Newly Diagnosed

Welcome A11an, lots of advice and support on here. My background is in my sig below.

Hi Alan and welcome.

Your diagnostic readings aren't that drastic. Your HbA1c test is an average of your blood sugars over the previous 2 to 3 months, weighted more towards the end of that period. 7.3% (or 56mmol/mol in the latest measurement units) equates to an average of 9mmol/l (this is the measurement unit on our home meters)

Lots of good advice already given above. The one thing that diabetics need to watch are carbs. I have had success with a low carb diet, plus keeping calories to 1200 for weight loss, now increased because I have reached my target weight. On low carb I found I was losing too many calories to maintain energy, so made up those calories by ditching low fat products and going for the real thing without overdoing it but not actively avoiding it.

Read around all the various ways of controlling blood sugars and also losing weight, take your time, then plan out what you intend to do. If one way doesn't work, you can try another. Use your meter to test out various meals and foods, and learn from the results. (Test before you eat then at 2 hours after your first bite). Baby steps. This diet has to be sustainable as we are on it for life.

Hi and welcome. Do look at Daisy's advice. You don't need to follow any named diet; just adopt a new lifestyle which has low-carbs. You can't have a 'normal' diet in the sense that you can't just shop around the supermarket like others may do. Diabetes is a condition where the body can't handle glucose properly. Set yourself a daily carb limit of, perhaps, 150gm/day and see what the glucose meter says. You can adjust from there. Don't worry about the proteins and fats but by reducing the carbs you will reduce both blood sugar and weight. Yes, stress doesn't help with blood sugar levels. BTW you said the GP mentioned a different BP level set for diabetics; I'd like to see the scientific evidence for that?

A11an said:

does stress bring diabetes on because I've had a lot of that the last year or so, lots of thing happening in my life

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Yes, stress can definitely be a trigger and in my own case, brought on a deterioration in my diabetes which I'd successfully managed for 7 years through diet and exercise alone.

Reducing my carb intake has been far easier than reducing my stress and has definitely been effective in improving my condition. Until you can tackle the stress, I recommend tackling your diabetes. When you feel well again, you will be in a better position to deal with the stresses in your life

Nice to have you with us. I hope you find the support and encouragement you need

Hi A11an and welcome,
Great you're here finding out as much as you can about how to control your diabetes. Although diagnosis must have come as a nasty shock, the good thing is that being proactive (as you are being) is a major step towards getting better control of your blood glucose levels. Follow the advice above and you'll be on track to being a healthier you in no time at all.

A11an said:

I thought the BP seemed strange, it's averaging 129/74, think that's ok but I don't really understand it, he also said to stop checking my blood..........but I haven't I analyse everything in my life!

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The chart I got from the DN suggested anything less than 142/82 was OK. As for not testing, that's your business not theirs!

sanguine said:

The chart I got from the DN suggested anything less than 142/82 was OK. As for not testing, that's your business not theirs!

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My chart says up to 140/80 for diabetics.