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Advice appreciated for Type 2 diabetes

G

GaryH

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Pronouns
He/Him
Hi all,

I’ve recently been diagnosed with Type2 diabetes and I’m still getting my head around it to be honest. There’s changes that I’ll need to make to my diet and advice/tips would be gratefully accepted and appreciated.
I was in the habit of buying whole meal bread but is the occasional slice of toast ok? I like pasta and rice and I’d probably be having portions of these perhaps 3 or 4 times per week, what’s an alternative to these? I don’t really eat potatoes but at this time of year, there’s Jersey Royals…..
Pizzas? Kebabs? Indian take away?
I only drink alcohol two or three times a week. I don’t know if it’s of any use but I drink Guinness 0.0 now and I do like some Rosè/red of a Friday or Sunday. Your thoughts?
I know there’s habits that I need to change, diet but exercise too but I haven’t really done any of that for years (perhaps obviously).
Thanks for reading.
 
Hi @GaryH and welcome to the forum - afraid I can't help too much on the diet front ither than I know that many members have found low-carb to be the way to go (don't cut them out altogether) - Pizzas and Indian Takeaways can be a bit of a minefield but I enjoy a Kebab as I only count the carbs for the pitta bread - although if you looking to lose weight then they are best eaten in moderation - I'm sure some of our type 2 members will pop along soon with some better advice than I can give - but glad you have found us
 
Hi @GaryH and welcome to the forum.

It does take a while to get your head around diabetes in general and what measures you need to take to improve your hba1c score, it could very well be diet, exercise and weight control, but that said we are all different.

Would you mind saying what your hba1c score is, as this will be your starting point and is a good indication of what needs to be done

Alan 😉
 
GaryH said:
Hi all,

I’ve recently been diagnosed with Type2 diabetes and I’m still getting my head around it to be honest. There’s changes that I’ll need to make to my diet and advice/tips would be gratefully accepted and appreciated.
I was in the habit of buying whole meal bread but is the occasional slice of toast ok? I like pasta and rice and I’d probably be having portions of these perhaps 3 or 4 times per week, what’s an alternative to these? I don’t really eat potatoes but at this time of year, there’s Jersey Royals…..
Pizzas? Kebabs? Indian take away?
I only drink alcohol two or three times a week. I don’t know if it’s of any use but I drink Guinness 0.0 now and I do like some Rosè/red of a Friday or Sunday. Your thoughts?
I know there’s habits that I need to change, diet but exercise too but I haven’t really done any of that for years (perhaps obviously).
Thanks for reading.
Click to expand...
How much change you will need to make will b depend on your HbA1C that has given you the diagnosis and what if any medication you have been prescribe though from that list I think you will need a rethink on your diet. It is all about reducing carbohydrates in your diet and those foods you mention rice, pasta and bread are all high carb foods. You may find the your 00 Guinness may not be too bad but it is 3.8g carbs per 100mls, 0 alcohol but not 0 carbs, but wine and spirits with diet mixers tend to be lower carb than beers or cider.
Meals based on meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, vegetables and fruit like berries are usually what people choose using herbs and spices for flavour.
Have a look at this link which you will see gives you plenty of options for tasty filling meals. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
Exercise doesn't have to be going to the gym unless that is your thing but brisk walking, swimming, gardening even housework will be exercise.
 
Hi @GaryH and welcome to the Forum from me 🙂 . There are lots of Type 2 members here who will be happy to provide help and support' just ask away...
 
Hi and welcome.
As above, lots of T2's have found a low carb regime to be really helpful, myself included.
Going low carb does not mean you will go hungry, it means you can eat lots of other stuff, eg: salads, above ground veg, meat, proteins, poultry, fish, seafood, mushrooms, eggs, nuts, some fruit, berries, apples, etc, etc.
I would recommend the carbs and cals book, written in conjunction with Diabetes UK.
Also check out the recipes/food advice on here and also the sugar free londoner website.
I try to exercise every day, even if its just 10 minutes stretching, as I have a dodgy knee, so can't do too much "heavy" exercise, IYSWIM?
I can't remember the last time I ate pasta or white bread or a pie, or rice.
I now use cauliflower rice (most supermarkets have it) only rarely have a slice of wholemeal or granary bread (but TBH, bread is bread and so is still mostly carbs), but I still eat well. I have had Chinese/Asian takeaways, but I now choose my order much more carefully, going for the healthier options, they are there, you just need to find them, eg: lemon Chicken, Duck breast, mushroom / veg curry, etc.
Its not about NO carbs, its generally about LESS carbs, but you also have to find what works for you, as everyone is different, and what works for one, may not work for another. I can still eat some morning oats, but some T2's can't as it sends their blood glucose sky high, so.......
Good luck with it and if you can share more info it will help with what advice you get, eg: your HbA1c, any meds used, your weight, a typical days food for you, etc.
 
Hi @GaryH and welcome to the forum.

It is completely normal to be overwhelmed with a diagnosis of T2DM and it takes a while for this to settle in so my advice to you is three-fold:

1) Be kind to yourself and give this time to settle in
2) Note down your questions in a journal and whenever you have an in person with your healthcare provider, have them to hand
3) When you are ready, and start to think about your management, I personally found a nutritionist to be the best professional to help get to remission as diet and exercise are king

This forum is full of great people so whatever your questions, feel free to ask.
 
Thank you to everyone who has replied, I genuinely appreciate that you’ve taken the time to do so and thank you for your advice and thoughts.
I know that I must do things differently and although I think that my diet isn’t too bad, it obviously isn’t good enough so there will be changes. The only fried food that I have is when I have a stir fry with chicken or pork with vegetables. I’m more savoury than sweet and not eating biscuits doesn’t really phase me although I’ve been told rich tea/digestive are ok.
I don’t use Learning Zone as often as I should as I experience log in problems there for some reason but it’s interesting and informative for me.
I’ve only told two people that I have type2 and it’s not that I’m embarrassed or ashamed (because I’m not and no one should feel that way anyway) it’s just that I’m kind of private and keep things to myself usually.
I suppose overall, it’s about developing new habits and trying to eradicate the bad ones.
Thank you again.
 
GaryH said:
Thank you to everyone who has replied, I genuinely appreciate that you’ve taken the time to do so and thank you for your advice and thoughts.
I know that I must do things differently and although I think that my diet isn’t too bad, it obviously isn’t good enough so there will be changes. The only fried food that I have is when I have a stir fry with chicken or pork with vegetables. I’m more savoury than sweet and not eating biscuits doesn’t really phase me although I’ve been told rich tea/digestive are ok.
I don’t use Learning Zone as often as I should as I experience log in problems there for some reason but it’s interesting and informative for me.
I’ve only told two people that I have type2 and it’s not that I’m embarrassed or ashamed (because I’m not and no one should feel that way anyway) it’s just that I’m kind of private and keep things to myself usually.
I suppose overall, it’s about developing new habits and trying to eradicate the bad ones.
Thank you again.
Click to expand...
Hi
Try and keep to a low carb diet ie not more than 130grams aday, it can be done quite easily, it worked for me to lower my level to pre diabetic, but my cholesterol has gone up,but thats down to having full fat stuff but is low carb,its a no win situation, keep a note of what you eat and google carb levels, all the best.
 
@GaryH If you can change to a low carb diet then you probably won't have to tell anyone you are type 2, as you won't be - it is a very effective way to return to normal numbers for the ordinary type 2 with nothing more interesting happening - there are some type 2's who turn out to be more than the plain vanilla type, so it isn't guaranteed, but with any luck .....
However - biscuits are biscuits and 'OK' doesn't exactly describe any of them - the nutritional information on the packet will most likely reveal loads of carbs, so not 'OK' at all.
Fried food is fine - actually frying tends to seal the edges so that the cooking fat doesn't enter the food - scrambled eggs made with butter are fattier than fried eggs, though it isn't really the problem it has been made out to be, now that analysis of various factors is being done regularly and updated as well it is becoming clear that claims about various aspects of diet and testing are either erroneous or the assumed reasons for various illnesses or conditions are proving problematic.
 
GaryH said:
Thank you to everyone who has replied, I genuinely appreciate that you’ve taken the time to do so and thank you for your advice and thoughts.
Click to expand...

Ah that’s kind of you @GaryH - diabetes can be a fickle, frustrating, and highly individual condition to live with. And having others alongside to share experiences with, and who instinctively ‘get it’, can be so helpful.

We have literally centuries of lived diabetes experience on the forum, and people with anything from a few days’ to multiple decades’ durations of diabetes.

Keep firing away with any questions as they arise, or simply vent, laugh, let off steam. 🙂
 
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