10 year 'newbie'

[Yoshi]

Hello - I was diagnosed 10 years ago this year, with type 2. So while I may not be new to diabetes, it's been a bumpy journey. I've been part of forums before and didn't have the best experience. I found some of the community would answer my questions like I should already know everything which had me feeling even more lost with it all.

I have struggled with my diabetes team who basically diagnosed me, told me that 'remission isn't really a thing with diabetes', prescribed a load of tablets and never really gave me any direction about nutrition. So for the past 10 years I've slowly been getting to grips with it myself, with periods off my medication (nobody needs to tell me this was a bad idea, I know it). I also have ADHD which is a challenge when trying to build new habits such as remembering to take medication. I've set reminders etc. and it doesn't work. I can't explain it, my brain is just like 'nope' and then I don't remember. I'm hoping to get medicated for the ADHD. I also have highs and lows with my mental health (possibly connected to my ADHD) and food has always been my source of dopamine. I'm not even talking about 'junk food' - I eat quite a healthy diet. I'm plant-based and consume a lot of whole-foods because I genuinely love cooking and eating healthy. I'm realising that despite the healthy food types, carbs is my enemy while also having been my comfort for so long.

I've been looking into the Low-Carb Program and I'm so anxious about it. I used to smoke and I'd much rather give up again a thousand times over than face restrictions on what I eat - The comfort aspect.

My meds aren't working. I'm on x4 Metformin slow release a day and x2 Glicazide. The Metformin seems to be doing nothing in isolation and I feel like I'm in a constant hypo as a result of the Glicazide - I'm not in hypo though as my blood sugars are reading normal thanks to the Glicazide, but the phantom hypos are debilitating. I can't move, work, focus. It's making life miserable. My waking BG is around 14 and I can't get it down unless I'm taking Glicazide and subsequently left with all of the symptoms of a hypo twice a day. With work, it's a struggle to be productive when I'm like that. I'd be interested to hear from anyone on SR Glicazide - Is it better in relation to side effects etc.?

I know I need to visit the diabetes team again but I'm filled with dread. If my numbers are high, they just accuse me of eating junk or up my medication. I've been on the waiting list for weight management for over a year. It's all a vicious cycle. Of course, following a bad diabetes review with the team, my mental health just plummets, I'll come home feeling utterly low and food is my pick-me up. I only eat brown rice, pasta or bread anyway, but it looks like I'll need to pack those in too as they're just as bad as white, or so I'm told...

I've taken to photographing every meal now, just so I have proof that I'm eating what I say I am. It's exhausting having to worry about that all the time. I feel quite alone on this journey and also incredibly anxious that having high blood sugar for so long has caused damage I can't see. So I have been looking into low-carb in the hope that this is the answer because I've never felt so consistently unwell within myself. I've no energy, regardless of how much sleep I get or how hydrated I am.

So in essence, I guess I've joined this forum for hope, inspiration and support. Thank you in advance to anyone who replies and offers any words of wisdom.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Hello @Yoshi,
Well done on reaching out to a forum (again) after a previous not so good experience. I'm T3c (insulin dependent as if T1) so I'm not at all well-placed to help you with any specific T2 recovery thoughts. But I've been reading and using this forum for over 3 yrs and have found members here are kind, well-intentioned, not overbearing and considerate. So I hope you now will find yourself in a good place here.

Others who can offer more appropriate guidance will I'm sure be along soon. Meanwhile could I ask what brought about your diagnosis as T2 some 10 yrs ago at a really quite young age for T2? I'm merely curious; please don't feel you must answer that. Regardless, I do hope you find some Hope, Inspiration and Support along with Words of Wisdom.

 

[trophywench]

Ohhh, Yoshi - I want to give you an enormous hug right now. Having attention deficit whatever the reason for it - isn't easy in the first place and neither is trying to absorb medical information - so a real double whammy for you to handle.

If we can help you devise a diet that you like eating that will be a major step forward I think - so let's have a go at that. What are your favourites and the other ones you like - and what do you hate?

 

[Yoshi]

Hello @Yoshi,
Well done on reaching out to a forum (again) after a previous not so good experience. I'm T3c (insulin dependent as if T1) so I'm not at all well-placed to help you with any specific T2 recovery thoughts. But I've been reading and using this forum for over 3 yrs and have found members here are kind, well-intentioned, not overbearing and considerate. So I hope you now will find yourself in a good place here.

Others who can offer more appropriate guidance will I'm sure be along soon. Meanwhile could I ask what brought about your diagnosis as T2 some 10 yrs ago at a really quite young age for T2? I'm merely curious; please don't feel you must answer that. Regardless, I do hope you find some Hope, Inspiration and Support along with Words of Wisdom.

Thank you - I'm happy to answer that. My parents both have T2. My grandmothers had it as does my paternal aunt. I was struggling to lose weight and on the journey to PCSO diagnosis and many blood tests later, they discovered I was T2.

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome to the forum
Often the low carb meal suggestions focus on having meat, fish, eggs, cheese with lots of veg and salads which isn't much help to you. However in this link for low carb approach is a vegetarian meal planner and recipes which you could possibly modify to suit your plant based diet. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
If you are feeling hypo with the gliclazide then the dose may be too high for the amount of carbs you are having as the gliclazide encourages your pancreas to produce more insulin, is it possible to have a reduced dose.
The other possibility is your body is not used to the lower blood glucose level so you are getting false hypo symptoms. So it may be just a matter of time for your body to adapt.

 

[Neens]

Hi @Yoshi and welcome to the forum --- this community has always been strong, supportive and helpful for/to me.
You sound like there is a lot going on so hopefully this place will help you.

I haven't been an active member now for a few years and am embarking on a new phase of T2 management with a new team at the surgery having been affected by some diabetic complications. So have returned as I know this forum is a good place to be. Will look at that website too now @Leadinglights so thanks for posting it.

 

[Yoshi]

Ohhh, Yoshi - I want to give you an enormous hug right now. Having attention deficit whatever the reason for it - isn't easy in the first place and neither is trying to absorb medical information - so a real double whammy for you to handle.

If we can help you devise a diet that you like eating that will be a major step forward I think - so let's have a go at that. What are your favourites and the other ones you like - and what do you hate?

Thank you - It's such a relief to find a place of understanding.
I love all foods really - I've tried my hardest to fall in love with mushrooms but I don't think we're a match. I love hummus but I'm not keen on whole chickpeas. That's about it. I will often make a 3-bean chilli but of course love the fact that I can have brown rice with it. I like soups (again, usually with a brown roll). Lunches usually consist of something quick - With my ADHD I tend to go through fixation phases on certain foods - Gyoza is the current one. It was wholemeal pasta with homemade basil pesto and tomatoes. I eat a lot of tofu, lentils, bulgar wheat etc.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you - It's such a relief to find a place of understanding.
I love all foods really - I've tried my hardest to fall in love with mushrooms but I don't think we're a match. I love hummus but I'm not keen on whole chickpeas. That's about it. I will often make a 3-bean chilli but of course love the fact that I can have brown rice with it. I like soups (again, usually with a brown roll). Lunches usually consist of something quick - With my ADHD I tend to go through fixation phases on certain foods - Gyoza is the current one. It was wholemeal pasta with homemade basil pesto and tomatoes. I eat a lot of tofu, lentils, bulgar wheat etc.

I think the problem is many of those foods are high in carbs and especially in combination, beans and rice.
You could try some of the alternative pastas like black bean or edamame bean as they are much lower carb than wheat based pasta and cook really quickly 5mins.

 

[Yoshi]

Welcome to the forum
Often the low carb meal suggestions focus on having meat, fish, eggs, cheese with lots of veg and salads which isn't much help to you. However in this link for low carb approach is a vegetarian meal planner and recipes which you could possibly modify to suit your plant based diet. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
If you are feeling hypo with the gliclazide then the dose may be too high for the amount of carbs you are having as the gliclazide encourages your pancreas to produce more insulin, is it possible to have a reduced dose.
The other possibility is your body is not used to the lower blood glucose level so you are getting false hypo symptoms. So it may be just a matter of time for your body to adapt.

Thank you for the link - I was on 1 Glicazide a day but at my last check they added another one. I was taking it at night with an evening meal so I would be in bed asleep and unaware of the hypo feelings. But it meant I was waking with a normal BG reading and then it would creep up throughout the day (probably pasta etc.) so they added one in the morning, but the hypo feeling is not great when I'm in meetings etc. But it's the only way to keep me steady on BG throughout the day.

I'd like to be off meds altogether. I heard someone say that some treatment for diabetes is much like treatment for a peanut allergy - Treating only the symptoms of eating the peanuts in the first place rather than recommending to cut out the source entirely, the peanuts. Perhaps they mean carbs in the context of diabetes? If that's low enough, there's no need to treat the fallout if there is no fallout because it's not being consumed anymore? What are your thoughts on this?

 

[Yoshi]

I think the problem is many of those foods are high in carbs and especially in combination, beans and rice.
You could try some of the alternative pastas like black bean or edamame bean as they are much lower carb than wheat based pasta and cook really quickly 5mins.

That's a good idea - Thank you - I didn't even know you could get black bean or edamame pasta. I've only really seen lentil pasta. Thanks

 

[Inka]

Thank you - It's such a relief to find a place of understanding.
I love all foods really - I've tried my hardest to fall in love with mushrooms but I don't think we're a match. I love hummus but I'm not keen on whole chickpeas. That's about it. I will often make a 3-bean chilli but of course love the fact that I can have brown rice with it. I like soups (again, usually with a brown roll). Lunches usually consist of something quick - With my ADHD I tend to go through fixation phases on certain foods - Gyoza is the current one. It was wholemeal pasta with homemade basil pesto and tomatoes. I eat a lot of tofu, lentils, bulgar wheat etc.

Hi @Yoshi You could try this old Sarah Brown recipe (below). It’s really tasty. You cook the carbs (bulgar or rice) in the chilli which means you use less as they swell up. It’s also simpler and less dishes! It’s roughly 20g carbs a serving. It freezes well and keeps in the fridge well overnight (it’s even tastier the next day!). I have it with green veg and it’s very satisfying:

Chilli Bean Casserole

Ingredients​

• Red kidney beans - 400g tin
• Onion - × 1 (large)
• Mixed vegetables (green pepper, carrot) - 225 g total weight
• Garlic - × 1 clove
• Chopped Tomatoes (tinned) - 400 g
• Bulgar wheat - 50 g (or 50g white rice - try both and see which you prefer)
• Red wine - 3 tbsp
• Olive oil - 1 tbsp
• Dried basil - 0.5 tsp
• Ground cumin - 0.5 tsp
• Cayenne pepper - 0.25 tsp
• Chilli powder or paprika 0.25 tsp
• Tomato puree - 2 tbsp
• Vegetable stock - 570 ml (additional stock may be required to adjust the consistency)
• Lemon to squeeze over to serve (optional)

Preparation​

Finely chop the onion. Crush the garlic. Chop the vegetables (don’t slice the carrot too thickly as it needs to soften nicely in the oven)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°

1. Gently fry the onion and garlic until translucent, in a casserole or large saucepan
2. Add the vegetables, beans, basil, cumin, cayenne and chilli powder
3. Mix well and fry for 5 min so that the carrot has softened.
4. Add the tomatoes,tomato puree, bulgar wheat (or rice) and 570 ml of the stock. (It will look very liquid-y but this reduces a lot as it cooks and concentrates down to a rich tomatoey sauce.)
5. Bring to the boil and then transfer to a casserole with a lid
6. Place in the oven at 180°C and cook for 50-60mins.
7. Use additional stock to adjust for the desired consistency if it dries out during cooking.
8. Remove from the oven and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice if desired.

 

[Yoshi]

Hi @Yoshi You could try this old Sarah Brown recipe (below). It’s really tasty. You cook the carbs (bulgar or rice) in the chilli which means you use less as they swell up. It’s also simpler and less dishes! It’s roughly 20g carbs a serving. It freezes well and keeps in the fridge well overnight (it’s even tastier the next day!). I have it with green veg and it’s very satisfying:

Chilli Bean Casserole

Ingredients​

• Red kidney beans - 400g tin
• Onion - × 1 (large)
• Mixed vegetables (green pepper, carrot) - 225 g total weight
• Garlic - × 1 clove
• Chopped Tomatoes (tinned) - 400 g
• Bulgar wheat - 50 g (or 50g white rice - try both and see which you prefer)
• Red wine - 3 tbsp
• Olive oil - 1 tbsp
• Dried basil - 0.5 tsp
• Ground cumin - 0.5 tsp
• Cayenne pepper - 0.25 tsp
• Chilli powder or paprika 0.25 tsp
• Tomato puree - 2 tbsp
• Vegetable stock - 570 ml (additional stock may be required to adjust the consistency)
• Lemon to squeeze over to serve (optional)

Preparation​

Finely chop the onion. Crush the garlic. Chop the vegetables (don’t slice the carrot too thickly as it needs to soften nicely in the oven)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°

1. Gently fry the onion and garlic until translucent, in a casserole or large saucepan
2. Add the vegetables, beans, basil, cumin, cayenne and chilli powder
3. Mix well and fry for 5 min so that the carrot has softened.
4. Add the tomatoes,tomato puree, bulgar wheat (or rice) and 570 ml of the stock. (It will look very liquid-y but this reduces a lot as it cooks and concentrates down to a rich tomatoey sauce.)
5. Bring to the boil and then transfer to a casserole with a lid
6. Place in the oven at 180°C and cook for 50-60mins.
7. Use additional stock to adjust for the desired consistency if it dries out during cooking.
8. Remove from the oven and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice if desired.

Thank you so much for this!

 

[Drummer]

@Yoshi Remission really is not just possible, it is sustainable year after year - 7 years for me now, and no medication.
I wish I could recommend some of the things I've found to help - but I am an omnivore, and it was so easy to achieve lower blood glucose with protein and fats. With the gliclazide a really low carb diet is not advisable anyway.

 

[Inka]

@Drummer A very low fat plant-based diet has been shown to be effective too, so @Yoshi should find suitable foods 🙂

 

[trophywench]

Well reducing carbohydrate intake certainly usually helps - but like most things - you have to try it for yourself to find out.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Yoshi

Hope you find the support and encouragement you need to help you on your way here.

Sounds like you’ve had a rough time over the past decade, and not necessarily had the most help and support from your clinic - or at least, not support that met your specific needs and requirements.

With the hypo feelings on Glic, were you checking your levels at the time? If the body gets used to running at higher levels it can get a little ‘overactive smoke alarm’ when your glucose levels move towards the normal range. Of course Glic can cause actual low blood glucose too, so it’s important to react to the low lows amd the fake lows appropriately while your internal glucose ‘thermostat’ resets. Perhaps taking a smaller amount of fast-acting carbs - 5g of carbs might do it. Just give your BG a little nudge, but without pushing it back up too high, so that your body begins to get used to seeing single figures again.

In terms of craving carbs, and the comfort food feelings you’ve always enjoyed, one of our members recently updated her A-Z of veg, the first section of which includes suggestions for possible substitutes and swaps which can reduce the carb content of meals, but keep those comfort-food vibes.

The A to Z of Vegetables (from DSF)

Kindly shared from the former DSF (diabetes support forum) with permission from @Pattidevans

forum.diabetes.org.uk

 

[Neens]

I think the problem is many of those foods are high in carbs and especially in combination, beans and rice.
You could try some of the alternative pastas like black bean or edamame bean as they are much lower carb than wheat based pasta and cook really quickly 5mins.

The edamame bean spaghetti is lovely - and yes fast to cook. @Yoshi you can also get soya bean too which is inoffensive but doesn't seem to carry taste (which is probably the point) and Black Bean - all fast cook and a great alternative.
*sorry just re-read and see that black bean was already mentioned - trust me to read the board from bottom up!