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Introduce Yourself: Answer Some Personal Questions

Welcome.
 
Welcome
 
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it 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 147,000 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.
 
Been reading for a while, but finally decided to log in to say thank you to the community for all the sharing of experiences and knowledge. It has been a great help.
 
JohnH2019 said:
Been reading for a while, but finally decided to log in to say thank you to the community for all the sharing of experiences and knowledge. It has been a great help.
Click to expand...
When I first joined this place I came across people giving advice .... eat more fat to lose weight!
Eat more fat to get your cholesterol under control!
I left because the place was obviously inhabited by nut cases.
Then after getting nowhere with it al I came back under a different name .... because I couldn't remember the original .... thinking these people reckon they are getting results where I'm not.
They seem sincere .... sincere lunatics but sincere.
What did I have to lose but all credibility in my family as I put a tablespoon of butter in my coffee?
So I went for it.
Turned out the information was exactly what I needed.
Might have saved my life.
Might have saved my sanity.
Scrub that turns out I'm as insane as they are now but .... my T2 isn't far off reversed so I'm happy in my straight jacket eating full fat products and drinking butter .... seriously!
 
Another Newbie here - Diagnosed the other week and 1st appointment with DN nurse yesterday.
HbA1c score of 70 and a Fasting score of 10.1 so not great.
Always had a sweet tooth but never been an issue until now....Going to be on Metformin but don't know what dose yet & I understand I need to re-think my lifestyle somewhat.... Dropping the sugar doesn't seem to phase me but think I'll struggle with the Low Carbs as I'm not a big Veg fan to say the least...
Bit of info about me....

Married (25yrs)
2 Grown up Daughters
Age 52
Male
Biker
Dog rather than Cat
JD rather than Beer (Good Job now)
Classic Rock/Metal/Blues

Reasonably upbeat about the whole thing so far.... just another one of life's challenges to run at


 
Hi Jim there's loads of info for you on here about low carb higher fat.
My big thing is batch cooking but a lot of the time can't be bothered.
It might be a crippling and damaging disease but can't be bothered still lives with me.
 
Regarding veg........butter will help as will bacon lardons......don't be frightened of adding both.
 
Ok, so my name’s Philippa, Phil for short!
I’m 48
, Female and live in England. Not religious at all!
3 words to describe me; Scatty, determined and tough! I have 2 rescue Staffies! Definitely an Apple lover! Sports are mainly walking and I do like to climb mountains!
I don’t anger easily, far too laid back for those shenanigans! I’m pretty much covered in tattoos and have my nose pierced, although I have had many different piercings over the years! My music taste is really eclectic, faves are Elle King, Khalid, Madonna, Queen and anything country! My favourite flag is the Union Jack! As a family we camp as often as we can! I’ve been in love with the same man for 22 years! Used fake tan once and ended up looking like an orange mosaic!
I’ve visited Canada, The States, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium and The Netherlands. My favourite city is Paris. Favourite Tv programmes are The Walking Dead, Stranger Things, Call the midwife, Inside the ambulance and The Handmaid’s Tale and I cannot narrow my favourite films down to 5, mainly anything Marvel! I’m poor as a church mouse! I work in a call centre and hate it!
I like my sense of humour and I least like my baggy skin after massive weight loss!!!!
Howzat? Lol
 
Hey @phlippy pleased to meet you

The welcome pack can be seen earlier in the thread

Hope you'll find this site fun and useful
 
Hi - I am a long time lurker but a recent sign up. I am 53 years old and live in Australia but was born in London. I was diagnosed as T2 17 years ago and have fought against taking medication for a long time. Sometimes this was a good thing as I worked hard at controlling my diet and increasing exercise; sometimes this was a stupid thing as I studiously pretended that my blood sugar was not out of control.

I eat a ketogenic diet now and seem to be managing things reasonably well. My last HbA1c was 5.6 (10.8 at its worst), which, although is considered non-diabetic in Australia, is a little higher than I would prefer as it leaves me no wriggle room. I believe that to lower this more, I will need to introduce intermittent fasting, stop snacking between meals and start to build some muscle mass. I am still medication free but my grandmother lost both her legs to diabetes complications in her late 70s, so I am scared of my future if I don't keep trying.

I am 40kg lighter than at my heaviest but I have more abdominal fat than I would like, so will keep on tinkering with my diet. I currently weigh 69kg (152lbs or around 10 stone 8lbs or so)? This just falls into the Australian 'normal' BMI which I know is not good indicator of health but I am vain enough to take some pleasure in this!

I am lazy by nature but love hiking, particularly in Canada which I fell in love with when I visited in 2017. My job is ridiculously sedentary (I work 100km from home so it's in the car for the best part of 2.5 hours a day, and sitting for the rest). It isn't a situation that's easy to change because I live in a remote rural area. Ironically, to find anywhere nice to hike near me, involves a five hour round trip in the car!

I look forward to interacting more everyone in the future.
 

Ah, yes...the bullet coffee. After surprisingly little nutritional help from the doctor I dove into the world of primal, paleo, keto lifestyles and it was an eye opener! We are so brainwashed by the marketing machine these days that it is easy to lose touch with what is really healthy food and drink. So many pitfalls and conflicting messages. Organic grass fed butter..yumm.
 
Master Po.

So who am I?

I am male, married,

5ft 8in 10st 4lb

Perfect BMI!

I am known by my friends and followers by my pen name ‘Po’ an abbreviation of Poemagraphic.

I live in the UK in North Norfolk. I have been writing poetry since the early eighties.

I have made a life study and practice of meditation, which I began after becoming only the fourth person in the UK to attain a black belt in the Korean martial art of Hap-Ki-Do. I am also a Forth Degree Reiki Master Practitioner.

I have studied parapsychology for over forty years going on to appear on BBC ‘Look East Live’ and having my own weekly radio phone in and talk show on ‘Future FM’. I was a regularly contributor to the ‘Paranormal Norfolk’ magazine.

I am both psychic and mediumistic. I have in the past conducted literally hundreds of private consultations and undertaken ‘serious’ paranormal investigations throughout East Anglia over the last few decades.

My experiences have been a great source of inspiration for much of my poetry.

I am currently working in Forensics

The three words that best describe my personality are
1 Outgoing
2 Easy going
3 Friendly

My tastes in music are quite eclectic
I enjoy Motown/Soul, Country, Folk.
I love ‘Passenger’ The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, Elvis, Brad Paisley

I enjoy caravanning and camping getting away whenever and wherever I can.
 
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Hey there, just got diagnosed with type 2 this week so starting out on a learning curve!

Here's my intro


- What is your name? Amanda

- How old are you? Same age as my tongue but older than my teeth haha! Honestly though... Too close to 40 for my liking!

- Are you male or female? Female

- Which country are you from? From Scotland but living in England.

- Which city/area do you live in? Washington

- Are you religious? Nope, however I absolutely respect anyone who is.

- Pick three words to describe your personality. Genuine, youthful (mentality), caring.

- Do you have any pets? An English Bull Terrier (Bailey), two monkeys and a gorilla (the kids and other half)

- Microsoft or Apple? Microsoft

- Which sport(s) (if any) do you like/play?do esports count? I love my online gaming on the ps4

- Do you get angry easily? Nah.

- Do you have any tattoos or piercings? If so, where? I love my ink Lower back, between shoulder blades and right lower leg

- List your five favourite musicians/bands. I genuinely couldn't limit myself to just 5!

- What would you say your favourite music genre is? Just 1?! Ooft!... Does Spotify count as a genre?

- What is your favourite flag? The one where everyone agrees to peace.

- Ever gone camping? Oh hell no, too many insects!

- Ever been in love? Oh yes... Unconditionally!

- Ever used fake tan? Yup

- Which countries have you visited? I have never been out of the UK

- Favourite city? Glasgow

- List your five favourite TV programmes. I prefer my music to be fair.

- List your five favourite films. Same problem as the music questions!

- Are you wealthy? Comfortable.

- Do you work? If so, as what? I'm a parent carer.

- List the subjects you study/have studied.

- What do you like most about yourself? I do my best to raise awareness about life with invisible illnesses.

- What do you like least about yourself? If procrastination was an Olympic sport the UK would have platinum every games! Getting a routine of blood testing, remembering meds and eating properly is going to be a challenge!
 
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