Struggling

[ickihun]

@sandie2101 one thing I've learned about being type 2 diabetic is every diabetic is different but the same.
Different weight, height and personal fat threshold.
Same need for bg control and weight.
The 2hr after eating carbs rule has been my saviour. I've been very lucky to have enough test strips on prescription to explore my no-nos.
My advice is do one thing at a time. You don't have to dash off exercising heavily. In my experience it has complicated things too early on. Once bgs are nearing normal range and your happy with where you're at you could increase an exercise regime.
But for now test after 2hrs on porridge, oatcakes and bread especially.
Explore with butter in veg. Seasonings too. Anything to make veg taste good to you.
Make veg your base of your meal.
I'm sorry nuts wont work for you but cheese squares are a brilliant appetite suppressant.
Enjoy your food there's plenty of it.

 

[sandie2101]

Firstly buy a cupboard full of 'ready oats from one of the supermarkets and make sure its the very first thing you eat 'every' day. You don't need milk, just boil the kettle. It's a little bland until your taste comes back from the seclusion sugar gave it. The oats help 'all' your meals digest slower and so help you control sugars better. Try a flute of shweppes slimline tonic water with a squeeze of real lime in it: This is tart but gets the brain to accept changes in your diet more readily, the tonic and the lime also help with lethargy so aid against becoming depressed as easily. Bread is the killer as it breaks up too easily yet is a hard one to drop. Crackers are a much better alternative.
The 'ONLY' way I have found any control is 'Physical Activity', I go to a gym as I don't take medication (I had a severe allergic reaction) but for yourself it could be as simple as getting involved in a sport or enjoying a bike ride each day to work etc.
Please trial your exercise in different periods i.e. what did your blood sugar drop to after 1hr of exertion compared with half an hour: you'll probably find as i did that half an hour is sufficient as you generally put more effort in during the first 30mins.
I've been a type two for just over a year and was frightened to the point of mental blockage but once I found I enjoyed the changes in diet and the new look of my body- I began to control my diabetes. This is a 'forever' change that can always be altered as you move forwards: Just remember not to step back, I stopped smoking forever not just for a few years or weeks and alcohol has not been used for pleasure purely so I can enjoy life without constantly needing to worry or go to the loo. Some find a small glass of red wine can be medicinal but remeber: alcohol 'WILL' have an effect on your blood sugars.
You have my empathy but this is a choice for you to make: Do you want to get up early and exercise just to have a happy life? Are you the slob that can't set an alarm clock or discipline yourself to not be the grump that we can all be? DO you want to actually 'Live' a life instead of just ageing in distress?
C'mon start with oats in the morning and read lots of information as sometimes even though we are individual we can all benefit from a common remedy: exercise is the most common but just think of your passion to become a karate blackbelt or learn to play tennis- sport is great and WILL help you!
Kind regards.
Gary.

 

[sandie2101]

Firstly buy a cupboard full of 'ready oats from one of the supermarkets and make sure its the very first thing you eat 'every' day. You don't need milk, just boil the kettle. It's a little bland until your taste comes back from the seclusion sugar gave it. The oats help 'all' your meals digest slower and so help you control sugars better. Try a flute of shweppes slimline tonic water with a squeeze of real lime in it: This is tart but gets the brain to accept changes in your diet more readily, the tonic and the lime also help with lethargy so aid against becoming depressed as easily. Bread is the killer as it breaks up too easily yet is a hard one to drop. Crackers are a much better alternative.
The 'ONLY' way I have found any control is 'Physical Activity', I go to a gym as I don't take medication (I had a severe allergic reaction) but for yourself it could be as simple as getting involved in a sport or enjoying a bike ride each day to work etc.
Please trial your exercise in different periods i.e. what did your blood sugar drop to after 1hr of exertion compared with half an hour: you'll probably find as i did that half an hour is sufficient as you generally put more effort in during the first 30mins.
I've been a type two for just over a year and was frightened to the point of mental blockage but once I found I enjoyed the changes in diet and the new look of my body- I began to control my diabetes. This is a 'forever' change that can always be altered as you move forwards: Just remember not to step back, I stopped smoking forever not just for a few years or weeks and alcohol has not been used for pleasure purely so I can enjoy life without constantly needing to worry or go to the loo. Some find a small glass of red wine can be medicinal but remeber: alcohol 'WILL' have an effect on your blood sugars.
You have my empathy but this is a choice for you to make: Do you want to get up early and exercise just to have a happy life? Are you the slob that can't set an alarm clock or discipline yourself to not be the grump that we can all be? DO you want to actually 'Live' a life instead of just ageing in distress?
C'mon start with oats in the morning and read lots of information as sometimes even though we are individual we can all benefit from a common remedy: exercise is the most common but just think of your passion to become a karate blackbelt or learn to play tennis- sport is great and WILL help you!
Kind regards.
Gary.

 

[sandie2101]

Thank you for your advice, it all makes sense but quite overwhelming...I have been having porridge for breakfast but someone said its not good....so a wee bit confused now as I love it and would happily eat it every day

 

[sandie2101]

@sandie2101 one thing I've learned about being type 2 diabetic is every diabetic is different but the same.
Different weight, height and personal fat threshold.
Same need for bg control and weight.
The 2hr after eating carbs rule has been my saviour. I've been very lucky to have enough test strips on prescription to explore my no-nos.
My advice is do one thing at a time. You don't have to dash off exercising heavily. In my experience it has complicated things too early on. Once bgs are nearing normal range and your happy with where you're at you could increase an exercise regime.
But for now test after 2hrs on porridge, oatcakes and bread especially.
Explore with butter in veg. Seasonings too. Anything to make veg taste good to you.
Make veg your base of your meal.
I'm sorry nuts wont work for you but cheese squares are a brilliant appetite suppressant.
Enjoy your food there's plenty of it.

Thank you for your advice and support, some days I could cry for sure...cheese eggs tomatoes all seem ok i have dropped 4 points since breakfast so thats good, im having porridge now so shall see what that does.....I hope my gp will keep giving me loads of strips and needles to test loads...

 

[ickihun]

Thank you for your advice, it all makes sense but quite overwhelming...I have been having porridge for breakfast but someone said its not good....so a wee bit confused now as I love it and would happily eat it every day

Test and see if it works for you. Enjoy testing for some surprising results.

 

[Brunneria]

Thank you for your advice, it all makes sense but quite overwhelming...I have been having porridge for breakfast but someone said its not good....so a wee bit confused now as I love it and would happily eat it every day

I would bear in mind that @MAFG666 is male, fit, active, and does lots of exercise, and has found what works for him. I assume his thyroid is firing on all cylinders too. All of which affects his carb tolerances.

Doesn't mean that half his advice will work for you. It certainly doesn't for me.

Luckily, all you need to do is eat to your meter, and you will be able to discover if any food (or activity) suits you, or not.

 

[sandie2101]

I didn't lose much weight either. You are only 3 weeks in though, so give it a chance.

thank you yes I know I think you almost become paranoid with numbers!!!

 

[sandie2101]

Hi sandie2101, I started out in Jan this year with a BG reading of 19,.3 Weight 12st 5lbs. age 64 retired female. Now through the help of this site and the LCHF diet I am down to 11st. Go to the forum "What Have You Eaten Today" and see what we all have for meals, don't forget we are all different and tolerate foods a bit different sometimes. I am still testing before and after certain new foods I try, it takes time and patience but you will get there. Good luck.

Thank you I appreciate your support... yep I think testing after meals is the way to go for a while until I know how foods react with my body!!! hopefully some weight loss to follow

 

[sandie2101]

I would bear in mind that @MAFG666 is male, fit, active, and does lots of exercise, and has found what works for him. I assume his thyroid is firing on all cylinders too. All of which affects his carb tolerances.

Doesn't mean that half his advice will work for you. It certainly doesn't for me.

Luckily, all you need to do is eat to your meter, and you will be able to discover if any food (or activity) suits you, or not.

Thank you ...very steep learning curve for sure

 

[ickihun]

Thank you for your advice and support, some days I could cry for sure...cheese eggs tomatoes all seem ok i have dropped 4 points since breakfast so thats good, im having porridge now so shall see what that does.....I hope my gp will keep giving me loads of strips and needles to test loads...

I'm sure if you explain its only temporary and for such a good cause. (Saving them money on tablets or expensive insulin).
We can help by support you -all the way.
I've been diagnosed diabetic for 14yrs but had it long before that. Keeping bg levels good has been my saviour too. I've tested since then. Through 2 pregnancies too. I have testing milage.
But only found out recently how damaging carbs can be.
Going on insulin made me revaluate my overweight bmi problem.
I'm looking for weight loss but due to underactive thyroid weight loss is hampered.
Very slow but not impossible.
I hear success stories of fantastic weight loss and I get disheartened.
My struggle is different to some but the same as others. Yours too.
I have no doubt thou we will lose weight. It's possible.
Slower for us but very achievable.

 

[Rosbif]

Thank you for your advice, it all makes sense but quite overwhelming...I have been having porridge for breakfast but someone said its not good....so a wee bit confused now as I love it and would happily eat it every day

If your meter says "no" to porridge, you could try adding ground almonds to it. I read that somewhere... Worth a try at any rate!

 

[Digger-i-doo]

Thank you for your advice, it all makes sense but quite overwhelming...I have been having porridge for breakfast but someone said its not good....so a wee bit confused now as I love it and would happily eat it every day

Hi Sandie. I'm a newbie myself and was completely overwhelmed by the learning curve in the beginning too. It took a while, but I eventually built up a pantry full of low-carb ingredients ... many of which I'd either never heard of before, or had no real interest in trying. But now I love what I'm able to eat. For example, I make a variation of the following almost every day: http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2012/10/grain-free-hot-cereal.html. She suggests adding nut butter, which I've done, but lately I've been adding coconut manna instead (which I'd never heard of either until recently when I bought it by accident thinking it was coconut oil ... the learning curve continues! )

There are lots of ideas out there (on the website I posted, and on a bunch of others) for excellent low-carb breakfasts. If you're willing to experiment a bit I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Hang in there ... it gets better!

 

[Neohdiver]

Firstly buy a cupboard full of 'ready oats from one of the supermarkets and make sure its the very first thing you eat 'every' day.

Testing oats - and anything else carby - is a good idea, but I wouldn't recommend starting by buying "a cupboard full" of anything high in carb. Small quantities are a much wiser investment until you know how your body will react. (If I'd bought a cupboard full, one of the local food banks would have gotten a nice, hefty, donation - since oats do not agree with my BG metabolism.)

 

[Neohdiver]

Good Morning Hankjam, thank you so much for your reply...here goes I have to test 3 times a day before meals...so for the last week 8.6 6.2 5.2
10.5 8.9 6.5
6.5 7.2 6.7
9.1 6.7 7.0
7.9 5.6 9.6
8.6 4.9 4.6
9.4 7.9 8.5
8.5 7.9 11.7
9.7
Diet now consists of bacon, chicken beef eggs, cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, vegetables....porridge for breakfast and oatcakes, occasionally I have a couple of slices of seeded bread but I think its not good...I also have a nut allergy...(not a lot going for me at the min lol)

I'm afraid you were given bad advice about testing - if the goal is to control your blood glucose. The period that really matters is after the meal. I test before a meal I haven't previously checked out, 1 hour after, 2 hours after, and (if the 2 hour test is higher than the one hour test) 3 hours after.

If I had to do only one test associated with a meal, it would probably be the 1 hour after test (most likely to catch the peak spike). I might alternate that with 2 hours after. Not quite as sophisticated as @Brunneria 's rise limit, but as a rough tool to save your fingers, aim for a reasonable high (my personal tolerance is 7.8)

Also - to save your fingers make sure you are poking on the sides, not the pads or the tips. Your lancing device probably came with helpful pictures - but if you are like many newbies you just mimicked what the doctor does (which is typically jab the most painful location - the pad). There are many more nerve endings in the pads than the sides. There are also devices that hurt less than others. I can barely feel mine - AccuCheck FastClix (It's predecessor - SoftClix was widely reviewed as the gentlest). In the US, I can get 102 lancets for $12. I started using mine in December, and I'm on ~ lancet #16, 3-4 tests a day. So a box of 102 is going to last me a long time. Definitely worth the investment for finger-sparing!

 

[sandie2101]

Hi Sandie. I'm a newbie myself and was completely overwhelmed by the learning curve in the beginning too. It took a while, but I eventually built up a pantry full of low-carb ingredients ... many of which I'd either never heard of before, or had no real interest in trying. But now I love what I'm able to eat. For example, I make a variation of the following almost every day: http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2012/10/grain-free-hot-cereal.html. She suggests adding nut butter, which I've done, but lately I've been adding coconut manna instead (which I'd never heard of either until recently when I bought it by accident thinking it was coconut oil ... the learning curve continues! )

There are lots of ideas out there (on the website I posted, and on a bunch of others) for excellent low-carb breakfasts. If you're willing to experiment a bit I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Hang in there ... it gets better!

Thank you so much I will have a look at the site, to add insult to injury forgive the pun I also have a nut allergy which includes coconut...happy days lol....

 

[sandie2101]

If your meter says "no" to porridge, you could try adding ground almonds to it. I read that somewhere... Worth a try at any rate!

Unfortunately I also have a nut and coconut allergy also....isn't life great

 

[sandie2101]

I'm afraid you were given bad advice about testing - if the goal is to control your blood glucose. The period that really matters is after the meal. I test before a meal I haven't previously checked out, 1 hour after, 2 hours after, and (if the 2 hour test is higher than the one hour test) 3 hours after.

If I had to do only one test associated with a meal, it would probably be the 1 hour after test (most likely to catch the peak spike). I might alternate that with 2 hours after. Not quite as sophisticated as @Brunneria 's rise limit, but as a rough tool to save your fingers, aim for a reasonable high (my personal tolerance is 7.8)

Also - to save your fingers make sure you are poking on the sides, not the pads or the tips. Your lancing device probably came with helpful pictures - but if you are like many newbies you just mimicked what the doctor does (which is typically jab the most painful location - the pad). There are many more nerve endings in the pads than the sides. There are also devices that hurt less than others. I can barely feel mine - AccuCheck FastClix (It's predecessor - SoftClix was widely reviewed as the gentlest). In the US, I can get 102 lancets for $12. I started using mine in December, and I'm on ~ lancet #16, 3-4 tests a day. So a box of 102 is going to last me a long time. Definitely worth the investment for finger-sparing!

Thank you so much, it is really interesting how everyone is told different things, to test after eating would make more sense to me but I double checked with the surgery and both nurses told me to test before eating...so what I am doing as of lunch time is doing both to see what my body is up to. I had a bowl of porridge at lunch time and my bloods went up from 5.5 to 7.1 so looks like porridge is now off the menu as well. I think maybe you are in the USA where you have to pay, here in the UK we are fortunate to have supplies provided by the NHS

 

[Brunneria]

Thank you so much, it is really interesting how everyone is told different things, to test after eating would make more sense to me but I double checked with the surgery and both nurses told me to test before eating...so what I am doing as of lunch time is doing both to see what my body is up to. I had a bowl of porridge at lunch time and my bloods went up from 5.5 to 7.1 so looks like porridge is now off the menu as well. I think maybe you are in the USA where you have to pay, here in the UK we are fortunate to have supplies provided by the NHS

Rising from 5.5 to 7.1 is less that a rise of 2 mmol/l so I would take that as good news.

Maybe test it a few times, but with that portion size, it looks like you are OK.

I would be celebrating that. My porridge reaction is FAR FAR worse.

 

[Rosbif]

Unfortunately I also have a nut and coconut allergy also....isn't life great

Oh no, that's a pity!