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Expecting improvement

N

NearlyWellBeing

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
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He/Him
Hi, I am expecting improvement, having seen my glucose graph and spoken to the nurse on Friday about blood results.

We think I can lose weight which will help my arthritis, and cut down on Metaformin which will help my routine, and ultimately reversible.

The problem I have is the condition is completely invisible, I don't feel a thing and hence never motivated to do much about it, so I have joined the forum to gain some momentum.
 
NearlyWellBeing said:
Hi, I am expecting improvement, having seen my glucose graph and spoken to the nurse on Friday about blood results.

We think I can lose weight which will help my arthritis, and cut down on Metaformin which will help my routine, and ultimately reversible.

The problem I have is the condition is completely invisible, I don't feel a thing and hence never motivated to do much about it, so I have joined the forum to gain some momentum.
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It might be that once you make a start and get your blood glucose levels down to around normal you will realise that things were not quite right, but that you had become used to them as they crept up on you.
If you have a meter to test blood glucose after eating that might act as an indication of improvement.
 
NearlyWellBeing said:
Hi, I am expecting improvement, having seen my glucose graph and spoken to the nurse on Friday about blood results.

We think I can lose weight which will help my arthritis, and cut down on Metaformin which will help my routine, and ultimately reversible.

The problem I have is the condition is completely invisible, I don't feel a thing and hence never motivated to do much about it, so I have joined the forum to gain some momentum.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum.
Would you like to share what the result of your HbA1C was and what dietary approach are you following in addition to the metformin. Diet is going to be just as if not more so than the medication.
The side affects of the condition may not be visible at the moment but without taking action may not remain so for long. We see posts from people suffering effects after only a short time with high blood glucose.
If you are only taking metformin then a low carb approach is one many find successful at both losing weight and reducing blood glucose, have a look at this link for a good explanation and some menu plans which may suit your tastes. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
This is based on the suggested no more than 130g carbs per day.
 
Hi @NearlyWellBeing

Having recently being diagnosed, I would echo the comments of LeadingLights, now I have a diagnosis I actually realise that some of the issues I have been having over the past 6 to 12 months are likely a consequence of undiagnosed diabetes. Having accepted that and making the decision to do something about it I already feel I have moved forward even though my diagnosis was only two weeks ago.

For me the driver is twofold, I want to keep running and damage to my feet has the potential to stop that and I have no desire to have my wife and two daughters have to look after me if I cannot do it myself. The simple threat of that irrespective of the fact that the illness is "invisible" has been sufficient for me to move to a low carb diet and worse still, to try my hand at baking low carb bread.

The Freshwell app which links to the lowcarbfreshwell website recommended by LeadingLights has proved a source of inspiration, including giving me the opportunity to actually have something "sweet" after meals occasionaly.
 
Leadinglights said:
Welcome to the forum.
Would you like to share what the result of your HbA1C was and what dietary approach are you following in addition to the metformin. Diet is going to be just as if not more so than the medication.
The side affects of the condition may not be visible at the moment but without taking action may not remain so for long. We see posts from people suffering effects after only a short time with high blood glucose.
If you are only taking metformin then a low carb approach is one many find successful at both losing weight and reducing blood glucose, have a look at this link for a good explanation and some menu plans which may suit your tastes. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
This is based on the suggested no more than 130g carbs per day.
Click to expand...
Leadinglights

53 HbA1c at the moment, which seems to be the average over time (sometimes I get 41 or 72).

The nurse says I can't absorb sugar so thats good enough to get my attitude straight, that if its tastes of sugar its pretty much a waste of time.

I stopped sugar in drinks immediately and might even be enough. Nurse also says I should also quit from the oranges for breakfast and go for something more protein based to reduce the sugar craving. I can manage that at the canteen, they do a good fry up.
 
A good fry-up is a perfect meal for a diabetic, as long as you skip the hash brown and toast/fried bread!
 
Vonny said:
A good fry-up is a perfect meal for a diabetic, as long as you skip the hash brown and toast/fried bread!
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Somehow I knew you would say that. Ok no hash brown it is. 🙂
 
NearlyWellBeing said:
Leadinglights

53 HbA1c at the moment, which seems to be the average over time (sometimes I get 41 or 72).

The nurse says I can't absorb sugar so thats good enough to get my attitude straight, that if its tastes of sugar its pretty much a waste of time.

I stopped sugar in drinks immediately and might even be enough. Nurse also says I should also quit from the oranges for breakfast and go for something more protein based to reduce the sugar craving. I can manage that at the canteen, they do a good fry up.
Click to expand...
The threshold for a diabetic diagnosis is anything over 47mmol/mol so your current reading of 53 is not all that bad in the context of it having previously been as high as 72 but clearly not as good as being at 41mmol/mol. Having a dietary approach that will get your blood glucose down AND be one that you can maintain as yoyoing up and down is not kind on your body.
The HbA1C is in basic terms an average over the previous 3 months prior to the test.
I'm not sure what the nurse means by ' can't absorb sugar ' , and perhaps shows lack of understanding that it is all carbohydrates of which sugar is one, convert to glucose so if the intake of those carbs is more than the body can cope with because it is either not producing enough insulin or it is but it cannot be used efficiently by the body. So yes it is needed to cut out added sugar but also foods with high carbohydrates and that gives the body a better chance to cope.
Definitely people find having protein and healthy fats for breakfast which is low carb is better than breakfast cereals or toast. Many find that something like full fat Greek yoghurt and berries with seeds or nuts is a good breakfast option.
 
Welcome to the forum @NearlyWellBeing

Hopefully with a few modest tweaks and changes to your menu, and a slight, but consistent, reduction in your overall carbohydrate intake (not just ‘of which sugars’ but reduced portions of starchy carbs too) you’ll see a gradual and sustainable reduction in your HbA1c,

And hopefully you’ll feel a bit of a lift as a result (even if you didn’t think you were feeling off-colour beforehand)
 
Thank you staff, members and well known members! I loaded the Freshwell app and found it was well written, easy to read and entirely informative.

I followed my plan to switch to a fry up for breakfast instead of fruit, and seem to be feeling well after an initial headache.

I might switch lunchtime sandwich for a salad. Teatime I don't quite care what happens yet as its the only meal we eat together. Supper I'm persuading myself to stick to protein again after the cake was used up - so far some nuts and cheese.

There is a lot of weight to come off, if that's what its going to do. And no, I don't feel hungry quite the opposite.
 
Day 17. Not much seems to be happening yet its probably a bit too early to tell, and I am not in any rush.

Possibly weight is down a kg at 93.5 and the glucose strip test is down a point at 5.6

Making diet choices which are more low carb seems to be the hard bit. Possible, but wow is that harder to do. Looking at the usual can of soup, and taking the time to decide on having a tray of left over salad instead. Prodding the salad and not sure I will finish it. I give up, its going to become a salad sandwich.
 
NearlyWellBeing said:
Day 17. Not much seems to be happening yet its probably a bit too early to tell, and I am not in any rush.

Possibly weight is down a kg at 93.5 and the glucose strip test is down a point at 5.6

Making diet choices which are more low carb seems to be the hard bit. Possible, but wow is that harder to do. Looking at the usual can of soup, and taking the time to decide on having a tray of left over salad instead. Prodding the salad and not sure I will finish it. I give up, its going to become a salad sandwich.
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"A tray of left over salad" sounds eminently resistible: chuck it in the recycling bin! Whatever changes we make have to be sustainable long-term. Someone posted a lovely photo of a salad somewhere on the Forum a few days ago (lots of olives and feta, from what I remember): how about trying that? In any case, surely there are cans of soup that are low-carb?
 
Thanks @CliffH yes. When I did the sums off the packet labels, it looked like a 4 slice sandwich was twice as much carbs as a can of soup. Turning the salad into a sandwich was a mistake.

I rather like the look of supermarket salad bars, except I don't recall them showing carb values.
 
NearlyWellBeing said:
Thanks @CliffH yes. When I did the sums off the packet labels, it looked like a 4 slice sandwich was twice as much carbs as a can of soup. Turning the salad into a sandwich was a mistake.

I rather like the look of supermarket salad bars, except I don't recall them showing carb values.
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Have you got the 'Carbs & Cals' book or app? That would help you work out how many carbs are in different salads.
 
CliffH said:
Have you got the 'Carbs & Cals' book or app? That would help you work out how many carbs are in different salads.
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Yes. Wriggle. I better try that. I immediately wondered if the app works on cream cakes. I better read the boxes too.
 
NearlyWellBeing said:
We think I can lose weight which will help my arthritis, and cut down on Metaformin which will help my routine, and ultimately reversible. The problem I have is the condition is completely invisible,
Click to expand...

Not really so when you are carrying some excess weight. Electronic scales and a tape measure round your waist will help you track your condition week by week, month by month.
 
JITR said:
Not really so when you are carrying some excess weight. Electronic scales and a tape measure round your waist will help you track your condition week by week, month by month.
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That's very astute @JITR. You got me there, its not really invisible is it. This week my waist measures 43 so looks like I actually lost an inch, so I recorded it into FreshWell as a win

Used to be I couldn't bend over. When I reached 100kg I vowed it wasnt going any higher.
 
I think when making changes to your diet you have to start thinking about making more things from scratch, that may sound daunting at first but it will be much more satisfying than some limp salad.
Buying a nice crisp lettuce, a bag of mixed leaves, cucumber, peppers, radish, sugar snaps which can all be assembled quickly into a salad bowl to which you can add tuna, cooked meats, cheese, hardboiled eggs and a good dollop of mayo for a filling meal.
If you invest in a stick blender you can make your own low carb soup with a few vegetables, butternut squash and red pepper, broccoli and stilton, leek, pea and celery are my favourites, just chop the veg add water and a stock cube, cook and blend, a few veg will make a big pot of soup which can be frozen for later as well.
 
I took option 2 @Leadinglights stick blender.

It took a while to find the Antony Worral Thompson Breville but decided to turn my left over chicken dinner into soup.

I threw a red onion into the microwave and my Mrs added some watered down chicken stock. After a rather stomach churning moment watching the mash up of chicken breast, carrot, Brussels, swede mash, and onion take shape it was necessary to taste it.

No carbs unless there was some in the swede mash.

I would have to rate it along side those Covent Garden soups you can get in the supermarket. Beginners luck.
 
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NearlyWellBeing said:
I took option 2 @Leadinglights stick blender.

It took a while to find the Antony Worral Thompson Breville but decided to turn my left over chicken dinner into soup.

I threw a red onion into the microwave and my Mrs added some watered down chicken stock. After a rather stomach churning moment watching the mash up of chicken breast, carrot, Brussels, swede mash, and onion take shape it was necessary to taste it.

No carbs.

I would have to rate it along side those Covent Garden soups you can get in the supermarket. Beginners luck.
Click to expand...
I'm not a fan of meat in soup but just experiment with various combinations and you will find favourites. I tend to do either 'green' or 'red' soup, a dollop of cream or sour cream can work wonders if something is not quite right.
 
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