I'm new..ish

Hello and welcome to the forum. Tagging @daisy1 for the info pack offered to all newcomers.
May I ask if you have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes? If so, I am the bearer of good news and hope! There's lots you can do to improve your health. Have a wander around the forum and ask as many questionsas you like.

Welcome to the club! @daisy1 will be giving you lots of help, but for a start, just cut out or cut right down on anything sweet and all obvious carbs ie bread, potatoes, rice and pasta. Substitutes can be made - cauliflower rice for rice, nuts, cheese or pork scratching instead of crisps or snacks etc good luck.

Welcome to the forums @lizb42 .

lizb42 said:

Thank you so much for the reply I had a high reading next one was just under and have to have another its frightened the life out of me!... and I want to try my very best not to go on any more meds!
I am overweight but I was wanting to go on the Low carb programme as I read an article in todays Sunday mirror but try as I might I cannot get into the twelve week plan that I wanted to start right away, to try and keep off T2D meds!
I also do not know the symptoms off T2D Can anyone help me there??? I know excessive thirst is one (not got) I sleep really badly, and I have constant upset tums a lot..... Is this connected?

Thanks in Advance if someone could direct me to the 12 week plan Id be delighted I did see it try to get into that section.... but was asked to resign in? Then it would not accept my password I did try many times and gave up!
Liz

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The diagnosis can indeed be very scary and coupled with the fact that there is just so much conflicting advice out there on how best to tackle our condition that it leads to a lot of confusion.

Well done on taking the bull by the horns and choosing a lower carb approach, it has worked for many thousands of people. I will tag in @Rachox who can direct you to this site's Low Carb Programme but I would suggest (just a suggestion, mind) that you stick with the forum and save your money as many of us have transitioned to a low carb diet by learning right here.

lizb42 said:

Ok I will do that Its been great so far Ive been on here for hours reading posts and feel better all ready Thank you all xx

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First piece of advice is to get yourself a glucometer. This little gizmo will measure your blood glucose levels and teach you what effects the food you are eating have on your body. I will leave other members to recommend which brand/model as they will no doubt give you the codes that get you the money off for buying bulk test strips. I have been using the SD Codefree glucometer since diagnosis and have had no problems with it.

lizb42 said:

Thank you so much for the reply I had a high reading next one was just under and have to have another its frightened the life out of me!... and I want to try my very best not to go on any more meds!
I am overweight but I was wanting to go on the Low carb programme as I read an article in todays Sunday mirror but try as I might I cannot get into the twelve week plan that I wanted to start right away, to try and keep off T2D meds!
I also do not know the symptoms off T2D Can anyone help me there??? I know excessive thirst is one (not got) I sleep really badly, and I have constant upset tums a lot..... Is this connected?

Thanks in Advance if someone could direct me to the 12 week plan Id be delighted I did see it try to get into that section.... but was asked to resign in? Then it would not accept my password I did try many times and gave up!
Liz

Click to expand...

Hi and welcome. I am the lady in the Sunday Mirror article actually. And funnily enough I had tummy issues when I was diagnosed. Well IBS kind of actually. Could not get to the loo quick enough! I thought something was seriously wrong. Constant heartburn too. Blurry vision a couple of mornings. Dry mouth. Thrush on a couple of occasions. But as soon as I was diagnosed I went low carb (you can get so much info from diet doctor) and almost immediately the symptoms subsided. Must have been due to the sugar swimming around my body! I was offered metformin but I asked my DN to bare with me for 3 months. Hba1c 62 down to 47 in 2 months. And down again to 39 after 6. Meds never mentioned since. You could just try cutting out bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and cereals. Exchange for low carb options. Green beans for pasta. Cauliflower rice or green rice for rice. Celariac for potatoes. If you can't live without bread there are some great low carb options. Burgen bread is about 10g carbs per slice. Hi-lo is even less I believe.

There is a great link on here where people share what they eat every day. This would be so helpful for you. Link here = https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/page-1091

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:

• peeing more than usual, particularly at night
• feeling thirsty all the time
• feeling very tired
• losing weight without trying to
• itching around your penis or vagina, or repeatedly getting thrush
• cuts or wounds taking longer to heal
• blurred vision

Hope this helps

Hi lizb42. Here is a link to the low carb program:
https://www.lowcarbprogram.com/
There is a subscription these days for life, however you can get your GP to prescribe it on the NHS, if he/she isn’t aware of this as it’s quite newly available on prescription show them this:
https://diabetestimes.co.uk/nhs-green-light-for-low-carb-programme/
In the meantime stick around this forum and have a look at:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

Edited to change to a better link for low carb program.

The link to 'Dietdoctor' in Rachox's comment is particularly useful, loads of recipes (very yummy) and if you choose to join the site there is a lot of info and data re research on there. Happy eating.

Hi @lizb42

and welcome from me, too.

Yep, it's a scary moment, and worrying.

the advice above is all well worth taking in.

i was in your shoes october.

I've since adapted my diet to follow much of the advice given.

I've lost weight, got fitter, feel better all around.
and have a much better idea of what MY Blood glucose...
A) SHOULD be
B) what spikes ME..(that's why a meter is i would say essential..some one likened it to crossing a major road blindfolded.
(every single day. of the week )..codefree here, also worked for me.
C) i now KNOW each day what MY blood sugar IS. at certain points..
aka waking (fasting blood glucose) and before and after most foods.

Great start reading up on the forum topics, btw.
@Debandez links a good un, if your struggling for WHAT you can now eat..

good luck on your journey.

@lizb42
Hello Liz 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 235,000 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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are 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 with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.