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Newbie

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Hi @ArtyGranny, welcome to the forum!

Nice to have you here, do feel free to share a bit about you and let us know if you have any questions.
 
Hello @ArtyGranny and welcome from me as well. ( Like the name 🙂)

Have you been diagnosed for very long, and how is it going for you?
 
Cherrelle DUK said:
Hi Newbie, welcome to the forum!

Nice to have you here, do feel free to share a bit about you and let us know if you have any questions.
Click to expand...
Thank you Cherrelle and Toucan. I was diagnosed with Type II 3 weeks ago and am thankfully already making good progress blood-glucose wise due to medication and dietary changes. As weight loss is vitally important, not just because of diabetes but also because of other health disorders which I have, and because I cannot swim or work out at the gym due to ongoing lockdown, I am also focussing on becoming more active through walking but have some way to go before reaching the recommended minimum of 150 minutes a week.

What an emotional rollercoaster it is to adjust to the diagnosis and its implications. Rekindling my interest in and enjoyment of art is helping and I am sure that this forum will be highly valuable in several respects.
 
My Hba1c score at the time of diagnosis in January was shockingly high (over 100) and I am waiting to learn the result of a repeat measurement which was done yesterday.

Feeling uplifted, however, by fasting (pre-breakfast) blood glucose readings (using finger-prick kit) which are currently consistently within the range which has been set by the GP who is treating me.

I am taking Metformin 500mg 2x daily and Gliclazide 40mg 2x daily. I have made some adjustments to my diet (e.g. smaller portion sizes of carbs and mostly snacking on nuts, fruit and bars free of added sugars) and have started walking for longer periods of time on a daily basis, regardless of the weather.

There is a superb collection of recipes in this site, I see, with clear information about calorie/sugar/fat etc. content. I think that this is going to be very helpful and I have begun to write down a few of these in a notebook.

The NHS weight loss support programme also looks very useful and sensible.
 
Hi @ArtyGranny and welcome to the forum.
As Type 2 diabetics we are all slightly different and in some cases very different from each other.
Personally I use a Blood Glucose meter to guide me as to what is good for my body and what I should avoid or cut down on.
Personally my aim is to reduce the Insulin my body makes by reducing the need for it by cutting down on all carbohydrates. Thus I try to eat large satisfying meals based around Meat, Fish, Eggs, Cheese, Nuts and above ground veg. I try to avoid snacks because any food with some carbs will get my insulin production going again.

Fruit (and more so fruit juices) are mostly very high in carbs - so I avoid all fruit except berries(which are much lower). I know that many dT2 Diabetics can eat an apple or a carrot without problems - but I know from testing with my Blood Glucose meter that I can't.

Hope this helps.
 
Hi and welcome I'm a newbie too but everyone is friendly and yes there's lots of advice on here. I'm enjoying the learning zone and I'm also pleased with my weight loss although I've dropped a lot in 3 weeks which is a bit scary!!! It needs to come off tho so I'm seeing this diagnosis as a blessing rather then a curse. X
 
My Hba1c score at the time of diagnosis in January was shockingly high (over 100) and I am waiting to learn the result of a repeat measurement which was done yesterday.

Feeling uplifted, however, by fasting (pre-breakfast) blood glucose readings (using finger-prick kit) which are currently consistently within the range which has been set by the GP who is treating me.

I am taking Metformin 500mg 2x daily and Gliclazide 40mg 2x daily. I have made some adjustments to my diet (e.g. smaller portion sizes of carbs and mostly snacking on nuts, fruit and bars free of added sugars) and have started walking for longer periods of time on a daily basis, regardless of the weather.

There is a superb collection of recipes in this site, I see, with clear information about calorie/sugar/fat etc. content. I think that this is going to be very helpful and I have begun to write down a few of these in a notebook.

The NHS weight loss support programme also looks very useful and sensible
ianf0ster said:
Hi @ArtyGranny and welcome to the forum.
As Type 2 diabetics we are all slightly different and in some cases very different from each other.
Personally I use a Blood Glucose meter to guide me as to what is good for my body and what I should avoid or cut down on.
Personally my aim is to reduce the Insulin my body makes by reducing the need for it by cutting down on all carbohydrates. Thus I try to eat large satisfying meals based around Meat, Fish, Eggs, Cheese, Nuts and above ground veg. I try to avoid snacks because any food with some carbs will get my insulin production going again.

Fruit (and more so fruit juices) are mostly very high in carbs - so I avoid all fruit except berries(which are much lower). I know that many dT2 Diabetics can eat an apple or a carrot without problems - but I know from testing with my Blood Glucose meter that I can't.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your comments, Ian. It's interesting to read various forum users' pathways to better control of their condition and I am keen to gather and consider tips and suggestions from other people like yourself who have knowledge and personal experience to draw upon.
 
Ditto said:
Hello and welcome to the forum @ArtyGranny 🙂
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Thanks for welcoming me, DittoJan
Catherine Lindsay said:
Hi and welcome I'm a newbie too but everyone is friendly and yes there's lots of advice on here. I'm enjoying the learning zone and I'm also pleased with my weight loss although I've dropped a lot in 3 weeks which is a bit scary!!! It needs to come off tho so I'm seeing this diagnosis as a blessing rather then a curse. X
Click to expand...
Welcome to you too, Catherine. I like your positive framing of your diagnosis as a blessing in a sense and am thrilled for you that you have lost a fair amount of weight already. That's such good news! May you continue to have uplifting results from your efforts and medication. I lost
ArtyGranny said:
Thanks for welcoming me, DittoJan!
Click to expand...

weight rapidly prior to being diagnosed, put a few pounds back on after starting medication a few weeks ago and am now seem to be losing a little weight again.
 
My latest HbA1c is 45, about 3 months after I was diagnosed, I can stop one of the pills and I havw lost around 7 lbs. Thank you all and diabetes.org.uk for your information, advice, encouragement and support.

Now for maintenance!
 
Thank you adrian1der. Your own progress looks superb too and I hope that you continue to achieve your goals.
 
ArtyGranny said:
My latest HbA1c is 45, about 3 months after I was diagnosed

Now for maintenance!
Click to expand...
Well done @ArtyGranny ! That's a great reduction. I find the fear of returning to a higher HbA1c and/or increased weight a great motivator for maintenance. I love the food I'm eating and can still have cheese, gin & chocolate so can't complain 🙂.
 
Warm thanks to you too, Christy. I Your weight loss, as with Adrian above, appears highly impressive.

I also allow myself to eat a little chocolate and other foods that are not of the healthiest type and find that it is easy to be very disciplined, moderate and sensible about intake because 0 is banned. It also helps to have a good supply of healthier foods at home so that choosing wisely on the whole is a relatively easy task.

My diet leans towards the Mediterranean and I have become more active through walking, gardening and various exercise routines. I am keen to begin the 5:2 semi-fasting diet now that I no longer have to take the sulfonylurea tablet and hope that this will lead to more rapid weight loss, especially around my abdomen which I understand to be the main "trouble spot".

I hope to share further
 
Welcome to the forum @ArtyGranny, and congratulations on your positive start to diabetes management - very encouraging results!
 
Thanks very much, everydayupsanddowns.

I am feeling quite hungry after the first semi-fast day (recommended limit only 800 calories) but it is a tolerable level of hunger and I suppose that I will become used to it. On the plus side, the recipes sampled for lunch and evening meal are *delicious* and it will be very uplifting to keep in mind the multiple benefits to my physical health that are likely to accrue with further weight loss.

Is anyone else following the recipes put together by husband and wife Dr. Michael Mosley and Dr. Clare Bailey together with their collaborative cookbook partners?
 
Is everyone having good weather just now and managing to enjoy sitting and walking about in it?

The 5:2 diet: started then stopped as wanted GP's guidance about whether I needed to adjust my dose of Metformin on semi-fast days. Received feedback after waiting a while (message: no change to medication needed) and subsequently resumed diet. Can still be a bit difficult but it helps to eat LOTS of veg and small portions of things like Soba noodles and lentil crackers. Weight loss is a slow process but have lost around 11lb since diagnosed so quite happy and intend to continue diet.

Had my 2nd COVID jab last Tuesday and have been feeling well - just tireder than usual - since then. Fasting blood sugars are up a bit, though. Wondering if related.
 
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