So confused....apologies for long first post

Welcome to the forum.

Here's a great web site that explains type 2 diabetes in an easy to understand, straightforward manner:

www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/

In regards to fat, the simple answer is that dietary fat doesn't make people fat, carbs do. The other thing to consider is that carbs (sugar, potatoes, wheat, etc) raise blood glucose levels. Fats do not. So eating more fat and less carbs will bring your blood glucose levels down.

Here's a great site on how to eat a low carb diet:

www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

Personally, I recommend that you (and everyone) eat as little factory processed food as possible (i.e. packaged food with labels). Eat fresh food that's been minimally processed.

@Nanny_B Hello and welcome to the forum.. I had the same feelings as you are having now.. there's so much information to absorb in the first few weeks.. it gets easier. This forum is a great place to start.. just ask.. if you need answers.. there's plenty of experienced people here to help.

Hi and welcome,

It is very confusing at first. We have all been there. It is also a shame that body fat and dietary fat have the same name - this is very confusing. What makes most of us fat are the carbs, or a combination of high carbs and high fat. When we seriously reduce the carbs and increase our dietary fat, most of us lose weight. The more we reduce our carbs the more fat we need to eat in order to retain enough energy. Low carb and low fat is likely to produce fatigue. You don't have to go mad on dietary fats if you don't want to, just ditch any low fat products you eat and buy the real thing. Then use good fats to fill you up.

This is a useful thread

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/a-new-low-carb-guide-for-beginners.68695/

and there is a low carb diet/weight loss plan on this website

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/lowcarb/?utm_source=hp&utm_medium=dd&utm_campaign=lcp

In simple terms, ignore all the western dietary advice from the last 40 yrs and buy only full fat dairy produce. Use full fat butter and cream and eat plenty of healthy dietary fat, eat eggs, as many as you like and plenty of meat and fish. Bacon and egg is a perfect breakfast for diabetics. Snack on nuts instead of cakes and biscuits and turn away from grains and cereals and processed foods. If you must eat fruit, stick to berries and eat plenty of above ground veg. All below ground veg is starchy and turns to sugar in your stomach. If you use your meter before and after every meal at 1 and 2 hours you will soon work out what foods spike your BS levels and need to be Eliminated or reduced. If you follow the sound advice on the forum your glucose levels will start to fall within days. there is plenty of support here at any time if you need it.

Don't be disheartened. Follow the advice from people here and there is a good chance that you can get your blood sugar back well towards, or into the normal range. When first diagnosed my HbA1c was higher than yours (107 mmol/mol) and it is now in the normal range at 34 mmol/mol.

Hi @Nanny_B ! Welcome. First I have to say you seem to be getting some good support from your health service and far better than I received at first or since, and I suspect many others here will not have had as good support as you are receiving.
You've probably been provided with the self-testing supplies because of the gliclazide you've been prescibed as it's a sulphonylurea drug and can lower BG sufficiently low enough to cause hypoglycaemia which is something to be avoided (I'm on it but have only had one 'hypo' and I know exactly what caused it so am unlikely to have another!)
Like Jay-Marc above, my initial HbA1c was well above yours, but the meds and probably more importantly diet have reduced it considerably and I'm currently approximately 47.7.
As had already been said it's the carbs in foods you need to watch - read the backs of food packaging and forget the sugars on the 'traffic lights'. Cream is very low carb, about 2.2/100g and double cream even lower at 1.7/100g. Spreadable light butter comes in at a mere 0.8/100g.
On the basis that 'A picture's worth a thousand words', the graph shows what happened to my BG levels when I went from 'lowish carbs' to 'next to no carbs' in October this year.
Hang on in here, you'll learn a lot and get all the support you want.

Dave

Hi @Nanny_B

Yes, welcome to the forum, the right place to be for good advice. There is so much knowlege and expertise here which, fortunately, is happily shared.

Yes, you must be very confused and that is quite normal, under the circumstances. Take each day at a time, ask questions here, read lots, and try not to get overwhelmed or stressed. There's life after such a diagnosis

Now, the good news is that, yes, you CAN enjoy a lot of previously 'forbidden' foods. Eventually, when you have had a chance to do lots or reading, you will have a better understanding of this but, in the meantime, take the advice from NHS professionals (ie doctors, nurses etc) about the EatWell Plate. For several reasons, although this is pushed as 'healthly', the amount of carbs are not healthly/best for diabetics. Carbs, which includes sugars, grains, fruit, bread, pasta, rice, are sources of glucose once in your body system so, to minimise your glucose levels, it's useful to restrict some, or all, of these foods. I'll tag @daisy1 for you, who will post some very useful information re Diabetes. It's a good base to start from.

So, carbs are well worth much consideration. Also, an increase in fats is actually good and will often improve cholestrol levels, believe it or not I'm not on statins as I didn't tolerate them well so happy to ditch them but, since LCHF, my cholestrol has significantly improved.

There are some lovely foods that you can eat when LCHF and, because of the fats, one tends not to be hungry. It's also a brilliant way for weight los - I'm lost 3 st and haven't managed to do anything like this before, in spite of WW or SW - just can't cope with watching food etc but this way is great However, your nurse is best left in ignorance, to be honest, as they seem to think you need carbs for the brain!!! You will get plenty glucose for your brain and energy on LCHF

Also, try to leave low fat foods on the shelf, and choose full fat. The low fat variety will usually have extra sugar in!!!

Test, test and test. Find out what foods you can tolerate etc. Luckily, you have already been prescribed meter and strips - well done

Good luch and keep posting

Hi Nanny_B and welcome to this forum. You have made the 1st and most vital step in getting your condition under control.

Similar to you, I was very sceptical regarding LCHF given that it is so contrary to conventional dietary advice. However, after 4 months, a 33kg weight loss, a 50% reduction in HBA1C and several improvements in cardiological health my scepticism has been dispelled.

Nanny_B said:

Hi all, thank you so much for all your amazing and informative replies. . I tried to take a blood glucose test tonight but made a Royal mess trying to get the drop of blood onto the testing strip so will attempt tomorrow lol.
x

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Don't sweat about finger pricking, it too me a couple of weeks to get it right and was was getting a bit fed up and sore having three stabs at it! Soaking your hands in a basin of hot water water increases the blood supply to the fingers and makes drawing a little drop of blood easier. Make sure you dry your hands completely before testing.

Nanny_B said:

Hi all, thank you so much for all your amazing and informative replies. I'm so grateful to you for taking the time to help me. I tried to take a blood glucose test tonight but made a Royal mess trying to get the drop of blood onto the testing strip so will attempt tomorrow lol.

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You may well be doing it right, but in case you aren't, you don't put the blood directly onto the test strip but place it very close by so it 'sucks' it up under capillary action. Think it took me a few before I got the hang of this as instructions aren't always clear.

LCHF sounded incredibly counter-intuitive to me, and I resisted going that way for a while. I was 18 and a half stone, tried desperately on several occasions to lose weight well before my diagnosis with the High Carb Low Fat advice and loads of fruit and veg, but to no avail, and gave up. After all, I was, as 1 GP so charmingly put it, "ridiculously healthy considering your weight." Completely switching that food advice round and allowing myself eggs, butter, cream, full fat whatever and good oils, was just totally weird.

But, the results speak for themselves. I've almost completely lost the weight I needed to - down to the last stubborn few pounds, and I really can't remember when I was last in the 9 stone something for weight - around 14 or so, probably and I'm in my 50s now.

On the whole, on LCHF, my blood glucose levels are excellent and, according to my spreadsheet, the bad weeks are only when I've risked cake or cookies or chips. It seems to take days to get the elevated results back down again. Other bad spells have been illness or stress related. Good incentive to avoid both where possible.

However, with 30g - 45g of carbs a day. mostly from vegetables, a few berries and the occasional piece of very dark chocolate, a lot of walking, and good portion control, I'm fine. In fact, I've never been healthier or had more energy.

Jamesuk9 said:

In simple terms, ignore all the western dietary advice from the last 40 yrs and buy only full fat dairy produce. Use full fat butter and cream and eat plenty of healthy dietary fat, eat eggs, as many as you like and plenty of meat and fish. Bacon and egg is a perfect breakfast for diabetics. Snack on nuts instead of cakes and biscuits and turn away from grains and cereals and processed foods. If you must eat fruit, stick to berries and eat plenty of above ground veg. All below ground veg is starchy and turns to sugar in your stomach. If you use your meter before and after every meal at 1 and 2 hours you will soon work out what foods spike your BS levels and need to be Eliminated or reduced. If you follow the sound advice on the forum your glucose levels will start to fall within days. there is plenty of support here at any time if you need it.

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Nicely summed up

Welcome and I will tag @daisy1 for you with a little more helpful advice and a post that contains the blood glucose ranges we are aiming for when we test.

Nanny_B said:

Hi everyone, I was diagnosed on Friday with Type 2. I was stunned but also relieved as it explained why I had been feeling so poorly for such a long time. I discovered today my readings on Friday were 14 for my blood glucose and 97HbA1c!
Dr said I'd had this for a long time, not sure how long but my last glucose test was done in 2010 when it was ok.

I've been put on 3 lots of tablets, one is for my cholestorol and then Metmorfin and Glyclazide.
My nurse today issued me with a blood testing kit with all the little needles and test strips and said they will top up my prescriptions free of charge so very lucky in that area. I'm going on a course for four half days at my local hospital also. Then my Diabetic Nurse will call me once a week.

So now I'm feeling overwhelmed with all the new info and am trying to work out what I can and cant eat. Id started a diet 2 weeks ago, low carb and eating much healthier and so now I know this news I'm determined to keep going. I have three stone to lose so just as well.

What confuses me though is I've been reading so much on this site over the weekend about having cream in coffee and full fat butter etc....how can I lose weight if I'm eating foods high in fat? I really am at a loss as to what I should be eating to bring my levels down and lose the weight. Is it mainly low sugar content and low carbs I need to be aiming for? And is there is guideline I should be looking at when checking food labels as to what the recommended amount is for carbs, fat, sugar content?

Sorry for the long post, so much I want to ask really but I know I will have invaluable help on here from you all in the coming weeks. Many thanks for reading.

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Welcome to the best place to be if you have been diagnosed with diabetes. Lots of clever, generous peeps have helped me over the last 4 months. Good luck on your journey.

Welcome @Nanny_B You will soon get the hang of testing, you are lucky to have been given the kit, most of us have to buy our own. LCHF does seem strange at the beginning but as the weight slowly and steadily rolls off, the numbers drop, and people comment on how good you look you know you have got it right. I lost about a pound a week which sounds very slow but it worked, was steady and gave me time to develop new eating habits which have lasted. Do keep a food diary so that you know which foods raise your bg, the only way to really take control is to test 2 hours after every meal and if you have space keep a note of exercise taken and your mood. Read round the forum and ask questions, we are a friendly bunch who try to help each other and share the joy of success while supporting when things don't work out. Think of it as starting a new chapter in an adventure to find out something new about yourself. No turning back, no regrets, there will be hard times but there will also be success. Remember you are not alone but you are unique. Good luck.

@Nanny_B

Hello and welcome to the forum As mentioned above, here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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.