Hello

[Poppy1988]

Hey,

I'm new to the forum, T2 for 2 years & really struggling to get my hba1c down despite increasing my metformin .

Feeling like a failure at the moment as only 33 & feel I should be more on top of things but I have been trying to be more active & make peace with food but its not showing in my numbers.

I am overweight and the thought of another diet and the diet/binge cycle I have repeated(many times) in the past makes me so stressed out & stress is high at home at the moment.

Hoping to find some support & advice from people who have been through this.

Apologies for my first post being so dreary, I am normally cheery but I'm a bit of a rut at the moment. Hoping to perk up soon!

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @Poppy1988 and welcome to the forum.
First I want to say that being overweight and diabetic is probably not your fault. That goes to the Government, the medical profession and the major food manufacturers! You are probably where you find yourself because of the bad advice about carbohydrates (in fruit, whole grains and below ground veg) that they gave you.

T2 diabetes is just your body's way of telling you that it can't cope with all those 'healthy sugars and flour and starches' that you have been encouraged to eat. And If your GP is anything like mine, they have just told you to eat even more of them!

The truth is that their are only 3 macro nutrients: Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats - we need to eat both Proteins and fats to get nutrients that our bodies can't make from other things, but we don't actually need to eat any carbohydrates at all because the body can easily make all the glucose (the sugar that all carbs digest into) it needs from protein and even from fat.

Diabetes is a food disease and so is best treated by just eating a much smaller amount of carbohydrates. No need to cut calories, just fill up with as much protein (plus the natural fat that comes with it) and low carb above ground veg like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, courgette, cucumber, celery etc. ( just look in google for low carb veg).

I reversed my diabetes and lost weight by eating Low Crab and going back to full-fat natural foods ( double cream, butter, cheese, greek yogurt). Look at the backs of food packs to see the carbohydrates (don't pay any attention to the 'traffic lights' on the front). It took me only a few weeks to get my blood glucose levels down out of danger and to lose 20% of my body weight, though I was only a couple of lbs overweight in the first place and had always been very slim until my doctor persuaded me to eat low fat (for my health- LOL)!

 

[Leadinglights]

Hey,

I'm new to the forum, T2 for 2 years & really struggling to get my hba1c down despite increasing my metformin .

Feeling like a failure at the moment as only 33 & feel I should be more on top of things but I have been trying to be more active & make peace with food but its not showing in my numbers.

I am overweight and the thought of another diet and the diet/binge cycle I have repeated(many times) in the past makes me so stressed out & stress is high at home at the moment.

Hoping to find some support & advice from people who have been through this.

Apologies for my first post being so dreary, I am normally cheery but I'm a bit of a rut at the moment. Hoping to perk up soon!

'the thought of another diet and the diet/binge cycle'
I think you have said it all there because getting a grip on managing diabetes is NOT A DIET, it has to be a new way of life. That way is to reduce carbohydrates and have really tasty meals based on meat, fish, cheese, eggs, full fat dairy, nuts and vegetables and salad and fruit such as berries. What is not to like about strawberries and cream. Keeping a watchful eye on portion size of high carb foods such as potatoes, rice, pasta, cereals, pastry, tropical fruits and cakes and biscuits and high carb snacks like crisps.
Metformin only gives the body a helping hand but dietary changes are still needed to have success.
There are some good suggestions in the food /recipe thread for substitutions for some of those high carb foods.

 

[Poppy1988]

'the thought of another diet and the diet/binge cycle'
I think you have said it all there because getting a grip on managing diabetes is NOT A DIET, it has to be a new way of life. That way is to reduce carbohydrates and have really tasty meals based on meat, fish, cheese, eggs, full fat dairy, nuts and vegetables and salad and fruit such as berries. What is not to like about strawberries and cream. Keeping a watchful eye on portion size of high carb foods such as potatoes, rice, pasta, cereals, pastry, tropical fruits and cakes and biscuits and high carb snacks like crisps.
Metformin only gives the body a helping hand but dietary changes are still needed to have success.
There are some good suggestions in the food /recipe thread for substitutions for some of those high carb foods.

Thanks for the reply, this does make more sense than another diet that my Dr has suggested especially with my history.

I will check out the. Food thread, thank you.

 

[Poppy1988]

Hi @Poppy1988 and welcome to the forum.
First I want to say that being overweight and diabetic is probably not your fault. That goes to the Government, the medical profession and the major food manufacturers! You are probably where you find yourself because of the bad advice about carbohydrates (in fruit, whole grains and below ground veg) that they gave you.

T2 diabetes is just your body's way of telling you that it can't cope with all those 'healthy sugars and flour and starches' that you have been encouraged to eat. And If your GP is anything like mine, they have just told you to eat even more of them!

The truth is that their are only 3 macro nutrients: Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats - we need to eat both Proteins and fats to get nutrients that our bodies can't make from other things, but we don't actually need to eat any carbohydrates at all because the body can easily make all the glucose (the sugar that all carbs digest into) it needs from protein and even from fat.

Diabetes is a food disease and so is best treated by just eating a much smaller amount of carbohydrates. No need to cut calories, just fill up with as much protein (plus the natural fat that comes with it) and low carb above ground veg like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, courgette, cucumber, celery etc. ( just look in google for low carb veg).

I reversed my diabetes and lost weight by eating Low Crab and going back to full-fat natural foods ( double cream, butter, cheese, greek yogurt). Look at the backs of food packs to see the carbohydrates (don't pay any attention to the 'traffic lights' on the front). It took me only a few weeks to get my blood glucose levels down out of danger and to lose 20% of my body weight, though I was only a couple of lbs overweight in the first place and had always been very slim until my doctor persuaded me to eat low fat (for my health- LOL)!

Hey,

Thanks for taking the time to reply, I'll have to get clued up in carbs then, is there a reccomened amount daily or is it dependant on the person & a learning thing?

 

[Leadinglights]

Hey,

Thanks for taking the time to reply, I'll have to get clued up in carbs then, is there a reccomened amount daily or is it dependant on the person & a learning thing?

A good start is to get clued up on carbohydrates, a food diary of everything you eat and drink with quantities and estimating the carbs. Info on packets or internet of TOTAL carbohydrate will give you a good idea. There are also apps or the book Carbs and Cals giving that information. Once you see what you are having then look to reduce it to start with by one third. It is better to go it gradually.
If you choose to go down a low carbohydrate route, aiming in the first instance for no more than 130g per day but better to spread between meals rather than a lot for a single meal as that would give a big spike.
People find that testing the effect of various foods and meals is crucial in making better food choices. There is info here about monitors and testing regimes. This is because everybody's tolerance to carbs is very individual, you will see people saying they can have bread but not cereals and others the very opposite.
You will find that cutting out somethings, reducing portions of others and making some substitutions will still give you the flexibility to have enjoyable food.
If you give an example of a typical day then people can make suggestions on some changes you could consider.

Just take one day at a time, have a plan and take the first steps on the journey to success.

 

[EmmaL76]

Hi poppy, please don’t worry about feeling low it’s completely normal especially when there are other stress factors in your life I can totally relate to that. Do you know what your newest hba1c score was? Don’t blame yourself, there will be many people heavier than you who don’t get type 2 as well as slim people who have normal bmi. For example my BMI was 21 at diagnoses now 19, although on paper I’m a type 1, this is under review as I manage with diet alone, no meds no insulin. I’m now in the healthy range for a1c. I was told that if I was type 2 and slim that I would not be able to bring my sugars down without meds but I wasn’t having that and saw that point in my life as a window of opportunity and decided to go for it.I’m not suggesting for one minute that you ditch any medication you may be on, just that anything can be possible if you have the determination. As women (no offence guys) we tend to put others first. This is a time for you now. At first if feels like if it tastes good then you can’t have it, but bit by bit, and hours in supermarkets reading labels and chatting on here you will find your way. Only today, as I got to the supermarket early I managed to get some hi-low bread. Never had it before and I love it!! I guarantee you that improvements in your sugar readings will give you way more satisfaction than any plate of chips/piece of cake, and your tastes will change. Sometimes some of the “healthy” choices are not that great for type 2, so that may be why even though you feel like your making the right choices your sugars don’t reflect that. For instance at the start I thought a good idea for breakfast would be a baked banana and porridge. That was a fun day! 🙄

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Hi Poppy, welcome to the forum.

No need to apologise for anything as we've all felt as you do at some point along our journey. As has been mentioned, managing diabetes isn't about going on a diet but learning how your body processes food in the most helpful way.

This is all about getting healthy in a sustainable, manageable way which has to work for you. What I did initially was make a list of what I typically eat of a week, the foods that I enjoyed and knew were healthy and built a meal plan from that. You can then test your blood sugar levels in the morning and 2 hours after meals to see how those meals are impacting you then adjust accordingly.

Coupled with lots of water and taking walks where possible, I started to see changes that could be built upon and improved with time. It's a slow and steady journey so take the pressure off, ask as many questions as you like and let us know if there's anything we can do to support you.

 

[Poppy1988]

Hi poppy, please don’t worry about feeling low it’s completely normal especially when there are other stress factors in your life I can totally relate to that. Do you know what your newest hba1c score was? Don’t blame yourself, there will be many people heavier than you who don’t get type 2 as well as slim people who have normal bmi. For example my BMI was 21 at diagnoses now 19, although on paper I’m a type 1, this is under review as I manage with diet alone, no meds no insulin. I’m now in the healthy range for a1c. I was told that if I was type 2 and slim that I would not be able to bring my sugars down without meds but I wasn’t having that and saw that point in my life as a window of opportunity and decided to go for it.I’m not suggesting for one minute that you ditch any medication you may be on, just that anything can be possible if you have the determination. As women (no offence guys) we tend to put others first. This is a time for you now. At first if feels like if it tastes good then you can’t have it, but bit by bit, and hours in supermarkets reading labels and chatting on here you will find your way. Only today, as I got to the supermarket early I managed to get some hi-low bread. Never had it before and I love it!! I guarantee you that improvements in your sugar readings will give you way more satisfaction than any plate of chips/piece of cake, and your tastes will change. Sometimes some of the “healthy” choices are not that great for type 2, so that may be why even though you feel like your making the right choices your sugars don’t reflect that. For instance at the start I thought a good idea for breakfast would be a baked banana and porridge. That was a fun day! 🙄

Thanks for the reply.
My latest hba1c was 78 which is up despite an increase in my metformin and being more active
I think reading all these replies I have been going about things the wrong way thinking I am making the healthy choice! Back to the drawing board.

Completely agree on putting others first, it's something I need to work on but can be challenging especially when my husband has depression but needs must! It can be too easy to forget about ourselves can't it?

I appreciate the support this far, I'll have a proper look around and take tips into my life

 

[Poppy1988]

Hi Poppy, welcome to the forum.

No need to apologise for anything as we've all felt as you do at some point along our journey. As has been mentioned, managing diabetes isn't about going on a diet but learning how your body processes food in the most helpful way.

This is all about getting healthy in a sustainable, manageable way which has to work for you. What I did initially was make a list of what I typically eat of a week, the foods that I enjoyed and knew were healthy and built a meal plan from that. You can then test your blood sugar levels in the morning and 2 hours after meals to see how those meals are impacting you then adjust accordingly.

Coupled with lots of water and taking walks where possible, I started to see changes that could be built upon and improved with time. It's a slow and steady journey so take the pressure off, ask as many questions as you like and let us know if there's anything we can do to support you.

Thank you for the reply, I have lots to learn but feeling much more positive than I was last night when I posted. It's nice to have others who understand .

I don't currently test my levels as the Dr had said I didn't need to but it sounds like I do need to invest in one. I have started a diary to log by food & carbs so I hope this will help.

 

[chaoticcar]

If you get a blood glucose monitor you can find out what effect what you have eaten affects your glucose levels .It really is as simple as that .GPS don't prescribe for type 2s because of the cost but you can find a cheap monitor with the lowest cost of strips which are the biggest cost Home Health have one called Navvii check out their website and don't forget to check the I have diabetes box to avoid paying VAT .Others may recommend other monitors but this is the one that I use
Carol

 

[Poppy1988]

If you get a blood glucose monitor you can find out what effect what you have eaten affects your glucose levels .It really is as simple as that .GPS don't prescribe for type 2s because of the cost but you can find a cheap monitor with the lowest cost of strips which are the biggest cost Home Health have one called Navvii check out their website and don't forget to check the I have diabetes box to avoid paying VAT .Others may recommend other monitors but this is the one that I use
Carol

Thanks Carol, I think that is a good idea and I'll get looking for one!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Thanks Carol, I think that is a good idea and I'll get looking for one!

If you need to self fund your BG meter, the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - which both have test strips at around £8 for 50. Some other brands have strips that cost almost £30 per pot of 50, and like printer ink, it’s the strips which will add up in time.

You can use a BG meter, taking a reading before and again 2hrs after eating, to see what the differences are, to identify any carbs that seem to be spiking BG (initially in a way the numbers themselves matter less than the differences between them). Ideally eventually you will want the rise from a meal to be 2-3mmol/L or lower. If you see bigger rises than that try reducing portion sizes of the main carbs, or swap for a different carb you tolerate better, or look for an alternative lower carb ‘carrier’ (often the carbs in meals are mainly there to soak up sauces and or carry the nice tasty things that are the main part of the meal).

When it comes to making changes to how you are managing your diabetes, it’s best to take things gradually - partly because they need to be sustainable long term, but also because very rapid and sudden changes to blood glucose levels are harder on the fine blood vessels, and changing things more gently will give your body time to adapt.

Often you don’t realise how weary, worn down and lethargic you have been feeling. Erratic and elevated blood glucose levels can be exhausting and are linked with low mood, but this may have come on quite gradually. Hopefully with this new approach, by making a few positive changes you’ll find you have more energy, a clearer mind, and a brighter outlook.

Let us know how you get on, and keep asking questions. Hopefully with a few tweaks to your menu to allow it to work better with your Metformin you’ll begin to see a gradual reduction in your BG levels 🙂

 

[zuludog]

Often you don’t realise how weary, worn down and lethargic you have been feeling. Erratic and elevated blood glucose levels can be exhausting and are linked with low mood, but this may have come on quite gradually. Hopefully with this new approach, by making a few positive changes you’ll find you have more energy, a clearer mind, and a brighter outlook.

Yes, I felt fairly ill, rotten, and struggling before I was diagnosed

When I did go to the doctor he said, among other things, that diabetes is very insidious; you've probably had this building up for months & months before the symptoms became strong enough to realise there was something wrong - I expect you feel like sh*t (he had a wonderful bedside manner)

So we would expect that when you get improved medication; monitor your blood glucose levels, and change your diet, but note that this would not actually be 'going on a diet', it would be a change to your way of living & eating, there will be some changes
These will be the physical ones to any illness, better control of your weight, and feeling brighter, more lively, and less stressed

Now you have had reassurances and a plan of action it is just (!) a question of following the guidelines and working at it, but review your progress and be willing to modify the situation if necessary

I have a Spirit TEE 2, provided by my doctor, and I'm happy enough with it

Just one thing --

No-one knows exactly why, but people with diabetes often have a feeling of worry, anxiety, looking over their shoulder, and feeling not quite right
Hopefully this will go away or at least be greatly reduced as you improve the physical things
It will probably take a while, but as I found out, one day you realise Oh, Oh, the sun's shining!

Which brings me to this - if your husband suffers from depression, might he be diabetic?
When you get your meter you could give him a blood sugar test or two