Hello all, I was diagnosed just before the first lockdown with type 2 diabetes. Just been put on insulin so trying to get my head around it all. I had my head in the sand for the last few years since diagnosis. Now I'm on the daily injections I really need to get my diet in order but not sure where to start, doesn't help that I've put on weight in the last two weeks. I'm currently on a calorie controlled diet. I'm also an incredibly fussy eater and don't like most of the things I should be eating. Any advice or guidance would be gratefully received.
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Hello, newbie here
- Thread starter Lilmac
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Welcome to the forum, hopefully some people who take insulin will be along to help with some suggestions but it would help them give appropriate comments if you say what your HbA1C is at the moment as it will indicate where you are in the scheme of things and also what insulins and dose regime you are on as that will make a difference about dietary advice.
Had you previously been on other diabetes oral medication that dis not work or were you put straight on insulin as that would be a bit unusual unless your blood glucose was extremely high.
In theory if you are taking insulin you should be able to eat a normal diet but only if you are carb counting and able to adjust your insulin dose accordingly.
I assume you are testing your blood glucose with a home monitor, what sort of readings are you seeing from that?
Had you previously been on other diabetes oral medication that dis not work or were you put straight on insulin as that would be a bit unusual unless your blood glucose was extremely high.
In theory if you are taking insulin you should be able to eat a normal diet but only if you are carb counting and able to adjust your insulin dose accordingly.
I assume you are testing your blood glucose with a home monitor, what sort of readings are you seeing from that?
Hello, my last hba1c was 118, up from 108 and my starting result was 120. I started on slow release Metformin but I had the usual side effects which meant I was almost housebound or should that be toilet bound! I was then put on Trulicity once a week, I also have anxiety and depression and was grieving for my mother who passed in 2019 so resorted to comfort eating. I was put on tresiba and semaglutide tablets on the 10th of this month. I'm currently home testing 3 times a day and my waking bloods have gone down from 18.1 in the first week to 12.4 today and I'm taking 18mmols of insulin at the minute
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Welcome to the forum @Lilmac
Sorry to hear what an incredibly tough few years you have been having, and sincere condolences for your loss.
Glad to hear your waking BG is gradually coming down.
Hopefully you can find a menu that suits your tastes, your waistline, and your BG levels.
Often T2 members find that moderating their carbohydrate intake is a helpful strategy, but as you are on a number of glucose lowering meds, you need to aim to balance your meds and your menu to keep your BG in range for as much of the time as you can.
One method of attempting this is to take a reading immediately before your meal, and again 2hrs after the first bite. Your BG is likely to rise after food, but ideally your 2hr reading should be no more than 2-3mmol/l higher than your before-meal reading. If you can keep these ‘meal rises’ down to 2-3 then you should see your overall levels gradually come down over a number of weeks and months. Where you see bigger ‘spikes’ after meals, consider reducing the portion size of whatever carbohydrates were involved in the meal, or perhaps swapping to a different type - eg you may find that you struggle with any kind of bread, but that another source, eg new potatoes, is fine). Or you might find everything is OK as long as you are careful about portion soize. It’s all very individual, and you may get some pleasant surprises of what you can eat. The great thing about ‘eating to your meter’ is that you can tailor things around what you do like to eat, and don’t have to worry about whether something has a reputation for being ‘good for you’ or not - because you are seeing how your individual body reacts.
Try to eat as wide and varied a diet as you can, but it does have to be sustainable long-term, so it’s important to find things that work for you.
You might find some ideas and inspiration among the various meal plans here:
www.diabetes.org.uk
Sorry to hear what an incredibly tough few years you have been having, and sincere condolences for your loss.
Glad to hear your waking BG is gradually coming down.
Hopefully you can find a menu that suits your tastes, your waistline, and your BG levels.
Often T2 members find that moderating their carbohydrate intake is a helpful strategy, but as you are on a number of glucose lowering meds, you need to aim to balance your meds and your menu to keep your BG in range for as much of the time as you can.
One method of attempting this is to take a reading immediately before your meal, and again 2hrs after the first bite. Your BG is likely to rise after food, but ideally your 2hr reading should be no more than 2-3mmol/l higher than your before-meal reading. If you can keep these ‘meal rises’ down to 2-3 then you should see your overall levels gradually come down over a number of weeks and months. Where you see bigger ‘spikes’ after meals, consider reducing the portion size of whatever carbohydrates were involved in the meal, or perhaps swapping to a different type - eg you may find that you struggle with any kind of bread, but that another source, eg new potatoes, is fine). Or you might find everything is OK as long as you are careful about portion soize. It’s all very individual, and you may get some pleasant surprises of what you can eat. The great thing about ‘eating to your meter’ is that you can tailor things around what you do like to eat, and don’t have to worry about whether something has a reputation for being ‘good for you’ or not - because you are seeing how your individual body reacts.
Try to eat as wide and varied a diet as you can, but it does have to be sustainable long-term, so it’s important to find things that work for you.
You might find some ideas and inspiration among the various meal plans here:
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...
Thank you for the reply, some great advice there. Just been to my weight loss class and have lost a pound this week which is not a lot but a loss no less! My waking BG was 12.9 today so I'm watching it what I eat today.Welcome to the forum @Lilmac
Sorry to hear what an incredibly tough few years you have been having, and sincere condolences for your loss.
Glad to hear your waking BG is gradually coming down.
Hopefully you can find a menu that suits your tastes, your waistline, and your BG levels.
Often T2 members find that moderating their carbohydrate intake is a helpful strategy, but as you are on a number of glucose lowering meds, you need to aim to balance your meds and your menu to keep your BG in range for as much of the time as you can.
One method of attempting this is to take a reading immediately before your meal, and again 2hrs after the first bite. Your BG is likely to rise after food, but ideally your 2hr reading should be no more than 2-3mmol/l higher than your before-meal reading. If you can keep these ‘meal rises’ down to 2-3 then you should see your overall levels gradually come down over a number of weeks and months. Where you see bigger ‘spikes’ after meals, consider reducing the portion size of whatever carbohydrates were involved in the meal, or perhaps swapping to a different type - eg you may find that you struggle with any kind of bread, but that another source, eg new potatoes, is fine). Or you might find everything is OK as long as you are careful about portion soize. It’s all very individual, and you may get some pleasant surprises of what you can eat. The great thing about ‘eating to your meter’ is that you can tailor things around what you do like to eat, and don’t have to worry about whether something has a reputation for being ‘good for you’ or not - because you are seeing how your individual body reacts.
Try to eat as wide and varied a diet as you can, but it does have to be sustainable long-term, so it’s important to find things that work for you.
You might find some ideas and inspiration among the various meal plans here:
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...
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