Hey guys! Just joined Diabetes UK as I'm trying to take my condition more seriously. I'm 48, male, with a 5 year old son who I love more than life itself. Have let myself go over the last 10 years or so after breaking my ankle - prior to that I was pretty active playing golf at least twice as well as football so my immediate goals are to drop some much needed weight (currently 119kg) which I'm assured by my nurse will help me get better control and potentially beat type-2. I do like a forum so will hopefully be interacting with a few of you soon. Apologies in advance for any daft questions.
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Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
Hey! Just saying hi...
- Thread starter gre
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adrian1der
Well-Known Member
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- Type 2
rebrascora
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Hi and welcome.
Would you like to tell us a bit more about your diabetes.... Things like:-
How long have you been diagnosed and how that came about? ie Routine blood test/symptomatic etc.
What if any medication are you taking?
Your latest HbA1c result?
What if any dietary changes you have already made?
Hopefully your son will provide you with good motivation to get your diabetes on track and stay fit and healthy to love and support him growing up. I am thinking of those wobble moments when a few beers or a pizza are tempting you off the straight and narrow. Not that those foods are totally off limits but you do need to at least restrict them both portion wise and frequency.
Many people are unaware that diabetes is not just about sugar but all carbohydrates which the body breaks down into glucose and gets absorbed into the blood stream. Many, many foods contain carbohydrates including some "healthy" ones like fruit and porridge and wholemeal bread, but they can all contribute to your elevated blood glucose levels. Learning which foods are high in carbs and reducing your portion size of them is a good place to start. Things like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, breakfast cereals etc all need to be reduced as well as the cakes and biscuits and sweets etc.
If you can give us an idea of what you currently eat we could perhaps make suggestions for lower carb alternatives.
If you are now able to walk or swim or cycle ideally on a daily basis, that will help to improve your diabetes management too.
Would you like to tell us a bit more about your diabetes.... Things like:-
How long have you been diagnosed and how that came about? ie Routine blood test/symptomatic etc.
What if any medication are you taking?
Your latest HbA1c result?
What if any dietary changes you have already made?
Hopefully your son will provide you with good motivation to get your diabetes on track and stay fit and healthy to love and support him growing up. I am thinking of those wobble moments when a few beers or a pizza are tempting you off the straight and narrow. Not that those foods are totally off limits but you do need to at least restrict them both portion wise and frequency.
Many people are unaware that diabetes is not just about sugar but all carbohydrates which the body breaks down into glucose and gets absorbed into the blood stream. Many, many foods contain carbohydrates including some "healthy" ones like fruit and porridge and wholemeal bread, but they can all contribute to your elevated blood glucose levels. Learning which foods are high in carbs and reducing your portion size of them is a good place to start. Things like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, breakfast cereals etc all need to be reduced as well as the cakes and biscuits and sweets etc.
If you can give us an idea of what you currently eat we could perhaps make suggestions for lower carb alternatives.
If you are now able to walk or swim or cycle ideally on a daily basis, that will help to improve your diabetes management too.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @gre
Good to have you here 🙂
Well done for trying to tackle your diabetes in more of a ’front of mind‘ way. If you‘d like a bit of a refresher, and to add to the knowledge you’ve already picked up, members here frequently recommend Maggie Davey’s Letter and Gretchen Becker’s book T2 Diabetes, the first year, which you can work through gradually and will give you a solid starting point.
Many new members looking for a bit of a diabetes reset also find it can be helpful to keep a food diary for a week or two. Be brutally honest! Note down everything you eat and drink. It can be especially helpful to estimate the amount of total carbohydrate(not just ‘of which sugars’ in the meals and snacks to give you an idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu.
While there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will have probably to cut out already, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.
That’s not to say that you have to avoid all these things entirely. But you may have to experiment with portion size, and make a few tweaks and adaptations to some of the staples you‘ve been including in your diet up till now. There are lots of experienced T2s here who can give you plenty of ‘what on earth can I eat’ hints and tips, so ask away - no such thing as a silly question here 🙂
Good luck with your weight loss goals, which should really help. And yes, increasing activity can be a big benefit too.
Good to have you here 🙂
Well done for trying to tackle your diabetes in more of a ’front of mind‘ way. If you‘d like a bit of a refresher, and to add to the knowledge you’ve already picked up, members here frequently recommend Maggie Davey’s Letter and Gretchen Becker’s book T2 Diabetes, the first year, which you can work through gradually and will give you a solid starting point.
Many new members looking for a bit of a diabetes reset also find it can be helpful to keep a food diary for a week or two. Be brutally honest! Note down everything you eat and drink. It can be especially helpful to estimate the amount of total carbohydrate(not just ‘of which sugars’ in the meals and snacks to give you an idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu.
While there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will have probably to cut out already, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.
That’s not to say that you have to avoid all these things entirely. But you may have to experiment with portion size, and make a few tweaks and adaptations to some of the staples you‘ve been including in your diet up till now. There are lots of experienced T2s here who can give you plenty of ‘what on earth can I eat’ hints and tips, so ask away - no such thing as a silly question here 🙂
Good luck with your weight loss goals, which should really help. And yes, increasing activity can be a big benefit too.
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