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Need advice

I

Isn

Member
Messages
20
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi

I need some advice. Im T2 and have been trying to control levels with diet. I have no motivation to exercise none at all. In the meantime my levels arent the best anymore. I try to eat good but have bad days. My last 3 mth average was 7.2 and doctor said i should start medication. I told him i can do it on my own.

I keep getting told by everyone that I am lazy and i could control my levels with exercise. A part of me wants to start medication but its such a taboo and i feel like i have failed.

I am running levels of 10 to 12 post meal now.

If i start medication am I throwing in the towel????
 
Isn said:
Hi

I need some advice. Im T2 and have been trying to control levels with diet. I have no motivation to exercise none at all. In the meantime my levels arent the best anymore. I try to eat good but have bad days. My last 3 mth average was 7.2 and doctor said i should start medication. I told him i can do it on my own.

I keep getting told by everyone that I am lazy and i could control my levels with exercise. A part of me wants to start medication but its such a taboo and i feel like i have failed.

I am running levels of 10 to 12 post meal now.

If i start medication am I throwing in the towel????
Click to expand...

Welcome :)

Probably need more info re your situation. That would be you current weight, age and your diet for starters. Without that, it's difficult to offer any constructive advice. One thing though I can say ..... the advice you're getting regarding exercise would be right if in fact you're overweight.

it doesn't mean running a marathon or hitting the gym 7 days a week. Walking would be a simple start and it would definitely help with those readings. You wouldn't be throwing in the towel by taking medication if in tandem you lose weight and correct your diet.

Good luck
 
Isn said:
Hi

I need some advice. Im T2 and have been trying to control levels with diet. I have no motivation to exercise none at all. In the meantime my levels arent the best anymore. I try to eat good but have bad days. My last 3 mth average was 7.2 and doctor said i should start medication. I told him i can do it on my own.

I keep getting told by everyone that I am lazy and i could control my levels with exercise. A part of me wants to start medication but its such a taboo and i feel like i have failed.

I am running levels of 10 to 12 post meal now.

If i start medication am I throwing in the towel????
Click to expand...

I'm a rabid anti-medication person - not just for diabetes, but I just prefer not to take any medication if I can avoid it, so I can empathise with your feelings to an extent.

Obviously, as Mike says, we don't know a lot about you, but diet is critical to managing diabetes; whether or not you take medication, so you do need to get your head around reducing the bad days you mention. Exercise will help, but diet has a much, much greater impact. How long have you been diagnosed, and what sort of things do you eat, routinely?

But, fundamentally, only you can decide, but in my view you have to decide whether taking not medication is more important than your overall health. Running long term in double figures isn't good, and is potentially damaging over the longer term.
 
Do you not think perhaps. The reason you don't want to exercise is because your BS is all over the show. Newly diagnosed 6 weeks ago. I have lost 20 lbs in weight, I am on metformin twice a day and I feel better for it. I don't do much exercise. But I have found I have a bit more energy and fidget if I sit still to long. Previous to this I was very lethargic. Give the medication a try. The longer your BS levels remain high the more damage it is doing to your system. If you take and don't feel its for you then discuss with your doctor. What have you got to lose by not trying. Joining this forum and listening to all the success stories has motivated me no end. The good people on this forum are a rock on which to build the foundations of a healthy life
 
It's also worth saying many people on here have used medication, then come off, once their levels improved, so it's not necessarily a forever decision.
 
I do not believe failure comes into it. If you need medication to help you control your levels then you should go on medication.

Just as long as you do not think that medication is some kind of "get out of jail free" card, a license to take liberties with your diet.

Oral medication such as Metformin will help with glucose management but only to a limited degree ( approximately bringing a 1,5% improvement in Hba1c score).

Diet is still the main means of controlling t2.

As for exercise, this will help when you feel up to it. It does not have to be anything too strenuous, walking a bit more than you currently do will do wonders for instance. Start with short sessions and build on them gradually.

Pavlos
 
Isn said:
Hi

I need some advice. Im T2 and have been trying to control levels with diet. I have no motivation to exercise none at all. In the meantime my levels arent the best anymore. I try to eat good but have bad days. My last 3 mth average was 7.2 and doctor said i should start medication. I told him i can do it on my own.

I keep getting told by everyone that I am lazy and i could control my levels with exercise. A part of me wants to start medication but its such a taboo and i feel like i have failed.

I am running levels of 10 to 12 post meal now.

If i start medication am I throwing in the towel????
Click to expand...

Are you still vegetarian LCHF?
If you are, your post meals seem high for that diet.
 
I don't think going on medication is throwing in the towel, unless you decide it is. If you look at it more as a stepping stone to help you sort yourself out, with the long term view that you want to come off it then it can help. Once your sugar levels are sorted out more and you become more used to seeing lower reading, you will know that it can be done and want to keep it there.

I admit I don't do as much exercise as I should, but after a day at work, getting home to get the evening meal ready, tiding up afterwards, I normally don't feel like doing exercise. Most of my BS reduction has come from watching my meter and letting it guide me in what I eat. Last time I saw the doctor at the start of August, she discussed reducing my Metformin, we both agreed that keeping at the dose it was would probably do more good than harm. When I see her in the new year I hope that things will have improved even further and there will be no doubt that I would be better off on a lower dose. Going onto medication does not have to be a one way journey.

In the end only you can decide, you know already how much you are willing to do to try and reduce your BS yourself, and I am guessing you already have a good idea of what needs to be done.

Good luck and keep strong.
 
Isn said:
Hi

I need some advice. Im T2 and have been trying to control levels with diet. I have no motivation to exercise none at all. In the meantime my levels arent the best anymore. I try to eat good but have bad days. My last 3 mth average was 7.2 and doctor said i should start medication. I told him i can do it on my own.

I keep getting told by everyone that I am lazy and i could control my levels with exercise. A part of me wants to start medication but its such a taboo and i feel like i have failed.

I am running levels of 10 to 12 post meal now.

If i start medication am I throwing in the towel????
Click to expand...

Hi @Isn,
I don't exercise all that much either because of other health issues.. but I do now watch my diet and through this I seem to be able to lower by BS readings. If this is something you think you can do, ie be more strict with the type of foods you eat then if possible I would avoid going on medication. If however you feel that you cant do this, then personally I would listen to your doctor and start to take the medication offered. As others have said, you can always come off it late, if you find you are better able to control your BS.

Only you know what kind of motivation you have.... you have to listen to yourself, but never forget that diabetes is a progressive illness and if you do nothing things will only get worse....the medication will help, but really its only you that can take control.

I wish you lots of luck
 
Try first with lyfestyle changes : Meals taken on time, portions not too big, avoid carbs sweets, do a little walking.
I know to get into the medication plans are not desirable, but you should try first. But, in most cases like you the day probably will come when you would not be able to avoid medication. I myself was in the borderline for many years before started taking medicines
 
Isn said:
Hi

I need some advice. Im T2 and have been trying to control levels with diet. I have no motivation to exercise none at all. In the meantime my levels arent the best anymore. I try to eat good but have bad days. My last 3 mth average was 7.2 and doctor said i should start medication. I told him i can do it on my own.

I keep getting told by everyone that I am lazy and i could control my levels with exercise. A part of me wants to start medication but its such a taboo and i feel like i have failed.

I am running levels of 10 to 12 post meal now.

If i start medication am I throwing in the towel????
Click to expand...
if your bloods are high, you'll feel like schite
the priority has to be to get your bloods in range, it will also help your diet and exercise to keep it there and with a low carb diet, people have reduced or come off meds.
you may be started with metformin, get the slow release

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf it’s a long page and a video

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbliving/a/Food-Cravings.htm For me, the more carbs we eat the more carbs we want. they don’t give up easy.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarb101/a/firstweek.htm

http://www.lowcarbdietitian.com/blog/carbohydrate-restriction-an-option-for-diabetes-management



blood testing

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php

http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm

food counting

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/



Newcastle diet aims in 8+ weeks to mimic or better the rate of ~80% remission, for surgery T2

“It is now clear that Type 2 diabetes is caused by abnormal fat storage. Research on how this may be reversed is available. “click that link on this page http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/

http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2010/mar/weight-loss-surgery-and-type-2-diabetes.html



American diabetic association ( http://www.professional.diabetes.org/)

http://www.professional.diabetes.org/admin/UserFiles/0 - Sean/dc132042 FINAL.pdf

Evidence is inconclusive for an ideal amount of total fat intake for people with diabetes;

therefore, goals should be individualized; fat quality appears to be far more important than quantity.

In people with type 2 diabetes, a Mediterranean-style, MUFA-rich eating pattern may benefit

glycemic control and CVD risk factors and can therefore be recommended as an effective alternative to a lower-fat, higher-carbohydrate eating pattern.





SD codefree meter

http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm

if you buy extra boxes of strips there is a discount code

5 packs 264086

10 packs 975833
 
It sounds as if you are trying to ignore that you're diabetic and if you ignore it it may go away. As some posters have said if you go on metformin you might find that you can eventually control your levels and come off the medication. Exercise doesn't mean you have to get down the gym and start lifting weights or running a marathon. Just a 10-15 minute walk a day or every other day will get you into the swing of exercising and you may find that you actually enjoy it. Try and avoid having high carb food in the house which temps you like chocolate (or in my case fresh baked crusty rolls) to keep temptation at bay. Hope you can get thing under control.
 
I agree with what everyone else has said. Metformin will only help to a very limited extent. What you eat is the key. We can maybe help if you tell us what meals are spiking you up to 10 to 12 post meal. Running on those levels will make you feel lousy, and aren't doing you any good at all.
 
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