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[Smudgesmith040]

Hi everyone I’ve just been diagnosed of having type 2 diabetes, been told to go on a low carb diet for 2 weeks then redo my blood tests .
My hbac1 level is 56
Is this normal advice?

 

[JITR]

Perfect sensible. The simple answer is soups and shakes. More later.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi everyone I’ve just been diagnosed of having type 2 diabetes, been told to go on a low carb diet for 2 weeks then redo my blood tests .
My hbac1 level is 56
Is this normal advice?

Usually if someone is borderline for diagnosis i.e around the threshold of 48mmol/mol then a second test may be done but if you are where you are at 56mmol/mol it will likely give the same result after 2 weeks even if you go low carb as the HbA1C test is basically an average blood glucose over the previous 3 months.
More usual is for people to be advised to change lifestyle, diet and more exercise if possible for 3 months then retest but it very much depends on your GP.
However the advise for low carb is a good one and that is what many find successful, but it needs to be for the long term as once you have a diagnosis then that change has to be one you can sustain for life.
Have a look at this link for a good low carb approach with menu plans and recipes.

Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home

lowcarbfreshwell.com

Low carb is suggested as no more than 130g carbs not just sugar per day, it is not NO carbs.
Keeping a food diary with an estimate of the carbs will help you see where you are and what savings can be made

 

[Martin.A]

Perfect sensible. The simple answer is soups and shakes. More later.

Isn't that generally recommended as a short-term weight loss plan? We don't know whether @Smudgesmith040 needs to lose weight.

 

[JITR]

Isn't that generally recommended as a short-term weight loss plan? We don't know whether @Smudgesmith040 needs to lose weight.

Odds on at 25:1 to 50:1 that Smudgesmith would do well to get rid of excess liver and pancreas fat. Responders to the Newcastle diet, and presumably its successor NHS remission diet, see their FBG come down to around 6 mmol/l after a week.

 

[JITR]

Usually if someone is borderline for diagnosis i.e around the threshold of 48mmol/mol then a second test may be done but if you are where you are at 56mmol/mol it will likely give the same result after 2 weeks even if you go low carb as the HbA1C test is basically an average blood glucose over the previous 3 months.

Yes, that's right in both cases. Smudgesmith mentions blood tests, plural, and FBG is the one to choose. Hopefully the GP knows that.

 

[JITR]

Perfect sensible. The simple answer is soups and shakes. More later.

The Soups and Shakes I had in mind were the ones used in the NHS Remission programme and the ones mentioned in the Newcastle Diet leaflet.

Professor Roy Taylor explains in this video, Achieving T2D remission (May 2023), how blood sugar can come down to normal levels in 1-2 weeks. If yours does you will be on the way to reverting your liver and, hopefully, your pancreas to normal. I'd suggest following on with the Freshwell plan or this or this or a diet you choose/devise.

In case your GPs do not know about Professor Taylor and his team's work here is his Information for Doctors.

 

[Inka]

Welcome @Smudgesmith040 🙂

 

[SB2015]

Hi everyone I’ve just been diagnosed of having type 2 diabetes, been told to go on a low carb diet for 2 weeks then redo my blood tests .
My hbac1 level is 56
Is this normal advice?

Welcome to the forum, but I am sorry that you need to be here. However you have found a place where there is a wealth of experience to tap into.

There are many approaches to managing diabetes, but it is not a surprise to hear that your doctor has advised you to reduce your carbs. All carbs that we eat are converted to glucose once inside us, and need insulin to process the glucose out of our blood stream.

Each of us needs to find what works for us, and importantly is something that you are able to sustain.
Have they booked you in for the additional tests that they mention. Many on here find it useful in the early stages to test their blood glucose levels, both before a meal and 2 hours afterwards. This gives you an indication of how your body is coping with the amount of carbs that you are currently eating, and can help you identify whether certain foods have a bigger impact than others (for me it is oats that spike my levels so I just avoid those most of the time)

Let us know how you get on.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Smudgesmith040

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis with T2.

When people have an HbA1c between 42-47 they are advised that they are at risk of developing diabetes. One or more results above 47mmol/mol are usually sufficient to confirm a diagnosis.

Many here were diagnosed with an HbA1c in the 100s, or 80s-90s, so at 56mmol/mol you are in the diabetes zone, but on one of the lower rungs.

This suggests that your body has been struggling with the amount of carbohydrate in your menu, both sweet and sugary things, but also starchy carbs like bread, pasta, rice, breakfast cereals, potatoes, and many fruits.

Lowering your total carbohydrate intake to around 130g of total carbs per day or less can really help your metabolism process the food you are eating.

The exact nature of the ‘best’ diabetes diet for you will be very individual, and is something you have to work out for yourself, as everyone’s metabolism and gut responds slightly differently to things.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on 🙂

 

[harbottle]

Hi everyone I’ve just been diagnosed of having type 2 diabetes, been told to go on a low carb diet for 2 weeks then redo my blood tests .
My hbac1 level is 56
Is this normal advice?

Yes. Quite normal these days. (Although my advice was 'don't eat chips' from a terrible GP). I was also told to lose som weight as it's been seen that weight loss can see an improvement in some people. I don't know if you are are overweight or not.

I simply replaced 'bulk' carbs with vegetables (Fish/lean meat and steamed vegetables instead of chips - a lot of cauliflower) and lost a lot of weight and brough levels back to normal and was taken off medication earlier this year. Fingers crossed the next blood test will be OK.