Newbie saying hi with a question

[wannabe5]

Hi everyone!

Just thought I'd introduce myself and get some info with regards to my situ.

Got diagnosed with type2, two years ago with a fasting sugar level of 9.6, which was shall we say a bit of a shock. Been going down the diet route and thought I was doing ok until recently. Hadn't taken BS for quite a while and was horrified to discover that my fasting BS was 15.9
To say that I exercise would be an understement!

I'm a 48 year old male.

Gym 4 days a week (Cardio and weight training Lasting at least 2 hours).
Squash 2 days a week (I'm a squash coach). 1 hr and a half.
Also walk the dog in the morning for at least 45mins

So don't think it's the exercise! lol!

As for diet!

For the past 5 days I've really cut back on my food intake to try to stablise my BS. Porridge in the mornings,soup in the afternoon with one slice of wholegrain, with a chicken in the evening. Cut out caffine, bread and potatoes and am drinking 3ltr water a day, but my fasting BS is 12.6.

Any advice on getting my Bs down, would be great. Is the system always this sluggish?

 

[cugila]

Looking at your diet there is a lot of carbohydrate in it. 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.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular 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.

Buy yourself a carb counter book 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.

You also need to test before your exercise, during and also afterwards. This amount of exercise can have quite a detrimental effect on Bg levels, both upwards and downwards.

 

[hanadr]

Hi
2 things I'd like tosay
firstly, whateve the doctors say, you can't keep on top of his thing without testing daily,evven if you end up buying your own kit
secondly
if using diet control, testing is even more important,and carbohydrate control is essential[again whatever THEY say]
You may be one of the lucky ones who can manage just by controlling GI, but then again, you may need to control quantity of carbs.
all the information onhow to do whichever of these methods you choose, is on the forum already. Try the "stickies"
If you want any more specific information, JUST ASK

 

[wallycorker]

Hi,

I recommend that you cut back on the satrchy carbohydrates - e.g. cereals, bread, potatoes, pasta and rice etc. That usually leads to a big improvement in blood glucose levels.

I found that porridge (and other cereals similar) was just about the worst thing that I was eating as far as blood glucose levels was concerned.

Best wishes - John

 

[wannabe5]

Wow! Really is a mine field.

Been eating porridge for ages and thought I was doing the right thing

What would be your sugestions for breakfast?

Fasting GL this morning was 13.4

 

[pavlosn]

Hi

Wellcome to the Forum.

I would like to adopt the recommendation already made by others here about the beneficial role of carbohydrate reduction and blood glusoce self monitoring in achieving effective diabetic control.

I suspect that self testing is particularly relevant to you given your intensive exercise regime. Carbohydrates are fuel for your body when exercising but will cause your blood glucose to shoot up if, like most type 2 diabetics, you are not able to metabolise them efficiently. So getting the right balance is crucial and you can only arrive at this by experimenting with your diet and obtaing relevant feedback by testing before and two hours after each meal as well as before and after exercising.

You say that you used to manage fine with diet only initially. Did you change something in your diet or exercise pattern recently?

When was the last time you saw your doctor? Have you had an HbA1C test done recently?

Although I hope it is possible for you to regain control by diet changes/carbohydrate reduction alone, it is also possible that your body can no longer cope with your diabetes on diet control only and that you may need to assist it with medication. This is something that you will need to discuss with your doctor.

Kind regards

Pavlos

 

[wallycorker]

Wow! Really is a mine field.

Been eating porridge for ages and thought I was doing the right thing

What would be your sugestions for breakfast?

Fasting GL this morning was 13.4

Wow - that is too high. However, in my experience, cutting back on the starchy carbohydrates usually leads to a quick and big reduction for Type 2s.

For breakfast these days, I eat bacon, tomatoes, mushroom sometimes with egg - preferably grilled but sometimes fried. Yoghurt and fruit also sometimes.

John

 

[wannabe5]

Hi

Wellcome to the Forum.

I would like to adopt the recommendation already made by others here about the beneficial role of carbohydrate reduction and blood glusoce self monitoring in achieving effective diabetic control.

I suspect that self testing is particularly relevant to you given your intensive exercise regime. Carbohydrates are fuel for your body when exercising but will cause your blood glucose to shoot up if, like most type 2 diabetics, you are not able to metabolise them efficiently. So getting the right balance is crucial and you can only arrive at this by experimenting with your diet and obtaing relevant feedback by testing before and two hours after each meal as well as before and after exercising.

You say that you used to manage fine with diet only initially. Did you change something in your diet or exercise pattern recently?

When was the last time you saw your doctor? Have you had an HbA1C test done recently?

Although I hope it is possible for you to regain control by diet changes/carbohydrate reduction alone, it is also possible that your body can no longer cope with your diabetes on diet control only and that you may need to assist it with medication. This is something that you will need to discuss with your doctor.

Kind regards

Pavlos

HbA1C is coming up in Jan, but missed my last visit dew to working abroad.
Many thanks for the reply.

Only thing I've changed in the exercise front is upped my CV, doing much more interval training.

2mins fast walk, 2mins run, for thirty mins
Ten mins, cross trainer.
20mins static bike.
Then I play squash for an hour.

On the diet front, think I allowed too many fruit juices and became complacent. Didn't think I had been eating that badly, but obviously way too much of the wrong things.

Always felt that because of the amount of exercise I was doing and how well I felt, their wasn't much wrong! My constant urine output I put down to how much water I was taking in, during and after exercise, when all I should have done was to take a GL test.
The past 10 days since taking my fasting and 2 hour GL after meals as shown me how important it is to test frequently.
I haven't taken my GL before and after traing yet, but will start doing so.
I've noticed the last two readings straight after exercise remain high, but fall dramatically to 7.4 on average.

The encouraging news this morning was my fasting is coming down 11.0
Yep! Still high, but getting there.