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Just been diagnosed with type 2 today
- Thread starter Redgti77
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Hi @Redgti77 and welcome to the forum, the people here are amazingly supportive, experienced and knowledgeable; I was diagnosed T2 on 30th May and like you got little information from GP, however I found this site and forums. If you want to share your HbA1c result people can tailor their responses easier. I started reading threads and working my way through the Learning zone red tab at the top of the page, counting and reducing carbohydrate intake, bought the book Carb & Cals very useful as it gives a comprehensive list of foods and is illustrated which helps with portion sizes, bought a glucose meter and started measuring my blood glucose on waking, before sleep, before meals and 2 hours after - I discovered that bread is my nemesis but I can tolerate small portions of cereal and potatoes.
Do ask any questions you may have, it is always said there are no stupid questions here!
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Welcome to the forum @Redgti77
Sorry to hear you’ve been left without much information to go on for the next few weeks
Were you told your HbA1c result? That’s a measure which looks at the sorts of blood glucose values you have been having over the past 3-4 months. It can help you understand where you are as a starting point.
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.
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 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’).
You may well have a load of questions swirling around in your head. Just fire away! Nothing will be considered as too obvious or ‘silly’.
Sorry to hear you’ve been left without much information to go on for the next few weeks
Were you told your HbA1c result? That’s a measure which looks at the sorts of blood glucose values you have been having over the past 3-4 months. It can help you understand where you are as a starting point.
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.
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 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’).
You may well have a load of questions swirling around in your head. Just fire away! Nothing will be considered as too obvious or ‘silly’.
42istheanswer
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That's a question to put on your list for when you see the nurse then 🙂 . If you're lucky she'll just print out the bloods for you to peruse at your leisure and ask about anything you're unsure of.
Are the tablets you were prescribed metformin?
Are the tablets you were prescribed metformin?
Leadinglights
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Many people find that a low carbohydrate approach works well in reducing your blood glucose. Metformin only gives the body a helping hand to use the insulin it produces more effectively but dietary changes are as important if not more so.
All carbohydrates not just 'sugar' convert to glucose to reducing then in your diet is a good start.
How much work you need to do depends on your HbA1C so it is a good idea to ask your GP for that. I assume that as you have been prescribed metformin you are a fair way into the diabetic zone the threshold is anything over 47mmol/mol will give you a diabetic diagnosis.
This link has a good explanation and some do's and don'ts as well as some ideas for modifying your diet. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
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