• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

New and confused

T

Tfs

Member
Messages
5
Hello there
So I was recently diagnosed Type 2 after my bloods came back at 90. I'm taking 1000mg of Metformin and have cut sugar completely and also have limited carb intake massively. My FBG is routinely 9.6/9.7 and I'm starting to worry. I ate fish for dinner last night and no carbs so can't understand why, 15 hours later, it's still so high. Can anyone please help me understand or tell me if I should contact my GP?

Thanks in advance
 
How long have you been on the Metformin....../

I ask as it can take a while to really get up to true effectiveness....
 
Do you test before a meal and 2 hours after first bite? Those numbers can tell us more about your insulin-response than fasting numbers... If they go up more than 2.0 mmol/l 2 hours after the meal, it was carbier than your body could process back out. You've only just been diagnosed and it might take a while for your fasting numbers to come down as your liver could be dumping glucose to get them back up to the numbers it's used to. (It thinks it's helping).

It would also help to know what you ate in a day, what your meals specifically consisted of, so we can see whether something needs tweaking. Metformin doesn't do much about ingested carbs as it doesn't kick the pancreas into gear, mostly just tells your liver to not dump so much glucose and it reduces hunger, so it might not be all that effective.

If ever in doubt, go back to your doc. If you feel like something's off, or think you might be misdiagnosed and may be LADA/Mody/whatever-else and thus need insulin, get checked. We're not doctors, we can't diagnose, can't run tests and whatnot... So if you're concerned, look into an appointment, maybe a referral to an endo.

Let us know what you're eating and what your pre and postprandial numbers are, and who knows, we might be able to put you at ease some.
 
Thank you both for taking the time to reply. Yesterday lunch: salmon fillet, 1/2 avocado, olives - tested 2 hours later and reading was 5.6. Dinner: cod with tomatoes and chickpeas followed by natural yoghurt and a few blueberries. So as not to drip feed, my bmi is 23 so I'm not overweight. I've been on Metformin for about 6 weeks now. Earlier on I was really weak and shaking. I had Porridge for lunch today with my meds.
Thanks again,
 
check out the dawn phenomenon, my daytime numbers are "acceptable" (not as low as I'd like but usually below 7, but my pesky liver does like to do a dump between 4 and 6 am, and my BG's can rise as much as 2 mmol
 
I agree, you need to test immediately before eating and 2 hours after first bite. The difference between the two will tell you how your body reacted to that meal. If you also keep a food diary including everything in that meal and record your levels alongside, it will soon show patterns and enable you to tweak your food choices or eliminate some completely. This is called "eating to your meter". Morning fasting levels can wait for a few weeks.
 

Chickpeas are a bit carby, and blueberries have a lot more sugar than strawberries and raspberries. Porridge is not a wise choice - full of carbs, as are all breakfast cereals. Do look on the packets and tins for the "total carb" content, and test, test, test out all your meals.
 
will do thanks - the dietician said porridge was a good choice ;-( well at least that could explain the high reading this morning... I'll keep trying!
 
Tfs said:
will do thanks - the dietician said porridge was a good choice ;-( well at least that could explain the high reading this morning... I'll keep trying!
Click to expand...

Dieticians usually follow the NHS advice to eat a lot of carbs and low fat. For diabetics this really does not work. All carbs turn to sugar once in the system. We already have too much sugar, so why on earth would we eat more of it? Carbs raise blood sugar levels. Fats and proteins are fine to eat.
 
Porridge, chickpeas and possibly the yoghurt could send your numbers soaring. (I can't have any of those things, unless it's full far greek yoghurt. The normal stuff's got too many carbs in.) Tomatoes and berries are okay in moderation. The salmon, avocado and olives were perfection. Food really can make a huge difference. And it does make one hopeful that nothing's off otherwise.
 
You know what? www.dietdoctor.com has these wonderful guides on what's good for a T2 and what isn't. (Or rather, what is carb-laden and what's not). It makes dietary choices a lot easier. https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/visual-guides
 
Bluetit1802 said:
blueberries have a lot more sugar than strawberries and raspberries. .
Click to expand...

Did not know that ... thanks very much. Note: Remember deduct Fibre from total carbs to get nett total ... can make a pleasant difference
 
T2#Me said:
Did not know that ... thanks very much. Note: Remember deduct Fibre from total carbs to get nett total ... can make a pleasant difference
Click to expand...
Depends. In Europe the fibres are already deducted from the total, in the US they're not.
 
JoKalsbeek said:
Depends. In Europe the fibres are already deducted from the total, in the US they're not.
Click to expand...

Really? Thanks for your help, but sadly I am confused ...

1) In my Collins Carb Counter reference book, it is emphasised to deduct fibre from carbs to get net carbs ... all foods are listed accordingly, to enable you to do this. I have been doing this forever ...

2) Food labels list Carbohydrates and also Fibre, so it never occurred to me not to deduct fibre from carbs ... why would they list fibre separately if it is already deducted? Where is the logic?

3) In many websites and books, in my general reading, it is mentioned that carbohydrates' impact is ameliorated by the amount of fibre the food contains, and many advise deducting the fibre content from the carbohydrate to calculate the impact. I thought this was just general knowledge. Sometimes it makes a big difference.

Coo, food is a nightmare, innit? Thank God I found this website ... it has corrected more that one misconception on my part.
(but I'm still baffled)


PS I was trying to be helpful ... Is it true, then? No Good Deed Ever Goes Unpunished ... LOL.
 
I have a feeling the Collins Carb Counter is a US-oriented/written book. In Europe/the UK fibre is listed seperately. I find the US way of doing things rather confusing and extremely unhelpful: you'd be calculating for hours in a supermarket their way, I'd be totally lost! As for no good deed... Hey, you now know something you didn't before, that's not punishment, that's a perk.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…