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Newly diagnosed and totally lost

K

Kelly23

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Hi everyone, I’m so glad I’ve found this forum. I was diagnosed over the phone last Tuesday and I was, still am in shock. Although, I am overweight and suffer with polycystic ovary syndrome so already had a slight issue with insulin.

When I was diagnosed my GP told me to cut out carbs and sugar, well every food has carbs and sugar so I spent the whole day in tears and didn’t eat anything. Not good I know!

I’ve since spoken to another GP who said low carbs, fat & sugar but I’m confused what’s low?
She also told me my hba1c was 57. She’s also started me on metformin, which I start tonight. Any tips to avoid the side effects?

I hope as the days and weeks go on I’ll find out more of what is good/best to eat but I guess it’s different for everyone.

I just feel so overwhelmed, sad, shocked and lost. Is this normal?
 
I am sorry your first GP was so uncaring and unknowledgeable. The second one sounds a bit better but really should show more compassion.
Do be sure to take metformin with food if that is what the label says, or ask the pharmacist who filled the prescription.
Hopefully more people will chime in with more info.
Hang in there! We're all in this together!
 
Hi and welcome..

We've all been there when first diagnosed but many of us have managed to control T2 well by changing what we eat.

Your GP was pretty on the ball when telling you to cut out carbs and sugars as that's the best dietary path to follow.

Meat, fish, eggs are pretty much no carb foods so base your meals around those with some added green veg/salad stuff if you like that. Cheese is great some berries and nuts are pretty low carb too.

Check out www.dietdoctor.com for some low carb food ideas.
 
Kelly23 said:
Hi everyone, I’m so glad I’ve found this forum. I was diagnosed over the phone last Tuesday and I was, still am in shock. Although, I am overweight and suffer with polycystic ovary syndrome so already had a slight issue with insulin.

When I was diagnosed my GP told me to cut out carbs and sugar, well every food has carbs and sugar so I spent the whole day in tears and didn’t eat anything. Not good I know!

I’ve since spoken to another GP who said low carbs, fat & sugar but I’m confused what’s low?
She also told me my hba1c was 57. She’s also started me on metformin, which I start tonight. Any tips to avoid the side effects?

I hope as the days and weeks go on I’ll find out more of what is good/best to eat but I guess it’s different for everyone.

I just feel so overwhelmed, sad, shocked and lost. Is this normal?
Click to expand...
If only the HCPs would be sensible about diagnosis.
Yes, low carb - so you can eat any meat, fish and seafood, eggs cheese, have coffee with cream, full fat yoghurt, but also salad stuff, and there are many low carb vegetables. Although a lot of fruit is super sugary - those little cherry tomatoes are being bred for more and more sugar, (botanically a fruit) berries are OK for many people. I make a sugar free jelly, whip in yogurt and then pour in frozen berries - letting it cool in between.
It can be different for everyone, but the basic menu is usually OK for everyone and it is just a few extra things which are found to be OK for some and not others.
 
The first gp might need some additional bedside manner training but he was right. Carbs and sugar (well sugar is a carb) is the thing to focus on. on labels look for the “carbs” figure and not the “of which sugars one”

I’d ignore the second one mentioning to cut fats. It’s old fashioned unscientific dogma to go low fat. More important is to have nature unprocessed fats not chemicals in a bottle. So stick with the fat on meats, butter, virgin olive oil, cream, avocados, nuts. You’ll need some of these to make you feel full and give you energy when you cut the carbs down. Protein is important too not only for fullness but for loads of metabolic processes and to preserve lean muscle tissue.

Have you seen the low carb thing posted in red below this message? These links give loads of starting info and more links to get you going on explanations of the science in simple terms, recipes and food lists.
 
Hi. You only need to reduce the carbs and not cut them out. Fat is good for you and not a problem for diabetes or even weight gain so have Fats and Proteins plus some Carbs. 150gm/day is a good start point as a daily carb limit. See what works for you. The only common side effect with Metformin is bowel issues. If these don't clear up within 1 to 2 weeks ask for the Slow Release (SR) version instead. Also your taste may be affected for a while i.e. a metallic taste. Your HBA1C level is not too bad and a revised diet should help a lot.
 
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