Red!Your post made me sign up to the forum, this is my first post!
I am a recently (May 09) diagnosed T2. BG levels were 12.5 (fasting) - 17.8 evening.
I too have been grossly overweight , 21st at peak a few years ago, now 17st. I decided to go on Metformin whilst still continuing to lose weight as I realised that with the best will in the world it would take many months to get down to a "sensible weight". On starting Metformin 3 X 500g daily my BG levels improved dramatically and quickly. Within a 3days my fasting BG was 7-8 and evening 8-10.
Even my GP and diabetic nurse were amazed by these results as Metformin can take a few weeks/month to kick in. My fasting BG now is usually around 6 but 5.2 - 5.4 is not uncommon. My evening BG is usually 5.8 - 7.6 with occasional 8's if I have had a starch meal.
In common with other members I find that restricting my carbs does really help! I test regularly 2/3 times a day my fasting averages are:
7 Days = 6.2
14 Days = 6.1
30 Days = 6.2
Post Meal Averages are:
7 Days = 6.2
14 Days = 6.6
30 Days = 7.2
So please don't despair! Medication can help greatly - I am a huge fan of Metformin although the initial side effects (flatulence and diarrhoea, a particularly dodgy combination!!!) took a while to settle down. My view is if the medication controls my BG and minimises any of the problems due to it then I will be able to continue to get my weight down and who knows, I might even be able to stop the medication one day. In any case 3 tabs a day is a small price to pay for the benefits.
I hope this has helped you to see that T2 is very treatable and the results can be outstanding.
Wishing you every success!
I am a recently (May 09) diagnosed T2. BG levels were 12.5 (fasting) - 17.8 evening.
I too have been grossly overweight , 21st at peak a few years ago, now 17st. I decided to go on Metformin whilst still continuing to lose weight as I realised that with the best will in the world it would take many months to get down to a "sensible weight". On starting Metformin 3 X 500g daily my BG levels improved dramatically and quickly. Within a 3days my fasting BG was 7-8 and evening 8-10.
Even my GP and diabetic nurse were amazed by these results as Metformin can take a few weeks/month to kick in. My fasting BG now is usually around 6 but 5.2 - 5.4 is not uncommon. My evening BG is usually 5.8 - 7.6 with occasional 8's if I have had a starch meal.
In common with other members I find that restricting my carbs does really help! I test regularly 2/3 times a day my fasting averages are:
7 Days = 6.2
14 Days = 6.1
30 Days = 6.2
Post Meal Averages are:
7 Days = 6.2
14 Days = 6.6
30 Days = 7.2
So please don't despair! Medication can help greatly - I am a huge fan of Metformin although the initial side effects (flatulence and diarrhoea, a particularly dodgy combination!!!) took a while to settle down. My view is if the medication controls my BG and minimises any of the problems due to it then I will be able to continue to get my weight down and who knows, I might even be able to stop the medication one day. In any case 3 tabs a day is a small price to pay for the benefits.
I hope this has helped you to see that T2 is very treatable and the results can be outstanding.
Wishing you every success!
Sid Bonkers
Well-Known Member
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- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Customer helplines that use recorded menus that promise to put me through to the right person but never do - and being ill. Oh, and did I mention customer helplines :)
You sound as though you are doing all you can to reduce your bg levels and credit where its due
.
As your weight continues to drop that should help decrease your insulin resistance, but until you get to that stage metformin could help you, it not only helps reduce insulin resistance but also helps to suppress appetite, so it could even help you get the weight off without feeling too hungry all the time.
With the great work you have done on your own, you deserve a little help. You can always come off the metformin once your target weight is realised.
Lots of people report bad side effects with metformin, but apart from making me a bit windy I have not had any other negative side effects with it.
Oh, my wife has just told me that she thinks it might cause short term memory loss, cos I often forget to take it with my evening meal and end up taking it later in the evening, without food :lol:
As your weight continues to drop that should help decrease your insulin resistance, but until you get to that stage metformin could help you, it not only helps reduce insulin resistance but also helps to suppress appetite, so it could even help you get the weight off without feeling too hungry all the time.
With the great work you have done on your own, you deserve a little help. You can always come off the metformin once your target weight is realised.
Lots of people report bad side effects with metformin, but apart from making me a bit windy
I have not had any other negative side effects with it.
Oh, my wife has just told me that she thinks it might cause short term memory loss, cos I often forget to take it with my evening meal and end up taking it later in the evening, without food :lol:
hiya, i have total sympathy for your situation and am also finding the nhs pretty bad when it comes to heath care and no how difficult they can make themselves through there own ignorance of health its affects and how it can really make a big difference in your life if some 1 just helped now and then but its seems the same all over britian at the moment
i have type 1 diabeties and have never been givan any advice on how to use insulin just told jab yourself 2 times a day i actually had to learn my self because i was having too many hypos
hope things get better for you, i have now changed my gp due to neglect, and suffer badly with deppresion since being diagnosed but again no help at all
hope it helps
pat
i have type 1 diabeties and have never been givan any advice on how to use insulin just told jab yourself 2 times a day i actually had to learn my self because i was having too many hypos
hope things get better for you, i have now changed my gp due to neglect, and suffer badly with deppresion since being diagnosed but again no help at all
hope it helps
pat
Thank yous for responding to my post, I am glad that you joined this forum JAPwales, it is pretty helpful with all the ups and downs, and you're welcome.
Does the metformin make you/help you to loose weight?
I have managed to get my bg down to between 6 and 8bg now. most of the time as 7's, I am still pondering the old shall I shant I with the metformin. I am a lazy son of a b........ so I havent really even tried the excercise part yet, my excuse to myself is that I am too busy with a demanding job, but really I could in the evenings I just dont like it. I guess thats where it comes down to a life choice. I could probably eat a little less too in amount, although Im still only doing 40 carbs a day.
thanks again for the responses.
Does the metformin make you/help you to loose weight?
I have managed to get my bg down to between 6 and 8bg now. most of the time as 7's, I am still pondering the old shall I shant I with the metformin. I am a lazy son of a b........ so I havent really even tried the excercise part yet, my excuse to myself is that I am too busy with a demanding job, but really I could in the evenings I just dont like it. I guess thats where it comes down to a life choice. I could probably eat a little less too in amount, although Im still only doing 40 carbs a day.
thanks again for the responses.
ps sorry you got such shabby care DAZLER123, I have read that diabetes is the silent killer for the obvious reasons, but what seems less obvious superfically is, that is the care, of b......... lack of it that is probably killing people, sometimes I despair with what I read about what treatment they have received, its really quiet shocking. well I guess we've got to fight the good fight. I m sure youd get more reception if you were a leper! :lol: :lol: (no offense to lepers).
On a lighter completely unrelated note the film Bruno is, in my opinion, extremely hilarious if you want a laugh :wink:
On a lighter completely unrelated note the film Bruno is, in my opinion, extremely hilarious if you want a laugh :wink:
red said:
Hi Red.
Here is some info about Metformin. Have a read. If you are not sure about anything, just ask.
http://www.diabetesuffolk.com/Drugs/Met ... c181371507
A small extract about it's benefits:
Metformin does not cause weight gain and may indeed help with weight reduction by reducing appetite.
There is some evidence of a lipid (fat) lowering effect.
Metformin does not cause release of insulin and therefore doesn't cause hypoglycaemia
Ken.
