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Newly diagnosed with T2 LCHF diet?

MissD67

MissD67

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi, I'm new to the forum - I've just been reading and gathering information so far - so I thought I'd introduce myself, and also (hopefully), be able to pick your brains.

I was diagnosed as being T2 about a month ago. My blood sugar level was 53 and I'm now working to try to reverse this. Age onset diabetes runs in my family - my nana had it in old age, as does my dad. My brother, had it and died, aged 45, from heart failure due to complications from diabetes and high blood pressure, on Boxing Day last year. I'm 48 (49 on the 3rd January).

Obviously, because of my family history I'm trying to find the best way to help keep my glucose levels under control. I've cut carbs to the recommended intake of 43g a meal? I had also cut out all sweets, cakes and biscuits - although I've weakened a bit over Christmas. I rarely touch alcohol and will occasionally have a glass of wine when I'm out for a meal. So far I've lost a stone in weight. I've also signed up for aquafit classes as I lead quite a sedentary lifestyle. I don't test my blood but take 500mg Metformin daily.

I've been reading about the pros and cons of the LCHF diet and I'm quite interested in it. Do any of you follow this diet successfully? Has it made a difference to your diabetes? I can't get an appointment with the dietician until February and was told to follow Slimming World by the nurse at the diabetic clinic. My meals have always been generally healthy because I'm always trying to follow sw anyway. I did, however, have a very high carb diet, eating lots of pasta and rice.

Any advice and help will be very much appreciated.

Catherine
 
Hi MissD67, welcomei have lost 57 lbs over 20 months following lchf regime plus exercising, and my bs has gone from 26.8 mmols to an average of 4.5 mmols today, so yes i reccomend lchf regime , i will tag @daisy1 who will give you the ifo for new posters, have a good read and come back with your questions,clive
 
Hi @MissD67 I'm a LCHF fan. For me it's the easiest way to keep BG normal. Also improved cholesterol and energy level. For me LC bit is quite as important as the HF and in energy % I try for 5E% carbs, 15E% protein and 80E% fat for energy. I don't eat very often, only when I'm hungry so once or twice per day. I'm on no medication for diabetes but I test when there is something I want to know and then I test rather intensely.
 
I think in your situation, the best suggestion I can make is to get yourself a blood testing meter and find out what your current diet is doing to your blood glucose levels (we are all different, but 43g carbs per meal would be too much for me).

I was eating low carb, got a meter (on the recommendation of this forum) and started testing.

The readings after certain foods led me straight into the LCHF way of eating - simply by eliminating the foods that raised my bg too high.

There are many, mnay blood glucose meters out there, but they don't have to be expensive to run.

The cheapest one, often recommended on the forum, is the SD Codefree, available from ebay, Amazon or the manufacturer. 50 test strips cost about £7. I consider that a bargain!
 
Hi MissD, I am a huge fan of LCHF way of eating .. its not only got me to looses 5st without any hunger, its given me my life back.. my T2 appears to fully in remission along with my heart failure. I am vegetarian so don't overdo the protein part of this way of eating. First thing to remember is all carbs turn to sugar when we eat them .. also processed low fat foods are also full of sugar !!!
Do read the forums here for the LFHC way of eating it really works. Also remember that if you eat fat your body is not needing to store fat ....
 
LCHF definitely works, but you need to reduce your consumption of all starchy foods (bread, potatoes, cereals, rice. pasta) as well as the sugary ones, as it's all of these that raise our glucose levels. The high(er) fat component of this diet is equally important as this will be replacing the missing carbs for your energy sources.

I agree with @Brunneria 43g carbs a meal would be far too much for me - that's as much or more than I eat in a day, but reduced/lower carb diets will generally include from around 130g carbs a day downwards, and you should set your own acceptable levels. Using a meter to test your response to foods will be the best guide to what you are able to eat without raising your glucose levels too much. Our main diabetes.co.uk site has much information that is worth a good look, and there are guidelines regarding recommended glucose levels listed here.

Robbity
 
MissD67 said:
I've been reading about the pros and cons of the LCHF diet and I'm quite interested in it. Do any of you follow this diet successfully? Has it made a difference to your diabetes? I can't get an appointment with the dietician until February and was told to follow Slimming World by the nurse at the diabetic clinic. My meals have always been generally healthy because I'm always trying to follow sw anyway. I did, however, have a very high carb diet, eating lots of pasta and rice.

Any advice and help will be very much appreciated.

Catherine
Click to expand...

Hi Catherine :)

I was reading my old SW diary just the other night. It seemed healthy at the time and I lost weight easily eating porridge, bananas, pasta, baked potatoes and baked beans. Now that I have diabetes, it is a different ball game. I still eat healthily, just differently and the food is great. Good luck and best wishes.
 
You have done the hard part finding this forum,it will be all good from now on ,plenty to learn then just stick to a low carb life ,you will be amazed at the food you will be eating and still losing weight and all this before you see the nurse who if you are luck may even be some help(big IF) .
 
Thank you for the replies and the warm welcome. :-)

The LCHF diet is a totally new way of looking at eating as I've followed the notion of high fat being bad for you and fat free being good. That is going to be a hard habit to break.

I was given my diagnosis and now feel like I'd been abandoned in the wilderness with regards to how many carbs and what I can or cannot eat. I researched as much as possible and found the 43g recommendation per meal. I eat breakfast (can't get through the morning without it), lunch, and dinner. I have been replacing rice with caulirice and pasta with courgette, which I actually quite like. :-)

I went back to my doctor and asked about testing but she said don't do it. I've considered buying a a test metre so I'll take a look at the ones that are recommended by Brunneria.

Thanks again.
 
@MissD67 It's easy for your doctor to tell you not to test as it is not her condition. I would wager tonight's curry that she would be testing every waking hour if she had diabetes herself! o_O Yes, get a meter. You know it makes sense :)
 
A BG meter is the single most useful tool we have to control BG so yes, get one. Test strips are usually expensive but the codefree is cheaper to run than the rest.

I know you are supposed to change the lancet every time you test but I have to confess I change lancets very seldom indeed.
 
@MissD67

Hello Catherine and welcome to the forum :) To help you with your low carb diet, read this information we give to new members which gives a link to the Forum Low Carb Program. 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 150,000 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

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


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.
 
@MissD67

Hello Catherine and welcome to the forum :) To help you, here is the information we give to new members which also includes a link to the Forum Low Carb Program. Ask questions if 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 150,000 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

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


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.
 
Many doctors tow a kind of party line on both testing and low carb diets (but that's slowly changing). You need to test..it's the only way to see what works. When I pushed one doctor who said I was testing too often...by showing all the records I had made of food eaten, times, reactions, levels and the big improvement in my levels since that started, he was still reluctant. Finally, he told me - high readings stress people out and you have to jab your fingers a lot! That's it! Also, they are never convinced that you are in control. They are erring on the side of caution - always..understandable, but it's YOUR body...and we have to show that we are not idiots, and that we can even know what we are talking about sometimes! Get a meter. And - does a low carb diet work - absolutely..it does for me...and I eat less than 43g per day. You need simply to eat, record, test...and test again a couple of hours after eating..and you will arrive soon enough at your own diet...and have results you can discuss with your doctor. Good luck.
 
Thank you for the information, daisy1. I've ordered the SD Codefree metre and will read the links you've shared.
 
MissD67 said:
Thank you for the replies and the warm welcome. :)

The LCHF diet is a totally new way of looking at eating as I've followed the notion of high fat being bad for you and fat free being good. That is going to be a hard habit to break.

I was given my diagnosis and now feel like I'd been abandoned in the wilderness with regards to how many carbs and what I can or cannot eat. I researched as much as possible and found the 43g recommendation per meal. I eat breakfast (can't get through the morning without it), lunch, and dinner. I have been replacing rice with caulirice and pasta with courgette, which I actually quite like. :)

I went back to my doctor and asked about testing but she said don't do it. I've considered buying a a test metre so I'll take a look at the ones that are recommended by Brunneria.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...
I do on average 20g per day ... 45g per meal is very high ..but you will be able to eat to your meter and see how you get on.
 
Hi and welcome. Many on this site follow a reduced carb diet together with varying levels of fats. In general keep the carbs down and have enough protein, fat, veg and non-tropical fruit to keep you feeling full. There is no set amount of carbs per meal that should be followed. Again, in general, most people stay a lot below 200gm/day and many will go a lot less than 100gm/day.
 
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