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Joined the Type 2 club

Hi @Nelly122

Sorry to hear you're news, but liking the motivational tone in your post.

I think you could work yourself into as lather at the gym and still not deal with the real issue if you don't take on board the change in food.

I honestly believe our response to the diagnosis comes in layers.
And the BASE layer is a change of diet.

Get that part understood and initiated asap, and every thing else begins to fall in to line.

I say Diet .. But it is A LIFESTYLE change.

I am of the Belief, that the illness causes the weight gain, which then speeds up as we become less tolerant of the insulin flooding into us ....to help cope with the carbs we are cramming in... Because we become more and more hungry ... so the more insulin resistant we become....a rather vicious cycle.

So stopping the cycle, gives us the best chance of improving our health .

As said, at 48 HBA1c.. Caught that nice n early. A few changes should see you back into safe numbers in a few weeks n months.

Tagging @johnpol as someone who trains hard at the gym, he may offer a better insight.

Welcome to da hood.
 

Thanks jjraak.

Cutting carbs is what I aim to do. Going to be a completely different food shop from now on.
 

Hi VashtiB

Do you recommend a certain meter?
 
Good luck on the start of your journey. You have great motivation when you look at your family.

Its sounds like you have caught it early and if you make the changes now, the outlook is very good.
 
Hey Nelly,

Sorry you joined the club, but your family's a great motivator... And your numbers aren't too bad. A low carb diet will probably also bring your bloodpressure down, so... It's a relatively easy fix. Sunshine and rainbows all around. (Seriously... You're going to be okay. ) https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/ is my quick start guide, with more information on this forum's website diabetes.co.uk ( not .org!), dietdoctor.com (no need to sign up, a lot on there's free), and Dr. Jason Fung's The Diabetes Code. Your spouse may want to read it too. My husband was out at the shops yesterday and he wanted to bring me a treat, and it helped that he knew how to read the labels and what was okay for me. It's so much easier when you do it together!

Good luck!
Jo
 
Nelly122 said:
Thank you Jo.

This is probably the most helpful and supportive forum I have ever known.
Click to expand...
I know the Dutch ones were useless... I'm so glad I was welcomed here. It's a good place with knowledgeable people. You put it out there, someone'll know exactly what you're talking about and how to help.
 
Nelly122 said:
Do you recommend a certain meter?
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum @Nelly122. Your diagnosis at 48 is only just in the diabetic range (48 and above). It is lower than mine when I was diagnosed (49), and I reduced mine to pre-diabetic figure of 44 by my 3 month retest, so it shouldn't be too hard to reduce yours to pre-diabetic (42-47), or even non-diabetic (below 42) by your next HbA1c blood test.
Many on here had far higher readings which they reduced to below diabetic levels.

As to meters, I use the TEE2+ meter. Many suppliers will give you free meters but the ongoing cost of test strips are quite high at 50p or more per test which adds up if you are testing frequently.
The TEE2+ does cost £9.99, but the test strips are only £7.55 for 50. You can order the meter and strips online at http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-plus-blood-glucose-meter/
If you phone them to order they might send you a free meter. Their no is 0116 286 5000.
 
Last edited:
@Nelly122 ,
I would just like to say that I agree with all the advice. This is a great supportive, informative place.

1. A Blood Glucose meter is essential - don't let your GP put you off them! I too use a Tee2+ , but some others use the SD CodeFree (from Amazon) which also has cheap test strips. You will get through more test strips than you could ever imagine because at first you need to check before , then 2hrs after every meal until you know what you can eat and what you can't.

2. Diet ,most of us call it lifestyle since you need to plan to be on it for the rest of your long and healthy life, gives much quicker results than exercise. You can't outrun a bad diet!

3. Some people go for a crash diet, or just try to reduce Carbs.It is important to reduce all carbs - even those that your Doctor says are 'healthy' - they all turn into sugar (glucose) after digestion. I feel that is often too difficult to maintain. I went for Low Carb High Fat (even though I have/had Coronary Artery Disease- a 3x Bypass). The High Fat part of it enables you not to feel hungry. I have only felt hungry once since I started LCHF back in May 2019 - and that was after a 23hr fast as part of an experiment. Almost everything that conventional mainstream medicine has told you about Carbs and Fats is completely wrong, as you will discover for yourself.
 
Thanks Ianfoster and prem51.

It’s unbelievable that a LCHF diet promotes weight loss. However your GP only tends to promote the LC side of things.

I’m away from home tomorrow for one night so I’m going to look at the hotel menu and see what they can throw together for me.

And the good news is I was 15st 3Lbs on the scales this morning. Another 3Lbs and that’s a cool 2 stone loss in 3 months.

I’ve been reading up on visceral fat being a big part of being Type2. Although it’s always hard to target certain areas of fat on the body it’s good that the waistline seems to be shrinking.

Current weight 15st 3Lbs

Target weight 12st 3Lbs
 
Hi Nelly
You are in the right place. There is tons of information, tips and food ideas here, we have all joined the club and there is always someone around to answer questions.
LcHF is the way to go and a meter is essential so that you know what food actually does to your BG, what one member can eat without spiking can and does spike someone else. I don't know where you come from but here in Norfolk I get strips and lancets on repeat prescription. There is a form letter on the site to give to your GP if they say you should buy them yourself. I took it to my GP but when I told him I had purchased a meter he just said good, what strips and lancets do you need?
You already seem to be getting results, I've lost 5 stones so far but hardly any from my middle, I don't know why unless I was a peculiar shape to start with or more likely that I'm not very mobile due to other conditions.
Welcome to club and let us know how you are getting on, and what you can eat from the hotel menu!
 
Hi Nelly,

I can't really give any advice on meters- I was lazy and picked the only one in the chemist that could sync with my phone - I use the mysgr app. I wanted it to be easy and to have to be accountable. I was no where near as positive as you when diagnosed.

Good luck with the journey- I look forward to seeing how quickly you reduce your levels.
 

Hi Norfolkmell

5 stone is absolutely amazing. Well done.

It’s always tough to target fat in areas however certain exercises to target your midriff are tried and tested.

Have you tried the plank? Leg raises etc? All can be done in the comfort of your own home.

Hotel food I opted for was a creamy vegetable soup and Ribs with vegetables. I didn’t have any sauce on the ribs as there’s not much guarantee what’s in it.

Breakfast I opted for scrambled egg, bacon, mushrooms with a green tea.

Not bad this LCHF diet.
 

Thanks mate
 
Hi Nelly- just wondering if you're a fellow Aussie- the use of 'mate' has made me think you might be.
 
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