First blood test after being diagnosed

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bubblz82

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Type 2
Hi, I am still new to type 2 diabetes. My results were 72mmol 3 months ago. I tried hard, tried to research, I went to remind and spoke to others. I have lost a stone and a half. But it is really slow at coming off. This made me go off the rails with food in the last week.

I went and had the test done this week, had a call to say I have an under active thyroid and got the rest of my new results today. I have them down to 54mmol. I am over the moon with what I have done.

What would the change usually be? Over the next 3 months I have to try and keep my fats down as they are high now trying to keep sugars and carbs down.
 
bubblz82 said:
Hi, I am still new to type 2 diabetes. My results were 72mmol 3 months ago. I tried hard, tried to research, I went to remind and spoke to others. I have lost a stone and a half. But it is really slow at coming off. This made me go off the rails with food in the last week.

I went and had the test done this week, had a call to say I have an under active thyroid and got the rest of my new results today. I have them down to 54mmol. I am over the moon with what I have done.

What would the change usually be? Over the next 3 months I have to try and keep my fats down as they are high now trying to keep sugars and carbs down.
Click to expand...
That is a good result in the 3 months, have you had medication or been doing it with diet only if that is the case then just continue with what you have been doing. A stone and a half is a good weight loss.
Unless you have a specific medical condition that requires low fat then healthy fats are one of the ways to stop you feeling hungry and been tempted with high carb snacks.
I assume you will be prescribed some medication for your under active thyroid.
Everybody is different so saying what the change should be is difficult as it depends on lots of factors.
 
I’m assuming by saying fats are high you mean cholesterol? If so you (and your health team) need to be aware that whilst actively losing weight by any method they are likely to rise. Think of it as a way the body fat is being transported out of your body.

Cholesterol is a controversial topic right now. The official position is that it’s a bad thing and all about cutting saturated fats. The more progressive position is that it very much depends on the specific breakdown of those levels and their ratios and that excess carbs cause inflammation and that is what raises them.

The official position of lots of issues lags behind the science. (Smoking, eggs, stomach ulcers, diet control for diabetes etc)
 
Last edited:
Welcome to the forum @bubblz82

Well done on your terrific HbA1c reduction so far. You have every right to be very proud of what you have achieved.

And well done on the weight loss too! It can feel like a frustrating slog at times, but try not to be disheartened. Steady progress is good!

In terms of your cholesterol levels, the expert opinion is well established, and backed up by a lot of high quality and consistent research data. This thread links to the national NHS England guidance in a handy flowchart form which may help you understand your Drs advice to you.

 
Hi @bubblz82 and welcome to the forum.
Fats (as well as carbohydrates) are a contentious issue among Diabetics and our Health Care professionals.
We often find we keep being given crazy advice about both by our Doctors.
So a few (non-contentious) facts may help:
1. Type 2 diabetics bodies are intolerant to carbohydrates in the usual quantities found in modern diets.
2. A simple (finger-prick) Blood Glucose meter can tell you whether a meal was OK for your body, or whether it contained either too many, or the 'wrong type' of carbohydrates for your body, but all bodies/metabolisms/gut biomes are different!
3. All digestible carbohydrates digest into sugars - starchy foods as well as sweet ones. No exceptions, Fruit juice is just like dissolved table sugar, whole grains are just like refined grains with a little fibre and very mall amounts of other nutrients added.
4. Fats are an essential macro nutrient (along with Protein) meaning it's required for life i.e. immune system, hormones etc.
5. If you reduce your body fat, it will go via being used as fuel which means that it will temporarily raise the lipids (including Cholesterol) in your blood stream.
6. Our bodies has 2 main energy sources, Carbohydrates and Fats. They can only be in one of 2 states at any moment in time depending upon the amount of insulin : Fat storage mode (taking Blood Glucose and forcing it into fat cells for storage as a precaution against starvation); or Fat burning mode (using both dietary and stored body fat as fuel - no carbs required).

A slightly contentious , but true observation is that if you reduce the carbohydrates you eat, you will produce lee insulin and encourage Fat burning mode, which will lower Blood Glucose and encourage weight loss while maintaining calories and energy. Thus avoiding hunger.

So do you really need/want to reduce dietary fats, and if so, by how much?
I suggest either not at all, or by much less than you previously thought!
I actually started eating more fats (natural rather than chemically processed) in order to gain T2D remission and over 10% body weight loss.
 
bubblz82 said:
Hi, I am still new to type 2 diabetes. My results were 72mmol 3 months ago. I tried hard, tried to research, I went to remind and spoke to others. I have lost a stone and a half. But it is really slow at coming off. This made me go off the rails with food in the last week.

I went and had the test done this week, had a call to say I have an under active thyroid and got the rest of my new results today. I have them down to 54mmol. I am over the moon with what I have done.

What would the change usually be? Over the next 3 months I have to try and keep my fats down as they are high now trying to keep sugars and carbs down.
Click to expand...
The cholesterol in your blood is the method of movement for taking fats to the liver - they are like the motor units of articulated lorries, so if you have been losing weight there will be more of them just as a matter of course.
I keep looking for information on the way reducing cholesterol helps with survival, and as yet not found anything which is outside normal variation or could be down to bias.
 
Leadinglights said:
That is a good result in the 3 months, have you had medication or been doing it with diet only if that is the case then just continue with what you have been doing. A stone and a half is a good weight loss.
Unless you have a specific medical condition that requires low fat then healthy fats are one of the ways to stop you feeling hungry and been tempted with high carb snacks.
I assume you will be prescribed some medication for your under active thyroid.
Everybody is different so saying what the change should be is difficult as it depends on lots of factors.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply. I am on Metformin and change in food. Trying to get fats down to get my other results down...was hit with everything at once ‍♀️
 
HSSS said:
I’m assuming by saying fats are high you mean cholesterol? If so you (and your health team) need to be aware that whilst actively losing weight by any method they are likely to rise. Think of it as a way the body fat is being transported out of your body.

Cholesterol is a controversial topic right now. The official position is that it’s a bad thing and all about cutting saturated fats. The more progressive position is that it very much depends on the specific breakdown of those levels and their ratios and that carbs are causing inflammation is what raises them.

The official position of lots of issues lags behind the science. (Smoking, eggs, stomach ulcers, diet control for diabetes etc)
Click to expand...
Thanks yeah, I am dyslexic so I couldn't spell it so said fats lol glad you understood. Definitely will look into that. It has went down a little in the 3 months but would like it down a little more
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Welcome to the forum @bubblz82

Well done on your terrific HbA1c reduction so far. You have every right to be very proud of what you have achieved.

And well done on the weight loss too! It can feel like a frustrating slog at times, but try not to be disheartened. Steady progress is good!

In terms of your cholesterol levels, the expert opinion is well established, and backed up by a lot of high quality and consistent research data. This thread links to the national NHS England guidance in a handy flowchart form which may help you understand your Drs advice to you.

Click to expand...
Aaww brilliant thanks for your reply. I will have a wee look at the link now.
 
ianf0ster said:
Hi @bubblz82 and welcome to the forum.
Fats (as well as carbohydrates) are a contentious issue among Diabetics and our Health Care professionals.
We often find we keep being given crazy advice about both by our Doctors.
So a few (non-contentious) facts may help:
1. Type 2 diabetics bodies are intolerant to carbohydrates in the usual quantities found in modern diets.
2. A simple (finger-prick) Blood Glucose meter can tell you whether a meal was OK for your body, or whether it contained either too many, or the 'wrong type' of carbohydrates for your body, but all bodies/metabolisms/gut biomes are different!
3. All digestible carbohydrates digest into sugars - starchy foods as well as sweet ones. No exceptions, Fruit juice is just like dissolved table sugar, whole grains are just like refined grains with a little fibre and very mall amounts of other nutrients added.
4. Fats are an essential macro nutrient (along with Protein) meaning it's required for life i.e. immune system, hormones etc.
5. If you reduce your body fat, it will go via being used as fuel which means that it will temporarily raise the lipids (including Cholesterol) in your blood stream.
6. Our bodies has 2 main energy sources, Carbohydrates and Fats. They can only be in one of 2 states at any moment in time depending upon the amount of insulin : Fat storage mode (taking Blood Glucose and forcing it into fat cells for storage as a precaution against starvation); or Fat burning mode (using both dietary and stored body fat as fuel - no carbs required).

A slightly contentious , but true observation is that if you reduce the carbohydrates you eat, you will produce lee insulin and encourage Fat burning mode, which will lower Blood Glucose and encourage weight loss while maintaining calories and energy. Thus avoiding hunger.

So do you really need/want to reduce dietary fats, and if so, by how much?
I suggest either not at all, or by much less than you previously thought!
I actually started eating more fats (natural rather than chemically processed) in order to gain T2D remission and over 10% body weight loss.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the detailed reply. Alot to take in but yeah I can see what you mean about the fat being burnt. I have an app and it shows my saturated fat is going over. Not much but would like to get it down a little
 
Drummer said:
The cholesterol in your blood is the method of movement for taking fats to the liver - they are like the motor units of articulated lorries, so if you have been losing weight there will be more of them just as a matter of course.
I keep looking for information on the way reducing cholesterol helps with survival, and as yet not found anything which is outside normal variation or could be down to bias.
Click to expand...
Thanks starting to understand the job it has in the body. I only want to deduce it a little but as I have lost then that's maybe why it's up
 
Eating healthy fats will help with the feeling of hunger and will help to reduce your cholesterol and give better ratios. The body will make cholesterol as it is needed for all sort of functions but reducing saturated fats just as anybody might do may help.
If in an at risk category which includes diabetes then doctors like your cholesterol to be below 4.
In fact people find reducing carbohydrates has a good effect on their cholesterol. Is that something you are doing?
 
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