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Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
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- Thread starter Lynn53
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Alan44
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Hi @Lynn53 and welcome to the forum.
Many of us do find it overwhelming when first diagnosed, so you are not alone, you will have loads of questions, which the members here will be able to answer from personal experiences.
What was your HBA1c when you were diagnosed as this will be your starting point to know what actions you may need to take, re diet, weight management and exercise.
Alan 😉
Many of us do find it overwhelming when first diagnosed, so you are not alone, you will have loads of questions, which the members here will be able to answer from personal experiences.
What was your HBA1c when you were diagnosed as this will be your starting point to know what actions you may need to take, re diet, weight management and exercise.
Alan 😉
rebrascora
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Hi and welcome from me too.
Yes, I think pretty much all of us found it overwhelming and it is a word that is probably used more than any other to describe how people feel at diagnosis, but you do gradually get over it and adjust to a new and in many cases healthier way of life, so for many of us our diabetes diagnosis was actually the kick up the backside we needed to become healthier rather than making us less healthy.
Metformin does have a reputation for causing digestive upset. Did you start on just 1 tablet of Metformin a day and then slowly build it up over a matter of weeks to whatever dose your doctor/nurse has prescribed? Taking it mid meal also helps with a reasonably substantial amount of lower carb food.
What dietary changes have you been advised to make and are you able to increase your activity levels. Walking is really good particularly after a meal, if you are able.
Yes, I think pretty much all of us found it overwhelming and it is a word that is probably used more than any other to describe how people feel at diagnosis, but you do gradually get over it and adjust to a new and in many cases healthier way of life, so for many of us our diabetes diagnosis was actually the kick up the backside we needed to become healthier rather than making us less healthy.
Metformin does have a reputation for causing digestive upset. Did you start on just 1 tablet of Metformin a day and then slowly build it up over a matter of weeks to whatever dose your doctor/nurse has prescribed? Taking it mid meal also helps with a reasonably substantial amount of lower carb food.
What dietary changes have you been advised to make and are you able to increase your activity levels. Walking is really good particularly after a meal, if you are able.
rebrascora
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That is a shame! Diet is probably the single most important and powerful factor in managing Type 2 diabetes. Certainly more powerful than Metformin and at your reasonably low HbA1c diagnostic level of 57, should be effective and lowering your levels without Metformin. Many people are given the option to make lifestyle changes at diagnosis for 3 months to see if that alone will bring their Blood Glucose (BG) levels back down without the need for medication.
The key thing to understand is that all carbohydrates break down into glucose and get absorbed into the blood stream through the digestive system. Insulin is then released by the pancreas to remove that glucose and escort it into the cells where it is used for energy and any surplus is stored as fat. With diabetes, the body is either not able to produce enough insulin or becomes less responsive to it and so more glucose builds up in the blood stream than is healthy. If you reduce the amount of carbohydrates you eat, then you are putting less glucose into your blood and that allows your body to be able to manage the glucose that is there better. There are carbs in most foods but choosing the foods with less carbs in them and avoiding or restricting the portion size of the high carb foods can make a massive difference. So for instance salads and veggies which grow above the ground are low carb but potatoes including sweet potatoes are higher carb. Grains are about 65% carbohydrate, so anything made from grains like wheat, barley, rice and oats and grain products made from flour are all going to be high carb. So bread, pasta, pastry, cakes, biscuits and breakfast cereals are all going to be high carb. Wholemeal versions are only very slightly less carbs so whilst making a change to wholemeal provides you with a bit more fibre it doesn't really improve your diabetes management without also reducing portion size. Of course sugar and sweets are all high carb because sugar is pure fast release carbohydrate. Fruit of course also contains sugar, but some fruits have much less than others. Generally, berries like rasps and blackberries and blackcurrants and strawberries have a lot less carbs than banana and grapes and mangoes. Fruit juice once heralded as a healthy drink, is just the sugar from fruit with the beneficial fibre removed, so absolutely not a good choice. Smoothies should also be regarded with suspicion unless mostly vegetables and even then eating veg as food rather than a pulverized drink is better because the act of chewing is beneficial for reducing hunger and feeling more sated.
Not saying that you shouldn't eat all the above foods but that you need to reduce portion size and perhaps frequency of them and eat more of the lower carb foods to fill your plate up.
Not sure if you are vegetarian or not but meat, fish, eggs and cheese and mushrooms contain none or very negligible carbs, so you can base meals around those and low carb veggies and just have a much smaller portion of the high carb stuff than usual.
Many of us have full fat creamy Greek style natural yoghurt for breakfast with a few berries and mixed nuts and/or seeds and I like a good dusting of cinnamon mixed in. Or eggs in all their various forms.
I often have a chunk of nice cheese with half an apple sliced up instead of biscuits and a couple of cherry tomatoes or a bowl of homemade soup.... currently broccoli and stilton.
Evening meal can be whatever you would normally have but with less of the high carb element. I have curry or chilli with a big dollop of coleslaw instead of rice. I have bolognaise sauce on a big pile of microwaved broccoli or courgettes or cabbage. I will make a big pan of ratatouille and have it with meat like a quarter pounder or a lamb steak or high meat content sausages.... cheap sausages contain quite a lot of rusk which is carbs. Occasionally I have a rib eye steak with fried mushrooms and serve it with a big salad and a big dollop of coleslaw and maybe make some chips from celeriac which is lower carb than potatoes and has an interesting flavour.
Cauliflower is low carb and versatile and you can mash it with a dollop of cream cheese and maybe some mustard as a substitute for mashed potato and goes really well with sausages or chops or can be used to top a cottage/shepherd's/fish pie. It can also be grated and used instead of rice and cooks in a fraction of the time and you can add other ingredients like herbs/spices and chopped veggies to make it more interesting just like ordinary rice.
If I am going out, a carvery works well as you can pile your plate with veggies and leave the high carb stuff. My partner loves it because he gets my Yorkie!
Anyway, I hope that has given you a few ideas.
The key thing to understand is that all carbohydrates break down into glucose and get absorbed into the blood stream through the digestive system. Insulin is then released by the pancreas to remove that glucose and escort it into the cells where it is used for energy and any surplus is stored as fat. With diabetes, the body is either not able to produce enough insulin or becomes less responsive to it and so more glucose builds up in the blood stream than is healthy. If you reduce the amount of carbohydrates you eat, then you are putting less glucose into your blood and that allows your body to be able to manage the glucose that is there better. There are carbs in most foods but choosing the foods with less carbs in them and avoiding or restricting the portion size of the high carb foods can make a massive difference. So for instance salads and veggies which grow above the ground are low carb but potatoes including sweet potatoes are higher carb. Grains are about 65% carbohydrate, so anything made from grains like wheat, barley, rice and oats and grain products made from flour are all going to be high carb. So bread, pasta, pastry, cakes, biscuits and breakfast cereals are all going to be high carb. Wholemeal versions are only very slightly less carbs so whilst making a change to wholemeal provides you with a bit more fibre it doesn't really improve your diabetes management without also reducing portion size. Of course sugar and sweets are all high carb because sugar is pure fast release carbohydrate. Fruit of course also contains sugar, but some fruits have much less than others. Generally, berries like rasps and blackberries and blackcurrants and strawberries have a lot less carbs than banana and grapes and mangoes. Fruit juice once heralded as a healthy drink, is just the sugar from fruit with the beneficial fibre removed, so absolutely not a good choice. Smoothies should also be regarded with suspicion unless mostly vegetables and even then eating veg as food rather than a pulverized drink is better because the act of chewing is beneficial for reducing hunger and feeling more sated.
Not saying that you shouldn't eat all the above foods but that you need to reduce portion size and perhaps frequency of them and eat more of the lower carb foods to fill your plate up.
Not sure if you are vegetarian or not but meat, fish, eggs and cheese and mushrooms contain none or very negligible carbs, so you can base meals around those and low carb veggies and just have a much smaller portion of the high carb stuff than usual.
Many of us have full fat creamy Greek style natural yoghurt for breakfast with a few berries and mixed nuts and/or seeds and I like a good dusting of cinnamon mixed in. Or eggs in all their various forms.
I often have a chunk of nice cheese with half an apple sliced up instead of biscuits and a couple of cherry tomatoes or a bowl of homemade soup.... currently broccoli and stilton.
Evening meal can be whatever you would normally have but with less of the high carb element. I have curry or chilli with a big dollop of coleslaw instead of rice. I have bolognaise sauce on a big pile of microwaved broccoli or courgettes or cabbage. I will make a big pan of ratatouille and have it with meat like a quarter pounder or a lamb steak or high meat content sausages.... cheap sausages contain quite a lot of rusk which is carbs. Occasionally I have a rib eye steak with fried mushrooms and serve it with a big salad and a big dollop of coleslaw and maybe make some chips from celeriac which is lower carb than potatoes and has an interesting flavour.
Cauliflower is low carb and versatile and you can mash it with a dollop of cream cheese and maybe some mustard as a substitute for mashed potato and goes really well with sausages or chops or can be used to top a cottage/shepherd's/fish pie. It can also be grated and used instead of rice and cooks in a fraction of the time and you can add other ingredients like herbs/spices and chopped veggies to make it more interesting just like ordinary rice.
If I am going out, a carvery works well as you can pile your plate with veggies and leave the high carb stuff. My partner loves it because he gets my Yorkie!
Anyway, I hope that has given you a few ideas.
Leadinglights
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With an HbA1C of 57mmol/mol which is not desperately high many would be given the opportunity to make some dietary changes before starting on metformin. A try for 3 months until your next HbA1C and then the meds if needed.
Many find a low carbohydrate approach successful and you have been given some good suggestions but you may find this link helpful as well. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/ This is based on a suggested no more than 130g carbohydrates not just sugar per day.
It is your decision whether to take the medication but if the stomach problems continue then you could ask for the slow release version which is supposed to be kinder.-
Many find a low carbohydrate approach successful and you have been given some good suggestions but you may find this link helpful as well. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/ This is based on a suggested no more than 130g carbohydrates not just sugar per day.
It is your decision whether to take the medication but if the stomach problems continue then you could ask for the slow release version which is supposed to be kinder.-
saffron15
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I started on one metformin increasing each week til 4 at which point it was reduced to 2. I was bunged up on 1 then 2 but much looser on 3 to 4. I was put on SR slow release which are said to be kinder to stomach. My reading end of June was 69 ( tested at my request) 64 four weeks later. I was given no info about diet this forum was a lifeline.By cutting out fattening bits I lost a stone before medication. If you buy any packaged food look at back under nutrition for carbs. 100 to 130 gm is good to work in. I'm a year younger than you and felt bereaved. I'd reached 44 by December but am on medication. Effectively eat what you fancy though avoid adding sugar do without or use sweetner. If you really want something high carb have a small portion. A chocolate éclair occasionally isn't high carb. I've had a homemade cottage pie from WI market. I've eaten it over two days with extra veg. Chips are potentially less carbs than mash. If you want to make one bulk up with swede or celeriac
- Relationship to Diabetes
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Welcome to the forum @Lynn53
Sorry to head about your diagnosis, but glad you have found us!
You are so right, it can be overwhelming in the beginning, and while none of us wants to be overloaded with tonnes of information and medical speak… it’s not great to be left feeling like you are flapping around on your own with no information to go on either!
The forum can be great for that. No one here is medically qualified, so we can’t give medical advice… but there are literally centuries of lived diabetes experience to tap-into. And you can actually get information, feedback, tips and suggestions from dozens of HCPs (healthcare professionals) and clinics around the country.
If we lapse into forum shorthand and too many abbreviations (just notices myself doing that), you can find a handy glossary here:
Plus a selection of useful links and resources here:
Sorry to head about your diagnosis, but glad you have found us!
You are so right, it can be overwhelming in the beginning, and while none of us wants to be overloaded with tonnes of information and medical speak… it’s not great to be left feeling like you are flapping around on your own with no information to go on either!
The forum can be great for that. No one here is medically qualified, so we can’t give medical advice… but there are literally centuries of lived diabetes experience to tap-into. And you can actually get information, feedback, tips and suggestions from dozens of HCPs (healthcare professionals) and clinics around the country.
If we lapse into forum shorthand and too many abbreviations (just notices myself doing that), you can find a handy glossary here:
Plus a selection of useful links and resources here:
Hello @lynn. Welcome to the forum. So sorry you feel this way. You can get necessary information or lived experiences from this platform whenever you’re ready to. We’re all here to support one another. Please, feel free to share your concerns/progress as much as you wish to.
Best wishes
Lynn53
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Wow thank you all so much for comments and info. I was literally told nothing just put on metformin. I am now on the slow release ones but they are still causing probs. I feel sick, have tummy ache and a horrible metal taste in my mouth. I will persevere and see what happens. The info provided is really helpful and I don’t feel so alone now so thanks everyone
Leadinglights
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If the effects don't diminish quickly and you are committed to making dietary changes I should discuss with your GP stopping taking them and going with the diet option only for 3 months and see how that works.
saffron15
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I have found the info on this nhs website site really helpful plus on left hand side under low carb there are links to freshwell, Moseley and Caldesi which may give you useful info.
Keep a note of what you eat, exercise and " motions" it maybe metformin isn't for you but you need to be sure stress or food choices aren't causing your symptoms. It will get better. When discussing my wish for a diabetes test I told the hcp i was fat ( I weighed 89 kg c14 stone) He told me I shouldn't describe myself as fat which i thought was ridiculous as that was what I was. I'm still overweight but have lost 2 and half stone and have received compliments. That is the bonus for me of diabetes.
newforestpcn.co.uk
Keep a note of what you eat, exercise and " motions" it maybe metformin isn't for you but you need to be sure stress or food choices aren't causing your symptoms. It will get better. When discussing my wish for a diabetes test I told the hcp i was fat ( I weighed 89 kg c14 stone) He told me I shouldn't describe myself as fat which i thought was ridiculous as that was what I was. I'm still overweight but have lost 2 and half stone and have received compliments. That is the bonus for me of diabetes.
Diabetes & Metabolic Health | New Forest PCN
newforestpcn.co.uk
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
@Lynn53 I was in a dreadful state trying to take Metformin - I was prescribed them from diagnosis with no information about diet or possible side effects.
After starting to eat low carb and check my blood glucose I returned to normal number very quickly, so all is well for me. Weightloss was effortless - after decades of struggling under the cosh of 'healthy' carbs advice and putting on so much weight.
I was told I was fat because I was very muscular back when I did roadie work and could carry a speaker cabinet in each hand - they look at the numbers and make assumptions.
After starting to eat low carb and check my blood glucose I returned to normal number very quickly, so all is well for me. Weightloss was effortless - after decades of struggling under the cosh of 'healthy' carbs advice and putting on so much weight.
I was told I was fat because I was very muscular back when I did roadie work and could carry a speaker cabinet in each hand - they look at the numbers and make assumptions.
@Lynn53
Many of us T2s feel overwhelmed at diagnosis because no one says what we can do about it.
It would so easy to say there is a very good chance you can achieve and maintain remission by diet and exercise, and now is the best time to try. Let's agree a target and see how you getting on in three months (option A). Otherwise, if you don't want to try, we will put you on medication to help you live with the condition for the rest of your life (option B).
I was given option B and a pack of Metformin with no mention of option A.
My wife had one of Dr Michael Mosley's books on the kitchen shelf. It spelt out option A (without medication) in no uncertain terms. I set myself a target of losing 22 kg to lose the extra weight I had accumulated over the years as well as getting my blood glucose (BG) levels down along the way.
I discussed my plan and its low carb diet of protein and vegetables with my GP. She acquiesed and handed me an AccuChek. A fortnight later it said my fasting BG was in the normal range at 5.8 mmol/l, compared with double digits at diagnosis.
I'd suggest you set yourself a realistic target, choose a diet, decide how much exercise you'd like to do, then stop metformin after a discussion with your GP/DN.
For dietary advice I'd start with this and this as they are easy to follow and use.
Many of us T2s feel overwhelmed at diagnosis because no one says what we can do about it.
It would so easy to say there is a very good chance you can achieve and maintain remission by diet and exercise, and now is the best time to try. Let's agree a target and see how you getting on in three months (option A). Otherwise, if you don't want to try, we will put you on medication to help you live with the condition for the rest of your life (option B).
I was given option B and a pack of Metformin with no mention of option A.
My wife had one of Dr Michael Mosley's books on the kitchen shelf. It spelt out option A (without medication) in no uncertain terms. I set myself a target of losing 22 kg to lose the extra weight I had accumulated over the years as well as getting my blood glucose (BG) levels down along the way.
I discussed my plan and its low carb diet of protein and vegetables with my GP. She acquiesed and handed me an AccuChek. A fortnight later it said my fasting BG was in the normal range at 5.8 mmol/l, compared with double digits at diagnosis.
I'd suggest you set yourself a realistic target, choose a diet, decide how much exercise you'd like to do, then stop metformin after a discussion with your GP/DN.
For dietary advice I'd start with this and this as they are easy to follow and use.