Newbie

[Carol Pitt]

hi all, thank you for reading - I was informed today that I am type2 diabetic after struggling with various of health problems - at the start of a long journey but with lots of help and hard work I hope to beat this !!!! Wish me luck x

 

[Martin9]

Hi, @Carol Pitt , what a shock, I was there, where you are 3 months ago, diagnosed with very little advice and left alone with very little advice until I found this forum, it has helped me very much.
You don't mention if you have been prescribed any meds for your condition but here's a quick guide to start
Lower your Carbohydrates intake, that's not just the simple sugars, as in table sugar, cakes, desserts, sweets etc, but the starches, found in any wheat , rice, potato, and fruit yes that includes bread, pasta, breakfast cereals ..etc etc
But counter intuitively, you are allowed higher fat foods such as cheese, meats, fish. eggs and small amounts of nuts etc etc
If you are a bit overweight try reduce your weight until ur BMI, is lower and try up your exercise a bit, that's what worked for me, so far, and it might help you but we are all different xx

 

[Carol Pitt]

Thank you for you very informative answer - yes I was put on metformin - advised to take it slowly as can cause upset tummy but I will perserve

 

[CathyB]

Hi Carol, welcome to the club no one wants to join 😉 As Martin has said, it’s carbs that we need to be aware about, they are the little devils that spike out blood glucose levels. I chose to cut out potatoes, rice, pasta and the only bread I eat is Burgen, a soy and linseed low carb version that works well for toast and sandwiches. Testing your blood is key to learning how your body reacts to different foods, to start with I tested first thing, before meals, then again 2 hours after, keeping a food diary and mapping that to my test results quickly showed me what foods to avoid and what I worked well for me. GPs are not always supportive of type 2s testing so may not give the test strips on prescription, most of us get the code free kit as it’s the most reasonable price at around £12.99 with replacement strips only £7.99 for 50. Now, 5 months in, I have a fairly good idea what I can eat and I don’t miss carbs at all 😛 I only test now and then if I’m feeling a bit off or if I try something new. Take your time to read through the back posts here, you will find all you need to know

 

[Carol Pitt]

Thank you, I work for a GP surgery and had a lovely chat with one of the nurses who advised me not to use the machines yet, as she said it’s very early days and I need to try and get my head in the ‘zone’ but once a few days/weeks have gone by I’m tempted to get a kit but that’s for the future as I explained only found out today so still a little OMG

 

[CathyB]

Thank you, I work for a GP surgery and had a lovely chat with one of the nurses who advised me not to use the machines yet, as she said it’s very early days and I need to try and get my head in the ‘zone’ but once a few days/weeks have gone by I’m tempted to get a kit but that’s for the future as I explained only found out today so still a little OMG

It’s your choice Carol, you have to go at your own pace, all I will say is that without testing you won’t know how you react to foods, have a read through some back posts, you will find so much information to help you make your mind up. Feel free to ask any questions you might have 🙂

 

[Carol Pitt]

Thank you , I do and will appreciate it x

 

[HOBIE]

hi all, thank you for reading - I was informed today that I am type2 diabetic after struggling with various of health problems - at the start of a long journey but with lots of help and hard work I hope to beat this !!!! Wish me luck x

Good luck & welcome Carol 🙂

 

[Drummer]

Well - perhaps I am just born lucky but I was no longer diabetic in 80 days from diagnosis, and it was easy - just stopped eating the 'healthy' carbohydrates which had caused me to gain weight and feel so old - job done.
I did have the advantage of a blood glucose meter, so I could see my progress week by week, and cut out things which might have been OK such as legumes.
I am now looking forward to my second anniversary from diagnosis and am still nowhere near the diagnostic level for diabetes.
I think that HCPs, with their out of date training do put a lot of doom and gloom about, but Dr Atkins was right - by eating a low carb diet diabetes is controlled and effectively negated, and has the additional benefit of being a generally healthier way of eating than the normal diets advised for everyone these days.