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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.
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- Thread starter Tracey68
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Hi I'm new My GP has rang me this morning after getting my bloods done with results my blood sugar was 43 its progressively got higher in two years.Ive been put on Metphrmin I think it's called to prevent full blown type 2 I'm a bit scared of food now I dont know what to eat and what to avoid besides sugar thanks
Bruce Stephens
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Metformin. As the leaflet that comes with it will advise, there are some not very pleasant side effects, and you should expect some of them (they're not rare!). Take it with food, and if the wind-at-both-ends is still with you after a couple of days, ask for the slow release variant (which many find better).
(It's also possible that by changing your diet (as others will outline) you may not need the metformin for long.)
Toucan
Forum Host
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hello @Tracey68 and welcome to the forum.
It's good to know that you are taking some action to try to stop your Diabetes from progressing.
Diabetes is a serious disease, but it can be positively managed and in many circumstances, you can do a lot to help yourself and there is a help and support available. You will need to make a few changes though, and these need to be sustainable, as this is for the long term.
There are 3 main things to consider:
Firstly, healthy eating, and the right solution for you to lower your blood sugars, and if you are overweight, loosing weight will help a lot. Secondly increasing exercise, and thirdly medication which your doctor has prescribed.
For me, a new way of eating, and increased exercise, plus some metformin has worked. As well as cutting out all the sugary things, I cut down on the carbs particularly the ‘white’ ones (white bread and flour,rice,pasta,etc ) and mainly eat fish, poultry, yoghurt, some cheeses, nuts and seeds, and have learned to love vegetables . I also try to avoid too much processed food, and limit fruit to one piece a day as this can be quite high in carbs.
There is no 'one size fits all' though and you need to find a solution that is good for you, and it is worth taking some time to do this.
useful-links-for-people-new-to-diabetes has some links that may help, and there is help as well in the Diabetes UK Learning Zone, which has link to this at the top of the page.
If you want to know more about the Low-Carb way of eating then Maggie Davey's letter, shows how this lady approached the problem.
I hope you will keep posting and let us know how it goes, and we will always try to answer any questions.
It's good to know that you are taking some action to try to stop your Diabetes from progressing.
Diabetes is a serious disease, but it can be positively managed and in many circumstances, you can do a lot to help yourself and there is a help and support available. You will need to make a few changes though, and these need to be sustainable, as this is for the long term.
There are 3 main things to consider:
Firstly, healthy eating, and the right solution for you to lower your blood sugars, and if you are overweight, loosing weight will help a lot. Secondly increasing exercise, and thirdly medication which your doctor has prescribed.
For me, a new way of eating, and increased exercise, plus some metformin has worked. As well as cutting out all the sugary things, I cut down on the carbs particularly the ‘white’ ones (white bread and flour,rice,pasta,etc ) and mainly eat fish, poultry, yoghurt, some cheeses, nuts and seeds, and have learned to love vegetables . I also try to avoid too much processed food, and limit fruit to one piece a day as this can be quite high in carbs.
There is no 'one size fits all' though and you need to find a solution that is good for you, and it is worth taking some time to do this.
useful-links-for-people-new-to-diabetes has some links that may help, and there is help as well in the Diabetes UK Learning Zone, which has link to this at the top of the page.
If you want to know more about the Low-Carb way of eating then Maggie Davey's letter, shows how this lady approached the problem.
I hope you will keep posting and let us know how it goes, and we will always try to answer any questions.
Hi Tracey68, Welcome to the forum.
I'm unsure what your current HbA1C (Blood Glucose level) is cirrently. Is it now 43 - or was that what it used to be before this latest test?
If it is currently 43 then I'm surprised that you have been prescribed Metformin, since at the low end of the pre-diabetic range it shouldn't be too hard to reverse it with some lifestyle changes.
Diet and exercise in that order because exercise helps less than changing what you eat. You can't our-run a bad diet.
I'm unsure what your current HbA1C (Blood Glucose level) is cirrently. Is it now 43 - or was that what it used to be before this latest test?
If it is currently 43 then I'm surprised that you have been prescribed Metformin, since at the low end of the pre-diabetic range it shouldn't be too hard to reverse it with some lifestyle changes.
Diet and exercise in that order because exercise helps less than changing what you eat. You can't our-run a bad diet.
Hi Tracey68, I have been a T2 Diabetic for 20 years, looked after firstly by diet, but then medication my Hbac1 was 87 in March and I had a letter to shield when Covid19 started which gave me the fright of my life.
Since then, I have changed my diet to low carbs, high protein and fat as well as increasing exercise to approximately 70 miles a week walking.( we are lucky, living in the country so I can go out without seeing anybody) I like to have a drink like the next man/woman and have still managed to have a good night most weekends, but have also cut out a lot of the nice things I used to eat, which i missed at first, but now it just doesn't bother me.
By doing the diet and exercise, I have manged to lose 1 stone 10lb's and I have just had my latest Hbac1 and it has come back at 47.
My medication has also been reduced and my goal (if possible) is to take my T2 into remission, if that is possible.
as as been pointed out before a mixture of diet and exercise, definitely appears to be the way to go and good luck
Since then, I have changed my diet to low carbs, high protein and fat as well as increasing exercise to approximately 70 miles a week walking.( we are lucky, living in the country so I can go out without seeing anybody) I like to have a drink like the next man/woman and have still managed to have a good night most weekends, but have also cut out a lot of the nice things I used to eat, which i missed at first, but now it just doesn't bother me.
By doing the diet and exercise, I have manged to lose 1 stone 10lb's and I have just had my latest Hbac1 and it has come back at 47.
My medication has also been reduced and my goal (if possible) is to take my T2 into remission, if that is possible.
as as been pointed out before a mixture of diet and exercise, definitely appears to be the way to go and good luck
KARNAK
Much Missed Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hello @Tracey68 welcome to the forum.
As @ianf0ster says surprised you have been give Metformin are you ok with that?
Do you test you Blood Sugars regularly with a meter? If not we can help you with that.
Lots to take in at first but with some help from us you may be able to go into remission.
As @ianf0ster says surprised you have been give Metformin are you ok with that?
Do you test you Blood Sugars regularly with a meter? If not we can help you with that.
Lots to take in at first but with some help from us you may be able to go into remission.
- Relationship to Diabetes
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I've merged your threads into one @Tracey68, to keep all the responses in one place 🙂
Sorry to hear you sounding worried Tracey. Diabetes is generally quite a slow-moving foe, so you most likely have some time to act to improve your BG management - and possibly avoid a full diabetes diagnosis of you have not yet had one.
While there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will be wanting to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, 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.
You can use a BG meter, taking a reading before and again 2hrs after eating, to see what the differences are, to identify any carbs that seem to be spiking BG (initially in a way the numbers themselves matter less than the differences between them). Once you can see how you respond to different meals you can begin experimenting with reducing amounts of carbs and trying different types (sometimes just having things at a different time of day makes a difference). Gradually tweaking and tailoring your menu to find one that suits your tastebuds, your waistline and your BG levels 🙂
If you are interested in this approach you may find test-review-adjust by Alan S a helpful framework.
If you need to self fund your BG meter, the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 which both have test strips at around £8 for 50
Sorry to hear you sounding worried Tracey. Diabetes is generally quite a slow-moving foe, so you most likely have some time to act to improve your BG management - and possibly avoid a full diabetes diagnosis of you have not yet had one.
While there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will be wanting to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, 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.
You can use a BG meter, taking a reading before and again 2hrs after eating, to see what the differences are, to identify any carbs that seem to be spiking BG (initially in a way the numbers themselves matter less than the differences between them). Once you can see how you respond to different meals you can begin experimenting with reducing amounts of carbs and trying different types (sometimes just having things at a different time of day makes a difference). Gradually tweaking and tailoring your menu to find one that suits your tastebuds, your waistline and your BG levels 🙂
If you are interested in this approach you may find test-review-adjust by Alan S a helpful framework.
If you need to self fund your BG meter, the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 which both have test strips at around £8 for 50
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