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One week in, i'm a newbie type 2 and have no idea where to start.

janeygwynn said:
Good morning everyone, thank you so much for your kind welcome and your friendly replies, I'm feeling very low and quite overwhelmed today, but realising that A) a blood sugar moniter is going to be vital, even if I have to buy one and B) that the LCHF way of life seems to be the most popular and successful way to go.
I thought Metformin was supposed to reduce your appitite and affect your stomach but its not and im still eating too much, I'm nineteen stone and desperate to loose weight.
Can some one give me any advice as to what I can nibble on in the evenings when I'm most hungry, and what are some good breakfasts to have please.xxxxxxxx
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Once your body gets used to LCHF your need for nibbles will go away. Provided you eat proper meals of course. If you are hungry I think it is sensible to eat.

For breakfast you can have eggs in any form with bacon or mushrooms or cheese or something else.

Check the Dietdoctor site, it is very simple actually. Don't eat carby or sweet stuff but eat fat and protein.
 
janeygwynn said:
Good morning everyone, thank you so much for your kind welcome and your friendly replies, I'm feeling very low and quite overwhelmed today, but realising that A) a blood sugar moniter is going to be vital, even if I have to buy one and B) that the LCHF way of life seems to be the most popular and successful way to go.
I thought Metformin was supposed to reduce your appitite and affect your stomach but its not and im still eating too much, I'm nineteen stone and desperate to loose weight.
Can some one give me any advice as to what I can nibble on in the evenings when I'm most hungry, and what are some good breakfasts to have please.xxxxxxxx
Click to expand...


Metformin is known to be an appetite suppresant, but it's not a magic potion. Unfortunately, we also need to do some self-training along the way. If you decide to go down he reduced carb, with enough fat, I think you will be surprised by how much longer you feel satisfied. Sometimes "hunger" can be a habit. If you usually nibble in the evenings, habit will drive that behavior, to an extent.

If you get desperate, a few berries, with cream or plain, full fat yoghurt, or a small lump of cheese, you should get by.

If you read around the forum, you will see a number of posters who have been very pleasantly surprised by how it's gone.
 
The evening nibble attack is the worst!
If you go to bed hungry you don't sleep properly and if you sent prepared you tend to reach for the nearest snack Cheese is filling and a small piece should be ok at least until you get used to a new way of eating.Nuts are also good and you can prepare some cold meats ,celery and carrot sticks ,avocado,a square of very dark choc for a sweet treat But remember to test ,we are not all the same and what is ok for me .May shoot up your BG s
Look on this as a challenge that you can overcome
CAROL
 
I tend to snack on cheese, backed up with a hot drink.

If you don't have a scale, get one and measure portions. It is easy to overindulge, even on healthy foods until you know what 30 g of cheese or 100 g of berries looks like.
 
If you cut the carbs and increase your fats, you should lose weight. I have lost 4 stones doing this and then struggled not to lose any more after reaching target. Keep a food diary including portion sizes - very important at the beginning. Get a meter as soon as possible and start testing your meals, record your levels alongside the food you have eaten.

For breakfast I have 100g of full fat Greek yogurt with 2 or 3 chopped up strawberries, plus a cup of tea. That lasts me until lunch time.
I never snack, as I am never hungry. Have 3 meals a day evenly spaced, with tea or coffee and cream in between, and loads of water. Try it and see.
 
janeygwynn said:
Good morning everyone, thank you so much for your kind welcome and your friendly replies, I'm feeling very low and quite overwhelmed today, but realising that A) a blood sugar moniter is going to be vital, even if I have to buy one and B) that the LCHF way of life seems to be the most popular and successful way to go.
I thought Metformin was supposed to reduce your appitite and affect your stomach but its not and im still eating too much, I'm nineteen stone and desperate to loose weight.
Can some one give me any advice as to what I can nibble on in the evenings when I'm most hungry, and what are some good breakfasts to have please.xxxxxxxx
Click to expand...

Welcome from another relative newbie (diagnosed mid November). I found myself wanting to snack a lot when I first started LCHF and I ate a lot of (raw, dehusked) pumpkin seeds (I have a nut allergy so nuts are out for me) - they're delicious and very filling without too many carbs.

After a few weeks though I found my desire to snack completely vanished and it's very rare I now eat anything at all apart from my 3 meals a day and I don't feel hungry between meals

I gradually reduced my carbs to reduce the shock impact: I started at 100 then went to 50 and finally 30 grammes a day. I did write in another thread a while ago that I couldn't see myself going below 30 but I've actually done exactly that without realising it and don't get much above 20 grammes a day now (and on Sunday I only had 10!) - after a while your brain seems to reprogram itself to no longer expect carbs and I can honestly say I don't miss them at all

LCHF and this forum is the best thing that's happened to me - it's helped me get my fasting figures down from 17.4 in November to 4.5-5.5 now and I've also lost 13kg in that time

I decided to view LCHF as a lifestyle change rather than a diet (which it is for us diabetics - it's unlikely we'll ever really be able to eat significant quantities of carbs again) and focused on the positives rather than on any negatives that may have existed in the past

Today is the first day of the rest of your life and you have the power to take control of that life and go in the direction you want to rather than letting things like diabetes control you.

Good luck in your journey - you'll never be alone with the brilliant members of this forum on your side!
 
My first couple of weeks I used to keep almonds and brazils in my drawer at work to snack on but can honestly say since then I've never had the need to snack, lchf means I'm hardly ever hungry, 3 meals a day with a portion of either strawberries or raspberries with cream as desert with my main meal. I used to have sugar free jelly too but these days just don't fancy it! Considering I went cold turkey into dropping the carbs it had honestly been a smooth, enjoyable transition! Like bluetit, I have lost over 4 stone !
Most evenings I take a hot chocolate to bed, made with a teaspoon of cocoa powder, canderelle and cream, virtually carb free!!
I sometimes have a square of lindt 90% dark or a piece of cheese too to keep my liver happy overnight.
 
Good morning everyone, I have some news, after being an emotional wreck yesterday today I am back on the up. Have the energy for some small spurts of cleaning and have dropped five pounds since I was diagnosed !
Have avoided all what I call proper carbs for 48 hours now so no bread pasta pots or rice at all, and I'm seeing an improvement already, have eaten a lot of eggs though, is that ok?
Absolutely no idea what the blood sugars are doing as I have no way of testing, but I feel ok.............
 
Hello. Lots of great advice here. I found that ditching the carbs meant I also ditched my insatiable appetite. I've lost 5 st since last May just by keeping low carb- I don't high fat as I wanted to lose weight and know I can overeat cheese just as much as I overrate carbs. The Metformin did take the edge of my appetite though it took a few weeks to have that effect. Drink water if you feel hungry as often it's thirst - sparkling water with a slice of lemon feels like a treat and will put you on till next meal as will a green tea. In the beginning weigh the higher calorie stuff - if you get a copy of crabs and cals , the pictures give you a good visual guide to what a portion of a certain food looks like.
I had been fat since my son was born 20 years ago and never thought I'd see a thinner me again but with the help and support of everyone on here, I can see that I don't have to be fat all my adult life.
Also, check out the step into spring thread for a lighthearted " exercise" support group.. Doesn't have to be what you think of as proper exercise but just 30 minutes of activity a day. Housework counts as does walking.
 
janeygwynn said:
Good morning everyone, I have some news, after being an emotional wreck yesterday today I am back on the up. Have the energy for some small spurts of cleaning and have dropped five pounds since I was diagnosed !
Have avoided all what I call proper carbs for 48 hours now so no bread pasta pots or rice at all, and I'm seeing an improvement already, have eaten a lot of eggs though, is that ok?
Absolutely no idea what the blood sugars are doing as I have no way of testing, but I feel ok.............
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Great news there Jane- you will find your energy increases as you cut the carbs! Eggs are fine, it's been proven that they aren't "bad" cholesterol now too. Will you be getting a meter? It's the only way to know what is ok for you and what isn't, I found it spurred me on knowing I was seeing decreasing levels and helped with feeling in control too.
 
Hello guys, finally got a tester kit last night from a different GP, have had gliclazide added to my metformin too.
Fasting sugars this morning 12.6 better than a few weeks ago at 16.5.
did test last night before food and it was 8.5 fell asleep before the two hours were up after my food :-(
So what do I need to do today to get those levels down ?
 
Good start Janey.

Start your food diary. Test before each meal and 2 hours after your first bite. Record what you ate including portion sizes and record your levels alongside. Look at the difference in levels between before and after, and try to keep the rise down below 2mmol/l (ideally below 1.5 but this may take time) If the rise is higher than this there are too many carbs in that meal, so next time you eat the same thing reduce the carb portions and test again. Keep doing this until you are happy, or avoid those carbs altogether, at least for the time being. Remember not to eat or drink anything else until after your 2 hour test.

Post your results on the forum if you wish, and someone will help or explain what is happening.
 
oh will have to re start tomorrow then, have drunk coffee and stuff in between. I guess I need to get stricter :-(
 
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