Newbie saying hello

[Kimzy]

Hello Everybody 🙂

I’m Kim, just diagnosed last week with hba1c of 51.. wasn’t given any meds just some advice and to go back in 4 months.

I’m veggy and a very very fussy eater, so I know I’m going to massively struggle with a low carb diet.
I have a real sweet tooth and was eating lots of junk chocolate, crisps etc.. so to be honest I’m not surprised at my diagnosis sadly, my question is if I cut out all the choc, sweets, crisp etc would that be enough on its own to bring down my hba1c.

Thanks xxx

 

[merrymunky]

Hi, welcome to the forum from one fussy veggie to another.

I’ve posted about my struggles with sorting out my diet in the past due to being a very fussy eater. I don’t eat eggs, mushrooms etc.

Your level is lower than mine was a diagnosis. Since January I have brought mine down from 75 to 55. As well as chocolate and sugar I’ve had to cut out a massive amount of carbs so I haven’t had pasta once. I don’t eat rice anymore, I can’t eat many potatoes. Cereals send me high too. I’m afraid you might have to look at your carbs not just your sugars.
It can be done though!

 

[Drummer]

Hba1c of 51 is not that high compared to some - so if you reduce your carb intake by stopping the snacks and simply being aware that carbs are the problem then you might well see your levels drop down to more normal levels.
For a lot of people getting hold of a meter with cheap strips and testing after meals gives a few shocks and reveals sensitivities - I was surprised to see how high legumes send me, far higher than their carb count would suggest.
Some people find they can manage porridge, others find they can't, no way.
I am glad that I was diagnosed diabetic as it gives me the perfect excuse to eat low carb foods and stick to a diet which makes me feel great, so win win really.

 

[Kimzy]

Hi MerryMunky

Thank you so much for your reply xx

It’s really tough being veggie and being a fussy eater, I’ve had food phobias since I was a child, so mostly I was eating sweet snacks just to fill up because there are not many foods I actually like which sadly is a recipe for disaster I’m really struggling to see how I can cut out many carbs, I practically live on bread, (toast) cereal, most fruits, broccoli, peas, carrots & potatoes and a few other veg/salad. I have a very limited diet, and I know most of those foods are what I need to cut out.... eeeek

I was really hoping that just stopping any choc/cakes etc would help but that doesn’t seem the case, how do you find potatoes affect your levels?

Well done on your amazing weight loss xx

 

[Kimzy]

Hiya Drummer,

Thankyou for your reply

I was borderline at 47 last year, then recently while being diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea they tested me at 51 yes luckily I’ve noticed it’s not as high as some others, I’m really hoping to bring it down without meds, it’s all such a lot to take in at the moment.

I think I will definately get one of those machines as you mentioned would be helpful to see what is affecting me most, the nurse did mention it but then said she thinks it wouldn’t be good idea as it would worry me more, but I do think it may help.

I’m so glad you are feeling so much better in your health after your diagnosis and amazing weight loss xx

 

[SueEK]

Hi Kim and welcome to the forum. Although not a veggie I am also a fussy eater and literally gag with some veg due to childhood so I appreciate how scary the thought of having to restrict your diet further is. I too was (and stil am) a bread lover, it’s the thing I find the hardest to give up but I have drastically reduced it and no crisps. Sounds impossible to do but bit by bit you will learn to find other things that you can have. Your level is quite low so it’s possible you may get away with small amounts of bread but testing is def the way to go. Good luck to you and let us know how you are getting on. Ask any questions at all x

 

[Docb]

Hi Kim, how's your BMI? If its above "healthy", even just a bit, then bringing it down might also help, and cutting back on the sweet stuff might do that as well as getting your blood glucose down in its own right. Double whammy!.

 

[Kimzy]

Hi Kim and welcome to the forum. Although not a veggie I am also a fussy eater and literally gag with some veg due to childhood so I appreciate how scary the thought of having to restrict your diet further is. I too was (and stil am) a bread lover, it’s the thing I find the hardest to give up but I have drastically reduced it and no crisps. Sounds impossible to do but bit by bit you will learn to find other things that you can have. Your level is quite low so it’s possible you may get away with small amounts of bread but testing is def the way to go. Good luck to you and let us know how you are getting on. Ask any questions at all x

Hi Sue,

Thanks for your message,

It’s inspirational to know so many of you have felt the same as I do but managed to adapt and get things under control, gives me great hope.

When people talk about foods that spike levels what kind of numbers does that mean, and what can happen? None of that was explained to me.

Many thanks xx

 

[Kimzy]

Hi Kim, how's your BMI? If its above "healthy", even just a bit, then bringing it down might also help, and cutting back on the sweet stuff might do that as well as getting your blood glucose down in its own right. Double whammy!.

Hiya Docb

Yes it’s definately above healthy, I need to lose about 2 stone... which I think I can do, as even in the past week I’ve lost a few pounds cutting out treats and excersising more, but I would really struggle on a low carb diet. I am hoping cutting out lots of sugar will bring me down, but the more I read the more I see it’s about the carbs.

How have you gotten on?

Thanks for your reply xx

 

[merrymunky]

Hi MerryMunky

Thank you so much for your reply xx

It’s really tough being veggie and being a fussy eater, I’ve had food phobias since I was a child, so mostly I was eating sweet snacks just to fill up because there are not many foods I actually like which sadly is a recipe for disaster I’m really struggling to see how I can cut out many carbs, I practically live on bread, (toast) cereal, most fruits, broccoli, peas, carrots & potatoes and a few other veg/salad. I have a very limited diet, and I know most of those foods are what I need to cut out.... eeeek

I was really hoping that just stopping any choc/cakes etc would help but that doesn’t seem the case, how do you find potatoes affect your levels?

Well done on your amazing weight loss xx

I don’t have potatoes very much these days. I used to eat them all the time with salad. I’m having them for lunch today but I do find they make my levels rise much higher than I would like.

 

[Kimzy]

I don’t have potatoes very much these days. I used to eat them all the time with salad. I’m having them for lunch today but I do find they make my levels rise much higher than I would like.

What happens when they do rise? I know that might sound silly, but I’ve no idea as my nurse only mentioned the overall test. Were you given a meter or did you decide to get your own?

Xx

 

[SueEK]

Hi again Kim. By a spike it is just that your glucose levels have gone up higher than they should. Ideally they should be around 4-7 but a lot of us, especially the fairly newly diagnosed are still not getting those figures but you can only tell by testing. For example I had some weetabix a while ago and my before food reading was approx 6 and 2 hours after had shot up to about 10 so obviously weetabix doesn’t agree with me, that’s what is meant by a spike. Personally I don’t feel any different at all and I only know because I have tested but obviously it means that there is more glucose in my body than there should be which could have long term consequences if not sorted out. Most people seem to buy their own test kits and someone will advise on the best one, I luckily was given one from work but it really does help you discover which foods you can tolerate and those that you can’t because we are all different. It is trial and error. Keep asking questions, someone can usually help.

 

[Docb]

Hi Kim, shedding a bit of the weight can only be a good thing all round and there is a lot of evidence to say that for a lot of people it will bring the blood glucose down. I suggest you treat your HBA1C as an early warning signal rather than a reason to panic.

My own story is a not quite like yours. I kept things under control for years by keeping my weight in the "healthy" range but something went wrong at the end of last year. BG went up suddenly without any weight gain. I've got blood glucose back to normalish by carb reduction - no grains, no wheat products minimal starchy veg - but there is still something wrong. Blood glucose OK but fatigue still there. Will work it out one day.

On the subject of testing, my experience is that for people like yourself, with HBA1C's just a bit above the diagnosis level, its a bit marginal. The bathroom scales will tell you most of what you need to know for the next three months or so until your next test. Testing is a bit of a faff but it does give you a lot of information, the sort of information you need if, like me, and many others, your HBA1C is well into the red zone and you are trying to juggle diet and medication to do get it down quite quickly. My thought, and others might differ, is that I would hold off testing until you see whether in the first instance, a bit of diet change and a bit of weight loss will do the trick.

 

[Madeline]

You might find swapping ‘normal’ bread for Burgen helps - it’s much lower carb than most. You’ll find it in the seedy/wholegrainy bread section in most supermarkets (Waitrose don’t carry it, Sainsbury’s does), pinky purple and clear wrapper.

Potatoes, some are worse than others, mash is worst, baked with skin on or roasted best, the fat helps. Apart from that, if it’s processed it’s bad, fruit is dodgy whatever they say - berries are better as is melon, particularly watermelon. Oats and other cereals, you want the least processed, so proper big porridge oats and not those sachets or ‘quick cook’.

Lots of us find that cooking and freezing carbs like rice and pasta helps, it changes the fibre so we can’t digest it. Konjac noodles (eg Bare Naked) are fab as we can’t digest the fibre in those either. Chocolate, high cocoa content dark like Green & Blacks is best, once you get used to it, you’ll hopefully find a square satisfies.

Welcome btw 🙂

 

[merrymunky]

What happens when they do rise? I know that might sound silly, but I’ve no idea as my nurse only mentioned the overall test. Were you given a meter or did you decide to get your own?

Xx

To be honest I don’t know. I don’t feel any different after eating them. Hence not having any discernible symptoms before diagnosis. I think it’s more to tonwoth raising your sugars too high which over time is a bad thing.

I was given a meter and a repeat prescription for lancets and test strips as I am under the care of a pregnancy consultant. I was only diagnosed in January after tests following a loss at 16 weeks gestation in November. I wouldn’t have known I had diabetes otherwise. Since we would like to try again they have taken me under their wing and are being very tight on my target levels. They gave me the meter so I could keep track more accurately. As a rule type 2s aren’t usually given a meter.