Newbie to forum

[MarkG]

Hi newbie introduction
I’m 57 type 2 living a life that’s very sedentary either behind a keyboard or in a car. I also have early stages of COPD. I’m 22 st and 5” 11.
I’m sick to the back teeth of being over weight. My GP has told me to loose weight but motivation is poor. I’ve recently tried walking which at first was good but my shin splints have played up limiting the length and distance I walk. I want to change my life around and get fit as I can. I know little about Diabetes never given much info when diagnosed. Even though I sound deflated I committed to loose the weight. Hope to learn from this site and partake. Keep safe everyone

 

[Inka]

Welcome @MarkG 🙂

Being committed to lose weight is a great start and you’ve already taken the first step by saying that and joining this forum.

Are you on any medication for your diabetes?

 

[Drummer]

Nordic walking poles might help. They really take the strain off and allow longer walks and they make a big difference for me as the pavements are very uneven around here. It is far easier to keep my balance.
Diabetes is all about carbohydrates. Usually reducing the glucose in the blood results in normal Hba1cs, or close to, and I found that I lost weight without even realising it once my levels reduced.

 

[ColinUK]

Hi Mark,
And welcome.
Do you have any questions you want to ask?
Do you know what your HbA1C levels are?
Have you considered testing your blood glucose levels at home?

 

[Josh DUK]

Hi newbie introduction
I’m 57 type 2 living a life that’s very sedentary either behind a keyboard or in a car. I also have early stages of COPD. I’m 22 st and 5” 11.
I’m sick to the back teeth of being over weight. My GP has told me to loose weight but motivation is poor. I’ve recently tried walking which at first was good but my shin splints have played up limiting the length and distance I walk. I want to change my life around and get fit as I can. I know little about Diabetes never given much info when diagnosed. Even though I sound deflated I committed to loose the weight. Hope to learn from this site and partake. Keep safe everyone

Hello @MarkG ,

Thank you so much for joining the forum and sharing your story with us. We have been promoting our exercise programme on the forum. You can find the link below for more information and it may be helpful to speak to @Francesca DUK who is leading on this.

Looking for People to Join our Living Well Move More Programme

Hello Everyone! We know that moving more can really help to manage diabetes, and so we are helping people who currently do less than 30 mins of physical activity per week make it part of their day-to-day life. Francesca, our Physical Activity Helpline Advisor, is trained to help you build your...

forum.diabetes.org.uk

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hi newbie introduction
I’m 57 type 2 living a life that’s very sedentary either behind a keyboard or in a car. I also have early stages of COPD. I’m 22 st and 5” 11.
I’m sick to the back teeth of being over weight. My GP has told me to loose weight but motivation is poor. I’ve recently tried walking which at first was good but my shin splints have played up limiting the length and distance I walk. I want to change my life around and get fit as I can. I know little about Diabetes never given much info when diagnosed. Even though I sound deflated I committed to loose the weight. Hope to learn from this site and partake. Keep safe everyone

Welcome to the forum @MarkG

Sorry to hear about your weight troubles, but great to hear that you are committed to losing weight and turning your diabetes around.

One of the biggest questions when trying to get to grips with your diabetes is often ‘what can I eat’ and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will have cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.

Many new members also find it can be really helpful to keep a food diary for a week or two. Be brutally honest! Note down everything you eat and drink. It can be especially helpful to estimate the amount of carbohydrate in the meals and snacks to give you an idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu.

If you would like a good overview of T2 diabetes, to add to the knowledge you’ve already picked up, members here frequently recommend Maggie Davey’s Letter and Gretchen Becker’s book T2 Diabetes, the first year, which you can work through gradually and will give you a solid starting point.

Good luck, and keep asking questions - our friendly, helpful members here have literally centuries of lived diabetes experience between them and nothing will be considered too obvious or ‘silly’.