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Type 2

Mud Island Dweller said:
Yup but the SD has a lot of really bad write ups and reviews, l checked it out and backed off from getting it.
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I have an SD Codefree meter and find it pretty accurate. When I had my last HbA1c test the result was within 10% of the 30 day average on the SD. That's good enough for most T2s and within the allowed tolerance. Many of those who give the meter a 1 star review on Amazon comment that its readings don't match those of their previous meter yet most of the numbers they report are within the tolerance meters are supposed to have.
 
Hi Sparky I totally agree with much of what has been said. Many low carbers count their carbs while my preference is to reduce them as do others. I believe that a good idea for newly diagnosed type two's is to ask your doctor to refer you to an Expert Patient course for Diabetics. I attended one last year and found it very helpful indeed. You are also given an excellent book containing more in depth info learned on the course. These community diabetic nurses do know what they're talking about and offer lots of support too. There the nurses will explain the dangers of eating too many of the wrong type of carbs such as how they break down almost immediately into glucose. That there is not much difference between a bowl of sugar or a bowl of carbs. I'm sure you will find this a good starting point to understanding diabetes and to start taking control. Good luck and hope that you come back and let us know how you get on.

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Hi Sparky I think you might be on about the testing strips which you place in the bg monitor to self test. I tend to use a bit of common sense here with the help of using this rather loose guide. When looking at food labels some folk look at the traffic light signs on front of packages. Red too high amber is average and Green is ok ish. Looking at the carb/sugar ratio a general guide is per 100 g of carbs- around 5 g of sugar is ok - 10g of sugar have occasionally but 15 g should be considered too high. This is particularly useful when looking at sweet things like biscuits etc. Best get yourself booked into an Expert Patient course ASAP for more information on cans and cannots.

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Hi Sparky,

SD strips are the strips that go with the SD Codefree monitor.

When looking at carbs on a prepackaged food, I look at the total carbs, and the carbs from sugar. I am trying to stick to the "carbs from sugar" figure as under 5. Make sure you take into account portion sizes, as the can will usually give you the nutritional values for 100g of product. A bit of math involved at times. :)
 
you could have a look at the Newcastle diet , just for a few weeks to get on top of your high readings quickly and reduce your weight quickly.it worked for me .
 
putting in my money and disagreeing with Fallgirl
all advice here is look at overall carbs not just sugar part as said carbs = sugar just the part that says sugar hits "fast" the rest is also sugar just hits slower so look at the word carb or carbohydrate on the food pack not just the word sugar.
 
I'm another voter for overall carbs too. I dont even consider the sugar part.

As Christine above, I also used the Newcastle Diet for a sharp short shock

Let us know how you get on

Cara
 
I did say I look at the total carbs, and then the 'carbs from sugar''. I am newly diagnosed, so I am still learning, but I also want to reduce my carbs slowly but steadily.
 
Thanks for the link. Starting weight is 16st 4lbs and I have started swimming today. Breakfast was porridge, lunch was garlic sausage sandwich and tea time was home made beef chow main with noodles. I have some melon for tonight or grapes. Total carbs was 80.


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Mud Island Dweller said:
Sparky l am a Type 2 and diagnosed in november last year l use the Freedom Freestyle Lite meter very easy to use, Abbot Healthcare will send you one free of charge it comes with about 10 free strips.
l understand that the strips 2 boxes of 50strips are £33 inc P & P you will find at the chemist they vary between 22 and 28£ per 50 strips..


MID:)
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The diabetes.co.uk online shop sells the freestyle lite strips for £19 per 50 strips, if you are on meds you are entitled to a vat exemption on any healthcare goods designed specifically for diabetics, the online shop makes this easy.


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sparkyfarm said:
Thanks for the link. Starting weight is 16st 4lbs and I have started swimming today. Breakfast was porridge, lunch was garlic sausage sandwich and tea time was home made beef chow main with noodles. I have some melon for tonight or grapes. Total carbs was 80.


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Porridge can cause a high spike for some of us. What sort of bread did you use as white bread is very bad. And finally if you must have noodles you should consider the wholewheat versions. Thats a lot of bad carbs.

Keep reading the forum for a better insight into carbs. If you want to list your daily meals we will all try to help you get to grips with good and bad carbs.


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I would disagree with the nurse in the strongest terms.

As I am sure will many others.

How else can you know what your blood sugar is?

I think it is an NHS cost saving measure coupled with the fact that they gave meters to people who didn't want to change their lifestyle, just take tablets and carry on as before.
But for motivated people they are invaluable, especially in the beginning. Eventually you will know what to eat and what raises your blood sugar and not need to test as much.

In my opinion the NHS dietary guidelines for diabetics leave a lot to be desired too,

I think it's a case of deciding how YOU want to mange your diabetes then go from there

Cara
 
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