Just saying Hi and have a couple of questions

[Slippylizard]

Hi
Well I've been reading this forum frequently since last week when on Friday I was suspected of having T2 (pre Op check) and it was confirmed on Monday with a FBG reading of 14.1. My Hba1c was 100 😱, bit scary to me. I had been eating garbage and loads of carbs for the last few weeks. Anyway I weigh far too much with a bmi of around 33. Anyway to cut a long story short I have had another Hba1c test today which will give me full results. However my FBG was 14.1 on Monday and I have decided I would really like to try and tackle this with a Low carb diet and having been to my practice Nurse she is fully behind this as initially (for first 3 months, also her husband is a T2 and manages by diet) I would appear not to have any symptoms yet. I've done tons of reading on here and have the Michael Mosley book to start reading. I have been low carbing since Monday. I have also gone out & bought a BG meter. It also registered around 14 on Monday morning. However with low carbing yesterday morning my figure was 8.5 and this morning it was 8. Seemed to demonstrate to me quite clearly that low carbing is the way to go and that actually I could potentially deal with this by diet initially & by losing weight & exercising. About 3-4 weeks ago I had started back at swimming and have built it up especially in the last couple of weeks. I swim 3-5 times a weeks doing just under a mile each time. I've already noticed how much it brings my blood level down to a nice level. I'd love to know your thoughts on the kind of plan I'm thinking of as your experience will help me. I'm kind of thinking even if I go on some medication initially I'd like to try and get off it for a while at least. I'd also like to say what an informative and friendly place this seems to be. I can see this being "home" for quite a while. Thanks 🙂

 

[Northerner]

Hi @Slippylizard , welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but it sounds to me like you have a good plan in place and it's already showing positive improvements 🙂

I'd recommend a few things if you are not already aware of them - get a free copy of tips from Diabetes UK 100 things I wish I'd known about diabetes, Get a copy of the excellent Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker, and have a read of Maggie Davey's letter 🙂 All these should give you a better understanding of diabetes and how to manage it well.

Very good idea to get a meter, you can use it to gauge your tolerances for different foods - read Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S and also Testing on a budget so you can make best use of those precious test strips! 🙂 Much of blood glucose control is about experience, so try to learn something from every test.

I'd also recommend browsing the Food and Recipes section (member @Mark Parrott has posted some particularly good recipes 🙂 )

Please let us know if you have any questions and we'll be happy to help 🙂

 

[Graham Follett]

Hi Slippylizard. I too think you're going about things the right way - I'm in the same boat and, rather than take the prescribed Metformin, I'm tackling mine using exercise.
Swimming is good - but I find it boring, so with me it's cycling, and the gym in the bad weather. I use the 5:2 diet.
It's good and effective - I need to lose about 20kg or 3 stone. The two fast days a week concentrate your mind so much that you look at how you eat every day and that becomes a positive part of the whole programme. Google it.
Dr Michael Mosley (him on the telly!) has written a book called the Fast Diet that's very instructive and has great recipes and menus to make the fast days more enjoyable. Basically, you knock down your calories for 2 days to 1/4 what they should be - so it's 500 (f) or 600 (m). If you work at it your diabetes nurse will be saying "Goodbye, I don't want to see you again", within a few months. I started the 5:2 diet three weeks ago and have already lost 3KG.
Anything to avoid Metformin - it's side effects can be gross!
Good luck with whatever you do

 

[Martin Canty]

Congratulations on this new start, there are so many positive benefits to updating our routines to include regular exercise along with modifications in diet.

 

[Graham Follett]

Thanks Martin
But what is LCHF?

Graham

 

[Martin Canty]

But what is LCHF?

Low Carb High Fat, which is rather a misnomer as my diet probably contains about as much fat as it ever did.... Typically the macronutrient (for strict LCHF) is expressed as an energy requirement is 5% - Carbs 25% - Protein & 70% fat, though there is a lot of latitude for the percentages.

How I get to this point is having a diet which is made from scratch, omitting carb sources such as Bread, Rice, Pasta, Cereals & Starchy vegetables (such as potatoes) replacing them with green leafy vegetables

 

[Grogg1]

I was high when diagnosed (117). Until 6 months ago I was on 2 metformin tablets a day with no side effects. I then reduced to 1 a day and my hba1c is 42. I reduce my carbs but through testing I find I can tolerate some carbs better than others. Jacket potato if with butter or cheese is fine. Chips a big no no to a average size portion.

Your exercise regime is great. I only walk and do pilates once a week but I've just had a GP referral for the gym so I can have subsidised classes and a personal programme.

 

[Ljc]

Hi. Your doing well. As you had no symptoms your dx (Diagnosis) of Diabetes must have come as a shock, similar happened with me so it’s not unusual.
With LCHF please don’t worry about the high fat bit, basically it’s eating the good fats , if you Compare the low fat version of a product to the normal one the low fat one is likely to have more carbohydrate /sugar in it to make it taste better.

It’s good to hear you have decided to test, it really does help us to learn how the various carbohydrates affect us, as we’re all different in this, ie I could eat porridge with no problem with some people their BG (blood glucose) soars.

The the price of a pot of 50 testing strips of brands sold by chemists, vary from £15 to £30 unless you bought the SD Codefree meter whose strips are under £8 with VAT relief . If you’d like a link to it just ask.

 

[Grogg1]

I buy the strips in packs of 250 for £33 which is £6.60 per pot of strips

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01M0CIPNG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Slippylizard]

Thanks everyone for your answers. Whilst I may look like I know where I'm going my head is going round in circles. I suppose it was not such a great shock given my bmi but other things in life took priority. I now just have to keep on working at it. 🙄

 

[Northerner]

Thanks everyone for your answers. Whilst I may look like I know where I'm going my head is going round in circles. I suppose it was not such a great shock given my bmi but other things in life took priority. I now just have to keep on working at it. 🙄

You'll get there 🙂 Like I said earlier, much of this is about experience, and it's a marathon, not a sprint, so don't feel you should know everything from the start 🙂 Keep asking questions and learning 🙂

 

[Maz2]

Good luck to you with this. You seem to be doing well. I went pre-diabetic then got out of it after the diabetes prevention programme. Unfortunately, it has gone back up to 42. Not sure what I am doing wrong but am starting the testing regime again but, this time, if nothing has gone amiss after 2 hours I may try three as wondering if something may be spiking later and I am not picking it up.

 

[Maz2]

I was high when diagnosed (117). Until 6 months ago I was on 2 metformin tablets a day with no side effects. I then reduced to 1 a day and my hba1c is 42. I reduce my carbs but through testing I find I can tolerate some carbs better than others. Jacket potato if with butter or cheese is fine. Chips a big no no to a average size portion.

Your exercise regime is great. I only walk and do pilates once a week but I've just had a GP referral for the gym so I can have subsidised classes and a personal programme.

Wow - jacket potato!!. Lucky you. I have to be honest I have not tried since I went pre-diabetic (got out of it but gone back up again), as I have been scared to death of what it might do. May try one and test as I had used to enjoy them.

 

[Grogg1]

Wow - jacket potato!!. Lucky you. I have to be honest I have not tried since I went pre-diabetic (got out of it but gone back up again), as I have been scared to death of what it might do. May try one and test as I had used to enjoy them.

I put lashings of butter or cheese on it and eat the skin. Not something I would do every day but can get away with a couple of times a week

 

[Maz2]

Hi
Well I've been reading this forum frequently since last week when on Friday I was suspected of having T2 (pre Op check) and it was confirmed on Monday with a FBG reading of 14.1. My Hba1c was 100 😱, bit scary to me. I had been eating garbage and loads of carbs for the last few weeks. Anyway I weigh far too much with a bmi of around 33. Anyway to cut a long story short I have had another Hba1c test today which will give me full results. However my FBG was 14.1 on Monday and I have decided I would really like to try and tackle this with a Low carb diet and having been to my practice Nurse she is fully behind this as initially (for first 3 months, also her husband is a T2 and manages by diet) I would appear not to have any symptoms yet. I've done tons of reading on here and have the Michael Mosley book to start reading. I have been low carbing since Monday. I have also gone out & bought a BG meter. It also registered around 14 on Monday morning. However with low carbing yesterday morning my figure was 8.5 and this morning it was 8. Seemed to demonstrate to me quite clearly that low carbing is the way to go and that actually I could potentially deal with this by diet initially & by losing weight & exercising. About 3-4 weeks ago I had started back at swimming and have built it up especially in the last couple of weeks. I swim 3-5 times a weeks doing just under a mile each time. I've already noticed how much it brings my blood level down to a nice level. I'd love to know your thoughts on the kind of plan I'm thinking of as your experience will help me. I'm kind of thinking even if I go on some medication initially I'd like to try and get off it for a while at least. I'd also like to say what an informative and friendly place this seems to be. I can see this being "home" for quite a while. Thanks 🙂

I have Michael Moseley's books. I find them helpful and love his recipes.