Hi and welcome. You have already had good advice. Be careful when you see the nurse as some NHS nurses still push out the 'eat carbs with every meal' mantra which is out-dated and harmful to us. Keep the carbs down. BTW If the Metformin stomach issues don't disappear with a week or two then do ask the GP to swap you to Metformin SR (Slow Release) which is much better.
Thanks for this Kimbo, I am trying to go cold turkey on the chocolate front, but this is useful if it all gets too much for me.
I was also diagnosed on jan 6th and put on 1000 mg a day to be increased to 2000 mg. Bit of a shock to be told I had type 2 when I only went to doctors with heartburn. Stomach ache that I initially felt have gone thanks to taking my medication with main meals ie. Breakfast and dinner. Great forum
Doubt if it is the metformin ... more likely the change but you'll get accustomed to it. As for the carbs, that sounds a little low for my liking but others will commentHello everyone,
Have not been idle. My meter is on order and I have been checking out lots of things and reading a book about low carb eating.
I tried to start the day low carb the other day (mozzarella and tomato salad) and to be honest felt absolutely dreadful. Since then I have been starting the day with carbs (a couple of slices of linseed and soya bread, proper butter, cheese and a sliced tomato). Lunchtime I am taking the carbs down and in the evening trying to have something as low carb as possible.
It is quite difficult, in fact more difficult than when I low carbed before (I remember the Atkins flu all too well). Could this be because of the metformin? or is it just the changeover?
I would be grateful for a bit of guidance. When I used to low carb, I managed to keep my carbs under 20 a day. What is considered a sustainable level of carbohydrate for a low carb diabetic?
Many thanks.
~P~
You have found the best place possible, I was diagnosed T1 in October and without this place would have been a jibbering wreck by now.
Get comfy, read tons, ask questions and move forward. The people and knowledge on here is amazing, you could spend days talking to doctors and not get 1/4 the good advice you'll get on here after a night of reading.
It's not the end of the world and it doesn't have to change your life.
Doubt if it is the metformin ... more likely the change but you'll get accustomed to it. As for the carbs, that sounds a little low for my liking but others will comment
Thanks Brit,
It must have been quite a change for you having to deal with T1 - and I am so glad to hear it's not the end of the world
~P~
I think closer to the 50 mark would be preferable but we're all different and going straight for the low number might not suit you ... perhaps target that figure later onYes Mike, I think that 20g is not at all sustainable - great for getting weight off, but not for a sustainable daily diet.
I think I will change over to LC over a weekend when I don't have anything I need to rush out and do.
P
I slowly reduced my carbs for months until now I'm down to about 30g a day, which is where I've been for about 2 months now. So I have no experience going cold turkey, but I imagine it may be a bit rough but doable.Yes Mike, I think that 20g is not at all sustainable - great for getting weight off, but not for a sustainable daily diet.
I think I will change over to LC over a weekend when I don't have anything I need to rush out and do.
P
I think closer to the 50 mark would be preferable but we're all different and going straight for the low number might not suit you ... perhaps target that figure later on
Mike
I slowly reduced my carbs for months until now I'm down to about 30g a day, which is where I've been for about 2 months now. So I have no experience going cold turkey, but I imagine it may be a bit rough but doable.
Hi, Providence2, and everyone,
I too am newly diagnosed. I had a health blip (back/disc related) just before Christmas and ended up in A&E, where they did all my obs and my BM was 13.8mmols/L, which was technically random but I hadn't eaten for 14 hours and had only had water to drink - so basically this was a fasting reading.
I had the official blood tests and my fasting was again 13.6mmols/L. I have my appointment with the diabetic nurse on 5th February, which is quite a way off. I have the added complication of hypothyroidism, and my Levothyroxine needed an increase at the same time.
So where am I at?
I have just finished reading 'reverse your diabetes' Dr David Cavan - he refers to taking Chromium, Cinnamon and Vit D, has anyone got views on these supplements?
- My GP gave me a talk about diabetes being like taking a journey toward a house, where you can turn around at any point on the path etc, until you are in the house - I am on the path apparently.
- I have cut out all obvious sugars - I was a chocolate fan. I have cut out potatoes, pasta, bread, cakes and biscuits. I had porridge the other morning, and 3 hours later my Bm was 18.8mmol/L so not having that again! My mum is insulin dependent and she advocates the carbs in moderation at every meal - hence the porridge. I have lost a bit of weight (but I am also hungry!)
- I decided I can't wait until the 5th to see the nurse, I have booked an appointment with the GP for Monday, and will be asking to be prescribed Metformin (fingers crossed that I don't have the antisocial side effects as I work in a small office
) - I have purchased my own glucose test meter thing as I believe my surgery only supplies prescriptions for insulin diabetics now.
Is there anything else I have missed? I know I need to increase my activity, I have been suffering with back problems the past 4 months so I haven't been moving around as much as I should and normally do.
Providence2, it looks as though we are starting this journey together - best wishes.
I'm pretty sure cinnamon won't do anything useful. As for the others, I don't know. I base my meagre micronutrient supplements on recommendations in the book "Grain Brain". As for diet, avoiding carbs is a great method for controlling blood glucose levels. However, I think it's important to eat a healthy diet. A good place to start is the Diet Doctor: http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf. Good luck.Hi, Providence62, and everyone,
I too am newly diagnosed. I had a health blip (back/disc related) just before Christmas and ended up in A&E, where they did all my obs and my BM was 13.8mmols/L, which was technically random but I hadn't eaten for 14 hours and had only had water to drink - so basically this was a fasting reading.
I had the official blood tests and my fasting was again 13.6mmols/L. I have my appointment with the diabetic nurse on 5th February, which is quite a way off. I have the added complication of hypothyroidism, and my Levothyroxine needed an increase at the same time.
So where am I at?
I have just finished reading 'reverse your diabetes' Dr David Cavan - he refers to taking Chromium, Cinnamon and Vit D, has anyone got views on these supplements?
- My GP gave me a talk about diabetes being like taking a journey toward a house, where you can turn around at any point on the path etc, until you are in the house - I am on the path apparently.
- I have cut out all obvious sugars - I was a chocolate fan. I have cut out potatoes, pasta, bread, cakes and biscuits. I had porridge the other morning, and 3 hours later my Bm was 18.8mmol/L so not having that again! My mum is insulin dependent and she advocates the carbs in moderation at every meal - hence the porridge. I have lost a bit of weight (but I am also hungry!)
- I decided I can't wait until the 5th to see the nurse, I have booked an appointment with the GP for Monday, and will be asking to be prescribed Metformin (fingers crossed that I don't have the antisocial side effects as I work in a small office
) - I have purchased my own glucose test meter thing as I believe my surgery only supplies prescriptions for insulin diabetics now.
Is there anything else I have missed? I know I need to increase my activity, I have been suffering with back problems the past 4 months so I haven't been moving around as much as I should and normally do.
Providence62, it looks as though we are starting this journey together - best wishes.
Thanks. Yes, we all seem to react slightly differently to foods, etc. I think it has to do with genetics as well as how far our diabetes has progressed. I reduced carbs slowly just because I had no idea what I was doing and believed my first diabetes dietitian that we need to eat carbs. But then I got a meter and saw what even modest amounts of carbs did to my blood sugar, so reduced even more. Then I started reading about a ketosis diet and decided to try that. By then I was already pretty low carb (around 100 to 120 a day). I don't think people need to reduce carbs any where near as slowly as I did, which was about 11 months! I'm thinking a few weeks would be ok.I think we all react differently, but cold turkey for me is exactly that! Having slept on it, I think I will be reducing slowly, weeding out the carbs as I go.
I have just looked at your numbers. Very impressive.
Thanks for your advice
P
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?