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Newbie type 2 & struggling

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Hi @Nannawainey welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear that you're struggling with your diagnosis. It's a big thing to get your head round initally.
How did you find out that you had type 2? Are you on medication?
Is there anything that you'd like to find out that would help you out? I'm sure we're all happy to help, as we've been there at one time, and it does get a bit easier as time goes on.
Sarah
 
Thank you for your reply , not on any meds yet, was given a 2nd go at diet and exercise... I'm a comfort eater and have bad habits.. changing my diet just seems so hard..
 
Nannawainey said:
Thank you for your reply , not on any meds yet, was given a 2nd go at diet and exercise... I'm a comfort eater and have bad habits.. changing my diet just seems so hard..
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I'm also a comfort eater, and it is difficult. If your diet is a weight loss one, there's a forum on weight loss that might be useful for you to see what other people are doing and have done, and another about what people have been eating.

If you're wanting to change your diet to help with your diabetes, you don't have to do everything at once, look at one meal at a time and think what you can change - so swap cornflakes and toast for yogurt and raspberries, or have a bowl of soup and an apple for lunch instead of a sausage roll and a bag of crisps. These are guesses, as I don't know what you normally eat - but you can swap higher calorie foods for lower calorie ones if it's weight loss you're after, or higher carbohydrate food for lower carbohydrate food.

I can't really comment on exercise, as I'm struggling with that myself, but I manage to go out for walks and cycle rides when the weather is less dreary. Spring and lighter evenings can't come soon enough!

Can you find ways to distract yourself from your comfort eating? I make a cup of tea and have that first when I've got the urge to get snacks out the fridge.
 
Thank you , I never thought about tackling it one meal at time.. thats a great idea will start on breakfast and work my way through the day..
 
Hi and welcome
Exercise - have a dance whilst waiting for the kettle to boil, or while food is cooking, every little bit helps. If you have a step, step on and off it a few times, changing your lead foot. Dancing is good as it can get you breathing a bit heavier, so it's a bit of a cardio workout. I either put the radio on from the tv or ask Alexa to play a radio station or whatever music appeals to me - often the 60's lol Sometimes the tv ads are good for a minute's jig-about 🙂
 
Again a great idea..do a little jig round kitchen...thank you for your help...tomorrow will be the turnaround start....watch this space ....
 
One more question do people use a blood machine to test levels? I was told it wasn't necessary but how do I tell if control is on track? Would it be worth investing in a kit?
 
I was recommended to buy one by other forum members. I thought it would be horrible finger pricking, it turns out I was just being a wimp, and I can't tell which finger I've pricked ten minutes later.
I've used mine for the last 6 weeks and found it helpful to see what particular foods or meals do to my blood glucose. You can decide then if you want to eat the same meal again, or if you can amend the recipe so that it's better for your blood sugar. It gives you control which you can't get unless you test.
I take a fasting reading in the morning, before a meal and two hours after. I don't test if it's something I've eaten before and know won't do bad things to my BG level, ie omelette, which I have for breakfast, but if I wanted to try a new food, I'd test.

The two BG monitors that are regularly recommended are the Gluco Navii and the Spirit Tee2. You'll need to buy more test strips and lancets for the monitor, and a sharps bin to put the used strips and lancets in. My GP surgery take the full bins for disposal, as do some pharmacies and local councils.
 
Yes, almost all of T2s get told that we don't need the BG meters or that they are more trouble than they are worth - BUT they are one of the best things you can arm yourself with. They will show you how you react to carbs. If you go too high, then you will know to cut the portion size next time - if still too high then find an alternative and save the real thing for a rare treat. A BG meter puts YOU in control, it is empowering. We have to self fund and the cheapest starter kit at present is the GlucoNavii, available on their HomeHealth site - you will also need to buy extra test strips and lancets with it, as it only gives you 10 a-piece. I was ordering my test strips from Amazon, but they took over 10 days by Royal Mail, ordered them from Home Health and got them in two days - by Royal Mail!!! I bought bulk this time so I'm good for a long time now. Lancets - you get told to change them each time, but providing you are the only one using it, you can use them multiple times, We are all very good at changing them regularly in the beginning, but that certainly changes for most of us lol
 
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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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