Hello, I'm new.

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pinknitwit

pinknitwit

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Hi not had a call from the actual GP as yet, but saw my results on the NHS app . I've now had 2 HBA1c tests one at 49 the other at 51, 3 weeks apart. So I'm pretty sure I have Type 2 diabetes. So here I am.

I could do with loosing 5 stone and have a really sweet tooth, love for carbs.

Been doing my best, got myself a glucose moniter testing morning, before and after every meal and at bedtime, and and trying to get my brain around the information I can find. There's very good info on this website so I'm informing myself as best I can inthe meantime.

Things I am doing to try and start helping myself (only started this today) .

No snacking between meals, I am.a graze all day person so I don't think I was letting my body process the food.

Have tea earlier 6pm latest. I'm terrible for eating at 8 pm ect.

Nothing but water after tea. I used to snack all evening.

No eating when I wake up at night ( I know awful habbit)

Not changing the actual food yet. One step at a time.

So hello from a newbie doing her best!
 
Hi, and welcome. 51 is not far into diabetes territory so it should be possible to turn things around with some lifestyle changes. Many of us have done so from much higher levels, sometimes from an HbA1c in 3 figures. In the absence of diabetes medication (I'd be surprised if you were prescribed that with an HbA1c of 51) it's about diet, exercise and weight loss. If your aim is to lose 5 stone and you're successful that would be a significant step in the right direction. You seem to have made a good start and you'll find self-testing invaluable in sorting out your diet.
 
Hello. I'm new not officially diagnosed yet but HBA1c was 51 on 20th Feb and 49 3 weeks before that. So I have ordered this book I hopes I can be I as I spired as ypu all sound. Xxx
 
pinknitwit said:
Hello. I'm new not officially diagnosed yet but HBA1c was 51 on 20th Feb and 49 3 weeks before that. So I have ordered this book I hopes I can be I as I spired as ypu all sound. Xxx
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Welcome to the forum
There is still plenty you can do whilst waiting for your appointment and quite honestly people find they get more help from people here on the forum than from their GP.
Your HbA1C is not so desperately high that some dietary changes shouldn't be sufficient rather than medication at this stage if you are motivated to make them.
Have a look at this link https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
I found following those principals enabled me to reduce my HbA1C in 3 months from where you are to 42 mmol/mol and further in another 6 months.
 
I think you popped in in an old thread where I have replied.
It is good you have a plan in place.
Having a monitor is a valuable tool to help you. Keeping paired readings of before you eat and after 2 hours together with a food diary of everything you eat and drink with an estimate of the carbs will be useful in the early days. You are aiming at no more than a 3mmol/l increase or no more than 8-8.5mmol/l 2 hours post meal. 4-7mmol/l before meals is the aim.
 
Thankyou. I have drawn a chart , obviously today looks horrendous, but I'm.already considering changes I can make. I am furiously addicted to sugar so trying to ease off without pushing too far and falling face first into the stuff! I had a bit of a silly reaction to seeing the result and just stuffed my face for days, so trying not to trigger my contrary self too much too soon. But I'm trying to get a handle on it now and even lost a pound last week. Xxx
 
pinknitwit said:
Thankyou. I have drawn a chart , obviously today looks horrendous, but I'm.already considering changes I can make. I am furiously addicted to sugar so trying to ease off without pushing too far and falling face first into the stuff! I had a bit of a silly reaction to seeing the result and just stuffed my face for days, so trying not to trigger my contrary self too much too soon. But I'm trying to get a handle on it now and even lost a pound last week. Xxx
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As you start to cut down on the 'sweet' stuff you have your tastes will change and things will start to taste far too sweet and sickly.
If you are into baking then there are recipes for low carb cakes and biscuits on the website sugarfreelondoner.
However it is not just about sugar as all carbohydrates convert to glucose so watching portions of foods like potatoes, bread, rice, pasta breakfast cereals which are also big hitters.
 
Thankyou. I just had a look at that link. Some useful recipies there for sure.
 
Yes I've been reading a lot. My diet so far in life has been mainly carb based, so no wonder I've ended up with type 2. Going to be a huge change for me. Xxx
 
Welcome to the forum @pinknitwit

I’ve taken the liberty of merging your posts into your own thread, to keep your responses together 🙂

Sounds like you have made some good changes already, which should begin to help steer your levels gently in the right direction, while you consider cutting back on sweet things, and reducing portion sizes of starchy carbs.

Just take things one step a time, and keep making small, sustainable changes. 🙂
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Thankyou. Ive just been for Welcome to the forum @pinknitwit

I’ve taken the liberty of merging your posts into your own thread, to keep your responses together 🙂

Sounds like you have made some good changes already, which should begin to help steer your levels gently in the right direction, while you consider cutting back on sweet things, and reducing portion sizes of starchy carbs.

Just take things one step a time, and keep making small, sustainable changes. 🙂
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Thankyou. I've just been for a just over 2 mile walk. Help my tea go down and distract from wanting to snack. I'm not eating after 7 pm in hopes that'll help too. I had chilli. I upped the meat and had a smaller amount of rice. I'll swap to cauliflower rice when that packet is gone I expect. And I already have a bag of brown rice for when cauliflower rice would be weird! Lol!

I like noodles so I'll have to look at the best kind of those. I'm not a pasta fan, other than couscous and I know you can get that in wholemeal.

So much to do my brain is racing a bit.
 
pinknitwit said:
Thankyou. I've just been for a just over 2 mile walk. Help my tea go down and distract from wanting to snack. I'm not eating after 7 pm in hopes that'll help too. I had chilli. I upped the meat and had a smaller amount of rice. I'll swap to cauliflower rice when that packet is gone I expect. And I already have a bag of brown rice for when cauliflower rice would be weird! Lol!

I like noodles so I'll have to look at the best kind of those. I'm not a pasta fan, other than couscous and I know you can get that in wholemeal.

So much to do my brain is racing a bit.
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You are making huge leaps.
1. You recognise you need to do something.
2. You are aware of what you are doing
3. You are on here.
4. i could go on but not going to let you do better than me. lol
You will get there . remember to be kind to yourself
 
pinknitwit said:
I have drawn a chart , obviously today looks horrendous, but I'm.already considering changes I can make. I am furiously addicted to sugar so trying to ease off without pushing too far and falling face first into the stuff! I had a bit of a silly reaction to seeing the result and just stuffed my face for days, so trying not to trigger my contrary self too much too soon. But I'm trying to get a handle on it now and even lost a pound last week. Xxx
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I also had a silly reaction - the news that I *might* be diabetic was casually broken to me by a nurse at my GP practice. I has having a 24 hour blood pressure monitor slapped on my arm and she mentioned that my bloods came back as diabetic, but another test was needed to confirm and she just needed to draw some more blood...

Lets just say there was copious amounts of junk food eaten and wine drank in the following couple of weeks. It takes time to accept and to begin to adjust. Food addiction is a very real thing - take it from someone who has given up more substances in his life than most people even try in their lifetimes. Cigarettes for example - very hard to give up in the beginning but after a time, in the absence of temptation, it gets very much easier. Cigarettes are not something that are readily at hand once you stop buying them. Food on the other hand is always there, in the kitchen, a few steps away. You can't stop buying food and so you can never fully remove yourself from temptation the way a smoker can. Foods are very, very hard to give up.

I'm still finding weight loss and moderate carb control to be a daily challenge in a way that giving up cigarettes was not, so many months after beginning the struggle. The supermarket is a place of dangerous temptation. Be kind to yourself and take it step by step. Day by day, week by week, you can make changes that can add up over time to incredible results. Best of luck! 🙂
 
pinknitwit said:
I like noodles so I'll have to look at the best kind of those. I'm not a pasta fan, other than couscous and I know you can get that in wholemeal.
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Some people use konjac noodles (though I’ve not tried them personally). Others find that spiralising things like courgette can offer a different ‘sauce transport device’ as a complete alternative.

The other option, since you are at the lower end of the HbA1c spectrum is simply to check how your body responds to actual noodles rather than just assuming you won’t be able to have them.

You can check with a BG meter immediately before eating, and again 2hrs after the first bite. The general feel of T2s on the forum is that if the ‘meal rise’ is 2-3mmol/L at the 2hr mark then your body has coped well with the food. If it’s a lot higher you can experiment with a smaller portion, swapping to something else, or trying a half carb half alternative blend (eg mixing potato, swede, and celeriac as mash, rather than going full-potato).

You can work through all your meals gradually, finding some pleasant surprises along the way, and tweaking and tailoring your own individual “big hitters”.

The most expensive thing about self-funding is the strips. The most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 or Contour Blue - which all have test strips at around £10 for 50. Some brands are 3x that!

Just another option if you wanted a different way of getting your menu to be more BG-friendly 🙂
 
I’m a recently diagnosed Type 2…welcome to the club. I’ve known for too many years that I’m overweight, but have put off dealing with this. I’ve now had the stern talking to. One month of doing without carbs and exercising more and I’ve lost more than a stone. I find it’s fine as I’m cooking for myself, harder if I’m out in the city and wondering what to do for lunch….
 
Sounds like you have worked out a good plan. A few reductions in the carbs to less than 130gm a day will help . Slowly, slowly and with moderation to allow yourself to acclimatise. I always used to be a pudding and sweet person, but I've lost the taste for sweet things now. You might find getting an app helps to measure your carb intake (or spreadsheet/pen and paper). I use cooked edamame bean pasta for stir fries and sauces. I actually prefer it. Good luck
 
Thans for all your replies. I'm doing a lot of reading , trying hard to get my head around things. I'm not having much impact on my blood glucose as yet I don't think, but as I never tested it before its hard to tell.

I have bought a food diary with space to record results before and after meals so that'll hopefully help me decipher things.

I have learnt that the type 2 diabetes may have increased my cravings for sweet things. I have such a sweet tooth I felt a bit doomed, but maybe as I get control that will decrease too if its a symptom.

I also just thought I was getting a bit lazy catching the bus when I would previously walk as I felt so tired, but that's a symptom too! So making efforts to push through the legs like lead feeling, and trying hard to walk more seems an obvious win win.

I am feeling really down about things. Useless and like I'm so stupid to have let this happen. But I've also self referred for some counselling. I have questions but will try to ask them in the appropriate threads.

Thankyou everyone.
 
pinknitwit said:
Thans for all your replies. I'm doing a lot of reading , trying hard to get my head around things. I'm not having much impact on my blood glucose as yet I don't think, but as I never tested it before its hard to tell.

I have bought a food diary with space to record results before and after meals so that'll hopefully help me decipher things.

I have learnt that the type 2 diabetes may have increased my cravings for sweet things. I have such a sweet tooth I felt a bit doomed, but maybe as I get control that will decrease too if its a symptom.

I also just thought I was getting a bit lazy catching the bus when I would previously walk as I felt so tired, but that's a symptom too! So making efforts to push through the legs like lead feeling, and trying hard to walk more seems an obvious win win.

I am feeling really down about things. Useless and like I'm so stupid to have let this happen. But I've also self referred for some counselling. I have questions but will try to ask them in the appropriate threads.

Thankyou
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https://sugarfreelondoner.com/ do sweet recipes
 
pinknitwit said:
Hi not had a call from the actual GP as yet, but saw my results on the NHS app . I've now had 2 HBA1c tests one at 49 the other at 51, 3 weeks apart. So I'm pretty sure I have Type 2 diabetes. So here I am.

I could do with loosing 5 stone and have a really sweet tooth, love for carbs.

Been doing my best, got myself a glucose moniter testing morning, before and after every meal and at bedtime, and and trying to get my brain around the information I can find. There's very good info on this website so I'm informing myself as best I can inthe meantime.

Things I am doing to try and start helping myself (only started this today) .

No snacking between meals, I am.a graze all day person so I don't think I was letting my body process the food.

Have tea earlier 6pm latest. I'm terrible for eating at 8 pm ect.

Nothing but water after tea. I used to snack all evening.

No eating when I wake up at night ( I know awful habbit)

Not changing the actual food yet. One step at a time.

So hello from a newbie doing her best!
Click to expand...
Er - change the food. For many it is the key to control.
Use your blood glucose meter 2 hours after starting to eat and alter your carb intake. You can eat at any time, but having the after meal test results usually gives good insight into how the meal suited you, plus how you are coping with foods.

Much of the advice on what and how to eat is flim-flam at best.

An ordinary uncomplicated type 2 can't deal with the amount of carbs in the modern diet.
It is nothing we have done, it is as much part of ourselves as eye colour or shape of nose.
I eat two meals a day, eating at roughly 12 hourly intervals leaves lots of time for other things. I sleep soundly, so don't wake in the night.
As you are not high on the HbA1c scale you could decide to cut right back on starches and go on eating whatever you fancy - it might well mean no bread, pastry, biscuits or potatoes in any form, but it really is your choice, though best be guided by your meter.
The really good news is that weightloss can happen like magic for some who have found it almost impossible to lose weight eating carbs - I never even thought about dieting to lose weight after diagnosis as I concentrated only on my blood glucose levels. All my clothes were loose and my trousers slid to my ankles a few times but I was badly affected by the tablets I was prescribed. A nurse insisted I was weighed and told me I was 90b down from the heaviest weight they had recorded.
 
pinknitwit said:
Hi not had a call from the actual GP as yet, but saw my results on the NHS app . I've now had 2 HBA1c tests one at 49 the other at 51, 3 weeks apart. So I'm pretty sure I have Type 2 diabetes. So here I am.

I could do with loosing 5 stone and have a really sweet tooth, love for carbs.

Been doing my best, got myself a glucose moniter testing morning, before and after every meal and at bedtime, and and trying to get my brain around the information I can find. There's very good info on this website so I'm informing myself as best I can inthe meantime.

Things I am doing to try and start helping myself (only started this today) .

No snacking between meals, I am.a graze all day person so I don't think I was letting my body process the food.

Have tea earlier 6pm latest. I'm terrible for eating at 8 pm ect.

Nothing but water after tea. I used to snack all evening.

No eating when I wake up at night ( I know awful habbit)

Not changing the actual food yet. One step at a time.

So hello from a newbie doing her best!
Click to expand...
Definitely try the low carb approach. Four months ago my results were similar to yours, 47 and then 50 three weeks later. It is now at 40.

Worth noting that all the useful information about carbs came from people on this forum, rather than a nurse.

Nurse simply advised to eat less, rather than less carbs.
 
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