Hello all, I’m new to this forum and was diagnosed T2 In January with reading of 8.1. To be honest the Dr didn’t give me any advise he just prescribed Metformin, I came away very confused and scared. I immediately started the Low Carb program and on the fourth day of meds started feeling very unwell, shaking dizzy, out of control, so I took by BG and it was 2, thankfully I recognised it was a hypo and took action with a sweet drink and biscuits. I rang the Dr and he said it was due to the fact that I had just started meds conbined with low carb, and I wasn’t eating enough( wish he had told me that before) so I came off the meds and I’m trying to control by diet only, I’ve stuck to the low carb for 6 weeks now and although I think they have stabilised my BG is still between 7-8.5 at most times. I’m feeling really disappointed because I keep reading about the wonderful results people are getting and very quickly lowering their BG. Am I expecting too much to soon, should I give up and go back on the meds, will I eventually see results if I continue with the low carb, am I damaging myself with these high readings. Please help, any advise would be welcome.
Lowering BG
- Thread starter Babs1
- Start Date
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- 13,465
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Hi @Babs1
Congratulations on your progress so far. What does a typical day of food look like for you, and what sort of rises are you seeing 2 hours after eating?
If you post a couple of days worth of menus, someone may be able to spot something that you haven’t noticed.
I would also say that although it can be hard, try not to compare yourself to others - we’re all different and at different stages.
Congratulations on your progress so far. What does a typical day of food look like for you, and what sort of rises are you seeing 2 hours after eating?
If you post a couple of days worth of menus, someone may be able to spot something that you haven’t noticed.
I would also say that although it can be hard, try not to compare yourself to others - we’re all different and at different stages.
Thank you goonergal for your reply, I will sort out a couple of menus and hopefully someone will see where I’m going wrong.. I will post them tomorrow. I’m learning slowly what food causes a spike, sometimes it goes from 7.5 to 8.5 after food even though I think it’s low carb. Usually it’s around 7 before meals and about 7.5 after, but that’s how it’s been going for over 6 weeks with no significant lowering of BG.
archersuz
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,213
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
Hi @Babs1 I'll tag @daisy1 who will give you some basic info. The rise in BG pre to post meals doesn't seem bad. You should aim for a rise of less than 2 at 2 hours after eating and it appears that yours is less.
Have you tried walking after meals to see if if that reduces your BG? I have increased my exercise to an hour of walking a day as a minimum. Try not to sit for more than an hour without standing and moving around even if it's just a walk to the kitchen to put the kettle on or a quick walk up and down the stairs.. 10 minutes walk after every meal is beneficial.
Have you tried walking after meals to see if if that reduces your BG? I have increased my exercise to an hour of walking a day as a minimum. Try not to sit for more than an hour without standing and moving around even if it's just a walk to the kitchen to put the kettle on or a quick walk up and down the stairs.. 10 minutes walk after every meal is beneficial.
Hi, as Goonergsl suggested I’m posting a couple of days menus, perhaps someone will have some thoughts as to where I’m going wrong. I don’t usually have breakfast as I’m never hungry in the morning.
Lunch boiled egg with half slice burgen bread
Dinner. Low carb chicken curry with cauliflower rice followed by greek yoghurt and frozen berries
Sometimes I have one square of 85% chocolate
Lunch poached egg with oven cooked
bacon
Dinner chicken kebabs with roasted veg followed by greek yoghurt and berries
I have to say that I have lost 8lbs in weight since starting the diet, but I am hungry most of the time.
Lunch boiled egg with half slice burgen bread
Dinner. Low carb chicken curry with cauliflower rice followed by greek yoghurt and frozen berries
Sometimes I have one square of 85% chocolate
Lunch poached egg with oven cooked
bacon
Dinner chicken kebabs with roasted veg followed by greek yoghurt and berries
I have to say that I have lost 8lbs in weight since starting the diet, but I am hungry most of the time.
Thank you for your reply archersuz, that’s good advise, I was going for a walk most days since I started the diet, but due to our horrid weather recently I’ve had to knock that on the head, hopefully it won’t last long and we can get back to normal. It good to know that the rises I’m experiencing aren’t too bad, if I continue maybe they will start to lower.
archersuz
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,213
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
Hi @Babs1
I have just returned from my walk and it actually feels warm out there tonight!
You say you don't eat breakfast. Do you take a fasting BG when you get up? And do you take one later in the morning? I ask because if you don't eat breakfast it is possible that your BG is rising due to liver dump. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-glucose/dawn-phenomenon.html If this is happening to you and you were to eat something or have a coffee with cream it may prevent the rise of BG. It may be that you are starting the day high and not coming down, so if you got your BG lower in the morning it may improve all your readings during the day.
May I ask what berries you are eating? Strawberries are the lowest in carbs and they're pretty much the only berries I will eat. Is the greek yoghurt full fat? I usually eat full fat as it gives me more energy and hasn't stopped my weight loss.
Veg have different carb values. Generally over ground veg are better for us than under ground veg, so if your roast veg were things like carrots and parsnips that's not as good as say mushrooms tomatoes and courgette.
I hope this gives you a few things to think about.
Suz
I have just returned from my walk and it actually feels warm out there tonight!
You say you don't eat breakfast. Do you take a fasting BG when you get up? And do you take one later in the morning? I ask because if you don't eat breakfast it is possible that your BG is rising due to liver dump. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-glucose/dawn-phenomenon.html If this is happening to you and you were to eat something or have a coffee with cream it may prevent the rise of BG. It may be that you are starting the day high and not coming down, so if you got your BG lower in the morning it may improve all your readings during the day.
May I ask what berries you are eating? Strawberries are the lowest in carbs and they're pretty much the only berries I will eat. Is the greek yoghurt full fat? I usually eat full fat as it gives me more energy and hasn't stopped my weight loss.
Veg have different carb values. Generally over ground veg are better for us than under ground veg, so if your roast veg were things like carrots and parsnips that's not as good as say mushrooms tomatoes and courgette.
I hope this gives you a few things to think about.
Suz
- Messages
- 13,465
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Firstly, well done on the weight loss. A few thoughts, in no particular order.
Just looking at what you’ve posted, I wonder whether you are a) eating enough and b) eating enough fat. You shouldn’t be hungry all the time on a low carb diet. Your menus look a bit sparse and light on fat, which you need to keep you satisfied and for fuel.
My sugar levels go up a bit when I over do the intermittent fasting and am not eating enough.
You might find this article on diet doctor interesting:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/fasting-blood-glucose-higher
I just looked back at my own levels after I was diagnosed - I didn’t get a meter for a couple of months, but even after I started testing it looks like it took a good 3 months for a significant drop in my overall average. This still translated into a big drop in HbA1c, so I’d say to stick at it and the results will come. Your post meal rises are not big, so you are obviously eating food that doesn’t cause big spikes.
daisy1
Legend
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- 26,457
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- Tablets (oral)
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- Cruelty towards animals.
@Babs1
Hello Babs1 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 Babs1 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.
