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Well, I went to see a practice nurse last night to talk about an unrelated issue and mentioned to her how long I have had to wait to see the diabetic nurse. She apologised, and made me an appointment today at 12!
I’m looking forward to it actually, because the only help and support I have had since my diagnosis one month ago has been from you lot (amazing!) on here and my pharmacist!
Thank you. I just want to know if I’m doing right - and the only reason I think I am is from this forum. Testing bloods regularly and yesterday’s results were al between 6.7 and 8.4 which is my lowest to date. Plus I’ve lost 12lbs since the 1st October, and last night’s blood pressure was 118/67. So onwards and upwards from here.
Well, I went to see a practice nurse last night to talk about an unrelated issue and mentioned to her how long I have had to wait to see the diabetic nurse. She apologised, and made me an appointment today at 12!
I’m looking forward to it actually, because the only help and support I have had since my diagnosis one month ago has been from you lot (amazing!) on here and my pharmacist!
DN was lovely. She wants to see me again next Saturday. She has altered my metformin to 2 twice a day (so that’s one more a day, but none at lunchtime).
I’d been more or less avoiding carbs, but she said not to do that, and showed me what my plate should look like, and that if I want to reduce carbs, have about 130g daily.
I told her just how fabulous the forum was on here, and if it hadn’t been for you all, I’d be so in the dark seeing as the GP was pretty useless.
She checked my feet which were great, and has sent off for an eye appointment too. She also gave me some magazine things from the diabetes website which I’ve read. Feel happier and more knowledgeable now.
I’d been more or less avoiding carbs, but she said not to do that, and showed me what my plate should look like, and that if I want to reduce carbs, have about 130g daily.
Sounds like a great appointment TOG and great that you have found the forum helpful so thanks for giving us a plug 🙂🙂🙂
Really good that you now feel more informed and supported too. Positive relationships with your nurse and GP are really helpful.
I’m not quite sure why your nurse has chosen 130g as the perfect amount for you - particularly without reference to your own BG response to foods.
From reading other people’s experiences on the forum it seems pretty clear that while general ‘rules of thumb’ like 130g can be a helpful starting point - in the end you will have to adjust that to suit what your body copes well with. That might end up being quite a bit less than 130, or maybe a bit more!
Great that you had a good appointment with your diabetic nurse. Re the 130gm carbs a day, I suspect she is just quoting the bog standard protocol advice they have to churn out, and as everydayupsanddowns says, you will find what suits you best. But you're in the system now for regular tests and reviews. You're doing well with the weight loss too, and I wish my BG readings were as good!
I really do wonder about the advice given - could it be something subconscious which makes drs and nurses tell us to take more tablets and eat more carbs - even when they see that their patients are doing fantastically well they have to give contrary advice. Maybe they want to feel needed.
DN was lovely. She wants to see me again next Saturday. She has altered my metformin to 2 twice a day (so that’s one more a day, but none at lunchtime).
I’d been more or less avoiding carbs, but she said not to do that, and showed me what my plate should look like, and that if I want to reduce carbs, have about 130g daily.
I told her just how fabulous the forum was on here, and if it hadn’t been for you all, I’d be so in the dark seeing as the GP was pretty useless.
She checked my feet which were great, and has sent off for an eye appointment too. She also gave me some magazine things from the diabetes website which I’ve read. Feel happier and more knowledgeable now.
Hi TiredOldGal,
I don't want to knock your DN since she seems better than most.
However I know from experience in another Diabetes Forum that 130gms of Crab per day is right at the top of the range for a Low(er) Carb diet/'Way of Eating'.
My definition of the full range is from 130gms all the way down to Zero Carbs. I use this range as a guideline because I Include Keto and Carnivore 'Ways of Eating' as variations on Low Carb. ( I know that some put the lower end of Low at 30gms, but that is just an arbitrary figure).
I know that we all (Type 2's) are different in both the quantity and type of Carbs we can tolerate without spiking our Blood Glucose too high.
I always say 'Eat to your Meter' and for those on Medication, get your Health Care Professional to set your Dosage to your Blood Glucose if you are changing your diet.
Just for information, I need to be pretty low on the Low Carb spectrum ( between 50gms and 20gms per day), because I can't even eat an apple or a raw carrot without a spike.
It is an unfortunate state of affairs, but many Health Care Professionals are either out of date ( meaning we know better than they do), or feel their jobs are at risk if they actually gave appropriate dietary advice and advice on Testing Blood Glucose to Type 2's - and they are probably right that their jobs would be at risk!
Hi TiredOldGal,
I don't want to knock your DN since she seems better than most.
However I know from experience in another Diabetes Forum that 130gms of Crab per day is right at the top of the range for a Low(er) Carb diet/'Way of Eating'.
My definition of the full range is from 130gms all the way down to Zero Carbs. I use this range as a guideline because I Include Keto and Carnivore 'Ways of Eating' as variations on Low Carb. ( I know that some put the lower end of Low at 30gms, but that is just an arbitrary figure).
I know that we all (Type 2's) are different in both the quantity and type of Carbs we can tolerate without spiking our Blood Glucose too high.
I always say 'Eat to your Meter' and for those on Medication, get your Health Care Professional to set your Dosage to your Blood Glucose if you are changing your diet.
Just for information, I need to be pretty low on the Low Carb spectrum ( between 50gms and 20gms per day), because I can't even eat an apple or a raw carrot without a spike.
It is an unfortunate state of affairs, but many Health Care Professionals are either out of date ( meaning we know better than they do), or feel their jobs are at risk if they actually gave appropriate dietary advice and advice on Testing Blood Glucose to Type 2's - and they are probably right that their jobs would be at risk!
I agree, it would probably be unsustainable for most.
However it has already been 5 months and I only do IF when morning BG is high (meaning I overdid the carbs the night before), or if I don't feel hungry.
I'm now roughly in weight stabilisation mode having lost 23 lbs and I've never had to count calories or felt more than a twinge of hunger due to eating High(er) Fat.
I like my current meals, so don't feel it will be a problem to keep going on like this for 10 to 15yrs.
After all, I did the High Carb very Low Fat 'way of eating' (on Doctors advice) for over 15yrs and I didn't particularly like that one!
There are quite a few Type 2's 'over there' who are full Keto or Carnivore - where I'm just fully Dual Fuel and hovering either side of Keto.
DN was lovely. She wants to see me again next Saturday. She has altered my metformin to 2 twice a day (so that’s one more a day, but none at lunchtime).
I’d been more or less avoiding carbs, but she said not to do that, and showed me what my plate should look like, and that if I want to reduce carbs, have about 130g daily.
I told her just how fabulous the forum was on here, and if it hadn’t been for you all, I’d be so in the dark seeing as the GP was pretty useless.
She checked my feet which were great, and has sent off for an eye appointment too. She also gave me some magazine things from the diabetes website which I’ve read. Feel happier and more knowledgeable now.
I've experimented with the amount of carbs per day, and settled on 50gm - 75gm. I ran my daily diet past a dietician and got the OK. I could not sustain less than that, as I include some dairy, lots of vegetables and a 40gm to 80gm fruit portion.
The things I like about my current WOE is that I can once again eat Red meat - beef, lamb, pork.
And I can also eat eggs and Full Fat dairy. All of which were off-limits for all those years!
I do miss apple, tropical fruit, sweet potato and carrot & parsnip and also oats, but overall I see it as not only healthier for me but also more enjoyable.
I agree, it would probably be unsustainable for most.
However it has already been 5 months and I only do IF when morning BG is high (meaning I overdid the carbs the night before), or if I don't feel hungry.
I'm now roughly in weight stabilisation mode having lost 23 lbs and I've never had to count calories or felt more than a twinge of hunger due to eating High(er) Fat.
I like my current meals, so don't feel it will be a problem to keep going on like this for 10 to 15yrs.
After all, I did the High Carb very Low Fat 'way of eating' (on Doctors advice) for over 15yrs and I didn't particularly like that one!
There are quite a few Type 2's 'over there' who are full Keto or Carnivore - where I'm just fully Dual Fuel and hovering either side of Keto.
I know the other one I read over there, but I am not a member there.
I talk as someone who has been living with this for years. I initially eat in a manner that I could not maintain long term.
I do see 'it is not sustainable' quite often, from people who are giving advice to diabetics, or who are eating a fair amount of carbs.
I started off eating 50 gm of carbs a day and dropped to 40 hoping for better results eventually. It is three years since diagnosis, but almost 50 years since I realised that carbs are not a good thing to eat. I was doing a BSc Biology course at the time.
I have met with considerable opposition to my realization in the intervening decades, and ended up almost as round as I was tall.
I am now so much thinner and stronger than I had become taking advice about diet from people who simply do not understand that the problem is the carbohydrate.
The only problem is that my clothes tend to slide south when yet again my shape changes - I should just give in and wear braces.
I know the other one I read over there, but I am not a member there.
I talk as someone who has been living with this for years. I initially eat in a manner that I could not maintain long term.
Probably the most common mistake people make with Low Carb is to cut calories from day 1.
Until they have reduced their Insulin levels by becoming 'fat adapted' all this does is to put their body into 'starvation mode' which lowers their metabolism and means they have to cut calories even more in order to lose weight - plus they feel weak and tired because of lack of energy!
But if they add healthy Saturated, mono -unsaturated and the Omega 3 poly-unsaturated fats (but not the Omega 6 ones - which are highly processed and turn into trans-fats) to supplement the calories, then there is no hunger involved in getting to the point where the body has a huge energy supply of its own stored fat on tap.
Now people say that Saturated Fat is bad for us, but if that was the case, why does our body store excess energy supplies away in that form - our body fat is saturated fat and historically was laid down in Autumn like Bears do, to keep us going through hard winters when little food was available!
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
