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Newley diagnosed & exhausted with reading so much conflicting information

J

jlane

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi,

I was diagnosed this week & was given Metformin & simvastation for high cholestrol !

Only started taking the first Metformin today due to increase to 3 per day (1500mg).

Very Very keen on starting a diet to loose weight in an attempt to help.

Went out & brought 2 days worth of slim fast shakes etc with the 600cal meal in the evening. Have now found some info on the web saying this is not safe to take if you are diabetic & others say its fine.

Totally confused, upset & have been going around in circles for info. Cannot get an apt with the Diabetic nurse for a month, haven't even been given any reading material.

Would really like to attempt to loose weight as I have a lot to loose & don't know where to begin.

I saw the programme on ITV (Diabetic Appidemic) & it seemed to indicate that if you went on a drastic diet & lost weight it may be possible to reverse the effects.

If anyone can help or provide information I would be extremely greatful as I feel as if I am going out of my mind at present.

No idea what I can eat apart from avoiding sugar.
 
hi, welcome

start by accepting you wasted your money and throwing the slim fast in the bin

carbohydrates are sugar! reduce your carbs, bread, potatoes, rice and pasta, eat fat to lose fat sounds weird right? everything youve heard up to this point is complete nonsense, read the forum, there is alot to learn, sorry for adding my opinion to the others

look at this
best 50 minutes you will ever spend

good luck
 
Hi there
It must be difficult and scary for you just being diagnosed. And of course it is all too overwhelming !

I find it's easier to break the whole thing down into small chunks to make it more manageable, so how about starting by telling us what is bothering you the most - what you want to know? There is an excellent post one of the moderators will reply to you with, that is a good starting point to go from .

The programme you watched was very simplistic, it had to be for a short time slot, and therefore not very informative about diet etc. I am not a type two and my way of eating suits me but is not for everyone. Hang in there, and there are so many helpful people on this forum that are only too happy to help and give the support you need

Signy
 
HI and welcome.

Hopefully some other T2's will drop in and give some advice though please don't feel too bad. There is indeed a great deal of conflicting advice and opinions. The thing with medicine is that we are all slightly different, what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another.

I will hit things in odd orders here so please forgive me, first off the ITV programme the other night was typical sensationalist media with only a few nuggets of actual proper information in there to be of any help. Can losing weight help to reverse type 2? In some cases yes. What you need to bear in mind is that Diabetes is not simply just Type 1 and Type 2. Hell even Type 2 can be divided into a whole host of categories. Have a good read through some of the T2 topics here and don't be scared to ask questions. The only silly question is the one that you don't ask!

Dropping to your final comment about avoid sugar, that is very much an old way of looking at things. You can still have the occasional treat... as my dietician has pointed out even a slice of cake is an important food group since what is the point of being super healthy if you are miserable.

Just keep in mind for the moment that you do NOT have to make all the decisions right now, you do not have to try and change your life today.
Take your time, chat to the various very knowledgeable folks here and then decided what you are going to do.

The biggest conflicts / factions that I see are:
1) Eat a balanced diet (always sensible)
2) Plenty of carbs (some dieticians and Dr's seem to advocate this and it is scary)
3) Low carbing (This is the more popular option though it too has it's own draw backs)

Bear in mind that you have only just been diagnosed so in some respects you are still in a state of shock / state of grieving. It's a scary diagnosis given all the hype in the media and the medical profession just feeding us scare stories about checking our feet and getting our eyes checked so that we don't go blind, lose limbs or kidneys or have heart attacks. That alone could scare anyone into a heart attack.

Bear this in mind, Diabetes is NOT a death sentence. You will need to think more about food in future but is that a bad thing? All the scare stories that you have heard about complications are things that happen after many many years so for now take a breath and don't sorry.

Do your research, ask your questions and find something that works for you.

You probably have a few centuries worth of experience to draw on here so you have made a great step.

All the best for the future.

/A
 


Hi,

Thanks for the reply. I guess that because this is such a life changing experience it has motivated me to address something I should have done a long time ago and that is to loose weight.

I therefore feel that if I get into it now whilst I am so highly motivated, the momentum will be enough to sustain the weight loss, but not sure where to begin i.e. if I joined slimming world etc, I would be unsure what types of food I can now class as a safe selection.

Will continue to read more posts on the forum.

Thanks again
 
its mind blowing experience, i love your idea of using it as motivation, its exactly what i and many others did, this can turn out to be a positive thing believe me, but forget slimming world, weight watchers they are all rubbish and you dont need to pay for bad advice, you can get it from your doctor and practice nurse for free, keep reading there are alot of people on here that have done what you want to and ready to help you do the same
 
I found the trick to losing weight was to make small changes to your diet instead of going on a regimented diet. It seems to stick better
 
Hi,


Hi,
Thank you for the response. I guess I feel at present that I am very unsure what I can have. I used to have a glass of orange juice each morning & cereal or toast for breakfast for eg. I have read that the orange juice is full of sugar so avoid, cereal need to avoid milk, & bread is a non starter. I know I am in danger of sounding pathetic (how I feel at present), but as you say it is extremely overwhelming.
 
no no no not pathetic at all, its all overwhelming and we all go through lots of emotions on diagnosis, what you feeling is perfectly normal and what your asking is also normal, dont worry ask away, we have all been where you are now, your amongst friends
 
jlane, a pretty much universal reaction I suspect, but fear not, the feeding options are huge, and granted contradictory information certainly does seem to be commonplace, but the relevant and reliable information will start to emerge from the murk gradually once you've researched enough, but this isn't a sprint, it's a marathon, so try not to panic, and give yourself time to get to grips with it all.

It's a big subject and nobody could possibly get a handle on it overnight, you've had a huge shock, and been dumped abruptly into a pool of ignorance and understandable fear, no wonder you're floundering, I'm sure that we've all worn that tee shirt.

Remember though, you've probably had this for a while, unknowingly, but now that you are aware, there is lots that you can do to improve your condition, and had you not become aware, what other ailments might you have otherwise experienced in the future, that a diab healthy diet will also have a preventive effect on. ?

There are millions of diabetics around the world, and they're not starving, and neither will you, you can take control of your illness now, and diabetic eating isn't merely about deprivation, it's more about substitution and change, and there are so many healthy and enjoyable alternatives, and it's not just only about what you eat, it's very much about how much of something you eat.

You've probably already cut out most of the worst stuff, so you've already made a start.

The internet and youtube is awash with diabetic friendly eating advice and recipes, and I'll bet that your local library is too.

I suggest that you start with a google search for...diabetic cooking...I posted some replies to a thread with similar themes, finding reliable information sources and trying to make sense of it all, and eating information, perhaps you might find some of the info and links on that to be useful.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/still-confused.59363/page-2

I've got a couple of easy to understand pdf format books about type 2 and about diab eating which you can have if you wish, if so send me your email via the conversation facility on here, or if you prefer I can upload them somewhere and pass you the link.

Stay positive, it's not the end, it's the beginning.
 

Thanks Andy, a very good 50 minutes they were (although - in my case - it was preaching for the already saved! )

- My family will always roll their eyes when I am asking for more (and real) butter - they clearly seem to fear that I will come down with a massive heart attack there and then ...

annelise

- and jlane, you are in for a learning process (took me several months to get a kind of handle on this), things take time, but in finding this forum you are already on a very good track ...
 
Hi ljane and welcome to the forum

My advice is to simply visit the website of the cute doctor in the video Andy posted. It has a list of foods that will help with your blood glucose control and weight loss. http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

That's what I have personally found to be very successful. Meal replacement shakes and clubs may work in the short term, but this is a lifestyle change for you so it has to be a way of eating that is sustainable for decades. It soon becomes second nature
 
Hi. Yes, it's all very confusing but bear in mind that a lot of advice out there comes from people who know little about diabetes and are guided/trained by similar people. A lot is also based on myth and not good science. Most of us on the forum have diabetes so you can gain from a vast wealth or actual experience. The highest priority is to control the carbs as they are converted to glucose in the body; simples. When you have a meter you can see this effect in action and can adjust the amount of carbs to suit your level of diabetes. Read packaging labels to find out the total quantity of carbs or search the web where there isn't a label. Yes, milk has sugar in it but it has very little so don't worry about it. Fats are fine and don't directly cause blood sugar or weight gain despite many dieticians saying they do. Protein is great and will help make you fell full. This is one reason to avoid branded diets as mostly they don't cater for diabetics and some are a bit silly. Just spend your money on sensible low-carb foods. Set yourself some sort of daily limit. I might suggest 150gm/day to start with and see it goes.
 



did you mean.... visit the doctor in the video cute Andy posted?
 
Heathenlass said:
There is an excellent post one of the moderators will reply to you with, that is a good starting point to go from .



Signy
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome to the forum

I hope I don't confuse any more with all this good information you have already received, but 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 100,000 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.
 
First I would like to say "Dont panic"(as in dads army)
I was a person who "didnt do ill" Then my daughters bullied me into going to the GP because I had lost weight Then I got a phone call from out of hours service saying that I had DB and needed to go to hospital .Anyway that is another story so you are not alone in feeling very upset and worried My advice is to buy lots of veg the ones that grow above ground are best you can make soup which is filling and you can eat as much as you like I start with garlic and chilli and onion and then add whatever veg you have to hand This also freezes well so you have something to hand when you feel hungry and dont know what to have .Eggs are great scrambled with some ham or smoked salmon if you want to splash out .meat is good and a chicken salad makes a good meal if you add some fresh herbs or different sorts of salad leaves you wont get bored There are lots of good things to eat out there Look on it as a challange you are going to win
CAROL
 

Hi,

Thank you for your response. I would be very interested in the pdf books, but have no idea how to use the conversation facility.

I am trying to research info, but fear it will take over my life if im not careful.

I will be in possession of a monitor this week, however during the last couple of years my 88 yr old mother was also diagnosed with type 2 & has one. I therefore used her monitor yesterday & today.
Yesterdays reading were 8.0 approx 4 hrs after eating.
Today 4 hrs after eating it was 8.6. I had a snack & tested 65 mins afterwards & it was 10.2.

I have no idea if this is good/bad/dreadful etc.

3 days into taking 500mg of metformin & due to increase to 1000mg next week, then 1500mg on the third week.

People have been very kind in providing various links etc.

Once again thank you
 

Hi Carol,

Many thanks for your reply, will probably need to watch the eggs (I also enjoy them) as I have been told I have a reading of 5.7 cholestrol & need to take simvastatin.

cheers
 
Testing after 2 hours would be better than 4 hours. You can then compare your results to the figures given on Daisy's post (above) as a rough guide. Your results do seem a little high, but it is early days for you.
 
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