Just diagnosed with diabetes

16 on a fasting test is not that good since, I think that if two such tests are over 7 then you are diagnosed with diabetes.

Since you don't take sugar much then I won't have to tell you to cut down on it unless you drink fizzy drinks which are mostly sugar anyway.

Flour is treated in the body in a way that makes it worse than sugar so cut out anything made from flour or sugar.

Potatoes and rice are high in carbohydrates so, for now until you get a meter and start testing, cut down on these.

You can add vegetables and meat to your diet so that there is no need to go hungry.

The pills the doctor gave you are probably Metformin.

brettsza said:

Hi
I went to the doc for thrush and she asked me to get a blood test done fasting yesterday
Today I got a call from my gp saying it has come back at 16.
I dont know what it means but she said you are diabetic and said i will prescribe some meds which you start taking half a tab morning and evening now and then after three days increase it to 1.5 and then 2 in a day
She told me the name of med too but I was just blank when she said I had diabetes
I dont have nay sweets not even in my coffee or tea and no one in my family has diabetes
I eat 5 portions of fruits and veg so dont know how come I got it but if i have i have end of story there.
I am probably panicked and not able to read a lot but can someone please guide me as to what changes I should make in my diet
I Cant cut down on sugar a lot coz I dont have it in anything
I know even rice and flour turns to sugar so would like to know what i can stop and what I Can add to my diet
The doc said take the med and take a blood test again in a week or two
I want to just cut down on everything that I feel is not right and take medicines
I am only 33 and I do a lot of work in the house so physical exercise is not lacking at all
Is 16 a very bad figure.
Please help me

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take it easy. after 29 years with insulin I still in one piece, I still get smiling and I am so happy to do a little effort for my pleasure. the diabetes community is so warm and ...brettsza

Hello and welcome.

I agree, your 16 is not good, but could be a lot worse. Fasting tests can depend on various other factors, so you will need another one to confirm matters, and also what is called an HbA1c test at the same time. This test averages your blood sugar levels over the previous 2 to 3 months, and is the one normally used for a definitive diagnosis. Meanwhile, read as much as you can about diabetes type 2, what it means, what levels you should be aiming for, and dietary matters. Stay on this forum, read threads, and ask any questions you like.

It is total carbs you need to be reducing, not just the sugars. All carbs turn to sugar once inside your system. Fruit is also difficult for diabetics, so you need to be careful with it, especially fruit juices. Fruit has a lot of sugar, and natural sugars are still sugars. There is no need to panic about it. Take your time, do plenty of reading and asking, and take baby steps.

A big supermarket brand have asked our film company to produce a 3 part mini series on advisable diets for 3 major categories. Diabetes, pregnancy and heart conditions. Our presenter is a gp from the NHS with a passion for cooking, she's looking to work with someone who has recently been diagnosed with diabetes over a 2-3 minute episode. If you're interested please get in touch with me - George Young (Producer) on 0207 033 2812 or george@maltfilms.com

Thanks very much,

George

Hi,
I need to ask a Question,
For months I have had high fasting blood glucose results, between 7.4 and 11.4. I take 500mgs of metformin twice a day and also eat very little carbs during the day , That is until last night when I said hang it all it's gonna still be high no matter what I eat so I pigged out on 4 slices of seeded bread and a good handful of chicken, This morning my reading was 5.5 I was shocked but very pleased, the time of the pig out was 10pm so no excercise. My HBA1c has been 8.1, 7.4. And then this week I got a 6.7 all thanks to a low carb diet I still can not believe this and my bg at this moment is 5.6 although I have eaten very little today as I did not want to bump it up and destroy the pleasure I felt at that awesome number.What I'm asking is how come as on other days weeks and months I have never had such a low number at any time of the day
Beth.

Glimpse31 said:

A big supermarket brand have asked our film company to produce a 3 part mini series on advisable diets for 3 major categories. Diabetes, pregnancy and heart conditions. Our presenter is a gp from the NHS with a passion for cooking, she's looking to work with someone who has recently been diagnosed with diabetes over a 2-3 minute episode. If you're interested please get in touch with me - George Young (Producer) on 0207 033 2812 or george@maltfilms.com

Thanks very much,

George

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Does she want a Type 1 or a Type 2 not on insulin? It makes a big difference.

Bluetit1802 said:

Does she want a Type 1 or a Type 2 not on insulin? It makes a big difference.

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Hi, thanks for the reply. We were looking at both type 1 and type 2 but we're leaning towards type 2. I'd be more than happy to talk through the details if you were to give us a call on 02070332812. Thanks very much, George

Glimpse31 said:

Hi, thanks for the reply. We were looking at both type 1 and type 2 but we're leaning towards type 2. I'd be more than happy to talk through the details if you were to give us a call on 02070332812. Thanks very much, George

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You might want to start a separate thread on this rather than posting on a new member's introduction.

Hi.

You have to be very careful with fruit as it all contains a lot of sugar. It may be natural sugar, but it is still sugar. You will only find out what you can cope with by testing it out. Most of us can't manage any more than a few berries or a very small apple eaten with a meal. Tropical fruits seem to be the worst offenders, especially bananas. If you get a meter (and these are essential) you can use it to test out different fruits and different portions of fruit.

You may find you can manage a small portion of porridge made with water. Again, you need to test. Rice and pitta (and other breads) is very dicey. I would advise you to drastically cut down. Pasta is also not usually a good choice, similarly potatoes, pastry and batter. These are all carbohydrates and all turn to sugar once inside the system. Just how much your body can cope with can only be discovered by testing.

Sadly, most type 2's get no help with a meter or testing strips. We buy our own. There are some lucky ones who get them prescribed.

One of the cheapest meters and strips is the SD Codefree available on-line. Many people on here use it.

You don't need to cut anything out altogether at this moment in time, just greatly reduce the portions. Then decide on a sustainable diet once you get a meter. The emphasis is on sustainable, because this isn't a temporary diet, this is for life.

Hi. Can you let us know whether you are overweight or slim? It can sometimes make a difference to the specific diagnosis if you are young

So your BMI is 22.78 so in the normal range. You will need to be careful cutting out carbs as you will lose weight. To avoid this, you will need to make sure you add enough extra fats and/or protein to make up the deficit in calories.

Hi @brettsza

Welcome to the forum. I had no history of diabetes in the family either and am the first one to be diagnosed so have had to find my own way. It was like swimming through treacle until I found this site!

You've had some brilliant guidance from @Bluetit1802 already so I'm not going to add to it, except to say that I travel a lot too and snacking/eating while travelling is a problem. I've chosen to eat low car/high fat and so now rarely get hungry but always try to carry snacks such as nuts, chunks of cheese and sticks of celery. Celery is useful as a sandwich substitute. I like to spread celery sticks with full-fat soft cheese, or wrap ham or salmon slices around them and don't feel I'm missing out too much.

Also black coffee with cream is helpful and also filling and often easier to pick up at motorway services than low carb food. If you're staying away fro home while travelling, you can eat a full English breakfast without toast and guilt!

Good luck with it all.

@Bluetit1802 has given you some fantastic advice, and everything will start to settle down and make sense when you have had time to get over the shock.

For the moment though, you must be wondering what you can eat.
So let me set your mind at rest - there is an awful lot of very enjoyable food that you can have.

For the moment (until you have got a blood glucose meter - I use the Codefree one myself, because it is cheap to run - ) you want to avoid sugar in any form and limit your portions of rice, bread, porridge, pasta and potatoes. In time, you may decide to cut them out completely, but since you've had quite high blood glucose levels for a while, reducing your carbohydrate in stages, might be a good idea, and it's kinder on your body.

So how about having half sized portions for now? But you don't want to be hungry, so you need to replace that food with things that will fill you up. In the short term, the easiest thing would be to have extra meat, fish or vegetables. Maybe put some grated cheese over things.

It is really helpful to eat enough so that you avoid being hungry, so you won't be constantly thinking about what you can't eat.

If you are used to porridge for breakfast, how about switching to scrambled eggs for a day or two. Or maybe trying some cold ham and cheese slices?

Eating like this will give you some breathing space. It is a definite step in the right direction, and it will give you time to read up on diabetes, see your nurse, read this forum, and get your head around the diagnosis.

Oh, and welcome! We're a friendly bunch, and we are here for any questions you may have.
Just ask.

BETH@RGU said:

Hi,
I need to ask a Question,
For months I have had high fasting blood glucose results, between 7.4 and 11.4. I take 500mgs of metformin twice a day and also eat very little carbs during the day , That is until last night when I said hang it all it's gonna still be high no matter what I eat so I pigged out on 4 slices of seeded bread and a good handful of chicken, This morning my reading was 5.5 I was shocked but very pleased, the time of the pig out was 10pm so no excercise. My HBA1c has been 8.1, 7.4. And then this week I got a 6.7 all thanks to a low carb diet I still can not believe this and my bg at this moment is 5.6 although I have eaten very little today as I did not want to bump it up and destroy the pleasure I felt at that awesome number.What I'm asking is how come as on other days weeks and months I have never had such a low number at any time of the day
Beth.

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A lot of food is unlimited, especially the leafy greens. There is no need to go without
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

See your dr about raising your metformin if diet doesn't bring it down enough, I take 1500 and 2500 is max for the standard one