My Type 2 journey

[Ian Robinson]

Got my result back today of my HbA1c, 49, not too happy with that, thought it would of been better since I've been on medication for three months and lost nearly a stone and a half.

Got to see the nurse next Thursday

 

[silver minion]

Sorry to hear you were disappointed with your hbA1c result after putting in so much effort. Well done on the weight loss Ian, it will make a difference and your blood sugars are reducing. Managing your diabetes is a long term process and you are very close to being under the diabetes threshold.
I hope your appointment with the nurse goes well.

 

[mashedupmatt]

Only a smidge over the diabetic level so whilst the result wasn't exactly what you were hoping for, you've done really well - keep going, it's a marathon, not a sprint

 

[rebrascora]

Sorry to hear you are a bit disappointed with your result and I can kind of understand that especially if you have put so much work into losing weight.

What sort of things are you typically eating for breakfast, lunch and evening meal?

I wonder if eating to reduce your BG rather than eating to lose weight might be a more successful option for you as an individual.
Have you been finger prick testing to see how your body is responding to the food you are eating. Perhaps that will help you make more progress, if you aren't currently testing.

 

[Ian Robinson]

I have cut my carb intake by quite a lot compared to what I used to eat, it used to be cereal, bread, potatoes three times a day every day of the week.

I know I have got to get more mobile after I had to cancel my gym membership for personal reasons and find it so hard walking with the dystonia in my foot. I can see how I ended up with diabetes and putting on three stone when I gave up smoking 20 years ago certainly didn't help. I've had one evening on the alcohol in the last three months at a party I went to when I had a few beers with family

Not got a BG monitor but I am getting one on payday this month as a priority

 

[Ian Robinson]

I love a salad but with it I like new potatoes, there is the no go now.

What could I beef up a salad with so it is more filling, I find a salad with no carbs not very satisfying

 

[Leadinglights]

I love a salad but with it I like new potatoes, there is the no go now.

What could I beef up a salad with so it is more filling, I find a salad with no carbs not very satisfying

Olives, feta cheese, coleslaw, boiled eggs, seeds, avocado, a few chickpeas, cooked green beans.
Once you get your monitor you may find a couple of new potatoes OK

 

[silver minion]

I find that a couple of new potatoes made into potato salad with plenty of egg mayonnaise doesn't affect my blood sugars very much.

 

[Lucyr]

I love a salad but with it I like new potatoes, there is the no go now.

What could I beef up a salad with so it is more filling, I find a salad with no carbs not very satisfying

Have some new potatoes then? Diabetes isn’t an allergy to carbs.

 

[Docb]

Like Lucyr says, have some potatoes, the problem is to control the quantity to a level your system can cope with. You will be able to get a better idea of what that is when you get your meter.

@silver minion 's suggestion is a good one especially if you make your own mayonnaise. I have started making vegetable (the filling is spiced whatever veg I have including potatoes) samosas to eat with my lunch - looks a lot more than there is.

The objective, at least in my view, is not to eliminate carbs but to control carbs to whatever level your system can cope with.

 

[Ian Robinson]

Thanks for that, I was finding I was getting obsessed with carbs, even my nurse said a small portion

 

[Docb]

One suggestion is that next time you are having a sit down with a brew you get a pen and paper and write down what meals and snacks you used to eat in a week. Then do a bit of internetting and looking on packets and alongside each thing work out roughly how many carbs there were in that meal. NO NEED TO TRY TO BE TOO ACCURATE!!! A good guess will do.

Add it all up and divide by the number of days and this will give you a rough idea of the carbs you were eating. Typical diet would give 250-300g carbs/day.

You then need to look at your list and think about how you can get to a lower carb intake (most of us aim for around 120 carb/day) with the minimum of disruption.

Look down the list and pick out the biggies. Will probably be things like spuds, pastry, biscuits, cakes or could be other things depending on what you eat. Look for things you can eliminate and things you can cut back on and things you can substitute. The suggestion about potato salad from @silver minion is a good example. Same quantity but half the carbs simply because there is half the potato in it. All the time, be looking for the big numbers.

For me, I eliminated things like the piece of cake I had got into the habit of eating with an afternoon brew, and the pizza I used to get as an easy meal. I cut back a bit on things like spuds, bread (smaller, thinner slice). I took things slowly and methodically and "molded" my diet into a lower carb way of eating which most would not realise I had done.

Must confess that being a competent cook and in charge of my own food helped a lot.

 

[Ian Robinson]

Many thanks for that info

I have got an issue writing as since the stroke my writing is like a child's writing if not worse, I was right handed. To keep track of calories as I counted at time my wife downloaded me the calorie app to my phone. I now use it to count carbs instead of calories. Yes I was eating up to 300g carbs a day now I keep it under 150g a day so half of what I ate before and the weight is coming off nice and steady

I was a big one for a very big bowl of Shreddies for breakfast, one of the highest carbs I could have picked now it two hard boiled eggs or two brown toast, and the later option I'm not happy if I have to eat

I have a very bad sweet tooth and used to eat loads of chocolate and cakes. As a treat now and to stop the cravings I have a blue ribband, only 9g carbs and I know I've had a fix. Dunking biscuits in tea/coffee and I'm not just talking a few cups I'm talking every cup. This has had to stop completely.

I used to get away with this when I was working 12 hour shift but when I retired due to the unbearable pain in my foot and become very inactive, pilled the weight on and the damage soon followed.

I could go on and on

 

[Docb]

Looks to me like you have got things covered @Ian Robinson. In my book, steady and sustainable is a good way to go. If your weight is coming down nicely then wait and see where it plateaus out and think again if you have not got to whatever weight you think might be right for you.

 

[Lucyr]

have got an issue writing as since the stroke my writing is like a child's writing if not worse, I was right handed

There’s no requirement to write. I can’t write by hand either unless I use my left hand, and am naturally right handed. Typing or voice noting on my phone works just as well. Only time I have to write is my signature very occasionally, which I can’t yet do but can do something simpler.

 

[Ian Robinson]

I think I'm getting my head around the carb counting bit just think I need to up my activity some what.

I was out with my daughter this morning and she asked me to go to the shopping centre with her. I thought yup just what I need, when I came home I said to my wife my walking is getting worse, I really need to keep at it daily instead of sitting in front of this computer. I've got a walking stick but I'm trying to use it on longer days out like when we go to the zoo with the Granddaughter 🙂 she told me it's there to make walking easier so use it, she is a stroke rehab therapist so I should takes note of her advice

 

[JimmyBlue]

how important are the

Good question, my DNS told me not to bother when I was diagnosed. But when I started to lose a lot of weight they then gave me a freebie Libre 2 to trial. The answer is, the glucose monitors whether the continuous monitors or the finger prick testers help you to understand what foods/portion sizes are having the biggest impact on your blood glucose levels. This information can then be used to inform ways in which you can modify your diet while still eating healthily. It also allows you to see what your blood glucose level is over time, although the finger prick tester is only ever a moment in time view.

If you decide to go down this route, and it is not compulsory, then the key thing is not to get hung up on the results but to understand them. I used to panic whenever I go a 9 or 10 after my main meal even is it was the only one I had had all week, now I look more at the what did I eat, how much exercise have I done and am I drinking enough water. These are all things that seem to impact on my BG levels.