I've been put on metformin and statins :(

granny3boys said:

I've been to see the practice nurse today and my Ha1bc has gone from 53 to 57. I'd had a bad month when I had a cancer scare so had been comfort eating, so I now have to take meds. I feel like a total failure, that I was stupid enough to eat the wrong food ( puddings, biscuits, toast and jam etc). So now I have to pay the price. :cry:
The metformin 500mg is one tablet with my main meal once a day.
The simvastatin 40mg is one a day and she said I can start that after my holiday in 3 wks time.

Thanks for 'listening' from a very fed up lady

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If you go back to your previous post about the fruit that you have been eating, read the replies and you will see that the fruit is not doing you any favours either.
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=31530

You are far from a failure as you have not been able to test so how could you possible know what your choice of foods has been doing.

There are plenty of people here who take metformin through choice as it does have heart protection benefits so would not worry on that score. As to the statins, as you do not say what your levels are then you may have been just given them as some HCP's think every diabetic needs them.
Please re-read your fruit thread and either get a meter from your surgery putting forward the argument that you need to see which foods are raising your levels or buy one for your own peace of mind. There is a cheap one on the market that Type2's are using who have been denied one.

Hi bud,

i would certainly go low carb, it will improve your BG readings but certainly wouldnt eat porridge for breakfast. bacon and eggs much better for you. Also, wouldnt touch the jacket potatoes, probably one of the worst type of carb for a diabetic. I wouldnt have too many carrots, butternut squash nor sweet potato either.

Good luck.

Andy

Just to add, you can go ahead with the strawberries, raspberries, and any other fruit ending in "berry".

Hi granny3boys

Thought I'd let you know what I did. I was diagnosed in December last year and using the advice I found on the forum got my blood sugar levels back to normal within around a couple of months or so and I have also normalised my cholesterol levels and blood pressure as well. I have now lost nearly 4 stone in weight too. My doctor is very pleased how I am getting on and has advised me to keep doing what I have been doing since it's obviously working really well. You can normalise your blood levels but that isn't the same as a cure I'm afraid. What it means is that you will need to be very careful about what you eat from now on.

What you should eat diet wise is really easy. Just drastically cut down or better cut out all things with plain sugar, so biscuits, cakes, sugar in tea and coffee, pure fruit juices, non diet versions of soft drinks. Next and really importantly try halving starchy foods like rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, cereals and any other flour based products. Replace what's now missing with extra meat, fish, eggs, cheese and especially vegetables. Vegetables that grow above ground are best although most of us find carrots fine. Things like yoghurt are fine as is a small amount of fresh fruit. I find the ones that end in "berry" are the best. If you don't mind artificial sweeteners things like Diet Coke are fine to drink. On the starchy foods that are left swap try brown basmati rice instead of white and brown or tri-colour pasta. The bread that most recommend is actually Bergen soya bread but some do ok with wholemeal as well.

The above regime is close to one you would be one recommended to try by the Swedish Health service. It was introduced in that country last year and the American health service and several other countries health services recommend something very similar for Type 2 diabetics. In the UK the diet guidelines are now over 30 years old and are only gradually being updated. As the UK is lagging behind you may find what I and other forum members recommend is different to what your are told is a good diet for you follow.

I see you have got a meter which is great as most forum members would recommend you test your own blood sugar levels. The reason testing is important is you should try and keep your blood sugars below 8ish two hours after eating any meal. Above the 8 value is where the dangers of complications do begin to occur according to diabetic experts. So you need to test as it will tell you if what you are eating is keeping you safe. The problem is every diabetic is different so my earlier advice to halve starchy foods is just a rough guide. You may find you need to eat less than half (like me) or that you can eat more than half like others.

As you get into it all and read around the forum you may see people talking about carb counting. If you want to understand what that is just ask. It is a powerful weapon that a diabetic can use to control their condition and one that many of us use to great effect.

Good luck and keep asking questions.

Regards

Steve

PS Here's two good links about what's good to eat.

First is the lady doctor who's low carb / low GI recommendations seem to form the basis of what's recommended in Sweden

http://blogg.passagen.se/dahlqvistannika/?anchor=my_lowcarb_dietary_programe_in

Second is a good beginners guide to low carb regimes that are excellent for reducing blood sugar levels and losing weight.

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

granny3boys said:

I've got an accu-chek and will start testing again properly tomorrow. We had a family birthday meal at an italian restaurant today, along with birthday cake, so not a good start to my new way of eating! But the practice nurse gave me the go-ahead for enjoying myself! I tested 2 hrs after the meal and I was up to 18 :shock: but then I knew I would be high after all of that rich food - not what I normally eat. I'll take the machine up to bed with me and will check as soon as I wake up in the morning, before I get out of bed and before my porridge. Instead of just pouring the oats into the pot I'll measure them and the milk too. Also keeping a diary of food and highs and lows.

Have been to the supermarket and bought mixed small peppers, mushrooms, oily fish, salad leaves, jacket potatoes, brown rice, extra virgin olive oil (my last bottle lasted 3 months!), carrots, butternut squash, sweet potato (for soup tomorrow) and a bag of assorted unsalted nuts. I ignored the peaches, strawberries, raspberries and plums! Although we do have strawberries ripening in the garden, but it's a battle to see who gets to them first the slugs or me :|

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Hello and welcome to the forum. Sadly I doubt you will be able to have the baked potato. I would try a small amount (couple of tablespoons) of the rice and butternust squash along with the carrots as they may also cause you problems, and test after 1 hour, 2 hours then 3 hours. If your BG stays reasonable (under 7.8 or a rise of no more than 1.5 from your pre meal reading) then those foods are ok, I suspect they won't be, but do try and test, it's the only way to know. Strawberry's are fine, I have them most days with Greek yogurt and some flax seed (usually with other berry's too ). Once you get the hang of this, you will be fine. I know it all seems rather complicated at the moment, but you will get there.

Good luck.

Hi. Welcome to the crazy world of diabetes and dietary information! Yes, most NHS advice on diet for diabetics is suspect and if you read the forum in depth you will find many discussions on the subject. Basically all carbs are converted to glucose in the body hence can heighten your blood sugar. Low-GI carbs are OK in sensible quantities and having a meter will tell you which affect you the most. The NHS is paranoid about fats which in practice can be useful for diabetics as they can slow-up the absorption of carbs and provide energy via a different metabolic route. Unsaturated are best, of course. As most diabetics are put onto statins the worry about high cholesterol levels through fats is not so much of an issue.

I agree with Daibell. Try the rice and things, some can tolerate small amounts, others can't. You may be able to tolerate some better than others. Some posters here can manage a couple of tablespoon of say rice, but can't tolerate bread, eat, try and test is the only way you will know. Dai said, carbs turn to glucose in our blood, hence the reduced carb mantra. There are loads of really lovely recipe's in the food forum, have a look at those and you will soon get the hang of what is ok for us, and not so good.

Fats are not a problem, so replace your carbs with fats for energy. I fry in avocado oil, but you can use lard, butter, olive oil, coconut oil, these are all healthy fats and will help fill you up.

granny3boys said:

Defren said:

Fats are not a problem, so replace your carbs with fats for energy. I fry in avocado oil, but you can use lard, butter, olive oil, coconut oil, these are all healthy fats and will help fill you up.

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I have always thought that lard especially was not good for cholesterol? Butter too, although better for you than synthetic margarines. I do use olive or rapeseed oil all of the time

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I eat a lot of fat, I replaced my carbs with it, and have recently had my cholesterol results, and they are extremely low, but high in the good cholesterol. I am lucky, my GP is forward thinking and prepared to back me while I work out a diet that works for me. I think I have found it. High fat, low carbs, no wheat or grains or milk, but loads of good healthy fats and vegetables, and then meat, fish (I love fish) poultry, game, seafood, cheese, cream, full fat yogurts, eggs and berry's, nuts, seeds, salads etc.

I make cauliflower mash by steaming the cauli, then adding a good knob of real butter, a good shot of cream and mix. I also made some low carb bread rolls last night and thickened them with butter warm from the oven - lovely. I do eat a LOT of natural healthy fat, no vegetable or corn oil, but avocado or the other healthy fats I mentioned in my post above. Not only is my cholesterol low, but I have lost over 90 pounds since March. My whole story is documented on the forum, I made my journey a very open and transparent one, I just hope it helps others.

Same thing here granny3boys. I swapped to eating loads more cheese, eggs, cream, bacon and egg (fried is a small amount of olive oil or a small knob of lard). I also eat a lot more veg but have nigh on given up all the starchy foods so rice, pasta, potatoes, cereals and most bread. The result was my cholesterol levels normalised for the first time in years and I've lost nigh on 4 stone in six months. I've had two 3 monthly tests since adopting a low carb but higher fat regime and both showed my cholesterol levels to be entirely normal. I've even come off the cholesterol tablets with my docs blessing. The DANGER is if you end up just upping fat without dropping the starchy foods as most experts and forum members will tell that's a VERY bad thing to do health wise.

I forgot to say, your one square of 90% chocolate is fine, you carry on and enjoy it. I don't eat chocolate, but I do know another lady here who also has a square of high cocoa chocolate a day.