Looking for help/advice

[LinzF]

Hi everyone,
I’ve recently been diagnosed with type 2 at the start of lockdown. I’ve been prescribed metformin and told to watch what I eat, and that’s it.
Would welcome any help, advice or tips on how to lower my levels. I am 9.8 at the moment.
Many thanks
Lindsey x

 

[MrDaibetes]

I do not have type 2 but welcome to the forum, I'm sure there will be lots of tips from those living with Type 2 replying to you.
There is some helpful information here.

 

[Deleted member 27171]

Hi @LinzF

Welcome to the forum, I’m sure you’ll find an abundance of support 🙂

What was in the detail of ‘watch what you eat?’ - many people here find a lower carb diet helpful, but I’m certainly no expert in that area so will let someone with more knowledge fill you in. You might also find it helpful to work through the Learning Zone (orange tab at top of page) to get a bit more information.

Theres loads to take on board, but no rush to do it and this is a great place to learn from those who’ve been exactly where you are now. Have you been given a blood glucose monitor? - don’t worry if you haven’t its not uncommon not to be with Type 2, but can be a very useful tool for seeing how your dietary choices effect your bgl.

 

[Drummer]

Many ordinary type twos can get normal numbers by avoiding the foods they cannot cope with.
Most modern fruit is too high in sugars, though the lowest carb ones, those called berries are often OK in small amounts eaten with cream or yoghurt.
Grains are often far beyond us, so bread, baked goods rice pasta and the like all make the blood glucose go high. Porridge is sometimes alright, but needs to be tested. Potatoes and root vegetables such as carrots and parsnips are usually too high carb.
There are alternatives such as swede turnip celeriac, cauliflower and broccoli, bean sprouts and stir fries, mushrooms courgette aubergine sweet peppers lots of salad too.
We can eat meat, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts, yoghurt - though avoid the low fat ones as they are higher in carbs to 'improve' the texture, so it is not all bad news. Coffee with cream is also on the list.

 

[HenryBennett]

Hi Lindsey,

Welcome. I love the advice you’ve been given to “watch what you eat” - par for the course. GP’s and their DN’s (diabetes nurse) are decades off the pace. You’ll find most of what you need here. Find what suits you, but it’ll encompass exercise, reduce your carbs, test your BG regularly before and after meals.

First thoughts.

Henry

 

[SB2015]

Welcome to the forum @LinzF

You have already been given lots of links to useful advice. Have a read around those and other threads on the forum, and come back with any questions that you have. Nothing is considered silly on here. Just ask.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @LinzF

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, and that you seem to have been slightly set adrift, without much information to go on.

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 be wanting to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.

The really tricky thing is that blood glucose responses to various foods are highly individual, and it can be impossible for anyone (including your Dr or nurse) to say with any certainty which types and amounts of carbohydrate will ‘spike’ your BG without checking for yourself - whether oranges are OK, or if apples are better, or both are problematic and you should stick to berries... is porridge OK or best avoided... can you cope with seedy bread as a slice of toast... there are 1001 choices to make every day, and your best bet for a long and healthy life with diabetes is to find out what foods suit YOU personally.

You can use a BG meter, taking a reading before and again 2hrs after eating, to see what the differences are, to identify any carbs that seem to be spiking BG (initially in a way the numbers themselves matter less than the differences between them). Once you can see how you respond to different meals you can begin experimenting with reducing amounts of carbs and trying different types (sometimes just having things at a different time of day makes a difference). Gradually tweaking and tailoring your menu to find one that suits your tastebuds, your waistline and your BG levels 🙂

If you are interested in this approach you may find test-review-adjust by Alan S a helpful framework.

If you need to self fund your BG meter, the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 which both have test strips at around £8 for 50

For a bit more background information, the ‘useful links’ thread is a mine of helpful information - useful-links-for-people-new-to-diabetes

Members here frequently recommend Maggie Davey’s Letter and Gretchen Becker’s book, as very helpful starting points.

Good luck, and keep asking questions!