feeling down

[Duyen]

Good morning I've not been on here in the past few days as im feeling down at the moment going from eating pretty much anything to having to watch what I eat is affecting me at the moment im reading up more on type 2 diabetes which is helping hopefully it will soon sort itself out

 

[debs248]

It's a lot to take in at first, I'm 6 weeks post-diagnosis and finally feeling like I know roughly what I'm doing.

It will get easier with time and in the meantime you can come on here whenever you need support.

 

[saffron15]

I felt as if I had been bereaved. My lower reading was 64 so abit ahead of you. However I had piled on the pounds following an early menopause and the benefit for me was watching carbs meant I lost weight. I don't calorie counting.
Surprisingly I found i really enjoyed Greek yoghurt berries and nuts. I have it most days. I've also enjoyed fitting in short walks. At this time of year it is good. I recently started an aqua fit class. It can all get you out of a rut.
I still eat some bread and potatoes.
Your reading is a wake up call, you will reduce it without huge changes and in a few years you will look back and see the positives of making changes.

I started eating more fish and veg. If I go round to my sister all her food offers are potentially bad eg pizza lasagne etc.

I don't have seconds and watch portion size. I have cake once a month as a treat.

Try and relax and look at the positives. I bet before you were diagnosed there were times when you felt down.

Look forward to your next hba1c which with a few changes will have reduced.

 

[Leadinglights]

What can help even if it seems a bit of a faff is to keep a food diary with an estimate of the carbs as you can then see where some of the saving can be made whilst keeping the lower carb foods. Just doing that can focus the mind. But finding other enjoyable activities especially will distract you from focusing on food.
Making changes gradually attacking the bit hitters first and reducing portions of the others.

 

[Duyen]

Many thanks to everyone I really appreciate your support and advice as when I had my first diabetes check on weds just gone they never advised me on healthy diet etc im new to all this

 

[indigorblue]

Many thanks to everyone I really appreciate your support and advice as when I had my first diabetes check on weds just gone they never advised me on healthy diet etc im new to all this

it is a lot to take on and a real learning curve. I always thought I was fighting fit. not overweight exercise moderately for ever and watch my diet. real shocker to find out recently that I have very high glucose and high cholesterol. double whammy for a vegetarian/pescatarian. no wonder we feel low at times but there is a lot of help and support out there
finding what works best for you

 

[Martin.A]

Good morning I've not been on here in the past few days as im feeling down at the moment going from eating pretty much anything to having to watch what I eat is affecting me at the moment im reading up more on type 2 diabetes which is helping hopefully it will soon sort itself out

As is often said, it's a marathon and not a sprint. It took me 5 months to get my BG down to normal numbers. There's no quick fix so take one day at a time. Keeping a food diary, as @Leadinglights suggested, alongside self-testing, will help.

 

[silver minion]

Many thanks to everyone I really appreciate your support and advice as when I had my first diabetes check on weds just gone they never advised me on healthy diet etc im new to all this

Many people find the changes they make to their diet and activities after diagnosis can help their general health improve as their blood sugars reduce.
It can take a while. I didn't realise how bad I felt until I started feeling better, less tired, less hungry and thirsty. Getting back to how I used to be years ago with more energy and improved fitness.

I hope you will feel more empowered after reading other's experiences of coming to terms with having diabetes. It is a lot to process and there is not much help or support from the NHS. Finding this forum was a game changer for me. Everyone has been so helpful with information support and advice.
Good luck on your diabetes journey and keep us updated.

 

[Drummer]

Good morning I've not been on here in the past few days as im feeling down at the moment going from eating pretty much anything to having to watch what I eat is affecting me at the moment im reading up more on type 2 diabetes which is helping hopefully it will soon sort itself out

It might help to regard yourself as a biological engine - you have had a 'healthy' set of nutrients in your diet, but it has been like putting the wrong fuel into a diesel motor just because petrol is perfectly fine for many vehicles.
I find that the things I can eat are far tastier and enjoyable than the diet sheet advice from my GP. It might seem odd to have a proper meal twice a day (I eat at around 12 hourly intervals) but it has done the trick for me and it keeps me very well.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear you’ve been feeling a bit down @Duyen

It’s not at all uncommon after a diagnosis with a long-term condition like diabetes. As @saffron15 says, it can feel like a form of grieving, with all the intense and overwhelming emotional outpourings that can involve - anger, bargaining, depression, denial and ultimately acceptance. It’s a very personal experience - and there’s no right or wrong way top feel. Periods of change can be disruptive, and it takes time to adjust and adapt, to move towards your ‘new normal’.

Be kind to yourself, and keep taking one step at a time.

 

[JimmyBlue]

Hi @Duyen I was diagnosed about 9 months ago (October 2024) and went straight on the low carb diet approach, next thing I had lost over a stone in weight, then came Christmas and the fact I couldn't eat my wife's homemade Christmas Pudding and Christmas Cake really got to me, and then New Year with the eating constraints that brings. Now, I feel that I have my diabetes under reasonable control. I managed to get to an HbA1c of 47 by Jan 2025 with minimum Metformin (1x500mg) and now in June I have got to 46 with none. Through this whole period I have had periods of being down and others were I feel that things are going well.
Being down is not a nice place to be but my suggestion is to focus on the fact that you know you have a problem and that you are looking to address it. Taking ownership is a very positive approach to diabetes. Getting to a position where you feel (and it is how you feel) that things are under control will take some experimentation, highlight your positives (I know what portion of potatoes and rice I can eat which makes eating out easier) and accept that not everything will work for you. You are not to blame if it doesn't work even if it does for others and that is because we are all different.
The other thing I have found to get me back feeling positive, is actually having to learn to bake so I can make low carb bread, biscuits and other enjoyable substitutes that I can have with my cup of tea or as a desert after a meal. When it works I get a buzz and when I realise I have forgotten to put the egg in the peanut butter cookie mixture which is why it is as dry as the desert, well that is something to smile about.

 

[Ade_essex]

I think that it's natural to feel down at times because, probably like most on here, We're saying goodbye to a previous way of life and building a completely new one. But you'll also have some small victories along the way that I guarantee will begin to make your new outlook worthwhile. For instance, I've been going to a gym class a couple of times a week since I was diagnosed. This morning, whilst doing 60 seconds of star jumps, my (previously snug fitting) shorts started falling down and I only managed to catch them when they'd dropped to mid thigh level. I had to ask to be excused whilst I tightened the drawstring up. No-one else seemed to understand why I seemed so pleased with myself! But eating better and exercising more has led to improvements in my fitness, weight and overall bodily proportions. These are the sort of things, at least I'm my opinion, that make the sacrifices worthwhile and that you'll look back on as steps on the road to remission.

 

[Drummer]

Hi @Duyen I was diagnosed about 9 months ago (October 2024) and went straight on the low carb diet approach, next thing I had lost over a stone in weight, then came Christmas and the fact I couldn't eat my wife's homemade Christmas Pudding and Christmas Cake really got to me, and then New Year with the eating constraints that brings. Now, I feel that I have my diabetes under reasonable control. I managed to get to an HbA1c of 47 by Jan 2025 with minimum Metformin (1x500mg) and now in June I have got to 46 with none. Through this whole period I have had periods of being down and others were I feel that things are going well.
Being down is not a nice place to be but my suggestion is to focus on the fact that you know you have a problem and that you are looking to address it. Taking ownership is a very positive approach to diabetes. Getting to a position where you feel (and it is how you feel) that things are under control will take some experimentation, highlight your positives (I know what portion of potatoes and rice I can eat which makes eating out easier) and accept that not everything will work for you. You are not to blame if it doesn't work even if it does for others and that is because we are all different.
The other thing I have found to get me back feeling positive, is actually having to learn to bake so I can make low carb bread, biscuits and other enjoyable substitutes that I can have with my cup of tea or as a desert after a meal. When it works I get a buzz and when I realise I have forgotten to put the egg in the peanut butter cookie mixture which is why it is as dry as the desert, well that is something to smile about.

My experience has been that an occasional higher carb food is not a problem as I seem to have regained some ability to deal with them - though I'd be pushing my luck to have potato or rice regularly.

I have made Christmas pudding and cake using less wheat flour, more fibre and nut flours, more chopped nuts and less fruit, more actual peel than the sugar soaked mixed peel, even washing off the cherries and cutting them into quarters rather than halves - just to lower the carb count.
Fairly recently I devised a 'mug cake' using almond and coconut flour and adding in a heaped tablespoon of mincemeat plus spices and last Christmas just had that and ate Yorkshire puddings with meals as I find I prefer to have those carbs rather than the pudding or cake.

 

[HayleyR]

Hi @Duyen and welcome to the Forum 🙂 It really is so much to take on board, especially when you realise that you have to consider all carbohydrates not just sugar so it's really not surprising that you feel down. As you can see, there are plenty of Type 2 members who are happy to provide help and support, you're certainly not alone.....