• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Turning it around.

Bonzo1

Bonzo1

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Hello, three weeks ago went for my annual tests for BP meds. Two days later Doctor phoned asking me to have a blood sugar test for diabetes. My blood sugar reading came back at 48 (not sure what that means yet). So, I went and bought a one touch blood sucking testing machine to check myself. My first readings over the next few days came back at:

Morning before food = 6.9 2hrs after breakfast =11.5 2 hrs after dinner = 13.4 2 hrs After tea =11.9. These figures were fairly consistent through week one. I’m not sure how my figures relate to the Doctors.

Anyway, two weeks ago I started to cut down on my carbs (dear bread and potatoes, if you are reading this I MISS YOU xx) and through week two my readings were: Morning before food =5.8 2hrs after breakfast =9.5 2hrs after dinner 10.2 2hrs after tea =8.2

This past week my only carb intake is a slice of wholemeal bread a day, the rest of my diet consists of chicken, fish and veg (boring at min).

My second reading from Doctor came back at 46 (this was taken on second week) my readings for this past week are: Morning before food =4.9 2hrs after breakfast =6.0 2hrs after dinner =5.7 2hrs after tea = 5.5. I have had no readings above 6. I have not been physically active over these weeks because I’m studying. I am hoping after my exams (next week) I will be more active and be able to increase my carb intake? I will check as I go.

Also, I have been told I have high cholesterol 8.75 (1.1 good) not sure what that means as yet (don’t scare me if you do). So, seeing nurse on Friday for diet and life style change, Doctor wants me to consider satins… (I will research) but happy to monitor my bloods for me over the next three months. One more thing, I have 80% chance of not having a heart attack or a stroke within the next ten years.
 
Well done fro reducing your blood sugars. A HbA1C of 48 or over is diabetic, between 42 and 47 is pre-diabetic.
The ideal is to have a pre-meal blood sugar reading between 4 and 7 and not more than 8.5 two hours after eating.

I wouldn't raise your carb intake as this will raise your blood sugars.

See the film Statin Nation you want some info on statins, their benefits and nasty side effects. The complete film is available on dietdoctor.com if you become a member. My diabtes nurse suggested I use them the other day, but I would never do this as they seem to have dangerous side effects for many users.
 
Hello and welcome aboard!

Well done for being so proactive and starting to control this condition!

Your results from your GP are HbA1c tests. The 48mmol/mol is just over the boarderline and would put you as diabetic. The second test was to confirm or otherwise the first, and this puts you in the pre-diabetic range. Your GP/nurse will decide which bracket to put you in. It may be in your interest to be labelled as diabetic because that will put you on the diabetic register and you should then be on the care pathway, which looks after you to some extent. Either way, you have been caught early so have every chance of reversing this, and from your own blood tests it seems you are well on your way.

Your own meter readings are in different measurement units (mmol/l). The HbA1c is an average of your blood sugar levels over the previous 2 to 3 months, and if you use this converter you will see your first HbA1c equates to 7.7mmol/l. http://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-to-blood-sugar-level-converter.html

Do read up on cholesterol and statins. It is "normal" for all diabetics to be offered statins. You can always refuse them.
Your total cholesterol of 8.75 is meaningless without the breakdown. You need to know the HDL, LDL, Triglycerides and the ratios. Neither you nor your doctor can make an informed decision on statins without these levels. Ask your surgery for a print out of all the results, and also ask if your surgery puts test results on line. All surgeries in England should have done this before April 2016, but some haven't. If yours are on-line, ask how to register to see them.
 
Art Of Flowers said:
Well done fro reducing your blood sugars. A HbA1C of 48 or over is diabetic, between 42 and 47 is pre-diabetic.
The ideal is to have a pre-meal blood sugar reading between 4 and 7 and not more than 8.5 two hours after eating.

I wouldn't raise your carb intake as this will raise your blood sugars.

See the film Statin Nation you want some info on statins, their benefits and nasty side effects. The complete film is available on dietdoctor.com if you become a member. My diabtes nurse suggested I use them the other day, but I would never do this as they seem to have dangerous side effects for many users.
Click to expand...
Thank You
 
Hi @Bonzo1 .. and welcome
You have made a good move coming here. Since joining this forum the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. So ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need .. in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly.

Managing and controlling your diabetes through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward. 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 have tagged @daisy1 for you and I would 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 ...
Low Carb Intro and Information
Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

I note that @Bluetit1802 has already sent you info about blood sugar and HbA1c .. this is also extremely useful information

Hope this helps
 
Your post cracked me up!! Funny

Now on the serious side , Great job reducing bs!!!! I agree to not up the carbs as they will increase blood glucose.

Along with your chicken fish and veg ( boring at min haha) you can add some fats like avocado, a few nuts and seeds, a little real butter on your veg, some creamy mayo based salad dressing and olive oil. If you like spicy you can add hot sauce to mayo for salad dressing or dips. Horseradish is nice too

As far as your cholesterol, I imagine it will plummet on low carb, healthy fat diet. Carbs are the nasties that raise cholesterol. Some of us need to keep saturated fats on the low end to keep cholesterol in range but things like olive oil, avocado and a few nuts generally don't raise it. Just dumping the carbs by itself should help a lot. Personally I would wait a few months being on this way of life before you worry over cholesterol but that's between you and your doctor.
Lchf is not high protein, just an FYI. So we replace the carb calories with fat calories. No need to gob or overeat them but do add some additional fat to your meals or snacks. Fat also slows the spike. Avocado is great for this with its high fiber content. Over eating protein CAN raise blood glucose as well. Fat generally has very little effect

Some say make a normal meal and just don't make / eat the carbs.

Good luck! Keep up the good work!
 
You don't have to try to restrict carbs to just bread - it is so dense in carbs that you could be having all sorts of vegetables salads and even a small amount of fruits for the same carb count.
These days I am haivng green salads, tomato radish cucumber celery, with coleslaw, and dinners with cauliflower, or turninp, swead or celeriac, a fw peas or beans or other fresh ingredients.
Bread is boring, but I do have Lidl protein rolls in the freeezer, as they are convenient to take out when needed. I also have frozen berries - I look for the lowest carb mixes, and enjoy them with cream and or sugar free jelly or high fat yoghurt.
 
Thank you all very much... lots of things to take in at the moment, its comforting not being alone in trying to understand it all. THANK YOU :)
 
@Bonzo1

Hello Bonzo1 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 like and someone will be able to help. You are making good progress already.


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 235,000 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.
 
Hello again, I'm confused and a little worried about eating fat and not sure if it will up my cholesterol. I am trying to research this but, struggling a bit. the clip I watched has really helped me to think more about statins. thank you all for all the help I am getting. John.
 
Hi
I was diagnosed with type 2 in March. It was bad enough being diagnosed but my levels were a whopping 23. I was determined to attempt to control this by diet/excercise.
I bought a monitor and started to excercise ,albeit just walking the dogs twice a day. My levels dropped to around 16 and I was losing weight. Now nearly 2 and 1/2 months on I feel I have made a big breakthrough. I have lost over 2 stone, joined a gym and go 2 to 3 times a week. My last 3 readings have been 9, 8.5 and 8.3. I know these are still high but from where I was I feel quite good with myself.
Not only that I feel fitter at 60 than I have for many years. My clothes fit me better, in fact dropped at least one size, and I look better.
It's not easy esp watching my family tuck into take always etc but Not eating carbs means I don't feel hungry all the time (sometimes but not all the time :). )
I really don't want to go on medication until I can no longer avoid it so I am going to keep this up and see where it takes me
 
Bonzo1 said:
Hello again, I'm confused and a little worried about eating fat and not sure if it will up my cholesterol. I am trying to research this but, struggling a bit. the clip I watched has really helped me to think more about statins. thank you all for all the help I am getting. John.
Click to expand...
I ate according to Atkins, thiking that it was far more important to reduce my blood glucose levels than my cholesterol - particularly as there is some thought that having a higher cholesterol level when elderly and female is actually an advantage. I had a second blood test and found that not only were my blood glucose results excellent but my cholesterol had gone down, and the various ratios of different parts were excellent or ideal.
Although there is so much advice about eating low fat and healthy amounts of carbohydrates, people are getting fatter and less healthy, so either there are some very naughty people about, or the advice is all wrong.
 
Update:


I have seen the diabetic nurse today for my healthy life style plan… Things didn’t go as I thought. I took my BG readings with me to show how they have come down to normal (2hrs after food no more than 6.3) levels, I am still learning what to eat. Nurse asked me if I had change anything. I told her that I had reduced my carbs and cut out Bread Potatoes all together. She then told me that I needed carbs… I explained that if I had one small potato with my meal my BG reading goes to 11.01. When I have the same meal without one small potato my BG is below 6.3 2 hrs after eating. So, my question to her was: If I have the potato you would class my readings as Diabetic and without it you would class me none Diabetic, shall I eat the Potato or not? Her reply was: “I not sure what to do here.” I then asked what she thought was going on. Nurse said: “I think your Pancreas maybe packing up, I don’t know.” I didn’t like hearing that…


I then asked about my cholesterol, my total is 7.5 (I was wrong with my first post.) My HDL is: 1.1 and my LDL ? (? Was on the computer screen), I asked what did that mean and was told it was off the scale… I am a little lost at min. I asked for another blood test, but was told not allowed until three months. Nurse has now referred me back to the Doctor next week for me to ask more questions…


Last week I was feeling dizzy and weak due to lack of carbs (I think), but over the past day or two I am feeling kind of normal I have also lost a stone. Sorry about using the word Potato a lot, that’s all I seem to think about these days. Thank You All for the advice it has/is helping me. John
 
Well, typical response from a diabetes nurse I'm afraid. The NHS guidelines are to eat plenty of carbs with every meal. Potatoes and bread are good for you etc etc. So the nurse just churns all this out as she has been told to do. My question is - which do you prefer? Non diabetic levels or diabetic levels? Follow your own findings. Scrap the potatoes! (or try again with one small one if you must). It isn't nursey's fault. It is the NHS dragging their heels and refusing to accept that carbs are not a good idea for T2 diabetics. Virtually all of us are told to eat carbs but when we present ourselves with excellent blood sugar results and explain how we arrived at them they have to back down or shrug it off.

I explained to my nurse how I test out different foods and that bread shot me up to double figures. She was amazed. She admitted she had never come across the idea of testing out foods this way, but has backed me ever since.

Your nurse is clearly wrong about your pancreas packing up! It isn't even logical. If it were packing up you would be seeing double figures all the time. It was the potato, not your pancreas.
 
Bonzo1 said:
Last week I was feeling dizzy and weak due to lack of carbs (I think), but over the past day or two I am feeling kind of normal I have also lost a stone.
Click to expand...

It helps to understand that when we become prediabetes/diabetes, our brain has been used to high level of glucose. It is also likely that there is some level of impaired glucose uptake in the brain. So when glucose drops to a "normal" level of between 4-6 mmols, the brain may still be in a mini fuel shortage crisis. This is the general rationale for the you need carbs mantra.

However, our brain and most of our cells happens to be a hybrid engine. They can be fueled by both glucose AND ketones. As our glucose level drops, our insulin level drops as well. This enable the body to start its fats utilization process and releases ketones. But this process may take a couple of days to ramp up. During this ramp up phase, that is where you will feel the dizzy/weakness. Whenever carbs comes in, this fats utilization process stops, as the body will need to deal with the carbs first. It cannot deal with both fats AND carbs at the same time.

Once we understand this, we begin to understand how a low carb high fats diet works. The fats can come from the diet or from our stored fats. That is also the reason we are able to fast for days with stable minimal glucose level.
 
Back
Top