newbie in distress

[GA60]

Hi Mally and welcome, I've only just joined and haven't got any real advice apart from stay happy, things will get sorted

 

[Martin Canty]

im not having a hypo im just shaking because my bg is dropping

Remember that feeling, shaky, confused, lethargic as your body is telling you something important, i.e. something is out of normal (though the old normal was high BG which is not good).... Same with the feeling of High BG, for me I feel very lethargic if my BG is higher than normal (usually there are warning signs, like I've just (foolishly) eaten from the garden of Eden!!!!)

 

[mally]

heya GA60, nice to meet you, so i went to my chemist and he took me into a side room and asked me what i was eating and i told him pretty much nothing, i have 1 small chicken piece a day with salad iv cut all my sugars out and carbs and he said i am wrong to do this, he said to eat what iv always eaten but cut the portions down, also no white bread but potatoes, pasta, bacon , sausages, etc was fine because its the Metformin that does the work and if you cut all the carbs and sugars out there is no point in taking Metformin, im learning more every day

 

[Dave68]

Mally - that really is total bollards about the bread having zero carbs - most seedy/granary bread has around 18g of carbohydrate per SLICE.

If you make anything with FLOUR (wheat flour, with or without the roughage LOL) - it has carbs. The only thing being 'brown' does in it's favour is that it slows the speed at which the carbs from that flour, hits our bloodstream, (Same thing with brown rice) However - the carbs are definitely still there.

There are a couple af alternatives if you MUST eat bread - Burgen Soya & Linseed at about 12g a slice or Lidl protein rolls - but we don't have a Lidl so I haven't tried them and can't tell you the carb value.

BG numbers - if you weren't diabetic, your BG would usually be around 4 or 5, but may increase a bit soon after a meal.

So - 8 wasn't a disaster - except it is too high to be sat at for long periods, cos it's the highs that knacker up the things like kidneys, eyes, the nervous system, etc.

So 12 is not good then ?

 

[Alison Carr]

Mally love - I was prescribed Metaformin and have not yet used it (yet); I said I wished to try and control the diabetes by diet alone (nor would I take the statins). The doctor wasn't keen as my blood glucose levels had gone up so much, but I was insistent. Spent the next few days (and long/late evenings reading, listening to lectures eg., 'Professor Tim Noakes lectures, and his book: The Real Meal Revolution were some. I watched his u-tube video lecture on LC/HF and why humans should eat this way, then other leads people on the forum suggested. I looked at the various diets and I decided to try the 'Low Carb / High Fat / no added sugar' life-style change as MY personal choice - as I could fit it in with my lifestyle and still change my previous eating lifestyle without having to buy expensive type foods. (NB I think I keep the full fat yoghurt and cheese manufacturers in business, ha ha).

Therefore my normal type day of food is: Breakfast (NO cereals as too high in carbs and sugars) meals I choose are: full English breakfast without the bread or hash browns; bacon and eggs and fried mushrooms, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, cheese + tomato omelette (can add ham/bacon or whatever you like). NB I asked for an electric omelette maker for a Birthday present and it is just SO easy and useful ! Or I have just half a Lidl High Protein Bread Roll spread thickly with FULL FAT soft cheese and add toppings, etc. These bread rolls are only 9.8 carbs, but I find them so filling that I can't eat a whole one!

Lunch I always have a good sized pot - made up at home with Full Fat natural plain yogurt (Greek possibly, and preferably bio live yoghurt) and I add mixed seeds and chopped nuts, 8 or so blueberries and sometimes raspberries - and stir. That fills me up and the high fat keeps my body fed until dinner time.

Dinner: well any meat or protein you like, fried too in REAL butter & Olive Oil, with any green vegetables you like, but root vegetables only in very small amounts as they are high in carbs. I often use the recommended broccoli & cauliflower mash nowadays with full fat cream cheese stirred through it i instead of carbs. I avoid pasta, rice, breads, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pulses etc., and always count the CARBS not the Calories. The LC/HF lifestyle means you have plenty of protein and fats so that the body is using fats for fuel, ie., the body gets used to living off good fats and uses it's own body fat - rather than relying on starchy carbohydrates - which push up the blood sugar..... I am hardly ever hungry on this type of food and my blood sugars have come down to near normal levels.

You DO need to eat well for energy and stabilisation, but not lots of carbs. Please do more reading and decide on which type of diet will best suit your own lifestye. However trying Low Fat/High Carbs and sugars is NOT going to work; nor can you mix low fat and high fat products with low carbs; you need to eat your proteins.

I have read many messages and books now saying Some people on LC/HF diet have reversed their diabetes and come off their medication after a few months. The LC/HF lifestyle takes about 10 weeks to adjust to I gather - so I am still working at it = I am still learning and reading and looking at recipes to find what I can/cannot eat. But YOU MUST EAT. Regards Alison

 

[Alison Carr]

PS to the above message - you CAN eat sausage, but look for the low CARB high meat/low cereal ones such as The Black Farmer ones. On LC/HF way of life one needs to eat - Eggs, full fat cheeses/cottage cheese/cream cheeses, full fat milk and yoghurts, oily fish such as salmon and mackerel, tuna, meats (most types fine, even fatty, and limited processed meats). Then most green vegetables grown above ground. One is seldom ever hungry and for me (and many others) it works! Limited fruits, but berries are lower; and tomatoes are fine. The Carb & Cal book is great, and the new edition has photos of different sized servings and their carb content for each. Lots of diet syles, and lots of associated books/recipes out there. Regards, Alison

 

[Martin Canty]

Some people on LC/HF diet have reversed their diabetes and come off their medication after a few months

I will preface this with saying that we all react differently, however, following a Ketogenic diet like Alison is describing, my FBG is pretty much stable at between 4.5 to 5, even after a busy 4th July (extra staffing a fire engine) & getting in late I succumbed to some really yummy Potato Chips at near midnight, this morning my FBG was still only 5.7.

 

[Alison Carr]

As to breads - well a long as one counts them as part of one's daily approximate carb count, in moderation; (some people try for 50 carbs a day, others 100, others 150g per day). I, personally, am trying to be around the 50-60g carbs a day, and believe me I LOVED bread. However I'm finding that indeed my body does not need much carbs when I am on this LC/HF way of eating. One does have to work at finding out what works for one's own needs - this is why I got a blood glucose meter and use it before/ then 2 hours after starting to eat my breakfast, and before/after dinner so I can see what works for me in each meal/day. I always have the same lunch so once I had established that it did not raise my blood glucose levels I stick with my yoghurt mix lunch, and enjoy it. Good luck with ones choices, but do EAT well. Rgds Alison

 

[Alison Carr]

Hi Grovesy - not sure where that fits in?! I was initially answering Mally saying 'she wasn't eating hardly anything'; that the chemist took her aside and said (rightly) that she has to eat. Indeed we are all different and different things work for all of us, but whatever we try or decide on we HAVE to eat well - with or without medication. Could well be that I will eventually have to take medication as well as controlling diabetes by diet in the future, I will just have to see how it goes for me. Like you I might find I cannot just live on he LC/HFreduced carbs diet long-term, but Mally needs to find her way to an eating plan which suits her, and works for her soonest. Regards, Alison

 

[mally]

so i got my tester and did my levels 3 hours after my breakfast and i was 6.8 mmol/l not sure if thats a good level but it must be better than 10

 

[Annette]

so i got my tester and did my levels 3 hours after my breakfast and i was 6.8 mmol/l not sure if thats a good level but it must be better than 10

That's a pretty good level, mally - but what were you before breakfast?
The key is to know how much you rise - so test before, and then test 2 hours after, and compare the two. Aim for a rise of less than 3 (preferably less than 2, but to begin with 3 is ok to aim for).
But in general, try for levels that are 4-7 before eating, and up to 8ish after eating. (personal tolerances/preferences vary. this is the levels advised by DUK and Drs in general.)

 

[mally]

thanks Annette for your input, i only received my tester 3 hours after my egg this morning but now i have it i can check properly

 

[Alison Carr]

Thats a really good reading AFTER food Mally; I'm trying to get my readings down to that - but without medication it is harder. Getting near it most times though for me; but now at least I am keeping under the 10 too. Glad to hear you had eggs for breakfast (as trophywench said - the old adage "GO TO WORK ON AN EGG" is still a good-un. Your doctors practice should arrange for you to see a dietician; go on a short diabetes information course - like The Desmond Program (usually two sessions on either your choice of mornings/afternoons/ or evenings). Ring your doctors and ask to speak to the diabetes nurse or her to ring you; or book an appointment to see her.

 

[mally]

my dr has passed me on to diabetic clinic that was 3 weeks ago im also waiting for a liver scan as its enlarged but thanks to these boards i am learning, it makes all the difference knowing your not alone

 

[mally]

so today before my dinner i was 5.6 and 2 hours after dinner i am 5.7, i hope thats a good result

 

[Annette]

I would say, as perfect as you can get.

 

[Martin Canty]

so today before my dinner i was 5.6 and 2 hours after dinner i am 5.7, i hope thats a good result

Awesome!!!! Just for interest, what was your dinner?

 

[mally]

ok the diet i have been keeping to is 2 scrambled or boiled eggs for breakfast, then i may have half an apple with a few strawberrys or cherrys, then for dinner i have a breast of chicken with salad a few slices of yellow and red herbs with coleslaw then for tea i have half a tin of tuna or salmon, and maybe some various nuts if im peckish, but it seems to be working, iv also had granary bread when im really hungry. oh and iv lost 1 st in 2 weeks

 

[Alison Carr]

Hi Mally - thats a bit toooo much to loose in 2 weeks - probably (hopefully) due to the fact that recently you said you were all but starving yourself by just eating a bit of chicken in a day. Chivy your doctors surgery to hurry the visit with the diabetic nurse, then ask to see the dietician and go on one of the courses. That will help even more than us supporting you; but we're always here and will motivate and support you as you gain more knowledge. With the help of the dietician you can work out an eating plan to suit your specific needs and way of lifethat is right for you and your health. Above all don't starve yourself - your body needs energy from some source daily. Regards, Alison

 

[mally]

thank you Alison, i have lost weight fast because of the diarrhea but i find its easing up now and the sick feeling is finally subsiding, 2 weeks in, for the first time i feel ok and even taken some exercise today so things are looking up