I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a couple of months ago and I have found it hard to cope with over the past few weeks as I have been reading about it on the internet and confused on what diet to take or what lifestyle I should choose as I am big fan of potatoes, chips, pasta and rice as I have them nearly everyday. My family have found it difficult to adjust my eating as they feel like that I am missing out. I have been yo-yo dieting since end of high school as I went from 10 stone to 18 stone in 5 years and then from 18 stone to 24 stone in 3 years and I have since stopped gaining any weight. I am on metformin x2 500 mg, twice daily and my doctor has recently prescribed me on xencial which I am frightened to take because of the side effects and it says that I should take it 3 times a day.
-
Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »
New to diabetes
- Thread starter big_daddy
- Start Date
sandyxrssy
Member
- Messages
- 6
Hi
Firstly fully understand about the fear.
I was diagnoised in 2009, And managed to stay off meds until 2011, Now I take Metaformin Like you 2x500mg daily.
I know there are lots of fear about taking injections and Side effects..
I see it this way " The Pills can heklp Lower Blood sugar, Not all people get the same problems, The Side effects can affect people in different ways, You could be one of the Lucky ones who does not get side effects at all"
As For low carb diet I have been on that since 2009. I know it seem's hard But I allow myself one treat a month. Now that will be a protion of Rice, Or Pasta or a bag of crisps, Or a portion of Chips. I know it is hard getting your head around Low carb. But to be honest I find it works.
There will be others who know more than I know.
Firstly fully understand about the fear.
I was diagnoised in 2009, And managed to stay off meds until 2011, Now I take Metaformin Like you 2x500mg daily.
I know there are lots of fear about taking injections and Side effects..
I see it this way " The Pills can heklp Lower Blood sugar, Not all people get the same problems, The Side effects can affect people in different ways, You could be one of the Lucky ones who does not get side effects at all"
As For low carb diet I have been on that since 2009. I know it seem's hard But I allow myself one treat a month. Now that will be a protion of Rice, Or Pasta or a bag of crisps, Or a portion of Chips. I know it is hard getting your head around Low carb. But to be honest I find it works.
There will be others who know more than I know.
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
Hi big_daddy and welcome to the forum 
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
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 30,000 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:
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 ... rains.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
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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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.
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
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 30,000 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
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 ... rains.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
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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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.
sandyxrssy said:
I am not talking about the metformin tablets, I am talking about the xenical or orlistat tablets and their side effects. as for reducing my carb intake, it is really hard to do so with my family as they eat carbs all the time like I do as my dad and sister go through crisps, sweets, biscuits and cakes in a day or two days. Also since i've been diagnosed my parents are saying that I should eat more carbs instead of fats or protein to help me lose weight and then they get frustrated at me for not losing weight and said that I should do more exercise and eat less.
stuffedolive
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 542
- Location
- The Marches
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Daily Mail, you know the sort
big_daddy
I feel for you. Getting the rest of the family to buy into the changes that need to be made is harder than making those changes yourself. When I was diagnosed about 10 years ago I and my mrs were told that if one person in the family is diabetic then for the purpose of meal planning, all members of the family should be considered diabetic too. Its hard on the family but youre going to find it doubly hard to make those changes unless they do too.
Have others in your family been spoken to by the dietician? For your sake and maybe their own, it would be a good idea if they were.
hope it goes well!
I feel for you. Getting the rest of the family to buy into the changes that need to be made is harder than making those changes yourself. When I was diagnosed about 10 years ago I and my mrs were told that if one person in the family is diabetic then for the purpose of meal planning, all members of the family should be considered diabetic too. Its hard on the family but youre going to find it doubly hard to make those changes unless they do too.
Have others in your family been spoken to by the dietician? For your sake and maybe their own, it would be a good idea if they were.
hope it goes well!
mickey121
Well-Known Member
You need to get your diabetic nurse to enrol you on a Desmond course you are allowed to take someone with you ,this will help you come to terms with diabetes . The course will help you understand the way different foods affect diabetes and how you can take control, the sooner you can be in control the easier your life will become
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
stuffedolive said:
Well it would be pointless for my dad and my sister as they have told me that they won't change as they are sugar junkies that do not put weight on. My mum on the other hand is a bit like me as she has some troubles with her weight but not to the extent to my weight problems. Plus my family is having some financial problems and my parents cannot afford to pay seperate food for me.
mickey121 said:
The nearest place where the Desmond course is 5 miles away and no bus goes past the place where it is held.
