Mephistophlillie
Active Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
So, I’m two months in after a pretty grim HBA1C of 97. I was officially diagnosed on the 10th December, setting me up for the most low key Christmas in my 47 years so far. The NHS wheels have slowly been turning and processing me into the club that nobody wants to join. I’ve seen the dietitian, the nurse, the podiatrist, and the eye people. Prodding, poking, prying, and a little bit of preaching as I’ve navigated the first 8 weeks or so. I’ve been up, I’ve been down. But mostly, I’m trying to be positive. Even after the passive aggressive letter regarding "background retinopathy" I received. 😱🙂
I’ve listened with respect, and an open mind to everything they’ve told me, and after a month or two I’m starting to come to terms with the hand I’ve been dealt. I’ve even dealt with some pretty nasty bigoted views on the condition, based on sheer ignorance.😡
I guess my biggest change I’ve made is in the food that I eat. I’ve always been on the bigger side, and for the best part of the last ten years my BMI has floated around 31ish. I’ve pretty much watched what I eat for 13-14 years. My BMI used to be higher, but I lost a lot of weight around 2007, and some of it inevitably found its way back on.
So after the diagnosis, I thought, “ah ha, weight off. I know what I’m doing here. No problems.” Then I discovered this place. Then I discovered carbs, and the real role they play. Then I went and looked through MyFitnessPal diary from the last year or two.
Oh.
It was more of a cannonball than a penny that dropped. For years, I’ve been eating rice, pasta, potatoes, and “low-fat things” in the mistaken belief that they were doing me good. Turns out they’re effectively poison to me. At the end of the year, I changed it. I changed it all.
I no longer eat vegetables that originate underground. I no longer eat bread. I no longer eat rice, cereals and the stuff I loved. Fruit is now an occasional treat, and tends to be the ones that end with -----berry. It’s been a difficult breakup but it’s been for the best. I haven’t yet managed to give up beer, but it’s gone from an everyday thing, to a once a month thing. I’m working on switching to less-carby plonk, and given time I’ll get there. I cook from scratch more. I make ‘bread’ from milled linseed, and “tortilla wraps” from coconut flour, and psyllium husk (which I’m almost certain should be used to render walls)
And January has been a revelation. I’ve lost an entire stone last month alone. My BMI is underneath 30, taking me out of “that” category. Give me a few months, and it should be under 25.
After reading some of the threads on here, I bought an SD Meter. I’ve been testing regularly, and there is a definitive trend line going downwards (who doesn't love an excuse to build a spreadsheet?) as the weight has come off, the dietary changes have stuck, and the meds have kicked in.
I’m so focused on taking this b*****d thing on head on, and working towards the next HBA1C, where I hope to see a marked improvement. The initial shock and fear has gone. Bring it on.
I’ve listened with respect, and an open mind to everything they’ve told me, and after a month or two I’m starting to come to terms with the hand I’ve been dealt. I’ve even dealt with some pretty nasty bigoted views on the condition, based on sheer ignorance.😡
I guess my biggest change I’ve made is in the food that I eat. I’ve always been on the bigger side, and for the best part of the last ten years my BMI has floated around 31ish. I’ve pretty much watched what I eat for 13-14 years. My BMI used to be higher, but I lost a lot of weight around 2007, and some of it inevitably found its way back on.
So after the diagnosis, I thought, “ah ha, weight off. I know what I’m doing here. No problems.” Then I discovered this place. Then I discovered carbs, and the real role they play. Then I went and looked through MyFitnessPal diary from the last year or two.
Oh.
It was more of a cannonball than a penny that dropped. For years, I’ve been eating rice, pasta, potatoes, and “low-fat things” in the mistaken belief that they were doing me good. Turns out they’re effectively poison to me. At the end of the year, I changed it. I changed it all.
I no longer eat vegetables that originate underground. I no longer eat bread. I no longer eat rice, cereals and the stuff I loved. Fruit is now an occasional treat, and tends to be the ones that end with -----berry. It’s been a difficult breakup but it’s been for the best. I haven’t yet managed to give up beer, but it’s gone from an everyday thing, to a once a month thing. I’m working on switching to less-carby plonk, and given time I’ll get there. I cook from scratch more. I make ‘bread’ from milled linseed, and “tortilla wraps” from coconut flour, and psyllium husk (which I’m almost certain should be used to render walls)
And January has been a revelation. I’ve lost an entire stone last month alone. My BMI is underneath 30, taking me out of “that” category. Give me a few months, and it should be under 25.
After reading some of the threads on here, I bought an SD Meter. I’ve been testing regularly, and there is a definitive trend line going downwards (who doesn't love an excuse to build a spreadsheet?) as the weight has come off, the dietary changes have stuck, and the meds have kicked in.
I’m so focused on taking this b*****d thing on head on, and working towards the next HBA1C, where I hope to see a marked improvement. The initial shock and fear has gone. Bring it on.
