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Hey everyone
- Thread starter moody5584
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Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Welcome to the forum. When your blood glucose is high it will give you symptoms of being thirsty, frequent loo visits as your body is trying to get rid of excess glucose, that can lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance which is often a cause of headaches.
Sweet things are really the first thing you should be cutting out when diagnosed but also it is all carbohydrates which convert to glucose so foods like potatoes, bread, pasta, rice, pastry, breakfast cereals, tropical fruits and fruit juice which are the big hitters need to be reduced.
Anything with sugar will increase blood glucose very quickly so a rethink of your diet is needed. Have a look at this link for some good information and some ideas for modifying your diet. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
Of course whether this approach is suitable will depend on what your HbA1C is that gave you your diagnosis and if you have been prescribed any medication.
It was only at 50, and my gp has requested I do another one in 2 weeks time, I'm really struggling to get my head round not having sweet things cause I have a bit of a sweet tooth and know I've got to cut it way down, it's just taking me time to come to terms with it, maybe the headaches are stress related as well, they just seem to come on if I have something sweet so didn't know if it was linked
Martin.A
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
50 is just over the threshold for a diabetes diagnosis (48) so you should be able to turn that the other way with some dietary changes along the lines suggested by @Leadinglights. Some of us have done so from much higher levels, often from three figures. As advised, a sweet tooth and Type 2 diabetes is a bad mix.
Ciara DUK
Supporter Care Advisor
Hi @moody5584 and welcome to the forum 🙂
It's great you're already asking away and sharing some of your experiences of diabetes with others on the forum - hopefully, the responses you've had so far have been really helpful as well.
I've linked to one of our webpages which is all about 'sugar cravings', which might make for some interesting reading should you wish to take a look - https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-t...-with-diabetes/food-psychology/sugar-cravings
As well as this, you may find it useful to take a look at our Food + Recipes thread, where forum members sometimes share examples of their 'friendlier-for-diabetes' snacks and treats, as well as being a nice place to find recipes in general. I've linked the thread here - https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/forums/food-carb-queries-recipes.4/
Should you have any questions, please ask away, we're all here to help and we'd all say there's no question 'too small' 🙂
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Are you 'backing up' the anything sweet with starchy foods as well?
As you are not far from normal numbers you might find that reducing starch from bread, or any grain, potatoes and fruit such as bananas which are high carb you don't have to stop the sweet foods unless you find that they become too sweet tasting over time, as I have done. These days a normal sweetness from any source is too much and I can't eat it - things such as cakes and biscuits make me retch. If I make anything for myself I usually start off with no sweetening at all and add in just a little artificial sweetener, or something which tastes sweet - I have even used peas with a little added salt to make a peanut tasting icecream.
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Once you start to cut out those sweet things then your tastes will change and things that you thought were fine will be far tooo sweet.
However the recipes on the website sugarfreelondoner for some low carb cakes and biscuits may satisfy your sweet tooth. @Martin62 usually posts on a Monday, chocolate orange muffins I think were this weeks offering.
However the recipes on the website sugarfreelondoner for some low carb cakes and biscuits may satisfy your sweet tooth. @Martin62 usually posts on a Monday, chocolate orange muffins I think were this weeks offering.
SB2015
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Well done @moody5584 on making changes already. With your levels only into the start of Diabetic levels you may well be able to turn things around.
I am surprised that your GP has agreed to repeat the test two weeks later. The HbA1c is a measure of the average glucose level taking data from over about three months (the life of the cells to which the glucose is attached) . Don’t be disheartened if there is little change in just two weeks. Most GPS won’t retest for at least three months.
I chose to cut out a lot of the sweet things that I did eat before diagnosis. As others have said your tastes change, and I find that sickly sweet things now have no appeal to me.
keep in touch with the forum and fire away with any questions that arise.
I am surprised that your GP has agreed to repeat the test two weeks later. The HbA1c is a measure of the average glucose level taking data from over about three months (the life of the cells to which the glucose is attached) . Don’t be disheartened if there is little change in just two weeks. Most GPS won’t retest for at least three months.
I chose to cut out a lot of the sweet things that I did eat before diagnosis. As others have said your tastes change, and I find that sickly sweet things now have no appeal to me.
keep in touch with the forum and fire away with any questions that arise.
T
I think the gp said he wants to make sure the test was correct which is why repeating so early, I've sort of gone in to self destruct mode now though, I'm finding anything sweet and eating it, it's like I can't stop and I feel so angry with myself for doing it because I should be starting to control what I eat!! Is that a weird thing to do? I'm still very over whelmed by it all if I'm honest
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Yes I think some GPs prefer to double-check just in case of a lab error or similar. Though as @SB2015 says, the sample will be more or less checking the same red blood cells
I remember going to pick up my results from my glucose tolerance test (no longer used for diagnostic purposes) and buying and eating chocolate bars on the way - fully suspecting I was about to be told I had diabetes and couldn’t have them any more. Basically getting my last few in before I was officially told.
So I absolutely get where you are coming from.
Many people experience a form of grieving with their diagnosis - along with some fairly overwhelming emotions including denial, anger, bargaining, and depression. Ultimately most are able to work towards an acceptance - though some of those other emotions cycle back round from time to time too!
Be kind to yourself. And work of strategies to resist some of those temptations. Not having things in the house works for me!
Yeah it's almost like I'm grieving the things I may not be able have soon, and yeah waiting for the official diagnosis so eating what I can at the MO which I know is the wrong thing to do, thank u so much for ur reply, it made me feel like I need to stop punishing myself and take each day at a time ☺️
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Don't fool yourself that a repeat test will be any different but take heart that your result is not too disastrously high but might well become so unless you make some changes to your diet. There is no reason why your new way of eating should not be enjoyable as there are plenty of foods you can still have, it is just those high carb foods which you need to cut down on and base meals on meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, vegetables, salads and fruits like berries so that still gives you options for tasty meals.
Have a look at this link as it has some good explanation, some do's and don'ts as well as some menu plans to suit different tastes and budgets. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/ It is a low carb approach which many have found successful in both losing weight if you need to and reducing blood glucose.
I followed the principals in the link and reduced my HbA1C from 50mmol/mol to 42 in 3 months and down to 38mmol/mol in another 6months, It is my new way of eating, I do not miss any of the high carb foods I was previously having.
Mine is at 50 too. I thought these tests were every three months? 2 weeks seems a bit quick, but I'm very new to all this.
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Sometimes if people are borderline then a test may be repeated to confirm especially if test results show up something like an infection which can increase blood glucose but otherwise 3 months after diagnosis is usual to check if lifestyle changes and or medication is being effective
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