What a *ummer

Hi. I'm sort of in the same boat. Type 2 for three years controlled with diet and over the last few months my BG level has gone haywire....other levels ok. Just started on metformin too but have a couple of side effects I don't like....feeling very tired and then trouble sleeping. I just found this forum this morning and have found lots of info and help already. I have been told by my doctor and dietician that a high carb diet was the best way to go and today I've discovered that it was probably the wrong advice....low carb seems to work better for most. I'm going to try and read as much as I can and ask lots of questions

blueboron said:

Had my annual blood test & check up etc and average sugar level for last 6 months came back 9.2

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Hi blueboron and welcome to the forum. The answer to your problem is very simple. Your HBA1C shows that you are eating more carbs than a combination of medication and your body's own insulin can cope with. You can go one of two ways - increase the medication, or decrease the carbs.

Started on 1 Metformin - took it in evening but level was 10.1 in the morning so have started to take one after brekkie - 1 bowl of porridge - no sugar or additions as usual.

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Is that in addition to the evening one or instead of? I suspect that your level of insulin resistance is increasing, in which case you may wish to discuss with your GP whether you might benefit from an increase in the metformin dose. Porridge is something that very few of us can take in the morning. It is just too many carbs taken in at a time of day when your metabolism is at it's most sluggish and least able to cope with it. You could try something less carby for breakfast, like a couple of scrambled eggs on a slice of wholemeal toast - around a third of the carbs in porridge.

Went on my usual 12 mile bike ride this afternoon ( which brings me down to 4.9 - 5.2) each time - but this time I still showed 6.9

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Was this an isolated high reading or have the readings been increasing over time? If isolated then it is likely that you ate more carbs than usual before your ride, or you could be going down with something. Even the onset of a simple cold can raise your BS by several points.

Hi blueboron,

Porridge is often recommended as something that can help to reduce triglycerides, the part of cholesterol that does the most damage. However, around 85% of your body's triglyceride is made by the liver, and the liver makes it from carbohydrate. Porridge is made from oats, which are high in carbohydrate! So by eating a high-carb food such as porridge, yes you are absorbing some of the dangerous cholesterol, but you are at the same time feeding your body with even more carbs which your liver will use to make more cholesterol. It becomes self-defeating.

If you weren't eating the carbs in the first place then you wouldn't need to reduce the cholesterol.

blueboron said:

A little disconcerting - haven't a clue what's going on.

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G'day

Try this for a quick primer: (click on it): Getting Started

Come back with lots of questions after you browse through that and some of the links.

Best wishes,