Newbie with a quick question

[katiehumph]

Hi. I am new to al of this and also 2 weeks into taking metformin so feeling a little bit all over the place. Something I have really been suffering with is fatigue and exhaustion- especially after eating. Just wondered if anyone had any quick tips?

Thank you,
Katie

 

[itsallgood]

Hi and welcome!

Quick tip to reduce fatigue after eating - avoid carbohydrates.

 

[Northerner]

Hi Katie, welcome to the forum 🙂 It's very common to suffer with fatigue when you are newly-diagnosed. It's quite possible that your blood sugar levels are fluctuating quite a bit still. Metformin will help, but it's only part of the solution. The main thing you need to consider is your diet, particularly the carbohydrates you are eating. All carbs convert to glucose and will raise your blood sugar levels. How quickly they do this will depend on the type of carb, and what you are eating them with. Sweet things will raise your levels quickly, but so will any white flour products, such as white bread. I would recommend starting a food diary, recording everything you eat and drink, and the amount of carbs in everything (look on the back of packaging, or use a book like the Collins Gem - Carb Counter for fresh foods (potatoes, rice, pasta etc.). You can then use this to look for things that you might want to repace with a more diabetes-friendly option, or perhaps reduce portion size. Ideally, you would also test your blood sugar levels before and after eating so that you can see how different foods affect you - this is the best and quickest way to find out what things you tolerate well, and what things you should consider replacing or excluding from your diet. Also, a good method of combining food elements so that they release energy slowly and steadily is the GL (Glycaemic Load) diet - The GL Diet for Dummies is a good introduction.

I would highly recommend getting a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker, and readingJennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter - the more you understand about how to manage your diabetes from the outset, the easier it will be 🙂

Hopefully, before too long, the modifications you are making to your diet and activity levels will bring your levels under better control and you will start feeling as if you have more energy. Many people find that the changes they make end up making them feel much healthier than they have felt for a long time! 🙂

If you have any questions about anything, please ask away and we will do our best to help out 🙂

 

[katiehumph]

Thank you both so much. There is a lot to get my head around as well as hold down a full time job without falling asleep!
x

 

[Northerner]

Thank you both so much. There is a lot to get my head around as well as hold down a full time job without falling asleep!
x

Don't let things overwhelm you Katie, it will take time - it's more of a marathon than a sprint, but you will get there! 🙂

 

[itsallgood]

Thank you both so much. There is a lot to get my head around as well as hold down a full time job without falling asleep!
x

Exactly what I was going through before diagnosis, I thought I needed more carbs (sugar) because I felt tired but it only made me worse. Drastically cutting down on carbs once diagnosed, particularly white flour based products as Northie says, made me feel much better.

Burgen bread replaces white bread now, stuffed with loads of spinach and protein, such as chicken or ham etc.

 

[jalapino]

Welcome Katie 🙂

Lots and lots of good advice on this forum so take your time and take it all slowly....try not to take to much in to quick or ya might just explode!!!

And we do not want that!!! 😉

 

[pav]

Hi Katie, welcome to the forum, there's lots of help on here.

 

[Mark T]

Welcome to the forum Katie 🙂