Welcome to the forum
@Taffyboyslim
Told by gp my levels were 80 and should be about 40 .....said am I diabetic ....he said not sure yet .....phoned you guys .....told almost certainly ......so phoned back another gp who has put me on metformin .
That sounds like it is an HbA1c - a reading of 42-47 would suggest you were at increased risk of diabetes, and a reading above 48mmol/L (or sometimes one, plus a confirmation) is usually enough to get a diagnosis with diabetes.
So I like to keep things simple ......
I need to take this medication , at least for a while
I need to get out and walk as its the only exercise I enjoy
Any activity is good! And choosing something you enjoy makes it easier to make it a regular part of your routine!
Taking medication can help your metabolism process carbohydrates and give you a helping hand to keep things in balance, so don’t view meds with any kind of stigma - if they are helping, then that’s a good thing - but if at some point you find you no longer need the meds, then that’s fine too!
Diet wise ......cut right back on carbs like bread ......even brown bread ? Potatoes , chips , pasta , rice .....even brown ? , takeaways , curries with sauces , sausage and chips ....
One of the biggest questions when trying to get to grips with your diabetes is often ‘what can I eat’ and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.
Many new members find it can be really helpful to keep a brutally honest food diary for a week or two. Note down everything you eat and drink, along with a reasonable estimate of the total carbohydrate content in your meals and snacks - it doesn’t have to be gram-perfect, the nearest 5-10g is fine. It might sound like a bit of a faff, and will involve weighing portions, squinting at the fine print on packaging, and possibly looking up things on the internet, but it will give you a really good idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu. Once you can see which meals or snacks are your ‘big hitters’, and where carbs might be unexpectedly lurking, the process might also suggest some likely candidates for swaps, portion reductions, or using lower carb alternatives (eg celeriac or swede mash, or cauli ‘rice’).
Fill up on lean meat , fish , seafood , quorn , eggs , low fat cheese , salad , cous cous ?
Low calorie carbs ? .......cauliflower rice , spiralled courgettes ......where do I get these ? ......swede instead of parsnips ?
What's the best , easy to understand diet guide out there or can I get all the advice I need from you beautiful people ?
There are lots of members with all sorts of different eating habits sharing their own menus on this lengthy thread
Some who use diet alone to manage their diabetes, and other who use different sorts of meds, including tablets, injectables and insulin.
Additionally there are a number of different styles of meal plans here:
Eating nutritious, healthy and downright delicious food is that bit easier with our meal planners. We've created multiple different weekly meal plans to suit all types and tastes. They're nutritionally balanced, are calorie and carb counted, and can help if you want to lose weight. They also...
www.diabetes.org.uk
…including low calorie, low carb, mediterranean, veggie and vegan.
What really matters is finding an approach that you can maintain long-term, and which gives you results and BG outcomes you are happy with
🙂
