Type 2 Diabetes Low Carbs Diet

Jon_Olitan

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi, I was wondering if someone have tried the Lowcarb Lowfat diet or Low Carb high fat diet? I was trying it and have problems with the Diabeties medication because I almost went to hypoglycemia?Although right now, I am way past the effects of that because I am eating carbs less than 50 grams per day, all veggies no grains. I occassionally include sodium in my diet but not to exceed 2500mg/day to avoid losing much fluids in my brain. Can this method (Low Carbs diet) possibly reverse type 2 diabetes and Hypertension? I am taking up my meds occassionaly for hypertension, but I removed my medication like metformin and gliclazide for 3 weeks now because of the Hypoglycemic episodes. My FBS is between 70 to 90mg/dl, and my Post prandial is less than 110mg/dl? I would appreciate your comments and views because I dont know if I should be scared, worried or happy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

bulkbiker

BANNED
Messages
19,575
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi Jon and welcome.
It sounds like you are doing quite well with controlling your blood sugar levels.
I will tag @daisy1 for her intro into Low Carb as a way of life to keep your blood glucose down. It sounds like you are testing already so that is good.
Have a read around the forum (especially the success stories thread) to see what a lot of people have achieved by eating Low Carb High Fat.
 

walnut_face

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,748
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
welcome @Jon_Olitan Metformin will not cause a Hypo but gliclazide IS a BG lowering medication. A low Carb diet in effect reduces the fuel which our bodies convert to sugar. Always best to consult with your HCP before changing your meds. To answer your final point, I think you should be happy, but please do go see your Dr or Practice Nurse and discuss with them your lifestyle changes and tell them that you have stopped taking them
 

Jon_Olitan

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
welcome @Jon_Olitan Metformin will not cause a Hypo but gliclazide IS a BG lowering medication. A low Carb diet in effect reduces the fuel which our bodies convert to sugar. Always best to consult with your HCP before changing your meds. To answer your final point, I think you should be happy, but please do go see your Dr or Practice Nurse and discuss with them your lifestyle changes and tell them that you have stopped taking them
Thank you for your advice and I am quite relieved. I will do your suggestion and I hope at least to lessen the effects of T2D or possibly reverse it.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Jon_Olitan

Hello Jon and welcome to the forum :) Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. It includes a lot of advice about carbs and a link to the Low Carb Program which you might like to look at. Ask more questions 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 210,000 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.