Four days ago I was diagnosed T2 and have been given a blood glucose meter and prescribed Metformin. I started to take this yesterday, starting off with 1 tablet with breakfast, building up to 3/day (which I expect to do over the next three weeks). I was diagnosed with PCOS and underactive Thyroid 16 years ago. I take Levothyroxine for my thyroid but have never been prescribed anything for the PCOS. Diet wise, I’m a pescatarian and don’t have a sweet tooth. I am significantly over weight and tried every diet under the sun to no avail. I’ve always put this down to my thyroid. I’m doing lots of reading up on any/every resource I can find online, but tbh I’m struggling to assimilate it all, to work out what it all means for me and what to expect in the future. Any top tips/pitfalls to avoid. Right now I feel like my body is my enemy.
Hey Shem,
Another one here with Hashimoto's and PCOS. I was told with the thyroid being what it is and my meds, I wouldn't be able to lose weight. I believed that nitwit and ended up a blimp of a T2 on her dietary advice, so... I can tell you, it CAN be done! (I'm +/-50 pounds lighter!). And get your bloodsugars uinder control in the same go. The pescatarian bit is a bit of a hurdle, but dietdoctor.com has loads of meal-ideas that would fit the bill. I do have to say though, low fat is NOT good for a T2. It's not dietary fat that makes us big, it's the glucose that gets stored in fatcells. Dietary fat is your friend, actually, as it slows down sugar peaks and helpt to make you feel satiated. It's not the baddy we've been told for over 50 years it is. (It explains the sudden T2 pandemic.) Quite a shift of gears eh. I know, it sounds completely counter-intuitive, but living proof right here. Are eggs okay? I know I can't push bacon on you, but cheese and musrooms with your scrambled eggs maybe? Full fat greek yoghurt? Double cream? Fatty fish is really good for you (I have a can of tuna almost daily, and some salmon when I can afford it
). Lots of veggies are fine for us, above-ground, leafy greens... Get yourself some books by Dr. Jason Fung and get a bit of a grasp of the dynamics of this disease, and how it works on our body. You don't have to take in everything overnight, you have time to make adjustments and *gasp* a couple of mistakes. And if you have questions, pose 'em here, we'll help. All in all though, this is do-able. And yay for your doc for giving you a meter! I have to buy my own, and strips too. You already know when to test, but keep in mind after a while, once you know what which foods do to your glucose levels, you can do it a lot less and give your fingers a break.
You'll be okay. Give yourself some time to process all the info you're getting. The low carb/high fat method works for a lot of people here. I took it a step further, opting for a ketogenic diet (it's a little more extreme), because it was, oddly enough, easier for me and helps me tackle my fatty liver to boot. But those two are your best bet. There's a muntitude of names for them (Mediterranian, Keto, Newcastle, Scandinavian, Atkins, whatever), but the basic thing is, reduce the carbs, up the fats, moderate proteine... And your T2 can actually go into remission.(Which wouldn't happen on pills alone.). You're not doomed or anything. It'll be okay.
