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what do i do

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shirederby

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14
hi to all
diagnosed nearly 2 weeks had a lot of symptoms numb hands lethargy and weight loss, its hard to think back now but i reckon it had been going on well over a year and i just put it down to getting over 50 got to be honest a bit relieved when diagnosed with type 2 do realise how serious it is but was thinking all sorts.the doctor has put me on metformin as he did not think diet would work as my random readings were high i have only been on a week one 500 a day and starting next week 2 500 a day my random readings are at the moment 9.4 morning before breakfast next test just before evening meal 7.1 after 2 hours 10.1 then before bed 7. i also have cholestral 6.7 refused statins at this stage have changed diet and started exercise 20mins a day hope in 6 months to get cholestral down. bp just ok. the thing is the diet i have gone on probably in a bit of a panic is a low fat one in order to address the cholestral basically porridge with blueberries and cinamon for breakfast then during course of day a piece of fruit about every 1.5 hours including one banana then evening meal, mackrel sweet potatoe and beans or lean chicken or turkey or rabbit or venison etc then supper small nimble wholemeal bread with bit of peanut butter lots and lots of veg with chicken and turkey etc. trying to use low gi foods at all times please do not laugh but i also read bitter melon was good so bought some deseeded and smoothied them up raw and have two teaspoonfuls a day.i have to say its just about the worst thing i have tasted.so the questions i have are as follows
1.how bad are my readings and what should i be trying to achieve and when should i test
2.does it take time for the meds to kick in and will it improve when i go to 2 a day

3.is the diet i am on ok or not

4.anyone else tried bitter melon

5. am i just panicking and doing everything wrong

6.is it right to have immediately cut out alchol
well hope someone out there can help cheers
 
Hi shirederby and welcome to the forum :) This is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. I am sure that you will soon get answers to the questions that aren't answered in here.
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 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.
Click to expand...
 
Hi shirederby and welcome to the forum.

There is loads of information and advice on the forum so have a good read around the posts and ask as many questions as you want.

Basically you should be testing before a meal and 2 hours after. The after reading should be much the same as the before reading and, if not, then that particular food should be avoided as it causes a spike in your BG level.

As it is carbs that causes the increase in BG levels then you should cut down on them. There are alot of carbs in veg. Best to buy carb counter book and count your carbs daily. It is not recommended to drastically cut them immediately. I was diagnosed 2 months ago and I am on approx 130-150g carbs per day and my readings are usually 5 or low 6. Once you estalish a regular eating pattern then you don't need to test as often.

As for bread, I also started on nimble but after reading info in this forum I changed to burgen soya and linseed (only £1 in Iceland). It is much more satisfying, is low gi, and keeps you fuller for longer and doesn't cause me to spike.

If you like chocolate then stick to high cocoa 70% or above (aldi does a good one -moser roth 85% - 5 small bars for 99p and only 5.3g in each bar)

Meds usually take a couple of weeks to kick in.

No I haven't tried bitter melon but I have been told that smoothies not a good idea as they contain alot of hidden carbs. OK in moderation I think

You definitley do not need to cut out alcohol because of diabetes or meds. (bacardi has zero carbs :) ) Everything in moderation and sometimes you need a wee alcoholic beverage to cheer you up :wink:

It is perfectly normal to panic at the beginning and get things wrong. I did, but once you read all the good advice on this forum everything soon slots into place and you begin to feel more confident. Look at me-giving out advice after only 2 months :lol: Never thought I'd be doing that. :wink:

Anyway, best of luck with it all. It will get easier.
 
Sorry, meant to say too that your new eating habits are for life and need to be sustainable so there's no point in forcing yourself to eat food you don't like e.g.bitter melon
 
Hi. Your diet seems quite reasonable overall but watch bananas. They can be quite high-GI if ripe, so keep them only just ripe and perhaps small?
 
thanks for the advice kicked bitter lemon into touch it really was the worst tasting thing i have had.learning every day had small amount of peanut butter with two slices of nimble before bed as i had heard somewhere it can help bg for the morning oh no ! had bad night bg 15 so will not do that again good news played golf checked bg 6.4 ate omlette and 3 bacon slices two hours later 6.2 got info for carb counting started that now, going to usa in 3 weeks can not wait to get into the steak and ribs no potatoes of course. this forum has really helped me realise i am not alone BIG THANKS TO WHOEVER SET IT UP
 
You've had good answers above. Some of the best fruit is the berries. Alcohol fine, but remember diet mixers only if you have them. Golf is about the best exercise for golf- long and continual, steady exercise. That's my excuse for playing it as often as possible! Good luck and welcome!
 
Sorry, meant to say- don't worry about the fats as much as the carbs. Control the carbs and you control the sugars. I don't go extreme low carb- i'm on about 150 to 180 a day, but low GI carbs. You'll work out with testing how many you can handle. Also, burgen bread is good as someone previously said.
 
Vegetables on the whole have little impact on your blood glucose levels (except a few such as potatoes and huge amonts of sweetcorn [which is cereal after all]). Fruit counts as a sugary carbohydrate and will contribute to raised blood glucose levels.
 
I did try bitter melon - once. It is available in the Indian shops - why they eat it I can't imagine - perhaps to disguise the taste of chilies.

There are no miracle herbs - I suspect they may help a little but IMHO a low carb diet supported by metformin gives real lowering of BG, whereas cinnamon, bitter melon & others have only a marginal effect.

You will find what helps as you experiment.
 
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