Type 2 Is weight loss the silver bullet?

[daisy1]

@BB8.HG

Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will try and help.


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 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.
  

 

[SockFiddler]

My lifestyle change has been extreme and I’m unsure as to how many more changes I can feasibly make at this point!

This, for me, is key.

Diabetes is a marathon, not a sprint - you're going to live with it for the rest of your life, and to keep it under control, you need to adopt changes that you can live with for the rest of your life.

If you're feeling that you're at the end of your tolerance, you're probably taking too much on too quickly. Diabetic burnout is a real thing and, while it seems like you've got some really good support, the truth is you can't manage your condition at the cost of your mental health.

This journey can be an empowering one - and you've already seen massive changes and improvements in such a short time - but you need to take care of yourself while you travel along it. Give it some time, let your current changes settle in and become daily habits and see what your BG looks like in a couple of months. Bear in mind that FBG is the hardest to lower and that every step you make, every pound you lose, every .01 on your glucometer you reduce is a step towards better, longer-lasting health and control.

You've got this: you're doing so well. Just give yourself some time (and a pat on the back!)

 

[Robyn8640]

I've been diagnosed 5 years and not got anywhere near that... I need some will power and feel addicted to all the things I shouldn't be just can't find it

 

[Lovodale]

I've been diagnosed 5 years and not got anywhere near that... I need some will power and feel addicted to all the things I shouldn't be just can't find it

I know that feeling Robyn. I’m retired now so not “driven” to achieve as I was when I was working. I also know the the Newcastle diet would help because it had helped before. But it needs willpower. For the first time in my life I can travel and do things I like doing....but I don’t because being overweight limits my mobility. I’m conscious of it all the time. I’m not panicking about it, but I know that without the get up and go needed to turn things around, I’m consigning myself to a second class existence.

 

[SueJB]

I was diagnosed 2 and a half weeks ago, in that time I’ve got my FBG down from 18 to 7 and my post-prandial readings are consistently around 5.5-6.5.

I feel like i'm doing the right things (regime in signature).

I’ve discovered that my dawn phenomenon can be managed to some degree by a few almonds first thing in the morning to stop the rise. But while it’s stopped it reaching 9 to 14, it’s not getting below 7 at all.

I’ve been getting frustrated at not getting my FBG below 7 no matter what I try. My fiancé has suggested that once I lose the weight I might be able to shave off a couple of mmols and bring myself within ‘good control’ parameters.

I have 130lbs to lose. I’m doing everything I can to lose weight and I’m confident my efforts will pay off. I used to be far more overweight than I am now and lost 100lbs, so I know a further 130bs is an achievable (if daunting) goal.

I’m just wondering if weight loss will be the ultimate thing that brings me down that crucial couple of mmols, or whether I should be doing more to try and bring my levels down to ‘normal’ in the meantime. My lifestyle change has been extreme and I’m unsure as to how many more changes I can feasibly make at this point! My mental health is fragile and this upheaval has been difficult, as it is for everybody.

I’ve trawled the internet and while the mantra is ‘weight loss will lower your blood sugar’, anecdotal evidence on forums seems to suggest this doesn’t apply across the board.

What do you think? Am I in danger of punishing myself for my elevated FBG and driving myself mad when in reality it’ll probably lower itself when I lose the weight? Or do I need to do something more about it right now?

WOWEEEEEE, you are amazing!!!!! Magic weight loss. Thanks for the info about almonds. I still consider myself as new so my little tip is be good and be very patient. Losing weight as you know isn't easy but a little loss each week i think will help BG. I know that my changing to low carb has had an impact on me and it seems to be getting stronger. Big hug, you can achieve anything you want

 

[rmz80]

In your case I would be looking for the average drop in BG for every Kg lost (it’s easier to calc than in st/lb) for each meal time. It’s a shame you probably don’t have any readings while you were losing that 100lb.

 

[Tannith]

I was diagnosed 2 and a half weeks ago, in that time I’ve got my FBG down from 18 to 7 and my post-prandial readings are consistently around 5.5-6.5.

I feel like i'm doing the right things (regime in signature).

I’ve discovered that my dawn phenomenon can be managed to some degree by a few almonds first thing in the morning to stop the rise. But while it’s stopped it reaching 9 to 14, it’s not getting below 7 at all.

I’ve been getting frustrated at not getting my FBG below 7 no matter what I try. My fiancé has suggested that once I lose the weight I might be able to shave off a couple of mmols and bring myself within ‘good control’ parameters.

I have 130lbs to lose. I’m doing everything I can to lose weight and I’m confident my efforts will pay off. I used to be far more overweight than I am now and lost 100lbs, so I know a further 130bs is an achievable (if daunting) goal.

I’m just wondering if weight loss will be the ultimate thing that brings me down that crucial couple of mmols, or whether I should be doing more to try and bring my levels down to ‘normal’ in the meantime. My lifestyle change has been extreme and I’m unsure as to how many more changes I can feasibly make at this point! My mental health is fragile and this upheaval has been difficult, as it is for everybody.

I’ve trawled the internet and while the mantra is ‘weight loss will lower your blood sugar’, anecdotal evidence on forums seems to suggest this doesn’t apply across the board.

What do you think? Am I in danger of punishing myself for my elevated FBG and driving myself mad when in reality it’ll probably lower itself when I lose the weight? Or do I need to do something more about it right now?

Google "Newcastle diet" Allegedly if you lose approx 15 to 20% of your weight you can reverse your diabetes (T2 only). Plus you have to have had it for less than approx 7 years or you may have damaged your beta cells beyond repair. Edited to say it worked for me. My Hba1c is now down to 40.