Hi my name is iain and I was diagnosed with diabetes 4 years ago and am still struggling with having diabetes. Everything I try it seems to be a knock back. I am on a lot of depression meds and also struggle with my wait. They tell me to exercise but it seems a vicious circle most days I don't feel like and and am getting really down about it.If any one has any ideas I would be grateful.
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Type 2 with compications
- Thread starter swampy949
- Start Date
JoKalsbeek
Expert
- Messages
- 6,712
- Location
- The Netherlands
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Hey @swampy949 ,
Your profile says you're a type 1, and your post mentioned T2, so... You may want to change that, as treatment is wildly different for those, and it may keep people more knowledgable than I from responding with useful advice. In any case, depression, weight, they often go hand-in-hand with T2, so you're certainly not alone!
So, your weight is an issue. That's something you in all likelyhood gained while you were prediabetic. You see, we have a metabolic condition that keeps us from burning glucose for fuel. All in all, almost all carbs turn into glucose. And though we make a lot of insulin, we're insensitive to it. Meaning it can't help us turn the glucose in our blood into fuel. So instead, as it can't be burned off, it gets stored in fat cells. It's when those are full and there's no more storage available, it overflows into our bloodstream, eyes, urine, saliva, you name it, it's there. And then we're classed a T2 diabetic. Thing is, if you don't know the carbs are a problem, you're likely to follow standard dietary advice. I know I did. (And it made me go from obese to morbidly obese). That advice usually consisting of upping the carbs, lowering fats, and that's the exact opposite of what a diabetic body needs: we're better off with fats and low to no carbs, as we can't process the latter, but can use the former! There's 3 macro-nutrients: Fats, carbs and protein. Carbs make your bloodsugars spike, protein gives a little rise but nothing dramatic, and fats... They flatline. No spike. They even mitigate somewhat, the effect of any carbs you do eat. So once you know that.... And something else: High bloodsugars affect mood. In other words, they can cause moodswings, panicattacks, and depression so deep one can even become suicidal. (Been there, tried that. Repeatedly. Amazingly enough, still here today to tell you IT GETS BETTER!) Getting bloodsugars down can do a whole world of good. You'd lose weight, your mood is likely to improve, and your diabetes'd be doing a whole lot better. On a low carb, high fat diet I got my T2 into remission in a matter of months, and I haven't been in the diabetic or prediabetic range for over 2 years. Dropped 50 pounds, improved fatty liver disease, lowered chlesterol (without statins!), battled insomnia, depression and what have you...
So there is some hope here, if you want it. Cutting carbs is in essence as easy as ditching potatoes, bread and all flour/oats/grains-based foods, rice, pasta, corn, cereals and most fruits. Things that won't spike you are meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, cream, extra dark chocolate, full fat greek yoghurt, above ground veggies/leafy greens (no beans though, too starchy!), avocado, berries, starfruit, tomatoes, extra dark chocolate (85% or more), olives, that sort of thing... Meals could look like this:
Scrambled eggs with bacon, cheese, mushrooms, tomato, maybe some high meat content sausages?
Eggs with ham, bacon and cheese
Omelet with spinach and/or smoked salmon
Omelet with cream, cinnamon, with some berries and coconut shavings
Full fat Greek yoghurt with nuts and berries
Leafy green salad with a can of tuna (oil, not brine!), mayonaise, capers, olives and avocado
Leafy green salad with (warmed goat's) cheese and bacon, maybe a nice vinaigrette?
Meat, fish or poultry with veggies. I usually go for cauliflower rice or broccoli rice, with cheese and bacon to bulk it up. Never the same meal twice in a row because of various herbs/spices.
Snacks? Pork scratchings, cheese, olives, extra dark chocolate, nuts.
BUT, you do have to have a meter to attempt this... I don't know what your medication's like, and if there's anything in there that may cause hypo's DO NOT attempt this without assistance from your doctor. If you have a meter, test before a meal and 2 hours after the first bite, and if you see a rise of more than 2.0 mmol/l, the meal was carbier than you could process. That's also the good thing about a meter; you don't have to take some random stranger's word for anything, you can check yourself. Also, you might want to have a read over on the low carb program of this forum's website, as well as over on dietdoctor.com, and possibly read dr. Jason Fung's book, the Diabetes Code... If you face this condition head on, you don't have to let it run/ruin your life. And the future might actually brighten a bit.
I hope something in here was helpful or made some semblance of sense... Considering there's loads of books written about the subject, this is a rather short summing up of a bunch of things, but it is the gist of it, basically.
You can get through this.
Jo
JoKalsbeek
Expert
- Messages
- 6,712
- Location
- The Netherlands
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
HSSS
Expert
Hi Iain, you’ve come to the right place.
I see @JoKalsbeek has already said all I was about to and more, much more eloquently. I’ll just add take a good look around the forums, especially success stories if you’re in need of hope and motivation. The thread https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/unread is good inspiration with ideas. Ask lots of questions, there are no silly ones. (Well maybe there are, but we’ll laugh with you not at you). Let us know where you are with blood tests and medications too so we know where we’re starting.
Sadly there are still too many gp’s an diabetic nurses giving out frankly terrible advice (not all, some are fantastic). What you read in here about carbs and fats will go against the historic grain of nhs advice. But note that advice is slowly changing supported by all the latest research. Additionally there are a lot of members in here that followed that nhs advice and went round in circles like yourself. Then they came here and found approaches that helped so much more. Not just with blood glucose levels and complications but also weight, blood pressure, mood, inflammatory illnesses, energy and lots more.
I see @JoKalsbeek has already said all I was about to and more, much more eloquently. I’ll just add take a good look around the forums, especially success stories if you’re in need of hope and motivation. The thread https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/unread is good inspiration with ideas. Ask lots of questions, there are no silly ones. (Well maybe there are, but we’ll laugh with you not at you). Let us know where you are with blood tests and medications too so we know where we’re starting.
Sadly there are still too many gp’s an diabetic nurses giving out frankly terrible advice (not all, some are fantastic). What you read in here about carbs and fats will go against the historic grain of nhs advice. But note that advice is slowly changing supported by all the latest research. Additionally there are a lot of members in here that followed that nhs advice and went round in circles like yourself. Then they came here and found approaches that helped so much more. Not just with blood glucose levels and complications but also weight, blood pressure, mood, inflammatory illnesses, energy and lots more.
Daphne917
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 3,342
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Oops - as if it wasn’t big enough to see - doh!! Have now deleted the post.
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@swampy949
Hello Iain and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find this both interesting and helpful.
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:
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 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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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. Most of these are free.
Hello Iain and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find this both interesting and helpful.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
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 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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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. Most of these are 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.
Daibell
Master
Hi. Although exercise always helps, diet is far more important and as other posters have said it means keeping the carbs down and having enough fats and proteins.
