new to forum - type 2 one year

[icetopaz]

Hi, I was in denial until quite recently and haven't found the advice at my GP surgery that helpful - it was mostly about eating healthily and exercising but said nothing about the need for low carbs or cutting them out. They haven't given me a testing kit and said that it is more accurate to measure my average glucose over a three month period. I don't know if they are saying that partly to save money on giving me a kit - and after reading some of the threads here I would really like a kit to try and work out which foods are spiking me.

I am morbidly obese after having medicine for a severe type of depression too for many years - and this caused me to put on a ton of weight. My cholesterol and blood pressure are both high so I guess I have metabolic syndrome.

I've recently visited a Medical Herbalist who has advised me to go on a very low glucose diet - cutting out carbs. I've been trying for the past few days to do this and my food bill has gone up by at least half. However, she thinks this is the way forward and will end up with me coming off of Metformin, Simvastatin and Lisinopril.

After having had so many visits to the doctors I am very wary of them now because they seem to be totally tied into the pharmaceutical industry and some of their advice seems off the mark. However, that said my doctors are always very friendly - but they just keep prescribing more and more drugs to treat the symptoms which have side effects in themselves.

Hoping to meet other people in the same predicament and learn more about this.

 

[DazG]

Hi

I was diagnosed in March.

I had a look around this site and after a short while I started to eat a low carb diet, I dont really measure what I eat, I just eat very small amounts of carbs and have basically changed my diet. Along with this I go for a 2.2 mile walk daily, which has made me feel a lot better about things and as a result, along with metformin 1500mg a day my blood sugar has come down and I have lost about a stone in weight.

If you think low carbing is the way to go for you, then try to cut down on the basics ie white bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, you dont have to cut them out completely, just have a small portion and eat a balanced diet. Also, if you can get out for a walk then give it a go, it clears your mind, makes you feel generally better, and you may also lose some weight if thats your goal.

Others on here know a lot more than me so stick around and get some great advice!!

 

[sugarless sue]

Once you get into low carbing you will feel less hungry so it should not cost a fortune.
Here is some general advice which may help but above all testing before and two hours after your meal will tell you which foods are right for you.

Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try!!
If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l........(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals....... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

⁠Sue/Ken⁠.

 

[icetopaz]

Thanks for your replies - I've just been reading a book called Trick and Treat by Barry Groves and it has info about diabetes in it and the possible link between processed fats and insulin resistance, plus too many carbs and not enough fat. The book also sheds light on the awful way a lot of our food is processed nowadays (with nutrients stripped out and tinkered with) and how people are often given wrong advice.

Unfortunately, this book says that there isn't as yet a cure for insulin resistance but here's hoping ...