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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.
Hi newbie here
- Thread starter Jlimo
- Start date
- Status
Hi @Jlimo - Its hard isnt it. But you recognise this, and are now in a good place in dealing with it - Good for you. You have made great progress - keep going. Can you tell us what you HB1Ac levels were, are you on any meds or just coping with dietary changes. Also do you self test with a Blood Glucose monitor? - All these questions will help other tailor a response for you.
My initial thoughts are reduce ALL sugar, look in the kitchen cupboard for 'hidden' sugars too in things like ketchup, sauces etc. Avoid Rice, pasta, bread, potatoes. Replace these with protein (fish/meats) and 'good' fats. Start reading labels for TOTAL carb content of food and avoid the higher ones. Up your intake of veg (I use those that grow above ground as they seem to me to be less dense in carbs). I only eat fruit if it has 'berry' in the name, again because its less sugar (and only a small handfull at a time). Take exercise (If you dont already) A good 'brisk' walk (I believe 100 steps/min is brisk) its beneficial. Just 10 mins a day will help to start with. Make it your habit. Read all you can and educate yourself about this disease, it is serious, but you can control the beast. It just takes a little determination. Start this new life, keep to it and you will do just fine im sure. Embrace the change, accept the path you are now on and be resilient. You can do it ! 🙂
My initial thoughts are reduce ALL sugar, look in the kitchen cupboard for 'hidden' sugars too in things like ketchup, sauces etc. Avoid Rice, pasta, bread, potatoes. Replace these with protein (fish/meats) and 'good' fats. Start reading labels for TOTAL carb content of food and avoid the higher ones. Up your intake of veg (I use those that grow above ground as they seem to me to be less dense in carbs). I only eat fruit if it has 'berry' in the name, again because its less sugar (and only a small handfull at a time). Take exercise (If you dont already) A good 'brisk' walk (I believe 100 steps/min is brisk) its beneficial. Just 10 mins a day will help to start with. Make it your habit. Read all you can and educate yourself about this disease, it is serious, but you can control the beast. It just takes a little determination. Start this new life, keep to it and you will do just fine im sure. Embrace the change, accept the path you are now on and be resilient. You can do it ! 🙂
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Toucan
Forum Host
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hello @Jlimo, welcome to the forum.
Well done on your weight loss so far, that will be a big help towards reducing your blood sugar levels, even if it isn't showing up on the readings yet.
@Tee G has already given you some very useful information on low carb eating. If you want to know more have a look at Maggie Davey's letter, which shows how this lady approached the problem.
There is no ‘one-size -fits-all though and you need to find out what best for you.
The way we react to foods is different for everyone and diabetics usually have extra sensitivity to carbs. The amount of tolerance varies, and even the same foods eaten at different times of the day, or in different combinations, can have varying effects. Sometimes reducing the quantity of something you are sensitive to, helps.
It will help if you can find out which foods cause your blood sugars to rise, and eventually arrive at a lists that lets you maintain good blood sugar levels, that you enjoy eating, and fits your lifestyle in terms of how much preparation and cooking you like and have time to do.
A glucose monitor is a way to find this out, by testing before and 2 hours after eating. (The aim is to have a rise of 2 or less) Also if you can keep a tally of the total number of carbs eaten in a day, your morning reading will guide you on working out how much you need to adjust.
It is all trial and error, so try to be patient, you are aiming for the long term, and a diet that you can sustain.
There is more information on https://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/test-review-adjust.html
There is also a great deal of information on the various threads on the webs site, so it is worth a browse around.
Please let us know how its going and we will also try to answer any questions you may have.
Well done on your weight loss so far, that will be a big help towards reducing your blood sugar levels, even if it isn't showing up on the readings yet.
@Tee G has already given you some very useful information on low carb eating. If you want to know more have a look at Maggie Davey's letter, which shows how this lady approached the problem.
There is no ‘one-size -fits-all though and you need to find out what best for you.
The way we react to foods is different for everyone and diabetics usually have extra sensitivity to carbs. The amount of tolerance varies, and even the same foods eaten at different times of the day, or in different combinations, can have varying effects. Sometimes reducing the quantity of something you are sensitive to, helps.
It will help if you can find out which foods cause your blood sugars to rise, and eventually arrive at a lists that lets you maintain good blood sugar levels, that you enjoy eating, and fits your lifestyle in terms of how much preparation and cooking you like and have time to do.
A glucose monitor is a way to find this out, by testing before and 2 hours after eating. (The aim is to have a rise of 2 or less) Also if you can keep a tally of the total number of carbs eaten in a day, your morning reading will guide you on working out how much you need to adjust.
It is all trial and error, so try to be patient, you are aiming for the long term, and a diet that you can sustain.
There is more information on https://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/test-review-adjust.html
There is also a great deal of information on the various threads on the webs site, so it is worth a browse around.
Please let us know how its going and we will also try to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you for the replies Tee G and Toucan. I have been using a monitor and my readings before I went low carb and lost my initial weight were around 11. Since I have lost weight they are still reading between 9 and 11.5 so I am totally disheartened at the moment. I know I still have a long way to go weight wise 12st 6 at moment but I thought I might have been seeing a bit of an improvement. Incidentally my reading this morning before breakfast was 11.5. I have gone very low carb and cut out all the potatoes rice bread and sticking to vegetable soups, lean meat and chicken with plenty of veg. I do have a problem with my thyroid at moment (under active) and am waiting for another blood test in a couple of weeks to see if my medication is going to be altered so just wondering if this could be affecting blood sugars. I am on Gliclizide twice a day for T2. I have been doing a bit of research and was wondering if anyone has had any good results with taking a combination of Cinnamon and Chromium picolinate. I do walk but probably not as much as I should and have bought a dance DVD to exercise to when weather is not so kind.
Toucan
Forum Host
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hello again @Jlimo
Many thanks for your reply. You do look to be doing well with the low carb and the exercise, and you are seeing the results of this in your weight loss, which in the wider view of things is very good and important.
Maybe as @grovesy suggest the thyroid problem is complicating the blood sugar results, so I hope that you can keep going with your eating and exercise plan, as I am sure it will be of overall benefit.
I did read somewhere a while ago that cinnamon has a beneficial effect on blood sugars and I also happen to like it, so I do add it to food quite often but no evidence that it really helps.
May be someone else will happen along that knows more about Chromium picolinate.
Many thanks for your reply. You do look to be doing well with the low carb and the exercise, and you are seeing the results of this in your weight loss, which in the wider view of things is very good and important.
Maybe as @grovesy suggest the thyroid problem is complicating the blood sugar results, so I hope that you can keep going with your eating and exercise plan, as I am sure it will be of overall benefit.
I did read somewhere a while ago that cinnamon has a beneficial effect on blood sugars and I also happen to like it, so I do add it to food quite often but no evidence that it really helps.
May be someone else will happen along that knows more about Chromium picolinate.
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
I would have expected that if you have reduced your intake of carbohydrate considerably that you should be seeing lower results - only because low carb is usually so effective, but if you are trying to eat low fat as well, rather than including the fat which would come naturally with the meat or fish, or eating full fat cheese or yoghurts, it might be causing problems, with protein being broken down for glucose rather than being in ketosis.
There is the possibility that you have a slow onset lack of insulin, rather than being a 'simple' type two which is often assumed rather than tested for.
There is the possibility that you have a slow onset lack of insulin, rather than being a 'simple' type two which is often assumed rather than tested for.
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hi and welcome from me too.
I would agree with @Drummer that eating low fat may not be helping you but if you are eating very low carb then it may be that you are actually LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults) or Type 1.5 and not type 2 as originally assumed.
Diabetes of whatever type is diagnosed when your HbA1c reading is 48 or greater. Type 2 is assumed if you are an adult and overweight and/or have a carb heavy diet. Sometimes just your age is enough for Health Care Professionals to assume you are Type 2 and there is no specific testing to confirm it. If you are LADA, you may initially respond to Type " management strategies like diet and oral meds but eventually the pancreas runs short of beta cells and insulin production dries up and you are effectively Type 1 and require insulin injections to keep your BG in a safe range. At the moment your levels are not desperately high but if your readings are not responding to a very low carb diet then I would be discussing your diagnosis with your DN or GP and asking for additional testing to carried out to establish if you may be LADA.
Could you give us an idea of what your average breakfast, lunch and dinner consists of and also what you are drinking and any treats. Many people misunderstand low carb and occasionally people will be eating porridge or sweet potato or fruit thinking that it is healthy and therefore the carbs somehow don't count. If you really are eating low carb and your readings are still high then I would be concerned that you are most likely LADA and it needs investigating.
Many low fat products are higher in carbs than their regular fat equivalent because removing the fat makes things taste less attractive or affects the texture, so sugars or starches are added..... yoghurt is a prime example of this. Creamy natural full fat Greek yoghurt is lower in carbs than any of the low fat versions and the fat will keep you fuller for longer, tastes great and provides slow release energy. Many of us have double cream in our coffee instead of milk. Tastes great, makes us feel spoiled rather than deprived (and lets face it there are a lot of nice things that we have to avoid) and helps to sustain us until lunchtime or even teatime without getting the munchies in between.
I would agree with @Drummer that eating low fat may not be helping you but if you are eating very low carb then it may be that you are actually LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults) or Type 1.5 and not type 2 as originally assumed.
Diabetes of whatever type is diagnosed when your HbA1c reading is 48 or greater. Type 2 is assumed if you are an adult and overweight and/or have a carb heavy diet. Sometimes just your age is enough for Health Care Professionals to assume you are Type 2 and there is no specific testing to confirm it. If you are LADA, you may initially respond to Type " management strategies like diet and oral meds but eventually the pancreas runs short of beta cells and insulin production dries up and you are effectively Type 1 and require insulin injections to keep your BG in a safe range. At the moment your levels are not desperately high but if your readings are not responding to a very low carb diet then I would be discussing your diagnosis with your DN or GP and asking for additional testing to carried out to establish if you may be LADA.
Could you give us an idea of what your average breakfast, lunch and dinner consists of and also what you are drinking and any treats. Many people misunderstand low carb and occasionally people will be eating porridge or sweet potato or fruit thinking that it is healthy and therefore the carbs somehow don't count. If you really are eating low carb and your readings are still high then I would be concerned that you are most likely LADA and it needs investigating.
Many low fat products are higher in carbs than their regular fat equivalent because removing the fat makes things taste less attractive or affects the texture, so sugars or starches are added..... yoghurt is a prime example of this. Creamy natural full fat Greek yoghurt is lower in carbs than any of the low fat versions and the fat will keep you fuller for longer, tastes great and provides slow release energy. Many of us have double cream in our coffee instead of milk. Tastes great, makes us feel spoiled rather than deprived (and lets face it there are a lot of nice things that we have to avoid) and helps to sustain us until lunchtime or even teatime without getting the munchies in between.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum and well done on the positive changes you have been making @Jlimo
Hope your BGs begin to come down soon - keep at it and don’t lose heart!
if you maintain your low carb approach, and your BG remains elevated, it might be worth asking your GP, detailing exactly what you are eating and your BG results, as it might be that your pancreas is flagging a little and needs some support. But I have seen before that low carb doesnt always reduce BG immediately. The weight loss will certainly help!
Hope your BGs begin to come down soon - keep at it and don’t lose heart!
if you maintain your low carb approach, and your BG remains elevated, it might be worth asking your GP, detailing exactly what you are eating and your BG results, as it might be that your pancreas is flagging a little and needs some support. But I have seen before that low carb doesnt always reduce BG immediately. The weight loss will certainly help!
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