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Nervous Newbie

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
W

WelshRoo

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone
Thank you for letting me join.
I received the news yesterday afternoon that I have early diabetes and I’m due to see a diabetes nurse on the 13th Feb.
I don’t know if it’s Type 1 or Type 2 but I’m presuming 2 as I’m 38, overweight (17st 4 last time I weighed) and fatigue is driving me up the wall. Ive also found out since then that my grandmother on my fathers side has Type 2, as do her 7 sisters and both her parents did. My grandmother on my mothers side was also insulin dependant with diabetes so its always been in the family.
I also get what I call sugar dips and once Ive eaten something I feel alright.
Was being tested for PCOS too. Joy!

Looking for any and all advice I can find.
Ive had plenty of people telling me if I act now I can put it into remission etc so that’s what I’m trying to do. No more fizzy drinks (flavoured sparkling water will become a favourite I think) and trying to cut out all the junk before my appointment.

Have done a healthier food shop and added as much as I can in from the food information section of this site.

I look forward to getting to know you all
X
 
WelshRoo said:
Hi everyone
Thank you for letting me join.
I received the news yesterday afternoon that I have early diabetes and I’m due to see a diabetes nurse on the 13th Feb.
I don’t know if it’s Type 1 or Type 2 but I’m presuming 2 as I’m 38, overweight (17st 4 last time I weighed) and fatigue is driving me up the wall. Ive also found out since then that my grandmother on my fathers side has Type 2, as do her 7 sisters and both her parents did. My grandmother on my mothers side was also insulin dependant with diabetes so its always been in the family.
I also get what I call sugar dips and once Ive eaten something I feel alright.
Was being tested for PCOS too. Joy!

Looking for any and all advice I can find.
Ive had plenty of people telling me if I act now I can put it into remission etc so that’s what I’m trying to do. No more fizzy drinks (flavoured sparkling water will become a favourite I think) and trying to cut out all the junk before my appointment.

Have done a healthier food shop and added as much as I can in from the food information section of this site.

I look forward to getting to know you all
X
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum. Everybody feels a bit shell shocked to get a diagnosis but sometimes it is a relief as it explains symptoms they may have been having like thirst, frequent loo visits, tiredness and blurry vision but some are diagnosed with no symptoms.
With a history in the family it is a wake up call do do something now.

Many find a low carbohydrate approach successful as outlined in this link
https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/.
Other people find a low calorie or shakes-based regime will give them a kick start
Whatever route you choose has to be enjoyable otherwise it will not be sustainable for the long term.
If you choose the low carb way then low carb is suggested as being no more than 130g total carbs not just 'sugar' per day so keeping a food diary with an estimate of the amount of carbs you currently have in everything you eat and drink will help you know how far from that you are. Low carb does not mean NO carbs just the carbs you have should be worth it for enjoyment and not just empty carbs like sugar.
Diet fizzy drinks are fine but the flavoured sparkling water is also good, we are finding problems getting it in some of the supermarkets, a shortage of carbon dioxide I think is to blame.
It will help you if you have a list of questions for you appointment after reading about the condition. It does have to be taken seriously but with the right dietary approach is very manageable.
If you find out what your HbA1C is then it will give you an indication of your starting point and the amount of work that need to be done. Anything over 47mmol/mol will have given you the diagnosis of diabetes, between 42 and 47mmol/mol, at risk or prediabetes.
 
Hi WelshRoo, welcome to the forum.

Glad that you've found us at an early stage as a few consistent tweaks can prevent you from getting further within the diabetic range.

It can be tricky when first diagnosed as what's typically regarded as healthy isn't necessarily so for diabetics. Carbs/ sugars are typically challenging for diabetics to process so replacing and limiting them can help with getting your numbers under control. Flavoured water often still have sugar substitutes which have a similar impact so something like plain sparkling water with a slice of lemon may help.

The food section of the forum has some great ideas, just be sure to check whether they're type 2's or not. Do feel free to ask as many questions as you'd like and let us know if we can help in any way.
 
Hello and welcome

I’m newly diagnosed Type 2 (January 2023) and my GP has been really supportive but this forum has also been invaluable, with suggestions and ideas so do keep logging in, you will learn so much.

A low carb approach is working for me. I have ditched the sugary treats totally because I can’t be trusted to have just one chocolate and put the rest back and am instead concentrating on healthy, balanced, low carb meals.

Try and get a blood glucose meter from your GP, or buy one. I’ve found mine so useful and it lets me know what foods to avoid. For example, I went for lunch with mum yesterday and had cheese on toast at about 2.30. Got home at 5 ish, feeling a bit washed out, did my BG and it was 11.6. I now know to avoid lots of cheese in my future!!

Good luck, it does feel overwhelming at first but take your time to get your head round it, then make changes for the future 2.0 version of you.
 
Deb_l said:
Hello and welcome

I’m newly diagnosed Type 2 (January 2023) and my GP has been really supportive but this forum has also been invaluable, with suggestions and ideas so do keep logging in, you will learn so much.

A low carb approach is working for me. I have ditched the sugary treats totally because I can’t be trusted to have just one chocolate and put the rest back and am instead concentrating on healthy, balanced, low carb meals.

Try and get a blood glucose meter from your GP, or buy one. I’ve found mine so useful and it lets me know what foods to avoid. For example, I went for lunch with mum yesterday and had cheese on toast at about 2.30. Got home at 5 ish, feeling a bit washed out, did my BG and it was 11.6. I now know to avoid lots of cheese in my future!!

Good luck, it does feel overwhelming at first but take your time to get your head round it, then make changes for the future 2.0 version of you.
Click to expand...
It is more likely to be the toast than the cheese as it is the bread that is the carbs and unless they made the cheese topping using flour then the cheese would be virtually zero carb.
 
Thank you all.

Deb_l I remember my grandmother having a blood glucose monitor and she would test us all whenever she came to visit. I will make that one of my questions to ask when I go to the GP - do different foods affect people differently?

Im also cutting out sugary treats completely. I know its maybe ok to have things in small amounts or moderation but I know I am one of those people that if I am bored or preoccupied - I can eat a pack of jaffa cakes or a box of maltesers without realising. I can have a few squares of chocolate and put it away though but my brain knows its there so Id rather remove temptation all together at the minute whilst I adjust.

I was very tired yesterday but I think my body is getting to grips with not having sugar to give me a boost that I function on.
 
WelshRoo said:
Thank you all.

Deb_l I remember my grandmother having a blood glucose monitor and she would test us all whenever she came to visit. I will make that one of my questions to ask when I go to the GP - do different foods affect people differently?

Im also cutting out sugary treats completely. I know its maybe ok to have things in small amounts or moderation but I know I am one of those people that if I am bored or preoccupied - I can eat a pack of jaffa cakes or a box of maltesers without realising. I can have a few squares of chocolate and put it away though but my brain knows its there so Id rather remove temptation all together at the minute whilst I adjust.

I was very tired yesterday but I think my body is getting to grips with not having sugar to give me a boost that I function on.
Click to expand...
Food definitely affects people differently, you will read here that some people can tolerate for example 20g carbs if it is bread but not if it is rice or pasta or potatoes and yet others it will be exactly the opposite, and it also depends on what you eat it with. A good dollop of butter or cream or other healthy fats will alter how quickly the body converts the carbs to glucose.
 
The other alternative is to look for lower GI food in the first place
You can add fat to slow down digestion of higher GI food, but fat has twice as many calories as carbs, so it can stall weight loss if you are trying.
It's great if you are trying to put weight on though.
 
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