Hi everyone I’m new to this site, was just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes yesterday, it’s been a bit of a shock and I’m not ashamed to say I had a bit of a cry.... I’ve always been fairly healthy and very rarely take not well. Everything is a bit overwhelming just now and finding it hard to take in diet/exercise advice Just now. Any advice appreciated xx
-
Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »
Just been diagnosed
- Thread starter Marge76
- Start Date
JoKalsbeek
Expert
- Messages
- 6,724
- Location
- The Netherlands
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Hi @Marge76 ,
Had a "bit of a cry" eh? I cried my eyes out for weeks. Must be that stiff upper lip, as a Dutchy I lack it.
Seriously though, it is a shock to be diagnosed... I was used to having another box to check, illness wise, but T2 was different... Scarier, more overwhelming than anything I had before (migraines, rheumatism, hasimoto's etc...). What I wanted most at that time was to hear it'd be okay and that it wouldn't always be this terrifying. Guess what I can tell you today? It's going to be okay, and it won't always feel like this! So I'm going to give you a lot of information, (Like @daisy1 , who has an excellent info pack) and I'll be the first of those who will, but if it is all too much to take in, just remember that much: YOU WILL BE OKAY.
So, with that out of the way.... As T2's we have a problem with carbs. That's all carbs, not just sugar. Practically all carbohydrates turn to glucose once ingested, and with our insulin-issues (insulin resistance, reduced production etc), we can't process them back out efficiently. So they stay in our bodies, doing damage left and right. The good news? A change in lifestyle helps. People tend to call it that, while it's really a diet, but usually people do a diet for a while and then quit it, but this is a lifetime commitment... Hence the lifestyle nomer.
So, if you can't process carbs back out, what do you do? Eat less carbs! But it's one of 3 macro nutrients, so if you lower the intake of one, you have to up the other two. Fat, as it turns out, isn't the baddy we always were told it was. (We get fat because excess sugar is stored in fat cells... Dietary fat doesn't get stored as body fat. Whodathunkit, eh?). additional perk of fat: it slows down the absorption of carbs, so prevents a sugar spike from any carbs you do consume in a meal. And it doesn't spike sugar at all. Proteine does turn into glucose through glucogenesis in the liver, but it doesn't have the same fast, huge impact carbs have, so they're pretty safe. So less carbs, more fats, more protein.
That's all fine and dandy, but how does that translate to actual food? Well, the things that aren't doing you any favours are bread, cereal (including oats, wheetabix, muesli), pasta, rice, corn, potatoes... Anything wheaty is no good. Fruit contain fruitsugars which aren't good either, save for berries; those are okay in moderation, especially when you add double cream or full fat greek yoghurt. (I see you wondering about vitamins... But you can get vitamins out of veggies just as well!). So, what can you safely eat? Loads!!! Eggs, meat, fish, cheese, double cream and full fat yoghurt, above ground veggies and leafy greens, nuts, berries, olives, avocado, butter, and most importantly, extra dark chocolate...! Meals could look like this: Eggs with bacon, cheese, mushrooms, a few cherry tomatoes maybe? Sausages? Lunch could be leafy greens with a can of tuna, olives, capers, mayo and avocado. Maybe toss another egg in for good measure. In the evening some meat or fish (say, steak, salmon, anything not coated), with vegetables. I find couliflower to be remarcably versatile, it's replaced pasta, spuds and rice in this house. Usually toss in some more bacon and cheese, with whatever herbs take my fancy, so might work for you too. Broccoli's nice too. If you want to snack, have some Lindt 85%, some olives or cubes of cheese... Walnuts and pecans are quite wonderful to munch on too.
If you want to have more meal ideas, just hop on over to dietdoctor.com, maybe read up some in Dr. Jason Fung's books, and of course, this forum's website has lots of ideas too.
And after all that, again: You will be okay. Make it your mantra, because it's true.
Good luck,
Jo
@DCUKMod or somebody... Maybe put this in the Newly Diagnosed section? Thanks!
Had a "bit of a cry" eh? I cried my eyes out for weeks. Must be that stiff upper lip, as a Dutchy I lack it.
Seriously though, it is a shock to be diagnosed... I was used to having another box to check, illness wise, but T2 was different... Scarier, more overwhelming than anything I had before (migraines, rheumatism, hasimoto's etc...). What I wanted most at that time was to hear it'd be okay and that it wouldn't always be this terrifying. Guess what I can tell you today? It's going to be okay, and it won't always feel like this! So I'm going to give you a lot of information, (Like @daisy1 , who has an excellent info pack) and I'll be the first of those who will, but if it is all too much to take in, just remember that much: YOU WILL BE OKAY.So, with that out of the way.... As T2's we have a problem with carbs. That's all carbs, not just sugar. Practically all carbohydrates turn to glucose once ingested, and with our insulin-issues (insulin resistance, reduced production etc), we can't process them back out efficiently. So they stay in our bodies, doing damage left and right. The good news? A change in lifestyle helps. People tend to call it that, while it's really a diet, but usually people do a diet for a while and then quit it, but this is a lifetime commitment... Hence the lifestyle nomer.
So, if you can't process carbs back out, what do you do? Eat less carbs! But it's one of 3 macro nutrients, so if you lower the intake of one, you have to up the other two. Fat, as it turns out, isn't the baddy we always were told it was. (We get fat because excess sugar is stored in fat cells... Dietary fat doesn't get stored as body fat. Whodathunkit, eh?). additional perk of fat: it slows down the absorption of carbs, so prevents a sugar spike from any carbs you do consume in a meal. And it doesn't spike sugar at all. Proteine does turn into glucose through glucogenesis in the liver, but it doesn't have the same fast, huge impact carbs have, so they're pretty safe. So less carbs, more fats, more protein.
That's all fine and dandy, but how does that translate to actual food? Well, the things that aren't doing you any favours are bread, cereal (including oats, wheetabix, muesli), pasta, rice, corn, potatoes... Anything wheaty is no good. Fruit contain fruitsugars which aren't good either, save for berries; those are okay in moderation, especially when you add double cream or full fat greek yoghurt. (I see you wondering about vitamins... But you can get vitamins out of veggies just as well!). So, what can you safely eat? Loads!!! Eggs, meat, fish, cheese, double cream and full fat yoghurt, above ground veggies and leafy greens, nuts, berries, olives, avocado, butter, and most importantly, extra dark chocolate...! Meals could look like this: Eggs with bacon, cheese, mushrooms, a few cherry tomatoes maybe? Sausages? Lunch could be leafy greens with a can of tuna, olives, capers, mayo and avocado. Maybe toss another egg in for good measure. In the evening some meat or fish (say, steak, salmon, anything not coated), with vegetables. I find couliflower to be remarcably versatile, it's replaced pasta, spuds and rice in this house. Usually toss in some more bacon and cheese, with whatever herbs take my fancy, so might work for you too. Broccoli's nice too. If you want to snack, have some Lindt 85%, some olives or cubes of cheese... Walnuts and pecans are quite wonderful to munch on too.
If you want to have more meal ideas, just hop on over to dietdoctor.com, maybe read up some in Dr. Jason Fung's books, and of course, this forum's website has lots of ideas too.
And after all that, again: You will be okay. Make it your mantra, because it's true.
Good luck,
Jo
@DCUKMod or somebody... Maybe put this in the Newly Diagnosed section? Thanks!
alf_Josiah
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 3,280
- Location
- Tilehurst Reading
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Insulin
- Dislikes
- People that point out my spelling mistakes
Welcome to the club, somebody will post the link to the good advice post.
The world has not ended and with the help of the good people here I now have a better understanding of my diabetes. Good luck.
The world has not ended and with the help of the good people here I now have a better understanding of my diabetes. Good luck.
kitedoc
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 4,785
- Location
- Adelaide, South Australia
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Pump
- Dislikes
- black jelly beans
Hi @Marge76, Getting bad news is never easy and sorry to hear of your troubles. Crying is often like a valve, a good way to allow tension and stress to be released and nothing to be ashamed of. Even men cry and (most) admit it these days.
Like any upset we grieve what we think we have lost or is threatened.
And although I am a type 1 and not a type 2 diabetic, the implications are very similar even though the treatment varies.
Believe it or not there are some positives in having been diagnosed diabetic and I shall come to those in a moment. (see * below if you which to peek)!
Now, breathe,. Under stress we often hold our breath periodically and in so doing our thoughts freeze up. By breathing in and out slowly and evenly we start to think, reflect and find our way forward. Breathe. Find something relaxing to do such as reading, listening to music, dancing, writing, painting, some form of exercise but sky diving and bungey jumping need to wait a day or too!!!
Use humour in general and self humour - "well, I guess my just desserts for refusing to share my lunch with Sally Y in kindergarten have come home to roost." "Do I now have to eat like a rabbit, a donkey or monkey'?
One step at a time: Take time to read up on diabetes type 2, including some of the excellent articles on the Home page (on the horizontal menu bar: Type 2 diabetes, Food and Recipes, and Living with Diabetes, ask questions as you are doing this to get a clearer idea on things. Some information on this site may be different to the information you might receive from your doctor or nurse, particularly some of the ideas on diet and testing of Blood Sugar levels (BSLs): please ask away about this.
Small steps upward may for less tripping up.
* Pluses: whatever the past has been like for you, you now have an opportunity to improve your health with diet, exercise and so on. Sometimes it is a rude shock but the improvements to one's health can make us as healthy if not more so than our non-diabetic peers.
So welcome fellow warrior ( honorary title, no weapon-bearing required)! And Best Wishes on your journey.
As a good friend of mine used to say: See your in the soup next to the carrots"!
We are all in this together whether face to face or in the virtual world.
Like any upset we grieve what we think we have lost or is threatened.
And although I am a type 1 and not a type 2 diabetic, the implications are very similar even though the treatment varies.
Believe it or not there are some positives in having been diagnosed diabetic and I shall come to those in a moment. (see * below if you which to peek)!
Now, breathe,. Under stress we often hold our breath periodically and in so doing our thoughts freeze up. By breathing in and out slowly and evenly we start to think, reflect and find our way forward. Breathe. Find something relaxing to do such as reading, listening to music, dancing, writing, painting, some form of exercise but sky diving and bungey jumping need to wait a day or too!!!
Use humour in general and self humour - "well, I guess my just desserts for refusing to share my lunch with Sally Y in kindergarten have come home to roost." "Do I now have to eat like a rabbit, a donkey or monkey'?
One step at a time: Take time to read up on diabetes type 2, including some of the excellent articles on the Home page (on the horizontal menu bar: Type 2 diabetes, Food and Recipes, and Living with Diabetes, ask questions as you are doing this to get a clearer idea on things. Some information on this site may be different to the information you might receive from your doctor or nurse, particularly some of the ideas on diet and testing of Blood Sugar levels (BSLs): please ask away about this.
Small steps upward may for less tripping up.
* Pluses: whatever the past has been like for you, you now have an opportunity to improve your health with diet, exercise and so on. Sometimes it is a rude shock but the improvements to one's health can make us as healthy if not more so than our non-diabetic peers.
So welcome fellow warrior ( honorary title, no weapon-bearing required)! And Best Wishes on your journey.
As a good friend of mine used to say: See your in the soup next to the carrots"!
We are all in this together whether face to face or in the virtual world.
- Messages
- 14,295
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
@Marge76 - It's a bit bewildering on here at first, but as @JoKalsbeek suggests, your post will receive more responses if it is posted in a different part of the forum. The General Chat area can be a bit off folks' radar.
If you'd like your thread moved, I, or any of the Mods, can certainly do that for you. If you just tag us by typing the @ key immediately in front of our name, like this, @Marge76 , it'll alert us to your post.
Just to be clear, you absolutely haven't done anything wrong, or made a mistake. It's just trying to get you the best visibility to other members.
If you'd like your thread moved, I, or any of the Mods, can certainly do that for you. If you just tag us by typing the @ key immediately in front of our name, like this, @Marge76 , it'll alert us to your post.
Just to be clear, you absolutely haven't done anything wrong, or made a mistake. It's just trying to get you the best visibility to other members.
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@Marge76
Hello Marge 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 be able to 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:
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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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.
Hello Marge 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 be able to 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
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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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.
Hi @Marge76, Getting bad news is never easy and sorry to hear of your troubles. Crying is often like a valve, a good way to allow tension and stress to be released and nothing to be ashamed of. Even men cry and (most) admit it these days.
Like any upset we grieve what we think we have lost or is threatened.
And although I am a type 1 and not a type 2 diabetic, the implications are very similar even though the treatment varies.
Believe it or not there are some positives in having been diagnosed diabetic and I shall come to those in a moment. (see * below if you which to peek)!
Now, breathe,. Under stress we often hold our breath periodically and in so doing our thoughts freeze up. By breathing in and out slowly and evenly we start to think, reflect and find our way forward. Breathe. Find something relaxing to do such as reading, listening to music, dancing, writing, painting, some form of exercise but sky diving and bungey jumping need to wait a day or too!!!
Use humour in general and self humour - "well, I guess my just desserts for refusing to share my lunch with Sally Y in kindergarten have come home to roost." "Do I now have to eat like a rabbit, a donkey or monkey'?
One step at a time: Take time to read up on diabetes type 2, including some of the excellent articles on the Home page (on the horizontal menu bar: Type 2 diabetes, Food and Recipes, and Living with Diabetes, ask questions as you are doing this to get a clearer idea on things. Some information on this site may be different to the information you might receive from your doctor or nurse, particularly some of the ideas on diet and testing of Blood Sugar levels (BSLs): please ask away about this.
Small steps upward may for less tripping up.
* Pluses: whatever the past has been like for you, you now have an opportunity to improve your health with diet, exercise and so on. Sometimes it is a rude shock but the improvements to one's health can make us as healthy if not more so than our non-diabetic peers.
So welcome fellow warrior ( honorary title, no weapon-bearing required)! And Best Wishes on your journey.
As a good friend of mine used to say: See your in the soup next to the carrots"!
We are all in this together whether face to face or in the virtual world.
- Messages
- 14,295
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
I've done that, and moved your post to Newly Diagnosed, which sums your present situation up, I think.
Keep asking questions, Marge, and keep reading. That's how to get the best from the forum. Almost every single one of us was in your shoes at some stage.
Terrytiddy
Well-Known Member
neithskye
Well-Known Member
Hi Marge. Aw. I was diagnosed this past July. It's okay to feel overwhelmed or angry or sad.
It's a lot to take in at first but one thing I've found is that it just becomes a way of life. You'll get used to portion sizes, what you can eat, etc. It just becomes second nature.
The nice thing about the low carb, high fat diet is that there are so many delicious foods to eat. And I genuinely feel SO much better. My mind feels clearer, I have more energy. I don't get bloating in my stomach anymore. AND I'm not hungry. I can go 16 hours without eating because this diet really fills you up. So no more impulse eating.
This forum has been so wonderful on my diabetes journey. I don't know what folks did before the Internet.
It's a marathon, not a sprint, so you don't have to learn everything *right away*. Welcome to the forum!
It's a lot to take in at first but one thing I've found is that it just becomes a way of life. You'll get used to portion sizes, what you can eat, etc. It just becomes second nature.
The nice thing about the low carb, high fat diet is that there are so many delicious foods to eat. And I genuinely feel SO much better. My mind feels clearer, I have more energy. I don't get bloating in my stomach anymore. AND I'm not hungry. I can go 16 hours without eating because this diet really fills you up. So no more impulse eating.
This forum has been so wonderful on my diabetes journey. I don't know what folks did before the Internet.
It's a marathon, not a sprint, so you don't have to learn everything *right away*. Welcome to the forum!
Hi Marge,
I am in the same shoes as you. It’s all a bit too much right now and I feel like I’ve cried for 89 years.
It seems there is a lot of support on here for us newbies. I will follow you so we can converse x
rhubarb73
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 709
- Location
- West Yorkshire
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- aubergine
Hello @Marge76 and welcome. You have reached a safe refuge - you will find here what you need to survive and flourish. Well done for getting here so soon.
When diagnosed I was over 100kg of middle aged man and I sobbed like a lunatic. I thought about my dad (he died of heart disease aged 49) and my boys (8 and 5) and I thought how I'd done this to myself and how I had to take control for their sake if not mine.
Now a few short months on, I'm an 83kg man, but I still get emotional. This condition still makes me angry - the difference is now I feel more in control.
You can get there too. Don't try to do it all in a week. Take a little time....explore the advice here, digest it, think about how it can work for you. Personally I recommend some simple steps:
- go as low carb as you can as quickly as you can (emphasis on the "you")
- test blood regularly (before and 2 hours after every meal - if you can get / afford the strips)
- stay on this site, ask lots of questions, share your thoughts experiences fears etc
- make a plan 1 week at a time - if you fall off the wagon, don't give up, just circle round and start again.
I did a blog on my first 50 days. I share it with newbies. Here you go, it's not advice but a journey that might start to make sense to you.
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/type-2-my-first-50-days.2190/
Finally - don't blame yourself for diagnosis. Now you're in the know, you're in the driving seat - where do you want to take this?
When diagnosed I was over 100kg of middle aged man and I sobbed like a lunatic. I thought about my dad (he died of heart disease aged 49) and my boys (8 and 5) and I thought how I'd done this to myself and how I had to take control for their sake if not mine.
Now a few short months on, I'm an 83kg man, but I still get emotional. This condition still makes me angry - the difference is now I feel more in control.
You can get there too. Don't try to do it all in a week. Take a little time....explore the advice here, digest it, think about how it can work for you. Personally I recommend some simple steps:
- go as low carb as you can as quickly as you can (emphasis on the "you")
- test blood regularly (before and 2 hours after every meal - if you can get / afford the strips)
- stay on this site, ask lots of questions, share your thoughts experiences fears etc
- make a plan 1 week at a time - if you fall off the wagon, don't give up, just circle round and start again.
I did a blog on my first 50 days. I share it with newbies. Here you go, it's not advice but a journey that might start to make sense to you.
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/type-2-my-first-50-days.2190/
Finally - don't blame yourself for diagnosis. Now you're in the know, you're in the driving seat - where do you want to take this?
rhubarb73
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 709
- Location
- West Yorkshire
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- aubergine
You're so good with the new comers @JoKalsbeek - I wish I had the time to keep on top on new entries like you do. Thanks for what you do. I remember what it was like to be new here and people being supportive makes such a huge difference to how you feel - well done.
woollygal
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,485
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Coffee diabetes
Hi @Marge76 ,
Had a "bit of a cry" eh? I cried my eyes out for weeks. Must be that stiff upper lip, as a Dutchy I lack it.
So, with that out of the way.... As T2's we have a problem with carbs. That's all carbs, not just sugar. Practically all carbohydrates turn to glucose once ingested, and with our insulin-issues (insulin resistance, reduced production etc), we can't process them back out efficiently. So they stay in our bodies, doing damage left and right. The good news? A change in lifestyle helps. People tend to call it that, while it's really a diet, but usually people do a diet for a while and then quit it, but this is a lifetime commitment... Hence the lifestyle nomer.
So, if you can't process carbs back out, what do you do? Eat less carbs! But it's one of 3 macro nutrients, so if you lower the intake of one, you have to up the other two. Fat, as it turns out, isn't the baddy we always were told it was. (We get fat because excess sugar is stored in fat cells... Dietary fat doesn't get stored as body fat. Whodathunkit, eh?). additional perk of fat: it slows down the absorption of carbs, so prevents a sugar spike from any carbs you do consume in a meal. And it doesn't spike sugar at all. Proteine does turn into glucose through glucogenesis in the liver, but it doesn't have the same fast, huge impact carbs have, so they're pretty safe. So less carbs, more fats, more protein.
That's all fine and dandy, but how does that translate to actual food? Well, the things that aren't doing you any favours are bread, cereal (including oats, wheetabix, muesli), pasta, rice, corn, potatoes... Anything wheaty is no good. Fruit contain fruitsugars which aren't good either, save for berries; those are okay in moderation, especially when you add double cream or full fat greek yoghurt. (I see you wondering about vitamins... But you can get vitamins out of veggies just as well!). So, what can you safely eat? Loads!!! Eggs, meat, fish, cheese, double cream and full fat yoghurt, above ground veggies and leafy greens, nuts, berries, olives, avocado, butter, and most importantly, extra dark chocolate...! Meals could look like this: Eggs with bacon, cheese, mushrooms, a few cherry tomatoes maybe? Sausages? Lunch could be leafy greens with a can of tuna, olives, capers, mayo and avocado. Maybe toss another egg in for good measure. In the evening some meat or fish (say, steak, salmon, anything not coated), with vegetables. I find couliflower to be remarcably versatile, it's replaced pasta, spuds and rice in this house. Usually toss in some more bacon and cheese, with whatever herbs take my fancy, so might work for you too. Broccoli's nice too. If you want to snack, have some Lindt 85%, some olives or cubes of cheese... Walnuts and pecans are quite wonderful to munch on too.
If you want to have more meal ideas, just hop on over to dietdoctor.com, maybe read up some in Dr. Jason Fung's books, and of course, this forum's website has lots of ideas too.
And after all that, again: You will be okay. Make it your mantra, because it's true.
Good luck,
Jo
@DCUKMod or somebody... Maybe put this in the Newly Diagnosed section? Thanks!
This response is excellent. Not aimed at me but thank you!!
Some really good down to earth advice.
I’ve taken screen shot so I can keep looking at it!!
woollygal
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,485
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Coffee diabetes
I was diagnosed type 2 in August.
Was all fine then miserable and cried then fine and the circle continued.
Then it stopped and I just got angry, with everyone and everything (that’s not quite over yet).
My mother last week very helpfully told me it’s all in my head, it’s mind over matter. If you feel ill you can stop feeling ill by talking yourself out if it.
Had a couple of ace days. Felt more energetic than I have for months.
Went to gig in London tonight, left before encore as started to feel tired, by tine got to tune had stomach pains, felt sick and then got angry with the world again and cried!!
Then felt bad because maybe it is all in my head then thought no. I feel how I feel.
Then got angry again
Crying is fine. I’ve decided the more I do it the better.
It is extremely overwhelming and there is so much conflicting advice which is so confusing and stressful. I’m still finding my way round it all (mostly by avoiding the doctor and nurse who just confuse me more).
Have a biiiiig hug from me. We can cry and be angry together!!
JoKalsbeek
Expert
- Messages
- 6,724
- Location
- The Netherlands
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
You're making me blush! Thank you though. I just remember what it was like when I was terrified and joined the Dutch forum. All I got was the sound of crickets. This place is so much better, because of people like you, who really do care. Just trying to do my bit is all.
Last edited:
