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[catbec1210]

gunna be a pin tried reading all the links people have suggested but at the moment does not seem to be sticking in my head lol do i need to eat potatoes, pasta or bread with every meal?

 

[Andy HB]

The simple answer is no you don't.

However, for me, I do tend to have a portion of carbohydrate with every meal. However, through testing, I could establish how much I could easily get away with.

For example (and this may not be appropriate for you) I usually have porridge for breakfast (maximum of 40g oats). Lunch usually involves 1 or 2 slices of bread (with soup, mackerel or baked beans etc). Main meal usually includes 3 small to medium sized new potatoes.

Andy 🙂

 

[catbec1210]

thank you. do i need one of these meter things cause docs says i dont but hear so many people talking about them

 

[Northerner]

Becci, the best approach is to try and eat what you might normally eat for a few days and keep a food diary of everything. Then you can review it and work out where there are areas that you could improve things. To do this properly, you will need to read labels and work out how much carbohydrate is in each meal, snack or drink. It sounds like a pain, but it is really worth it to find out just how much you are eating - carbs in particular, but also fats and proteins.

When you have established this then you can start testing favourite meals both before and 1 and 2 hours after eating to find out what effect they have on your blood glucose levels. It all takes time and there is a lot of trial and error involved, but the sooner you apply yourself to it, the better and sooner you will be getting your levels under control. 🙂

 

[gail2]

thank you. do i need one of these meter things cause docs says i dont but hear so many people talking about them

if your gp is unwilling to give you a meter dont buy one go on one of the web sites and request a free one, it will come with some test strips, i will warn you that you may have a bit of a battle on our hands getting strips on prescription as some gps think type 2s dont need to test that much😡 you can always buy them direct or on ebay
nice to see another person on site from norwich
take care
gail

 

[Andy HB]

Becci, the best approach is to try and eat what you might normally eat for a few days and keep a food diary of everything. Then you can review it and work out where there are areas that you could improve things. To do this properly, you will need to read labels and work out how much carbohydrate is in each meal, snack or drink. It sounds like a pain, but it is really worth it to find out just how much you are eating - carbs in particular, but also fats and proteins.

When you have established this then you can start testing favourite meals both before and 1 and 2 hours after eating to find out what effect they have on your blood glucose levels. It all takes time and there is a lot of trial and error involved, but the sooner you apply yourself to it, the better and sooner you will be getting your levels under control. 🙂

Yep! I'd go along with that. Early on I kept a meal log for a couple of months. I also did one more recently when my weight loss stalled.

Combined with testing once a day at different times. I could easily work out what I should be eating and how much.

Andy 🙂

 

[AlisonM]

I kept a food diary too and found it very useful. I learned I can't have Weetabix but can handle oatmeal, spuds send my BGs through the roof while white rice doesn't, at least not to the same extent. White bread? Oh no, not never, so it's wholegrain all the way now and even then not often. I rarely eat pasta now as that sends me high too.

I have small amounts of fruit, loads of fresh veg that I use to bulk out meals where I would have used rice, spuds or pasta in the past. I've also gone low-salt and low fat too, using fresh herbs in place of the salt and spreads like Olivio instead of butter. I try to cook from fresh wherever possible as that further reduces the amount of salt and sugar I take in.

It's different for all of us so you'll need to work out for yourself what's no-go and what you can have a little of. You'll get the hang of it quite quickly, promise.

 

[Andy HB]

I kept a food diary too and found it very useful. I learned I can't have Weetabix but can handle oatmeal, spuds send my BGs through the roof while white rice doesn't, at least not to the same extent. White bread? Oh no, not never, so it's wholegrain all the way now and even then not often. I rarely eat pasta now as that sends me high too.

I have small amounts of fruit, loads of fresh veg that I use to bulk out meals where I would have used rice, spuds or pasta in the past. I've also gone low-salt and low fat too, using fresh herbs in place of the salt and spreads like Olivio instead of butter. I try to cook from fresh wherever possible as that further reduces the amount of salt and sugar I take in.

It's different for all of us so you'll need to work out for yourself what's no-go and what you can have a little of. You'll get the hang of it quite quickly, promise.

After my white bread test a month ago, I will NEVER touch the stuff again. 😱

See here ....

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=12967&page=4

Andy 🙂