Hi. I've been recently diagnosed as type 2. I've been on long term steroids and gradually reduced to a lower maintenance dose as well as other drugs afor a autoimmune disease. They believe the problem had stemmed from steroids but I am also overweight. I've had 1 phone call from a diabetic nurse and I'm so lost with what I'm meant to be eating (not on medication atm but will be offered metformin when hospital cleared it with my other medication) all I've been told is no more than 150g carbs daily which most days I'm not reaching. Should I be counting sugar too I'm so confused. Thanks in advance
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Feeling lost new to type 2
- Thread starter Who49
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Leadinglights
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Sugar is just one form of carbohydrate along with lactose found in milk, fructose in fruit which all gets converted into glucose so Yes it it the total amount of carbohydrate your nurse is suggesting should be less than 150g per day. The information you will need to look for is the total carbohydrate found on the back of food packaging NOT just the traffic light system which only shows sugar.
The book or app Carbs and Cals gives the carb value of a whole range of foods which is very useful to work out what things you should look at restricting portion size or cutting out. Things like potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, cereals, some fruits as well as the obvious cakes and biscuits and sugary drinks are the things you need to watch out for.
There is plenty you can have like meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, nuts and most vegetables and salads. Full fat versions of dairy products are lower carb than low fat so no need to avoid those unless of course you have to for other medical conditions. Keeping a food diary is helpful for you to see what areas you maybe can reduce your intake of the high carb foods.
Read around the forum and the learning zone as there is lots of information about managing the condition.
Hopefully if your HbA1C is not too high you will be given opportunity to try to reduce your blood glucose level by some changes to your diet and increase in exercise if you are able.
Welcome anyway and I'm sure others will chip in with suggestions and there are others who have steroid induced diabetes so maybe will share their experience.
It would help if you know your HbA1C is and an idea of the meals you currently have.
The book or app Carbs and Cals gives the carb value of a whole range of foods which is very useful to work out what things you should look at restricting portion size or cutting out. Things like potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, cereals, some fruits as well as the obvious cakes and biscuits and sugary drinks are the things you need to watch out for.
There is plenty you can have like meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, nuts and most vegetables and salads. Full fat versions of dairy products are lower carb than low fat so no need to avoid those unless of course you have to for other medical conditions. Keeping a food diary is helpful for you to see what areas you maybe can reduce your intake of the high carb foods.
Read around the forum and the learning zone as there is lots of information about managing the condition.
Hopefully if your HbA1C is not too high you will be given opportunity to try to reduce your blood glucose level by some changes to your diet and increase in exercise if you are able.
Welcome anyway and I'm sure others will chip in with suggestions and there are others who have steroid induced diabetes so maybe will share their experience.
It would help if you know your HbA1C is and an idea of the meals you currently have.
SB2015
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- Type 1
Welcome to the forum @Who49 . Diagnosis is a big shock, and it is a lot to take on board. We each have to find what works for us, but there is plenty of experience to tap into on here.
As @Leadinglights has said it is any carbohydrates that we eat that get turned into glucose once inside. A good starting point can be to find out hw many carbs you are currently eating at each meal. This takes a bit of effort, reading and interpreting the info on packs or from Google. With Diabetes our bodies are not able to make enough insulin (or any in the case of T1) to balance the glucose on our blood. By reducing the amount of carbs some people manage to get this balance back. An honest food diary with the carb amount will help you and your team to find out what will work for you.
When I was looking to reduce my carbs I liked this general rule when looking for swaps to help me
If it is grown
As @Leadinglights has said it is any carbohydrates that we eat that get turned into glucose once inside. A good starting point can be to find out hw many carbs you are currently eating at each meal. This takes a bit of effort, reading and interpreting the info on packs or from Google. With Diabetes our bodies are not able to make enough insulin (or any in the case of T1) to balance the glucose on our blood. By reducing the amount of carbs some people manage to get this balance back. An honest food diary with the carb amount will help you and your team to find out what will work for you.
When I was looking to reduce my carbs I liked this general rule when looking for swaps to help me
If it is grown
- Under the ground it is high carb (potatoes, sweet potatoes,parsnips, ...)
- Above the ground it is medium carb (beans, peas, ....)
- On the ground it is low carb (lettuce, celery, ...)
I was recently diagnosed type 2 myself, and the carb thing has been a steep learning curve. At first I assumed it meant cutting out bread, rice, potatoes and pasta - and of course biscuits and cakes. And since sugar is a carb too, no sugary drinks or sweets. I don't count sugar separately from other carbs, but it is useful to be aware if something is sweet, it is likely to be high in carbs. But as I have been discovering, there are carbs in other foods too. For example, my high fibre no added sugar muesli with a sliced banana had more carbs than 3 slices of toast.
I don't have the book recommended, but you can google pretty much the carb value of anything on your phone. I use scales too to get an idea of portion size.
I have changed how I eat a lot, and how much. This is because one of my first symptoms was blurry vision and that really scared me. It isn't easy. Especially as I share my meals with a growing teenage son, and a husband whose calorie needs are more than twice mine due to his work and exercise levels. But some things I have done are to use a smaller plate for myself, and to either not have the rice/ potato/ pasta part of a meal or restrict myself to only a desert spoonful.
My GP gave me a blood glucose testing kit as well, and I am using that 2 hours after meals to see the effects of what I eat and different foods.
I don't have the book recommended, but you can google pretty much the carb value of anything on your phone. I use scales too to get an idea of portion size.
I have changed how I eat a lot, and how much. This is because one of my first symptoms was blurry vision and that really scared me. It isn't easy. Especially as I share my meals with a growing teenage son, and a husband whose calorie needs are more than twice mine due to his work and exercise levels. But some things I have done are to use a smaller plate for myself, and to either not have the rice/ potato/ pasta part of a meal or restrict myself to only a desert spoonful.
My GP gave me a blood glucose testing kit as well, and I am using that 2 hours after meals to see the effects of what I eat and different foods.
Toucan
Forum Host
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hello @Who49 and welcome.
As you will see from the replies you already have there is a great deal of help and knowledge available here, and I hope we can help you to find a good way forward.
Here is a link to the book that has been mentioned:
Carbs & Cals - a guide for counting -Diabetes UK shop - Diabetes UK Shop
As you will see from the replies you already have there is a great deal of help and knowledge available here, and I hope we can help you to find a good way forward.
Here is a link to the book that has been mentioned:
Carbs & Cals - a guide for counting -Diabetes UK shop - Diabetes UK Shop
Leadinglights
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The carb value includes sugars, so just the carb number so Xg/100g or Xg/ cracker or portion if something that says for say 2 portions.
Simplistically, if something says 12g carb per 100g of which 5g is sugars that would be better than something which says 12g carb of which 8g is sugars as it would be less likely to give a spike as it will be digested more slowly.
Simplistically, if something says 12g carb per 100g of which 5g is sugars that would be better than something which says 12g carb of which 8g is sugars as it would be less likely to give a spike as it will be digested more slowly.
Cherrelle DUK
Much missed Online Community Coordinator
Hi Who49, welcome to the forum.
Figuring out what to eat can be a bit tricky but hopefully, you'll get used to it. We've got some info on our site re what to eat that may be useful: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/i-have-type-2-diabetes
We also have a really good thread with people sharing their meals https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/what-did-you-eat-yesterday.30349/.
It's important to note that everyone is different so it's worth getting that hang of testing after your meals and using that as a guide as to whether that meal works for you or not.
Do let us know if there's anything we can help with.
Figuring out what to eat can be a bit tricky but hopefully, you'll get used to it. We've got some info on our site re what to eat that may be useful: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/i-have-type-2-diabetes
We also have a really good thread with people sharing their meals https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/what-did-you-eat-yesterday.30349/.
It's important to note that everyone is different so it's worth getting that hang of testing after your meals and using that as a guide as to whether that meal works for you or not.
Do let us know if there's anything we can help with.
Nayshiftin
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Welcome
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Sorry to hear you have been left a bit adrift with not much contact from your diabetes nurse. It has been a very difficult time to get a diagnosis unfortunately 
Your under 150g a day of carbs fits with the approach of quite a few members here, which have started with approx 100-150g a day as a guide. Though some end up higher and others quite a bit lower - diabetes is very individual!
For a bit of background, you might find either Maggie Davey’s Letter or Gretchen Becker’s book T2 Diabetes, the first year, give you a pretty thorough overview of T2 diabetes.
Your under 150g a day of carbs fits with the approach of quite a few members here, which have started with approx 100-150g a day as a guide. Though some end up higher and others quite a bit lower - diabetes is very individual!
For a bit of background, you might find either Maggie Davey’s Letter or Gretchen Becker’s book T2 Diabetes, the first year, give you a pretty thorough overview of T2 diabetes.
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