Need some advice

[pau1200]

Hi,

I have prediabetic for the last few years with Hb1ac hovering between 45 and 58mmol.
I have been trying the last 12 months and shifted almost 20kg reduced carbs in general but still have the occasional treat. I have a glucose kit and keep an eye on my levels.

The last few months I’ve slipped on the monitoring but worked harder to loose more weight but have started to feel sleepy and when not at work often have an afternoon nap. I decided to start testing again and my reading are higher than ever and I’ve seen them up to 22 but they average around 12 and no matter what I eat I can’t get them back to where they where 6 months ago.

My doctor has been good and today I’ve had a fasting hb1ac test and will follow up with the doctor on Tuesday. I did test myself before hand and after 12hrs fasting it was at 13.3.

I do suffer with health anxiety so trying to prepare myself for what will happen, I have a phobia with needles and struggle with the finger prick test so the thought of going onto injections scare me a lot. I will post in the newly diagnosed section after Tuesday but just trying to get my head around why I’ll can’t get my readings down.

Sorry for waffle

 

[Diakat]

Let us know how it goes.

 

[Resurgam]

Eating low carb is normally a powerful and effective tool for type twos - you write that you can't get lower BG no matter what you eat - but I am wondering what do you eat. Not fallen for the 'its OK if its brown or wholemeal' line, I hope?

 

[Pipp]

Hello and welcome, @pau1200 .

I am tagging @daisy1 , who posts info for new members. When she does have a read and ask as many questions as you need,

Well done on your 20kg weight loss, and reducing carb consumption.

When you get results next week, get a print out and bring it here so our more knowledgeable members can discuss with you.

In the meantime keep testing blood glucose levels before and after eating so you can have an idea of how various food affects your levels. Try not to have too many treats.
Best wishes.

 

[pau1200]

Eating low carb is normally a powerful and effective tool for type twos - you write that you can't get lower BG no matter what you eat - but I am wondering what do you eat. Not fallen for the 'its OK if its brown or wholemeal' line, I hope?

Hi,

My meals yesterday was

Breakfast 2 weetabix and coffee white no sugar
Lunch chicken salad
Tea homemade egg fu yung, chicken, prawn 3 eggs bean sprouts. (Lots) onion and peas.

2-3 litres of water per day and 3 cups of coffee white with no sugar.

Today I was fasting so missed breakfast but had a chicken salad wrap and for tea was chicken with piri piri sauce and a salad

I’ve cut out pretty much all potatoes and pasta,I will have rice as a side dish if I have a pork chop or something or even chicken. Eat lots of salmon and mackerel.

I do work away a lot and spend a few days a week in a hotel, when I do I normally have scrambled or poached eggs with some bacon if it’s grilled, tomato and mushrooms. If I am at a customer and they do lunch it’s normally a sandwich but I will only have half and eat fruit instead.
Meals have been really boring so could do with some ideas that are simple and easy to do

 

[Resurgam]

Ah - 2 Weetabix biscuits equals 26 gm of carb, presumably with milk, so lactose on top.
the 'wrap' - that is close kin to bread - rice is a grain, so 2/3rds by weight would be carbs, and substituting sugary fruit for starchy bread isn't really a good option, not combined with a sandwich.
I am very sensitive to carbs, and I needed to stay below 50 gm of starch to achieve normal blood glucose - now I am eating even less to try to lose more weight. I was a full blown diabetic and the low carb foods have taken me back to the top edge of normal and I don't find the meals at all boring, I just avoid the high carb stodge and sugary stuff and I'm fine.
It might be that cutting out the high carb foods will help to lower your blood glucose and allow you to get back to lower numbers.

 

[pau1200]

Wow, seems like I have a lot to learn about what I can and can’t eat.

You mention fruit as a sugar, are there any fruits that are ok as I do love fruit.

Any recommendations for lunch on the go, I know not ideal but spending a lot of time on the road I need to be able to grab something on the go

 

[Bluetit1802]

Wow, seems like I have a lot to learn about what I can and can’t eat.

You mention fruit as a sugar, are there any fruits that are ok as I do love fruit.

Any recommendations for lunch on the go, I know not ideal but spending a lot of time on the road I need to be able to grab something on the go

The worst culprits in raising blood sugar levels are rice, bread, potatoes, pasta, pastries, breakfast cereals ... and fruit. If you love fruit, then berries are the best option but in small portions and eaten with cream or a full fat plain unsweetened yogurt as part of a meal. Fruit not only has sugar but also fructose. Fructose is dealt with entirely in the liver, which regards it as toxic. The liver converts it to fat which gets stored round the liver. Fatty liver = insulin resistance = high blood sugars. We also need to be careful with milk.

Have a look at this website for lists of foods that are OK and ones that are not.

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/foods#foodlist
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/foods#foodtoavoid
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds

 

[Resurgam]

Wow, seems like I have a lot to learn about what I can and can’t eat.

You mention fruit as a sugar, are there any fruits that are ok as I do love fruit.

Any recommendations for lunch on the go, I know not ideal but spending a lot of time on the road I need to be able to grab something on the go

I find that I only need to eat twice a day these days so I eat when I get up and then again in the evening. If I need to eat out of the house I usually visit a supermarket, buy salad, ready done, some cooked meat, either hot or cold, sometimes sugar free fizzy drink though I have a travel kit which enables me to make a hot drink or sugar free squash - plus I have a couple of steel bowls and cutlery, salt, pepper, oil and vinegar salad dressing, so I am all organized. The bowls have clip on lids so as not to fill the car with the smell of the food.

 

[daisy1]

@pau1200
Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and helpful.

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 300,000 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.

 

[pau1200]

I would just like to say a huge thankyou for all of the advice, especially what to eat and what not to, and the newcomers post from daisy has opened my eyes.
This afternoon is the first time my blood sugar has been in the normal range of 6.5 so my diet was all wrong. I know this is really day 1 after making some changes but I have already seen improvement.

Thanks again, the future doesn’t look as frightening now

 

[Pipp]

Well done, @pau1200 .
Keep reading, keep asking questions, keep letting us know how you are getting on.
It won’t be long before you are advising new worried and confused members.