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Newbie coming to terms with Type 2

sallyjtaylor

sallyjtaylor

Member
Messages
6
Location
Stevenage, Hertfordshire
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Despite my grandfather being a Diabetic, I had no idea what it meant; now I am on the sharp end I am staggered by the number of people affected and how little unaffected people know of this condition.

My glucose levels came to be noticed as I was suffering from high blood pressure so my GP put me on a fasting blood test and then requested a glucose intolerance test. My diabetics GP said I was borderline but definitely type 2 and to go back and see her in September (with new blood test), in the meantime she has referred me to a dietician (but this appointment isn't until August), and said to cut all sugars and fats from my diet.

To attempt to understand my condition, I bought a blood testing kit on Monday last. The average reading is 9.3mmoI/L (over 25 tests in the last 7 days), often after I have eaten the readings are around 13. I am also keeping a diary of everything I have eaten to try and work out correlations between food and glucose levels.

I now feel I am becoming a hypochondriac! I have lower back pain and I am sure my stomach has increased in width. Much of my diet has been fairly light in sugars and I am not given to eating fatty foods. I usually cook fresh produce, and use olive oil rather than vegetable oil. Although heavier than in my younger days, I am not overweight - my weight has been static for the last 10 years; I am now in my late 50s. Diet is the only way I have of controlling my blood glucose levels but nothing I do seems to make any difference. I have just downloaded the recipe book from this website & hope it will inspire my cooking!!
 
Hi and welcome. First beware of NHS diet advice. You need to keep all carbs down; not just sugar. Also fats are not a problem for us, so in summary reduce the carbs and have proteins, fats and veg to make up. Where you do have carbs go for the low-GI 'natural' ones such as beans and pulses etc and whole grains. As you are not overweight it is always possible that you are not T2 but Late onset T1 (LADA). If the low-carb diet doesn't hold your blood sugar down then tablets may be added. There are tests for LADA but many GPs don't believe you can have T1 later in life. The treatment routes are similar with tablets then insulin if these don't work. The good news is that there will be a solution; I've been thru it.
 
First question is what is your diet? Those figures are a bit too high. You need (or at least I needed to) cut back substantially (or remove altogether) breads, pasta, potatoes, ALL sugars, pastries, cakes, wheat products and anything sweet.

Essentially wipe out the carbs and increase the fats ... yes, increase ..... removing fats is something I would NEVER do. Conduct a search on LCHF (low carb / high fat) diets and you'll find a wealth of information. So many T2s subscribe to it, and it works for them. Start with a lot of above ground veg as well

Good work getting the meter (excellent in fact) but it sounds like you need some advice and you have landed in the right spot.

Mike
 
@sallyjtaylor

Hello Sally and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.


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 over 150,000 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

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-and-whole-grains.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
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 bloodglucose 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.
 
Thanks all for your comments - really helpful!

I've been looking through the Paleo diet which purports that food available in pre-history times (i.e unprocessed and cooked with little change) is better for us - although I still need to find where I can get coconut flour (although used within the recipes, I would rather think this is a modern flour?).

This was yesterdays diet:
  • Breakfast: Shredded Wheat with milk
  • Mid Morning: Sausage bap (we were out and this was the best option I could choose --- or not eat and watch hubbie tuck into his full English.
  • Lunch: Scrambled egg with ham on home made bread (Paul Hollywoods' recipe uses no sugar or fat & I've been making this with mutli-seed flour)
  • Evening: Fruity coronation chicken in tortilla wraps (Diabetes UK recipe)
... Looks like too much wheat to me!
 
sallyjtaylor said:
Thanks all for your comments - really helpful!

I've been looking through the Paleo diet which purports that food available in pre-history times (i.e unprocessed and cooked with little change) is better for us - although I still need to find where I can get coconut flour (although used within the recipes, I would rather think this is a modern flour?).

This was yesterdays diet:
  • Breakfast: Shredded Wheat with milk
  • Mid Morning: Sausage bap (we were out and this was the best option I could choose --- or not eat and watch hubbie tuck into his full English.
  • Lunch: Scrambled egg with ham on home made bread (Paul Hollywoods' recipe uses no sugar or fat & I've been making this with mutli-seed flour)
  • Evening: Fruity coronation chicken in tortilla wraps (Diabetes UK recipe)
... Looks like too much wheat to me!
Click to expand...
Hello sallyjtaylor,welcome to the forum,i' d recommend jenny rhul,her book diet 101, is an excellent guide to understanding how to eat and stay within healthy bs's.all the best to you,any q's keep asking and someone will answer
 
You got that right :)

The wheat (substitute bacon and eggs for brekkie) will do you no favours at all. Neither will the wraps. Even the milk can spike many T2s. Try full fat cream with coffee and test then see how you go.

You're starting out so eliminate the fruits (avocados are great) and test, test, test. We have a journey to share with you and we're happy to help.

Mike
 
Mike D said:
You got that right :)

The wheat (substitute bacon and eggs for brekkie) will do you no favours at all. Neither will the wraps. Even the milk can spike many T2s. Try full fat cream with coffee and test then see how you go.

You're starting out so eliminate the fruits (avocados are great) and test, test, test. We have a journey to share with you and we're happy to help.

Mike
Click to expand...
Thanks Mike!

I am a little surprised that the Diabetes UK recipe was so poor (the fruit was mango and apricots). The recipe was low fat yogurt & creme fraiche which I substituted for fat free - was this the right thing to do?
 
Good heavens ..... some (stress some) T2s might get away with apricots and mango but hundreds here couldn't. Just loaded with sugars / fructose.

No ... go for full fat yogurt ... low fat versions tend to add sugars to compensate for flavour. Do fish (not battered), lean meats, pork, chicken and up your veg with spinach, lettuces, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, courgettes, eggplant, eggs, bacons. Stay away from sauces.

This is gonna be a big learning curve for you as it was for me, but luckily, reckon we can turn this around quickly. Exercise is critical, no beer and a determination to get control. I did ... so can you

mike :)
 
Good heavens ..... some (stress some) T2s might get away with apricots and mango but hundreds here couldn't. Just loaded with sugars / fructose.

No ... go for full fat yogurt ... low fat versions tend to add sugars to compensate for flavour. Do fish (not battered), lean meats, pork, chicken and up your veg with spinach, lettuces, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, courgettes, eggplant, eggs, bacons. Stay away from sauces.

This is gonna be a big learning curve for you as it was for me, but luckily, reckon we can turn this around quickly. Exercise is critical, no beer and a determination to get control. I did ... so can you

mike :)
 
Mike D said:
Good heavens ..... some (stress some) T2s might get away with apricots and mango but hundreds here couldn't. Just loaded with sugars / fructose.

No ... go for full fat yogurt ... low fat versions tend to add sugars to compensate for flavour. Do fish (not battered), lean meats, pork, chicken and up your veg with spinach, lettuces, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, courgettes, eggplant, eggs, bacons. Stay away from sauces.

This is gonna be a big learning curve for you as it was for me, but luckily, reckon we can turn this around quickly. Exercise is critical, no beer and a determination to get control. I did ... so can you

mike :)
Click to expand...

Oh heck... Onwards and upwards... Thanks for your suggestions :).
 
sallyjtaylor said:
Thanks all for your comments - really helpful!

I've been looking through the Paleo diet which purports that food available in pre-history times (i.e unprocessed and cooked with little change) is better for us - although I still need to find where I can get coconut flour (although used within the recipes, I would rather think this is a modern flour?).

This was yesterdays diet:
  • Breakfast: Shredded Wheat with milk
  • Mid Morning: Sausage bap (we were out and this was the best option I could choose --- or not eat and watch hubbie tuck into his full English.
  • Lunch: Scrambled egg with ham on home made bread (Paul Hollywoods' recipe uses no sugar or fat & I've been making this with mutli-seed flour)
  • Evening: Fruity coronation chicken in tortilla wraps (Diabetes UK recipe)
... Looks like too much wheat to me!
Click to expand...
Hi welcome to the forum - believe it or not you'd have been better off with hubbies full English than your sausage bap! I know that it sounds strange and will take some getting used to but full fat is better than low fat for us diabetics. I had eaten low fat low sugar for years thinking that I was eating a healthy diet however it's total carbs that you need to look for not just sugar content.
 
Hi and Welcome to the forum
The advice above is all good , cut down on the carbs and your BG will come down more fats can. Be good not bad .
With testing if you test just before you eat and then 2 hrs after your first mouthful it will give you a good idea how the food is affecting your blood sugar, look for sudden spikes. You will soon get used to it,good luck on this journey and again welcome to the club
Keep well stay safe JJ
 
Hello and welcome.
Stay with forum for advice.my BG came down very quickly after joining the forum,but its a way of eating for life.Im quite happy with it and find it easy.
 
Hi and welcome - without this forum I would have been lost. My GP gave me no info and I was left to research by myself. If ur a bread eater substitute it for burgen soya and linseed bread (found in asda) and have only 2 slices. I have found chicken stir fry is a must as it doesn't take a lot of cooking time. Mind the carrots though as they are not as good for your sugars as raw carrot. Easy on the white potatoes - try sweet potato. And don't forget drinks lots of water. Hope this helps
 
Hi Sally,
Welcome to the forum. Hope you start seeing some changes to your BG soon. Diabetes results in you changing the way you choose the foods you eat. Step 1 - breakfast never comes in a cuboid box. (Egg boxes are all right).
As you change your diet you may sometimes find yourself feeling ever so hungry - little bits of cheese, or olives or nuts can be god as snacks. I had a bit f weight to lose and found it falling off me when I cut the carbs.
High fat sounds dodgy. I prefer to think of the diet as low carb, don't worry about the fat. It may be that a fatty liver is the cause of your current predicament - hence the doc's instruction to cut the fat. Olive oil is good for salads, but denatures when heated - rape seed oil is better for cooking. Most bog standard vegetable oil is in fact rape seed oil.
Your state of mind will be better if you focus on the things you can eat, rather than the things you can't eat.
Best wishes
Adam
 
Breakfast cereals are a must avoid, they are all high carb and with the sole exception of the original Wheetabix (nb original not own brand or other versions by Wheetabix) are high sugar. Same goes for a bap, some breads are a bit less of a hazard than others.
 
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