Type 2 Diabetic - Diet Controlled - What range should my BG be within?

I would have a good read of this website:

www.bloodsugar101.com
Not only does it explain what the levels should be, it explains WHY.

Only problem with the site is that the blood glucose measuring units used are American. But the conversion is easy - just divide American units by 18 and you get the equivalent in UK units. So a reading of 180 American = approx 10 UK mmol/l

Hope that helps.

lorsand said:

Hi, I am newly diagnosed Type 2 Diabetic. The Doctor said that the Diabetes Nurse would talk to me about it??? Diabetic Nurse said I could try to manage with diet alone or go on Metformin. I opted for diet alone. She said she would review my HbA1c in 6 months but I requested a three month check to obtain feedback on whether my new regime is being effective. My HbA1c that triggered all this was 9.1. I have cut out alcohol (I did drink a lot of wine previously!), I am following a low carb diet (I used to eat a lot of white pasta, rice and bread). Luckily I am not a sweet tooth so do not add sugar to my drinks or eat cakes or chocolate. I know I have lost some weight in the two weeks I have been following the low carb plan and I bought a monitor yesterday (Nurse said not to bother?? but how can you check your progress otherwise - I have no symptoms of high blood glucose) and tested my blood glucose before tea and it was 7.9 - I was so disappointed! Am I being unrealistic? what is an acceptable range for diet controlled diabetics to be within. I know things will not change over night but .....

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Have a look at


http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html

lorsand said:

Hi, I am newly diagnosed Type 2 Diabetic. The Doctor said that the Diabetes Nurse would talk to me about it??? Diabetic Nurse said I could try to manage with diet alone or go on Metformin. I opted for diet alone. She said she would review my HbA1c in 6 months but I requested a three month check to obtain feedback on whether my new regime is being effective. My HbA1c that triggered all this was 9.1. I have cut out alcohol (I did drink a lot of wine previously!), I am following a low carb diet (I used to eat a lot of white pasta, rice and bread). Luckily I am not a sweet tooth so do not add sugar to my drinks or eat cakes or chocolate. I know I have lost some weight in the two weeks I have been following the low carb plan and I bought a monitor yesterday (Nurse said not to bother?? but how can you check your progress otherwise - I have no symptoms of high blood glucose) and tested my blood glucose before tea and it was 7.9 - I was so disappointed! Am I being unrealistic? what is an acceptable range for diet controlled diabetics to be within. I know things will not change over night but .....

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Welcome aboard.
Just one question from me Lorsand; you say you ".... used to eat a lot of white pasta..." and then talk about currently eating low carb. Does the low carb include other (than white) forms of pasta, for example?

Sometimes the messaging around the internet can be confusing around carbs.

Hi @lorsand
It will take a bit of time for your levels to come down. Several months in my case. I would recommend writing everything down, your levels, before and 2 hours after, and what you have eaten. This should show what effect your meal had. If you find a particular meal spikes you then you may want to change it.

lorsand said:

Hi, thank you for asking as this may be contributing to my problem. I have had x2 portions of wholewheat rice, and one portion of brown pasta, two slices of wholemeal bread and one brown pitta bread over the last two weeks. I have substituted what I know as carbohydrates with salad. The first week I was also having a banana per day but this week I have not as apparently they are high in carbohydrates. Oh and I have substituted mashed potatoe for mashed cerleriac or carrot and swede mash. No chips or crisps have passed my lips either. I really want the diet only to work ...

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Sadly, brown variants of carbs are still carbs, but may be slightly slower acting than white carbs.

To be honest, when I started off I found it just easier to forsake pasta (never a fan), potatoes (fine with that) and bread (a bit trickier as I enjoyed the odd comforting slice of toast. My meter told me I got very lucky with rice and have always been able to tolerate modest portions of rice, although if I'm on my own I rarely bother to cook it. I just have more of whatever deliciousness is going with it.

Your meter is your friends, so a diary and testing is the key. Don't make changes based on one test, unless it's not something you're too fussed about forsaking as our results will vary a bit from day-to day, even when we have good control.

lorsand said:

Wow your levels certainly have come down ... I would love this to happen. Guess I should be patient. I have started to write down my meals (I have never really snacked between meals so this makes it easier to record too), the glucose meter I have only has a 50 cassette cartridge and replacements are about £27 (yikes) so I didn't plan on doing my levels every day let alone after every meal .... do you suggest that I should as I appreciate it would help me to find out what meals make my levels high. Just a quick question: are there any hidden sneaky high carb ingredients in a salad of: lettuce, celery, cucumber, radish, black olives, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, pickled beetroot (not sweet pickled) and balsamic salad dressing. Sorry for asking but I need all the help I can get.

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There are far cheaper options for test strips than you are using. Many of those of us who self-fund our testing use this one, which is fine.

http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/

And the strips are here: http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-test-strips/

There is a bulk buying discount code, provided you use that website, as opposed to Amazon or eBay where they are also listed, but I'm not in a great place to get the codes for you right now, but someone else may have them to hand.

You really do need to test quite a lot for a while, then once you know what works for you you can taper it back quite a bit. I'd urge you to look on it as investment in your health.

@Bluetit1802 - Do you have the magic numbers to hand?

If you have the Accu Chek mobile then I have just purchased 2 x 50 test cartridges for 39 pounds from Amazon. They have arrived beautifully wrapped and in perfect condition.

lorsand said:

Wow your levels certainly have come down ... I would love this to happen. Guess I should be patient. I have started to write down my meals (I have never really snacked between meals so this makes it easier to record too), the glucose meter I have only has a 50 cassette cartridge and replacements are about £27 (yikes) so I didn't plan on doing my levels every day let alone after every meal .... do you suggest that I should as I appreciate it would help me to find out what meals make my levels high. Just a quick question: are there any hidden sneaky high carb ingredients in a salad of: lettuce, celery, cucumber, radish, black olives, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, pickled beetroot (not sweet pickled) and balsamic salad dressing. Sorry for asking but I need all the help I can get.

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Hi @lorsand
I am now using the meter @AndBreathe suggested. I was very lucky to begin with as I was given a meter and test strips but now have to fund my own.

The discount codes - copied from another post
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833

I really do think it is a good investment to test before a meal and 2 hours after until you are comfortable with your levels for that meal.
I also test first thing every morning, fasting.
I eat beetroot but I know some here do not. It is a question of testing and seeing what works for you. Each of us is different. I cut out the carbs that my body couldn't cope with. First thing that had to go was Weetabix, then rice and pasta and bread. But it was the constant testing which showed me what I could eat. I can now eat more carbs so you may be able to later on when your sugars are under control.

The other thing that I think has helped me is walking. I started trying to walk for 30 mins most days. I have now upped that quite a bit but I think any walking will help.

Do come back with questions and I will try and help. Lots of people on here follow a very low carb diet but mine was restricting carbs that my body couldn't cope with. As I said earlier it took me several months to gain tight control and even now I am still working on it.

My hubby is Type 2 diabetic and was diagnosed around 5 weeks ago. We were lucky to have been given a monitor by the nurse and get the Lancettes and Test Strips on prescription. This week my hubby started eating High Protein Bread from Waitrose (LoveLife). The slices are very small, but filling and his readings have been really consistent since starting on it. Today, his readings before and after food have been 5 point something, which for him is good.

@lorsand
@Lindy1706

I'm sorry I wasn't around earlier to give you the discount codes for the Codefree meter strips, but @Hiitsme beat me to it.

I use the Codefree because I test a lot and need many strips. I also have the Accuchek Mobile as a spare (given to me by my DN with no prescription for extra cartridges). Retail, the cartridges are unrealistic. It has been mentioned they can be cheaper on Amazon, but I would add they can be VERY much cheaper on Ebay - less than half price even on Buy it now options.

It may be better to buy a Codefree and keep the Accu Chek as a spare for emergencies. You can still use the Fastclix lancet pen that came with the Accuchek - I do. They are brilliant.

How fast can you get to normal glucose range on a low carb diet? Within a week or two...that's the benefit of testing before and after meals. It allows you to identify if the "healthy" food actually works for or against you.