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Just diagnosed!

spaxman

Well-Known Member
Messages
46
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi all! Just been diagnosed with type 2 and being medicated with metaformin.

Im 35 years old and in quite good shape so shocked with the diagnosis!

I've booked onto a course on the 8th of May. But until then I'm really confused and would take any advise I can get!

Apart from eating more sensibly and working out more, what should I be doing?

Thanks everyone!
 
Hi @spaxman .. and welcome
I was in the same position as you and many others when I was diagnosed T2 in early Feb .. a bit shocked with no information and no idea what was happening to me. Since joining this forum, though, the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. So ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need .. It's still early for me but, in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly ..

Managing and controlling your diabetes through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..

I have tagged @daisy1 for you and I would suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following websites ...
Low Carb Intro and Information
Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

For testing, try the website at: https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/ for the SD Codefree meter or: http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/ who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free. The costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. I'm testing 3-4 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for the two packages above but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I will be able to manage them
Hope this helps
 
Hi and welcome,

What sort of good shape are you in? Do you have any weight issues? 20% of Type 2s are normal weight. We aren't all fat despite what the media says. Do you know what your HbA1c result was? You really need to know this, plus all the other test results you had at diagnosis. If you are in England you may find your test results are on-line but will have to ask your surgery how to register for these. Failing that, ask for a print out.

Eating sensibly is the way to go, but learning what is and what isn't sensible is the difficult part. This is why you need your own glucose meter. You can then test before you eat and again 2 hours after first bite to see what that meal has done to your levels. Too big a rise means too many carbs in that meal. Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals and flour are the worst culprits, and we also need to be careful with milk and fruit.

Have a good read round and ask as many questions as you wish.
 



Thanks for the advice! I'm in good shape, but still trying to get in better shape. I have cut out the treats and fatty foods I used to eat. I eat a lot of fruit though, as a snack throughout the day. Are there any particular snacks I should be eating instead or as well as fruit?

One more question.. can diabetics have cheat meals? When I'm out on weekends with the family, and I've eaten well all week. Can I indulge at all?

Thanks!
 
Can you have cheat meals?

As yet you probably don't know when/if you are cheating. It is very important that you get a meter and test your blood sugar two hours after eating (and maybe some other times) so that you get to know which foods affect you and which foods are safe. There are obvious things to cut down on such as sugar, flour, potatoes and rice but only a meter will tell you how much to cut down or whether you should give up some foods entirely.

The good news is that there are probably hundreds of meals out there which are safe to eat and which you have not yet tried.
 
As far as blood sugars are concerned there is no need to cut out fats. They actually help keep blood sugars more stable. It is carbs that need cutting. Fruit is not a good idea, especially as a snack. It is best eaten as part of a meal with either a plain full fat yogurt or cream. Berries are your best bet. Grapes and bananas are your worst bet, along with most tropical fruits. I don't and never have snacked so I have no experience, but I see on the forum that snackers often have some pork scratchings, or a piece of cheese or a hard boiled egg. If I do feel hungry, which is rare, I have a cup of tea!

There is no harm in an occasional treat, but when out with your family you could always choose a low carb option from the menu. You would need to check with your meter whether the cheat meals you anticipate are doing you harm. It depends what it is (and how much) you eat!
 
 

Thank you for this much appreciated.
 
welcome here spaxman

if you stay in this forum you´ll soom get all the informations you need, and if not you just ask the questions along with you development of you own strategy ... really many in here has learned to control their diabetes...
 
spaxman said:
Would it be beneficial to stick to an Atkins type diet? Lean meats, low carb veg, eggs?
Click to expand...
If you are familiar with the Atkins diet , yes, it's perfect for reducing blood sugar. It's called LCHF.. (low carb high fat) on here and there are some amazing success stories with it. It's been my lifestyle of choice over 3 years now.. I don't call it a diet because it is the way I prefer to eat now.
Have a look on here at all the others who have had fab results.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/low-carb-success-stories.3763/page-24
 
spaxman said:
Would it be beneficial to stick to an Atkins type diet? Lean meats, low carb veg, eggs?
Click to expand...

yes definitely that is the main road to go... and excercise..and muscle building.. lean meat is not especially Atkins , fat if about the only macro nutirent that doesn´t raise blood glucose.. if you eat far too much protein it will also be transformed into glucose by your liver.

most men need around 1 gram of protein pro kg bodymass and only if muscle excercising they maybe need 1,5 gram pro kg bodyweight..when you take away the carbs you need more fat as there is only that high level you can take of proteins... but well it is individually so you will have to try how much you level of proteins is...
 
spaxman said:
Would it be beneficial to stick to an Atkins type diet? Lean meats, low carb veg, eggs?
Click to expand...

Yes, an Atkins type diet is good. You may have to adapt one or two things to suit. One member here follows it religiously @Resurgam

Basically low carb (as low as you like), normal protein, fill up with fats. Fats will make you feel fuller for longer and maybe even be able to eliminate the snacks, but no need to go overboard on them. I eat lean cuts of meat but plenty of oily fish. I also eat dairy and none of the low fat alternatives. No need to eat to excess though. One thing about low carb is you loose an energy source so this needs to be made up with fats or you may feel fatigued.

I forgot to add to the list of snacks - nuts but in moderation.
 

Thanks for this advice! Much appreciated.
 

Many thanks mate!
 
Hi xx
 
Hi @spaxman welcome to the forums. As others have said, if you want to reduce your blood sugar then cutting out carbs is the easiest way to do this. But if you do try low carb then please remember to not eat low fat foods .. swapping to high fat is the way to go, as your not going to be getting energy from carbs you need to get it from fats. So snacking can be nuts, or berries. A meter to test your blood sugars is also recommended
 
spaxman said:
Would it be beneficial to stick to an Atkins type diet? Lean meats, low carb veg, eggs?
Click to expand...
Is that the Atkins Corporation advice?
It isn't what is in Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution. There is a very strongly worded instruction about not trying to eat low cat, and exhortations to eat the natural fat of meat and full fat versions of products, and to use butter - avoiding margarine and trans fats.
 

Thank you!
 
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