How can you tell how your body is coping

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@sarahb83 - has someone mistakenly told you that you got diabetes through being overweight? That simply is not true - if you are genetically disposed to type 2 then you will put on weight very easily indeed - and it is so difficult to lose weight de to your metabolism.
I think that some people take delight in blaming the person, not the diet.
I changed my intake of carbs, cutting it right down from the stupid high carb diet the GP put me on to lower cholesterol and make me thinner - it did just the opposite. Without even thinking about it, I found I was at least 50lb lighter.
As I wrote earlier, your numbers are just fine, well in the normal range, I can't see anything at all concerning.
 
sarahb83 said:
I did joes 30 minute sweat class (it’s 30 minutes of vigorous exercise) this morning been a while since I’ve done that one and I was shocked I barely even broke a sweat so that appears to not be enough for me now back in September I was ready to collapse after 20 minutes of it so my fitness is much improved from what it was and I know that there will be a lot less strain in my heart from shedding the excess weight
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You are amazing.
You have done so well.
Your figures are normal.
Ignore the Muppets on this thread that say anything else.
You have totally nailed it!
I reversed my type 2 with weight loss, it was a hard road, but it seems you had the strength to walk it as well
 
sarahb83 said:
I’ve been on anti depressants on and off since I was 20 (I’m 38 now) 5 years ago when I went back on them again I was told I couldn’t come off them (every time I’m put on them I’m desperate not to be taking them) I have 2 daughters age 10 and 14 and a 19 year old son who is disabled he has global developmental delay so it can be extremely challenging.
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I can understand that. It must bring you a lot of worry and stress.
All this exercise and weight loss has made you more sensitive to the insulin you naturally produce, so you're doing the right thing. It's obviously working for you.

I've been on & off antidepressants since around 20ish too, I'm never quite sure if they help, but I like to think they do.

Put it this way, my sugars were 5.2 and I ate 80g of complex carbs for my supper, along with 16 units of fast acting insulin & a background (basal) dose of 24u of insulin I inject every night & my sugars were 8.2 after 2 hours. I'm not overweight and never have been. You're doing better than me.
 
sarahb83 said:
Even though I’ve 7 months post diagnosis I still feel like I know nowhere near the information about type 2 diabetes and my own type 2 diabetes that I need to know. I’m often wondering how my body is coping and what is actually going on and is there anything you should specifically keep an eye on? I’ve had quite a carb heavy lunch today nearly 40g and my pre lunch bg was 5.8 and 2 hours post meal I’m 6.7 I think that’s ok but the question is after my latest hba1 result of 38 is my body now trying to cope with the carbs better than it would have been at diagnosis when my hba1c was 89? I think I’m doing ok ish I just wondered what other peoples experiences are? I’m not on any meds at all (except anti depressants) so I’m looking at this like whatever my body is doing it’s doing it unaided by any medication - what’s on my mind is …..by me getting a grip on myself and shedding the ridiculous excess weight have I given my body a break and let it work a bit more freely and effectively?
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Just to answer the original question: It sounds like you're probably like the majority of T2D's in that it was caused by having too much visceral fat, ie fat around the liver and pancreas => liver chugs out too much glucose & pancreas doesn't chug out enough insulin, in a nasty spiral. Losing weight => reducing visceral fat can break the cycle & put you into remission/reversal/whatever you want to call it.

The numbers you quote are perfectly "normal" and consistent with having gotten to that point - congratulations!

If you don't put weight back on, chances are you can forget about diabetes and find something else to worry about 🙂

FWIW, the main thing I monitor to give comfort I'm still in remission/reversal/whatever is my waking BG level. If that's "normal" - ie in the 4's or low 5's - it means that visceral fat hasn't crept back & screwed up my liver BG production again; which would probably be the first sign that things had gotten out of hand (pancreas not chugging out enough insulin would probably follow later).

If your HbA1c is also normal, then I would say you're fine, "normal", in remission, whatever. In that case, don't worry about post-eating BG levels - temporary "spikes" don't matter and non-diabetics have them too.

Anyway, that's the way I approach things. Somebody up-thread recommended Roy Taylor's book. I second that, for its great presentation on the metabolism & what actually gets deranged in this form of diabetes, and how.
 
sarahb83 said:
My nurse suggested councilling just after as I was diagnosed when I sat in her consulting room breaking my heart for 45 minutes she thinks I lose perspective and she says it’s all to do with me watching what happened to my mother in law. I just feel like I’m working so hard to keep on top of this I wish there was some way of knowing other than waiting for my next hba1c to say yeah you’re still doing ok here. I’m now 8st smaller than I was when I got married 13 years ago and I look completely different and that’s unsettling me a bit aswell I think x
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You have made alot of changes and fear is not irational. But the changes you have made are amazing - if you keep on the low carb and keep your weight in check you should be ok for a long time. But I think a talking therapy might be a good plan. I am an anxious bunny too and now i have got the hba1c down to a good level I keep thinking i'm gonna betray my self. I ate two haribo squashies the other day and considered making myself throw up but that is just nuts, so i just had less for dinner. I think talking to someone might help but you have done wonders, and please take that as a win. x

I think you are in the NE - so if you've not read professor roy taylor's 'life without diabetes' do read it. It inspired me and is my go to bible.
 
@trophywench i eat a whole pizza and I am far from obese.
A well made base is not boring. It has flavour just like good bread has flavour and potatoes have flavour.
We are no longer living in the 50s with tasteless stodgy that we have to eat. We have a huge variety of good tasty ingredients that we can chose to eat.
 
helli said:
@trophywench i eat a whole pizza and I am far from obese.
A well made base is not boring. It has flavour just like good bread has flavour and potatoes have flavour.
We are no longer living in the 50s with tasteless stodgy that we have to eat. We have a huge variety of good tasty ingredients that we can chose to eat.
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Definitely.
I can easily eat a while pizza, no issue at all, all it requires it to plan it into a healthy diet, and away you go.
 
Well pardon me, being 5ft 2, small boned and not having a body being able to cope with more than approx 40g carb at any one time.
 
Good morning @sarahb83

Firstly congratulations on getting to grips with your diabetes and getting your levels back in range. Whatever you did your regular testing before and after meals is already showing you that your changes have worked. Well done.

I would also recommend that you take up the offer of counselling. For me managing I reached the point where my diabetes tipped me over the edge. Persuaded by others on here I sought help and the counselling that I had was so helpful. It is effectively an individual approach to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) which helped me to rethink how I thought about myself.

You will see from the discussions in this thread that there are many approaches to diabetes, and each of us has to find what works for us. The steps that you have taken have worked, and your glucose tests show this. They give you a much clearer picture than the HbA1c but This value gives you a good marker to acknowledge your progress, as shown with yours. Well done.
 
A little story to tell you all, mainly regarding weight, when I was slightly younger than 12 years old, my weight suddenly rocketed over a fairly short time, now this was in 1959/60. Mum took me to the doc who said it was puppy fat. After many months in and out of hospital having tests it was discovered that I had the truly awful condition called Polycystic ovary syndrome, which causes many things, one of which is weight gain. All these years on with that, and all the other symptoms I have lived with that come with this syndrome, have made my life hell. I can, and I have lost weight but I have to work ten times harder than women who don’t have this condition.

My late mother used to say about doctors “if in doubt blame the patient” . To this day, that’s how I feel. There is also a predisposition in my family for both types of diabetes, of the family members who had type 2 not a single one of them weighed more than 9st. I had an uncle who did not have diabetes, but who always had to watch his weight, and an aunt, but they were the only two who had to watch, and they were never obese. My brother who is my only living relative has had type 2 since his late 30s, again he was not overweight. He is 10 years younger than me. I am now 73. My mother was one of 7, my father one of 5.

I am 5’1”.

Lastly, imagine my gaping mouth when my DN thinks I may need to go on Glicazlide, which I came off in 2016 because it caused me to gain weight!
 
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trophywench said:
There are people of course who eat an entire pizza and think nothing of it - seem to think that's 'normal' -that's why there's practically an obesity epidemic!
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My previous comment was based on this remark rather than how many carbs your body is able to manage.

I may have been a little direct but wanted to highlight we all have different bodies and lifestyles. It is unfair to assume we have an obesity epidemic due to all the people who can eat an entire pizza and think nothing of it.
I am a tad taller than you (5'4") and my pizza eating body has a BMI of 21.5.
 
helli said:
My previous comment was based on this remark rather than how many carbs your body is able to manage.

I may have been a little direct but wanted to highlight we all have different bodies and lifestyles. It is unfair to assume we have an obesity epidemic due to all the people who can eat an entire pizza and think nothing of it.
I am a tad taller than you (5'4") and my pizza eating body has a BMI of 21.5.
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I'm certainly not 5ft 2, I am definitely not small boned either.
And what's a "pizza"?
I'm currently in Wetherspoons.

8" Margherita 466 calories

11" spicy meat feast 1230 cal
Add chicken breast, bacon, and garlic and herb dip, 1596 calories.
 
Went out for tea last night as my son turned 19! Had deep fried crispy cauliflower to start (portion was huge so I went halves with my mam) then went for the burger but added an extra burger, without the bun and sweet the fries for sweet potato ones. Bg 2 hours after 6.8 quite happy with that
 
sarahb83 said:
Went out for tea last night as my son turned 19! Had deep fried crispy cauliflower to start (portion was huge so I went halves with my mam) then went for the burger but added an extra burger, without the bun and sweet the fries for sweet potato ones. Bg 2 hours after 6.8 quite happy with that
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That's a great result.
I swapped my diet for sweet potato originally, and I still prefer them now.
I oven bake cauliflower, just chop the florets into bite size pieces, a quick spray of one cal, season to taste, and bake in a hot oven.
 
travellor said:
That's a great result.
I swapped my diet for sweet potato originally, and I still prefer them now.
I oven bake cauliflower, just chop the florets into bite size pieces, a quick spray of one cal, season to taste, and bake in a hot oven.
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Yeah I tend to go for oven baked sweet potato chips, oven baked cauliflower, turnip mash or edamame pasta as my potato/pasta substitutes
 
sarahb83 said:
Went out for tea last night as my son turned 19! Had deep fried crispy cauliflower to start (portion was huge so I went halves with my mam) then went for the burger but added an extra burger, without the bun and sweet the fries for sweet potato ones. Bg 2 hours after 6.8 quite happy with that
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When I checked I got a higher rise from sweet potato than from ordinary. I tried it twice with the same results, but then abandoned all potatoes anyway.
I also get more carbs out of peas and beans that there ought to be in them, so it might be something to check if results should ever become different - my reaction to carbs is quite different now from the months after diagnosis. This diabetes lark certainly needs watching.
 
sarahb83 said:
Yeah I tend to go for oven baked sweet potato chips, oven baked cauliflower, turnip mash or edamame pasta as my potato/pasta substitutes
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I use both cauliflower and swede - cauliflower is usually steamed, then chopped to put with curry or covered in cheese, and swede is boiled mashed, and often treated with cream, eggs then veges or cheese - makes lovely bubble and squeak.
You can see why I gave up on potatoes.....
 
Drummer said:
I use both cauliflower and swede - cauliflower is usually steamed, then chopped to put with curry or covered in cheese, and swede is boiled mashed, and often treated with cream, eggs then veges or cheese - makes lovely bubble and squeak.
You can see why I gave up on potatoes.....
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Nah.
Nothing like chips.
The crunch as you bite down into them!
Crispy food, not wet squidgy food.
I'll save that for when I can't chew any more.
 
travellor said:
The crunch as you bite down into them!
Crispy food, not wet squidgy food.
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In our house we call it the ‘crunch to smoosh ratio’. For optimum enjoyment need a bit of both I reckon :D
 
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