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[MissCeltic]

Hi

I was just diagnosed with Type 2 a few weeks ago so trying to get my head around it. I didn’t have any symptoms but it was picked up on a blood test for something else. My reading was 48 so just over the diagnosis threshold. Had my eye screening and it’s come back with no issues. I know I need to look at my diet though.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @MissCeltic

Sorry to hear about your unexpected diagnosis, but glad you have found us.

Hopefully, as you’ve made this discovery just ‘at the doorway’ to diabetes, you’ll be able to make some relatively modest tweaks to your menu and activity levels and see some encouraging results.

There’s some exciting new research funded by Diabetes UK which suggests a sort of personal fat threshold, where significant improvements can be made by losing visceral fat deposited around organs (even if a person may not look like they are carrying that much extra weight).

So aiming to lose some weight is usually beneficial.

Another popular management technique on the forum is to balance the total carbohydrate content of meals (not just sugar content) with the body’s individual tolerance to carbs. This can vary greatly from person to person - and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.

That’s not to say that you have to avoid these things entirely, but controlling portion sizes, and choosing the sources of carbs that your body finds easiest to deal with is a very powerful strategy.

For a general overview of diabetes, you might like to sign up for the Learning Zone (orange tab in the main menu above), which is packed full of informative modules that you can take at your own pace.

Good luck! And let us know how you get on. Plus ask away with any questions as they arise - we’ve lots of friendly members here just waiting to share their experiences with you 🙂

 

[Leadinglights]

Another source of information is this link.
https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/.
This a low carb approach but the menu ideas may be useful to you. I followed the principles suggested here and reduced my HbA1C from 50mmol/mol to 36mmol/mol .

 

[CaptTony]

I was told by my doctor that they do not diagnose at 48 on a first test if there are no symptoms. I had a blood test and it came back at 48. No diagnosis, and was told to re test 3 months later. I changed diet asap and now on a permanent low carb regime and after 3 months the number was 39 and recently a year on 36. I was 86 kg (5’10”) now stable at 72-74kg. I was never diagnosed and had none of the tests a diabetes diagnosis would demand. As I am now in the normal range I am not having any follow up except annually given meds for cholesterol and hypertension.

 

[Leadinglights]

I was told by my doctor that they do not diagnose at 48 on a first test if there are no symptoms. I had a blood test and it came back at 48. No diagnosis, and was told to re test 3 months later. I changed diet asap and now on a permanent low carb regime and after 3 months the number was 39 and recently a year on 36. I was 86 kg (5’10”) now stable at 72-74kg. I was never diagnosed and had none of the tests a diabetes diagnosis would demand. As I am now in the normal range I am not having any follow up except annually given meds for cholesterol and hypertension.

I think it must very much depend on your GP as I was diagnosed as prediabetic and had all the checks, eyes, feet and the whole raft of blood tests plus annual checks.

 

[MissCeltic]

They did test me twice and still came back with the same number. I have to go back in three months for another test.

Going to try following a low carb diet and see if that helps.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

They did test me twice and still came back with the same number. I have to go back in three months for another test.

Going to try following a low carb diet and see if that helps.

Let us know how things go 🙂

 

[Spathiphyllum]

They did test me twice and still came back with the same number. I have to go back in three months for another test.

Going to try following a low carb diet and see if that helps.

The most important thing is losing excess visceral fat. As Everyday explained, that's fat inside your abdomen, around your internal organs, especially around your liver; as opposed to 'subcutaneous fat', fat just underneath your skin.

You don't say what your BMI is and how much exercise you get? Even people with a normal BMI can develop excess visceral fat if they are very sedentary.

So-- if you don't get much exercise, changing that is at least as important as changing your diet, for your Type 2 and for your overall health and life expectancy.