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Hi I’m new here

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Flowerpower

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
After years of being borderline then being ok then borderline again my blood test this week saw my glucose level soar to 53 from 50 three months ago. So I’m now type 2 and starting metformin on Monday. I’m dreading taking meds and hoping I don’t have any side effects. I’m glad I was given this website as it seems so informative and the recipes will be a great help.
Diabetes isn’t a stranger to me as my parents had maturity onset type 2, my sister has had type2 for many years and has had insulin injections for a long time now. I was hoping to avoid it but here I am !
 
Hi Tim
thanks for your message. I’ve been dreading this day coming, but being borderline for so long and hovering around the 46-47 mark it was inevitable I guess, still a shock though. I think lockdown led me astray with my diet comfort eating plus no proper exercise too.
 
Flowerpower said:
Hi Tim
thanks for your message. I’ve been dreading this day coming, but being borderline for so long and hovering around the 46-47 mark it was inevitable I guess, still a shock though. I think lockdown led me astray with my diet comfort eating plus no proper exercise too.
Click to expand...
Not soaring, really, not all that high when compared to some.
I had a Hba1c of 91 at diagnosis and threw out the GPs cholesterol lowering diet sheets, was down to 41 in 6 months.
I find the low carb diet I chose with the help of a glucose test meter easy to stick to - I got the Spirit Healthcare Tee2+ and a few post of strips and it was soon clear that I was back in normal numbers.
Have you not had any advice on diet even though you were so close to the edge for some time?
 
Drummer said:
Not soaring, really, not all that high when compared to some.
I had a Hba1c of 91 at diagnosis and threw out the GPs cholesterol lowering diet sheets, was down to 41 in 6 months.
I find the low carb diet I chose with the help of a glucose test meter easy to stick to - I got the Spirit Healthcare Tee2+ and a few post of strips and it was soon clear that I was back in normal numbers.
Have you not had any advice on diet even though you were so close to the edge for some time?
Click to expand...
Hi Drummer
thanks for the reply. I did go on a course recommended by a GP which was ok but didn’t help with diet advice but really explained what goes on inside the body when diabetes sets in. Then I lost a stone with WW which helped lower my blood sugar and kept me at pre-diabetic. Then I had a hip replacement because of osteoarthritis, then as I was recovering Covid happened and lockdown ! So I slowly put that stone plus 2lbs extra back on and here I am diagnosed with type 2 and being advised to start metformin. I’ve reluctantly agreed to start taking the meds but will really start taking my diet seriously again.
i don’t want to go back to WW again ! It does work, but counting points and tracking all the food you eat every day gets really tiresome. It took me over a year to lose that stone !
 
Flowerpower said:
Hi Drummer
thanks for the reply. I did go on a course recommended by a GP which was ok but didn’t help with diet advice but really explained what goes on inside the body when diabetes sets in. Then I lost a stone with WW which helped lower my blood sugar and kept me at pre-diabetic. Then I had a hip replacement because of osteoarthritis, then as I was recovering Covid happened and lockdown ! So I slowly put that stone plus 2lbs extra back on and here I am diagnosed with type 2 and being advised to start metformin. I’ve reluctantly agreed to start taking the meds but will really start taking my diet seriously again.
i don’t want to go back to WW again ! It does work, but counting points and tracking all the food you eat every day gets really tiresome. It took me over a year to lose that stone !
Click to expand...
I have read that WW is not a good way for a type 2 to eat as the carb allowance is much too high for someone unable to cope with them.
Do you count the carbs in your diet.
I find not having to track or count anything very liberating these days. I am almost 5 years from diagnosis so am really in the low carb groove these days.
I lost a lot of weight the first year and have continued to shrink. Many of the people I know have gained a lot of weight during lockdown. I suspect that when I get to the surgery again - the only place they weigh me - I will be down again. All my winter clothes are too loose.
 
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Flowerpower said:
Hi Drummer
thanks for the reply. I did go on a course recommended by a GP which was ok but didn’t help with diet advice but really explained what goes on inside the body when diabetes sets in. Then I lost a stone with WW which helped lower my blood sugar and kept me at pre-diabetic. Then I had a hip replacement because of osteoarthritis, then as I was recovering Covid happened and lockdown ! So I slowly put that stone plus 2lbs extra back on and here I am diagnosed with type 2 and being advised to start metformin. I’ve reluctantly agreed to start taking the meds but will really start taking my diet seriously again.
i don’t want to go back to WW again ! It does work, but counting points and tracking all the food you eat every day gets really tiresome. It took me over a year to lose that stone !
Click to expand...
That sounds similar to me.
I didn't do WW, although many on here have with good success.
I actually had an NHS dietian, I kept a food diary, used a meter to test my reactions to foods, and came up with a low fat diet and after a year I did the Newcastle diet to round it off (eight weeks of shakes) and lost five stone overall.
It reversed my diabetes, now I eat anything, I just keep my weight stable and it's all good.
 
Hi @Flowerpower and welcome to the forum.
Like @Drummer I too got by T2D into remission very quickly just by changing what I eat (from Low Fat to Low Carbohydrate, Higher Protein, Moderate Traditional Fats) rather than by trying to cut calories. That way I reduced both my Blood Glucose and my weight without hunger or additional exercise - so it needed much less willpower.
 
Hi @Flowerpower and welcome from me as well.

I can only echo from @ianf0ster and @Drummer have said. Cutting back on the carbs (bread, potato, rice, pasta etc) as well as the sweet sugary things will bring your HbA1c down. At diagnosis I started metformin and lowered my carb intake and after three months I was able to stop the meds.
 
You have some good suggestions from some of the others. But like you I was upper end of prediabetic but got it down but then went up into the diabetic zone just. I was terrified of having to take metformin but as my GP said as I had got it down before by dietary change she was willing for me to give it a go again. I decided that the low carb way would work for me and lost 15kg and reduced my HbA1C back to 42mmol/mol in the six months.
You probably have a good idea of what you need to do but sometimes just going back to basics and re-evaluating your dietary choices is a good idea.
 
Welcome to the forum @Flowerpower

Sorry to hear that your HbA1c has finally tipped over the diabetes threshold. Sounds like you have been doing an excellent job of keeping it down for a number of years, and that you have suspicions about the effect of lockdown (and you are not alone there!)

As other have said, when managing diabetes it is important to balance the amount of carbohydrate you are eating with your body’s ability to cope (alongside your level of activity and any medication you need). It’s not that you need to try to avoid carbs entirely, but a little bit of portion control can work wonders 🙂

It seems likely that a few modest tweaks to your eating plan are probably all you will need?

Maybe one way of beginning a bit of a reset as others have encouraged might be to keep a food diary for a week or two? Be brutally honest! Note down everything you eat and drink along with an estimate the amount of total carbohydrate (not just ‘of which sugars’) in your meals and snacks. This will give you a good idea of the foods which are the main sources of carbs in your menu. And some of the unexpected corners where they can lurk!

Once you have a general idea of the distribution you will probably find a few places where you could reduce your carb load to help your body manage better, while still retaining a varied, enjoyable, and sustainable menu 🙂
 
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