Good evening I was diagnosed with type 2 in 2017 I had gestational diabetes in 2010, ill be honest I'm struggling even now to to keep my bloods on an even level as the doctor told me I don't need to test my bloods , so hopefully I will learn a few things from everyone on here.
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Hi everyone
- Thread starter Casper71
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Drummer
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- Type 2
I wonder what the doctor would say if you suggested that they drive without a speedometer and just waited for the fines to arrive - that is the same thinking as not testing blood glucose, and I am sure it seems rather crazy when described that way.
Tha
Never thought of it that way I have asked as I told them I can work out what to eat etc but all they say is we give you blood tests and that's all you need to worry about but I get dizzy alot it's cutbacks, don't want to use the money to prescribe for needles and testing strips , it's a horrible illness to have.
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
There are a couple of cheap meters and strips available - I bought the Tee2+ form Spirit Healthcare and it enabled me to sort out what to eat to keep my blood glucose in the normal range.
I only eat twice a day and find that is all I need - plus it means I can go out all day without needing to worry about finding things to eat.
I just had salmon, cauliflower and peas for dinner, pulled out of the bottom of the freezer. I have not actually tested myself for some time, as I know that is fine for me, and I could even have some berries in jelly with cream or yoghurt if I was hungry later, though that is quite unlikely.
Thankyou for the advice I will have a look as I feel I will be better mentally and physically if I get it sorted.
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Welcome to the forum @Casper71
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. It’s really the cost of the strips that mounts up over time - and some brands can be £25-30 for a pot of 50!
Many new members find it can be really helpful to keep a brutally honest food diary for a week or two. Note down everything you eat and drink, along with a reasonable estimate of the total carbohydrate content in your meals and snacks (not just ‘of which sugars’, it’s the total carbohydrate that is most useful. It might sound like a bit of a faff, and will involve weighing portions, squinting at the fine print on packaging, and possibly looking up things on the internet, but it will give you a really good idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu. Once you can see which meals or snacks are your ‘big hitters’, and where carbs might be unexpectedly lurking, the process might also suggest some likely candidates for swaps, portion reductions, or using lower carb alternatives (eg celeriac or swede mash, or cauli ‘rice’).
As you’ve already suggested, 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.
Many members here find that using a BG meter, taking a reading before and again 2hrs after eating, and seeing what the differences are, helps them 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 you would want to see a rise of no more than 2-3mmol/L at the 2hr mark.
Once you can see how you respond to different meals you can begin experimenting with reducing portion sizes of the carbs where you see bigger rises. You might find that you are particularly sensitive to carbohydrate from one source (eg bread), but have more liberty with others (eg oats or basmati rice) - It’s all very individual! You might even find that just having things at a different time of day makes a difference - with breakfast time being the trickiest.
Over weeks and months of experimentation you can gradually tweak and tailor your menu to find one that suits your tastebuds, your waistline, your budget and your BG levels - and a way of eating that is flexible enough to be sustainable long-term. 🙂
Good luck, and let us know how you get on 🙂
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. It’s really the cost of the strips that mounts up over time - and some brands can be £25-30 for a pot of 50!
Many new members find it can be really helpful to keep a brutally honest food diary for a week or two. Note down everything you eat and drink, along with a reasonable estimate of the total carbohydrate content in your meals and snacks (not just ‘of which sugars’, it’s the total carbohydrate that is most useful. It might sound like a bit of a faff, and will involve weighing portions, squinting at the fine print on packaging, and possibly looking up things on the internet, but it will give you a really good idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu. Once you can see which meals or snacks are your ‘big hitters’, and where carbs might be unexpectedly lurking, the process might also suggest some likely candidates for swaps, portion reductions, or using lower carb alternatives (eg celeriac or swede mash, or cauli ‘rice’).
As you’ve already suggested, 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.
Many members here find that using a BG meter, taking a reading before and again 2hrs after eating, and seeing what the differences are, helps them 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 you would want to see a rise of no more than 2-3mmol/L at the 2hr mark.
Once you can see how you respond to different meals you can begin experimenting with reducing portion sizes of the carbs where you see bigger rises. You might find that you are particularly sensitive to carbohydrate from one source (eg bread), but have more liberty with others (eg oats or basmati rice) - It’s all very individual! You might even find that just having things at a different time of day makes a difference - with breakfast time being the trickiest.
Over weeks and months of experimentation you can gradually tweak and tailor your menu to find one that suits your tastebuds, your waistline, your budget and your BG levels - and a way of eating that is flexible enough to be sustainable long-term. 🙂
Good luck, and let us know how you get on 🙂
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