Newbie

[KezAnn84]

Good Morning everyone, Im Kez and really struggling with Type 2 with very little info being given especially with diet and nutrition just plenty of tablets be thrown at me. :/

 

[Ljc]

Hi @KezAnn84 , welcome to the forum. I am sorry to say that is par for the course for many of us, however you have come to the right place for info and cyber support.

A little more info will help us give you the best advise.

How did you come to be diagnosed.

What tablets have they prescribed

 

[KezAnn84]

Hi @DX 1994, I am on 4 x Metformin and now been given Alogliptin to take on top. The Diabetic nurse just seems to want to keep pushing pills and no or little interest in nutrition. I always have tried to steer away from rubbish and always have fresh fruit and veg ( yes fruit is restricted to 3 pieces a day ) I know Carbs are big one to watch however low carb diets seem a mine field to me. I am desperate to find the best way eating and have already increased exercise daily. To be honest I am completely lost and really don't know what to do, they say type 2 can be reversed - can it really?

 

[Ljc]

Some people on here are trying to reverse it and it seems that one or two may have, but only time will tell.
Quite a few have managed to lower their Hb1ac to normal levels but if they increase their carb intake their blood glucose rises.

What fruit are you eating.

I know you like me are not new to diabetes but these threads and blogs are suitable for us as well as the newly dx.
maggie-daveys-letter-to-newly-diagnosed-type-2s

Apologies if you already know about this, this blog explains how to use your meter to find out how the various carbohydrates affect us as we are all different in this, ie some people have a nice bowl of porridge and they are fine where others have to avoid it like the plague
test-review-adjust by Alan S

If you would like to see what we’ve been eating, including our sins
Have a read through this long running thread.
what-did-you-eat-yesterday

We have some great innovative cooks on here. I am sure you will be drooling at some of these
recipes

Ask as many questions about diabetes as you need to , we’ll do our best to help.

 

[Eddy Edson]

...they say type 2 can be reversed - can it really?

The two best bets seem to be (a) bariatric surgery, which has been recognised for quite a while, and (b) substantial weight loss, which has recently attracted a lot of attention via the work of groups at Newcastle University and Glasgow University. Their DiRECT study showed ~46% success overall in getting T2's to a point where they had non-diabetic BG levels without any meds, rising to ~90% for people able to lose at least 15kg. The work is supported by Diabetes UK and is being rolled out in a large-scale trial this year by the NHS: see https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-t...eating-your-diabetes/type2-diabetes-remission

There isn't enough history to give absolute confidence about long-term remission/reversal/whatever, but the researchers express confidence that it does indeed "stick", so long as you don't stack the weight back on.

The approach is best-known in conjunction with a short-term liquid 800 calorie dietary intervention, to quickly lose weight and reset eating habits, but the researchers stress that this isn't an essential factor: grinding off weight in a more traditional way should work just as well.

Personally, it seems like it's probably worked for me, at least for now. I've lost a bunch of weight, my BG levels are "normal", and I can eat lots of carbs without it having much of an effect (I'm much more sensitive to type of carbs - especially grains - than the amount of carbs).

Anyway, well worth checking out.

 

[HOBIE]

Welcome. Being active helps a lot. It is possible to reverse. Good luck 🙂

 

[SB2015]

Welcome to the forum Kez and well done on getting more active.
You have come to the right place for effective advice and support.

You are already aware of the focus on carbs, as it is these that convert to glucose that can clog up the system.
Are you aware of how many carbs you eat each day. Some have found it helps them to get a clearer picture and to record exactly how many carbs they are eating at each meal, and what they are from. These include the fruit and veg. This may involve weighing things out to get accurate figures.

If this info is combined with a record of blood glucose testing before and 2 hours after a meal you can start to see what impact different foods and different quantities have on your glucose levels. This can then help you to make informed choices about changes to your diet. For us we found we were eating about 60g of carbs at our eveningeal. This spiked my BG so we cut it by half, and I have changed my spikes to wobbles. This is not classified as a low carb diet, it is just what we found works for us. Small sustainable changes can. Make such a big difference.

 

[trophywench]

Since carbohydrates are the one immediate reason why anyone's blood glucose whether diabetic or not, increases - then it seems basic common sense to reduce the carbs when you want to reduce the blood glucose.

Only by reducing the carbs is it even humanly possible to 'reverse' diabetes.

 

[Drummer]

You are eating three pieces of fruit a day?
Wow - did someone actually advise you to do that?
It is possible to reverse diabetes, but type two is an inability to cope with large amounts of carbohydrates, and many people find that 50 gm of carb is a good starting place in order to see lower blood glucose and feel a bit better.

 

[Madeline]

Probably @Drummer, it’s what I was advised. Even on the Newcastle they want me to eat one piece; I simply can’t so I’ve ignored that and swapped the calories for a lovely little wodge of cheese.

Hi @KezAnn84 and welcome. If you are looking to lose weight, I can highly recommend the Newcastle diet, which has done wonders for me so far. As other said, carbohydrates in any form are the enemy if you’re type 2, and the fewer you eat, the better you’ll feel. Ditch the fruit, plenty of non starchy vegetables (Wiki has a very handy table), and try eating only wholegrain complex carbs if you still want to keep them in your diet. Worst offenders are potato, bread, pasta, and rice. And stuff like cakes and biscuits obviously.

 

[SueEK]

My GP told me I couldn’t reverse it, T2 and am now on 2000mg metformin (dg 6 wks ago), I do not need to lose any weight, he said obviously my pancreas wasn’t working as it should. DN is rubbish but fortunately work in a GP surgery and the DN there is brilliant. I too am struggling with the ‘food thing’ but have managed to cut the carbs down and trying to work out what is best for me by testing. Am getting lots of useful advice and information from this site and I’m sure you will too, we are all in the long haul and will learn bit by bit

 

[Drummer]

My GP told me I couldn’t reverse it, T2 and am now on 2000mg metformin (dg 6 wks ago), I do not need to lose any weight, he said obviously my pancreas wasn’t working as it should. DN is rubbish but fortunately work in a GP surgery and the DN there is brilliant. I too am struggling with the ‘food thing’ but have managed to cut the carbs down and trying to work out what is best for me by testing. Am getting lots of useful advice and information from this site and I’m sure you will too, we are all in the long haul and will learn bit by bit

I don't do long haul - I was diagnosed November 2016 with Hba1c of 91. and went back to low carbing from that moment, in 80 days I was no longer in the diabetic range, Hba1c of 47. I am now at the top end of the normal range, but my doctor isn't interested - I have not seen him since diagnosis.

 

[Eddy Edson]

Since carbohydrates are the one immediate reason why anyone's blood glucose whether diabetic or not, increases - then it seems basic common sense to reduce the carbs when you want to reduce the blood glucose.

Only by reducing the carbs is it even humanly possible to 'reverse' diabetes.

Well, no. The basic mechanisms of the Newcastle approach work like this: lose a bunch of weight => clear fat from pancreas & liver => restart dormant beta cells and reduce insulin resistance. Simply: fix your glycemic regulation by losing weight. If it works, you don't need to restrict carbs to remain glucose-normal, just keep the weight off.

If you've had T2D for too long, your beta cells might be too far gone, and no doubt there are other reasons why the approach might not work in individual cases. But it really throws the spotlight on weight loss as a primary strategy for dealing with T2D, even for people who aren't "overweight" at diagnosis, eg me (just).

Testing to see which carbs in what amounts do what to you along the way is useful also, but might well be less important, if you're going the weight-loss route. Certainly I never went aggressively low carb, because giving up fruit etc just seemed really dumb from an overall health point of view. And over a short period I've taken daily levels well above 200g without raising my average daily BG above the 5-6 range.

 

[SueEK]

I don't do long haul - I was diagnosed November 2016 with Hba1c of 91. and went back to low carbing from that moment, in 80 days I was no longer in the diabetic range, Hba1c of 47. I am now at the top end of the normal range, but my doctor isn't interested - I have not seen him since diagnosis.

Well done to you Eddy, pleased you are back in the normal range. My GP actually is great, shame all professionals are not the same

 

[SB2015]

My GP told me I couldn’t reverse it, T2 and am now on 2000mg metformin (dg 6 wks ago), I do not need to lose any weight, he said obviously my pancreas wasn’t working as it should. DN is rubbish but fortunately work in a GP surgery and the DN there is brilliant. I too am struggling with the ‘food thing’ but have managed to cut the carbs down and trying to work out what is best for me by testing. Am getting lots of useful advice and information from this site and I’m sure you will too, we are all in the long haul and will learn bit by bit

I wonder whether your GP is saying that you would remain on the D register with the surgery, even if you get things sorted. This can be an advantage in that you continue to get the annual checks and close monitoring.
The concept of ‘reversing T2’ is all quite recent, especially in the scale of some GOS working practice, so some will no doubt stick to old ‘rules’.

Whatever the view of the GP or the DN your health is in your hands. There are plenty of people on here who will help you along the way. Find what works for you, through testing, and then set to on making it work for you.

 

[SueEK]

I wonder whether your GP is saying that you would remain on the D register with the surgery, even if you get things sorted. This can be an advantage in that you continue to get the annual checks and close monitoring.
The concept of ‘reversing T2’ is all quite recent, especially in the scale of some GOS working practice, so some will no doubt stick to old ‘rules’.

Whatever the view of the GP or the DN your health is in your hands. There are plenty of people on here who will help you along the way. Find what works for you, through testing, and then set to on making it work for you.

Thank you SB, as you rightly say it is in my hands and am learning lots, never thought I would need to but there you go. I have a really supportive family so that’s a real bonus