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- Thread starter Msjardine
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Hi @Msjardine and welcome to the forum.
Depending upon how severe our T2 Diabetes is, we are often given few weeks/months so sort it out via lifestyle before being given medication. So which medications have you been prescribed ?
How high is your HbA1C ? - This the test which is used in the UK to diagnose Diabetes (though not which type of diabetes).
To be diabetic it must be 48 or higher in the current UK units though several people get the bad news that it is over 100 - in which case, no choice about avoiding medication.
The normal starter medication is Metformin, this just helps reduce the amount of glucose that your liver dumps into your bloodstream, it doesn't affect the glucose from the carbohydrates (starches as well as sugars) that you eat. So eating less carbs will probably have a bigger effect. - Just as well as Metformin (even in 'extended release form) can be hard on the digestive system for some people - if so, they have a choice between taking it or being able to move more than 1 min from the WC.
I got into remission (normal HbA1C numbers without medication within 4 months by eating a lot less carbs - cutting out Breakfast Cereal, grains (even whole grain), Pasta, Rice, baked goods, all Fruit Juice and almost all tropical fruit etc. and cutting back on thing with more than 10gms of carbs per 100 gms (just Google food name and Carbohydrates).
Meat (unprocessed), fish, eggs, cheese contain approx zero carbs as do high meat content sausages (even those with high fat are better than those with high carbs).Leafy green veg are good as are brassicas (include Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage) , Celery, Celeriac (a good potato substitute), cougettes, green beans, mange tout, avocado. Fruit is a bit limited, but Water Melon , berries (Strawbs, Rasps, Blackberries are pretty good, but BlueBerries are a little higher in carbs). Avoid Bananas, Mango, Grapes
Depending upon how severe our T2 Diabetes is, we are often given few weeks/months so sort it out via lifestyle before being given medication. So which medications have you been prescribed ?
How high is your HbA1C ? - This the test which is used in the UK to diagnose Diabetes (though not which type of diabetes).
To be diabetic it must be 48 or higher in the current UK units though several people get the bad news that it is over 100 - in which case, no choice about avoiding medication.
The normal starter medication is Metformin, this just helps reduce the amount of glucose that your liver dumps into your bloodstream, it doesn't affect the glucose from the carbohydrates (starches as well as sugars) that you eat. So eating less carbs will probably have a bigger effect. - Just as well as Metformin (even in 'extended release form) can be hard on the digestive system for some people - if so, they have a choice between taking it or being able to move more than 1 min from the WC.
I got into remission (normal HbA1C numbers without medication within 4 months by eating a lot less carbs - cutting out Breakfast Cereal, grains (even whole grain), Pasta, Rice, baked goods, all Fruit Juice and almost all tropical fruit etc. and cutting back on thing with more than 10gms of carbs per 100 gms (just Google food name and Carbohydrates).
Meat (unprocessed), fish, eggs, cheese contain approx zero carbs as do high meat content sausages (even those with high fat are better than those with high carbs).Leafy green veg are good as are brassicas (include Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage) , Celery, Celeriac (a good potato substitute), cougettes, green beans, mange tout, avocado. Fruit is a bit limited, but Water Melon , berries (Strawbs, Rasps, Blackberries are pretty good, but BlueBerries are a little higher in carbs). Avoid Bananas, Mango, Grapes
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Sorry to hear about your poor experience with your nurse but with an HbA1C of 112 mmol/mol it is unsurprising that you have been prescribed medication but I hope you have also been given some dietary advise because oral medication alone is unlikely to be effective without reducing carbohydrate in your diet.
Recognising what are high carb food so you can reduce portion size of those is important, many feel they have a healthy diet but what may be ok if not diabetic are not so if your body struggles to cope with carbohydrates.
The obvious things to cut out immediately are cakes, biscuits, sugary drinks including fruit juice but the not so obvious are potatoes, rice, pasta, pastry, bread, breakfast cereals, tropical fruit which many find are foods that they cannot tolerate with out their blood glucose being pushed up too high.
Many find a low carbohydrate approach is successful, and the suggested amount of total carbs is no more than 130g per day. This link may help you with some explanation and some do's and don'ts as well as some menu ideas. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
Consider what medication you have been prescribed as some can cause low blood glucose so too much reduction in carbs very quickly may not be wise, but reducing what you have by a third for a couple of weeks, then another third etc until you get to where you need to be.
I don't know why you were told that Weetabix is OK. Was that the nurse displaying her ignorance of the effect of almost all breakfast cereals? No, while a small number of Type 2's don't have too bad a reaction to Weetabix (or porridge), the majority of us are horrified when we first use a Blood Glucose meter to test the effect they have on us. Basically, for most of us, we react to brown carbs or whole grains the same as we do to the familiar white carbs.
One thing of note is that we aren't all the same, so some can 'get away with' eating small portions of certain higher carb foods while for others those may be on the list to list while others may be on the list that is 'not too bad'.
The only way to find out for sure is to test with a Blood Glucose meter (which most Type 2's can't get on prescription and indeed are often told not to use).
2 commonly used meters which hare more affordable in the UK are the Gluco Navii or the Spirit TEE2.
To test a food after not eating for over 2 hrs: test right before eating and then again 2hrs after eating it.
If the Blood glucose spike is 2 mmol or less then that food in that quantity is something your body can handle OK.
If the spike is over 3 mmol, then either cut down the portion size, or avoid it altogether.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @Msjardine
Gosh what a dreadful introduction to your diabetes experience
It's quite common to feel a little overwhelmed and emotional to begin with so be kind to yourself. Diabetes is a serious condition, but it’s also one that can usually be managed well with a few changes and adaptations - it’s something that you can learn to live well with, and it shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy. Try not to be disheartened about your diagnosis, many people on the forum later reflect that their diagnosis became a catalyst which prompted them to make positive changes towards a healthier and more active life. Perhaps changes that they had been intending to make for years, but never quite managed to get around to. More than one forum member comments how much 'healthier' and more energised they feel once they begin to make changes to manage their diabetes following diagnosis.
One of the biggest questions when trying to get to grips with your diabetes is often ‘what can I eat’ and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits. That doesn't mean that you have to avoid all of those things completely (which would be very difficult, and not very balanced), but getting the portion sizes right for your individual body, and choosing the sources of starchy carbohydrate that suit your body best can have a very positive impact on your diabetes management.
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 (not just 'of which sugars') in your meals and snacks - it doesn’t have to be gram-perfect, the nearest 5-10g is fine. 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, your diary might suggest some likely candidates for swaps, portion reductions, or using lower carb alternatives (eg celeriac or swede mash, or cauli ‘rice’).
Don't feel like you have to drop everything all at once. There are so many suggestions about 'healthy eating' that if you aren't careful you can feel like you literally cannot eat anything! Instead, it's better, as Arthur Ashe once said, to "start where you are, use what you have, do what you can".
Making a sequence of moderate and sustainable changes is less likely to result in burnout and you feeling like giving in.
One step at a time 🙂
Gosh what a dreadful introduction to your diabetes experience
It's quite common to feel a little overwhelmed and emotional to begin with so be kind to yourself. Diabetes is a serious condition, but it’s also one that can usually be managed well with a few changes and adaptations - it’s something that you can learn to live well with, and it shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy. Try not to be disheartened about your diagnosis, many people on the forum later reflect that their diagnosis became a catalyst which prompted them to make positive changes towards a healthier and more active life. Perhaps changes that they had been intending to make for years, but never quite managed to get around to. More than one forum member comments how much 'healthier' and more energised they feel once they begin to make changes to manage their diabetes following diagnosis.
One of the biggest questions when trying to get to grips with your diabetes is often ‘what can I eat’ and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits. That doesn't mean that you have to avoid all of those things completely (which would be very difficult, and not very balanced), but getting the portion sizes right for your individual body, and choosing the sources of starchy carbohydrate that suit your body best can have a very positive impact on your diabetes management.
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 (not just 'of which sugars') in your meals and snacks - it doesn’t have to be gram-perfect, the nearest 5-10g is fine. 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, your diary might suggest some likely candidates for swaps, portion reductions, or using lower carb alternatives (eg celeriac or swede mash, or cauli ‘rice’).
Don't feel like you have to drop everything all at once. There are so many suggestions about 'healthy eating' that if you aren't careful you can feel like you literally cannot eat anything! Instead, it's better, as Arthur Ashe once said, to "start where you are, use what you have, do what you can".
Making a sequence of moderate and sustainable changes is less likely to result in burnout and you feeling like giving in.
One step at a time 🙂
Welcome to the forum @Msjardine
Gosh what a dreadful introduction to your diabetes experience
It's quite common to feel a little overwhelmed and emotional to begin with so be kind to yourself. Diabetes is a serious condition, but it’s also one that can usually be managed well with a few changes and adaptations - it’s something that you can learn to live well with, and it shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy. Try not to be disheartened about your diagnosis, many people on the forum later reflect that their diagnosis became a catalyst which prompted them to make positive changes towards a healthier and more active life. Perhaps changes that they had been intending to make for years, but never quite managed to get around to. More than one forum member comments how much 'healthier' and more energised they feel once they begin to make changes to manage their diabetes following diagnosis.
<snip>
Making a sequence of moderate and sustainable changes is less likely to result in burnout and you feeling like giving in.
One step at a time 🙂
Absolutely about the feelings, I was near to tears quite a few times.
And those last two lines are in my view utterly crucial. You will be eventually making big changes to your lifestyle so they need to be sustainable.
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