Hello

[Callumrob17]

Hey everyone,

Newbie here. HbA1c was 75 so have been put on metformin. Diabetic nurse told me not to prick my finger but I thought it would be good to do to see what type of foods spike me ? I also went through 2 knee surgeries and ended up with an infection which I thought it might spike my sugar levels. Fairly new to this so still about clueless. A LOT to take in.

 

[Vonny]

Welcome @Callumrob17 and well done for ignoring the DN! As you rightly say, if you don't test, you don't know what spikes you. I rarely test now because I'm 4 years into diabetes and know, from past testing, what I can and can't eat.

Yes, infections can cause your BG to rise, but 75 is quite high so I'm not surprised you've been put onto metformin. I was 76 and put straight onto it. If you suffer from metformin-tum, you can always get the slow release version but you may be lucky and it will sort itself out in a couple of weeks. It helps if you take it with food.

Did your nurse tell you about a low carb approach? It really does help if you reduce the amount of potatoes, bread etc you eat. If you don't need to lose weight, make sure you fill up on proteins and fats.

I'm sure others will be along soon to help you with ideas. It is a lot to take in, but we are a friendly bunch and there is a wealth of knowledge...I'm still learning.

 

[Callumrob17]

Welcome @Callumrob17 and well done for ignoring the DN! As you rightly say, if you don't test, you don't know what spikes you. I rarely test now because I'm 4 years into diabetes and know, from past testing, what I can and can't eat.

Yes, infections can cause your BG to rise, but 75 is quite high so I'm not surprised you've been put onto metformin. I was 76 and put straight onto it. If you suffer from metformin-tum, you can always get the slow release version but you may be lucky and it will sort itself out in a couple of weeks. It helps if you take it with food.

Did your nurse tell you about a low carb approach? It really does help if you reduce the amount of potatoes, bread etc you eat. If you don't need to lose weight, make sure you fill up on proteins and fats.

I'm sure others will be along soon to help you with ideas. It is a lot to take in, but we are a friendly bunch and there is a wealth of knowledge...I'm still learning.

Hello thank you for your welcome I did suffer with the metformin but I managed to get through it… I think

Yes I’m on a low carb diet now so hopefully it will help, although very tough suppose it just takes time and I need to get used to it. It’s still early doors and trying to get a grip of it all. I was quite shocked when I found out

 

[Leadinglights]

Hello thank you for your welcome I did suffer with the metformin but I managed to get through it… I think

Yes I’m on a low carb diet now so hopefully it will help, although very tough suppose it just takes time and I need to get used to it. It’s still early doors and trying to get a grip of it all. I was quite shocked when I found out

If you are already following a low carb approach, I do not call it a diet because it really has to become a new normal way of eating for the long term and the work diet implies a quick fix.
Anyway have a look at this link as it may help you with some new ideas https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

 

[Callumrob17]

If you are already following a low carb approach, I do not call it a diet because it really has to become a new normal way of eating for the long term and the work diet implies a quick fix.
Anyway have a look at this link as it may help you with some new ideas https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

Thank you

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome from me too.

Low carb is tough at first but part of the difficulty is cultural and habit and it takes extra time and effort to find new and enjoyable ways to eat that are low carb.
Bread is probably the hardest to replace because it is a carrier for so many other foods, either as a sandwich or as toast or as a breadcrumb coating for foods. making or buying a sandwich is so easy or convenient and at first there were times when I actually felt guilty about not eating it because I would have meat and cheese and pickle without the bread or 2 slices of corned beef with slices of pickled beetroot in between, so the meat or cheese replaces the bread and I might have scrambled egg on a bed of a thick ham slice.... or I might use lettuce leaves as wraps and fill them with tuna mayonnaise. I do try to eat plenty of veg/salad as well as meat, eggs, fish and cheese though.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Callumrob17

Glad to hear you’ve already started to make some changes to your way of eating to help with your glucose levels.

It’s not uncommon for GPs and practice nurses to suggest that people with T2 don’t need to monitor their BG levels at home unless they are on meds that can cause hypos (there is evidence that suggests some can find it painful, confusing, and even distressing). But you aren’t alone in thinking that it can also be a very effective and direct way to check how your metabolism is coping with different sources and portion-sizes of starchy carbohydrates, to help fine tune your meal plan.

There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to eating with diabetes, and while an HbA1c is a great tool for tracking overall progress, it’s completely unable to tell you whether your body gets on better with potato, basmati rice or neither!