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Weight Loss for newly diagnosed

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NwuyeIfy

Member
Messages
10
hello all
My husband was diagnosed about three weeks ago with type 2 diabetes. I know a bit about controlling diet as my Father has diabetes so i sort of know how it works, However, he had a hypo two days ago(hubby). He has not been given any glucose testing instructions and first appt with nurse is on Monday.
He is already fed up with eating lots of salad with most meals but is scared of eating anything that has carbs cos it makes him urinates so often afterwards and then feel really weak. His blood glucose at first test on 6/7.12 was 13.3 but since then he's had anor test however the surgery is so lousy they keep telling him they have not got the reults to give him. He has also done the kidney test but no results for over 3weeks!!
Anyway I wanted to ask; he appears to be losing weight quite a bit. He is 6.4 and weighed 98kg at last visit about two weeks ago. He was told that was his ideal weight but he has lost more now cos he is eating less carbs. He complains of feeling weak a lot.
His hypo a couple of days ago scared me as I did not know much about it and that he would have it. Question is if someone does not need to lose weight then how do they control their carbs? Do i just let him eat lots protein? He normally has a healthy apetite and has started going for walks after meals. Does the amount of food matter if it is not carbs? I worry about cutting off carbs altogether. Is that wise? Most of the recipes have some carbs so it's difficult to know what to cook.
Any general tips?
PS we are Africans though we eat lots of different foods but most of our foods are carbs.
 
Hi NwuyeIfy and welcome to the forum :)
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Someone will be along soon to answer your specific questions for your husband. Go ahead and ask any more questions you might have.

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 30,000 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

Reduce your 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

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

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
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

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.
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Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.
Click to expand...
 
Thank you. I am really glad i found this forum. Hope to get some answers as i think my hubby is losing weight too much. Also he has lost his apetite.
 
Also please can someone tell me when I am to go with him to see the nurse for information. Is it at his first appt which is on Monday? or do we make anor appointment? the letter said he is to bring his urine and it's for a review.
 
Take this as an oppoturnity to get the information you need.
 
Early days, If hubby sick of salad try some of the foods on low carb thread; Me for instance tonight 16oz Steak with Diane source, veg savoy cabbage with panchetta and cream cheese. Ice cream and berries, have a look at ice cream some have low carbs. Honestly there are loads of dishes out there, wonderful tasty dishes. just look about. The thing is you say he has had a Hypo, normally for type two to have hypo they need to be on certain drugs you have not said what medication hubby is on. my best answer get all the facts and results then post.
 
Hi Nwuyeify

Welcome to the forum.

You could do with getting a BG testing meter if you havent already, your GP may give you one, but don't hold your breath.

If he tests 2 hours after food he will know what carbs and what quantity his body can handle. It may not be necessary for him to cut out all carbs - we are all different. Start a reading and testing diary so you/he knows what happens.

Re the feeling hungry and bored, as others have said have a look over the low carb section, there are loads of great receipes. I don't worry about counting my protein or fats, some people go for high fat to compensate for the lack of carbs.

Mary x
 
Hi. I am surprised your surgery say they haven't got the results after 3 weeks; that can't be right. Normally my blood and urine test results come within a few days regardless of whether I go to the local hospital or use the surgeries phlebotomist. You don't normally get hypos from Metformin and statins don't affect blood sugar (well, they may raise it a little). If you can get hold of a meter it will help you get some idea of what is happening to the blood sugar. Weight loss can happen with some T2s; I lost quite a bit shortly before diagnosis and have never put it back on. You don't need to cut out carbs just move over to the low-GI ones and keep the quantities down. A meter will help guide you on the effectiveness. Good luck and do ask more questions.
 
try a couple of fat saturated roast potatoes with a meal if he is missing spuds i have found they do not raise my bg to much and it can break the monotony a nice thick steak a couple of small roasters and veg will cheer him up but it really would be helpful to get a bg tester it really sorted things out for me i buy the strips off ebay a lot cheaper than the chemist and then you can test all the carbs to see what effect they have. my first post on here i was desperate but with the advice research and importantly the testing i feel totally in control and comfortable with the condition. i have found and many things are individual that i keep good control with plenty of high intensity exercise over short bursts.
 
Thank you all. We saw the nurse yesterday and he was helpful. He did a BG test and found that the level was still very high 17.4. This was after 4hours of last meal. He however was not very helpful about explaining the hypo. He suggested it may not have been a real one as the body could show the symptoms if the bg has been so high and drops even a little. I explained that hubby was actually going into a faint at one point and was shaking with internal cold as he described it. Any way nurse said to take glucose tabs if it happens again but he did not think it would. He advised H to see doc about a different tablet that should reduce the sugar. H had lost even more weight now 91kg. I am not comfortable about this and he is feeling very weak and frustrated with the lack of improvement. Results of liver test were finally found after we stood over receptionist and expressed our disappointment with the delay.
I think we may change GP. Nurse wouldn't give us a meter so we will buy one to test b4 an after meals. Nurse gave us log book. Curiously, he said cheese was not good???
Hubby's got an appt with doc tomorrow.
 
Re: mini hypos help!!

Hubby was given Gilcazide tabs and the difference is clear!!! He has put on some weight and is eating and feeling better. Problen is that he gets'hypos' often. Last week he went for a checkup and BG was 4.5. Nurse said to watch it as it could go too low. He has had two episodes recently where he starts shaking and sweating profusely. When he eats or drinks something sweet he feels instantly better. Is this normal? He wasnot told what BG to aim for.
 
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