Hello hello and HELLO!

[Mandybom]

A big HELLO from a newly diagnosed newbie. *waves*

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only last week and with the help of a super supportive doctor, have decided to kick it into remission naturally.

To be honest, when I was diagnosed, I didn’t even remember what my sugar count was as I was in complete shock and had little idea how to feel, react or where to start.

I’ve started my healthy eating kick today and was wondering if there is anywhere on here I can post a food diary/blog so people can advise or guide me. Everything feels like a bit of a minefield at the moment!!

 

[Martin.A]

Sorry you've had to join us but welcome to the forum. It would be worthwhile finding out what your HbA1c result was as this will determine how much you need to do to turn things around, especially in terms of diet. Unfortunately what constitutes a healthy diet for most people is often anything but for someone with T2. Can I ask whether you've been given any advice on diet by your doctor? Also, any medication prescribed?

Sorry if that sounds intrusive but the more we know about your circumstances the more we can help.

 

[mashedupmatt]

HI @Mandybom and welcome to the forum - sorry you've had to join us (in a nice way!) - there are decades of experience of diabetes here so please ask any questions you may have - someone will always pop along and help - we're all here to help and support each other - glad you have found us 🙂

 

[Mandybom]

Sorry you've had to join us but welcome to the forum. It would be worthwhile finding out what your HbA1c result was as this will determine how much you need to do to turn things around, especially in terms of diet. Unfortunately what constitutes a healthy diet for most people is often anything but for someone with T2. Can I ask whether you've been given any advice on diet by your doctor? Also, any medication prescribed?

Sorry if that sounds intrusive but the more we know about your circumstances the more we can help.

Thank you for your reply. I’ll double check with the diabetic nurse what my HbA1C was on Monday when I go and see her. It’s my first appointment with her so she’ll be helping me with diet advice.

And no, no medication. As mentioned I’m aiming to try and use diet and exercise as a platform before anything medication wise.

 

[Mandybom]

HI @Mandybom and welcome to the forum - sorry you've had to join us (in a nice way!) - there are decades of experience of diabetes here so please ask any questions you may have - someone will always pop along and help - we're all here to help and support each other - glad you have found us 🙂

Thank you for the warm welcome. I joined a group on Facebook too but the mods seemed very stuffy and were like “we don’t do happy posts here” !! Hopefully I’ll have more luck on here. Diabetes aside I do tend to be a happy go lucky soul lol

 

[Martin.A]

And no, no medication. As mentioned I’m aiming to try and use diet and exercise as a platform before anything medication wise.

If your GP is OK with that it suggests that your HbA1c wasn't too far into diabetes territory. It will be interesting to hear what your DN says.

In the meantime this is worth a read ahead of your meeting:-

Why the diet advice for type 2 diabetics could be all wrong

The main NHS dietary guidelines for type 2 diabetes say people should eat a low-fat diet, and fill up on brown pasta, bread and rice - but many diabetes experts now say blood sugar may be best controlled by low-carbing

inews.co.uk

 

[mashedupmatt]

Thank you for the warm welcome. I joined a group on Facebook too but the mods seemed very stuffy and were like “we don’t do happy posts here” !! Hopefully I’ll have more luck on here. Diabetes aside I do tend to be a happy go lucky soul lol

We are definitely not stuffy here lol - and we absolutely welcome happy posts - the happier the better 🙂

 

[goodybags]

evening @Mandybom, welcome to this great place

if nobody has yet pointed you in the direction of freshwell, it’s definitely worth a look at the fresh-well website
it was set up I believe by a GP to improve the health of the community around where that surgery is located
but anyone can use it,I have referred a few friends to it who were pre-diabetic and they said it was a great help
it gives you some great advice of healthy / lower carb foods to consider
this link should take you there https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

im sure you will soon find the great thing about this forum is, anything you want to know, pop along and just ask, there will usually be another member able to tell you what your looking for
or where to go for the answer

 

[JimG]

A big HELLO from a newly diagnosed newbie. *waves*

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only last week and with the help of a super supportive doctor, have decided to kick it into remission naturally.

To be honest, when I was diagnosed, I didn’t even remember what my sugar count was as I was in complete shock and had little idea how to feel, react or where to start.

I’ve started my healthy eating kick today and was wondering if there is anywhere on here I can post a food diary/blog so people can advise or guide me. Everything feels like a bit of a minefield at the moment!!

I find it useful to obtain online access to my GP records. That way I can see the results of tests. This is useful for three reasons. It reminds me the date of the test without needing to look back in the diary. If I fail to note the details of the results, the details are there. Finally, if a test sample is sent off and the surgery says, we will let you know if anything further needs doing, I can check what the results are.

 

[JITR]

In the meantime this is worth a read ahead of your meeting:-

Why the diet advice for type 2 diabetics could be all wrong

The main NHS dietary guidelines for type 2 diabetes say people should eat a low-fat diet, and fill up on brown pasta, bread and rice - but many diabetes experts now say blood sugar may be best controlled by low-carbing

inews.co.uk

@Mandybom

That article refers to this open letter from BDA to NICE about updating their guidance on diet.

It makes the case for NICE including remission by diet in their guidance to GPs and DNs. Sounds like
your GP has already got the message.
These signatories to the letter, practicing GPs, have published their dietary guidelines for their patients:
- Dr David Unwin: diet sheet
- Dr Kim Andrews: menu planner with red, amber, green food lists

These guidelines have helped many of their patients and others achieve remission.

For the future, it's a good idea to aim to get your HbA1c down from 40-50 zone (prediabetic/borderline T2D)
well into the 30-40 zone (normal).

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I’ve started my healthy eating kick today and was wondering if there is anywhere on here I can post a food diary/blog so people can advise or guide me. Everything feels like a bit of a minefield at the moment!!

Welcome to the forum @Mandybom

Sorry you’ve had to join us, but glad you’ve found the forum. It’s not at all unusual to feel knocked sideways by a diabetes diagnosis - and the feeling of being overwhelmed is pretty common.

If you’d like to share your menu tweaks we have a few forum sections you could choose from…

Depending on whether you are aiming for weight loss, hoping for remission, or just wanting to track your food and carbs (there is an existing thread where forum members contribute their food ideas with photos).

 

[JimmyBlue]

@Mandybom welcome, sadly, to the diabetes forums. Having a positive attitude will likely help you a lot in bringing your T2D under control. How log that will take is unknowable, some on here had managed it quite quickly (three or four months) others have taken longer while others are still working on it. However, it seems to me based on the progress of those who post regularly that achieving a decent level of control is achievable if that is your objective.

The article in Martin.As post is really interesting and I know that a lot of people suggested the low carb route when I joined the forum after diagnosis last year. Nearly nine months on and I have seen progress although there are frustrating days or sometimes weeks when I just don't understand why I get my BG results when I finger prick test.

As GoodyBags says, the Freshwell app with its low carb recipes is very good, and I also use a number of keto diet recipes for things like wraps, biscuits and even cakes as well as main meals. You don't mention weight in your post, by a relative provided me with the Fast 800 diet book which is good for losing weight while eating healthy meals. It was written by the wife of the late Doctor Michael Moseley.

As others have said feel free to ask all the questions you want and be has happy as you wish, being miserable should not be a symptom of being a diabetic.

 

[Mandybom]

So I had my first meeting with the diabetic nurse today and she’s happy with my diet diary for the last 3 days and confident I can get this under control. She did mention not to eat so many bananas as they can spike my sugar levels, so to eat more apples, pears and berries.

Apparently, my HBA1C was at 50 when initially tested, then 3 weeks later it shot up to 56. I’m positive with some changes to diet and exercise I can get it below 50.

 

[JITR]

So I had my first meeting with the diabetic nurse today and she’s happy with my diet diary for the last 3 days and confident I can get this under control. She did mention not to eat so many bananas as they can spike my sugar levels, so to eat more apples, pears and berries.

Apparently, my HBA1C was at 50 when initially tested, then 3 weeks later it shot up to 56. I’m positive with some changes to diet and exercise I can get it below 50.

I am sure you will. Vegetables have less sugar than fruit !!!

 

[Burylancs]

@Mandybom

That article refers to this open letter from BDA to NICE about updating their guidance on diet.

It makes the case for NICE including remission by diet in their guidance to GPs and DNs. Sounds like
your GP has already got the message.
These signatories to the letter, practicing GPs, have published their dietary guidelines for their patients:
- Dr David Unwin: diet sheet
- Dr Kim Andrews: menu planner with red, amber, green food lists

These guidelines have helped many of their patients and others achieve remission.

For the future, it's a good idea to aim to get your HbA1c down from 40-50 zone (prediabetic/borderline T2D)
well into the 30-40 zone (normal).

View attachment 35090

It should be made clear that the BDA in this post is not the British Diabetic Association ( which currently trades under the Diabetes UK name) but the British Dietetic Association. Just saying.

 

[Leadinglights]

So I had my first meeting with the diabetic nurse today and she’s happy with my diet diary for the last 3 days and confident I can get this under control. She did mention not to eat so many bananas as they can spike my sugar levels, so to eat more apples, pears and berries.

Apparently, my HBA1C was at 50 when initially tested, then 3 weeks later it shot up to 56. I’m positive with some changes to diet and exercise I can get it below 50.

I think you have been pointed in the direction of the Freshwell program which I found very helpful, particularly the do's and don'ts and the principals of the approach. By adopting that low carb way I reduced my HbA1C from 50 to 42 in 3 months. Many people do avoid bananas and tropical fruits as they are high carb and even go easy on apples, pears but opt for berries being the lowest.
The book or app Carbs and Cals is useful at giving carb values for various portion sizes of a whole range of foods.