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Not new to T2 but new here

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NewdestinyX

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Hello DiabetesUK.. Looks like a great and active place. I'm not new to T2 -- acutally comin' up on my 2 year anniversary of the 'club' no one wants to be a member of. :lol: -but from where I started to here is like two different worlds.

Was one of those 'insulin first' cases, my Doc was happy to allow it, after Metformin and major carb restriction wasn't getting the job done. My whole world changed after insulin. Started at 30 units of Lantus and about 3-4 units of fast acting per meal. After dropping from 137kg(302lbs) down to 107kg (235lbs) over these last two years -- I only use about 6 units a day of Lantus and occasional very little Novalog (fast acting) if I enjoy a 'little cheat'. I stay around 70-100g of carbs a day.. and am an avid cyclist now which helps my exercise program. The dx was for me, at 49 now, a wake up call and sorta my 'mid life' rejuvenator to get fit again and see if I could get back to high school weight. I'm taking the long road - since it too a long time to get that heavy too.

I hope I can help a few new people and learn from some veterans here. But hello to all!!
 
Hi Grant, and welcome!

Your weight loss and exercise stories are inspirational - great weight loss over 2 years.

As you say - it takes a long time to put on so it can take a long time to come off, too.

Viv 8)
 
Hi Grant - just a second welcome to you on this thread as I contributed with my fasting level on your other one - a good idea to get people going in the morning :) I know you are already very experienced in your management of diabetes and will be able to give us advice, but I am just giving you here the usual introductory information we give to new members. I hope some of it will be interesting/useful for you. And, very well done with your weight loss so far and on improving your HbA1c so much :)

Here is the advice that Ken and I, as Forum Monitors, usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

For more information on CARBOHYDRATE see here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=20306

This is NOT a low carb diet suggestion, just a reduction in your intake of carbohydrate. You have to decide yourself how much of a reduction will keep your blood glucose levels in control.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.


As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try!!

For TIPS FOR STRIPS see here:

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=19002#p173253

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2011 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking and before meals).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l...(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals........................no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals......................... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do at least 30 minutes moderate exercise a day, it can be split into 10 min sessions to start with. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Finally a few QUESTIONS TO ASK AT DIABETES CLINIC.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17091



Sue/Ken.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Grant and welcome to the forum, your story is similar to my own. I started off on insulin and after shifting 4 stone was able to come off insulin after about a year and my carb reduction is similar to yours also but I am unable to exercise much due to arthritis unlike you so no cycling for me.

The forums a great resource for all things diabetes and if you have any questions it is highly likely that someone here will have the answer :D
 
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