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Me too!

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lerato1uk

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hello all,

I've been lurking for a while but I guess it's only polite to introduce myself.
I am 52, female, weigh 90kg and am 1.73 tall and tablet not-controlled type 2. I have been struggling with my weight for a good decade which I found odd: I cook my meals from scratch, lead an active life and couldn't understand why that stubborn tummy fat increased and never decreased.

Eventually, a job medical 2 years ago found my BG to be 16.something. Oh. Ah..... And many things fell into place.
My father was eventually diagnosed T2 a few years before he died in his 80's. The poor bloke probably couldn't spell the word sugar and had a very physical job. In his later years he would eat one slice of bread for breakfast, one for lunch and have his veg, meat and potato for dinner.... I think I am "blessed" with his genes and the GP's comment that if only I had led a healthier life (in other words: it's your fault, stupid) knocked me into a depression which I really could have done without....

Running around during my long shifts leaves little place for additional exercise and I also found that my liver, very helpful, immediately replenished the sugar I burnt, usually literally within minutes!
I quickly realised that UK food (I am Dutch) is full of sugar, in the most weird places. I am also convinced that low-carb is my answer - if there is one.

I managed to lose some weight over the past 6 months (6kg to be precise) but my blood sugars which were sort of controlled in the first year of discovery, have gone back up (I wonder what stress has to do with this, I have plenty of that!!!). So I am now preparing to give the 600/800 kcal diet a go, aware that over the past few months my diet has been less than ideal.

But I have one question: the slimfast shakes are full of sugar! Doesn't that defeat the object???

Lerato1uk
 
@lerato1uk - Hello and Welcome to the Forum. Good to meet you:) I will tag @daisy1 who will provide you with some basic information that all newbies receive. Have a read and ask any questions you may have.:)
 
liam1955 said:
@lerato1uk - Hello and Welcome to the Forum. Good to meet you:) I will tag @daisy1 who will provide you with some basic information that all newbies receive. Have a read and ask any questions you may have.:)
Click to expand...

Thank you. Nothing personal but... I really didn't want to meet you all ;-)
Oh, I am on 1g slow release metformin 2x day and 500mg normal metformin 2x day.

Lerato1uk
 
You may not have seen the information @daisy1 provides? It's certainly worth reading that along with having a good look round the forums to get information on the various methods of lower carbohydrate eating. If you do ever wish to share your progress or ask questions then there are many forum members here willing to share and help.
 
13lizanne said:
You may not have seen the information @daisy1 provides? It's certainly worth reading that along with having a good look round the forums to get information on the various methods of lower carbohydrate eating. If you do ever wish to share your progress or ask questions then there are many forum members here willing to share and help.
Click to expand...

Sorry, no. Not sure how this tagging thingy works!

Lerato1uk
 
@lerato1uk

Hello and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 over 150,000 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

Reduce your 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

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

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


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
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

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 bloodglucose 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.
 
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