Hypers

[bevpugh]

Nurses and GPs mostly have no understanding of the power of self testing and unfortunately, the NHS doesn't have the funds to finance it for every Type 2, so of course they don't recommend it, but if you read some of the success stories here on the forum you will find that the majority of people find testing an invaluable tool in managing their diabetes well and in many cases, pushing it into remission. It can help to discourage you from eating the not so good foods when you see what they do to your levels but also encourage you to keep going when you make changes and start to see good results.

Which cereal do you have for breakfast?

Do you like skimmed milk? I ask this because if not, full fat milk may be better for your diabetes and more enjoyable.
Unfortunately the NHS advice is to go low fat and eat moderate wholegrain carbs but this is not helpful advice for many Type 2 diabetics. Wholemeal/wholegrain carbs (ie wholemeal bread, pasta, brown rice, sweet potato, etc) contain only marginally less carbs than the white versions and your body often doesn't care if they are brown or not and breaks them down in the same way, resulting in your levels increasing. Added to that, fat helps you to feel satisfied and therefore reduces hunger, so eating less carbs and more fat means that your BG levels will be lower and more stable and you won't feel hungry 2 hours after a meal and be looking for a snack.
Many of us find that creamy Greek style natural yoghurt (not low fat but full fat) with a few berries which are the lowest carb fruits (tartier fruits have less carbs than sweeter ones and our native berries tend to be pretty low carb, so raspberries and blackberries and blackcurrants and a few blueberries and some mixed seeds and perhaps chopped nuts, works well as a low carb start to the day. Interestingly a full English breakfast is also lower carb than a bowl of cereal, provided you don't have baked bean, toast/bread or hash browns with it. I am not advocating a full English every day, but once in a while as a treat, it is a nice low carb option.

Cereals are about 60% carbs which is a lot. If you have 50g of cereal, that is 35g carbs. Eggs, bacon, mushrooms and a link of high meat content sausage contain almost no carbs at all. Full fat Greek natural yoghurt is about 5% carbs and a few berries are about 5% carbs, so if you have 100g yoghurt and 100g berries, that is about 10g carbs. That means a breakfast of yoghurt with berries is more than 2 thirds less carbs than your cereal, so that is a very significant reduction just in that one meal.

You really need to learn to read food labels and in particular the Nutritional info on the back or side of packets, not the traffic light system on the front which is not much help to us diabetics.

I have frosted wheaties for breakfast I don’t like milk at all and just put a splash in the bowl it’s mainly a dry breakfast….I’ve tried Greek yogurt but my weight goes up eating it not sure why…but from what I’m reading from everyone I need to start testing and figuring out what’s best for me to eat …but thank you I appreciate your help

 

[bevpugh]

Protein is also supposed to make you feel fuller for longer than carbohydrate, so maybe try increasing the meat content of your meals rather than have potatoes?
We know it’s hard and nobody expects you to change everything at once. There are lots of good ideas though so try one or two at a time and see how it goes. Maybe change one meal first and when you’re happy with that start working on the next one. If you try to change things too drastically you won’t be able to stick to it, but if you really want to change you can do it, you just have to put a bit of effort in. Good luck

Thank you

 

[Lucyr]

I have frosted wheaties for breakfast

Frosted usually means “coated in sugar” so switching to normal ones would be a start at least.

 

[bevpugh]

Frosted usually means “coated in sugar” so switching to normal ones would be a start at least.

No point I would then cover them in sugar so I will just try something else maybe the Greek yogurt and berries

 

[Inka]

Afternoon..I’m having trouble with hypers why am I suffering so much with them ? How do they come on ? Is it something I’m drinking or eating? Any information would be appreciated thank you

Are you getting muddled with hypos? Hyper just means high. 10.1 is above the post-prandial target for Type 2s but I definitely wouldn’t call it a hyper. It’s within the non-diabetic range as people without diabetes occasionally go up to the 10s after meals. I’d be very interested in what blood glucose meter you have that’s labelling a 10.1 a hyper.

Carbs are pretty simple to understand and monitor once you get the idea. For the carbs in your sandwich you can look at the bread label. Supermarket websites have nutritional info too and are convenient to use to check things.

 

[Catbanj]

Hi. I'm T2 and was told by my GP to go google what to do .... which really wasn't helpful as there is a lot of inaccurate info out there. I ended up completely stressed and confused.... then found this forum and read everything. A lot didn't apply to me, but a lot did.

I got a BG meter and started testing, to work out what my glucose levels were doing.

I tested before breakfast, before and 2 hours after lunch, before and 2 hours after tea so 5 times a day. I also kept a note of what I ate and when. I aimed to be 4-7 before eating and 4-9 2 hours after.

I then made some changes. I started with breakfast, as I tend to have the same thing every day. I worked out that Ready Brek is great for me - my BG actually drops by 1 two hours after eating .... other people it sends BG sky high. I can't eat any bread at all- it sends me high and stays high so my preious breakfast of toast was a really bad idea.

Now, I usually test 3 times a day, before eating. If I am running high, I will either delay eating or reduce the carbs I eat. To my thinking, every test strip costs me 17p so it has got to be useful and achieve something.

I now use Nutricheck app to count carbs and be a food diary - you can look up the nutritional value of anything. It's about £24 a year. I track BG and everything health related on my Diabetes Connect App - a few pounds a year.

And the other change I made is I no longer graze - I used to eat inbetween lessons throughout the day- still the same amount of food but not in one go so I was always topping up my BG. Now I have my lunch at lunchtime - it also means I now take a lunchbreak, which I'd never done in the previous 27 years teaching.

T2 is not a quick fix. You want to make changes that are helpful, make a difference and are sustainable long term..... and it is hard at times. But the people here are brilliant, which makes a difference.

 

[rebrascora]

.I’ve tried Greek yogurt but my weight goes up eating it not sure why…

You probably put on weight eating Greek yoghurt because you had not reduced your carb intake and continued to eat high carb foods like bread and Frosted Wheaties which are one of the worst breakfast cereals for diabetes at 72gcarbs per 100g. If you are going to eat more fat, you have to cut the carbs.... and you need to cut the carbs to manage your diabetes well.....
OR
You can try the VERY LOW CALORIE Fast 600/Newcastle diet which is a short term 8-12 weeks meal replacement shakes based diet of 800 CALORIES a day. This is designed to encourage rapid weight loss and force your body to use up the visceral fat around your organs and in particular your liver and pancreas, enabling them to hopefully return to normal function and put your diabetes into remission.

Try measuring out the portion of breakfast cereal you typically eat and then weigh it and see how many grams it is in weight. I was shocked at how small the recommended portion size actually is for cereal and how much more I had been eating every day than the recommended amount..... that in itself will cause weight gain, let alone all the carbs in it causing serious problems for your diabetes. If I have breakfast cereal at all now, I have a tiny sprinkle of nutty granola on my yoghurt and berries which is just about 5-10g of granola and a 500g bag lasts me a good couple of months, usually much longer.

I would like to add that I was a sugar addict pre-diagnosis so I can understand you wanting sweet stuff like the breakfast cereal but cutting the sugar and other carbs like bread and potatoes and pasta and eating more fat and veggies has changed my tastes and enabled me to gain control of my disordered eating in a way that I have never had before and it has stopped the cravings for sugar and sweet stuff. And I enjoy what I eat and I have plenty of little luxuries and treats, but they are not sweet or starchy ones anymore. Amazingly, eating this way has improved several other health issues like IBS and migraine which used to leave me in bed in agony for a day almost every month. My skin has improved and my breathing and I feel fitter than I have for a lot of years and my sleep is so much deeper and more restful although I believe HRT has also helped with that.

 

[bevpugh]

Hi. I'm T2 and was told by my GP to go google what to do .... which really wasn't helpful as there is a lot of inaccurate info out there. I ended up completely stressed and confused.... then found this forum and read everything. A lot didn't apply to me, but a lot did.

I got a BG meter and started testing, to work out what my glucose levels were doing.

I tested before breakfast, before and 2 hours after lunch, before and 2 hours after tea so 5 times a day. I also kept a note of what I ate and when. I aimed to be 4-7 before eating and 4-9 2 hours after.

I then made some changes. I started with breakfast, as I tend to have the same thing every day. I worked out that Ready Brek is great for me - my BG actually drops by 1 two hours after eating .... other people it sends BG sky high. I can't eat any bread at all- it sends me high and stays high so my preious breakfast of toast was a really bad idea.

Now, I usually test 3 times a day, before eating. If I am running high, I will either delay eating or reduce the carbs I eat. To my thinking, every test strip costs me 17p so it has got to be useful and achieve something.

I now use Nutricheck app to count carbs and be a food diary - you can look up the nutritional value of anything. It's about £24 a year. I track BG and everything health related on my Diabetes Connect App - a few pounds a year.

And the other change I made is I no longer graze - I used to eat inbetween lessons throughout the day- still the same amount of food but not in one go so I was always topping up my BG. Now I have my lunch at lunchtime - it also means I now take a lunchbreak, which I'd never done in the previous 27 years teaching.

T2 is not a quick fix. You want to make changes that are helpful, make a difference and are sustainable long term..... and it is hard at times. But the people here are brilliant, which makes a difference.

Yes I agree.. my doctors is useless I’ve had so much great advice today I’m going to start testing to help with my BG levels

 

[bevpugh]

You probably put on weight eating Greek yoghurt because you had not reduced your carb intake and continued to eat high carb foods like bread and Frosted Wheaties which are one of the worst breakfast cereals for diabetes at 72gcarbs per 100g. If you are going to eat more fat, you have to cut the carbs.... and you need to cut the carbs to manage your diabetes well.....
OR
You can try the VERY LOW CALORIE Fast 600/Newcastle diet which is a short term 8-12 weeks meal replacement shakes based diet of 800 CALORIES a day. This is designed to encourage rapid weight loss and force your body to use up the visceral fat around your organs and in particular your liver and pancreas, enabling them to hopefully return to normal function and put your diabetes into remission.

Try measuring out the portion of breakfast cereal you typically eat and then weigh it and see how many grams it is in weight. I was shocked at how small the recommended portion size actually is for cereal and how much more I had been eating every day than the recommended amount..... that in itself will cause weight gain, let alone all the carbs in it causing serious problems for your diabetes. If I have breakfast cereal at all now, I have a tiny sprinkle of nutty granola on my yoghurt and berries which is just about 5-10g of granola and a 500g bag lasts me a good couple of months, usually much longer.

I would like to add that I was a sugar addict pre-diagnosis so I can understand you wanting sweet stuff like the breakfast cereal but cutting the sugar and other carbs like bread and potatoes and pasta and eating more fat and veggies has changed my tastes and enabled me to gain control of my disordered eating in a way that I have never had before and it has stopped the cravings for sugar and sweet stuff. And I enjoy what I eat and I have plenty of little luxuries and treats, but they are not sweet or starchy ones anymore. Amazingly, eating this way has improved several other health issues like IBS and migraine which used to leave me in bed in agony for a day almost every month. My skin has improved and my breathing and I feel fitter than I have for a lot of years and my sleep is so much deeper and more restful although I believe HRT has also helped with that.

I’m going to try Greek yogurt I have a nutty granola in the cupboard didn’t think of sprinkling that on the top…I’m not a huge bread lover only really have sandwiches when hubby is home at weekends ….I will sort my eating out just got to see what suits me but thank you for your help I’m taking it on board everything I’ve been advised lots to think about

 

[Martin.A]

I’m going to try Greek yogurt

There are lots of brands to choose from but make sure you pick the Natural one, not one of the flavoured ones. The flavoured ones can have two or three times the carbs. Let us know how you get on with it.

 

[Leadinglights]

I have been out all day so just come in on this thread but just skimming through the thing that immediately strikes me is you are having a huge amount of carbohydrate and that is the likely reason for your high blood glucose. Keeping a food diary of everything you eat and drink for a few day and estimate the amount of carbs, info on the packets and internet as suggested but also weighting your portions as it is easy to under estimate just how much you are having. That will give you a good of where you are and how close you are to the suggested no more than 130g per day carbs that people will need to go to to reduce their blood glucose to a normal level. Though people will vary in how much and even what carbs they can tolerate.
This link may help you with some do's and don'ts as well as some good explanation and some menu ideas. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/product/freshwell-low-carb-manual/
Increasing protein and healthy fats will help you not to feel hungry when cutting down on the carbs.

 

[bevpugh]

There are lots of brands to choose from but make sure you pick the Natural one, not one of the flavoured ones. The flavoured ones can have two or three times the carbs. Let us know how you get on with it.

Thank you

 

[bevpugh]

I have been out all day so just come in on this thread but just skimming through the thing that immediately strikes me is you are having a huge amount of carbohydrate and that is the likely reason for your high blood glucose. Keeping a food diary of everything you eat and drink for a few day and estimate the amount of carbs, info on the packets and internet as suggested but also weighting your portions as it is easy to under estimate just how much you are having. That will give you a good of where you are and how close you are to the suggested no more than 130g per day carbs that people will need to go to to reduce their blood glucose to a normal level. Though people will vary in how much and even what carbs they can tolerate.
This link may help you with some do's and don'ts as well as some good explanation and some menu ideas. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/product/freshwell-low-carb-manual/
Increasing protein and healthy fats will help you not to feel hungry when cutting down on the carbs.

Thank you

 

[Maiden]

I’m going to try Greek yogurt I have a nutty granola in the cupboard didn’t think of sprinkling that on the top…I’m not a huge bread lover only really have sandwiches when hubby is home at weekends ….I will sort my eating out just got to see what suits me but thank you for your help I’m taking it on board everything I’ve been advised lots to think about

Good Luck with your journey
Defo keep a food diary and read the carb/nutritional value of food that you buy
All the best

 

[bevpugh]

Good Luck with your journey
Defo keep a food diary and read the carb/nutritional value of food that you buy
All the best

Thank you

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Yes I agree.. my doctors is useless I’ve had so much great advice today I’m going to start testing to help with my BG levels

Let us know how you get on @bevpugh 🙂

It can help to make a series of staged tweaks to your menu (though some do say they find it easier to go all-in all at once).

Ideally you are looking for a way of eating that suits your BG levels and which you can maintain and sustain long term that will get (or keep) your weight in a good place for you, and which you'll find enjoyable.

This may slightly adapt and adjust over time. Particularly if you have weight loss as one of your goals. Because reducing weight can help with improving insulin sensitivity, which can mean you have a little more capacity to cope with carbs as your weight reduces.

 

[bevpugh]

Let us know how you get on @bevpugh 🙂

It can help to make a series of staged tweaks to your menu (though some do say they find it easier to go all-in all at once).

Ideally you are looking for a way of eating that suits your BG levels and which you can maintain and sustain long term that will get (or keep) your weight in a good place for you, and which you'll find enjoyable.

This may slightly adapt and adjust over time. Particularly if you have weight loss as one of your goals. Because reducing weight can help with improving insulin sensitivity, which can mean you have a little more capacity to cope with carbs as your weight reduces.

Thank you