Just diagnosed

[booboo73]

Hello everyone!!
Only last week I've been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes with no symptoms so I was very shocked!
I'm having problems understanding what my blood sugar levels should be and what foods to eat, any information would be gratefully received x

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome to the forum
Many people are quite shocked as they don't have some of the common symptoms, thirst, UTIs, frequent loo visits, blurry vision as they will only occur once your HbA1C is quite high. Knowing what that test result is will determine how much work you need to do. The HbA1C test is an average of your blood glucose over the previous 3 months and a level over 47mmol/mol will give you a diabetes diagnosis, if very high medication is most likely prescribed but if not too high then usually dietary changes will be sufficient to bring it down. Below 42mmol/mol is normal.
Many find a low carbohydrate approach will be successful in lowering blood glucose and losing weight if you need to. This is suggested as being no more than 130g per day TOTAL carbs not just sugar. The big hitters for carb content are not only the obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sugary drinks including fruit juice but potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals, tropical fruits which need to be avoided or only had in small portions. It might csound as iif there is nothing you can eat but basing meals on meat, fish, eggs, dairy and non starchy veg and salads and fruits like berries still give you plenty of options. You need to be aware of the hidden carbs in pre-prepared sauces and ready meals, but that is not to say you can't have those occasionally.
This link may help you with some ideas for meals and some good explanation.

Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home

lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk

If you would like to share what your HbA1C is and if you have been prescribed any medication then it will help people tailor any comments.
Please ask away with any questions.

 

[booboo73]

Thanks for your reply, I'm on medication now, metaformin 500g , apparently my last blood test was 35 which was last year and when I went this week it was 76, I just got shown a piece of paper telling me what I can and can't eat!!! Thank you for your help x

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks for your reply, I'm on medication now, metaformin 500g , apparently my last blood test was 35 which was last year and when I went this week it was 76, I just got shown a piece of paper telling me what I can and can't eat!!! Thank you for your help x

It is usual with metformin to build up the dose gradually to allow the body to adjust, taking with food is supposed to be best. Metformin will help the body use the insulin it produces more effectively but the dietary changes are equally if not more important.
It is difficult to say what people can and can't eat as everybody is different in their tolerance to carbohydrates, some can manage a slice of bread but not rice or pasta and others visa versa.
The best way to find what you as an individual can tolerate as by having a home blood glucose monitor and testing before you eat and after 2 hours aiming at no more than a 2-3mmol/l increase and as your levels come down no more than 8-8.5mmol/l 2 hours post meal. You would be aiming at 4-7 pre meal or morning /fasting readings.
You can also check day to day, week to week progress to see if your dietary measures are working rather than waiting 3 -6 months for a repeat Hba1C. The GlucoNavii is a monitor with the cheapest test strips available on line or Spirit TEE2. Many Type 2s self fund as they are not often prescribed unless you are lucky.
You can also check if you feel unwell.
Many find the diet sheets from the GP are too carb heavy unless you have a progressive surgery which recognises the benefit of low carb or low calorie approaches.

 

[booboo73]

That's really good advice thank you so much, I'm looking into buying one of those freestyle monitors with the app on your phone, but to be honest I didn't know what to look for so your advice has been brilliant, thank you again.

 

[Leadinglights]

That's really good advice thank you so much, I'm looking into buying one of those freestyle monitors with the app on your phone, but to be honest I didn't know what to look for so your advice has been brilliant, thank you again.

If you are thinking of the Libre 2 then they are pretty expensive as the sensor only lasts for 2 weeks and costs approx £40. People have been having problems recently with the phone app.
I would do your research if that is what you are considering and there is a free trail from Abbott of 1 sensor I believe.
They are invaluable for people on insulin and can be a useful but expensive tool otherwise.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @booboo73

Sorry to hear you were diagnosed out of the blue. Is there anyone with diabetes in your close family?

Did your diabetes come about because of a routine health check if you didn’t have any symptoms?

One of the biggest questions when newly diagnosed 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 the sugar content). 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’).

For a good overview of T2 diabetes, you might also want to register for an account with the Learning Zone (the orange tab in the main menu) which is packed full of informative bite-sized modules.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on 🙂