Diagnosed 1 week ago - unsure what to do...literally

[John96719]

Hi
I was diagnosed last week with type 2 and since then I’m struggling to actually seem to be able to put a plan in place or really think straight about my condition.

I received blood tests back of 8.9.....8.9 what I don’t know as it wasn’t explained to me - the only thing I was told was that the World Health Organisation want people to be 4.5 and that if I done nothing I’d be dead by 50 (I’m 34). I was put on metformin 500mg to start one a day for week 1, 2 a day for week 2 up to being on 4 a day from week 4 onwards. I was told that there is much more to it but rather than get bogged down with it right now the focus should be on losing weight and that we’d reconvene for further blood tests in 4months.

The diagnosis came somewhat as a surprise as although I’m not as active as I was 10years ago I have a fairly active job but have let myself badly down on my diet. Now at 17stone and 5ft11 I find myself unsure on what exactly I need to be doing or what I need to be watching my intake of. As a result I’ve went to a complete shut down diet. My daily diet for the past week has consisted of a bowl of shredded wheat and skimmed milk, 200g of plain chicken breast, some blueberries and a can of soup all washed down with 2-3littes of water. I know this not sustainable (even tho I am coping fine with it and losing weight) although unsure what exactly I’m supposed to be taking has left me worried as to whether doing what I’m doing is causing me more harm than good?

Any advise would be appreciated.

 

[Lilian]

Hi and welcome. There is a lot out there - on youtube about reversing diabetes, some say eat only raw, others say eat only meat, others say this that and the other. However, when weighing up what they are all saying it is basically your efforts should be to lower your insulin requirement as opposed to concentrating on just lowering blood glucose. You lower your insulin requirement by not eating foods that require more insulin (lower carbohydrates), to not feel hungry you substitute with higher healthier fats e.g. avocado, sardines, real butter, etc. and also lower the instances that you need insulin, e.g. no snacking in between meals, and more time spent not eating.

Get to know the foods that need more insulin. You can guess that the foods which taste sweeter are the ones with the most sugar (carbs) in, plus foods that are grown under ground, e.g. potatoes, parsnips, carrots, (although these are good for you they should be limited). Those vegetables grown above ground can be eaten freely, like lettuce, cabbage, runner beans. Although peas and corn are grown above ground, corn is actually a grain not a vegetable (not sure about peas but they do contain high carbs). Obviously lots of fruits contain sugar (and fruit juice is a complete glass of sugar water. If the juice is manufactured and in a carton it probably has had all the vitamins boiled out of it as well).

So maybe your breakfast used to be cereal, milk, toast, low fat spread and marmalade you could now have a couple of fried eggs, some mushrooms,(fried in bacon fat or butter) and a bit of bacon. A decent coffee made with a bit of cream in. You would not any more food unless perhaps a black coffee or black tea, but preferably water until lunch time. If you are at work your times are not chosen by you, but there is no reason, if you are not hungry, to delay eating anything until dinner time. It really is not as bad as it sounds, especially if you have spent the week leading up to this new regime by lowering you carbs and raising your fat.

You could actually skip breakfast the next morning and have lunch, lunch time. You can be flexible. You would not choose a jacket potato filled with baked beans as you could be advised is a wonderful meal for a diabetic (by your diabetes team). You could choose to have a burger (without the bun), and a side salad. A piece of chicken, including the roast skin, with some cabbage, and carrot. If still hungry a bit of cheese (without the biscuit) with a bit of celery, for dessert. Or strawberries and cream. Berries are lower in sugar than other fruits. Hope I have been of some help.

Please do not panic. They say if you do something about it straight away you can actually reverse diabetes. I have been diabetic for too long not to be skeptical, but when my husband was diagnosed he went on a low carb diet, plus no treats at all (his choice) and his next HbA1c was in the normal range and has been ever since, even though he does now have some fruit, and other higher carb foods. He does not snack and we do not stick to the three or more meals a day routine.

 

[Lilian]

Another rule of thumb - It is OK if it comes from Farm, Forrest or Field. Not so good if it comes from a factory. In other words anything processed is not that good. Even bread coming from a factory has most of any goodness it might have taken out of it. So much so that they have to put some artificial vitamins back into it. Fibre is good but that can be got from other places. If you can get some home milled flour, and make your own bread ...... well you see what I mean 😉

 

[John96719]

Thanks very much for your input, much appreciated.

 

[Sharron1]

Hi,

First thing , this forum is a mine of really useful information. I was diagnosed T2 in July, put on metformin, a similar regime to yourself, I was also told NOT to self test, make an appointment in 6 months and that was that. All super unhelpful. A few months later I have a much better appreciation of what works and what doesn't. I kept a food diary and self tested to see how my BGLs were going, although I was resistant to testing at first (nervous about it). In the end I decided I had to and it has proved to be so helpful. I hardly do it now, only when I eat something new or just want to see what is going on. I find that my levels are now either that of a non-diabetic or a pre-diabetic. I have a low carb diet and as Lillian noted healthy fats. It takes working out but the food diary makes it all a lot easier to manage. It is so much of trial and error. Good luck and ask as many questions as you need to - I do all the time!

 

[CathyB]

Hi John, As @Lilian and @Sharron1 have said, all you need to know to manage things can be found on these pages, we have all been where you are now so we get how baffling it can all be at the start. Key things To remember:
Carbohydrates are the enemy our body turns then to sugar! Potatoes, rice, pasta and bread are best avoided although Burgen bread is ok as it’s a low carb option.
Keep fruit to a minimum, avoid tropical fruits, aim for no more than 2 small pieces a day, some are ok with a small amount of berries but you need to check how they work for you.
Testing is key to working out what works for your body, test before a meal then again 2 hours later and aim for a rise of no more than 2, much more than that and you need to adjust the meal!
Keeping a food diary and tracking it against my bloods really helped me to work out my food.
Most important, remember it’s a marathon not a sprint, whatever changes you make must work for you long term or you won’t stick to it, there are no short cuts. Ask any questions you have, we have all been there 😉
Focus on your diet and your weight will fall. I’m now 6 months in, I started with a bg of 22 and am now usually around 5.4, I’ve dropped 3 stone in weight and I’ve never felt better

 

[Ljc]

Hi @John96719 , welcome to the forum. Others have already given you some good advise.

Sadly some foods that are considered healthy nowadays are not healthy for us.
Basically it’s carbohydrates our bodies can no longer handle too well esp the fast acting ones.
We usually have no problems with protein or good fats.

Your 8.9 was it from a finger prick or a blood test from the arm ?

You might want to have a read through these links
maggie-daveys-letter-to-newly-diagnosed-type-2s.

test-review-adjust by Alan S.

In this link you’ll find all the above and more, inc a link to one of the cheapest glucose meters we know of to self fund. useful-links-for-people-new-to-diabetes

By keeping a food and glucose level diary , testing directly before meals then two hours after starting to eat you’ll find out how the various carbohydrates affect you enabling you to make informed choices on what your body can tolerate , as diabetes is very individual in this respect.

And keep asking questions.

 

[zuludog]

Hello John, and welcome!

Yes, being diagnosed with diabetes is both worrying and confusing, but take some comfort from the fact that you are not alone, and joining this forum is a good start
You will get some advice from medical staff, though this seems to vary across the country, but you will get the best control of diabetes if you do your homework and work out your own means of controlling and managing the condition
I was diagnosed with Type 2 over 20 years ago, and touch wood I don't have any side effects.
Here are some suggestions for you -

There is a lot of advice & information on this forum; read as many old threads and posts as you have the stamina for. Don't be afraid or embarrassed to ask a question, no matter how silly you think it might be

Join Diabetes UK. They have - a good magazine with useful articles; an introductory guide for newly diagnosed Type 2; a good helpline

Get books on diabetes from your library. Some of them will be a bit dated, as the advice changes but they will all help you to understand things, and get used to the jargon
There is a book section on this forum, and perhaps someone could recommend the latest and best books?

As for losing weight, there are plenty of books and other information available, including a section on this forum. Work through them, and more importantly, put the advice into practice!
Though as we know, it's relatively easy to lose the first bit of weight, but becomes more difficult as your weight goes down; just do your best

Edited after about 20 mins

I've just had an idea, and Searched YouTube for 'diabetes' and 'weight loss with diabetes'. It never occurred to me till just now, and as you might expect, there are loads of videos

I haven't watched any, and no doubt some will be better than others, but it is another source of advice, though as with anything on YT we should be a bit cautious

 

[eggyg]

I would sack your GP, fancy telling you that you could be dead by 50! Really positive...NOT! I am not going to offer any other advise as all the above have given you excellent replies. Good luck.

 

[Ralph-YK]

Welcome to the forum John from a fellow T2.

World Health Organisation want people to be 4.5

4.5, I don't know what that couple possibly be. Also, normally it's Nice guidelines I hear of.


I'd suggest self testing. Test before and after eating. This will show you what affect your food has on your levels, as well as any changes you make.
Keep a food diary, along with a record of your levels. After a couple of weeks hopefully you'll see a pattern

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Before you rush into a completely new diet, if you say you are losing weight on what you are eating now, concentrate on that, as that did the most good for me.
You may find the weight loss does the most difference to your BG.

If you are coping with the diet you are on now, have a look at the Newcastle diet, it has had success in reversing diabetes, and worked for me.
Lots of information on here, on on the internet.

 

[KARNAK]

Hi @John96719 welcome to the forum 🙂, I won`t add anything else experienced members have offered their advice please take it.

 

[Drummer]

Hi
I was diagnosed last week with type 2 and since then I’m struggling to actually seem to be able to put a plan in place or really think straight about my condition.

I received blood tests back of 8.9.....8.9 what I don’t know as it wasn’t explained to me - the only thing I was told was that the World Health Organisation want people to be 4.5 and that if I done nothing I’d be dead by 50 (I’m 34). I was put on metformin 500mg to start one a day for week 1, 2 a day for week 2 up to being on 4 a day from week 4 onwards. I was told that there is much more to it but rather than get bogged down with it right now the focus should be on losing weight and that we’d reconvene for further blood tests in 4months.

The diagnosis came somewhat as a surprise as although I’m not as active as I was 10years ago I have a fairly active job but have let myself badly down on my diet. Now at 17stone and 5ft11 I find myself unsure on what exactly I need to be doing or what I need to be watching my intake of. As a result I’ve went to a complete shut down diet. My daily diet for the past week has consisted of a bowl of shredded wheat and skimmed milk, 200g of plain chicken breast, some blueberries and a can of soup all washed down with 2-3littes of water. I know this not sustainable (even tho I am coping fine with it and losing weight) although unsure what exactly I’m supposed to be taking has left me worried as to whether doing what I’m doing is causing me more harm than good?

Any advise would be appreciated.

Well - shredded wheat - a high carb food - with skimmed milk - all the sugar of the original milk but when eaten with wheat probably not a big deal - chicken breast, protein but little fat (I eat thighs and legs) - blueberries, fructose and it is usually listed as the highest carb berry - canned soup - any idea of the carb content?
As you can tell - I am more concerned about the carbohydrate content of foods - as they translate into sugar in the bloodstream, and as type two diabetics we can't cope with them. I eat normal amounts of meat and fish, usually fatty or oily ones, as we need to have protein and fats - they are an essential part of the Human diet, but carbs are not, so we can happily adjust our carb intake in order to get normal blood glucose levels - no need to starve, as even on quite high amounts of food it is normal to lose weight on a low carb diet.