hello ive just joined

[louise24]

hi im louise an im Type 2, im really over weight struggle with eating what i shouldnt, the nurses want to put me on insulin ad Hb1ac is 74 but im feeling trapped buy the weight issue and will insulin make me much much bigger, im sometimes struggle food wise i need a routine and a little help. thank you

 

[SB2015]

I am not aware that insulin increases weight. It is the food that we eat and the level of exercise that control this.

With Diabetes there is excess glucose in the blood, which the body is not able to process. The glucose comes from any carbohydrates that you eat. If you want to get things under control it might help if you star to find out how many carbs you are eating at each meal. You can then reduce the number of carbs by swapping different foods and/or reducing the portion sizes.

Do read through the various threads on here, have a look at the Learning Zone (an orange tab at the top of the page) and find out as much as you can. This is a manageable condition if we armed with information and can apply this.

 

[louise24]

Thank you so much, i will definitely do that

 

[EllsBells]

Hi Louise - I'm new too and got a HbA1c of 88 last month. I'm trying to do the weight loss and BS management without any drugs - I had an interim HbA1c this afternoon so fingers crossed the numbers are falling. Wishing you all the best with your journey - you will make it!

 

[louise24]

Thank you Martin yes im here to learn more and i really have to get myself a routine and get these bloods lower

 

[louise24]

Hi Louise - I'm new too and got a HbA1c of 88 last month. I'm trying to do the weight loss and BS management without any drugs - I had an interim HbA1c this afternoon so fingers crossed the numbers are falling. Wishing you all the best with your journey - you will make it!

Fingers crossed for you and thank you

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome from me too.

Start by keeping a brutally honest food and drink diary including portions, so x slices of bread and y grams of breakfast cereal etc. After a couple of days, go through it and total up roughly how many grams of carbs you are eating. Breaking it down meal by meal and snack by snack will make it easier. You will need to learn to read nutritional informatiuon labels on food and this is not the traffic light system on the front but the proper information, usually in small lettering in a table on the back or side of packaging. What you are looking for is the total carbohydrate content, which is displayed as so many grams per 100g but may also be displayed as per portion size, so bread will be per slice and biscuits per biscuit and breakfast cereal may be per 50g but it will specify how big the portion size is. If you get yourself some digital scales you will usually find that the recommended portion size is considerably smaller than the amount you or I liberally tip out into a bowl. Nutritional information on fresh fruit and veg can be found on the internet if it comes unpackaged. It sounds like a lot of faff but after a while you learn things off the top of your head and can look at a plate of food and have a pretty good idea of the carb content..... For those people using insulin, this ability to carb count is helpful if not essential depending on the insulin regime you are on, so it is something that will stand you in good stead if you do eventually need insulin but with some dietary changes and support, there is a good chance that you can reduce your HbA1c without needing insulin. This is where the forum comes into it's own, both in terms of advice and support.

If you come back to us with the details of your food diary or what an average day's food and drink looks like in terms of breakfast, lunch and evening meal and any snacks we can suggest lower carb substitutes.

Alternatively you could try a very low calorie diet like the Fast 800/Newcastle diet, which involves meal replacement shakes. This can sometimes be available on the NHS so you could speak to your nurse or GP about this option. I was a carb monster and sugar addict pre diagnosis (2 years ago today) and having converted to low carb eating I love the control I now have without the cravings or hunger and I enjoy my food and would not want to go back to my old way of eating. I am fitter and healthier than I have been for 30years and I have my 26 inch waist back that I had in my 20s. I am on insulin because I am Type 1 and unable to produce enough to survive but I finmd my low carb diet helps me to control my diabetes more easily and control my weight and I enjoy my food still so I don't feel deprived. There are many other members here who find a low carb diet enjoyable and hugely effective.
As others have suggested, read some of the other posts, particularly in the Newbies section and you will get an idea of how to go on, but if you want to post the sort of foods you currently eat (and there is no judgement here as I know I am pretty ashamed of some of the stuff I have eaten over the years, we will help you identify the areas where you could make simple improvements to maximum effect. Things like .... I thought 4 slices of wholemeal toast with a tin of beans was a good wholesome lunch when in fact it is about the worst thing a diabetic could eat as a meal and obviously 4 slices and a whole tin of beans shows how out of control my portion size was..... I am not going to mention guzzling whole multipacks of Snickers or Cadbury's Cream Eggs in an afternoon without pausing for breath.... but I have control now and I love the control and the new slimmer, fitter me much more than I ever got from that stuff.
I hope that gives you some inspiration. Insulin has it's place but if you have a problem with food and portion control then insulin will not help with that and you will continue to increase in weight until you address the problem. What I love is that I don't find it hard to refuse those things now. I don't crave bread or pasta or potatoes. I don't find it difficult to say "no thanks" when someone offers me chocolates or sweets and that is because the less carbs you eat, the less you crave them.

 

[louise24]

Hi and welcome from me too.

Start by keeping a brutally honest food and drink diary including portions, so x slices of bread and y grams of breakfast cereal etc. After a couple of days, go through it and total up roughly how many grams of carbs you are eating. Breaking it down meal by meal and snack by snack will make it easier. You will need to learn to read nutritional informatiuon labels on food and this is not the traffic light system on the front but the proper information, usually in small lettering in a table on the back or side of packaging. What you are looking for is the total carbohydrate content, which is displayed as so many grams per 100g but may also be displayed as per portion size, so bread will be per slice and biscuits per biscuit and breakfast cereal may be per 50g but it will specify how big the portion size is. If you get yourself some digital scales you will usually find that the recommended portion size is considerably smaller than the amount you or I liberally tip out into a bowl. Nutritional information on fresh fruit and veg can be found on the internet if it comes unpackaged. It sounds like a lot of faff but after a while you learn things off the top of your head and can look at a plate of food and have a pretty good idea of the carb content..... For those people using insulin, this ability to carb count is helpful if not essential depending on the insulin regime you are on, so it is something that will stand you in good stead if you do eventually need insulin but with some dietary changes and support, there is a good chance that you can reduce your HbA1c without needing insulin. This is where the forum comes into it's own, both in terms of advice and support.

If you come back to us with the details of your food diary or what an average day's food and drink looks like in terms of breakfast, lunch and evening meal and any snacks we can suggest lower carb substitutes.

Alternatively you could try a very low calorie diet like the Fast 800/Newcastle diet, which involves meal replacement shakes. This can sometimes be available on the NHS so you could speak to your nurse or GP about this option. I was a carb monster and sugar addict pre diagnosis (2 years ago today) and having converted to low carb eating I love the control I now have without the cravings or hunger and I enjoy my food and would not want to go back to my old way of eating. I am fitter and healthier than I have been for 30years and I have my 26 inch waist back that I had in my 20s. I am on insulin because I am Type 1 and unable to produce enough to survive but I finmd my low carb diet helps me to control my diabetes more easily and control my weight and I enjoy my food still so I don't feel deprived. There are many other members here who find a low carb diet enjoyable and hugely effective.
As others have suggested, read some of the other posts, particularly in the Newbies section and you will get an idea of how to go on, but if you want to post the sort of foods you currently eat (and there is no judgement here as I know I am pretty ashamed of some of the stuff I have eaten over the years, we will help you identify the areas where you could make simple improvements to maximum effect. Things like .... I thought 4 slices of wholemeal toast with a tin of beans was a good wholesome lunch when in fact it is about the worst thing a diabetic could eat as a meal and obviously 4 slices and a whole tin of beans shows how out of control my portion size was..... I am not going to mention guzzling whole multipacks of Snickers or Cadbury's Cream Eggs in an afternoon without pausing for breath.... but I have control now and I love the control and the new slimmer, fitter me much more than I ever got from that stuff.
I hope that gives you some inspiration. Insulin has it's place but if you have a problem with food and portion control then insulin will not help with that and you will continue to increase in weight until you address the problem. What I love is that I don't find it hard to refuse those things now. I don't crave bread or pasta or potatoes. I don't find it difficult to say "no thanks" when someone offers me chocolates or sweets and that is because the less carbs you eat, the less you crave them.

Thank you so much this is so helpful i am at that stage crave sugar eat to much cabs feel out of control sometimes like i am in a circle i cant get out of, i struggle to understand the carb counting and how to do it properly but i have to control things as i am a emotional eater and can comfort with sugar i dont want to do this anymore. So thank you i will take all this on board. well done sounds like you got to a place of good habits and control that is where i need to be,

 

[Annemarie]

@louise24 Hi and welcome, it can be a depressing, frightening, nightmare getting a diagnosis but there is a light at the end of the tunnel (and it’s NOT and express train heading your way!) You’re in for a massive learning curve and all should get better and better. There are many knowledgeable people here who will offer excellent advice. I’m still learning but increasingly finding my diabetes is just that; mine alone. We all seem to have our differences, one tip I will offer is drink more water. I found/still find this difficult but it really helps. Good luck!

 

[EllsBells]

Thank you so much this is so helpful i am at that stage crave sugar eat to much cabs feel out of control sometimes like i am in a circle i cant get out of, i struggle to understand the carb counting and how to do it properly but i have to control things as i am a emotional eater and can comfort with sugar i dont want to do this anymore. So thank you i will take all this on board. well done sounds like you got to a place of good habits and control that is where i need to be,

I've been an emotional eater for forever but, after a whole host of seemingly random symptoms over the past 6 months and a determination to avoid a drug regime, I'm more or less sticking to the straight and narrow over the past 6 weeks. My readings are finally in the T2 recommended range and lots of the symptoms have already disappeared.

It ain't easy but, as I've been focusing on the BS levels, the weight has dropped off as a happy side effect (about 24lbs so far).

You've got this.

 

[goodybags]

Hi @louise24
welcome to the forum, I’m sure you will find great support and advice on here
whilst yes, your HbA1c of 74 is quite high, your healthcare professionals are on the care, and rightly concerned, I was really depressed when they told me I needed insulin but it really wasn’t so bad.

you will see posts on here from others where many people have had a higher score, than your 74 and have successfully got it under control,
Myself I was heading for triple figures (must check with my Dr I certainly remember him telling me it was something like 94 at the start of last year) @ the time I kind of in denia.

Im no expert but I’ve never heard of insulin increasing weight, In my own case I’m going to be blunt here it was eating to much of the wrong foods, mostly junk food, but some foods that I thought was healthy but they were carbohydrate laden, it’s quite a eye opener once you start looking at how some food effects blood sugars,

I won’t try to hijack this thread to bore people with my story,
but good luck on your journey to better health & management of your diabetes.

 

[goodybags]

Hi Louise - I'm new too and got a HbA1c of 88 last month. I'm trying to do the weight loss and BS management without any drugs - I had an interim HbA1c this afternoon so fingers crossed the numbers are falling. Wishing you all the best with your journey - you will make it!

@EllsBells
well done on getting a blood test for your HbA1c this afternoon, you say you only had your last one in December, I find I can only get one every 3 to 6 months ?

I had my last HbA1c in Oct‘ and on that occasion had to insist with the receptionist on the phone, to let me have a blood test, I won that argument (after she checked with a Dr) I’m booked in for 22nd

shouldn’t complain to much, because I did actually manage to see my GP on both Christmas Eve & again New Year’s Eve, plus the practice nurse 3 times over the holiday period, the Dr even called me at around 8:30pm on New Years (Not immediately Diabetes related condition)
anyway @EllsBells I hope your results are good

 

[EllsBells]

@EllsBells
well done on getting a blood test for your HbA1c this afternoon, you say you only had your last one in December, I find I can only get one every 3 to 6 months ?

I had my last HbA1c in Oct‘ and on that occasion had to insist with the receptionist on the phone, to let me have a blood test, I won that argument (after she checked with a Dr) I’m booked in for 22nd

shouldn’t complain to much, because I did actually manage to see my GP on both Christmas Eve & again New Year’s Eve, plus the practice nurse 3 times over the holiday period, the Dr even called me at around 8:30pm on New Years (Not immediately Diabetes related condition)
anyway @EllsBells I hope your results are good

They wanted me to have one just 6 weeks after they told me the result from the last one - but they forgot. I think they were alarmed at the rise in my numbers from 3 years ago (34). Not wanting to miss more work than necessary, I kind of imposed myself to get this one done and out of the way this week. The nurse did not even know what she was taking bloods for! I've only briefly seen a nurse practitioner and everything else has been over the phone. After initially being all over me like a bad rash, they made the necessary referrals and have now left me hanging a bit. My guess is it's due to not going on metformin or one of the other drugs.

I've said elsewhere that the support on this forum is really excellent and I've been learning a shed load just reading through other people's experiences whilst trying to find my own feet.

 

[Gwynn]

I was HbA1c 130 at diagnosis, lots of symptoms, shocked, given insulin and a test meter and almost no information and some, but very little, help.

I was very overweight, ate tons of all the wrong things.

I knew nothing about diabetes.

Diagnosis was a real wake up call and a choice, let it destroy me or take personal control of every aspect of my life as far as I could and beat this thing if I could.

I learned as much as I could, recorded everything that I could, went on a strict diet, got excellrnt advice from the people on this web site. Best two bits of advice I read here was 'its all about carbohydrates' and 'test test test'. One of the other wonderful things about this forum is the encouragement they give.

I had to be brutally honest about what I was eating...and that was another shock...but, with determination, fixed for good.

And, taking control worked. Weight went shockingly down. No cravings for the old sweet things. Healthier, more energy. Blood glucose levels consistently now in the correct range. A second HbA1c test at 2 months was 46. I should be getting another one at the end of this month.

So what I am saying is that yes, you can probably do what you want and get things under control but at the huge cost of a complete change of lifestyle. A change for life. A change for the better.

Good luck and I really hope you succeed.

Stage 0 is total shock and panic
Stage 1 is learn all you can...

Go for it, every step you take is positive.

 

[Lucyr]

Have you heard of ozempic? Also known as semaglutide. Could be a good option to try before insulin to support you in weight loss. I’ve just posted a thread about my three month review on it and it’s been in the news today too (though the trials the news is about used a dose of 2.4mg vs 0.5 used in diabetes)

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @louise24

Lots of friendly helpful supportive people here who will help you find your way through the options and alternatives to build a balance of meds, food, and activity levels what works for you, and suits you long term.

There’s no ‘one size fits all’ and there are no silly questions, so keep plugging away, and ask anything and everything as you hit any stumbling blocks 🙂

 

[MAC2020]

i am a emotional eater and can comfort with sugar i dont want to do this anymore. So thank you i will take all this on board. well done sounds like you got to a place of good habits and control that is where i need to be,

Hi @louise24, welcome to this forum.

You've had some great advice on here already and from @rebrascora she is always fabulous on here with her advice, clarity and honesty. I really appreciate her, oh and Happy Birthday @rebrascora have a great day off today treat yourself well.

Louise, I get the whole emotional eating thing. I suffer from this too. A couple of things I'd recommend when you feel stressed or bored and want to reach for those carb calorie laden belt busting foods:

- take a breath. Stop. Realise you are stressed and don't let your emotions hijack your diet. Don't stuff down the feelings. Instead experience the feelings, whatever they are and stay in the moment. Remember you are in control.

-Take a walk around the block for 10 mins or more

-Drink lots of water, fill up on water until the craving goes.

Have a go, see if any of those work for you and do come back and let us know how you are getting on.

 

[AndBreathe]

hi im louise an im Type 2, im really over weight struggle with eating what i shouldnt, the nurses want to put me on insulin ad Hb1ac is 74 but im feeling trapped buy the weight issue and will insulin make me much much bigger, im sometimes struggle food wise i need a routine and a little help. thank you

Hi Louise - I know you have just joined, but could you tell me of you are newly diagnosed, or have you been living with diabetes for a while?

If you have been living with diabetes for a while, what, if any other treatments, like tablets, or whatever have you tried? How long have you been using insulin?

Unfortunately, some people living with, mainly T2 diabetes, have a condition known as "Insulin Resistance", which means that along the way our bodies have lost the knack of utilising our own insulin efficiently, which then impacts on how hungry we feel (sometimes in the face of just having eaten), which then in turn can lead to quite chaotic eating (sometimes driven by hunger), and weight gain. Of course, it doesn't help that sugar and many other sweet things can be a bit addictive.

When you say you struggle with eating; has that been a forever thing, or has it got worse in more recent times?

Sorry to ask so many questions, but it could be helpful to know, as it could influence suggestions folks might make.

 

[trophywench]

Can I tell you something else too? You crave carbs and sweet stuff for the simple reason that your whole body is being starved of glucose!

That sounds completely batty, doesn't it ?

You have diabetes; your body has currently got huge difficulty in getting its cells to let the glucose in your blood stream, into themselves and they have to do that in order to work properly. Glucose is THE only fuel which they can use. So that is every single cell in the human body whether it happens to be in the skin under your left big toe, in your backside or the orifices there, your boobs, your heart or your brain. Starved. Leave it long enough and the cells start to die off........

You aren't going there, are you?

Your choice.