Hello

[Nanajan]

Hello, I’m a retired nurse who has had type 2 diabetes for over 10 years. I’ve coped okay so far but just had phone call from the surgery to say my B/P is up again and need to start a mild diuretic- Tena pads in stock
Hubby took over the cooking some years ago after he retired and I had a knee replacement. I did try low carb diet but couldn’t cope

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @Nanajan and welcome to the forum.

I don't want to come across as nosy, but the more we know about your way of dealing with Type 2 the better we can tailor our replies.
What diabetes medication are you taking and what was your latest HbA1C? Do you have a Blood Glucose meter to test which meals agree with you?

It took me just a few weeks to get my Type 2 into remission. Fortunately I was never tempted to rely on medication to do the job.

It's a shame that you couldn't cope with Low Carb because this usually works well for both Blood Pressure and water retention as well as weight loss and Blood Glucose.
Apart from very fussy eaters, or those with unusual digestive problems it's rare to find somebody who doesn't like meat, or fish or eggs or cheese, yogurt/dairy etc with no calorie restrictions. Even some vegans eat low carb.

 

[Nanajan]

I’m taking Sukkarto twice daily, I had blood test last Tuesday so waiting for nurse to ring. No I don’t use a blood glucose meter. Maybe the low carb diet I was trying to follow (Facebook group) was not the one for me. The first thing it mentioned was coconut & coconut milk, ugh and cooked breakfast was another I couldn’t cope with. Yes I have been told by hubby I’m a fussy eater but I do love chicken & fish, vegetables and dairy. Maybe I’ve been looking in the wrong place for help

 

[trophywench]

I more than think you have been looking in the wrong place!

What do you like eating - do you like yoghurt - could you cope with it for brekkie, with or without some berries? Full cream milk and yog are lower carb than the low fat versions of dairy.

 

[Drummer]

I’m taking Sukkarto twice daily, I had blood test last Tuesday so waiting for nurse to ring. No I don’t use a blood glucose meter. Maybe the low carb diet I was trying to follow (Facebook group) was not the one for me. The first thing it mentioned was coconut & coconut milk, ugh and cooked breakfast was another I couldn’t cope with. Yes I have been told by hubby I’m a fussy eater but I do love chicken & fish, vegetables and dairy. Maybe I’ve been looking in the wrong place for help

It certainly look as though you got the wrong end of the stick about eating low carb - coconut is not usually the first thing mentioned. Meat, fish and seafood, eggs and cheese are usually at the top of the list of acceptable foods - and it is easily adjusted to cope with what a person can manage, rather like the Atkins diet with additional blood glucose testing.

 

[Nanajan]

I more than think you have been looking in the wrong place!

What do you like eating - do you like yoghurt - could you cope with it for brekkie, with or without some berries? Full cream milk and yog are lower carb than the low fat versions of dairy.

Yes but I do prefer cereal or porridge

 

[Nanajan]

It certainly look as though you got the wrong end of the stick about eating low carb - coconut is not usually the first thing mentioned. Meat, fish and seafood, eggs and cheese are usually at the top of the list of acceptable foods - and it is easily adjusted to cope with what a person can manage, rather like the Atkins diet with additional blood glucose testing.

Can anyone direct to the right place for ideas please?

 

[Leadinglights]

Can anyone direct to the right place for ideas please?

Have a look in the food forum, in the thread What did you eat yesterday for some idea for what Type 2 folk have for meals. Bear in mind that some people will have different amount of carbs depending on what meds they take and where they are in their journey.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Can anyone direct to the right place for ideas please?

I wonder if it might be helpful rather than to aim for ‘low carb’ or ‘moderate carb’ or even ‘high carb’ (none of which really have any agreed definitions) for you just to start where you are with a food diary for a few weeks.

It can be helpful to make a reasonable estimate of the total carb content (not just ‘of which sugars’) of your meals, snacks and drinks. This might highlight some easy wins or things you might just happily swap to an alternative or do without. The highest carb items are likely (but not guaranteed) to be the ones that raise your blood glucose the most.

The really tricky thing is that blood glucose responses to various foods are highly individual, and it can be impossible to say which types and amounts of carbohydrate will ‘spike’ your BG without checking for yourself. That’s why many members here choose to use a BG meter when trying to tweak their menus.

You take a reading before and again 2hrs after the first bite of a meal, to see what the differences are. Initially to some extent the numbers themselves are far less important than the rise from the meal. Ideally you would be aiming for a rise of no more than 2-3mmol/L. Don’t just go on one attempt either - try a couple of goes at a meal or food before you give it a black mark 😉 (other things than food can affect your levels!).

Once you can see a meal or source of carbs that seem to be causing larger BG rises than you’d like you can experiment with reducing portion sizes, looking for swaps, and trying different types (sometimes just having things at a different time of day makes a difference). Gradually you can tweak and tailor your menu to find one that suits your tastebuds, your waistline and your BG levels, while keeping is a flexible and sustainable as you can 🙂

If you are interested in this approach you may find test-review-adjust by Alan S a helpful framework.

If you need to self fund a BG meter (many GPs are reluctant to finance the strips), 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, where some other brands can be £25-30 for a pot!

Good luck! And let us know how you get on 🙂