Diagnosed 7 days ago and feeling overwhelmed!

[Glitter]

Hello all. I was diagnosed type 2 a week ago, but straight onto Metformin as My HbA1c was 67...
Im 44 and had gestational diabetes 22 and 11 years ago and was injecting insulin. I was advised 11 years ago that I would be diabetic by the time I reach my 40s and that has proved to be correct. I also received a diagnosis of high blood pressure and high cholesterol and now take tablets for both. And there was me thinking Im a young healthy 44 realistically I am a stone overweight and can’t help wondering if I had not put on that stone would I of staved the diabetes off longer? I immediately have reduced carbs and am trying to eat as naturally as possible. It is extremely overwhelming and frightening with the possibility of complications. I am now scared to eat the ‘wrong’ foods and am grieving for all my favourites. I am testing to see what my body can tolerate. I wonder if anyone can tell me if with my previous gestational history and family history of diabetes, is my Condition reversable? I cannot do the LCHF diet it just makes me feel sick, but am doing my own version.

 

[Alister]

No expert - only been here 2 months but I seriosuly doubt that 1st overweight made any significant difference.
general opinion (& evidence) seems to be keep you BS levels under control & there is no reason why you should be any more prone to complications than anything else. in fact there is some ground to believe you may even end up healthier than a *Some* non diabetic people because you end up taking better care of yourself.

As to your diet, eat what ever way works best for you. LCHF is a suggestion not a religious dogma & you are free to vary it however you see fit.
testing seems to be the key to understanding what foods are good & which are bad so if you can bully your GP into prescribing a meter & test strips & if that does not work consider buying one yourself - the SD codefree from Amazon is the one most recommended here because it has the cheapest test strips.

I was "lucky" an issued with a meter & strips because I was started on insulin :-/

A book that is regularly recommended here is The first Year: Diabetes type 2 an essential guide for the newly diagnosed by Gretchen Becker.
I have only just started skimming it but the very first thing it does is to dispel the sense of self guilt that is invariably one of the first reactions anyone has.

 

[Ljc]

Hi Glitter2 welcome to the forum. With T 2 it is not all about being overweight or lifestyle, their is a genetic element too which you may have , though I am no medic.
As far as I am aware once we cross the threshold into the diabetic range that’s Hb1ac 48 and over then we can become well controlled and even go into the non diabetic range but it can’t be reversed ie if we loosen control our BG (blood glucose) rises too much.

Their are a few athletes who have T2 , now they must lead a healthy lifestyle but they still developed it, so you are in Good company.

May I ask what it is about LCHF that makes you feel sick, the reason I ask is, we will probably be able to come up with some good ideas.

 

[Glitter]

Alister, Interesting that you say LCHF not a Religious dogma there are some that would have you believe that and berate you for not being able to stick to it religiously!!
Lin, I think it’s because I have never liked fatty foods (where you can see or taste fat) I previously ate a lowfat high carb diet which clearly is not what my body needs but it suited my palate. I find that I cannot live without a little potato and the oddslice of my weight watchers malted bread! I am testing with a meter and trying to figure out what my body can tolerate, which seems to be not a lot in terms of carbs. But I will continue to play around so that I can include a little potatoe a small sacrifice for saying goodbye to sugary treats

 

[Ljc]

I’m the same with fat except for pork crackling.
You’ll be delighted to know that LCHF is not Religious dogma on this site, we follow a range of diets basically we do what suits us best and being able to eat and enjoy our food is paramount.
Yes you will see us recommend LCHF but it’s gently done.
I myself do low to moderate carbs normal fat .

We often find good substitutes for the fast acting carbs. Your meter will let you know what you can and can’t tolerate.

I think you’ll find these threads helpful
We have some clever cooks on here
recipes.

If you like to see what we eat , please bear in mind that people dx with T1 can if they choose to , eat anything they like in moderation.
what-did-you-eat-yesterday

Yes their is more lol, in fact a lot more
Take your time with this one ok .
useful-links-for-people-new-to-diabetes
Scroll down to the T2 area.
Their is a lot more there but I suggest you start with .
Jennifer’s advise.
Maggie Davies letter.
Test review adjust by Alan S .

Ask as many questions as you need to we’ll do our best to help

 

[trophywench]

The High Fat bit of LCHF, is a bit of a mis-nomer to be honest.

It's brill you don't like 'fatty' stuff to be honest! Because the real trick is to eat a moderate amount of unprocessed fats which means things like cheese, milk and cream for instance, are fine - so you still shouldn't eat unlimited amounts of them cos if you do even if you like them - you'll put on weight! There's entirely unprocessed fat in nuts also unless they've been hanging round the larder for months on end and are all dried up - but you wouldn't want to eat em at that point anyway!

Little things - like well pre-washed Basmati rice has less immediately available carbs than American rice or Italian Arborio. Like Burgen Soya & LInseed bread has less carbs per slice than normal wheat flour bread, and Lidl's own 'cooked in store' Protein rolls also have less carbs too.

All root veg have more carbs than green leafy veg. Some fruits have far less than others - bananas and pineapple and (OMG) grapes and oranges have shedloads whereas, especially if you share it with another family member or a friend, apples are not all that bad really.

It's not rocket science and nobody expects you to change overnight - so just embrace it and learn to live happily with it. You do need to think where you might get a bit more physical exercise generally but again don't think you need to start training for a marathon tomorrow, cos you don't.

Incidentally when a LOT of people start cutting the carbs down and taking a bit more exercise - their cholesterol levels improve and so does their BP so it all makes sense to have a proper 'go' at it anyway even if you don't have diabetes!

 

[Glitter]

Thank you Lin, this is music to my ears! People that understand!! I really appreciate any advice, recipes etc I think the way for me will be similar to you, low carb moderate fat.

 

[trophywench]

Type 1s still gain weight and need more insulin, if they eat too much Lyn!

 

[Glitter]

Thank you. Fabulous advice. Its all rather painful, but I will learn to live with it (I hope!!) For me food has been a big factor as I love to cook and eat out and spoil myself with lovely chocolates but I will just have to find other ways with advice from you lovely people.

 

[Ljc]

Type 1s still gain weight and need more insulin, if they eat too much Lyn!

Oops , point taken Jenny, I’ve edited a bit

 

[Ljc]

Thank you. Fabulous advice. Its all rather painful, but I will learn to live with it (I hope!!) For me food has been a big factor as I love to cook and eat out and spoil myself with lovely chocolates but I will just have to find other ways with advice from you lovely people.

Yes it does take some getting used to, but in the very near future it will become a new way of life

We are are sure going to supprise you on what goodies we get to eat, our menu sure isn’t dull.

 

[Wirrallass]

Hi Zena and a warm welcome to this supportive. So sorry to see you've been dx (Diagnosed) with Type2 but glad you found your way here where you will receive a lot of help from many knowledgable and experienced folk who will freely give you the guidance you need.

Notwithstanding the excellent advice you have already been given above ~ I can highly recommend the book CARB & CALORIE COUNTER £10.19 from Amazon. www.amazon.co

There's also a handy size pocket version for £7.19

It contains over 1700 photo's of a wide range of popular food and drink items. The Carborhydrate ~ CALORIE ~ Protein ~ fat ~ saturated fat ~ and fibre values are clearly displayed in colour-coded circles below each photo. This highly visual approach makes it incredibly quick and easy to see the nutrient content of the food and drink we consume.

CARB & CALORIE COUNTER is the perfect support tool for Carborhydrate counting in Diabetes ~ Weight management ~ Portion control and general healthy eating. Having all this information at your fingertips, in an easy to understand format, will help give you greater control over your Diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker is a must have book. When Gretchen was dx Type2 in 1996, she wrote this book in an easy to understand format detailing her first year of living with diabetes ~ its deffinitly worth purchasing a copy IMO.
http://amzn.to/2oOK6Zz

I am understanding that being dx is overwhelming and a daunting prospect ~ it certainly made me feel that way ~ so take your time digesting the info above and the links that have been supplied for you. Do please stay in touch to let us know how you are progressing. If you have any more queries then do please ask and we'll do our best to help. Take care and good luck on your diabetes journey Zena x
WL
.................................................
Dx Type2 April 2016
Diet control and exercise only

 

[Stitch147]

Hi Zena and welcome to the forum. I personally don't do low carb, as I struggle to stick to it, I have significantly reduced the amount and types of carbs I eat. Don't get too hung up on the weight causing it, I knew diabetes ran in my family so I lost 7 stone in weight before I was diagnosed hoping to prevent it, but have since found out that I potentially have a genetic form. This forum is as great place for help and advice.

 

[grovesy]

You have to find what works for and you and maintain long term. Sometimes it is the quantity of what you eat.

 

[Glitter]

Thanks all. Your advice and recommendations are truly valuable. I will most certainly get some of the recommended books. Can anyone tell me why my bg goes up over night? Eg before bed 5.4 first thing in the morning 8.5!! I don’t understand how?? TIA

 

[grovesy]

Thanks all. Your advice and recommendations are truly valuable. I will most certainly get some of the recommended books. Can anyone tell me why my bg goes up over night? Eg before bed 5.4 first thing in the morning 8.5!! I don’t understand how?? TIA

This is know as Dawn Phenomon , were the liver dumps glucose into the body ready for the day.

 

[Glitter]

Ah I see. Will do a bit of research on that. I thought it was my statins, so didn’t take it last night, so was most surprised to see that my bg was up regardless. Thank you for that information.

 

[mikeyB]

Why were you put on a statin, Zena? It seems to me that it’s getting to be a habit that all T2s are put on statins unnecessarily.

 

[Glitter]

Why were you put on a statin, Zena? It seems to me that it’s getting to be a habit that all T2s are put on statins unnecessarily.

Well, I've been wondering that myself...
My cholesterol was 6.7 and I have high blood pressure (family history of both) so the GP said because I’m diabetic now, I need to be on statins for the raised cholesterol.

 

[Glitter]

No expert - only been here 2 months but I seriosuly doubt that 1st overweight made any significant difference.
general opinion (& evidence) seems to be keep you BS levels under control & there is no reason why you should be any more prone to complications than anything else. in fact there is some ground to believe you may even end up healthier than a *Some* non diabetic people because you end up taking better care of yourself.

As to your diet, eat what ever way works best for you. LCHF is a suggestion not a religious dogma & you are free to vary it however you see fit.
testing seems to be the key to understanding what foods are good & which are bad so if you can bully your GP into prescribing a meter & test strips & if that does not work consider buying one yourself - the SD codefree from Amazon is the one most recommended here because it has the cheapest test strips.

I was "lucky" an issued with a meter & strips because I was started on insulin :-/

A book that is regularly recommended here is The first Year: Diabetes type 2 an essential guide for the newly diagnosed by Gretchen Becker.
I have only just started skimming it but the very first thing it does is to dispel the sense of self guilt that is invariably one of the first reactions anyone has.

Got that book on Kindle. Its bloody brillant!! Thanks so much for recommendation.