New here

[Fox]

Hi folks

New here. This is myintroduction.

I was diagnosed withtype-2 diabetes just over 3 months ago, after a visit to hospital on an unrelated matter (which turned out, ironically, to be nothing much to worry about), with an HbA1C figure of 105 mmol/mol (= 11.8%), which terrified me.

There was no warning. Pins and needles in my fingers and toes after eating subside after a few minutes or hours, so I concluded this wasn't neuropathy. I was (and am) urinating maybe 4 times a day, plus or minus about 1. I had a BMI of 25.7, which was a bit high, but was coming down. My last eye test detected nothing untoward beyond the known astigmatism.

I'm expecting the results of a full blood work-up in a few days but, with a combination of Empagliflozin, diet, and exercise, I have brought my BMI down to 23.0 and my overnight fasting glucose down from 20.2mmol/L to 9.4 mmol/L, which is clearly still too high, but is at least going in the right direction.

My goal is remission, which I understand is challenging when you don't have a lot of weight to lose, and this will be the subject of some later posts, but this is where I am at the moment.

 

[SB2015]

Welcome to the forum @Fox and thank you for the info about your diagnosis.

Well done on the steps you have already taken to bring your levels back in range. There is loads of experience to tap into on here, with a number of people who have put their diabetes in remission.
Any questions that arise,just ask. Nothing is considered silly on here.

 

[Fox]

Welcome to the forum @Fox and thank you for the info about your diagnosis.

Well done on the steps you have already taken to bring your levels back in range. There is loads of experience to tap into on here, with a number of people who have put their diabetes in remission.
Any questions that arise,just ask. Nothing is considered silly on here.

Thank you.

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome to the forum
The medication you have been prescribed encourages the kidneys to excrete excess glucose via urine so it is important to drink plenty of fluids, that obviously results in frequent loo visits.
What dietary changes have you made as that is going to be important as well.

 

[Fox]

Welcome to the forum
The medication you have been prescribed encourages the kidneys to excrete excess glucose via urine so it is important to drink plenty of fluids, that obviously results in frequent loo visits.
What dietary changes have you made as that is going to be important as well.

Hi. Thanks for that.

All of the refined sugar and most of the refined carbohydrate were cut out of my diet overnight (cafes, for some reason, insist on white or “brown”, as distinct from wholegrain, bread), as well as most of the potatoes (which I actually miss more than I miss chocolate). I have also eliminated most of the ultra-processed food-replacement substances, and am trying to wean myself off non-nutritive sweeteners, because both of these seem to be involved in diabetes in some way.

I'm still eating some wholegrains: mainly wheat in my own homemade bread – the next job is to learn to make sourdough, which I read has a lower glycemic index – rice and oats, largely on the grounds that there is no point beating the diabetes only to die of colon cancer. I have cut out the tropical fruits and orange juice (again, which I miss) and replaced them with berries, although I am finding that too many of those in one go also cause sugar spikes.

Today's snack supply includes blueberries, cherries, blackberries, raspberries, a plum, brazil nuts (for the methionine), peanuts and cashews. Potato crisps are history.

My alcohol intake has gone from single-digit units a year (sic) to zero.

I have always eaten a lot of fruit and vegetables (probably in the region of 700-800g/day, but the high-fructose varieties are on the suspect list for contributing to the problem). Almost all of my protein comes from legumes, mostly soya beans in one form or another (because they provide a good balance of amino acids), and also a lot of lentils and chickpeas, as well as nuts and peanuts, but that has now skewed further away from ultra-processed “food”: the most processed forms I am eating now are tofu and tempeh. For example, there was some smoked tofu with this morning's avocado toast, lunch will be lentil and vegetable soup with a green salad, and dinner tonight will be leftover channa dal and wholegrain rice.

I'm consuming more fermented foods as well – kefir, kombucha (I'm planning to start making my own, because it's expensive – the last batch I bought proved to still be alive, to my girlfriend's horror 🙄) and sauerkraut.

Judging by the amount of weight I have lost I'm probably running a roughly 650kcal/day energy deficit, although some of this will be the exercise plan.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi. Thanks for that.

All of the refined sugar and most of the refined carbohydrate were cut out of my diet overnight (cafes, for some reason, insist on white or “brown”, as distinct from wholegrain, bread), as well as most of the potatoes (which I actually miss more than I miss chocolate). I have also eliminated most of the ultra-processed food-replacement substances, and am trying to wean myself off non-nutritive sweeteners, because both of these seem to be involved in diabetes in some way.

I'm still eating some wholegrains: mainly wheat in my own homemade bread – the next job is to learn to make sourdough, which I read has a lower glycemic index – rice and oats, largely on the grounds that there is no point beating the diabetes only to die of colon cancer. I have cut out the tropical fruits and orange juice (again, which I miss) and replaced them with berries, although I am finding that too many of those in one go also cause sugar spikes.

Today's snack supply includes blueberries, cherries, blackberries, raspberries, a plum, brazil nuts (for the methionine), peanuts and cashews. Potato crisps are history.

My alcohol intake has gone from single-digit units a year (sic) to zero.

I have always eaten a lot of fruit and vegetables (probably in the region of 700-800g/day, but the high-fructose varieties are on the suspect list for contributing to the problem). Almost all of my protein comes from legumes, mostly soya beans in one form or another (because they provide a good balance of amino acids), and also a lot of lentils and chickpeas, as well as nuts and peanuts, but that has now skewed further away from ultra-processed “food”: the most processed forms I am eating now are tofu and tempeh. For example, there was some smoked tofu with this morning's avocado toast, lunch will be lentil and vegetable soup with a green salad, and dinner tonight will be leftover channa dal and wholegrain rice.

I'm consuming more fermented foods as well – kefir, kombucha (I'm planning to start making my own, because it's expensive – the last batch I bought proved to still be alive, to my girlfriend's horror 🙄) and sauerkraut.

Judging by the amount of weight I have lost I'm probably running a roughly 650kcal/day energy deficit, although some of this will be the exercise plan.

It sounds as if you have really bit the bullet and made some good changes. Are you vegetarian or vegan as you are not mentioning meat or eggs or cheese among your food choices. This link has a veggie meal plan if you are but also other plans as well https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

 

[Fox]

It sounds as if you have really bit the bullet and made some good changes. Are you vegetarian or vegan as you are not mentioning meat or eggs or cheese among your food choices. This link has a veggie meal plan if you are but also other plans as well https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

Thanks. I will look in to that. I'm mostly herbivorous, but I'm eating maybe a couple of hundred grams of mostly artisan cheese a week, although my girlfriend has left a large chunk of cheddar and several eggs behind, which I will need to find something to do with. My LDL cholesterol levels were a bit high last time they were tested, so I want to be careful with that.

My problem at the moment, which I'm drafting a separate post on, is less losing weight than stabilising it while continuing to bring my sugar levels down. I have a BMI of 23, and I'm losing 400-500 grams in weight a week, fairly consistently. There is still some flexibility, but I don't really want to lose more than another 5 or 6 kilos. I estimate a loss of another 2-3 kilos will bring my waist to height ratio (currently 51.5%) to 50%, so there is still fat to be burned from around my pancreas. More than that and a high fever could bring my stored energy down to dangerous levels, which doesn't seem any more sensible than leaving my blood sugar as high as it is.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks. I will look in to that. I'm mostly herbivorous, but I'm eating maybe a couple of hundred grams of mostly artisan cheese a week, although my girlfriend has left a large chunk of cheddar and several eggs behind, which I will need to find something to do with. My LDL cholesterol levels were a bit high last time they were tested, so I want to be careful with that.

My problem at the moment, which I'm drafting a separate post on, is less losing weight than stabilising it while continuing to bring my sugar levels down. I have a BMI of 23, and I'm losing 400-500 grams in weight a week, fairly consistently. There is still some flexibility, but I don't really want to lose more than another 5 or 6 kilos. I estimate a loss of another 2-3 kilos will bring my waist to height ratio (currently 51.5%) to 50%, so there is still fat to be burned from around my pancreas. More than that and a high fever could bring my stored energy down to dangerous levels, which doesn't seem any more sensible than leaving my blood sugar as high as it is.

Reducing carbs helps reduce cholesterol for some people and eating the right fats are beneficial. Mushroom omelette with you eggs with some grated cheese and veg or salad.