Help pls :)

[Imogenscarlett]

Hi All,

So I got told I’m borderline type 2 diabetic (48 and then 46 on a blood test) about 8 months ago now.. at first I jumped into eating better and joined the gym etc. Since then I’ve been struggling as the Dr was like no further action..get on with it and well.. I didn’t.. I guess it’s not easy to undo a lifetime of food habits!

I’ve recently bought a device that reads your blood sugar with a finger prick and I’m getting abit ‘in my own head’ about it. The last few days I’ve woken up and it’s read 9 - 11 (on average) and then when I get back from work it’s dropped down to about 6. A few hours after eating my dinner (today was chicken and salad with a handful of wholegrain rice) it’s gone back up to 9.

Does anyone have any tips or should I not be reading my blood sugar that often with type 2?

Hope that makes sense.

Thank you

Imogen

 

[Lily123]

Welcome to the forum @Imogenscarlett

The advice that many will say on this forum is that it is ideal for a Type 2 to test their BG upon waking,before eating and 2 hours after eating. This will allow you to see the effect that foods have on your BG.You‘ll be aiming for no more than a 2 to 3 mmol/L rise 2 hours after eating and less than 8.5mmol/L is ideal
(sorry if this is a bit of information overload)

 

[Windy]

I'm type 2 and test my blood glucose.
The GP didn't suggest it, but I bought one as it's a way of knowing what food does to your sugar levels. I agree with Lily123's advice on when to test, it's what I do.

Your waking glucose will be from your liver - it metabolises fat and glycogen and makes glucose to get you moving when you get up. You might get a different reading if you take it in bed, and then a later one when you've got up and put the kettle on.
Are you keeping a track of what meal you had and what it did to your BG? I use a spreadsheet in Libre Office (it's free software that is like excel), but you can use apps or a note book. It means you can see if you get a better reading with some foods over others, so you had wholegrain rice - it's a carbohydrate and will be getting converted into sugar in your body. You could make the meal next time with half rice and half cauliflower rice (make your own in a food processor, or you can buy it frozen in the supermarket) and see if you get a better BG after that.
I only test my blood when I'm trying out a new meal so that I can see what it does to my BG, if it's a meal I've had before, I don't generally test again.
I'm sure others will pitch in, but testing is really powerful as it helps you make better food choices to keep your BG steadier.
Best wishes, Sarah

 

[Imogenscarlett]

Hi both.

Thank you so so much that’s really helpful. I got the blood sugar tester machine- thingy (sorry I’ve no idea of all the lingo) for that exact reason.. if I don’t have something that is giving me some insight it tends to just be pushed to the back of my mind and I’ll eat whatever I fancy - which isn’t great!

I think I will continue as I am doing - I just tend to get a little concerned when my blood sugar level isn’t in the normal range and did panic a little the others morning when it hit 11.

Thanks again for the advise and support it is really appreciated.

Kind regards

Imogen

 

[Leadinglights]

Make sure you wash your hands before testing as a reading of 11mmol/l sounds quite high when your HbA1C is just borderline diabetic . You should see some improvement by reducing portion size of the high carb foods, not just sugar but other foods like potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, tropical fruits as well as cakes, biscuits and sugary drinks like fruit juice or non diet drinks. You have the benefit of your monitor so you can test your tolerance to various foods and meals and you will soon build up a repertoire of meals you know you are ok with so will only need to test something new.
Carbs and Cals is a good book for giving you the carb value of many foods, but there are also apps people use as well.
Keeping good records of your readings and meals will be helpful.
Starting a food diary noting everything you eat and drink with an estimate of the amount of carbohydrate will help you see where savings can be made.
If you are going to adopt a low carb dietary regime then less than 130g per day is a good starting point but reducing from what you are having gradually is better so you avoid problems with your eyes or nerves by reducing blood glucose too quickly.

 

[trophywench]

The blood testing machine is actually called a glucometer - but most of us shorten that to meter, and would say eg meter results.

 

[Imogenscarlett]

Make sure you wash your hands before testing as a reading of 11mmol/l sounds quite high when your HbA1C is just borderline diabetic . You should see some improvement by reducing portion size of the high carb foods, not just sugar but other foods like potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, tropical fruits as well as cakes, biscuits and sugary drinks like fruit juice or non diet drinks. You have the benefit of your monitor so you can test your tolerance to various foods and meals and you will soon build up a repertoire of meals you know you are ok with so will only need to test something new.
Carbs and Cals is a good book for giving you the carb value of many foods, but there are also apps people use as well.
Keeping good records of your readings and meals will be helpful.
Starting a food diary noting everything you eat and drink with an estimate of the amount of carbohydrate will help you see where savings can be made.
If you are going to adopt a low carb dietary regime then less than 130g per day is a good starting point but reducing from what you are having gradually is better so you avoid problems with your eyes or nerves by reducing blood glucose too quickly.

Thank you, this is so helpful!! Really appreciate the response!

 

[Imogenscarlett]

The blood testing machine is actually called a glucometer - but most of us shorten that to meter, and would say eg meter results.

Ahhh yes! Thank you!

 

[Imogenscarlett]

The target range for T2s is between 4 and 7 on waking (ie, a fasting test) and pre-meal, and less than 8.5 two hours after eating, aiming for a rise of no more than 2 or 3 between the pre- and post-meal readings. Keeping a food diary alongside your pre- and post-meal readings helps to identify foods that you might want to avoid or cut back on if they raise your BG too much.

Thank you that’s really helpful to know!

 

[Imogenscarlett]

Thank you all so much. This has been really, really helpful. More than any doctor has told me so far.

Does anyone have any tips for foods on the go? I know it’s probably non existent but things you might be able to grab from a shop that wouldn’t raise your BG? Snack wise?

Thanks again,

Imogen

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you all so much. This has been really, really helpful. More than any doctor has told me so far.

Does anyone have any tips for foods on the go? I know it’s probably non existent but things you might be able to grab from a shop that wouldn’t raise your BG? Snack wise?

Thanks again,

Imogen

Protein nut bars like Nature Valley, KIND or shop own about 10g carb or less per bar but make sure they are the Protein ones not the normal ones.
Nuts or the small individual cheeses, full fat yogurts.

 

[Imogenscarlett]

Okay, that’s great.

On average how much carbs would you have per day/ meal?

I’ve looked at full fat yogurts - I’m guessing the flavoured ones are a no go?

Thanks so much

 

[Imogenscarlett]

Protein bars are one option, eg Nature Valley or KIND, as they are under 10g carb. If you have an ALDI their gluten-free Dk Chocolate & Seal Salt Nut bars are only 5.9g carb.

Nuts in general are my go-to snack, in particular Graze Chilli & Lime. LIDL do a similar item from Alesto called Protein Crunch and they're cheaper.

Amazing thank you

 

[Leadinglights]

Okay, that’s great.

On average how much carbs would you have per day/ meal?

I’ve looked at full fat yogurts - I’m guessing the flavoured ones are a no go?

Thanks so much

I get quark based desert pots KVARG they are high protein, low carb and low fat in various flavours as well as full fat greek yoghurt which I have with berries for breakfast with about 10g of a low sugar granola or All bran.
I tend to have approx 70g carbs per day, probably 15g at breakfast, 20g for lunch, 25g for dinner, the rest being drinks and the odd incidentals.
But low carb is less than 130g per day but people determine what suits them being guided by their blood glucose monitor testing of before and 2 hours after meals.

 

[Imogenscarlett]

Thank you so much! So helpful! I had no idea about any of this before! I knew carbs needed cutting down but I’m a sucker for detail so thanks so much!

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you so much! So helpful! I had no idea about any of this before! I knew carbs needed cutting down but I’m a sucker for detail so thanks so much!

This is a useful link as well as the Learning Zone.

Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home

lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk

 

[Mrs Mimoo]

on the go: protein or nut bar, or a bottle of slimfast shake. Cheeses are good too. Or some beef jerky

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Glad you have found the responses you have had on the forum helpful so far @Imogenscarlett

We will be right here to cheer you on, encourage you, and give you space to rant and let off steam whenever you need it.

If you are interested in trying a low carb approach, you might find the mealplans on the Diabetes UK website helpful

Low-carb diet and meal plan

Eating a low-carb diet means cutting down on the amount of carbohydrates (carbs) you eat to less than 130g a day. But low-carb eating shouldn’t be no-carb eating. Some carbohydrate foods contain essential vitamins, minerals and fibre, which form an important part of a healthy diet.

www.diabetes.org.uk

There are also lots of folks sharing what they eat day to day on the ‘what did you eat yesterday’ thread on the forum.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on 🙂