Newly Diagnosed

[**shell**]

Good afternoon all
I am writing about my mam who has just been diagnosed today with Type 2.

I am in the fairly unique position of being Type 1 so I have some understanding of the condition but just not from the type 2 perspective.

I suppose the reason I am writing this is to get some ideas as to how best support her. (I am worried I could overwhelm her with suggestions and info)

What is the one most important bit of practical info I could give her to help her manage her condition?

Thanks
Michelle x

 

[Guzzler]

I think your first message should be one of hope. You will already be helping just by being there.
I suggest that you get your Mum to join us all here on DCUK and in the meantime carry on being the great daughter that you are.

 

[Rachox]

Sorry but there’s two bits of advice I’d give:
1) start a low carb diet
2) get a meter and self test
Oh make that three, get her to join this forum!

 

[Prem51]

I would tell her she really needs to avoid sugary and starchy carb foods like bread, potatoes, pasta and rice as much as possible.

 

[britishpub]

being Type 1 so I have some understanding of the condition but just not from the type 2 perspective.

The most important difference to realise is that unlike you, your Mum is still producing Insulin, probably too much Insulin which is one of the reasons she may have become insulin resistant.

For T2D the most important thing to do is reduce the amount of insulin being produced, which should lead to improved insulin sensitivity over time. The key to this, as mentioned by the other replies is to stop eating foods that raise BG, as her body already is struggling to lower her BG and insulin, whether self-produced or administered will ultimately not be able to do the job.

 

[Ribbet]

Hi Michelle

Great your posting and asking for help for your mum!

Being diagnosed with type 2 generally means you need to make some lifestyle changes as I’m sure you are aware.

A lower carb diet is the single most important thing your mum can do to regain control over her health and in fact put type 2 completely into remission!

Having been through that process I can honestly say it’s not nearly has hard as you’d think. In fact it’s actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it - and ends up being a lot of fun too! The secret for me was and continues to be this:

- - - - - - - - -

Find an exchange that delivers a similar level of pleasure as what I had been consuming, but make sure it’s healthy and lower in carbs.

- - - - - - - - -

It’s as simple as that! A pretty simple strategy but it completely worked for me. By 12 months after being diagnosed my hba1c had gone from 109 to 40, off all meds at about the 6 month period, and I lost about 17kg in the process. And I can honestly tell you it wasn’t that hard. It’s not about struggling or striving, it’s very simply about making different choices. That’s all!

I’ll give you some examples so we can put this into reality…

I was big on fizzy drinks when diagnosed (coke especially), so to bridge that gap I went to Coke Zero. Then a little while into things I thought ‘what if I try some different flavoured black and other teas?’ So I did that (it’s actually a really fun thing to do as well!) and that is my main stay now for flavoured drinks - and complexly low carb. I have lots of different teas in by cupboard!!! It’s just about stimulating your taste buds in different ways.

I couldn’t miss my sugar in coffee, so I exchanged that for Erythritol. It’s not quite the same but it gets the job done! I also discovered that if I swap full milk coffees to about 15 to 30ml of cream in a cup and then the rest black coffee, it tasted just as good and somehow magically filled my up at the same time! (that's the beauty of fats vs carbs - it works!)

For snacks I started experimenting with whole food low carb snacks that were really tasty to exchange the high carb snacks I was taking prior. Again looking for stuff to stimulate my taste buds but just in a different way. For example these days I love some blue cheese on a slice of cucumber for the simple fact it’s fast and easy, stimulates my taste buds to the max and fills me up a bit at the same time (a small amount of cheese is great like that!). OK so blue cheese might not be something your mum likes, but there's plenty of other quick, easy and healthyer snack ideas around on the net

Then for mains, the same thing - look for an exchange that’s lower carb, easy to make and gives the taste buds a real zing at the same time.

If she needs something sweet, go for whole foods first. I used to eat apples when sweet cravings struck during that transition period cost they were filling, and stimulated my taste buds enough to get the job done for satiating my sweet appetite.

So your getting the gist right? EXCHANGES And it’s a lot of fun too by the way, trying all these new things, experimenting, satisfying. Cool!!!

Here’s what will happen if she does this…

1. Her hba1c will slowly reduce and normalise over time.

2. Sweet cravings will drastically reduce. I remember at about the 6 month period I had something one day that in the past I’d consider normally sweet - that completely blew my taste buds off the charts. It was then that I realised how much things had changed in me without me even even noticing! A lot of low carbers will tell you this!

3. She will WANT whole foods over the high carbs as things progress cos of how much better she feels as a result of having consumed them. It’s a weird thing but it happens. The body adapts and ASKS for the right foods. Truly.

So that is it. EXCHANGES. It’s the easiest and best way to adapt it as a lifestyle that will change her health forever.

So do some research - there’s plenty of low carb recipe sites on the net these days (one of my favorites at the mo is ‘ditchthecarbs’ dot com) and encourage her to stick at it cos it’s both a fun and completely life changing experience!