Hello. I'm new to this forum

[Cazzablanca]

Hello. I'm new to this forum but have had T2 since January 2019. Well actually I had it for 3 years according to my medical notes but my then GP didn't feel the need to tell me. I've been following Michael Mosley's 8 week blood sugar diet since then and lost 4 stone but gained a stone after losing a close family member autumn last year and then couldn't get back on track until after Christmas. But I'm back and have lost a few pounds of that stone, have about 1.5 to 2 stone still to come off.
A1C was initially 98
Last checked December at 41
I'm currently on Metformin 2g daily with my GP promising to reduce now I seem to have good control
Looking forward to getting some more good advice and support from you all, as I have already.

 

[Toucan]

Hello @Cazzablanca and welcome to the forum.
That is a fantastic achievement to get your reading down from 98 to 41 within a year, as well has having to cope with the stress of a bereavement.

I hope you find the forum useful and enjoyable, if you have a browse around you will see there is a great deal of discussion and information exchange going on, on a wide variety of topics.

Is there anything particular that you would like to know more about at present?
I hope you will keep posting and share some of the things you have done to achieve your good results.

 

[Cazzablanca]

Thanks Kay. I worked so hard and then fell off the wagon. Not too badly. Not sweet stuff but my weakness is toast which I am not eating now. But I'm hoping I haven't done too much damage to my A1C. I am hoping to put my T2 into remission.

I do have one question, since I've been post menopausal I need to eat All Bran and a little wheat bran. It's the only thing that seems to work for me and I've tried lots of things. I know cereals aren't good but I can't eat too many eggs and I don't eat meat. It's partly why I gained some weight back trying out different solutions to that problem.. I tested my blood sugar this morning before and after breakfast it was 4.7 before and 7.7 2hrs after. Is that too high? According to NHS website 7.8 is top of the range for 2hrs after food so I believe I'm just within. But I gather the NHS can be a little too generous from what I read here. Wondered what your opinion is. Obviously I know it's just opinion but i value the opinions of people here with more experience than me.

 

[Drummer]

If you need to have fibre then eating it as salads, vegetables, or in the pure form of psyllium husk - avoid high carb options.
I found that either using a skipping rope or a trampoline was all that I needed to wake things up - and its fun to play, even in old age. These days I put a half teaspoon of psyllium husk powder on my salads once a week. I buy big bags of stuff for baking low carb things from Amazon - the psyllium, coconut flour, wheat gluten, to make bread rise with yeast, useful things.

 

[ianf0ster]

….

I do have one question, since I've been post menopausal I need to eat All Bran and a little wheat bran. It's the only thing that seems to work for me and I've tried lots of things. I know cereals aren't good but I can't eat too many eggs and I don't eat meat. It's partly why I gained some weight back trying out different solutions to that problem.. I tested my blood sugar this morning before and after breakfast it was 4.7 before and 7.7 2hrs after. Is that too high? According to NHS website 7.8 is top of the range for 2hrs after food so I believe I'm just within. But I gather the NHS can be a little too generous from what I read here. Wondered what your opinion is. Obviously I know it's just opinion but i value the opinions of people here with more experience than me.

Hi, for me anything more than a 2.0mmol rise at 2hrs after first bite is too much, even if it is still below 8.0 (or 7.8 if you are more cautious).

 

[Cazzablanca]

If you need to have fibre then eating it as salads, vegetables, or in the pure form of psyllium husk - avoid high carb options.
I found that either using a skipping rope or a trampoline was all that I needed to wake things up - and its fun to play, even in old age. These days I put a half teaspoon of psyllium husk powder on my salads once a week. I buy big bags of stuff for baking low carb things from Amazon - the psyllium, coconut flour, wheat gluten, to make bread rise with yeast, useful things.

I eat loads of veg and salads as I have always enjoyed them but they don't do the trick for me unfortunately. I will definitely try the psyllium husk though and also the skipping rope. I can't see me trampolining in the garden with everyone watching me lol. Thanks for the advice. Something else to try.

 

[Tee G]

Hi and welcome @Cazzablanca - nice to see you here. Well done on your results so far, that's very encouraging. I can totally understand the difficulties you faced in the recent past, its not easy - but you have picked yourself up and got back on track and that is to be applauded. You have done so well. Look forward to days ahead knowing you are well supported here. That spike you had after breakfast is a little on the high side - maybe weigh out a slightly smaller portion and use something like unsweetened almond milk (which has no carbs?) that will help bring down the total at one sitting?

You may like to check out the Food/Carb..recipe thread on here. There are loads of ideas there to maybe help you? We all need different things, so hopefully there will be something there to spark your interest. Once again, glad you are with us. All the best.

 

[Cazzablanca]

Hi, for me anything more than a 2.0mmol rise at 2hrs after first bite is too much, even if it is still below 8.0 (or 7.8 if you are more cautious).

Thanks Ian. I think you are right. I've just stocked up on it too . I'm a bit foxed about what to have though for breakfast as I was a toast lover, I can't eat too many eggs these days, and I don't eat meat. Yogurt with a few berries I guess. Baked beans on mushrooms, that kind of thing i suppose.

 

[grovesy]

Be aware some find Baked Beans affect there levels.

 

[silentsquirrel]

You could try eating the All Bran in the evening, may have less of an effect then bgwise.

 

[Tee G]

I cant handle baked beans, even if i drain all the sauce off - they spike me something terrible and i cant see me eating the reduced sugar variety every again, hated them. So i took them off my menu. Shame because I LOVE THEM! lol Arrgh

 

[Cazzablanca]

Hi and welcome @Cazzablanca - nice to see you here. Well done on your results so far, that's very encouraging. I can totally understand the difficulties you faced in the recent past, its not easy - but you have picked yourself up and got back on track and that is to be applauded. You have done so well. Look forward to days ahead knowing you are well supported here. That spike you had after breakfast is a little on the high side - maybe weigh out a slightly smaller portion and use something like unsweetened almond milk (which has no carbs?) that will help bring down the total at one sitting?

You may like to check out the Food/Carb..recipe thread on here. There are loads of ideas there to maybe help you? We all need different things, so hopefully there will be something there to spark your interest. Once again, glad you are with us. All the best.

Thanks for your kind words Tee G. I will check out the food/carb ideas as I need some breakfast inspiration. Yes I will also try reducing the All Bran. I.am happy to have it with water to be honest but I do put a supermarket version of a plant stanol drink in. It's not no added sugar though as they don't do one. Maybe I should switch to Benecol NAS if the spike doesn't come down. It's a lot pricier but if it helps... I'm looking forward to joining your online community.

 

[Cazzablanca]

You could try eating the All Bran in the evening, may have less of an effect then bgwise.

Oh is that right. will have to check that out. Maybe stir a bit into a little Greek yogurt.

 

[Cazzablanca]

Be aware some find Baked Beans affect there levels.

Thanks I am going to start checking. I always buy non added sugar beans as I actually prefer them but I will check next time I eat some. Thank you for advice.

 

[Cazzablanca]

I cant handle baked beans, even if i drain all the sauce off - they spike me something terrible and i cant see me eating the reduced sugar variety every again, hated them. So i took them off my menu. Shame because I LOVE THEM! lol Arrgh

Tee, I see you use the same glucose monitor that I was about to buy. Do you find it seems reasonably accurate? I am not confident with the one I bought last year from Amazon. It gives 3 different figures from the same testing. Also I have to get the strips from Amazon from China or India. Are the strips a reasonable price of your one?

 

[Cazzablanca]

Tee, I see you use the same glucose monitor that I was about to buy. Do you find it seems reasonably accurate? I am not confident with the one I bought last year from Amazon. It gives 3 different figures from the same testing. Also I have to get the strips from Amazon from China or India. Are the strips a reasonable price of your one?

Oh with so much stuff I've had to give up, baked beans are my only comfort

 

[Tee G]

Hi again... I struggled at first with breakfast things. I loved toast and weetabix (I cant have either now) BUT....i found liveLife bread (Waitrose) its tiny, the size of your palm & taste/feels a bit like a malt bread, but it doesn't spike me if i just have one slice. 1 slice of a normal wholegrain was awful for me too. So this is a Godsend. So i get my 'bread fix' ..... i top it with mackerel, sardines, peanut butter, smoked salmon, marmite and im experimenting with chai seed 'jam' (had a really good result on a sugar free cake i baked using blueberries - was delish!...recipes also on the site). I had to ditch the weetabix, it just didnt agree with my BG. I found i can retain my porridge if i limit myself to 4 tbspn (and i can top it with a few berries), i have it with unsweetened soya, almond, oat or semi skimmed dairy milk, all are fine. So its not so bad. Im sure you will find some inspiration soon.

 

[Cazzablanca]

Hi again... I struggled at first with breakfast things. I loved toast and weetabix (I cant have either now) BUT....i found liveLife bread (Waitrose) its tiny, the size of your palm & taste/feels a bit like a malt bread, but it doesn't spike me if i just have one slice. 1 slice of a normal wholegrain was awful for me too. So this is a Godsend. So i get my 'bread fix' ..... i top it with mackerel, sardines, peanut butter, smoked salmon, marmite and im experimenting with chai seed 'jam' (had a really good result on a sugar gree cake i baked using blueberries - was delish!...recipes also on the site). I had to ditch the weetabix, it just didnt agree with my BG. I found i can retain my porridge if i limit myself to 4 tbspn (and i can top it with a few berries), i have it with unsweetened soya, almond, oat or semi skimmed dairy milk, all are fine. So its not so bad. Im sure you will find some inspiration soon.

Thank you. Some great ideas there.

 

[Tee G]

Im pretty sure it accurate - I also purchased a 'control solution' on buying my monitor and the readings i got for the machine were within range, so im happy its giving me accurate reading (I know there is an allowable discrepancy for all equipment). I got from Amazon i think around £8 for 50 strips. Long shelf life but watch the date you open the pot as it only lasts i think 6 months?? you will have to confirm that. (Theres a space on the pot to write day opened on it, useful if you dont test a lot)....but seeing as I dont have a 'formal diagnosis' i cant get the diabetic discount that is available on these kinds of purchases, something I must ask my Dr about next time i go in!!......Im not testing as much as i used to because i pretty much have my menu sorted now, just do new foods/recipes now . (My next HB1Ac will tell me if i got things right! - here's hoping!)

 

[Drummer]

for most type twos it isn't just the sugars, it is the starch - so sugar free beans are still a high carb-ish food, and for some, like me they seem to punch above their weight, giving a higher than expected rise in BG which seems to hang on for some time too.