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Struggling
- Thread starter Netty144
- Start Date
Hello @Netty144 and welcome to the forum, your diet has quite a lot of carbs in it. Carbs are not a type 2 diabetics friend.
Many of us follow a Lchf diet ( low carb high fat).
I see @azure has tagged in @daisy1 who will send you some useful information, have a read and ask any questions, you may also want to look at the low carb programme on this site.
Many of us follow a Lchf diet ( low carb high fat).
I see @azure has tagged in @daisy1 who will send you some useful information, have a read and ask any questions, you may also want to look at the low carb programme on this site.
ickihun
Master
Your bingeing is due to high levels of weetabix (carb), jam (carb) and. Muffin (carbs) and potatoes (carbs). These accumulative carbs give you very high bgs (spikes) after consumption and your body (type2) cannot process them into energy with enough or good quality insulin of your own resulting in carb cravings. Metformin reduces the liver from uptaking too much glucose to dump at a later date but it still happens in time of fasting. Long term use of metformin counter-acts insulin resistance to turn this malfunction around by changing the gut intake and fat cell transportation of nutrients. Correctly.
Continue with metformin (if you can tolerate its side affect) as it is a game changer whilst finding out what your body needs. Other than less carbs!
Continue with metformin (if you can tolerate its side affect) as it is a game changer whilst finding out what your body needs. Other than less carbs!
AM1874
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,383
- Location
- West Lancs
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Not much
Hi @Netty144 .. and welcome
Managing and controlling your diabetes (or pre-diabetes) through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..
I see that @azure has already tagged @ daisy1 for you and I suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following Diet Doctor websites which will give you all the info that you need on what and what not to eat ...
Low Carb Intro and Information and Low Carbs in 60 Seconds
Unless you are prescribed a test meter by your doctor (unlikely), it is important that you get yourself one and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both which I alternate for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them.
The cost of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. Make sure that you tick the appropriate box on the on-line order form and you won't pay VAT on the cost of your meter or strips.
For the SD Codefree, the strips are £7.69 for a pack of 50 and there are discount codes available for bulk purchases:
5 packs x 50 use code: 264086 .. cost is £38.45
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £76.90
For the TEE 2, the strips are £7.75 for a pack of 50 .. there are no discounts currently available for bulk buys
I'm testing 3-5 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for either of the two packages above but, more importantly, I know what my BG levels are .. and I can now manage them
Hope this helps
Managing and controlling your diabetes (or pre-diabetes) through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..
I see that @azure has already tagged @ daisy1 for you and I suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following Diet Doctor websites which will give you all the info that you need on what and what not to eat ...
Low Carb Intro and Information and Low Carbs in 60 Seconds
Unless you are prescribed a test meter by your doctor (unlikely), it is important that you get yourself one and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both which I alternate for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them.
The cost of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. Make sure that you tick the appropriate box on the on-line order form and you won't pay VAT on the cost of your meter or strips.
For the SD Codefree, the strips are £7.69 for a pack of 50 and there are discount codes available for bulk purchases:
5 packs x 50 use code: 264086 .. cost is £38.45
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £76.90
For the TEE 2, the strips are £7.75 for a pack of 50 .. there are no discounts currently available for bulk buys
I'm testing 3-5 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for either of the two packages above but, more importantly, I know what my BG levels are .. and I can now manage them
Hope this helps
Last edited:
Alison Campbell
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,443
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
Art Of Flowers
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,299
- Location
- Kent
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Statins
In order to lower your blood sugar you need to cut back on stop eating high carb foods. That means avoiding breakfast cereals, bread, potatoes, rice and pasta. Avoid fruit juice and fruits such as bananas and grapes.
Strawberries are OK and you can have cream with it.
Wheetabix, muffin, potatoes, jam are all high carbs and will raise your blood sugar. Metformin does lot lower blood sugar much. The dawn effect (liver dump) causes blood sugars to rise in the morning, so the blood sugars can be higher when you wake up than when they were when you went to sleep.
Bluetit1802
Legend
Your BG levels are high because you are eating too many carbs at all meals. Perhaps you aren't aware, but all carbohydrate converts to glucose once inside the system. All that glucose you are eating is causing your high levels.
Breakfast cereals (including Weetabix), bread, potatoes, rice and pasta are the main culprits, along with anything made from flour such as sauces, soups, pastry, batter, gravy and so on. Milk is also full of sugar, and of course jam. It seems you have to do quite a few dietary changes if you are to bring your levels down. Diet is the key. Not Metformin.
You have a meter. Do you use it to test before eating, then again 2 hours after first bite? If you do, this will show you exactly what your food has done to your levels. If you keep a food diary including portion sizes, and record your levels alongside, you will see which foods are not helping you. Any rise over 2mmol/l means too many carbs. (ideally it should be under 1.5mmol/l) Doing this will help you as you can change things, reduce the carbs, or eliminate some completely.
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@Netty144
Hello Netty 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 want 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 Netty 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 want 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.
RosieLKH
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 735
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
Goodness me, you've done really well. You must be chuffed. Has your doc given you a massive thumbs up yet?
That is absolutely brilliant news!
WELL DONE!
WELL DONE!
pavlosn
Well-Known Member
Very well done indeed!
woodywhippet61
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 488
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Yea well done. Congratulations.
Alison Campbell
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,443
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
Wow, thanks so much for letting us know how you got on, amazing results.
