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Poor 6 Monthly Results & Very Worried

For lunch I typically have a salad - including avocado as the fat helps to fill you up, with some form of protein - meat, fish or eggs. Alternatively I cook extra dinner the night before and take to work to heat in the microwave. Might be a stir fry or chicken and roast vegetables.
 

Well your meter will tell you the answer to this. Fruit contains fructose, which is a natural sugar. It won't do your BS any good and may contribute towards a fatty liver. The best fruits to eat are berries, eaten as part of a meal with cream or full fat yogurt, and not as a stand-alone meal or snack. A banana is about the worst fruit - very high in glucose, and dried fruits are as bad. A small apple may be OK. Your meter will tell you.

For me personally, lunches are easy.
A small tin of red salmon with cherry toms, real mayonnaise, a pickled onion maybe, a piece of cheese possibly, and half a Lidl roll with masses of butter.
Or a 2 egg mayo instead of the salmon.
Or a fry up of bacon, egg, mushrooms, a tomato and a high meat content low carb sausage, with half a Lidl roll toasted and smothered with butter.
 


Porridge is a definite no no, I have to say though I can just about manage one slice of white bread with 2 bacon and a couple of fried eggs for breakfast and not have anywhere near the spike i'd get from a 31g carb serving of cuppa porridge. This I have discovered by using my meter which has helped me see what foods are doing the damage. I think if you can really tackle them carbs you'll see some improvement by the time you have your next HbA1c, and looking down the thread there are already some good pointers.
 
Reference the meter check is it best to do this 2 hours after the food?
 
johnoo said:
Reference the meter check is it best to do this 2 hours after the food?
Click to expand...

Before you start to eat and 2 hours after first bite is the general rule. However, in the case of fruit and any other fast release foods I would test at an hour and also at 90 minutes. By fast release I mean foods that release their glucose content quickly, such as a banana, which releases its sugar as soon as it hits your tongue! (That's why athletes used to eat them for an energy boost during competitions. They now eat glucose tablets)
 
johnoo said:
Strange, because the linked list from Daiseyduck in the next post says fruit is OK.
I'm even more confused!!
Click to expand...
It says in small portions - and for most of us that is very small - not half the fruit bowl.
For me a portion would mean 1/3rd to 1/2 a small apple, no more, or I'd see double figures on my meter for hours.
 
johnoo said:
Strange, because the linked list from Daiseyduck in the next post says fruit is OK.
I'm even more confused!!
Click to expand...
.

This is just a general list I found on this site. The fruits says in small portions Personally I can only get away with a few berries
Yes I agree with the others that some other items on there would spike me a bit.. chick peas, lentils
It depends how low you need to go . You will find what works for you by "eating to your meter" Testing will tell you if you spike with certain foods.
 


fruit in higher amounts than 50 grams are poison for diabetes type 2, choose berries instead and never more than about 80 grams a meal...

your lunch seems to be almost pure carbs ... your should get some proteins and fats in every meal and if possible some fibres..

may I suggest tomatoes and cucumbers and kale and peppers and onions and beans ....and salats all kinds.
and nuts all kinds but peanuts in moderation coco nut brazil nut hazel nut macadamia nuts... and 10% fat yoghurts and almost all kinds of cheese (but do look at the carb content, fresh cheese is sometimes high in carbs)
meats all kinds including all kinds of fish (but fish without a coating)
 
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Well, thanks for all of the help & advise, I'm going to think about it overnight, & come up with a plan of action.
It's going to be tough
Have already crossed dark chocolate from the shopping list but have kept the wine on.
 
Very good quality dark chocolate is ok in small portions. Try for anything over 70% content.. the higher the cacoa the lower the carbs. Lots of us have a couple of squares as a treat. Lindt is fab but Lidl is cheaper
 
johnoo said:
Well, thanks for all of the help & advise, I'm going to think about it overnight, & come up with a plan of action.
It's going to be tough
Have already crossed dark chocolate from the shopping list but have kept the wine on.
Click to expand...
Dark Choc is fine, 2 squares at a time (per day) but it must be choc, not sugar.
Tesco do an 85% cacao bar for £1 it is fruitier than many. My preference is Lindt 90% but its cost a lot more
 
walnut_face said:
Dark Choc is fine, 2 squares at a time (per day) but it must be choc, not sugar.
Tesco do an 85% cacao bar for £1 it is fruitier than many. My preference is Lindt 90% but its cost a lot more
Click to expand...
The tesco one is really nice.... Only 2 squares is problematic for me I like it that much.

Amazing how even dark chocolate tastes really sweet to me these days.
 
Walnut, Could you please give me the full info. on the Tesco product as we are going there on Friday.
But to start I will cut out totally, Cold Turkey!
 
Jamesuk9 said:
The tesco one is really nice.... Only 2 squares is problematic for me I like it that much.

Amazing how even dark chocolate tastes really sweet to me these days.
Click to expand...
Try Lidls 95% its as bitter as cats P!55
 
walnut_face said:
Try Lidls 95% its as bitter as cats P!55
Click to expand...
Hi
Have you tried the Lindt 99% dark chocolate? I like it, but it's the same price as the 90% and you only get half as much. For that reason, I have one 10g square of the 90% in the morning with my coffee and another in the afternoon.
 
@johnoo

As mentioned above, here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. It contains a link to the Low Carb Program which you could join (free). Ask more questions and someone will 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 147,000 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
Reduce your 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
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

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.
 
Daisey,
Thanks for the input
Not wishing to bore or put my problems on others but:-
Had a Hypo last night, Blood Sugar 3.2
Had a Mars bar to correct situation
Before bed Blood Sugar increased to 6.1
On waking Blood Sugar 7.1, I always get this dump
Breakfast : Fried Egg/Bacon/Tomato/Mushroom/Black Pudding/Black Coffee
2 Hours later Blood Sugar 9.7
So why the increase with food with no sugar?
 


What medication are you on for your diabetes?
 
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