Type 2 Newbie…..too much good living + risk factors!

[MazzyStarGirl]

Hello there
I’ve just been diagnosed with type 2
I am of south Asian heritage (mixed race), age 42, many women in my family have diabetes and, although I don’t drink booze - I have thoroughly enjoyed my food over the years - so this isn’t a huge surprise tbh. But - still….defo a wake up call…….!
My main symptoms were having lost a lot of weight without trying…this was gradual over ten months…..(40LBs in total….I was chubby anyway, so…….mixed feelings! :-D ), always drinking (some nights, mass litres) and peeing and repeated/unpleasant lady type symptoms.
Anyway, everything’s moving so fast and I’m feeling rather overwhelmed…for eg, I’ve been advised to take metformin, attend an eye screening test, attend a foot check, attend a healthy eating course, possibly try the soup/shake diet and read a load of material. I’ve been very strict with my diet for the last month, since the investigations started and have increased my exercise and I am feeling better….but I’m still 2 stone overweight….the diabetes weight loss has stabilised now and I need to get my **** in gear, shifting that couple of stone. I’ve no idea what I am supposed to eat, but hopefully that course will sort me out!
My main concern is possible side effects of metformin I’ve been told to take one in the morning after breakfast and one in the evening after meal….then increase this to two the following week.
Anyway…..just saying ‘hi’ and hope everyone’s doing well. Take care x

 

[EllieM]

Hi @MazzyStarGirl and welcome to the forums.

attend a healthy eating course

There are quite a few definitions of "healthy eating" out there and I have no idea what definition your course will use.

A lot of the T2 members here have found that a low carb diet not only reduces their blood sugars but also their weight....
This is one of my favourite introductions to low carb and T2

The Nutritional Thingy

There’s a few things you should know. 1. Practically all carbs turn to glucose once ingested , so not just straight sugars, but starches...

josekalsbeek.blogspot.com

I expect some T2s will be around soon to give you more information but as it's late for our UK posters I thought I'd slip in a quick welcome from a T1.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hello there
I’ve just been diagnosed with type 2
I am of south Asian heritage (mixed race), age 42, many women in my family have diabetes and, although I don’t drink booze - I have thoroughly enjoyed my food over the years - so this isn’t a huge surprise tbh. But - still….defo a wake up call…….!
My main symptoms were having lost a lot of weight without trying…this was gradual over ten months…..(40LBs in total….I was chubby anyway, so…….mixed feelings! :-D ), always drinking (some nights, mass litres) and peeing and repeated/unpleasant lady type symptoms.
Anyway, everything’s moving so fast and I’m feeling rather overwhelmed…for eg, I’ve been advised to take metformin, attend an eye screening test, attend a foot check, attend a healthy eating course, possibly try the soup/shake diet and read a load of material. I’ve been very strict with my diet for the last month, since the investigations started and have increased my exercise and I am feeling better….but I’m still 2 stone overweight….the diabetes weight loss has stabilised now and I need to get my **** in gear, shifting that couple of stone. I’ve no idea what I am supposed to eat, but hopefully that course will sort me out!
My main concern is possible side effects of metformin I’ve been told to take one in the morning after breakfast and one in the evening after meal….then increase this to two the following week.
Anyway…..just saying ‘hi’ and hope everyone’s doing well. Take care x

Hi @MazzyStarGirl , and welcome!

It is a kick in the chins, eh? A healthy diet is very much a point of discussion, as what is healthy for one, may not be healthy for another (who has a metabolic impairment, like T2's have). So... Get thee a meter! It'll help you sort out what foods agree with you, and which don't. @EllieM 's already shared the Nutritional Thingy, so I won't link it again, but it does include a bit on how to use a meter effectively, and what foods would/should agree with you. As for the course, well... It wholly depends on how enlightened and with the times the person giving the course is. Some will still try to hammer the EatWell plate down one's throat, which is usually not conducive to getting blood sugars down. Others have kept up with the research done in the diabetic field and will advocate for a low carb diet, but they're rare and far in between, sadly. So.... You're going to encounter a whole lot of advice all over the place, and it, too, will be all over the place. That's why you need a meter: it may sound good, but if the meter says no, it's a no. It won't try to sell you anything, it'll just tell you whether something was good for you or not. Others -us forumites included!- can advise what they want, but they're not you, and they don't live inside your body. Your insulin sensitivity, your insulin resistance, your insulin output, it is all unique to you... So while there's maybe a thousand people online with a thousand opinions and dogma's.... Test. Let a meter tell you what works specifically for you. Maybe your diet needs a drastic overhaul. maybe it only needs a few tweaks. Maybe you need a little tablet, maybe not. Figure out what works for you, your body, your health and your life. This is going to be with you from here on in, even if you do achieve remission, so... Find what makes whatever adjustments that need to be made, sustainable for the long run.

As for all those tests, they need a baseline. Where are you on the diabetic complication scale, so to speak. Your feet get checked for neuropathy, your eyes for retinopathy, the kind of things you might have trouble with if you've lived with high blood sugars for a very long time (and I do mean years, practically). Then they know where you're at and how you're doing, and they will keep checking those things as time goes by, to see whether you're getting worse, better, need some medical assistance in getting blood sugars down etc. It's a good thing to be getting an MOT, so don't stress about it. It's not a test you can fail, as such. They just want to know how and where you need help, if any.

Anyway, again, welcome, and if you have questions, throw 'em out there!
Jo

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @MazzyStarGirl and welcome to the forum.
I see my colleague has already linked the nutritional thingy by Jo Kalsbeek.That was what I sued to get my T2D into remission and keep it in remission for years.

So just 2 bits of information from me:
1. Most people find it's better to take Metformin with a meal in order to minimise the digestive tract side effects which tend to come once the dose increases. It's one of those medications that takes time to build up enough to have an effect - but has much less of an effect than what you eat does- such as eating low carb, (difficult for an Asian I know).

2. On meters: The largest expense is the test strips rather than the meter itself. Unless you want particular features, the 2 most used ones in the diabetes forums (for quality and lower cost strips) are the SD Gluco Navii and the Spirit TEE2+.

 

[KennyA]

Hello there
I’ve just been diagnosed with type 2
I am of south Asian heritage (mixed race), age 42, many women in my family have diabetes and, although I don’t drink booze - I have thoroughly enjoyed my food over the years - so this isn’t a huge surprise tbh. But - still….defo a wake up call…….!
My main symptoms were having lost a lot of weight without trying…this was gradual over ten months…..(40LBs in total….I was chubby anyway, so…….mixed feelings! :-D ), always drinking (some nights, mass litres) and peeing and repeated/unpleasant lady type symptoms.
Anyway, everything’s moving so fast and I’m feeling rather overwhelmed…for eg, I’ve been advised to take metformin, attend an eye screening test, attend a foot check, attend a healthy eating course, possibly try the soup/shake diet and read a load of material. I’ve been very strict with my diet for the last month, since the investigations started and have increased my exercise and I am feeling better….but I’m still 2 stone overweight….the diabetes weight loss has stabilised now and I need to get my **** in gear, shifting that couple of stone. I’ve no idea what I am supposed to eat, but hopefully that course will sort me out!
My main concern is possible side effects of metformin I’ve been told to take one in the morning after breakfast and one in the evening after meal….then increase this to two the following week.
Anyway…..just saying ‘hi’ and hope everyone’s doing well. Take care x

Hello and welcome

it is possible to do something about this condition, and to put yourself in a far better position. I hope your course is worthwhile - mine was split between a nurse who urged us all to eat lots of carbs at every meal and a dietitian who told us that carbs were inessential and that low-carbing/keto was the way to go. Confusing, but follow the dietitian. I have no idea what your course will be like - it seems there is no standard approach and many of us have had wildly differing experiences.

Best of luck. My advice would be to seriously think about low-carbing - that means removing at least the high-carb items like pasta, rice, bread, sugar, pastry, and most fruit. If you read the "success stories" part of this forum , there are a number of personal accounts from people who made huge changes quite quickly. Ask as many questions as you like, we've all been "newly diagnosed" at some point. And if you can, try to forget anything you think you know about what "healthy eating" looks like.

Plus, there are now at least two Mazzy Star fans on the forum.