Nearly T2 aiming to stop that early

[Spl@]

Hey all, new member to the club. Got called into the docs after some blood tests because I felt off. Needing to pee all the time, headache and feeling washed out, something that has been about me for quite a while. Thought I had some sort of bug maybe, not long had the flu jab. Maybe that had got me.

Nope, had a long chat with the surgery nurse and I'm at 46, 1 under the official diagnosis and the nurse said that if I embrace it early I may well avoid actually becoming officially t2.

The sca.. no difficult thing for me to get my head round is I don't fit the typical at risk according to the blurb from the doctors surgery.
Im 47, 92kg, 36 waist if your asking, don't drink, smoke, eat reasonably well (pizza Fridays may be at risk ), do on average 7000 steps a day at work although I do no actual exercise. So the conversation with the nurse was tricky as there is no instant changes to make, no sugar in coffee, have tomatoes and sliced cucumber for work nibbles, it feels like I'm going to be eating grass to eat less carbs. Over exaggeration of the facts but accurate to my feelings.

Have already seen useful details on here so figured I'd jump in and say hi, I cannot say I'm not a little wobbly about the whole thing but its just another life step to make, just not one I ever expected.

 

[Boo1979]

Welcome to the club
Best advive Id give to someone at your stage is to invest in a blood glucose testing machine and at least 2 pots of test strips so that you can test what effect different foods having different levels of carbohydrate content do to your body - peoples individual metabolisms and different disease stages mean that we can all react differently to the same food(s)
The Tee2 ( from Spirit healthcare) and codefree ( can get on Amazon, not sure of direct suppliers name) meters are the most cost effective in the UK and come in at around £25 for the meter and 2 pots of test strips
I'll tag in @daisy1 who will forward a helpful fact sheet

 

[ringi]

Please list everything you have had to eat and drink in the last week, from experience people often don't release they are eating something with lots of carbs.

 

[Antje77]

there is no instant changes to make, no sugar in coffee, have tomatoes and sliced cucumber for work nibbles, it feels like I'm going to be eating grass to eat less carbs.

Do you eat things like bread, pasta, rice and potatoes? And if not vegetarian, meat is carb free. As are eggs and cheese. And bacon is a meat...

 

[Spl@]

Typically, I work long days, out the house at 5.30 and not back generally till around 1930/2000.

Shreddies for breakfast

4 sarnies (4 slices of bread in total) with ham or chicken, maybe tomato. Also top up my butty box with slices of cucumber, grapes, cherry tomatoes and cubes of cheddar. Pint of milk.

have sweeteners in tea/coffee.

Evening will be pasta of some form on Mondays, chicken and rice Tuesday, some form of pie (wed), rice again Thursday. Pizza Fridays. Saturday could be anything, chippy tea last week (shoot me)with slow cooked beef (melts its delicious) on Sunday.



Have never worried especially before, we do avoid processed food pizza excepted, we make pasta sauces and such. Less waste, better taste.

 

[ringi]

Shreddies are 73.7% carbs, the milk also contains carbs.
Bread is very high in carbs.
Pasta and rice are both very high in carbs, so are pies, chips, and pizza.

For breakfast, you can quickly cook an egg mixed with a little cream and cheese in the microwave. (1 or 2 minutes)

For lunch have a salad with increased ham or chicken. When buying cold meat, check on the packet if it has any added sugar, but cheaper to cook your own meat.

For evenings fish or meat with green veg.

see the https://www.dietdoctor.com/ website for many more examples of low carb food.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Yes, your food choices are extremely high in carbs. Check on the loaf of bread for the carbs per slice. They are usually around 17 plus grams per slice. All breakfast cereals are carb heavy, including porridge, milk is full of sugar (lactose) and your evening meals have more carbs than I eat in a year!

Do have a look at the dietdoctor site mentioned by @ringi , including the food list.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/foods#foodlist

You will have to change your way of eating if you are to control this condition I'm afraid.

 

[Spl@]

yep, I know its all weird (to me), as someone unknowing to the condition I did not feel my choices were bad, hell I have lost over a stone in the last year and gone down 3 inches on my waist, wont be long before I can fit back into 34 jeans.

I feel like I am looking at a serious learning curve.

 

[Spl@]

and your evening meals have more carbs than I eat in a year!

In my defence my teenage daughters have way bigger portions than I do. The eldest plays premier league hockey the other is a county gym coach.

 

[Chronicle_Cat]

Tagging @daisy1 (She will post some introductory information including diet.)

At the end of June, I was told I had a hb1ac of 53 (a bit higher than yours). After 3 months of low carb eating without any medication, I got my hba1c down to 38 (I hope to get it even lower at the next followup.)

Type 2 diabetes is heavily diet dependent and it's important to change your diet. The reason why carbohydrates aren't good for us is that they are composed of long chains of glucose (sugar), when they are digested, they hit the blood stream as if they were sugar - something our bodies cannot handle. Yes, this includes "whole grains".

Get a blood glucose meter (you don't need a prescription) and start testing your meals and a small amount of specific foods (right before and 2 hours after, if you see a rise of 2.0 or greater, that is a spike and that food isn't for you. The meter has really helped me get my blood levels better.

I cut out all grains (bread, cereal, pasta, porridge, rice), potatoes & sweet potatoes, dried beans & lentils, bananas, all fruit juice and most fruit (berries are the least carb-y of fruits, most are high in natural sugar.) I cannot handle these foods in any amount as shown by the results on my meter. Focus on meat, cheese, eggs, butter, nuts and above ground vegetables.I found these visual guides tremendously helpful. https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/visual-guides

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hey all, new member to the club. Got called into the docs after some blood tests because I felt off. Needing to pee all the time, headache and feeling washed out, something that has been about me for quite a while. Thought I had some sort of bug maybe, not long had the flu jab. Maybe that had got me.

Nope, had a long chat with the surgery nurse and I'm at 46, 1 under the official diagnosis and the nurse said that if I embrace it early I may well avoid actually becoming officially t2.

The sca.. no difficult thing for me to get my head round is I don't fit the typical at risk according to the blurb from the doctors surgery.
Im 47, 92kg, 36 waist if your asking, don't drink, smoke, eat reasonably well (pizza Fridays may be at risk ), do on average 7000 steps a day at work although I do no actual exercise. So the conversation with the nurse was tricky as there is no instant changes to make, no sugar in coffee, have tomatoes and sliced cucumber for work nibbles, it feels like I'm going to be eating grass to eat less carbs. Over exaggeration of the facts but accurate to my feelings.

Have already seen useful details on here so figured I'd jump in and say hi, I cannot say I'm not a little wobbly about the whole thing but its just another life step to make, just not one I ever expected.

We've been told for a few decades now that fat is bad, carbs are good... And since that has become the standard dietary advice, several generations have become diabetic, to the point where it is now a global epidemic. As T2's, or in your case, a prediabetic, we don't process carbs out well. Practically all carbs turn to glucose once ingested, so... Might want to reconsider the potatoes, rice, pizza, pasta, bread, shredded wheat, large amounts of milk (lactose are milksugars, about 4.5 grams of carbs per 100ml. Butter and cheese are fine, so's cream and full-fat greek yoghurt), and such... You don't have to eat like a rabbit though, meat is fine, so's fish.

Check dietdoctor.com for meal ideas, you might be surprised.
Jo

 

[daisy1]

@Spl@

Hello 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 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 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

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

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

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 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.
  

 

[Spl@]

Thanks for all the info. I truly think I have been this way for a long time, years if I think about it.

I had a bout of IBS, unpleasant condition that I got over with routine and self determination. Afterwards I started to pee more often, thought it was a trade off and needing a p is infinitely better than option 2.

Fast forward to now, (probably 10 years). I had ended up at the docs with headaches and lethargy and the fact that my needing to p was becoming embarrassingly frequent, I also wasn't sleeping well and always needed a nap during the day, generally after dinner and falling asleep in front of the telly.

So, after the test results and the reality check on what carbs ACTUALLY are and what in I went for it with a nod to experimental.

Wednesdays food.

Handful of original shreddies, splash of milk (think cup of tea) splash of water.

Dinner consisted of sliced ham between 2 slices of bread, sliced cucumber cheese and cherry tomatoes.

Evening was my missus killer chicken and leek pie (with potato not pastry top) so I had all filler and a little top.

Today was the same without the bread, as I felt tired for the only time yesterday an hour or so after eating it.

Figured I might feel a bit clearer headed maybe, no headache maybe?

OMG, the difference I feel in myself now, I have been for a p 3 yes! 3 times today, period. I would have done that and more within a couple of hours normally (no reduction in fluid intake I run on coffee), my energy levels are through the roof, I really do feel like I have taken something. I swear I can even see clearer. I truly feel absolutely amazing. Last night I had the best sleep in years I fairly leapt out of bed at the alarm.

Someone will give me a down side I'm sure, I realise I am only actually feeling 'normal' which probably highlights how rough I was. My tester should be here tomorrow so I can begin to check properly, the bread is a little disconcerting if a slice can upset things but hey I'm learning already.

THANK YOU

 

[smw99]

Thanks for all the info. I truly think I have been this way for a long time, years if I think about it.

I had a bout of IBS, unpleasant condition that I got over with routine and self determination. Afterwards I started to pee more often, thought it was a trade off and needing a p is infinitely better than option 2.

Fast forward to now, (probably 10 years). I had ended up at the docs with headaches and lethargy and the fact that my needing to p was becoming embarrassingly frequent, I also wasn't sleeping well and always needed a nap during the day, generally after dinner and falling asleep in front of the telly.

So, after the test results and the reality check on what carbs ACTUALLY are and what in I went for it with a nod to experimental.

Wednesdays food.

Handful of original shreddies, splash of milk (think cup of tea) splash of water.

Dinner consisted of sliced ham between 2 slices of bread, sliced cucumber cheese and cherry tomatoes.

Evening was my missus killer chicken and leek pie (with potato not pastry top) so I had all filler and a little top.

Today was the same without the bread, as I felt tired for the only time yesterday an hour or so after eating it.

Figured I might feel a bit clearer headed maybe, no headache maybe?

OMG, the difference I feel in myself now, I have been for a p 3 yes! 3 times today, period. I would have done that and more within a couple of hours normally (no reduction in fluid intake I run on coffee), my energy levels are through the roof, I really do feel like I have taken something. I swear I can even see clearer. I truly feel absolutely amazing. Last night I had the best sleep in years I fairly leapt out of bed at the alarm.

Someone will give me a down side I'm sure, I realise I am only actually feeling 'normal' which probably highlights how rough I was. My tester should be here tomorrow so I can begin to check properly, the bread is a little disconcerting if a slice can upset things but hey I'm learning already.

THANK YOU

As soon as I went low carb I had what I think now were manic levels of energy. I had thought that I felt well before but nothing like now and 2 years on I still feel great though not so manic! Be ready for a period of adjustment, keep drinking and keep your salt levels up as you can lose a lot of fluid initially. Carbs definitely make you more sleepy - I think we were all eating so much that we took falling asleep on the sofa as normal but I now know it isn't. As others have said consider buying a test ing kit and check what your meals are doing.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Thanks for all the info. I truly think I have been this way for a long time, years if I think about it.

I had a bout of IBS, unpleasant condition that I got over with routine and self determination. Afterwards I started to pee more often, thought it was a trade off and needing a p is infinitely better than option 2.

Fast forward to now, (probably 10 years). I had ended up at the docs with headaches and lethargy and the fact that my needing to p was becoming embarrassingly frequent, I also wasn't sleeping well and always needed a nap during the day, generally after dinner and falling asleep in front of the telly.

So, after the test results and the reality check on what carbs ACTUALLY are and what in I went for it with a nod to experimental.

Wednesdays food.

Handful of original shreddies, splash of milk (think cup of tea) splash of water.

Dinner consisted of sliced ham between 2 slices of bread, sliced cucumber cheese and cherry tomatoes.

Evening was my missus killer chicken and leek pie (with potato not pastry top) so I had all filler and a little top.

Today was the same without the bread, as I felt tired for the only time yesterday an hour or so after eating it.

Figured I might feel a bit clearer headed maybe, no headache maybe?

OMG, the difference I feel in myself now, I have been for a p 3 yes! 3 times today, period. I would have done that and more within a couple of hours normally (no reduction in fluid intake I run on coffee), my energy levels are through the roof, I really do feel like I have taken something. I swear I can even see clearer. I truly feel absolutely amazing. Last night I had the best sleep in years I fairly leapt out of bed at the alarm.

Someone will give me a down side I'm sure, I realise I am only actually feeling 'normal' which probably highlights how rough I was. My tester should be here tomorrow so I can begin to check properly, the bread is a little disconcerting if a slice can upset things but hey I'm learning already.

THANK YOU

Your meter will guide you with your food choices, which although better than there were, are still too carb-laden in my opinion. You may have a shock what Shreddies, 2 slices of bread, and potato will do to your blood sugar levels. The bread will have given you a huge rise and this is why you were so tired after eating it. High BS levels make you tired, fatigued, and feeling grotty.

Keep trying, keep asking questions, and start testing! You also need to maintain a detailed food diary so you can record your levels alongside the food you eat. That way patterns will emerge enabling you to tweak portion sizes or eliminate certain foods.

 

[Smallbrit]

All the advice above is good and you seem like you’re heading a better direction, so I won’t repeat it - just welcome!

I, like you, didn’t fit the diabetes stereotype and if I hadn’t had gestational diabetes 12 years ago would probably not have had a routine blood test and been diagnosed. I put symptoms down to other things going on at the time.

Very sadly, it’s very true that cereals, bread, all the things I love and had been eating the supposed ‘healthy’ versions, cause a huge rise in blood sugar levels for me. Your meter will surprise you. Sometimes there are good surprises though - a lot it is just figuring out what works or doesn’t work for you. Good luck

Oh, and yes, the difference in energy levels is amazing, isn’t it?

 

[Spl@]

The bit I don't get is people are talking about meters and seeing what carbs do to them, posts from people who are manifestly diabetic, numbers in the 60's etc. Are unaware of the carbs in a meal.
my messing about the last few days I can tell very quickly in the way I feel. A slice of bread, a biscuit. it changes how I feel in a very real sense now I know what it is, I seem to react to anything carby but that's probably adjustment.

By example today was 2eggs with mushrooms and grated cheddar first thing.

Ham salad, ham cheese, cucumber etc for lunch. Tonight I had chicken and rice at around 7.30 and I feel like I have a hangover now, its come on in the last 30 mins with a banging headache.

 

[kokhongw]

The bit I don't get is people are talking about meters and seeing what carbs do to them, posts from people who are manifestly diabetic, numbers in the 60's etc. Are unaware of the carbs in a meal.
my messing about the last few days I can tell very quickly in the way I feel. A slice of bread, a biscuit. it changes how I feel in a very real sense now I know what it is, I seem to react to anything carby but that's probably adjustment.

By example today was 2eggs with mushrooms and grated cheddar first thing.

Ham salad, ham cheese, cucumber etc for lunch. Tonight I had chicken and rice at around 7.30 and I feel like I have a hangover now, its come on in the last 30 mins with a banging headache.

The condition is a continuum with certain defined failure points.

In the early stages, while beta cells functionality is estimated to have reduced by 50%, we are still able to crank out the 2-300% needed to overcome our sugar load. But this demand quickly leads to further pancreatic exhaustion over the years.

A typical carby meal will typically result in a spike and crash that holds us hostage to more carby meals...

Take time to enjoy insulin lite, low carbs meal...to fuel better.

 

[bulkbiker]

The bit I don't get is people are talking about meters and seeing what carbs do to them, posts from people who are manifestly diabetic, numbers in the 60's etc. Are unaware of the carbs in a meal.
my messing about the last few days I can tell very quickly in the way I feel. A slice of bread, a biscuit. it changes how I feel in a very real sense now I know what it is, I seem to react to anything carby but that's probably adjustment.

That's quite interesting as a lot of people don't have that awareness at all.
I had very few symptoms of high blood sugar that I could recognise and it wasn't until I got my bloods lower by cutting carbs that I realised how ill I had been feeling without realising.. I thought afternoon naps were just a sign of ageing!

 

[Spl@]

That's quite interesting as a lot of people don't have that awareness at all.
I had very few symptoms of high blood sugar that I could recognise and it wasn't until I got my bloods lower by cutting carbs that I realised how ill I had been feeling without realising.. I thought afternoon naps were just a sign of ageing!

I had learned to work round my problems, I had already changed my diet to a 'good' carb diet on heath advice from my daughters dietician with brown rice and pasta etc as she is a competitive sports person, no junk like chocolate and crisps. Was losing weight and feeling better. Would you believe 2 years ago I could happily smash a couple of energy drinks, not now, the consequences. I would time my dinner hour so I could eat and then have a snooze for 20 min and carry on. I think something has changed in the last couple of months as the lethargy really began to get me down, I felt like I was 70 years old, hence the doctors appointment that opened my eyes.
Now, I don't need a snooze, clear headed and focused. Hardly p, everything is great but as I said, anything carby. Over say 20-30g, boom I'm done, lethargy is back and snooze time is a certainty.
It has certainly opened my eyes.