Hello all, i do not seem to be coping with my T2, The doctor wants to put me on Insulin!!! Which. Have said no. I am trying to do the low carb diet, the problem is I live in France and they do not seem to put the carb content on things, can anyone advise me how I can work out the carb content please. The other problem I have is my fasting readings in the morning, one day they are high 8.5 the next day they can be 6.5 or even 5.4 ?? I looked up tge carb content for Fromarge Blanc it was low so I thought I could eat it for breakfast, but my levels went up to 9.3.!!!! I am gettng so confused and depressed with all this, I know its not going away so have to persever but its really getting me down when my readings are high and I have tried... Hope someone can help please...
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Not coping
- Thread starter Mrsdobson
- Start Date
Mr_Pot
Well-Known Member
I can recommend the Carbs and Cals book which you can no doubt order from Amazon. Fasting levels are often the last thing to stabilise so concentrate on before and after meals first.
Hi @Mrsdobson welcome to the forum, am tagging @daisy1 for the new members information which is a useful starting point for you.
Resurgam
Master
Fromage blanc is the fresh cheese? If so then it should be low carb.
Low carbing is an entire way of eating - if you select low carb foods consistently then you should see results becoming less erratic and reducing too - with any luck.
I used to have a notebook with typical carb counts for different foods, as percentages, so I could work out the amount of carbs by the weight of the pack or serving I took out. These days I tend to use a search engine, but you need to watch out for the different ways carbs are counted. Here in the UK they are net carbs, without the fibre, but in the US the fibre is included.
Low carbing is an entire way of eating - if you select low carb foods consistently then you should see results becoming less erratic and reducing too - with any luck.
I used to have a notebook with typical carb counts for different foods, as percentages, so I could work out the amount of carbs by the weight of the pack or serving I took out. These days I tend to use a search engine, but you need to watch out for the different ways carbs are counted. Here in the UK they are net carbs, without the fibre, but in the US the fibre is included.
JohnEGreen
Master
Fromage blanc is low carb 100 grams having only 3.9 grams of carb but it is zero fat and zero fibre also.So don't know if that makes a difference also depends on what you had with it. Best eat to your meter and build up a log of foods that are OK and those that are not. A bit hit and miss I know.
bluecurlylegend
Well-Known Member
Check the labels, "Glucides dont Sucres" is Carbohydrates including Sugars. Make sure that your fromage blanc didn't have added sugar, even stuff labelled "Natur" might still have some sugar in it.
Oldvatr
Expert
Fromage Blanc may be low carb, but I have to ask if there was anything else in the breakfast. i,e, crackers? or a roll? or toast? Was there any processed spread such as butter, ir marge? These too can have added sugar.
daisy1
Legend
@Mrsdobson
Hello Mrs Dobson 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 need to and someone will be able to help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
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 245,000 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:
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 free 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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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. They're all free.
Hello Mrs Dobson 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 need to and someone will be able to help.BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
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 245,000 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
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 free 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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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. They're all 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.
Hi and welcome!
A couple of things that may help you
Firstly, don't look at the number that the fromage blanc sent you up to.
Look at the difference between the before reading, and the 2 hours after food reading.
For instance, if you started at 5 and went up to 9, then that is a bigger rise than you want.
But if you started at 8 and went up to 9, then that is a lovely small rise, and you should be delighted.
The general suggestion is that if your blood glucose rises by more than 2mmol/l at 2 hours after food, then you should look at the carbs in the food and reduce the portion size or avoid that food in future.
Secondly, lots and lots of us Carb Count.
But really, as a Type 2 not on insulin, you don't have to.
You could manage perfectly well without all the precise number juggling.
Basically, the simplest and easiest and most straightforward way of doing this is to cut out the bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, grains, sugar, sweet fruit and anything processed. Replace them with more salad and veg (non starchy, non root veg) and keep roughly the same amounts of meat, fish, eggs etc as you were eating before. And if cutting the carbs makes you hungry, then add a bit more olive oil, mayo or butter to your food, because that will make you feel full. Et voila! A low carb way of eating.
This link explains the principles much better than I can.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds
A couple of things that may help you
Firstly, don't look at the number that the fromage blanc sent you up to.
Look at the difference between the before reading, and the 2 hours after food reading.
For instance, if you started at 5 and went up to 9, then that is a bigger rise than you want.
But if you started at 8 and went up to 9, then that is a lovely small rise, and you should be delighted.
The general suggestion is that if your blood glucose rises by more than 2mmol/l at 2 hours after food, then you should look at the carbs in the food and reduce the portion size or avoid that food in future.
Secondly, lots and lots of us Carb Count.
But really, as a Type 2 not on insulin, you don't have to.
You could manage perfectly well without all the precise number juggling.
Basically, the simplest and easiest and most straightforward way of doing this is to cut out the bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, grains, sugar, sweet fruit and anything processed. Replace them with more salad and veg (non starchy, non root veg) and keep roughly the same amounts of meat, fish, eggs etc as you were eating before. And if cutting the carbs makes you hungry, then add a bit more olive oil, mayo or butter to your food, because that will make you feel full. Et voila! A low carb way of eating.
This link explains the principles much better than I can.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds
Hi, not anything else, just a cup of tea with milk....
Oldvatr
Expert
OK. In the early days of starting an LC diet, it is common for the body to resist the drop in sugar levels by commanding the liver to dump some stored glucose into the blood to take the bgl back up to where it thinks it should be under the old diet regime. This is called Liver dump or dawn phenomenon (DP), and is frequently discussed in this forum. After a while of continued LC diet, these glucose stores should deplete and the body comes out of 'shocked outrage' mode, and slowly settles down. I found it took a few weeks for this to take place when I started.
Hi, thank you, hope I can stick at this, feel awful today, I also sffer from Severe Sleep Apnea I stop breathing 75 times an hour and have read somewhere this can cause problems for readings. Thank you
Resurgam
Master
If you have sleep apnoea which is so severe then you need immediate treatment - it puts a terrible strain on the heart in particular, but the body in general.
I use a CPAP machine every night to keep me breathing evenly - attend the sleep clinic every two years to get it serviced, and that has sorted it for me.
You do need to eat fats to keep from missing out on essential fatty acids, along with proteins and whatever fresh and crunchy carbs you can tolerate, maybe a few low carb berries and cream - with sugar free jelly too.
walnut_face
Well-Known Member
Which bit of La Belle France do you live in? Diet varies across the country.
Confit du Canard is excellent for BS - nearly all fat and some protein
Try and stay away from the french breakfast, and if eating out watch the dressings on salads. Try vinigarette natur from Auchan on your salad at home.
Oh and wine is fine (in moderation) Hic!
Hi, yes have a CPAP machine been using it now for about 3 years, although must say, I still have apneas,
But dont know where I woukd be without it.. I have just had fish and salad and half a ginger biscuit...I will test in two hours and see, only been on the low carb diet for a short time, thank you for the suggestions.
