Am i still doing the right thing ????

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elwoodlpool

elwoodlpool

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi all,,

For the last few months ive been living off brown bread and chicken, fruit and stuff had a few bad days last week i was on a high celebrating a few thing so beers were involved and a few take aways back on the straight and narrow now. But my question is this im gonna be eating light for lunch but evening meals with my family this week is this

last night i had prawns and noodles

tonight it will be spag bol( Wholemeal pasta)

tomorrow jacket potatoes with cottage cheese

thur: Gammon and new potatoes

Fri: Fish and Chips

Sat: Corned beef hash(made with fresh vegatables and corned beef)

Sun: Pizza and salad.

But then i think am i doing wrong or has it got to be brown bread sandwiches and fruit all the time. I dont eat sweets or drink coca cola..

So am i still doing right the eatting health is a hard one is'nt it ?


Mark
 
The only way to find out if all that is ok, is by checking yourself with a blood glucose monitor.
 
A deviation now and again isn't going to hurt..

But keep them mimiumal, and keep an extra close eye on levels when you do.. You soon know if you doing too often
 
As said, Mark, the only way of knowing is to check your levels with a blood glucose meter. Also, portion sizes might make dfference too. Takeaways are fine now and then unless youre eating 3 portions of everything ! :D

Good luck with it and keep telling us how you're doing. You sound much more positive, which is brilliant.

Rob
 
Hi mark can only agree with whats been said but nice to hear from you, keep us updated and anything your unsure of ask x
 
Lots of good advice there...............😎
 
You could have a look at wallycorker's thread in the food/carb queries section.

Bear in mind that the thread was written when he was looking to lose weight and so must be read in that vein. I'd also say that the 1,300 - 1,500 cals/day that he mentions would be far too low for you (especially with all the exercise that you do). But overall, it is a reasonable guide for anyone really wanting to control their carb intake tightly.

But, as others have said, you need to test yourself because we all react to carbs differently. For example, I am quite happy with my 250g of carbohydrate per day and my HbA1c is perfectly fine at that level. You may find that you can tolerate that same quantity too, but only you can determine that.

Good luck,

Andy
 
One of the things I try to do is swap the potatoes for an extra portion of vegetables and I have started using burgen bread.

It is a case of trial and error, keep testing to see what works for you. We are all different and what works for one may not work for another. The main thing is your diet looks well balanced.
 
Hi Mark
I'm not a nutrician or anything, I'm a T2 like you, who is battling with dayly meals, and I'm also a housewife, rather crappy one.
I will put my thoughts to your planned meals:

elwoodlpool said:
last night i had prawns and noodles
Is this homemade? Of course homemade is better....what sort of oil was used? I use olive oil for almost everything. How many grams of noodles did you eat? My normal portion is 50-60 grams. (Dry weight) You being a young man, the portion might be different.

tonight it will be spag bol( Wholemeal pasta)
Wholemeal pasta is great, but again, what's the portion size? The normal portion for a healthy (non-diabetic) person is 80g, I think. I allow myself 50-60g. Pasta can spike me up, so I must be careful. How about you? Is the bol sauce homemade? I make mine from 1/2 beef amd 1/2 turkey, as turkey is low in fat.

tomorrow jacket potatoes with cottage cheese
I heard Jacket potatoes can raise the BS dramatically for some people....I'm OK with a small one. Are you using butter? Cottage cheese is great, I eat a huge amount of it...It's a dairy food, so you might want to check the carbs, though.

thur: Gammon and new potatoes
I don't eat gammons so I have no idea. Maybe the fat around it should be omitted? What do you think, other people??? I eat 3 small new potatoes for a meal.

Fri: Fish and Chips
Its' not something I eat regularly. I'd allow myself to eat it only twice a year, as a treat. High in fat, high in carb!

Sat: Corned beef hash(made with fresh vegatables and corned beef)
I don't eat corned beef, so I have no idea, sorry.

Sun: Pizza and salad.
Pizza is a tricky food for diabetics, isn't it? High in carb.....and also, high fat content can cause you late spike....
Regarding salad, if it's just a piece of pale lettuce, it won't do any good to you. Put many kinds of veg in many colours into your salad, and go easy with the amount of dressing you use. I make my own low fat dressing from olive oil. Am I right to think your meal from Tue to Sat are acompanied with some kind of vegetables? If I eat a certain amount of carb with a lot of veg, my BS won't go up as high as eating the same amount of carb without veg.

So am i still doing right the eatting health is a hard one is'nt it ?
Yes, it's very hard, but soon you'll get used to it and even enjoy your new diet. Take care. 🙂
Click to expand...
 
I will buy a blood glucose monitor.. But another question when i test myself what is ideal ????? measurement wise ?


Thanks


Mark
 
everyones different, but a normal person can be between 4-7mmol/l, allowing for spikes after meals is normal, everyone has them................im sure you will get more info from the others..........
 
elwoodlpool said:
I will buy a blood glucose monitor.. But another question when i test myself what is ideal ????? measurement wise ?
Click to expand...

I was told to check BS 4 times a day:

Before breakfast
2hrs After breakfast
Before evening meal
2hrs After evening meal

Before should be: 4.0 to 7.0
After should be: 4.0 to 8.5

It seems that different doctor gives different checking times, though.
🙂
 
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elwoodlpool said:
I will buy a blood glucose monitor.. But another question when i test myself what is ideal ????? measurement wise ?
Click to expand...

Have a read of the sticky at the top of the newbies section. That covers testing in quite a lot of detail.

However, my thoughts are :-

Depending on the meter, the test strips can be very expensive. Mine come in at ?25 for a pot of 50 from the chemist (it is possible to buy them a little bit cheaper elsewhere).

When and how often you test is really down to what you want to do with the results. If you're looking to build up some knowledge about which food affect you, then do a before test followed by a 1hr/2hr after test (I only ever did a 2hr test, but others may suggest 1hr). You can do this as often as you have test strips to spare (but the more you do it, the more likely you may start getting sore fingers).

Don't rely on a single set of results to determine whether a particular meal is good or bad for you. Try testing on atleast one more occasion to verify the result.

Don't just test for the sake of it. Always be sure to have a reason and always try to learn from the result.

That'll do for now! 🙂

Andy
 
Andy HB said:
Have a read of the sticky at the top of the newbies section. That covers testing in quite a lot of detail.
...
Click to expand...

Mark, Ive copied and pasted it for you from the thread:

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

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=5836

and also Jennifer's good advice:

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=5835

When you have some time, take a look at these websites and they should help you out loads. Get that machine 😉
 
Last edited by a moderator:
elwoodlpool said:
I will buy a blood glucose monitor.. But another question when i test myself what is ideal ????? measurement wise ?


Thanks


Mark
Click to expand...

HI well i dont know if you can get one for free the blood glocose monitor that is, As Iam type 1 and got one from the nurse but I phoned the Accu-Chek one day and they now send me new ones for free.I think you just regester with them. NO.0800 701 000 it might be helpfull to ring them first to see if you can get one. Grandma😎
 
Andy HB said:
However, my thoughts are :-

Depending on the meter, the test strips can be very expensive. Mine come in at ?25 for a pot of 50 from the chemist (it is possible to buy them a little bit cheaper elsewhere).


Andy
Click to expand...

I get my strips free on prescription but maybe that is why I'm told to only test twice a week!:D
 
I had a call from the nurse today telling me i only need one if im on insulin.
I also had a free check in Tesco this evening before my dinner and it was 7.3 i dont have a clue feel like im lost again now..


Mark
 
Hi Mark, I'm fairly recently diagnosed and struggling with learning about healthy eating but after reading lots on here about monitors and testing I bought a monitor from Boots cos it was half price so only around ?7.50 (Freestyle Lite). I've found it invaluable in telling me what foods give me higher readings, unfortunately its meant that I've had to practically give up bread cos that gave me readings of over 12 every time (2 slices). I test first thing in the morning then 2 hours after every meal. I also keep a food diary and put the readings in too so I can keep an eye on what makes me spike. The test strips cost me ?25 for ?50. My GP said he wont prescribe them cos I'm not on any meds but your GP may be more amenable. I'm going to go and see him again, taking my food diary to show him to see if he'll prescribe once I explain how helpful the testing is for me, after all the longer I can go without meds the cheaper I'll be for the NHS.

Good look with your testing
 
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