I was diagnosed type 2 a couple of months ago. Told I would be invited to a diabetic info evening at my local surgery (still not had info) told I dont need to take my blood sugar readings and shouldnt need to see dietician just eat sensibly. Had appt through for eye test etc and been given lowest dose of metformin to take in morning. But confused as to diet as seeing conflicting info. Some say low carb others say not but I dont know how what Im eating is affecting my blood sugar levels or what carbs to avoid. Feel a bit out on a limb.
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Very Confused - Type 2
- Thread starter Kely
- Start Date
novorapidboi26
Well-Known Member
You basically answered your own question in a way.......
you don't know what stage your diabetes is at, how resistant you are to insulin etc, so the best thing you could actually do is get a meter sand start testing, doing your own investigation....
welcome to the forum, lots more info to come....
you don't know what stage your diabetes is at, how resistant you are to insulin etc, so the best thing you could actually do is get a meter sand start testing, doing your own investigation....
welcome to the forum, lots more info to come....
walnut_face
Well-Known Member
welcome @Kely I echo what @novorapidboi26 has stated. Get yourself a glucometer and start testing. We all cope with foods differently, even it that difference is slight, so to find out how a particular food effects you, you need to test just before you eat and 2 hours after, and note the difference. Food that give a much higher difference (+2mmol) is food that you should carefully consider as being part of your future diet.
I will ask @daisy1 to post some very important info to read through
I will ask @daisy1 to post some very important info to read through
daisy1
Legend
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- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@Kely
Hello Kely and welcome to the forum
Here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. This contains a lot of advice on carbs and levels, and includes a link to the Low Carb Program which you could try. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
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 220,000 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 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
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.
Hello Kely and welcome to the forum
Here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. This contains a lot of advice on carbs and levels, and includes a link to the Low Carb Program which you could try. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
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 220,000 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 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
- 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.
Hi @Kely, you have found the problem with the advice that most of us get. We are already trying to eat healthily and we are told to keep doing the same. It feels as if you are floundering around in the dark. Do get yourself a meter and teach yourself how to use it. Start a food diary against the readings and you will soon start to find what your body can no longer tolerate. Good luck
Bluetit1802
Legend
Hi and welcome,
Once you understand that all carbohydrate converts to glucose once in the system you will realise that cutting carbs is the way to lower your blood glucose. There is little point in adding glucose to our blood by eating too many carbs. That will only make matters worse, and may be how you got to this diagnosis in the first place.
An NHS dietitian won't help you in all probability. They will churn out the usual NHS mantra of eat plenty of carbs at every meal. You only have to read all the success stories on here to see that low carb works. That is low carb. It doesn't mean no carb. A glucose meter will show you exactly what your chosen food is doing to you and will help you to reduce some of the carbs, reduce the portion sizes, or eliminate some completely.
Please browse round, and anything you don't understand or can't find, just ask.
Once you understand that all carbohydrate converts to glucose once in the system you will realise that cutting carbs is the way to lower your blood glucose. There is little point in adding glucose to our blood by eating too many carbs. That will only make matters worse, and may be how you got to this diagnosis in the first place.
An NHS dietitian won't help you in all probability. They will churn out the usual NHS mantra of eat plenty of carbs at every meal. You only have to read all the success stories on here to see that low carb works. That is low carb. It doesn't mean no carb. A glucose meter will show you exactly what your chosen food is doing to you and will help you to reduce some of the carbs, reduce the portion sizes, or eliminate some completely.
Please browse round, and anything you don't understand or can't find, just ask.
If you are not sure what kind of blood glucose meter to get, it is definitely worth shopping around! The prices vary a lot, from quite a lot, to zero, but beware of the free ones. You will also have to buy test strips (usually come in a pot of 50 strips which allows you to do 50 tests). The repeat purchases of the strips soon mount up, and often the 'free' meters have expensive strips.
I use the SD Codefree, because it is a much better deal than most of the ones you can buy over the counter. P&P is free, and delivery is usually only a couple of days.
As I say, shop around.
You also need to check you are buying a meter that uses the right units. If you are in the UK, you want one that measures in mmol/l
Hope that helps!
I use the SD Codefree, because it is a much better deal than most of the ones you can buy over the counter. P&P is free, and delivery is usually only a couple of days.
As I say, shop around.
You also need to check you are buying a meter that uses the right units. If you are in the UK, you want one that measures in mmol/l
Hope that helps!
Bluetit1802
Legend
Where did you get that gem from? Are you talking a normal non-diabetic person here or an uncontrolled diabetic?
Bluetit1802
Legend
Thank you.
hankjam
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 4,948
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Hi @Kely I'm sorry to read about your recent "interactions" with your local surgery.
Being told to carry on as normal when things are no longer normal is difficult to understand.
Sadly it is not an uncommon occurrence. I'm glad you've rolled up here as I think there is a lot of knowledge and support.
I would suggest looking around the various threads in this forum and see what you think.
It would be useful for other posters if you tell us a little more about you in relation to your health/diagnosis.
I wish you well and look forward to reading your updates.
Being told to carry on as normal when things are no longer normal is difficult to understand.
Sadly it is not an uncommon occurrence. I'm glad you've rolled up here as I think there is a lot of knowledge and support.
I would suggest looking around the various threads in this forum and see what you think.
It would be useful for other posters if you tell us a little more about you in relation to your health/diagnosis.
I wish you well and look forward to reading your updates.
