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Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
New member looking for tips
- Thread starter Stuartba
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Wrlcome to the forum. Can you tell us about yourself? Are you type 1or type 2? What, if any, meds are you on?
Stuartba
New Member
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- Type 2
Hi
I am Type 2 - age 68, diagnosed around 10 years ago on Metformin.
I have just been plodding along, getting pretty good exercise every day - swimming up until a year go and now just walking. I like technology's have an Apple Watch and iPhone so keep an eye on things.
I have been following MyDesmond and contrary to previous advice have purchased a Contour Next One. Blood glucose levels hover around the top of the normal range.
Joined this group to try to get my diet right
I am Type 2 - age 68, diagnosed around 10 years ago on Metformin.
I have just been plodding along, getting pretty good exercise every day - swimming up until a year go and now just walking. I like technology's have an Apple Watch and iPhone so keep an eye on things.
I have been following MyDesmond and contrary to previous advice have purchased a Contour Next One. Blood glucose levels hover around the top of the normal range.
Joined this group to try to get my diet right
It sounds like you've got your exercise and testing sorted. I can't comment on your diet as different things suit different people. Try testing before eating and after to see how different foods affect your levels. There will be other type 2s who will be able to advise you better. Good luck and welcome.
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
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If you are following the MyDesmond program you will have found that the focus although good in some respects does advocate the low fat and probably more carbohydrates than many people can tolerate so you might want to look to cutting out or reducing your portion size of some of the more carb heavy foods. But as you have wisely got a monitor you could usefully test your blood glucose level before you eat and after 2 hours, if you see more than 2-3mmol/l increase then that meal was not to good for you. Being on metformin doesn't mean that you shouldn't look to reducing your carbohydrates. Make sure you are having protein and green leafy veg and there is no issue in increasing fats (unless medically you shouldn't).
Have a look at the thread What did you eat yesterday to get ideas for meals people with Type 2 have, don't forget that people with Type 1 probably have more carbs as they can correct with insulin.
I'm sure a few others will suggest some links for you to look at. I think with diabetes every day is a school day as there is always something to learn.
Cherrelle DUK
Much missed Online Community Coordinator
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Welcome to the forum @Stuartba
Good to hear that you have decided to check your own BG levels.
Best of luck making some positive tweaks and changes to your way of eating too. There are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you probably cut out straight away, but you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits. The really tricky thing is that blood glucose responses to various foods are highly individual, and it can be impossible to say which types and amounts of carbohydrate will ‘spike’ your BG without checking for yourself with a BG meter.
By taking a reading before and again 2hrs after eating, you can see exactly how various carbs affect your levels. Ideally you’d be aiming to see a rise of less than 2-3mmol/L between the before and after checks. Initially in a way the numbers themselves almost matter less than the differences between them. Once you can see how you respond to different portion sizes and types of carbs, you can begin experimenting with reducing / moderating / swapping portions of carbs and trying different types. Sometimes just having the same thing at a different time of day can make a difference!
With a bit of experimentation and patience you’ll gradually tweak and tailor your menu to find one that suits your tastebuds, your waistline and your BG levels 🙂
Good luck, and let us know how things go 🙂
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