Newbie type 2.. success!..still struggling

Great turnaround on the numbers. What are you eating, what is a strict bland diet - "we" may be able to offer some assistance with further detail (the more, the better chance of helping). The issue may be what you are not including. Have you got the basics such as sleep and stress under control. Your blood sugars may be high then low, rather than steady. Maybe you require magnesium (perhaps via meat).

Can you either self fund a Freestyle Libre for 2 weeks to see what is going on with your blood sugars as a trend. If you asked your surgery for a trial and explained why they may help.

Are you taking any medication at all? Not just for diabetes but anxiety or anything else?

Welcome to the forum! As you're new I'm tagging @daisy1 so she can provide her very informative introductory post which has lots of information on diabetes basics, which is always a useful refresher even if you know some or most if it already.

I'm hoping someone more awaken and with more knowledgeable than me will comment on your post with useful advice. Big congratulations on your reduction in HBA1C and the weight loss, but yes, whatever you do eating-wise in the future does have to be sustainable for you (in the sense of not getting fed up and reaching for the biscuits), and hopefully also yummy.

There's a fair amount of protein in your diet but I can't see much in the way of healthy fats apart from linseed and peanut butter.

I'd not eat the toast or rice cakes - there are far more nutrient rich foods - plus I tend to make scrambled eggs with olive oil and cheese, plus a tomato or salad - no protein shakes or bars either - I get all the protein I need from my normal diet - and I eat chicken thighs rather than breast fillets for the flavour and also the natural fats. I also eat lots of other meats, and fish and shellfish, spices and herbs help to vary the flavours, plus lots of different low carb veges plus small servings of frozen berries with cream. The diet is so nourishing I only need to eat twice a day

Bigchilli said:

Hi folks
I was recently diagnosed type 2 back in june a day after my 37th birthday
Had been feeling ****** all year and after struggling a couple of times to have fasting bloods done(I was needing to eat every few hours)I eventually had a fasting result of 14mmol,h1bc then came back at 83
Dr said I would need to go on Metformin at least,I wanted to try diet 1st so declined and the Dr gave me few months to bring it down
Fast forward to October my h1bc is 36
Nurse was pretty shocked at my result with diet only, I've lost about 13kg aswell

The problem is I don't feel that much better
I still spend half my time feeling fine and the other half feeling dizzy or unwell
After 4 months I'm also finding it really difficult sticking to my ultra strict bland diet
I suffer from pretty bad generalised anxiety disorder so it can be hard to tell what's causing me to feel ******
Does anyone else with type 2 have bouts of feeling dodgy(I call it feeling blah)
Not really sure why I'm posting just feeling abit down about the whole thing
Don't know anyone else with diabetes to ask advice
Cheers

Edited by Mod

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What an amazing result in both hba1c lebel and weight loss in.just 4 months. Well done.

Have you seen this thread, you may get some inspiration to get rid of your 'blah' feelings.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/page-974#post-1907259

@Bigchilli

Hello Bigchilli and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will reply.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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 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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

Bigchilli said:

Hi thanks for the response
Diet is as follows
Breakfast:
protein shake
15g linseed
Tablespoon of natural peanut butter

Snack:
2 rice cakes with peanut butter or soft cheese

Meal 2:
3 eggs scrambled with spinach or hard boiled(sometimes with a slice of linseed toast)

Meal 3:
Tin of tuna on a slice of linseed toast

Snack:
Protein bar or chicken sometimes both

Meal 4:
2 chicken breasts,broccoli and green beans

Meal 5:
Before bed 3 boiled eggs

If I'm out and about sometimes will snack on chicken,a salad etc

I still feel like I need to eat every few hours or I start to get shaky,weak and flushed
A few months before my diagnosis I was having to get up during the night to eat,at least that's stopped
Sleep is not great although better,stress and anxiety not good
I thought diabetes was causing everything and with it under control it would improve but it's much the same

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Oh honey, that's not food! I can understand why you're calling your diet bland. It's like eating cardboard every day, over and over. You really, really need to find some joy in what you're eating. And that's not bars or shakes, but *real* food. The kind with taste and texture. And if you're feeling blah, like others said, I'm not seeing a whole lot of fat in there... There are 3 macro-nutients, and you're cutting out two rather than one. Proteine aplenty, but it can't replace fat, you really need more of that. Odds are you're missing quite a bit of vitamin D for instance (Which can cause fatigue, muscle weakness, depression and anxiety. And if you already have the last one, it'll make it that much worse. Speaking from experience here; my own shadow makes me anxious, I'm usually a walking panic attack.). Any chance of having your bloods checked for vitamin and mineral deficiencies? Maybe also ask for a thyroid check-up, as some of the things you mention could be related to Hashimoto's, and as a T2, you're more likely to have other hormonal imbalances as well. (Insulin is a hormone). but I think the lack of fats is the culprit here, besides, well, I think the rice cakes and toast may be causing you to feel worse. Not just because they're carb-heavy, but because after you eat them, your sugar might be going down a little fast after a considerable peak, causing you to feel weak and hungry again. (I used to eat 6 times a day before I had that figured out... Now I'm down to one or two meals a day. Tasty ones. ). Do yourself a favor and buy a meter, see what your bloods are doing before a meal, 2 hours after the first bite, and again an hour after that, to see whether there's a crash afterwards. If you can eat meals that won't spike your sugars any higher than 2.0 mmol/l two hours after you eat, that meal wasn't just good for your bloodsugars, but you won't have a sugarcrash either. Things would even out a little, you see?

Real, actual food that tastes good and won't mess up your beautiful HbA1c: Eggs, (and hard boiled is boring. Throw in some bacon, cheese, mushrooms, high meat-content sausages. Happiness on a plate with maybe 3 to 5 grams of carbs total?), cheese, meat, fish, above-ground veggies, maybe some berries in moderation with a dollop of double cream or full-fat greek yoghurt. Salad with chicken or a can of tuna, olives, capers, mayonaise, avocado... Steak dinners with cauliflower rice with bacon and cheese. Chunks of salmon, sausages, gyros, chicken, turkey dinners, the possibilities are next to endless. I snack on olives, extra dark chocolate (Lindt 85%), cheese, nuts... You'll never be hungry again if you fill up on fats and protein, even if you skip entire meals. Do yourself a favour and check out the www.dietdoctor.com website. It's loaded with low carb recipies that will fill you up to satiety, keep your diet balanced and healthy, (with no accumulative deficiencies that can harm you), and you will feel better for it.

Again, find some joy in eating again. Because this sounds more like a prison-sentence, and it doesn't have to be to keep your HbA1c perfect. Be good to yourself!
Good luck,
Jo

Bigchilli said:

Thanks for the replies

I'm not on any medication for anything,Tbh I have a bit of a phobia about medication

Diet was based around ease and cost
I'm not working just now so cost is a big factor(it's too expensive as is)
When I showed the diabetic dietician my plan she asked why there was so little carbs??

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I would find a new dietician!

PS: if cost is an issue, fatty pieces of chicken, or any other meat for that matter, which are better for you, are usually cheaper than the lean stuff. Vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli are cheaper from the frozen isle, same as berries. Bacon is usually cheap, mayonaise doesn't have to be expensive either. I buy cheap brands all the time, otherwise I wouldn't be able to keep this up either.

Eating more fats will not make you fat. Dietary fats and body fats are two different things. As others have said they will fill you up and give you variety. I, and many others, lost weight by eating more fats and crucially a lot less carbs.

I felt terrible when my b12 was low at 159. Dr refused to treat it despite lower limit being 160 in the nhs, which is much lower than many countries. If you do supplement avoid the cheaper cyanocobalamin which is poorly absorbed and get methylcobalamin which isn’t ridiculously expense. Holland and Barrett or online from the USA is even cheaper. Two months of it got me to 800 and feeling much better.