Just diagnosed.

[Dozydave]

Hi all. This site looks like a great resource for me as I get used to T2 Diabetes. There seems to be a lot of emphasis on weight reduction diets. I'm not overweight. Am I wrong in thinking that, given weight isn't an issue, I can eat what I want, assuming that I'm getting enough protein, minerals, vitamins etc. OK, I know that diets such as the Mediterranean are proven to be 'good for you' generally, but my question is diabetes specific. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Drummer]

You can eat what you want to get proteins and fats, and probably some salad and a stirfry every day - the trick is not eat more carbs than you can cope with in order to keep your blood glucose from spiking.
I spent over 40 years eating diets which were supposed to be good for me and ended up hugely overweight and diabetic as well.
Going low carb has resolved the diabetes but I am so resistant to weightloss it is going to be a long slow process for me.
As you do not have a problem with weight then your return to normality will hopefully be a swift one.
A glucose meter is a useful tool to discover just what foods you can eat without getting spikes after meals.

 

[SueEK]

Morning Dave and welcome to a really good site. I am also not overweight and do test as Drummer said and I notice my levels spike with carbs. I do keep them as low as I can but confess I do find it quite hard but nevertheless it is essential. For example I had a ham salad sandwich that has only 9g per slice, 3 slices and my bg spiked from 4.9 (good] to 10.6, that is really bad, going up nearly 6 points. I now only have two slices when I have a sandwich. I can’t go as low carb as some others but it really does make a difference. I would suggest you get a meter as then you can discover which foods spike you and which don’t as everyone is different. Have you had an HbA1c and if so perhaps you could share the result so we know where you are on your journey, mine was 90 at diagnosis. Good luck with your diet and keep asking questions and let us know how you get on.

 

[Ljc]

Hello @Dozydave ,welcome to the forum. Fortunately you have found us as we can help point you in the right direction in handling your diabetes and helping you learn more about this condition.

When we develop T2 it’s because either our bodies are no longer able to utilise insulin , we no longer produce enough insulin or both . Insulin enables us to use the glucose our bodies need for fuel. Our bodies make glucose very quickly from Carbohydrates esp the starchy carbs, so no you cannot continue eating what you want, you need to help your body by cutting out / lowering the amount of starchy carbs you eat.
We are usually fine with protein and good fats.
We on here follow a a variety of diets, but they all reduce carbs.
If able exercise helps a lot too.

Have a read of these links , you will find them very informative.

This is a rather long one that explains much about controlling T2.
maggie-daveys-letter-to-newly-diagnosed-type-2s

This explains how we use the info a glucose meter give us .
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/test-review-adjust.html

If you want to test to find out how the various carbohydrates affect you as we are all different in this respect
and as is most likely your Gp practice won’t provide you with a glucose meter, it’s the ongoing cost of the testing strips you need to watch out for, the SD Codefree meter is the cheapest one we know of to self fund the cost of the test strips @around £8 for a pot of 50 high street brand are over £15 for a pot of 50.
You need to buy more strips and one box of lancets as they only provide 10 in starter packs.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Codefree-G...&linkId=f39210144fdc26c27738e45b6d957003&th=1

You will find the above and more on the thread called ,Useful links for people new to diabetes, which is at the top of the newbies forum.

Feel free to ask any questions you have about diabetes, we’ll do our best to help.

 

[Drummer]

Protein bread from Asda - looks like a brown brick, and is expensive, but it is 8gm of carbs for two slices. I am really sensitive to carbs so that is the only bread I eat, and only one brick a week - I put it in the freezer as I bulk buy it when I can get it - my last haul was ten packs.

 

[Dozydave]

Many thanks to all for your input - I'm learning - slowly!

 

[rebrascora]

Like @Drummer I am very sensitive to carbs and have insulin to use but prefer to keep it to a minimum and eat very low carb. I just don't eat bread anymore. That seems very radical after 50+ years of it being a staple of my diet and it took quite a bit of getting my head but once you figure out what you can eat instead, it becomes easier and I don't really miss it now. I wasn't heavily overweight but having lost a couple of stone very quickly, I now add more fat to my diet to maintain body weight and provide energy.
Good luck finding what works for you.