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Hi all

C

Clairesdiabetesjourney

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Pronouns
She/Her
Hi all,
I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. I am (rapidly) approaching 50 with 2 grown children, a (2nd) Husband and 2 crazy dogs.
I am T2 Diabetic diagnosed a couple of months back and currently on Metformin and Statins and trying to improve diet / lifestyle.

Lovely to meet you!
 
Hi @Clairesdiabetesjourney and welcome to the forum

As you were only diagnosed a couple of months ago I guess you have loads of questions, so please feel free to ask as many questions as you wish and we will try to offer all help and advice we can.

What was your hba1c when you were diagnosed as this will be your starting point on how much of a lifestyle change you may need to make.

I also have two crazy dogs, both Cockapoo's

Alan 😉
 
Hi Alan

Thanks for the warm welcome. Mine are Jack Russells (so small but loud & crazy!) My levels are 51mmol 6.8% (I think that is what you mean)

Claire
 
Was this your first test ?

Ok, I have just read your other post, re diet and food etc.

As you say your hba1c of 51 is only just in the diabetic range and as it happens exactly the same as mine when diagnosed.
I got no help whatsoever from the doctor other than to be directed to this site and told to go cure yourself and we will test you again in 3 months (no meds)

I managed to get my score down from 51 to 46 (not great, but now in the prediabetic range)

I just concentrated on what I could control, which was:

1) Diet low carb iro 130 gms per day)
2) Weight (I lost 21 lbs, BMI now 22)
3) Exercise (just walked more)

With a score of 51 you have no need to panic, but will have to make some small lifestyle changes.

I am no expert on meals as my wife does all the cooking and carb counting, but cutting out rice, potatoes, pasta and bread is a good start
 
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Hi Claire....and welcome.

If you can share a few more details, (you don't have to) you will get more suitable advice, eg: if you have any other significant health issues, if you need to lose weight, how much exercise you do and what sort of things you currently eat.

HbA1c level of 41 or below is deemed to be normal, non Diabetic.
HbA1c levels of 42 to 47 are deemed to be Pre Diabetic.
HbA1c levels of 48 or above is deemed to be Diabetic.
So at 51 you are only just in the diabetic range.

General dietary advice (for type 2's) is to reduce carbs, thats all carbs, not just sugar, so bread, pasta, rice, cake, starchy veg, eg: potato, sweets, crisps, biscuits, alcohol, etc. But we are not removing them completely, we do still need some carbs, most peeps aim for a low carb diet of around 100carbs per day ish, some do 120, some go as low as 50, so you have to find what works for you....

Also worth checking out a couple of other websites for recipe / food ideas:
Lowcarbfreshwell website.
Sugarfreelondoner website.
Plus lots of good recipe idea on here (Diabetes UK website) too.

Some books that are often recommended good reads for diabetics include:
Life without diabetes - Prof Roy Taylor
Carbs and Cals book (in conjunction with Diabetes UK)
Giancarlo Caldesi cookbooks
The Real Meal Revolution- Prof Tim Noakes

Please keep us updated and let us know how you get on and good luck with it.... 😎
 
Hi @Clairesdiabetesjourney and a very welcome from me 🙂 . Glad you have decided to join us. I only joined back in Jan despite having Diabetes for over 30 years and really wished I had joined earlier! Great place to get help and support from people who understand what it's like trying to manage the condition
 
Hi @Clairesdiabetesjourney welcome to the forum. Sad to hear your diagnosis but as others have said you should be able to bring it under control with just a few simple changes.
I'm one of those on the low carb diet approach and still occasionally eat a litte rice or potato (<=50g) but using the websites suggested by pgjtech I have managed to identify replacements for the carbs I no longer eat. Holland & Barrett do some nice low carb noodles and the main supermarkets also do red lentil pastas.
 
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