Working and diabetes

[Davec2802]

Hi all. Im a chef but finding it harder to keep my levels stabilised. Levels always yo yoing. Any tips. Im type 2 but doctors said i may need insulin soon. On metformin 2000mg and 100mg sitagliprin.

 

[davecatt]

Hi all. Im a chef but finding it harder to keep my levels stabilised. Levels always yo yoing. Any tips. Im type 2 but doctors said i may need insulin soon. On metformin 2000mg and 100mg sitagliprin.

Stress could be a factor, my brother was a chef and he said he'd never go back to, one of the most stressful jobs going.
And I've watched masterchef lol

 

[Lamont D]

Hi all. Im a chef but finding it harder to keep my levels stabilised. Levels always yo yoing. Any tips. Im type 2 but doctors said i may need insulin soon. On metformin 2000mg and 100mg sitagliprin.

I think you need to plan your days around your work and find out what works for you.
If you are continually busy and in a hot kitchen, it will be difficult to get good control but getting your levels around as normal levels as much of the time as possible will help tremendously. For that you have to resist eating too many carbs. And of course eating small regular meals, low carb of course, during the day.
Eating too much and irregular or full of carbs, will have you bouncing around.

 

[Davec2802]

Its just hard as i don't want to leave the industry after nearly 15 years. Just don't know what other job i could do.

 

[Lamont D]

Its just hard as i don't want to leave the industry after nearly 15 years. Just don't know what other job i could do.

If you've been in the industry, you know nothing comes easy and the demands and pressures are huge! You really know you can do it, you just have to find out how to work it to your benefit. And of course, your health!

 

[Davec2802]

Yep very true however i was only diagnosed type 2 in January and since then im nearly type 1

 

[azure]

Its just hard as i don't want to leave the industry after nearly 15 years. Just don't know what other job i could do.

Have you spoken to your nurse for advice about getting your levels smoother?

Can you work out what, if anything, at work is affecting your levels eg not much choice of what to eat, irregular meal times, irregular shifts?

If I was you, I'd work out what you think the problems are and then have a word with your nurse to get some advice. You shouldn't have to leave your job if you don't want to, so maybe give yourself more time.

Are you saying that you might have been misdiagnosed as Type 2? Type 1 is an auto immune disease. You can't progress to it from Type 2. A Type 2 who needs insulin is still a Type 2, just a Type 2 on insulin.

 

[srobertson06]

Just a few thoughts - you do not say whether you test your own blood glucose levels or whether you rely on the HbA1c done every few months? If you do test then are you keeping a record of when you test, what you have eaten, what foods really cause you a problem. Sorry if you are doing this then you can work out what foods you need to avoid.
It has taken me a long time and a lot longer than other people here but gradually I have worked out many of the food types that cause me a problem and I am a work in progress as still stumble now and then and make a mistake to learn from.
For myself I would have to say that what I eat has a huge impact, how much I exercise has a huge impact (although I don't feel I do enough of this - but working full-time does limit how much time I can spend exercising).
If your levels are high it could take a few days before good eating habits begin to show up in sugar levels.
Have you looked into low carbohydrates and high fat as a way of eating - it works well for me and for many on this site.
Being prepared is another important factor - so planning meals helps.
I usually have Natural Greek Yogurt for breakfast - salad for lunch - evening meal chicken and lots of veg (avoiding potatoes, peas and sweetcorn) to give you an idea
I purchased my own meter and it has been invaluable in helping to learn about my own health and the consequences of eating certain food types.

Hope it helps and do keep reading on this site it has certainly helped me and continues to help me.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Can you let us know what your weight/BMI is and also your age? This is just to eliminate the possibility of being Late onset T1. Are you having a low-carb diet?

 

[Davec2802]

Hi. Can you let us know what your weight/BMI is and also your age? This is just to eliminate the possibility of being Late onset T1. Are you having a low-carb diet?

Im really overweight and 29 years old. On a low carb diet

 

[Mbaker]

You could be severely insulin resistant. The low carb diet will help to shed pounds, but you might need to supplement this with some moderate exercise; "Trust me i'm a Doctor" showed what 10 days of walking could do for blood sugars (the latest on iPlayer). I don't know if walking is for you, but if you can top and tail your day with this, compress your meals maybe between 10:00 and 17:00, and try and get 8 hours sleep (very important) most likely your numbers will come down proportional to the input. I could only walk at 15 minute miles initially, a year later I can do 4 at circa 11.50 in the same session - the first 2 weeks are the hardest physically as is the will power to do. Again only good advice if you are in a position to take this on.

 

[AndBreathe]

Im really overweight and 29 years old. On a low carb diet

What type of chef are you, and I appreciate there is a need to check seasoning etc when cooking, but are you grazing as you work at all? Is there any particular time of the day things go awry?

I'm not hinting you're doing anything "bad", just trying to explore the options.

 

[ladybird64]

Yep very true however i was only diagnosed type 2 in January and since then im nearly type 1

Dave, I think there's confusion here. If you are talking about being put on insulin, that doesn't make you a type 1 (which is different), you will still be type 2, but just on insulin as well.

You say you low carb, what kind of foods are you eating?