New type 2

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Pidge

Pidge

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hello everyone,
I was diagnosed type 2 mid-January and I’ve been struggling ever since. I’m a 53 year old man, I’m not overweight, I’m active, fit and have been a regular long distance runner for over 10 years. I do however enjoy my food and I like to have a couple of beers 3 - 4 times a week. It’s never been a problem though as I have always been able to burn off the calories. I’m now on metformin and I’ve cut out most carbs from my diet. But I’m am now miserable. I’m struggling to accept the diagnosis. I would appreciate hearing how other people have learnt to accept their diagnosis.
 
Hi Pidge, welcome to the site.

It's very common to feel shocked, especially if you've live a healthy lifestyle. You've done well to adjust your lifestyle, especially if it was pretty good to begin with.

I wonder if it would be possible to have a look at the foods you can have an build a menu plan based on what works for you? There's a great thread full of meal ideas that may be useful to have a look at: https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/what-did-you-eat-yesterday.30349/page-449#post-1043682
 
I find it really difficult to be downhearted eating steak mushrooms etc for breakfast, followed by coffee and cream.
As diabetes is often presented as the consequences of an overindulgent lazy lifestyle it can result in feelings of guilt, dismay or denial - but it is simply what happens when someone can't cope with the modern diet.
I will soon be 70 years old, and dread to think what my life would be like if I had stayed eating high carbs - I really do feel so much better without them.
Do pick your carbs carefully so that you can have tasty nourishing meals and you should see the benefits in your blood tests, but also, hopefully find that you feel a lot better eating foods you can cope with easily.
 
Anitram said:
Hi. Welcome to the Forum. It's only natural to feel the way you do. We've all had to get through those difficult days and weeks that followed our diagnosis. The important thing is to recognise that though Type 2 Diabetes is a serious condition it is one that can be managed and for many of us was the catalyst (a kick up the backside, maybe) for adopting a much healthier lifestyle. Personally, almost two years on, I feel fitter and healthier than I've done in years.

Where you told what your HbA1c was when you got your diagnosis? In terms of managing things there's a big difference in being just into diabetes territory (over 48) and being in three figures like many of us (me included) were.

Martin
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Hello Martin,
Thanks for the reply. My HbA1c was 7.9% which according to the converter is 63mmol/mol (please correct me if I’m wrong). I suppose one reason why I’m not coping well is that I already had what most would consider to be a healthy lifestyle. I enjoyed a healthy and varied diet, I‘m already fit and I enjoy exercising. My only vice was a few beers a week, and that was mostly within the government guidelines.
Tony
 
Cherrelle DUK said:
Hi Pidge, welcome to the site.

It's very common to feel shocked, especially if you've live a healthy lifestyle. You've done well to adjust your lifestyle, especially if it was pretty good to begin with.

I wonder if it would be possible to have a look at the foods you can have an build a menu plan based on what works for you? There's a great thread full of meal ideas that may be useful to have a look at: https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/what-did-you-eat-yesterday.30349/page-449#post-1043682
Click to expand...
Hi Cherrelle,
Thank you for the reply and thank you for the link. I’ll check it out shortly.
Tony
 
Drummer said:
I find it really difficult to be downhearted eating steak mushrooms etc for breakfast, followed by coffee and cream.
As diabetes is often presented as the consequences of an overindulgent lazy lifestyle it can result in feelings of guilt, dismay or denial - but it is simply what happens when someone can't cope with the modern diet.
I will soon be 70 years old, and dread to think what my life would be like if I had stayed eating high carbs - I really do feel so much better without them.
Do pick your carbs carefully so that you can have tasty nourishing meals and you should see the benefits in your blood tests, but also, hopefully find that you feel a lot better eating foods you can cope with easily.
Click to expand...
Hi Drummer,
Thank you for the reply. Prior to my diagnosis I already felt fit and healthy. It’s therefore difficult to feel motivated to change to a diet I don’t want to follow.

Tony
 
Hi Pidge, I feel your pain! I was diagnosed just before Christmas 2020, sucky time to be diagnosed! I was the same as you, healthy diet in fact I had been working hard for 18 months to reduce carbs. Still had a few glasses of wine a week and would work out and walk lots.
When the diagnosis was given (after i was more tired than usual and a day of dizziness) I was so shocked. I was told if I hadnt working on my diet for the past 18 months my HbA1c would have been much higher (it was 61).
Because I was fit and my bmi was within good range I talked to people on this forum who suggested I ask to be tested for LADA (latent autoimmune diabetes in adults). They did the test and it was negative, so type 2 I am. BUT i have worked hard, bought a finger prick machine and did pre and post meal tests and those tests have shown already my levels are back within the right limits, in fact quite low but not too low (average 5.0). I am having another HbA1c test in April. I am also on metformin
So i would suggest keep working on the low carbs, keep active and get a blood monitor which has helped me know what to eat and what not to eat.

This forum is so helpful and I hope you feel more encouraged as you hear the stories of others who are beating this thing!!
 
We do become used to what we are used to - once I was back in normal figures I found that I was feeling so much younger, and finding reserves of stamina I'd not known for quite some time.
 
I so agree I feel so much younger. A friend of mine is a dietician and she has been helping me with meal planning. She also has one of those fancy machines that measures all your fat/muscle/bmi etc. Yesterday I went on the machine and in the last 12 months my metabolic age has gone from 63 to 48 (my real age is 57). I am a very happy bunny!! thinking of having my 50th birthday again!
Drummer said:
We do become used to what we are used to - once I was back in normal figures I found that I was feeling so much younger, and finding reserves of stamina I'd not known for quite some time.
Click to expand...
 
Welcome to the forum @Pidge 🙂
 
Pidge said:
Hello everyone,
I was diagnosed type 2 mid-January and I’ve been struggling ever since. I’m a 53 year old man, I’m not overweight, I’m active, fit and have been a regular long distance runner for over 10 years. I do however enjoy my food and I like to have a couple of beers 3 - 4 times a week. It’s never been a problem though as I have always been able to burn off the calories. I’m now on metformin and I’ve cut out most carbs from my diet. But I’m am now miserable. I’m struggling to accept the diagnosis. I would appreciate hearing how other people have learnt to accept their diagnosis.
Click to expand...
Hi @Pidge,

Sorry to learn of your type 2dx. It's a shock, yes, especially as you seem fit, active and at a normal weight so it can be confusing. Some people are termed as TOFI "thin on the outside fat on the inside" which means there may be a fat build up around your internal organs which is affecting your ability to use metabolise or breakdown sugars. Do you get stressed often, as stress can play a part in type 2.

It is a very confusing time as I myself am admittedly overweight but am at risk of diabetes and am not classed as Type 2, so I need to keep an eye on my carb intake and reduce weight if I don't want to become type 2.

As they say knowledge is power. So once you come to terms with the diagnosis you can start an action plan which may involve more forensic examination of where the carbs are in your food and drink to reduce those to up to 130gms of carbs a day. You may need to invest in a meter to record your BS. Aim for a BS of between 4-7 mmol/L each time.
 
karelizco said:
Hi Pidge, I feel your pain! I was diagnosed just before Christmas 2020, sucky time to be diagnosed! I was the same as you, healthy diet in fact I had been working hard for 18 months to reduce carbs. Still had a few glasses of wine a week and would work out and walk lots.
When the diagnosis was given (after i was more tired than usual and a day of dizziness) I was so shocked. I was told if I hadnt working on my diet for the past 18 months my HbA1c would have been much higher (it was 61).
Because I was fit and my bmi was within good range I talked to people on this forum who suggested I ask to be tested for LADA (latent autoimmune diabetes in adults). They did the test and it was negative, so type 2 I am. BUT i have worked hard, bought a finger prick machine and did pre and post meal tests and those tests have shown already my levels are back within the right limits, in fact quite low but not too low (average 5.0). I am having another HbA1c test in April. I am also on metformin
So i would suggest keep working on the low carbs, keep active and get a blood monitor which has helped me know what to eat and what not to eat.

This forum is so helpful and I hope you feel more encouraged as you hear the stories of others who are beating this thing!!
Click to expand...
Hi Karelizco, thank you for the reply. Although my doctor said I don’t need to measure my blood glucose regularly, I think I will get one.
 
MAC2020 said:
Hi @Pidge,

Sorry to learn of your type 2dx. It's a shock, yes, especially as you seem fit, active and at a normal weight so it can be confusing. Some people are termed as TOFI "thin on the outside fat on the inside" which means there may be a fat build up around your internal organs which is affecting your ability to use metabolise or breakdown sugars. Do you get stressed often, as stress can play a part in type 2.

It is a very confusing time as I myself am admittedly overweight but am at risk of diabetes and am not classed as Type 2, so I need to keep an eye on my carb intake and reduce weight if I don't want to become type 2.

As they say knowledge is power. So once you come to terms with the diagnosis you can start an action plan which may involve more forensic examination of where the carbs are in your food and drink to reduce those to up to 130gms of carbs a day. You may need to invest in a meter to record your BS. Aim for a BS of between 4-7 mmol/L each time.
Click to expand...
Hi MAC2020,

Thank you for the reply. My job is quite stressful and this year has been especially stressful with the lockdowns etc. You may be right there about the TOFI. I don’t know for sure, but what you say makes sense. I’m seriously considering a meter now. So many people seem to rely on them.

Hope you manage to achieve your weight goals and keep the type 2 at bay.

Tony
 
Welcome to the forum @Pidge

How did your diagnosis come about? What led you to get checked?

Was it a gradual buildup, or did it come on rapidly out of the blue?

Do you have any T2 diabetes in your close family? And did you unintentionally lose any weight before you were diagnosed?

Just wondering whether your atypical presentation may suggest a different type of diabetes such as LADA, which is a slow-onset form of T1, but which can respond to T2 treatment initially.
 
Hi Mike,

Thank you for your reply. My diagnosis came about from my annual hypertension review blood tests. I’ve been pre-diabetic for years, but the reality of the diagnosis still came as a shock. My mother and grandfather were both type 2 and to answer your question, I didn’t lose weight before I was diagnosed.
 
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