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New to this

Major Buckmaster

Well-Known Member
Messages
291
Location
UK
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Stuff
Hello All.

I'm new to diabetes. (Diagnosed 2.5 months ago. After seeing the nurse I changed my diet the next day and all my symptoms disappeared (thirst, frequent peeing.) So I am pleased that stopped! Was a nightmare.
I know how to diet successfully and have lost over a stone, maybe 2.

My reading was 112 so off the chart! I'm on metformin and hate it and not sure what it does or what it's doing?
I have Ulcerative Colitis so it does me no favours there. I have so many meds I can't stand being on more.

A month ago I have really blurry vision which I know is normal and its gone now. Was that caused by the sugar coming down?

Also I was told by the nurse not to test as my reading was so high. I have to have another blood test in Nov and then I will know how far I have dropped.

Please no scares please. I am also on meds for anxiety lol.
 
Welcome to the club Major.

The lovely @daisy1 has a very informative introductory message which should follow now she has been tagged.
 
Hi Major Buckmaster and welcome to the forum. First let me tag in @daisy1 for her welcome info post.
Well done on your weight loss, may I ask what kind of diet you have opted for to achieve that. The reason I ask is that not all weight loss plans help to lower blood sugars sufficiently. The advice not to test because your levels are too high makes no sense to me, most of us here self fund our own testing kit so as not to be working blind. Metformin is a first line medication and is available in a slow release version which may suit you better in view of your UC. It doesn’t have much of an effect on your blood sugar directly, it actually works by stopping your liver chucking out so much sugar into your blood stream and increases insulin sensitivity. Here’s a helpful article about it:
https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2001/9/report_metformin/Page-01
Anymore questions, fire away, there’ll always be someone to help you out.
 
Thank you for replying. That's really helpful. Will read now.

I am on a low carb route. I do eat carbs but small amounts and only wholemeal bread, pasta when I do. Plenty of fish, quorn as I don't eat pork. Beef sometimes, chicken etc.

Can anyone recommend a good yogurt, preferably strawberry or something tasty?

I also wanted to ask about occasional treats. I am not interested in cheating as some people put it. I have given up my beloved chocolate and cakes lol and I have kept to the task in hand which I intend to live by always. A life change not a short term fix. But if I fancied something like kfc chicken just the once would that be awful?
 
Hi @Major Buckmaster,

Welcome to the forum.

Most of us on the low carb diet would choose full-fat Greek yoghurt with some fresh strawberries instead of prepackaged strawberry yoghurt from a supermarket. Also, if you choose a high cocoa content chocolate (70% or higher) chocolate isn't off the menu. I usually go for around 85% to 90% chocolate, but you may need to work your way up -- as in the beginning you might feel these are not sweet enough.

There are also many lower carb options for bread and pasta available. For example, I make my own, using the keto bread recipe from dietdoctor.com.

Feel free to ask any question you may have. There are bunches of really helpful, friendly and knowledgeable forum members around. By the way, you've really well done so far.
 
Major Buckmaster said:
....I am on a low carb route. I do eat carbs but small amounts and only wholemeal bread, pasta when I do....
Click to expand...

Please don’t be lulled into thinking that brown versions of carbs are safe. It might be wise to test before and after to see what reaction you have to them.
 
Major Buckmaster said:
But if I fancied something like kfc chicken just the once would that be awful?
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum @Major Buckmaster. kfc chicken is quite low carb actually:


The wholemeal bread and pasta will have more carbs. I find wholemeal bread doesn't spike my blood glucose. The starch in pasta can be reduced by cooling after cooking, then reheating. But the only way to find out what raises your bgs is to self test with a bg meter before eating, then two hours after eating.
 
Okay so I need to get testing then. Will have to buy a testing thingy. Wheres the best place?
The nurses I have seen have been close to useless to be honest. So vague and no support!

I shouldn't be eating too much wholemeal anyway as it is not good for my UC. But I do like it. I'm finding it all so hard to deal with food wise. I hate cooking and really struggle with what to eat.
 
Oh no. Sorry I cannot stand that stuff. It makes me want to vomit lol. Plus when I am flaring with my colitis chocolate of any sort is avoided. I miss my cadburys

How about stewed apples? I love those
 
Oh another thing! Sorry for all the questions I just have no clue!

When the nurse told me my reading all she said was it was 112 which is off the chart. What does that mean? I don't understand any of it!
 
sorry but apples are quite high carb - berries are not too bad, most people who are low carbing go for those with double cream.I usually have various mixtures or single types of berry in the freezer as that means no waste. I put the berries into a small bowl and add cream before starting to eat dinner then they have softened but not gone to mush by the time I eat them
 
I think that the 112 will be your glycated haemoglobin - it is the tell tale on how high your blood glucose levels have been during the last three months.
I started off at 91 but now run on the top end of normal.
 
Major Buckmaster said:
Oh another thing! Sorry for all the questions I just have no clue!

When the nurse told me my reading all she said was it was 112 which is off the chart. What does that mean? I don't understand any of it!
Click to expand...

Yes, 112 is quite high, but that doesn't mean that you can't lower this substantially. I was diagnosed with an HbA1c of 100 and was able to lower it to non-diabetic levels through diet (between 20g and 30g of carbs per day) and exercise. So, it's definitely worth trying.

Sorry to read that you can't stand Greek yoghurt -- the fat in it helps to slow the impact on blood sugar levels. How about regular non-flavored yoghurt with strawberries and added whipped cream? Is this an option for you?

It's a bummer that you can't have chocolate due to your colitis. There are also cakes made with low-carb flours. Do you do you cook or bake at all? You might want to have a look at the following thread to see what many of us are eating on a low carb diet: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/
 

Your DN sounds very unsupportive. My Hba1c was 115 on diagnosis and my fasting BG was 22!! I brought my levels down to 5s and 6s on my finger prick tests within a week by going very low carb and being very very disciplined. There have been blips along the way (like now) and currently waiting results of my most recent Hba1c three months on.

If you don’t like cooking then a bag of salad, a couple of cherry tomatoes and some chicken or mackerel is very easy to throw together with a dollop of full fat mayo. Yum. It takes time to adjust and learn but read,read, and read more. Good luck x
 
Last edited:
Eggs and bacon?
 
Thank you for your help. Yes the nurses are useless. I just don't understand why the advice is eat plenty of fruit when everyone who is actually diabetic says they can't eat it.

I was told a banana a day is fine, apples are fine. Seems they have no idea what they're talking about!

But I will have an apple every now and then.

How about those frozen bags of mixed berries, please tell me those are fine? I love those! I can eat those with cream.
 
No its the dark chocolate I hate. I cannot stand it. Its like morning sickness. I can't even look at the stuff. Where are these cakes you speak off????
 
@Major Buckmaster - if you like stewed apple, try courgette sliced mixed up with a sweetener like erythritol, lemon juice and cinnamon, and slowly cooked down. Makes a really good stewed apple substitute!
 
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