Help!

[Daryl Ambrose]

Hello my names Daryl and i was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in dec last year and was told i needed to change what i ate and did so, but my follow up consolation i found that the medication im on (metformin 500g) was not working and was told my diabetes was poorly controlled ☹️ Can someone please tell me what the best thing to eat are and what the worst things are?
I eat alot of salad and veg i have no sugar i eat wholemeal sandwich thins for lunch and am generally really good but for some reason none of this is working ive tried really hard to get on top of it but all my hard work has gone to waste and part of me feels like giving up has anybody else been through this?
Thank you for taking the time to read this!

 

[trophywench]

So what levels of BG are your meter displaying when you test? And when you give an armful and they test it from the surgery?

And - what do you actually eat for brekkie and dinner?

 

[Stitch147]

Hi Daryl welcome to the forum. Was you given a meter to test your BG levels when you was diagnosed? I was put on the max dose of metformin when I was diagnosed last August, they also gave me a meter to do testing. Within a couple of weeks of changing my diet and taking the metformin my levels were still up in the high teens and 20's. i went back to the dr following advice (thankyou TW for the nagging!) from this forum and I saw a different doctor who thought this was a bit strange and put me on another tablet called Gliclizide, this had an effect on me straight away and within days my levels started coming down and are now in single figures most days. I have since been diagnosed with MODY (maturity onset diabetes of the young) a rarer type of diabetes as metformin will have little/no affect on this type. So after all that waffle, depending on what dose of metformin you are on, the type of foods you are eating and what sort of numbers you are getting with your BG levels you may not be type 2 afterall, might be worth mentioning next time you are up the dr.

 

[Northerner]

Hello my names Daryl and i was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in dec last year and was told i needed to change what i ate and did so, but my follow up consolation i found that the medication im on (metformin 500g) was not working and was told my diabetes was poorly controlled ☹️ Can someone please tell me what the best thing to eat are and what the worst things are?
I eat alot of salad and veg i have no sugar i eat wholemeal sandwich thins for lunch and am generally really good but for some reason none of this is working ive tried really hard to get on top of it but all my hard work has gone to waste and part of me feels like giving up has anybody else been through this?
Thank you for taking the time to read this!

Hi Daryl, welcome to the forum 🙂 That's not very encouraging or helpful from your nurse/doctor is it? What did they recommend? The fact that you have sought out help here and the changes you have already tried show how well-motivated you are to get this thing under control, so well done on your efforts so far - with this attitude I am sure you can crack it! 🙂 It's not easy knowing what you can and can't eat - people tell you to eat a 'healthy' diet, but don't really explain in any detail what this actually means. To complicate things further, many things that are considered 'healthy' might not actually be so, especially when you have diabetes. We've been told for years that fat is the big enemy that we must avoid at all costs, but if you look at many 'low-fat' products, you'll find that the fat has been simply replaced with sugar As diabetics we need to be very aware of all the carbohydrates we consume, as these are what will raise our levels. It can be very useful to start a food diary, recording the amount, in grams, of carbohydrate in everything you eat and drink - sounds tedious, but it will give you a realistic idea of your carb consumption and provide a basis for looking for things that you might be able to reduce or replace with alternatives e.g. many people find that cauliflower is very flexible and can be used instead of rice or potato mash, or courgettes can be used instead of noodles/pasta - there are lots of examples on this site.

Another very impportant and extremely useful tool in understanding how diabetes affects you is a blood glucose meter. You can use this to test your blood glucose levels before and after eating (read Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to see how this can be done efficiently) and find your own individual tolerances to different food items. By recording your results you can spot areas where the greatest improvements can be made and gradually your overall blood glucose levels will improve - and you can impress your doctor or nurse! 🙂 It does take time, so you need some patience to do it methodically. If you haven't been provided with a meter and strips, then it is worth getting your own - the cheapest option we have come across is the
SD Codefree Meter which has test strips at around £8 for 50 (high street shops like Boots can charge up to £30 for a tub of 50 test strips 😱). I'd also recommend reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter, and getting a copy of the excellent Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker.

Of course, it's possible that you may need more medication to help you - that's not a failure on your behalf, it would simply be down to your body's capabilities. But if you follow the advice above I can guarantee that none of your efforts will be in vain because you will understand your diabetes better and be in a much better position when you discuss things with healthcare professionals, because you will be able to clearly explain what you have done and have information to back things up. Good luck, please let us know how you get on! 🙂

Hope this helps! Please feel free to ask any questions or let us know of any concerns you have and we will be happy to help 🙂

 

[Lynn Davies]

Oh Daryl! What a pickle you are in! You need to remember you are not a failure and the changes you have already made are brilliant!

I dont tolerate any breads very well - not even the Bergen bread which is supposed to be lower carb. I buy the protein rolls from Lidl. If you have one close to you they are huge triangular shaped rolls that only have 11 carbs per roll. I find one is more then enough for a lunch.

If you like yogurt then have a look at Skyr in Morrisons or Sainsbury's - lower in carbs and calories than other natural yogurts and much more taste! I do add some sweetener to mine as I am a bit of a wuss when it comes to natural yogurts.

Cheese is good as well as it has little or no carbs so make a good butty filling.

You are on the right route to getting control of the bloody 'D'.

Keep plugging on and testing and you will very soon get the hang of it all.

 

[Daryl Ambrose]

My BG levels were 26.9 when i got tested in dec but are now down to 7.8 but unfortunately ive run out of the blood meter tabs so cant test myself until i get those come through the post for breakfast im having 2 weetabix or 2 warburtons bagels with benecol butter lunch i have 2 warburtons brown thins with low fat cream cheese and rocket and for dinner its chicken with veg or salad or salmon

 

[Lynn Davies]

Your weepygits ( youngest couldn't say weetabix and that's the name they have gone by in our house for nearly 40 years) and bagels are quite high in carbs and most probably send your BG higher than it should be. I have scrambled eggs for brekkie most days with a treat on Saturday of a slice of Bergen toast underneath them and Sunday is a Lidl roll with lashings of bacon!

Some people find they can tolerate porridge for brekkie. Not a fav of mine so I have not tried it.

Your lunch sounds good if you tolerate the thins and dinner sounds spot on.

Do you test 2 hours after each meal?

 

[Amigo]

If your levels have come down to 7.8 on the meter then you're doing pretty well Daryl! Why is your doctor/nurse saying it's poorly controlled? Have you any idea what your Hba1c result was (the blood they take from your arm usually every 3/6 months).

On the face of it you're eating healthily especially if you're working or exercising. However, you're actually consuming a fair number of carbs in the breads and Weetabix. I've calculated 113.1 grams of carb on the bread and Weetabix alone. I'd struggle with that amount of bread and stay within limits. And this is without the carbs from your dinner, sandwich fillings, drinks etc. Do you drink alcohol?

23.7 carbs per Warburton bagels equals 47.4 grams
20.0 carbs per Warburton thin equals 40 grams
2 Weetabix equals - 25.7 grams

Total - 113.1

Take a look at the high protein rolls because they're very filling and pack with protein and salad. They're huge, great toasted and 2 will fill you for 22 g. Consider omelettes for breakfast or grilled bacon, boiled eggs and maybe a slice of Burgen bread. Soup in a flask for lunch would be filling too and pieces of chicken.
It could be you're underestimating what you eat.

If you adapt your diet and still struggle with your levels, it could be you need different or more meds as others have said. Don't give up Daryl, it isn't an option! You've already made inroads and protected your health so don't get despondent. Good luck.

 

[khskel]

Breakfast sounds a bit high carb to me. Have you tried a lower carb bread such as Burgen soya and linseed? About 11g of carb per slice. You can get lower but the burgen is the most readily available. The only way to find out for sure is when you get your strips test before eating and then 2 hours after and see what happens. If your BG has gone up by no more than 2 you're probably on the right track. Some people including me would have unsweetened almond milk on their cereal as it's near as dammit carb free. No one can give you a definitive answer as we all have different tolerances.

 

[michael warnock]

My BG levels were 26.9 when i got tested in dec but are now down to 7.8 but unfortunately ive run out of the blood meter tabs so cant test myself until i get those come through the post for breakfast im having 2 weetabix or 2 warburtons bagels with benecol butter lunch i have 2 warburtons brown thins with low fat cream cheese and rocket and for dinner its chicken with veg or salad or salmon

are you aware the tabs are available on prescription from your doctor

 

[pat.y]

Mine aren't for type 2 it's get your own where I live.

 

[michael warnock]

Mine aren't for type 2 it's get your own where I live.

Whatt type of bg meter do you use

 

[Stitch147]

Not all doctors will prescribe testing meters/strips for type 2's unfortunately

 

[pat.y]

They won't give meters to type 2's where I live. After 12 years they gave me one to test for a month as they thought I may need insulin. However after a lot of advice here and 'eating to the meter' with virtually no carbs I don't need insulin and they reduced my meds so no more strips. I have bought a code free meter purely because the strips are so much cheaper but the finger pricker is brutal so I'll stick with the one I have, don't mind buying lancets.

 

[davie533]

This is what I love about this forum people are struggling with something they ask for help on here and and help and ideas are given. Every time a question is asked the replies are helpful and informative to us newbies.Good luck Daryl.