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Newbie

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MillyMollyMandy44

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Type 2
Hi there, I am a newbie, recently diagnosed. What would your best piece of advice be to someone starting this journey? What should i learn about quickly? What foods are good for me? Or is it all ok in moderation?
I am looking forward to getting to grips with all this, and getting some great advice too. Thanks in advance MillyMollyMandy
 
Welcome to the forum, I am a bit older than you but I remember the Milly Molly Mandy books and my Mum was always known as Molly.
What you need to do largely depends on how far you are into the diabetic zone from some modest changes to something a bit more radical. But it is better to make changes slowly over a number of weeks as reducing carbohydrates suddenly can give you issues with your eyes and nerves.
Have a look at this link as it gives a good explanation of the principals of a low carbohydrate approach which many find successful at reducing blood glucose and losing weight if you need to. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
The Learning zone here is also good to look at as there are a number of links there as well.
If you say a bit more about your diagnosis and what your HbA1C is and if you have been prescribed any medication as that will enable people to give more appropriate comments.
 
Although it is often actively discouraged testing your reaction to foods will be the best way to learn what you can and can't eat, as some can eat some fairly high carb foods in moderation, but it is not possible to tell which.
I bought a blood glucose testing kit early on and soon found that I was really sensitive to carbs, which was no surprise to me really, so then it was a matter of finding out if morning or evening was my most insulin resistant time, and trying out various recipes to see what was going to be possible.
It is a voyage of discovery really, but the good thing is that many people find that they feel so much better after eating what doesn't spike their glucose levels into high numbers.
 
Welcome to the forum @MillyMollyMandy44

Great to hear your determination to tackle this head-on 🙂

Possibly the first thing is to take a breath. Getting a diagnosis with diabetes can be quite discombobulating, and you might be hit with a whole whirlwind of emotions.

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 want to 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.

It’s not that you have to avoid all these things completely (that wouldn’t be particularly wise, even if it were possible - even lettuce has some traces of carbohydrate in it!). But reducing portion sizes can really help your metabolism cope better with your overall menu.

Many new members find it can be really helpful to keep a brutally honest food diary for a week or two. Note down everything you eat and drink, along with a reasonable estimate of the total carbohydrate content in your meals and snacks (not just ‘of which sugars). It might sound like a bit of a faff, and will involve weighing portions, squinting at the fine print on packaging, and possibly looking up things on the internet, but it will give you a really good idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu.

Once you can see which meals or snacks are your ‘big hitters’, and where carbs might be unexpectedly lurking, the process might also suggest some likely candidates for swaps, portion reductions, or using lower carb alternatives (eg celeriac or swede mash, or cauli ‘rice’).

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.

Members here very much recommend Diabetes UK’s Learning Zone too. The orange tab in the main menu. It is packed full of bite-sized modules that you can work through at your own pace.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on 🙂
 
Leadinglights said:
Welcome to the forum, I am a bit older than you but I remember the Milly Molly Mandy books and my Mum was always known as Molly.
What you need to do largely depends on how far you are into the diabetic zone from some modest changes to something a bit more radical. But it is better to make changes slowly over a number of weeks as reducing carbohydrates suddenly can give you issues with your eyes and nerves.
Have a look at this link as it gives a good explanation of the principals of a low carbohydrate approach which many find successful at reducing blood glucose and losing weight if you need to. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
The Learning zone here is also good to look at as there are a number of links there as well.
If you say a bit more about your diagnosis and what your HbA1C is and if you have been prescribed any medication as that will enable people to give more appropriate comments.
Click to expand...
Hi, I have been given the diagnosis of diabetes, due to getting second bout of Covid. I have Giant Cell Arteritis now which has been really difficult to treat, I am on high doses of steroids, which has pushed me into diabetes. I am doing a health course in a few weeks organised by GP, but I wont see the diabetes team at the hospital until December. Sadly the Covid also brought some other health issues, a left side TIA, kidney and liver issues, a thyroid cyst, which will need to come out, but its too dangerous right now, plus temporary ( i hope) loss of sight in both eyes, but not total. I am a complicated case, just for clarification I was triple vaccinated and i am a teacher.
 
MillyMollyMandy44 said:
Hi, I have been given the diagnosis of diabetes, due to getting second bout of Covid. I have Giant Cell Arteritis now which has been really difficult to treat, I am on high doses of steroids, which has pushed me into diabetes. I am doing a health course in a few weeks organised by GP, but I wont see the diabetes team at the hospital until December. Sadly the Covid also brought some other health issues, a left side TIA, kidney and liver issues, a thyroid cyst, which will need to come out, but its too dangerous right now, plus temporary ( i hope) loss of sight in both eyes, but not total. I am a complicated case, just for clarification I was triple vaccinated and i am a teacher.
Click to expand...
Oh dear you have really been through it, steroids are well known for increasing blood glucose. I hope you are able to get treatments to help with all your health issues.
All you can do is your best and take a slow approach to making changes and take into consideration the impact on other things.
 
Leadinglights said:
Oh dear you have really been through it, steroids are well known for increasing blood glucose. I hope you are able to get treatments to help with all your health issues.
All you can do is your best and take a slow approach to making changes and take into consideration the impact on other things.
Click to expand...
Yes I am taking it slow, and trying hard to be optimistic, it has been a tough year.
 
I'm so sorry but I just HAVE to ask - do you actually have a little friend Susan or even know anyone called Billy?

Mom having read the books to my big sister already, so for me they were always abbreviated to MMM LFS and BB !
 
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