Fishplate42
New Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi Folks,
About three months ago I visited the doctor after not being there for 22 years - yes really! I know, I should have gone before. Anyway, he asked me to get some blood tests and the next thing I know he makes an appointment for me to see him a week or so later to discuss the results. As I sit down he asked me how long I have had diabetes. I replied that I did not know I did. I am a 62 year old white male and have lived in South east London all my life he took one look at me and told me to give up the milk shakes (!!??) and to eat less. With that he put me on tablets and sent me packing, labelling me as a 'Diabetic' (Type 2).
He did not ask me anything about my diet, he just assumed I was eating junk food, hence the reference to milkshakes, I suppose. The fact of the matter is I have not had a milkshake in decades!
If he had asked me what I ate, I could have told him that we eat very healthy for our main meals, cooking from raw ingredients. We never eat ready meals or 'convenience' foods and may have one take-away every couple of months, if that! BUT, I also realised I had been overdosing on sugar in the form of chocolate biscuits, cakes and drinking gallons of Vimto (cordial not fizz). I had built myself up to eating lots of biscuits - sometimes as many as half a dozen caramel wafers a day! Yes I know now that is stupid, but it creeps up on you. At 5ft 9in tall (short?) my weight was 14st 5oz, or there abouts almost constantly for the last ten years or so, having lost a stone and a half prior to that. As I was not gaining weight, I felt happy to eat what I wanted, telling everyone, including myself, that my weight was stable.
No wonder when I had that initial blood test, my sugar levels must have been through the roof. I have just had a second blood test and I am off the see the doctor next week, as there was no hurry, I can only assume the tests are nothing worrying.
Since my diagnosis I have cut out the sugar in my diet, almost completely. My only concession to that is I have half a teaspoon of the stuff in a mug of tea (sorry, just cant take it without), and that is only two cups a day, sometimes three. No sugar in coffee, or on cereal and in three months I have has three small Wacko chocolate biscuits (that were left in the tin), I have not touched one of those doughnuts that Tesco sell in a bag (five for 65p) or any of the cakes we used to buy to go with our lunch. I have given up potatoes and we eat lots more vegetables, not that we weren't eating lots before. We are eating as much wholegrain as we can, including things like Rice and Bread albeit in moderation. We have also adjusted our portions sizes, make sure I do not eat crabs after lunch time and eat a crab-free dinner before 6PM. All this has lead to me feeling a lot better and I have lost enough weight to get me really close to that magic 25 on the BMI. My aim is to lose more weight and get myself well into that 'normal' BMI zone.
I am hoping to get some help with food choices and some recommendations of healthy eating recipes. We like to cook from the ground up so we are not interested in ready made/precessed products and I refuse to buy processed diabetic products like chocolate, biscuits and snacks.
Sorry for the long intro!
It will be interesting to see what happens when I see the doctor next week.
Ralph.
About three months ago I visited the doctor after not being there for 22 years - yes really! I know, I should have gone before. Anyway, he asked me to get some blood tests and the next thing I know he makes an appointment for me to see him a week or so later to discuss the results. As I sit down he asked me how long I have had diabetes. I replied that I did not know I did. I am a 62 year old white male and have lived in South east London all my life he took one look at me and told me to give up the milk shakes (!!??) and to eat less. With that he put me on tablets and sent me packing, labelling me as a 'Diabetic' (Type 2).
He did not ask me anything about my diet, he just assumed I was eating junk food, hence the reference to milkshakes, I suppose. The fact of the matter is I have not had a milkshake in decades!
If he had asked me what I ate, I could have told him that we eat very healthy for our main meals, cooking from raw ingredients. We never eat ready meals or 'convenience' foods and may have one take-away every couple of months, if that! BUT, I also realised I had been overdosing on sugar in the form of chocolate biscuits, cakes and drinking gallons of Vimto (cordial not fizz). I had built myself up to eating lots of biscuits - sometimes as many as half a dozen caramel wafers a day! Yes I know now that is stupid, but it creeps up on you. At 5ft 9in tall (short?) my weight was 14st 5oz, or there abouts almost constantly for the last ten years or so, having lost a stone and a half prior to that. As I was not gaining weight, I felt happy to eat what I wanted, telling everyone, including myself, that my weight was stable.
No wonder when I had that initial blood test, my sugar levels must have been through the roof. I have just had a second blood test and I am off the see the doctor next week, as there was no hurry, I can only assume the tests are nothing worrying.
Since my diagnosis I have cut out the sugar in my diet, almost completely. My only concession to that is I have half a teaspoon of the stuff in a mug of tea (sorry, just cant take it without), and that is only two cups a day, sometimes three. No sugar in coffee, or on cereal and in three months I have has three small Wacko chocolate biscuits (that were left in the tin), I have not touched one of those doughnuts that Tesco sell in a bag (five for 65p) or any of the cakes we used to buy to go with our lunch. I have given up potatoes and we eat lots more vegetables, not that we weren't eating lots before. We are eating as much wholegrain as we can, including things like Rice and Bread albeit in moderation. We have also adjusted our portions sizes, make sure I do not eat crabs after lunch time and eat a crab-free dinner before 6PM. All this has lead to me feeling a lot better and I have lost enough weight to get me really close to that magic 25 on the BMI. My aim is to lose more weight and get myself well into that 'normal' BMI zone.
I am hoping to get some help with food choices and some recommendations of healthy eating recipes. We like to cook from the ground up so we are not interested in ready made/precessed products and I refuse to buy processed diabetic products like chocolate, biscuits and snacks.
Sorry for the long intro!
It will be interesting to see what happens when I see the doctor next week.
Ralph.
seems like you are on the right track, especially in reducing or avoiding carbs as they are the enemy that send our bg up. Cooking fresh is definitely the way to go, you will find loads of information here so do take time to read through. A good rule of thumb with veg is that if it grows above the ground it’s probably ok but below the ground is to be avoided, thing is we are all different to testis key to see how your body reacts to different food. Fruit is an obvious sugar source, the guidance is two small pieces a day, Sadly I can only manage one small apple or I spike 
