My First Post

[millwallbill]

For me it was like London Bus Syndrome. I`m OK for years & then I get hit with Type 2 & surgery for Aortic Valve Replacement in pretty rapid succession. So I am trying to balance diet & exercise, as well as general life style to meet these challenges. I`m retired now, but in my working life I was an inveterate snacker. I probably ate far more crisps, sweets & chocolate than was healthy - although I had a manual job. I still miss the snacking. But I`m sticking to the discipline like my life depends on it. Because it does.

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome to the forum, it is always tricky when you have to balance multiple conditions.
Many do find a low carb approach is successful in reducing blood glucose but how low you can do may depend on any medication you take for your diabetes, and how much work you need to do will depend on what your HbA1C is. Whatever way you choose has to be enjoyable otherwise it will not be sustainable, it has to become a new way of eating.
Have a look at this link for some ideas, https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
Snacking is often one of those things hard to change but choosing the right things it can help if you have to but having filling meals with protein and heart healthy fats will help you not to feel hungry though it is sometimes habit rather than hunger.

 

[Inka]

Welcome @millwallbill 🙂 You sound pretty determined so you’re off to a good start.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear about your T2 and your dicky ticker all happening in quick succession @millwallbill

Good to hear you’ve ditched the snacks. Sometimes it’s amazing how many extra meal’s worth of calories and carbs are concealed in those little mindless nibbles.

The first weeks are the hardest when trying to drop snacks aren’t they. Because if you’ve been having a snack at around the same time of day for a while the body gets to expect it, and fires off HUNGRY signals if it doesn’t happen.

It’ll quickly come around though. Especially if you can make the main meals more filling, satisfying, and sustaining (eg with a bit extra protein and good fats to keep you feeling fuller for longer).

Look forward to hearing how you get on 🙂

 

[Maz2]

Welcome to the Forum. People here are very helpful and I hope you get good advice.

I am pre-diabetic at present.

 

[s'nic]

Welcome to the forum, if you have any questions please ask. Someone will be able to help.

 

[Cher]

Hi, Thank you for setting up this forum. I am hoping to gain a lot of knowledge from the posts. I only found out today that I am pre-diabetic. It wasn't a surprise, as I felt I was having symptoms of high sugar levels. Also - I know my diet isn't good. The alarm bells are now ringing and I am determined to do something about it. I gave up alcohol over ten years ago - let's hope giving up sugar and fat will also be possible. I eat takeaways, snack often, buy convenience food - and these are things I know I can change. Finding good quality fresh produce is going to be a problem - I am disabled, 65 next week, and the cost of living is literally killing me. But I have to work out how to eat healthy on my limited income - and I will save money by buying less takeaways. I need some good recipes for batch cooking! Best wishes to everyone on the site.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi, Thank you for setting up this forum. I am hoping to gain a lot of knowledge from the posts. I only found out today that I am pre-diabetic. It wasn't a surprise, as I felt I was having symptoms of high sugar levels. Also - I know my diet isn't good. The alarm bells are now ringing and I am determined to do something about it. I gave up alcohol over ten years ago - let's hope giving up sugar and fat will also be possible. I eat takeaways, snack often, buy convenience food - and these are things I know I can change. Finding good quality fresh produce is going to be a problem - I am disabled, 65 next week, and the cost of living is literally killing me. But I have to work out how to eat healthy on my limited income - and I will save money by buying less takeaways. I need some good recipes for batch cooking! Best wishes to everyone on the site.

Welcome to the forum, if only prediabetic usually people don't get many symptoms but at least that has allowed you to be given a heads up to make some changes to your diet.
Frozen veg are just as good as fresh if you can't get those but takeaways are a source of hidden carbs unless you are careful. Either batch cooking is a good idea and then you can have home made ready meals.
By cutting portion size then that can also be a saving as I found what used to do 4 portions now does 6. I had a 400g pack of mince beef and used half to make burgers for 2 and the rest made a bolognaise with added veg made 4 meals.
Have a look at this link for some ideas or modifying your diet https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
Some modest changes are probably all that is needed. Unless you need to reduce fat for other health reasons then no need to as fats and protein do not convert to glucose, it is the carbs. Remember it is all carb not just 'sugar' so the information to look for on packets etc is the total carbs not just the sugar.

 

[Cher]

Thank you for your welcome. The portion size advice is very useful. When I cook, I tend to make far too much and because it doesn't seem the same when it is frozen, I will eat larger portions while it is fresh. But this is not a good idea really, I see that now. Thank you for the heads up about carbs, too. I will check the labels. I have a carer who is diabetic and he said that apples contain a lot of sugar. I just looked up on the internet and it said apples are fine because the sugar is natural. I hope this is true, because I thought I would snack on an apple instead of my usual bar of chocolate. I will check out the link you gave me. You have given me a lot of advice, and it is appreciated.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you for your welcome. The portion size advice is very useful. When I cook, I tend to make far too much and because it doesn't seem the same when it is frozen, I will eat larger portions while it is fresh. But this is not a good idea really, I see that now. Thank you for the heads up about carbs, too. I will check the labels. I have a carer who is diabetic and he said that apples contain a lot of sugar. I just looked up on the internet and it said apples are fine because the sugar is natural. I hope this is true, because I thought I would snack on an apple instead of my usual bar of chocolate. I will check out the link you gave me. You have given me a lot of advice, and it is appreciated.

What suits one person may not suit another because everybody is different in how they cope with carbohydrates, I would ignore the 'sugar' and concentrate on the carbs. The way people manage their condition will vary also as some may just be diet or diet plus a variety of medication so be wary of taking what somebody else says as gospel.
You may find the book or app Carbs and Cals useful to compare various food items and portion sizes. Chocolate is not totally off the menu but better if it is dark choc and had as a treat rather than every day.
I find things like chilli, curries, casseroles actually are better if frozen as the flavours develop.
*

 

[rebrascora]

@Cher
Your body doesn't care if the sugars are "natural" or not, it just breaks them all down into glucose. Yes, an apple is better than a chocolate bar, but you can still have a little chocolate. For most of us, it is now a square of 70%+ dark chocolate rather than a sweet milk chocolate bar. It is about making lower carb choices and reducing the portion size. I tend to have my square of dark chocolate with a spoon of crunchy peanut butter (fat and protein but not many carbs) to make it more filling and satisfying. Half an apple with some cheese works well for me as a snack too. The fat and protein in the cheese is filling but also slows down the release of the sugars in the apple. Again portion control with the higher carb foods is important, so just an half an apple rather than the whole one at a time. Save the other half for tomorrow or later in the day. Some people have their apple with peanut butter instead of cheese.

 

[Cher]

Thank you so much for your advice. For some reason I have been thinking that as long as you have natural sugars it is alright. So I have been eating a whole apple and not thinking that it would make a difference - this is trickier than I thought. It isn't just about ditching fast food and junk and just eating natural fruit, veg. etc. I need to give it a bit more thought. It has only been 4 days since I had my diagnosis and I have thrown everything processed in the bin. Now I have a fridge full of fruit and veg. but if I am having to only have half an apple or whatever, the stuff is going to spoil before I have had a chance to eat it.

 

[rebrascora]

You may be able to get away with a whole apple at a time. We are all different. I was saying what I find works for me. As you are just at risk of diabetes, you don't need to be as strict as other people whose HbA1c is higher and well into diabetes territory. The way we find what our individual bodies can cope with is through testing.
By the way, I never put apples in the fridge and they last at least a fortnight, so a pack of 6 is easily gone in that time.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you so much for your advice. For some reason I have been thinking that as long as you have natural sugars it is alright. So I have been eating a whole apple and not thinking that it would make a difference - this is trickier than I thought. It isn't just about ditching fast food and junk and just eating natural fruit, veg. etc. I need to give it a bit more thought. It has only been 4 days since I had my diagnosis and I have thrown everything processed in the bin. Now I have a fridge full of fruit and veg. but if I am having to only have half an apple or whatever, the stuff is going to spoil before I have had a chance to eat it.

You may be OK with a whole apple as long as you don't have anything with many carbs at the same time.

 

[Cher]

Many thanks. I made some soup today - parsnip, ginger, apple. I only had half a bowl. Within a short time, I had pain in my leg - which has troubled me for six months. I felt quite ill. I wonder if it was the sugar in the apple - though it was a green apple. I question whether I am prediabetic. I have been going to the doctor for over six months - with skin that is not healing, and severe itching and pain and numbness in my legs. But they have said: "use cream" and "probably its a trapped nerve." I had to ask for a test for diabetes. I have had symptoms, including vision problems and feeling so tired, sick, and generally ill. I hope I am able to sort out my problems myself, because I am concerned that the NHS can't cope, and I don't think I can rely on the doctor. I have looked on threads on this site, and there is a lot of good advice, so I don't feel totally lost. But I do wonder why the doctor isn't thinking "diabetes" and I am concerned about care available and wonder if others are finding they are not being diagnosed. Because I thought I would be termed diabetic if I had so many symptoms for such a long time. I wonder if this situation is prevalent, with people just not being diagnosed.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear how difficult you have been finding things @Cher

Have you had an HbA1c check recently?

 

[Cher]

Hi, I had a blood test two weeks ago as I have high blood pressure. I asked the nurse if she could check for diabetes and she said she would. That's when I found out that I was "prediabetic". So I don't even know what HbA1c checks are. I have not heard anything from the surgery about what I should do. I am trying to find out myself. I just can't understand why symptoms have been overlooked for so long. Now I am worried it is too late to reverse it. Because if the damage to veins and organs is already done, how can it be possible to make this all work again? The cut on my hand is never going to heal, by the looks of things. I just think doctors should take certain things more seriously - a cut not healing for over six months is surely not normal, and tingling and itching in the leg for four months, can't be put down to a trapped nerve. I've got every intention of making changes to try and help myself. But when you keep on going to the surgery about the same thing and no one listens, it is very worrying. My main concern is that I thought prediabetic meant that you had no symptoms, and I have been ill for ages and didn't know why. I see you have Type 1 diabetes, which I guess can be even more of a problem. So, I am sorry if I sound like I'm whinging. The truth is, I am feeling scared.

 

[Drummer]

Hi, Thank you for setting up this forum. I am hoping to gain a lot of knowledge from the posts. I only found out today that I am pre-diabetic. It wasn't a surprise, as I felt I was having symptoms of high sugar levels. Also - I know my diet isn't good. The alarm bells are now ringing and I am determined to do something about it. I gave up alcohol over ten years ago - let's hope giving up sugar and fat will also be possible. I eat takeaways, snack often, buy convenience food - and these are things I know I can change. Finding good quality fresh produce is going to be a problem - I am disabled, 65 next week, and the cost of living is literally killing me. But I have to work out how to eat healthy on my limited income - and I will save money by buying less takeaways. I need some good recipes for batch cooking! Best wishes to everyone on the site.

I find it is cheaper to eat a low carb diet than one full of carbs - I don't need snacks, I buy basic ingredients and avoid low fat options (which includes meat) plus I cut down on energy use by using a pressure cooker.
I have a lot of things frozen, I trundle along to the supermarket for fresh stuff on my 'chariot' - a red mobility scooter, which also helps me with a change of scenery. My aching feet are not due to diabetes, nor gout, but at the age of 73 I have to accept that I am not going to be running over mountains again, so I park up and take a wander around the gardens or lake in various places around here. Our house is at the top of some serious inclines, so travel would be a bit limited without the chariot, plus it is main roads and terraces all around.

 

[Drummer]

Many thanks. I made some soup today - parsnip, ginger, apple. I only had half a bowl. Within a short time, I had pain in my leg - which has troubled me for six months. I felt quite ill. I wonder if it was the sugar in the apple - though it was a green apple.

It isn't just sugar though.
Parsnip is quite starchy and it tastes sweet to me, these days.
The carbohydrates are the cause of higher blood glucose.
When starting to count carbs I used electronic kitchen scales and a notebook with percentage carb content. I also used a sliderule to do the multiplication, but that isn't compulsory.

 

[Leadinglights]

The soup sounds delicious but don't forget that parsnips are a higher carb vegetable.
The hot weather could mean you are dehydrated but if it has been going on a while then unlikely.
I was given naproxen when I was getting pains in my lower legs but I did a lot of walking and standing when I worked. The pain seemed to resolve itself with taking the medication.
People often don't get symptoms even when quite a long way into the diabetes zone. Diagnosis is made from an HbA1C test which in simple terms is the average blood glucose over the previous three months. A result below 42 mmol/mol is normal, 42-47mmol/mol is prediabetes or at risk and over that actual diabetes. If you have had that test then you need to find out the result and then you are not second guessing about your symptoms being due to diabetes.
Sciatica is something that will cause leg pain.