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MeAndMyCatTigger

MeAndMyCatTigger

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi.

I am new here.

I've been living with Type 2 diabetes since ..... oooooh ...... I think it was November 2022.

I've just had my 6-monthly blood test for glucose (the HbA1c) and unfortunately the result has come back: 69.

The normal range for a type 2 diabetic is between 20 and 41.

I am joining this forum today because I really want some help and motivation to try and get my diabetes under control.

I am not very strict on myself when it comes to diet; I have no self-control. I quite enjoy chocolate, sweets, crisps, and nuts (who doesn't?!).

However, thankfully, I have completely cut out all full-sugar soft drinks, and am refraining from having sugar in my tea. I only drink Diet Coke; and use sweetener in tea and coffee.

Furthermore, in recent days, we have begun cooking some healthy recipes from the Diabetes UK website - the Thai green fish curry was amazing last night! Although, we did swap the salmon out for chicken! (here is the link if you're interested)

Anyway - I feel compelled to take this seriously. I don't think I have been doing, to be honest.

When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, my HbA1c came back as something ridiculous - it was 116 in November 2022 which I reduced to 56 by March 2023.

But this has now crept back up to 69.

I think I struggle to accept a world where you can't eat nice things. Especially when, mentally, times can be hard and eating can be a source of comfort. I am keen to hear from anyone who has any good "hacks" regarding snacks, sweets, chocolate, crisps, etc.

I think my other big downfall is a love of croissants haha!

Thanks. Happy to be here; looking forward to reading everyone else's stories and learning from them. There's not much wisdom to be expected out of me! But I will try and help where I can.
 
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Hello. I am sure more experienced posters will be along soon.

I went pre-diabetic in 2016, got back to normal in 2018 but this year it has gone back pre-diabetic again. My normal readings were always higher side of normal. GP not too concerned. I was upset and they arranged an appointment with the Diabetic Nurse who gave me a lot of reassurance.

I gave up bread, potatoes, pasta and rice to start with. Also the tropical fruits which are high in sugar. I was not one for desserts, chocolates, biscuits and cakes the whole time but gave up those too. I lost too much weight as I was not overweight to start. GP very concerned and told me to stop it. He believes I have age related insulin resistance - I am 70.

Nuts should not be an issue unless they have added salt or sugar in them.

I found eventually that cutting out the high glycaemic carbs helped me. Before this I was constantly hungry, now I am never hungry.

What the DN and I thought yesterday was that my love of cappucinos without chocolate and non flavoured lattes 4 or 5 times a week when I go out may have had something to do it but not certain.

Hope more experienced posters come along as they know far more than I do.


Have a look at Michael Moseley's books. There is a good website called freshwell.com I believe it is called. Also sugarfreelondoner is good as it dietdoctor.com. Another book I found helpful is Dr David Cavan "Reverse your Diabetes". There are nice recipes in there too.
 
It is a good idea to have a glucose monitor to check what foods do to your blood sugars as people are all different. Check before the meal and two hours afterwards. It should not go up more than 2-3 mmol maximum. If it does it is best to cut that food down or out. Gluco Navi is a good one to get.
 
Maz2 said:
Hello. I am sure more experienced posters will be along soon.

I went pre-diabetic in 2016, got back to normal in 2018 but this year it has gone back pre-diabetic again. My normal readings were always higher side of normal. GP not too concerned. I was upset and they arranged an appointment with the Diabetic Nurse who gave me a lot of reassurance.

I gave up bread, potatoes, pasta and rice to start with. Also the tropical fruits which are high in sugar. I was not one for desserts, chocolates, biscuits and cakes the whole time but gave up those too. I lost too much weight as I was not overweight to start. GP very concerned and told me to stop it. He believes I have age related insulin resistance - I am 70.

Nuts should not be an issue unless they have added salt or sugar in them.

I found eventually that cutting out the high glycaemic carbs helped me. Before this I was constantly hungry, now I am never hungry.

What the DN and I thought yesterday was that my love of cappucinos without chocolate and non flavoured lattes 4 or 5 times a week when I go out may have had something to do it but not certain.

Hope more experienced posters come along as they know far more than I do.


Have a look at Michael Moseley's books. There is a good website called freshwell.com I believe it is called. Also sugarfreelondoner is good as it dietdoctor.com. Another book I found helpful is Dr David Cavan "Reverse your Diabetes". There are nice recipes in there too.
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Thank you @Maz2 !!!! 🙂🙂🙂😉😉😉 very interesting and very useful..... cheers !!!!
 
Maz2 said:
It is a good idea to have a glucose monitor to check what foods do to your blood sugars as people are all different. Check before the meal and two hours afterwards. It should not go up more than 2-3 mmol maximum. If it does it is best to cut that food down or out. Gluco Navi is a good one to get.
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okay interesting - thanks 🙂 😉
 
At least your HbA1c is still below where it was at diagnosis, although it's heading in the wrong direction..

My first suggestion would be to ditch the croissants. They're around 25-30g carb each, more if you have jam on them as I used to in the dim and distant, which is pretty close to what I try and aim for for an entire meal these days. I also gave up lattes (DN's advice) and now only have milk in my tea.

Nuts are fine - I snack on peanuts and walnuts - as they are low carb and although mostly fat it's predominantly unsaturated, the 'good' fat. The only downside for those watching their weight is that they are high calorie.

Riced cauliflower is a good low-carb swap for rice, non-grain pasta for normal pasta, cauliflower (mashed) or celeriac (mashed or as chips) for potatoes. Those swaps have made a huge difference to my carb intake.

As has been said already, I'd also recommend getting a test kit. I found mine to be invaluable in fixing my diet and for tracking my progress in getting my BG down into normal range.
 
Martin.A said:
At least your HbA1c is still below where it was at diagnosis, although it's heading in the wrong direction..

My first suggestion would be to ditch the croissants. They're around 25-30g carb each, more if you have jam on them as I used to in the dim and distant, which is pretty close to what I try and aim for for an entire meal these days. I also gave up lattes (DN's advice) and now only have milk in my tea.

Nuts are fine - I snack on peanuts and walnuts - as they are low carb and although mostly fat it's predominantly unsaturated, the 'good' fat. The only downside for those watching their weight is that they are high calorie.

Riced cauliflower is a good low-carb swap for rice, non-grain pasta for normal pasta, cauliflower (mashed) or celeriac (mashed or as chips) for potatoes. Those swaps have made a huge difference to my carb intake.

As has been said already, I'd also recommend getting a test kit. I found mine to be invaluable in fixing my diet and for tracking my progress in getting my BG down into normal range.
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thanks Martin
 
I'm with Martin.A snack-wise. I have a handful of nuts if I'm peckish, or a bit of cheese. Although calorific, they are a great low carb snack. Also, if I get cravings, I find a brisk walk round the block gets rid of it. That and popping on here regularly, keeps me inspired to keep going!
 
Vonny said:
I'm with Martin.A snack-wise. I have a handful of nuts if I'm peckish, or a bit of cheese. Although calorific, they are a great low carb snack. Also, if I get cravings, I find a brisk walk round the block gets rid of it. That and popping on here regularly, keeps me inspired to keep going!
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thank you :D:D
 
Welcome to the forum @MeAndMyCatTigger

I’ve taken the liberty of removing the initial @ from your username, as it will make it easier and more intuitive for other members to tag you in their posts and replies 🙂

Great to hear you have been enjoying some of the recipes on the main Diabetes UK website.

There are a variety of different meal plans you might like to browse to see if there’s an approach that appeals to you?

Meal plans and diabetes

Eating nutritious, healthy and downright delicious food is that bit easier with our meal planners. We've created multiple different weekly meal plans to suit all types and tastes. They're nutritionally balanced, are calorie and carb counted, and can help if you want to lose weight. They also...
www.diabetes.org.uk www.diabetes.org.uk

Several forum folks have found different ways to include snacks and treats, partly by shifting the sorts of treats they opt for. More strongly savoury options such as olives, nuts, cheese, or even pork scratchings. Or getting a more intense chocolate hit with a smaller quantity of dark chocolate, where just a few squares can be very safisfying.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Welcome to the forum @MeAndMyCatTigger

I’ve taken the liberty of removing the initial @ from your username, as it will make it easier and more intuitive for other members to tag you in their posts and replies 🙂

Great to hear you have been enjoying some of the recipes on the main Diabetes UK website.

There are a variety of different meal plans you might like to browse to see if there’s an approach that appeals to you?

Meal plans and diabetes

Eating nutritious, healthy and downright delicious food is that bit easier with our meal planners. We've created multiple different weekly meal plans to suit all types and tastes. They're nutritionally balanced, are calorie and carb counted, and can help if you want to lose weight. They also...
www.diabetes.org.uk www.diabetes.org.uk

Several forum folks have found different ways to include snacks and treats, partly by shifting the sorts of treats they opt for. More strongly savoury options such as olives, nuts, cheese, or even pork scratchings. Or getting a more intense chocolate hit with a smaller quantity of dark chocolate, where just a few squares can be very safisfying.
Click to expand...
Thanks Mike =^D

Sounds good 🙂
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Welcome to the forum @MeAndMyCatTigger

I’ve taken the liberty of removing the initial @ from your username, as it will make it easier and more intuitive for other members to tag you in their posts and replies 🙂

Great to hear you have been enjoying some of the recipes on the main Diabetes UK website.

There are a variety of different meal plans you might like to browse to see if there’s an approach that appeals to you?

Meal plans and diabetes

Eating nutritious, healthy and downright delicious food is that bit easier with our meal planners. We've created multiple different weekly meal plans to suit all types and tastes. They're nutritionally balanced, are calorie and carb counted, and can help if you want to lose weight. They also...
www.diabetes.org.uk www.diabetes.org.uk

Several forum folks have found different ways to include snacks and treats, partly by shifting the sorts of treats they opt for. More strongly savoury options such as olives, nuts, cheese, or even pork scratchings. Or getting a more intense chocolate hit with a smaller quantity of dark chocolate, where just a few squares can be very safisfying.
Click to expand...
Hi again

I cooked the Chicken & Lentil Curry last night as well

That was really tasty

I put too many chilli flakes in it for my other half's liking though 😛 😎

Hahaha!!
 
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