Type 2 Low carb diet

CV36Steve said:

Hi all,
I've recently been diagnosed with type 2, I say recently when in fact it showed up on a blood test in Nov 2016 but docs missed it until blood test this January, anyway I've been browsing the forum and see people recommend low carb intake to help with diabetes, my question is.. where can I find how many carbs I should be below and also is there a list of carbs per foods anywhere? I know it won't be a complete list as that would be impossible to compile

Thanks in advance for any help, taking all the info in is a bit overwhealming

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How low carb you go is entirely a personal choice. There are no rules, but you do need to find your own tolerance levels (we all have different ones). To do this you need your own meter. Without a meter you are just guessing. Some folk can tolerate over 100g a day, others can only tolerate 20g a day because we are all at different stages of the disease, different medications, different pancreatic function and unique metabolisms.

All carbs turn to sugar once inside the system, and that includes the so called healthy ones like wholemeal and certain breakfast cereals. It makes sense therefore to reduce the amount we eat. The worst offenders are bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, flour, cereals and fruit, but there are carbs in so many other foods as well.

This website may help https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds

@CV36Steve

The most popular meters for self funding T2's are the Codefree and the Tee2 because the strips are much cheaper than other meters, and you need a lot of strips. You can't buy them in pharmacies.

Try here for the Codefree meter
http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/

and here for the extra strips
http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/

There are discount codes if you buy in bulk.
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833

The Tee2 is here and the meter is free.
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/

Don’t forget to check the box that you have diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for either meter)

CV36Steve said:

Hi all,
I've recently been diagnosed with type 2, I say recently when in fact it showed up on a blood test in Nov 2016 but docs missed it until blood test this January, anyway I've been browsing the forum and see people recommend low carb intake to help with diabetes, my question is.. where can I find how many carbs I should be below and also is there a list of carbs per foods anywhere? I know it won't be a complete list as that would be impossible to compile

Thanks in advance for any help, taking all the info in is a bit overwhealming

Click to expand...

Hope this helps -
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

Once you have got your bg meter, you might find this method of getting started useful:
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/flyer-mmol.pdf

CV36Steve said:

@Bluetit1802 which meter would you say was best? I know one is free but i'd rather have the right one rather than the cheapest one

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I have never used the Tee2 but from what is said on the forum they are much the same. All meters have to meet the same accuracy standards before they can be marketed. At the moment this standard is to be within plus or minus 15% (95% of the time), so none of them are 100%.

CV36Steve said:

Hi all,
I've recently been diagnosed with type 2, I say recently when in fact it showed up on a blood test in Nov 2016 but docs missed it until blood test this January, anyway I've been browsing the forum and see people recommend low carb intake to help with diabetes, my question is.. where can I find how many carbs I should be below and also is there a list of carbs per foods anywhere?

Click to expand...

Welcome!

Explaining the various low-carb options: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet/low-carb-diabetes-diet.html

Getting food carb information and recipes: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

You didn't say what your HbA1c test result was, on diagnosis (explaining the HbA1c blood test: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/what-is-hba1c.html) or whether you have been prescribed any drugs. This is important because certain drugs (including the "sulfonylurea" class) can interact with a low-carb diet to cause hypos (blood glucose that is too low), which does not necessarily mean you shouldn't go low-carb but you should do so with medical advice if you are taking such drugs. The "first-line" T2 drug (Metformin) is considered to be safe when combined with a low-carb diet.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 a bit more than one year ago, with an HbA1c of 8.3% (or 67 in the units more commonly used in the U.K.). Within a couple of months I had lowered my A1c to a "non-diabetic" level with a low-carb diet and no drugs, and it has stayed there ever since. See signature below for details.

CV36Steve said:

@Bluetit1802 which meter would you say was best? I know one is free but i'd rather have the right one rather than the cheapest one

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I have both, and I sometimes use them one against the other if I get a reading I don't like or think improbable. Sadly, I find I quite often get rogue readings with each. I don't think one is better than the other, but I suggest starting off with the TEE2, since you get a generous starting kit including case, 10 lancets, lancet gun, 10 strips completely free. Replacement batteries are also free. In addition, their customer service is far better, with a real person immediately available on the telephone 24/7. They send very quickly by first class post wheras the Codefree people are much slower. I therefore suggest ordering the TEE2 initially, with one tub of 50 strips @ £7.75 VAT free. You are much more likely to want to contact Customer Service at the beginning and that is not available for the Codefree at weekends or in the evening after a certain time.

Once you have tried out the TEE2 and got used to testing, you can always choose to buy the Codefree, with perhaps a bulk buy of cheaper strips, or even splash out on a dearer meter. I am about to buy a third meter, an Accuchek, as I hear it is more reliable. However the strips are MUCH dearer. I would not recommend it to start off with, as at first there is a tendency to waste strips (by fumbling anxiously around!) and also to want to do a lot of testing. I plan to use the Accuchek only when I particularly want to be sure the reading is accurate, and to do a second reading when I suspect the first one with the TEE2 or Codefree is questionable.
http://www.boots.com/accu-chek-performa-nano-blood-glucose-system-10216436

NB do read the instructions that come with your meter carefully. It really is important to wash and dry your hands before testing, store the meter and strips correctly (not in a steamy bbathroom) etc etc. Good luck!

Grateful said:

Within a couple of months I had lowered my A1c to a "non-diabetic" level

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OMG you have lowered your A1c to my ideal level! Well done that man!!!

Bluetit1802 said:

I have never used the Tee2 but from what is said on the forum they are much the same. All meters have to meet the same accuracy standards before they can be marketed. At the moment this standard is to be within plus or minus 15% (95% of the time), so none of them are 100%.

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I have read that although a new type of meter and strips have to meet this standard, no-one is looking to see if they maintain that. IMO the accuracy of the TEE2 and the Codefree falls way below what one would hope for.

CV36Steve said:

@Grateful doctor put me on Metaformin 500mg 2 a day, I wasn't told what my HbA1c test result was, I didn't know about the test so didn't know to ask him for it, I have to see nurse in March so i'll ask her for it

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You could ring up and ask for your A1c test result, and/or ask to be registered to be able to see all your test results online. People on this Forum really will be able to help you much more if you can give them this information.

Alexandra100 said:

OMG you have lowered your A1c to my ideal level! Well done that man!!!

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Thank you. Of note for @CV36Steve is that I do not use a meter. I do think using a meter is a good idea and do not want to discourage it, but my example shows that for some people it can be done without a meter. When I was diagnosed, I did not know about this forum and my doctor put me on a low-carb diet but said nothing about meters which is why I did not obtain one. By the time I had found this forum, my HbA1c was already at non-diabetic levels solely through diet (and stepped-up exercise) and with no daily monitoring by meter.

Anyone considering *not* using a meter should know about the disadvantages. (1) Simply put, it may not work! Without the meter, you are to a great extent "navigating blind." (2) Even if you are doing the right thing diet-wise, you won't find out whether it is "working" until the three-month interval when the A1c test is done. (3) Without a meter, you cannot do "fine tuning" for your own individual body and find out which particular foods "spike" your blood glucose more than others; instead you have to rely on general lists of low-carb foods. (4) Even if your A1c test is good every few months, this will probably mask some major swings in blood glucose on a daily basis. Whether or not this "matters" in the long run does not seem to be fully settled by medical research, but if you want to be cautious, you should use a meter so that you are aware of these daily swings and can work to reduce them.

Having said all of the above, the "meter-less" method is working very well for me. I started out "very low carb" (fewer than 30 grams per day). When this quickly yielded great results, I stuck with it for quite a long time. More recently, I relaxed the regime, first to 50 grams, and then to 70 grams. It is still working fine, but going "meter-less" is an individual choice and for that matter, if ever things do "go wrong" for me (i.e. if BG levels start rising inexorably) then I will definitely be considering adding a meter to my my anti-diabetes arsenal.

We are all different and our bodies react differently. I consider myself to have been very lucky. Diabetes is a frightening diagnosis but getting it under control with diet-only (and no meter!) was a huge surprise for me, almost a bigger shock than the initial diagnosis. That is why I chose the user name "Grateful" on this forum and I do realise that many are not as fortunate as I have been.

CV36Steve said:

@Alexandra100 I'll call them after work on Monday and post result here

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When you make that call, ask for a print out of the blood test results. It isn't just the HbA1c glucose test you need to know, it is also cholesterol, lipids, liver and kidney functions, eGFR. All these are important for us to know. Then ask if your surgery puts test results on-line as they should be doing if you are in England, and how to register for this.

Bluetit1802 said:

I have never used the Tee2 but from what is said on the forum they are much the same. All meters have to meet the same accuracy standards before they can be marketed. At the moment this standard is to be within plus or minus 15% (95% of the time), so none of them are 100%.

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I have a Tee 2 as a back up meter and a glucorx nexus issued by the nhs - they give BG testing results that are pretty much identical ( usually within 0.2mmol of each other)