Hi There, I was diagnosed as Type 2 diabetes last week and still unsure what this means for me and going forward with any life changes. I am due to see the Diabetic nurse next week so hopefully will get my questions answered but i have a couple of immediate ones which i imagine a silly but here goes:
i understand carbs are bad for you and like everyone else this is the thing i like the most. Do you cut these out entirely or smaller portions or not every day?
I was told i will be on tablets, not sure which ones, what will these do, will they bring my sugar level down or do they stabilise or something else.
I like a drink when i go out (once a month) but rarely drink any other time, is this a no-no now or is it a case of reducing the intake.
Again, apologies if these are stupid questions but head is a mess due to this and not knowing the best course of action
Your head isn't that much of a mess, as you're asking exactly the right questions.
Carbs are best cut down, to whatever amount you feel you can tolerate. Your meter'll let you know. Test around meals. Before your first bite, and two hours after it. You're looking for a rise of no more than 2.0 mmol/l. If it's that or under, the meal was worth repeating. If it was over, it was carbier than you can handle. Little shortcut: you can avoid bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, cereals/weetabix, practically all fruit save for berries, those are fine... And pulses are different for everyone, so worth testing to see whether you respond to them well, or no. Things that are excellent: above ground/leafy green veggies, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cheeses, cream, that sort of thing.
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/ should help.
You're likely to be put on metformin. Ironically enough, the leaflet says to take it after trying a diet for three months and failing, but for some reason that's universally skipped. (I'm in the Netherlands, and that was my first port of call). If you know you have a sensitive gut, you might want to request slow release metformin, as it is kinder on the insides, and never ever take it on an empty stomach as it may make you feel ill. If you do get the trots and they last for more than 2 weeks, they're not going to go away. You could also ask whether you can just try diet for 3 months and then have a re-check to see whether that made enough of a difference. I can practically guarantee you, if you go low carb, it will have by that time.
Ah, the occasional drink. That should be fine, depending on what you're having. Beer is practically out, but that still leaves a whole lot you can still partake in. Have a read here:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/alcohol and they're not kidding: if you go low carb/keto, alcohol comes in a whole lot harder than before, so your tolerance may differ from what you're used to. (Nursing a drink does make going out cheaper, haha).
Keep tossing out questions, it's the only and fastest way to learn!
Jo