just diagnosed type 2

[xkmac3]

Hi,
I'm a 31 year old woman and I've just found out that I have type 2 and I have a couple weeks wait before I see the diabetic nurse. I was wondering what foods I should or should not be eating besides sugar.What can I expect? I just started the tablets, but am not sure if I should buy a sugar level tester or maybe the NHS will provide one. Pre liquid glucose test I was at 7.2 after glucose it jumped to 11.5. Also I need to lose weight before I can have foot surgery to hopefully be able to walk somewhat normal again. Been waiting nearly 3 years for doctors to do something. I can't exercise properly to lose the weight. Also I have an allergy to sun flower based products, so alot of food products are out for me, but the manufacturers seem to be adding it to more and more stuff. :x Any advice would be great.

Thanks

 

[IanD]

Hello Kerry,

I hesitate to welcome you to the forum, but it is a helpful place to be. It is a shock to be diagnosed with a condition that will affect the rest of your life, but it is manageable if you take control.

I'm surprised they have started you on tablets before getting a clear picture of your diabetic condition. Meters are useful, with at least a reading taken overnight to give a consistent picture. Look at this site for recommendations.

If your feet are limiting your ability to exercise, a whole body exercise machine you can use sitting down may be the answer. I've got a rowing machine I bought in Asda for £30 set up in front of my TV. I don't like excercise bikes as there is too much stress on the knee, & no upper body excercise.

As far as diet is concerned, low fat/sugar/salt is the general rule, with an increase in fresh fruit & vegetables. I use the glycaemic index as a guide. Low GI means slower digestion and therefore slower sugar build-up & better control. Its basically a healthy diet for everyone, so your family will benefit.

There's plenty more help available.

Hope that helps for starters.

 

[fergus]

Welcome to the club, Kerrie. Actually, you just qualify and no more. A fasting blood sugar over 7.1 mmol/l and a glucose tolerance test over 11.1mmol/l are the minimum entry requirements!

You're right to cut out the sugars of course, but since diabetes is essentially a disease of carbohydrate metabolism, you would benefit from cutting back on the foods that release sugar into the bloodstream, even though you may not percieve them as sweet. These are the starchy foods which deliver a big sugar hit as they are digested and they include breads, potatoes, white rice, pasta and anything made with refined white flour or sugar.

If that sounds like a big part of a normal diet, it's largely because what we've come to perceive as normal is actually far from it. If you replace these things with healthy natural foods that have a much smaller impact on blood sugar levels then your readings will improve, and so should your weight. Such foods include meat, fish, eggs, nuts, dairy, most vegetables and some fruits.

Now the good news. If you make these changes, you may find your readings drop back into a non-diabetic range, which would be fantastic.

All the best,

fergus

 

[xkmac3]

Hi,
Thank you for your advice and suggestions. Unfortunatly I can't use a rowing machine due to my foot being frozen in place, which restricts the ability of the muscles in my ankle to flex normally. I suffer from calcification of the muscles in the back of my ankle. My heel no longer sits flat to the floor. My diet concists of mostly of veg., grains, fish, nuts, dairy, chicken and turkey. I can't eat most fruit, citrus causes a skin reaction that makes the skin on my face peel off. I don't really like sweet things. Only every now and then. I eat hardly any red meat, it causes my cholesterol to raise above normal.
Now that I've had a good long winge about all my problems I feel much better.
Thank you.

 

[ChocFish]

Hi Kerry

I know from personal experience that a good whinge now and then works wonders, so dont ever hold back, this is the place to be.

Its a good idea to cut down on carbs, also you say you eat dairy products, many diabetics find that the lactose in milk causes their blood sugars to rise quite a bit so do your testing.

Everyone is different, some do low carb/high protein diets, others just cut back, I did the low GI thing, so work out what appeals to you, as for exercising, I have just responded to a mobility impaired member of this forum and suggested he checks out the Rosemary Conley DVD whole body workout as it contains a section specifically for unfit/disabled people, its terrible to hear that you had to wait all those years for an operation to make you more mobile again, but it is nothing new, my husband needs spinal fusion surgery and has been on the waiting list for 4 years, twice admitted to hospital and discharged again because they needed the bed for an emergency.

Also can your GP refer you for physio or gym so that maybe you can learn some safe exercises that you can do at home, even if you are sitting in a chair most of the time or lying down you still can do some exercises, anything is better than keeping still, even just twiddling your fingers and thumbs, any movement will help burn a few extra calories and help circulation and give you hope of eventually being able to build up and do more.

All the best

Karen x

 

[xkmac3]

Thanks Karen,
I will talk to my GP at my next appointment about the physio. I tried having a gym membership. The cross trainer made it worse and eventually climbing all the stairs just to get to the gym made it impossible. So I had to pay for a years membership that I couldn't use. Luckily I think I may have found a gym, with a lift that lets you do month to month membership. Also they have a swimming pool that offers aqua fit classes. I just need to get my active card from the city council so I can get a discount. Hopefully I can shed a few lbs before my first holiday in 10 years. Going to Butlins, :lol: Skeggy 2nd of June. I've only been back in England 3 years. Was a military brat living mostly on US Air Force Bases.

Take care

 

[sugarless sue]

Hi xkmac,welcome to the forum.I used hand held weights sitting in a chair to do a lot of my exercises as I have a dodgy knee which doesn't take kindly to high impact exercise(neither do I actually!!) I also found doing standing up press ups against a suitable height work top good exercise for the tummy,I'm not sure how your ankle would cope with that however.Try standing about 1-2 feet from work top then doing press ups ,if it hurts ,don't do it!!I also have one of those elastic gym things which you can use and don't need to bend legs,it's good for the tummy as well. I hope you find something that works for you,good luck.

 

[xkmac3]

Hi,
Thanks everyone one for your advices, suggestions, and encouragement.

Hope Ya'll have a great weekend