New to Type 2 at 32, tips and success stories needed !!

[Portugal1000]

If you previously had a high carb diet then is is kinder to reduce carbs gradually over a number of weeks rather than all at once as it is kinder on your eyes and nerves, it allows your body to adjust.
I had some problems with my eyes, everything close up out of focus and only by reading here did I realise it could happen if blood glucose dropped quickly. It does not happen to everyone so you may be fine but if it does then you know the possible reason.

Diagnosis was

Just that really…

Went to the doctors just before Christmas for an unrelated issue and got diagnosed with diabetes with hba1c level of 75 I’ve had gestational diabetes in 2 out of 3 pregnancies, one was diet controlled and the last I was on insulin injections but this was 4 years ago.

I am overweight and had no real restriction on my diet either but I’ve been feeling very down and stressed out about it all. It’s been almost a month and I’ve cut out junk food completely and started a low carb high protein diet this week. I will weigh myself next week to get an update on that front.

I guess I’m just looking for some advice from people who have gotten type 2 at such a young age and how you managed to turn it around? It just seems so overwhelming

Thank you!

i had diagnosis of 53 in August. Got this down to 48 on 1st December through low carb diet. Have found the nutracheck app which is excellent and also joined weigh watchers for motivation. I’m 30 pounds down. Still a way to go and next test is 1st March. Has to be a forever lifestyle change for me as the weight will just go back on. I’m trying to aim for around 70g carbs a day and do have more on one day at weekend but even then try to spread it out. I refused medication as thought I’d have less incentive to cut down.
I’m not routinely testing with a monitor for now as don’t want to become obsessive but will see what next results are and see if I have to take even more seriously.
I had two people at work comment on weight loss today which made me feel great as was beginning to think no one would notice.
Good luck. You found a really good forum.

 

[Lucyr]

Ahh okay .. I’m so glad I got that cleared up early on in my dietary changes, otherwise I was only counting the of which sugars part as I thought that was the part of the carbs that would spike my blood sugar. Thanks for all the help, I feel so motivated after reading all the stories and getting all the correct information.

This is why people wouldn’t normally go straight from their current diet to eating only 70g carb a day as you’d planned. Carbs are in a lot of foods and people would normally reduce gradually. Eg work out how much you currently eat, reduce the obvious things like biscuits and see where that gets you, then gradually make other changes until you find a diet that works for your preferences and blood sugars

 

[IrvineHimself]

....The total I have in the day is about 70g so maybe 15g for breakfast, 15- 20 for lunch and 20-25 for dinner and a few are accounted for in drinks. Many people settle on around a 100g, the suggested no more than 130g per day can be too much for some people......

@ScotsWarrior15 I am most definitely not criticising what leading @Leadinglights says, in fact I agree with her. However the target figures she mentions for daily carb allowance are very subjective and vary significantly for different people. For me, when first diagnosed at the end of last April, my HBA1C was 135 mmols/mol and I was in a seriously bad way. By July my HBA1C was down to around 55 mmols/mol by September it was at 43 mmols/mol and the DB clinic referred me back to my GP for primary DB management. By November, my HBA1C was under 40 mmols/mol and my Doc didn't want to see me till April.

After being diagnosed, I built a fairly large spreadsheet/database for the nutritional values for a wide range of foods. Since I spent so much time doing this, I can carry the typical values for most foods in my head. I normally aim for somewhere between 150 and 200 grams of carbohydrate per day this equates to roughly 70 grams of carb for lunch and maybe 80 grams or so for dinner. My main source of carbohydrate are some kind of broad/kidney bean, chickpea or lentil, and the foods I religiously avoid are: potato, rice, pasta and bread, (I don't even eat crisp bread any more)

Since I am bulking up with a lot of expensive low-carb veg, (avocado, aubergine, courgette, leek, asparagus.... etc) and I also eat a lot of berries and other expensive foodstuffs, my weekly food bill would probably make your eyes water. On the other hand, my health is actually worth quite a lot to me.

By cutting out the crisp breads, I can even treat myself to a daily 100g bar of good quality chocolate. I was eating chocolate at 100% cacao, about 8g carb per 100g, but I find that 90% cacao is actually quite edible and only around 15g of carb per 100g

So, basically what I am saying is that a low carb diet is a great idea, however we are all different and your target daily carb allowance should be what works for you, and not some arbitrary figure that works for some one else. Unfortunately,the only way to find your personal magic number is by trial and error.

Edited to correct wrong units for HbA1C. See this post by @DocB

 

[Deleted member 21371]

@ScotsWarrior15 I am most definitely not criticising what leading @Leadinglights says, in fact I agree with her. However the target figures she mentions for daily carb allowance are very subjective and vary significantly for different people. For me, when first diagnosed at the end of last April, my HBA1C was 135mols/ml, and I was in a seriously bad way. By July my HBA1C was down to around 55mols/ml by September it was at 43 mols/ml and the DB clinic referred me back to my GP for primary DB management. By November, my HBA1C was under 40 mols/ml and my Doc didn't want to see me till April.

After being diagnosed, I built a fairly large spreadsheet/database for the nutritional values for a wide range of foods. Since I spent so much time doing this, I can carry the typical values for most foods in my head. I normally aim for somewhere between 150 and 200 grams of carbohydrate per day this equates to roughly 70 grams of carb for lunch and maybe 80 grams or so for dinner. My main source of carbohydrate are some kind of broad/kidney bean, chickpea or lentil, and the foods I religiously avoid are: potato, rice, pasta and bread, (I don't even eat crisp bread any more)

Since I am bulking up with a lot of expensive low-carb veg, (avocado, aubergine, courgette, leek, asparagus.... etc) and I also eat a lot of berries and other expensive foodstuffs, my weekly food bill would probably make your eyes water. On the other hand, my health is actually worth quite a lot to me.

By cutting out the crisp breads, I can even treat myself to a daily 100g bar of good quality chocolate. I was eating chocolate at 100% cacao, about 8g carb per 100g, but I find that 90% cacao is actually quite edible and only around 15g of carb per 100g

So, basically what I am saying is that a low carb diet is a great idea, however we are all different and your target daily carb allowance should be what works for you, and not some arbitary figure that works for some one else. Unfortunately,the only way to find your personal magic number is by trial and error.

Very true.

I watch calories, not carbs.

A lot of members don't try to crash the carbs to the lowest possible number though.
It's got to be a solely personal diet that works for them.
After that, there is no reason to make life miserable by needlessly avoiding foods.

 

[ScotsWarrior15]

@ScotsWarrior15 I am most definitely not criticising what leading @Leadinglights says, in fact I agree with her. However the target figures she mentions for daily carb allowance are very subjective and vary significantly for different people. For me, when first diagnosed at the end of last April, my HBA1C was 135mols/ml, and I was in a seriously bad way. By July my HBA1C was down to around 55mols/ml by September it was at 43 mols/ml and the DB clinic referred me back to my GP for primary DB management. By November, my HBA1C was under 40 mols/ml and my Doc didn't want to see me till April.

After being diagnosed, I built a fairly large spreadsheet/database for the nutritional values for a wide range of foods. Since I spent so much time doing this, I can carry the typical values for most foods in my head. I normally aim for somewhere between 150 and 200 grams of carbohydrate per day this equates to roughly 70 grams of carb for lunch and maybe 80 grams or so for dinner. My main source of carbohydrate are some kind of broad/kidney bean, chickpea or lentil, and the foods I religiously avoid are: potato, rice, pasta and bread, (I don't even eat crisp bread any more)

Since I am bulking up with a lot of expensive low-carb veg, (avocado, aubergine, courgette, leek, asparagus.... etc) and I also eat a lot of berries and other expensive foodstuffs, my weekly food bill would probably make your eyes water. On the other hand, my health is actually worth quite a lot to me.

By cutting out the crisp breads, I can even treat myself to a daily 100g bar of good quality chocolate. I was eating chocolate at 100% cacao, about 8g carb per 100g, but I find that 90% cacao is actually quite edible and only around 15g of carb per 100g

So, basically what I am saying is that a low carb diet is a great idea, however we are all different and your target daily carb allowance should be what works for you, and not some arbitary figure that works for some one else. Unfortunately,the only way to find your personal magic number is by trial and error.

Thank you for the insight, that’s interesting to read about the range of methods everyone is using but still getting results … I have a lot to think about! At the moment, I’ve cut out sugar completely (which was a daily occurrence) and I’m getting my head around the carbs and how to make healthy and filling meals. We’re a busy house with 3 young kids so lots of fancy options aren’t really practical so it’s been a case of coming up with what fits in with the normal routine. I am tracking it though, and I’m sitting at around 1500 calories a day which is low carb, high protein and with lots of vegetables and salads included in the meals which was non existent previously. And I’m happy with it so far, it’s not like I’m going to bed hungry at all. I’ve ordered a blood glucose machine so once it arrives, I’ll be even more aware of what’s happening to the glucose levels which will help see what works for me.

I’m so glad I posted in this forum, it’s only been a day but I already feel so much more well-informed and motivated to make progress. Reading what people have achieved in their own lives using their own methods is so inspiring!

 

[ScotsWarrior15]

Very true.

I watch calories, not carbs.

A lot of members don't try to crash the carbs to the lowest possible number though.
It's got to be a solely personal diet that works for them.
After that, there is no reason to make life miserable by needlessly avoiding foods.

I believe that too, I don’t want to start something that is unsustainable in the long run and I end up giving up or not being able to stick with it. And I want to be able to be at a place where having the food I want (in moderation) doesn’t turn into a stressful event, which is what’s happening right now.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Thank you for the insight, that’s interesting to read about the range of methods everyone is using but still getting results … I have a lot to think about! At the moment, I’ve cut out sugar completely (which was a daily occurrence) and I’m getting my head around the carbs and how to make healthy and filling meals. We’re a busy house with 3 young kids so lots of fancy options aren’t really practical so it’s been a case of coming up with what fits in with the normal routine. I am tracking it though, and I’m sitting at around 1500 calories a day which is low carb, high protein and with lots of vegetables and salads included in the meals which was non existent previously. And I’m happy with it so far, it’s not like I’m going to bed hungry at all. I’ve ordered a blood glucose machine so once it arrives, I’ll be even more aware of what’s happening to the glucose levels which will help see what works for me.

I’m so glad I posted in this forum, it’s only been a day but I already feel so much more well-informed and motivated to make progress. Reading what people have achieved in their own lives using their own methods is so inspiring!

This sounds an excellent solution.
Cut the calories, more veg and salads, healthy meals, and something that fits in with your life, and is sustainable for you.

 

[Docb]

@ScotsWarrior15 I am most definitely not criticising what leading @Leadinglights says, in fact I agree with her. However the target figures she mentions for daily carb allowance are very subjective and vary significantly for different people. For me, when first diagnosed at the end of last April, my HBA1C was 135mols/ml, and I was in a seriously bad way. By July my HBA1C was down to around 55mols/ml by September it was at 43 mols/ml and the DB clinic referred me back to my GP for primary DB management. By November, my HBA1C was under 40 mols/ml and my Doc didn't want to see me till April.

After being diagnosed, I built a fairly large spreadsheet/database for the nutritional values for a wide range of foods. Since I spent so much time doing this, I can carry the typical values for most foods in my head. I normally aim for somewhere between 150 and 200 grams of carbohydrate per day this equates to roughly 70 grams of carb for lunch and maybe 80 grams or so for dinner. My main source of carbohydrate are some kind of broad/kidney bean, chickpea or lentil, and the foods I religiously avoid are: potato, rice, pasta and bread, (I don't even eat crisp bread any more)

Since I am bulking up with a lot of expensive low-carb veg, (avocado, aubergine, courgette, leek, asparagus.... etc) and I also eat a lot of berries and other expensive foodstuffs, my weekly food bill would probably make your eyes water. On the other hand, my health is actually worth quite a lot to me.

By cutting out the crisp breads, I can even treat myself to a daily 100g bar of good quality chocolate. I was eating chocolate at 100% cacao, about 8g carb per 100g, but I find that 90% cacao is actually quite edible and only around 15g of carb per 100g

So, basically what I am saying is that a low carb diet is a great idea, however we are all different and your target daily carb allowance should be what works for you, and not some arbitary figure that works for some one else. Unfortunately,the only way to find your personal magic number is by trial and error.

@IrvineHimself - the units for HbA1c are mmols/mol and not mols/ml. It is a comparison of masses, reporting the mass of glycated haemoglobin in 1 mol (a mass) of haemoglobin. For comparison, the finger prick test is reported in mmol/l or mg/dl and gives the amount of glucose in a given volume of blood.

Makes no difference to the general point you are making in your post but as you will have seen some forum members can get very confused over the numbers and their units and so I feel duty bound to offer a correction when needed.

 

[IrvineHimself]

the units for HbA1c are mmols/mol and not mols/ml

Sorry about that. I am one of those people who can get a real bee in my bonnet about using the correct units, so my mistake is quite annoying. I really should have checked, but I was interrupted by one of my new neighbours while writing the post. I have edited the post to correct the mistake.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I believe that too, I don’t want to start something that is unsustainable in the long run and I end up giving up or not being able to stick with it. And I want to be able to be at a place where having the food I want (in moderation) doesn’t turn into a stressful event, which is what’s happening right now.

Sounds like you are off to a cracking start @ScotsWarrior15

Hope your efforts are repaid by a gentle and incremental reduction in your HbA1c and something you can maintain and stabilise. 🙂