New to forum

[Lynda58]

Hi everyone joined the forum today, I was diagnosed with type 2 about 4 years ago and had my levels under control. I finished work in March due to Covid 19 as I had a kidney transplant in 2006, I seem to have lost control and my levels have shot up, I am back working from home now so hopefully I will be able to get into a routine again.

 

[trophywench]

Hi Lynda - do you have a BG meter and test at home day to day?

 

[Lynda58]

Hi I do and do check daily but to be honest since I left work my diet and alcohol intake has gone a bit wayward, when I checked it this morning it was 26.6 which has shocked me into behaving, I checked again about 30 minutes ago and it had come down to 15.5 still unacceptable I know but at least it has dropped

 

[Ralph-YK]

Welcome to the forum Lynda, from a T2 who's 5½ years in.

 

[Lynda58]

Hi I was on metformin but I didn’t work, I think it had a knock on effect with my transplant medication now taking Gliclazide and Sitagliptin

Hi Lynda - do you have a BG meter and test at home day to day?

 

[Lynda58]

Welcome to the forum Lynda, from a T2 who's 5½ years in.

Thanks was on metformin but didn’t seem to like my transplant drugs now on Gliclazide and Sitagliptin

 

[rebrascora]

A low carb diet is often far more effective than any other medication for most Type 2 diabetics. The problem is that there is very little good advice on how to go about it.

You are obviously aware that your diet has slipped and may be responsible at least in part for your current readings.

Perhaps if you give us an idea of what you eat and drink in an average day, we can suggest low carb alternatives which would help bring your numbers down. With being on Gliclazide you will need to check your BG quite regularly when you alter your diet to make sure you don't go too low and change things gradually, but it is clear that some changes need to be made to reduce those readings!

Unfortunately many people do not understand that all carbs are broken down into glucose in the blood stream, even healthy ones from fruit in all it's forms (fresh, dried and juiced) and supposedly low GI options like porridge.
Here on the forum we recommend people use their BG meter to see which foods have the worst effects on them and reduce portion size or remove them from the menu altogether. Keeping a food diary along with BG readings before and 2 hours after each meal really helps to figure this out and tailor a diet to your tastes and body's tolerance. It can vary quite dramatically from one person to another. A slice of Low carb bread may be OK for one person but badly spike another person's BG. That person might be able to tolerate a small portion of porridge but not manage pasta, even the wholemeal variety. This is due to the composition of our gut biome (bacteria) being very individual as well as differences in metabolism, activity, weight and genetic elements.

I was completely gobsmacked at the prospect of living without bread, but it was a no go for me and now I just don't miss it but it takes some practice finding an alternative way of eating as it is such a staple of our modern life. Interestingly, the less carbs you eat, the less you want..... and I can say this as someone who was a sugar/chocolate addict and really loved my bread and spuds. I have a whole new diet now and I enjoy what I eat and sometimes one meal lasts me all day with maybe the odd snack occasionally, so I eat much less than I used to but I feel so much better for it.

Choosing the right low carb snacks is also really important and having plenty of them available to dip into whenever you feel peckish, particularly in the early days until your body adjusts, is really helpful in sticking to the diet.

If you like a drink and can moderate your consumption, then choosing a form of alcohol which will not spike your BG levels is also helpful, so a gin and slimline tonic or a glass of red or dry white wine or for me a rum and diet coke, but best to avoid the beer, cider, alcopops, sweet/medium wine and etc as they all contain carbs and limit yourself to one glass maybe just twice or thrice a week. If you know you can't adhere to that then probably best to avoid altogether.

I hope that gives you a bit of help in tackling your problem. As I said, we can suggest low carb alternative meals if you let us know the sort of things you currently eat.

Just so you know it doesn't have to be all sack cloth and ashes I had a 2 egg mushroom, onion, bacon, courgette and cheese omelette for breakfast this morning with a side salad of green leaves, a couple of small cherry tomatoes, cucumber and red pepper with a big dollop of cheese coleslaw (full fat variety) and a cup of coffee made with double cream. That will usually last me until tea time or maybe even the following breakfast. If you don't like a big breakfast, a dollop of Creamy Greek natural yoghurt with a few rasps and mixed seeds and chopped nuts works well. Low fat/calorie products are higher in carbs and unfortunately low fat is often recommended by NHS staff when eating a bit more fat and cutting the carbs is far more helpful both to weight loss and diabetes management.

 

[Lynda58]

A low carb diet is often far more effective than any other medication for most Type 2 diabetics. The problem is that there is very little good advice on how to go about it.

You are obviously aware that your diet has slipped and may be responsible at least in part for your current readings.

Perhaps if you give us an idea of what you eat and drink in an average day, we can suggest low carb alternatives which would help bring your numbers down. With being on Gliclazide you will need to check your BG quite regularly when you alter your diet to make sure you don't go too low and change things gradually, but it is clear that some changes need to be made to reduce those readings!

Unfortunately many people do not understand that all carbs are broken down into glucose in the blood stream, even healthy ones from fruit in all it's forms (fresh, dried and juiced) and supposedly low GI options like porridge.
Here on the forum we recommend people use their BG meter to see which foods have the worst effects on them and reduce portion size or remove them from the menu altogether. Keeping a food diary along with BG readings before and 2 hours after each meal really helps to figure this out and tailor a diet to your tastes and body's tolerance. It can vary quite dramatically from one person to another. A slice of Low carb bread may be OK for one person but badly spike another person's BG. That person might be able to tolerate a small portion of porridge but not manage pasta, even the wholemeal variety. This is due to the composition of our gut biome (bacteria) being very individual as well as differences in metabolism, activity, weight and genetic elements.

I was completely gobsmacked at the prospect of living without bread, but it was a no go for me and now I just don't miss it but it takes some practice finding an alternative way of eating as it is such a staple of our modern life. Interestingly, the less carbs you eat, the less you want..... and I can say this as someone who was a sugar/chocolate addict and really loved my bread and spuds. I have a whole new diet now and I enjoy what I eat and sometimes one meal lasts me all day with maybe the odd snack occasionally, so I eat much less than I used to but I feel so much better for it.

Choosing the right low carb snacks is also really important and having plenty of them available to dip into whenever you feel peckish, particularly in the early days until your body adjusts, is really helpful in sticking to the diet.

If you like a drink and can moderate your consumption, then choosing a form of alcohol which will not spike your BG levels is also helpful, so a gin and slimline tonic or a glass of red or dry white wine or for me a rum and diet coke, but best to avoid the beer, cider, alcopops, sweet/medium wine and etc as they all contain carbs and limit yourself to one glass maybe just twice or thrice a week. If you know you can't adhere to that then probably best to avoid altogether.

I hope that gives you a bit of help in tackling your problem. As I said, we can suggest low carb alternative meals if you let us know the sort of things you currently eat.

Just so you know it doesn't have to be all sack cloth and ashes I had a 2 egg mushroom, onion, bacon, courgette and cheese omelette for breakfast this morning with a side salad of green leaves, a couple of small cherry tomatoes, cucumber and red pepper with a big dollop of cheese coleslaw (full fat variety) and a cup of coffee made with double cream. That will usually last me until tea time or maybe even the following breakfast. If you don't like a big breakfast, a dollop of Creamy Greek natural yoghurt with a few rasps and mixed seeds and chopped nuts works well. Low fat/calorie products are higher in carbs and unfortunately low fat is often recommended by NHS staff when eating a bit more fat and cutting the carbs is far more helpful both to weight loss and diabetes management.

My general diet consists of fruit and cereal for breakfast, a salad for dinner and meat of some description and vegetables for tea, as I said it was really good prior to Covid, I have upped my bread intake, and sweet treats, and alcohol so I think I know where the problem lies, I have made a conscious decision to change today after seeing the reading, up to now I’ve had bran flakes with strawberries for breakfast, salmon salad with a boiled egg for dinner, and I have just had roast beef, boiled potato, carrots, turnips, cauliflower and broccoli for tea, I’ve also had four cups of tea and some water.

 

[Drummer]

The fruit and cereal for breakfast is not a good start - maybe reconsider so much carb as it sets the tone for the day.
Bread is not a good food for type twos, potatoes are high carb.
Eating low carb can really make a big difference to type two, reversing it to normality.

 

[rebrascora]

Generally your diet looks pretty good apart from the bran flakes and potatoes, depending upon the portion size and whatever sweet treats you have been having in between.
I might have potatoes/sweet potato maybe once a week/fortnight but just a small portion but not regularly.

Breakfast time for many people is when they are most insulin resistant, so having a very low carb breakfast can make a big difference to your levels for the rest of the day. I know Bran Flakes are considered healthy but they are quite carby, so it is a good idea to weight them out as portion size becomes so much more important with carb rich foods and it is surprising how small a portion size is supposed to be when you start weighing things.
Strawberries are not a bad choice fruit wise (fruits with the word berry in them are generally lower carb than others) but depends on the number and size of them.
What are you having with the bran flakes and strawberries? Milk/yoghurt/cream?.. Skimmed/semi skimmed/whole milk/ nut or oat milk? Same for your tea... what type of milk? You may be surprised to know that whole milk is lower carb than skimmed and cream is lower still. Creamy natural yoghurt can be a good option if you decide to stick with the bran flakes and perhaps just reduce the portion size as it is more filling than milk and doesn't make the flakes soggy.

Snacks like a chunk of cheese or some nuts or olives if you like them or a boiled egg with some full fat mayonnaise make good snacks or a square of dark (70%+) chocolate. I have it with a spoon of crunchy peanut butter which makes it more filling and satisfying. Another naughty favourite of mine is Pork Scratchings... very low/zero carb and very satisfying when you want a savoury snack. Other people keep a few chicken drumsticks or thighs in their fridge for when they fancy a snack or veggie sticks with a sour cream and chive dip works well.

Anyway, just some suggestions which might help.

 

[Lynda58]

Generally your diet looks pretty good apart from the bran flakes and potatoes, depending upon the portion size and whatever sweet treats you have been having in between.
I might have potatoes/sweet potato maybe once a week/fortnight but just a small portion but not regularly.

Breakfast time for many people is when they are most insulin resistant, so having a very low carb breakfast can make a big difference to your levels for the rest of the day. I know Bran Flakes are considered healthy but they are quite carby, so it is a good idea to weight them out as portion size becomes so much more important with carb rich foods and it is surprising how small a portion size is supposed to be when you start weighing things.
Strawberries are not a bad choice fruit wise (fruits with the word berry in them are generally lower carb than others) but depends on the number and size of them.
What are you having with the bran flakes and strawberries? Milk/yoghurt/cream?.. Skimmed/semi skimmed/whole milk/ nut or oat milk? Same for your tea... what type of milk? You may be surprised to know that whole milk is lower carb than skimmed and cream is lower still. Creamy natural yoghurt can be a good option if you decide to stick with the bran flakes and perhaps just reduce the portion size as it is more filling than milk and doesn't make the flakes soggy.

Snacks like a chunk of cheese or some nuts or olives if you like them or a boiled egg with some full fat mayonnaise make good snacks or a square of dark (70%+) chocolate. I have it with a spoon of crunchy peanut butter which makes it more filling and satisfying. Another naughty favourite of mine is Pork Scratchings... very low/zero carb and very satisfying when you want a savoury snack. Other people keep a few chicken drumsticks or thighs in their fridge for when they fancy a snack or veggie sticks with a sour cream and chive dip works well.

Anyway, just some suggestions which might help.

Thanks for your suggestions, I have skimmed milk with cereal and I do measure 40g as I had been going to slimming world prior to lockdown, I have been having low fat everything but it seems that I may have to change this, other cereals I have are porridge and muesli with raspberries and blueberries,I think now I am at home and not in a rush I may have scrambled eggs or bacon on whole meal toast , I used to snack on fruit when peckish, but recently this has changed to sweets and crisps, usually out of boredom, I don’t like cheese, unless it’s cheesecake but I do like nuts so that’s a good suggestion, I am sure now I am working from home I will be more focused, thanks again

 

[rebrascora]

If you are having berries for breakfast then I would not have any other fruit through the day and if you do it is best to avoid the exotic ones like banana, pineapple and mango etc and perhaps just have half an apple and keep the other half for the next day. It might be a good idea to try just half a slice of wholemeal toast rather than a full slice.

The good thing about fat and protein is that they are slow to digest so they keeps you fuller for longer, whereas carbs are like rocket fuel and break down very quickly leaving you feeling hungry a couple of hours later and wanting to snack. There is a school of thought that the low fat advice we have been bombarded with all our lives may in part be responsible for the diabetes and obesity epidemic we are now experiencing as many low fat foods have extra carbs added to provide flavour and texture they lost because fat was removed. So not only do we feel hungry because there is hardly any fat in our food but we have extra carbs causing our BG to sky rocket, our bodies to produce extra insulin to try to deal with it and eventually becoming resistant/desensitised to it, like any drug that we are over exposed to, so it is no longer able to remove the glucose from our blood stream effectively and we are diagnosed diabetic.

Sadly the NHS are still promoting low fat for everyone including diabetics which is really not helpful in my opinion.

 

[Lynda58]

If you are having berries for breakfast then I would not have any other fruit through the day and if you do it is best to avoid the exotic ones like banana, pineapple and mango etc and perhaps just have half an apple and keep the other half for the next day. It might be a good idea to try just half a slice of wholemeal toast rather than a full slice.

The good thing about fat and protein is that they are slow to digest so they keeps you fuller for longer, whereas carbs are like rocket fuel and break down very quickly leaving you feeling hungry a couple of hours later and wanting to snack. There is a school of thought that the low fat advice we have been bombarded with all our lives may in part be responsible for the diabetes and obesity epidemic we are now experiencing as many low fat foods have extra carbs added to provide flavour and texture they lost because fat was removed. So not only do we feel hungry because there is hardly any fat in our food but we have extra carbs causing our BG to sky rocket, our bodies to produce extra insulin to try to deal with it and eventually becoming resistant/desensitised to it, like any drug that we are over exposed to, so it is no longer able to remove the glucose from our blood stream effectively and we are diagnosed diabetic.

Sadly the NHS are still promoting low fat for everyone including diabetics which is really not helpful in my opinion.

Thanks I know it’s a learning curve

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Lynda58

It sounds like you have really decided to tackle your diabetes head-on after a little Covid-19 craziness (many people have had the same experience).

Great news that you have a BG meter - so that you can begin to check how your body reacts to the foods you are choosing - everyone has very individual tolerances of what their body can cope with so its a very direct and practical way of gradually working away at things.

Don‘t try to change everything at once. Some people find it helpful to start with a food diary - be brutally honest with yourself... just to see what you are actually eating at the moment. You decide to include the grams of carbs (all carbohydrate, not just sugars) in your meals and snacks, so that you have a reference point for beginning to reduce things gradually.

You might also find Maggie Davey’s letter a helpful overview

Maggie Davey's letter to newly-diagnosed Type 2s

This disappeared from the original site, but @Alan S has managed to track it down. Rather than risk losing that link I'm posting the text here. I've had to split it over a few posts, as there is a size limit for each post and it wouldn't all fit in one! :) An open letter to the newly-diagnosed...

forum.diabetes.org.uk

 

[Lynda58]

Welcome to the forum @Lynda58

It sounds like you have really decided to tackle your diabetes head-on after a little Covid-19 craziness (many people have had the same experience).

Great news that you have a BG meter - so that you can begin to check how your body reacts to the foods you are choosing - everyone has very individual tolerances of what their body can cope with so its a very direct and practical way of gradually working away at things.

Don‘t try to change everything at once. Some people find it helpful to start with a food diary - be brutally honest with yourself... just to see what you are actually eating at the moment. You decide to include the grams of carbs (all carbohydrate, not just sugars) in your meals and snacks, so that you have a reference point for beginning to reduce things gradually.

You might also find Maggie Davey’s letter a helpful overview

Maggie Davey's letter to newly-diagnosed Type 2s

This disappeared from the original site, but @Alan S has managed to track it down. Rather than risk losing that link I'm posting the text here. I've had to split it over a few posts, as there is a size limit for each post and it wouldn't all fit in one! :) An open letter to the newly-diagnosed...

forum.diabetes.org.uk

Thanks I will

 

[SB2015]

Welcome to the forum @Lynda58

You have already had loads of advice, so I will just add the encouragement to keep in touch and keep asking questions . No questions are considered silly on here, and there is plenty of help from people who are successfully managing their Diabetes.