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Good afternoon, I'm all new to this!!
- Thread starter Mazza41
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I was prediabetic beforehand.....I'm going through the journey of having bariatric surgery so had my bloods done last week and obviously come back not good Dr has put me on metaformin, went to see nurse today so I got some advice but don't feel like it was enough, she has referred me to a Desmond group and made an appointment to get my eyes checked and I'm not back till 4 weeks time... I'm just wanting some ideas of what people are eating etc
Leadinglights
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The Desmond program is OK but follows the standard NHS advice following the EATWELL plate which might be ok for non diabetics but is rather too high in carbohydrates for many Type 2 people to be able to tolerate and still reduce their blood glucose.
As well as the Learning Zone here you might find this link useful as it is a program developed for patients at that GP surgery and was found to be successful. Good explanation and food ideas.
Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home
lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk
Drummer
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- Type 2
@Mazza41 you might find that eating a low carb diet will solve several problems.
My ability to cope with carbs is low, and I eat only 40 gm a day or less, but my waistline has been in decline for some years, just drifting away inch by inch. My weight dropped quite dramatically in the first year even though I often have steak and mushrooms, or pork chop and mushrooms for breakfast.
All the earnest entreaties in the world would not get me back eating the usual diet for 'weightloss' - the one which never works, could never work, as it is all wrong.
My ability to cope with carbs is low, and I eat only 40 gm a day or less, but my waistline has been in decline for some years, just drifting away inch by inch. My weight dropped quite dramatically in the first year even though I often have steak and mushrooms, or pork chop and mushrooms for breakfast.
All the earnest entreaties in the world would not get me back eating the usual diet for 'weightloss' - the one which never works, could never work, as it is all wrong.
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Oo thank you for the replies, I don't know where to start....regarding pre op diet...my last bariatric appointment was the date I had my bloods took and not been back since getting results and being diagnosed I have been on the journey since October and have been cutting back on lots of things but again could eat things that I can't now ie potatoes pastas etc and once I've had surgery again a whole different diet again it's all just so confusing and upsetting cause I'm just so lost right now ...I've just had apple pineapple and a yoghurt for my tea because I don't know what I can and can't have ....I'm just doing a online shop just now and I've added cauliflower rice,berries, pork steaks, so thanks for that ....can I eat muesli ? ....honestly I feel like banging my head off a brick wall 
Leadinglights
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The book the Diabetes weight loss Cookbook by Caldesi is very good as it gives explanation of how to go about implementing a low carb way of eating as well as some good recipes and meal suggestions.Oo thank you for the replies, I don't know where to start....regarding pre op diet...my last bariatric appointment was the date I had my bloods took and not been back since getting results and being diagnosed I have been on the journey since October and have been cutting back on lots of things but again could eat things that I can't now ie potatoes pastas etc and once I've had surgery again a whole different diet again it's all just so confusing and upsetting cause I'm just so lost right now ...I've just had apple pineapple and a yoghurt for my tea because I don't know what I can and can't have ....I'm just doing a online shop just now and I've added cauliflower rice,berries, pork steaks, so thanks for that ....can I eat muesli ? ....honestly I feel like banging my head off a brick wall
Amazon have it for £12 or kindle version at £4.99.
Muesli can be high carbs as can all cereals but you could have full fat greek yoghurt with some berries and just a small portion 20g of a low sugar cereal like All Bran or granola.
I assume your bariatric surgery is for weight loss and as you say your diet may need to be very different following that but also a change of mindset about the amount of food you can eat.
Drummer
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- Type 2
I don't eat grains, so no rice, bread, pastry, no breakfast cereals - no potato, cake or biscuit, no sugary stuff except some berries a couple of times a week, but I can have lots of eggs and cheese, meat, seafood, fish, full fat yoghurt, coffee with cream.
I am a lot thinner now, and need to make smaller clothes every year.
I am a lot thinner now, and need to make smaller clothes every year.
Good morning, please can I ask what is the best bread ....I have cut it out of my diet but it's just incase I need something quick etc ? This morn I have made breakfast muffins with ham base tomatoes mushrooms low fat cheese and eggs and had 2 of those with a small tin of plum tomatoes .....does this sound ok ?
Leadinglights
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Depending on what part of the country you come from muffins can cover a multitude of different things to something like a bread roll to a cake like thing.
Some people make Keto muffins, sweet or savoury, which would be low carb.
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Well done for all the effort you are putting in @Mazza41
Knowing what to eat, and how it might be affecting you can be so confusing in the early days!
The really tricky thing is that blood glucose responses to various foods are highly individual, and it can be impossible to say which types and amounts of carbohydrate will ‘spike’ your BG without checking for yourself.
You can use a BG meter, taking a reading before and again 2hrs after eating, to see what the differences are, to identify any carbs that seem to be spiking BG (initially in a way the numbers themselves matter less than the differences between them). Ideally you would want to see a rise of no more than 2-3mmol/L at the 2hr mark. Once you can see how you respond to different meals you can begin experimenting with reducing portion sizes of the carbs where you see bigger rises. You might find that you are particularly sensitive to carbohydrate from one source (eg bread), but have more liberty with others (eg oats or basmati rice) - It’s all very individual! You might even find that just having things at a different time of day makes a difference - with breakfast time being the trickiest.
Over weeks and months of experimentation you can gradually tweak and tailor your menu to find one that suits your tastebuds, your waistline, your budget and your BG levels - and a way of eating that is flexible enough to be sustainable long-term.
If you need to self fund your BG meter, the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - which both have test strips at around £8 for 50
Good luck and let us know how you get on 🙂
Knowing what to eat, and how it might be affecting you can be so confusing in the early days!
The really tricky thing is that blood glucose responses to various foods are highly individual, and it can be impossible to say which types and amounts of carbohydrate will ‘spike’ your BG without checking for yourself.
You can use a BG meter, taking a reading before and again 2hrs after eating, to see what the differences are, to identify any carbs that seem to be spiking BG (initially in a way the numbers themselves matter less than the differences between them). Ideally you would want to see a rise of no more than 2-3mmol/L at the 2hr mark. Once you can see how you respond to different meals you can begin experimenting with reducing portion sizes of the carbs where you see bigger rises. You might find that you are particularly sensitive to carbohydrate from one source (eg bread), but have more liberty with others (eg oats or basmati rice) - It’s all very individual! You might even find that just having things at a different time of day makes a difference - with breakfast time being the trickiest.
Over weeks and months of experimentation you can gradually tweak and tailor your menu to find one that suits your tastebuds, your waistline, your budget and your BG levels - and a way of eating that is flexible enough to be sustainable long-term.
If you need to self fund your BG meter, the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - which both have test strips at around £8 for 50
Good luck and let us know how you get on 🙂
Leadinglights
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Absolutely!!!!!!!.
Your nurse drives her car without a speedometer then does she?
Following this thread with interest. Mazza - I got the Spirit Tee2 monitor, only being using it for 2 days but it is easy to use.Well done for all the effort you are putting in @Mazza41
Knowing what to eat, and how it might be affecting you can be so confusing in the early days!
The really tricky thing is that blood glucose responses to various foods are highly individual, and it can be impossible to say which types and amounts of carbohydrate will ‘spike’ your BG without checking for yourself.
You can use a BG meter, taking a reading before and again 2hrs after eating, to see what the differences are, to identify any carbs that seem to be spiking BG (initially in a way the numbers themselves matter less than the differences between them). Ideally you would want to see a rise of no more than 2-3mmol/L at the 2hr mark. Once you can see how you respond to different meals you can begin experimenting with reducing portion sizes of the carbs where you see bigger rises. You might find that you are particularly sensitive to carbohydrate from one source (eg bread), but have more liberty with others (eg oats or basmati rice) - It’s all very individual! You might even find that just having things at a different time of day makes a difference - with breakfast time being the trickiest.
Over weeks and months of experimentation you can gradually tweak and tailor your menu to find one that suits your tastebuds, your waistline, your budget and your BG levels - and a way of eating that is flexible enough to be sustainable long-term.
If you need to self fund your BG meter, the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - which both have test strips at around £8 for 50
Good luck and let us know how you get on 🙂
Is there any guidance on the number of grams of daily carbs/sugar advised? All I can find is do "low carb" but I really need to know what I should be aiming for. I'm monitoring my nutrition but I have no idea whether they are too high or not?
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It’s a frustratingly individual thing unfortunately @KGL - it really depends on what your personal tolerances are, and what your preferences are too.
If you are interested in exploring a low-carb approach, you might find this meal plan helpful?
Low-carb diet and meal plan
Eating a low-carb diet means cutting down on the amount of carbohydrates (carbs) you eat to less than 130g a day. But low-carb eating shouldn’t be no-carb eating. Some carbohydrate foods contain essential vitamins, minerals and fibre, which form an important part of a healthy diet.
Thank you. The 130g gives me a figure to work with.It’s a frustratingly individual thing unfortunately @KGL - it really depends on what your personal tolerances are, and what your preferences are too.
If you are interested in exploring a low-carb approach, you might find this meal plan helpful?
Low-carb diet and meal plan
Eating a low-carb diet means cutting down on the amount of carbohydrates (carbs) you eat to less than 130g a day. But low-carb eating shouldn’t be no-carb eating. Some carbohydrate foods contain essential vitamins, minerals and fibre, which form an important part of a healthy diet.www.diabetes.org.uk
Drummer
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- Type 2
Work with what your glucose is after meals - I have no more than 40 gm of carb a day, and that gives me normal numbers - but I had decades of being pushed to eat carbs even though I never felt well and put on weight so easily - right up until I was diagnosed type two.
Once I was seeing numbers in the 8's after meals I just kept eating the same things and my numbers gradually reduced as my metabolism presumably recovered.
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