Newly Diagnosed

Hi, welcome

The first thing is I will tag @daisy1 for her info sheet for you.
Secondly, do you have a blood glucose monitor?
Thirdly do you need to lose weight?

Ooops posted before I meant to! I expect it is just your body adjusting. How long have you been following your new diet?

Hi and welcome @Claireross78 the more information you can give us. as @zand has suggested the better. You are in the right place for help, advice and support so any questions as away.

Yes that's the standard advice from doctors as they don't want to pay for it.

You do need a meter as when you have one you are in control of your BG levels because you can test which foods are right for you, this means that you don't eat things that set your levels soaring, but also means that you don't miss out something which would be OK for you personally.

I think what you are experiencing is 'low carb flu' and yes, that's normal in the early days of low carbing.

How much more weight do you need to lose?

Have a look at this thread too

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/a-new-low-carb-guide-for-beginners.68695/

Good luck.

Hi am also newly diagnosed with gestational diabetes and have a random question. Every now an then i love a wee coke zero is this a total no no??

Ciara86 said:

Hi am also newly diagnosed with gestational diabetes and have a random question. Every now an then i love a wee coke zero is this a total no no??

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There's no carbs in there, but check with a meter. I got lucky, I can tolerate sweeteners just fine, but for some people it's a no-go. Won't know what side you fall on unless you check with a meter. But I gulp zero all the time with no problems.

Claireross78 said:

Hi I am very newly diagnosed, since being told I have stop all sugars , lowers my carbs and started to eat 3 small meals aday. But now I just feel worse then ever, I woke up last night feeling unwell with a horrible sweet taste in my mouth this morning really shaky and just generally feeling unwell, is this just my body detoxing and is normal when you change your eating habits x

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Sounds like carb-flu to me... It should pass as your body adapts.

Claireross78 said:

Hi I am very newly diagnosed, since being told I have stop all sugars , lowers my carbs and started to eat 3 small meals aday. But now I just feel worse then ever, I woke up last night feeling unwell with a horrible sweet taste in my mouth this morning really shaky and just generally feeling unwell, is this just my body detoxing and is normal when you change your eating habits x

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Drink salty broth and such, drink loads, take in fats. That'll help.

Ciara86 said:

i love a wee coke zero is this a total no no??

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I have one can a day as my 'treat' and it has no effects on my BG but test to make sure you're ok with it. Enjoy with ice!!!!

Ciara86 said:

Hi am also newly diagnosed with gestational diabetes and have a random question. Every now an then i love a wee coke zero is this a total no no??

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Every now and then sounds fine. But bear in mind that some artificial sweeteners can alter the gut microbiome and cause metabolic problems later. I don't see a problem with having them in moderation. My mistake was to drink them instead of water.

@Claireross78

Hello Claire and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want 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 well over 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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 blood glucose 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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

Claireross78 said:

Thank you all for your advice it was very helpful x

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There is so much to take in when you’re newly diagnosed- take it a few days at a times. Making a big change is good in the medium but there bumps in the road.
I’m 3 months in, doing well, eating low carb and generally feeling better for it. Yesterday though I had real slump, felt rotten all day. This morning I’m back feeling good and motivated again.
You’re in the right place on this site - ask lots of questions and trust your instincts.

Ciara86 said:

Hi am also newly diagnosed with gestational diabetes and have a random question. Every now an then i love a wee coke zero is this a total no no??

Click to expand...

I drink diet coke all the time with no problems but everyone is different, you may need to test.

Claireross78 said:

Hi I am very newly diagnosed, since being told I have stop all sugars , lowers my carbs and started to eat 3 small meals aday. But now I just feel worse then ever, I woke up last night feeling unwell with a horrible sweet taste in my mouth this morning really shaky and just generally feeling unwell, is this just my body detoxing and is normal when you change your eating habits x

Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum! You have come to the right place.
Sounds like carb flu but hard to tell if you can't test your bloods - best to buy a meter if you can (you can get them from Amazon). I personally have a SD Codefree which is quite cheap on test strips.
Good luck.