Diet - confused

[siani]

I'm totally confused! I have type 2, and have known for about 6-7 weeks. I'm on metformin twice a day as well as making changes to my diet and exercise. However, it's the diet thing that confuses me.

I haven't been given any advice on my diet apart from 'healthy eating' is the way to go. I keep reading about carbs, low carbs etc, but haven't been told that a low carb diet is specifically the way to go. I'm still eating bread, pasta, rice etc - but should I be?

I've lost about a stone already by generally cutting down on my food, sticking to a low fat, low salt, low sugar diet, but is this right?

I'm wondering if going back to my GP to be referred to a dietician would be better. Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks.

 

[Redkite]

Hi Siani,

Firstly, well done on your weight loss to date, that's a fantastic achievement! 🙂

To answer your question, when carbs are digested (all carbs, not just sugars), they turn into glucose in the bloodstream. The glucose needs insulin if it is to be used by the body, otherwise the glucose remains in the bloodstream and you have high BG levels. When you have diabetes, your body either cannot produce sufficient insulin, or it is resistant to the insulin you are managing to produce. So it can be really helpful for managing your BG levels if you try and reduce the total amount of carbs in your diet. That's the diabetes side - but as far as the weight loss side of low carb diets, please take a look on the weight loss forum, there are lots of experts on here! 🙂

 

[Northerner]

I'm totally confused! I have type 2, and have known for about 6-7 weeks. I'm on metformin twice a day as well as making changes to my diet and exercise. However, it's the diet thing that confuses me.

I haven't been given any advice on my diet apart from 'healthy eating' is the way to go. I keep reading about carbs, low carbs etc, but haven't been told that a low carb diet is specifically the way to go. I'm still eating bread, pasta, rice etc - but should I be?

I've lost about a stone already by generally cutting down on my food, sticking to a low fat, low salt, low sugar diet, but is this right?

I'm wondering if going back to my GP to be referred to a dietician would be better. Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks.

Hi Siani, each of us has a different tolerance to carbs so it's difficult to specify what you should be eating. You can assume that all carbs will raise your blood sugar levels, but how quickly and by how much is only possible to know by undertaking a regime of testing with a meter, before and one or two hours after eating. For example, some people might be fine with porridge or a slice of toast for breakfast, but others may find it raises their levels unacceptably high so they need to find alternatives that work better.

There are some general guidelines you can use. One popular method is to work on the 'GI' or 'GL' (Glycaemic Index/Glycaemic Load) of the food to be consumed. This helps you to design meals that should have a slow and steady impact on your blood sugar levels as they digest. A good introduction is The GL Diet for Dummies. Do you have a blood glucose meter? GPs are often reluctant to issue them to Type 2s on metformin alone, arguing that you 'don't need to test'. However, if you don't test then you don't know if you are making the most appropriate food choices to suit your own personal tastes and tolerances! Some people find that self-funding some testing strips and recording the results can help to persuade the doctor that you are benefiting from the testing and may then agree to prescribe you a limited amount of strips, so this may be a tactic you could follow if initially refused. It is the cost of the strips that is the most expensive element (many manufacturers give away free meters to persuade you to use their strips, since this is where they make their big profits). The cheapest option we have come across here is the SD Codefree Meter with test strips at around ?7 for 50. Follow a testing schedule like Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S .

Keep a food diary of what you are eating, recording the amount of carbs in everything you eat and drink. If you decide to test, record those results also and you will gradually see patterns emerging showing where you might need to make changes.

If you have any questions about all this, let us know! 🙂

 

[Caroline]

Diet and what is and isn't healthy can be very confusing. When I asked Doctor Idiot for a referal to the dietician he told me I was more than capable of working out things for my self.

Not sure if a DESMOND course will help you, some people find it very helpful. Personally by the time I was sent on one I'd got all the information I needed from here, but found it reassuring to know I wasn't the only person struggling with this condition.

What works for one wont work for another so it is a case of working out what works for you and asking lots of questions.

Please also don't deprive yourself, we all need treats sometimes. A bar of chocolate or a piece of cake after a meal is a nice treat. I try not to keep sweets for my self in the house, then if I fancy some chocolate hubby or grown up son go across the road and get me a small and will only go the once. I don't get it for myself or I end up with the largest bar in the shop...

 

[Caroline]

p.s welcome to the forum and please ask as many questions as you like, someone will be able to answer them.