Newly diagnosed and desperate for remission…

[NeoUser]

Thank you for your kind words. Maybe it’s just too early for me to be fully accepting of my health situation as I know I have only myself to blame for poor diet over recent years. I am ashamed it has come to this. I have always been active and assumed that would see me right and cover up my bad habits with food, which is did physically for many years. I do however feel a million times healthier from having lost 2.5 stone and have appreciated the nice comments that have come with it, so it’s not all bad! I wish you well on your journey too!

Wishing you well @T2Disnot4me!
A 2.5 stone is a great achievement so well done for that. Are you planning to lose anymore?

 

[rebrascora]

You make a valid point about craving more carb type foods when you've had more than you usually would. What does a typical day look like for you? What sort of foods/meals would you have for breakfast, lunch and dinner? I'm needing inspiration to mix things up.

Breakfast is usually coffee with cream, creamy Greek style natural yoghurt with mixed berries and mixed seeds and cinnamon and sometimes a tiny sprinkle of nutty granola.
Lunch I start with a fibre drink made with a glass of water with a dash of ACV and balsamic, about a couple of inches of diet cola (only because I like the sweet and sour flavour.... trying to wean myself off diet drinks though) and a good teaspoon each of psyllium husk and whole chia seeds, mixed well allowed to stand a couple of minutes and mixed again and then drunk down, followed by another half a glass of water to rinse the remaining fibre out of the glass. The fibre drink helps to fill me up and is good for my gut and cholesterol and the acidity seems to help with my BG levels. Food wise I often have half an apple with a chunk of really nice cheese and I might have a few nuts or some olives and feta or Manchego cheese or some veggie sticks with real sour cream and chive dip from the chilled counter, not the Doritos style stuff.

Evening meal can be a wide range of things from chilli on a bed of cooked shredded cabbage, pork casserole with lots of swede and carrot and onions and leeks slow cooked in cider with thyme and rosemary and thickened with oat bran, cauliflower and halloumi curry, black pudding on a bed of bubble and squeak, made with butternut squash instead of potato, cabbage, onions and mushrooms and egg usually served with pickles (either beetroot or gherkins or piccalilli) I eat a lot of pickles and again, the acidity seems to counteract any carbs in the veg. ie I can eat pickled beetroot on it's own from the jar without any impact on my BG even though there is sugar in the pickling process but boiled beet without the pickling will raise my levels. I also use the pickled beetroot juice to make rather odd non alcoholic cocktails. I am open to experimenting much more with flavours now than I used to be. I rarely follow recipes, just make it up as I go along. I bought a large sweetheart cabbage a few weeks back and I had lots of lovely meals out of that including cabbage bhaji which is curried cabbage with onions and tomato rather that the onion bhaji which is coated in gram flour and deep fried. I love that a head of cabbage will last me a fortnight cooking for one and I can get so many different meals out of it. Sometimes if I have left over cabbage bhaji, I will have it cold for breakfast the next morning just simply because I can't resist the flavour. The other day I had left over chilli for breakfast, just on it's own.

I just avoid the high carb elements of a meal and find veggies to replace them with I cook mostly in the microwave or in a frying pan on the hob. Putting the oven on takes too much time and uses more electric. I post some of my meals on the Food ideas with phots thread in the food and carbs section.
I like big plates of food and I try to include as many different types of veg on my plate as I can, so I actively think of what else I can add to my plate to increase the variety of veg. Pickles are great for doing that and adding extra flavour and zing.

 

[NeoUser]

Breakfast is usually coffee with cream, creamy Greek style natural yoghurt with mixed berries and mixed seeds and cinnamon and sometimes a tiny sprinkle of nutty granola.
Lunch I start with a fibre drink made with a glass of water with a dash of ACV and balsamic, about a couple of inches of diet cola (only because I like the sweet and sour flavour.... trying to wean myself off diet drinks though) and a good teaspoon each of psyllium husk and whole chia seeds, mixed well allowed to stand a couple of minutes and mixed again and then drunk down, followed by another half a glass of water to rinse the remaining fibre out of the glass. The fibre drink helps to fill me up and is good for my gut and cholesterol and the acidity seems to help with my BG levels. Food wise I often have half an apple with a chunk of really nice cheese and I might have a few nuts or some olives and feta or Manchego cheese or some veggie sticks with real sour cream and chive dip from the chilled counter, not the Doritos style stuff.

Evening meal can be a wide range of things from chilli on a bed of cooked shredded cabbage, pork casserole with lots of swede and carrot and onions and leeks slow cooked in cider with thyme and rosemary and thickened with oat bran, cauliflower and halloumi curry, black pudding on a bed of bubble and squeak, made with butternut squash instead of potato, cabbage, onions and mushrooms and egg usually served with pickles (either beetroot or gherkins or piccalilli) I eat a lot of pickles and again, the acidity seems to counteract any carbs in the veg. ie I can eat pickled beetroot on it's own from the jar without any impact on my BG even though there is sugar in the pickling process but boiled beet without the pickling will raise my levels. I also use the pickled beetroot juice to make rather odd non alcoholic cocktails. I am open to experimenting much more with flavours now than I used to be. I rarely follow recipes, just make it up as I go along. I bought a large sweetheart cabbage a few weeks back and I had lots of lovely meals out of that including cabbage bhaji which is curried cabbage with onions and tomato rather that the onion bhaji which is coated in gram flour and deep fried. I love that a head of cabbage will last me a fortnight cooking for one and I can get so many different meals out of it. Sometimes if I have left over cabbage bhaji, I will have it cold for breakfast the next morning just simply because I can't resist the flavour. The other day I had left over chilli for breakfast, just on it's own.

I just avoid the high carb elements of a meal and find veggies to replace them with I cook mostly in the microwave or in a frying pan on the hob. Putting the oven on takes too much time and uses more electric. I post some of my meals on the Food ideas with phots thread in the food and carbs section.
I like big plates of food and I try to include as many different types of veg on my plate as I can, so I actively think of what else I can add to my plate to increase the variety of veg. Pickles are great for doing that and adding extra flavour and zing.

Thanks for such a detailed reply. It's really great to hear so many different examples of things I have not considered having before, so thanks for the ideas. Appreciate it!

 

[rebrascora]

Thanks for such a detailed reply. It's really great to hear so many different examples of things I have not considered having before, so thanks for the ideas. Appreciate it!

I appreciate that some of those things are acquired tastes, like black pudding, but high meat content sausages work or I guess veggie alternatives. Olives are not everyone's cup of tea but I seem to have developed a real thing for them, especially with nice cheese. Also got a real thing for feta stuffed peppadew peppers.... usually found with the olives in the chilled counter at Aldi or Lidl. Only buy the red round cherry red ones as the green ones are naff. They can sometimes be a bit spicy but so nice as a nibble treat.
Cauliflower mash works well with bangers or gammon or chops. Celeriac chips work well with steak and salad and the obligatory creamy/cheese coleslaw. I love a 2 or 3 egg omelette with lots of different fillings and a big side salad, dressed with balsamic and again a big dollop of cheese coleslaw. Sometimes I just have a big portion of broccoli zapped in the mircrowave for 3.5 mins and a few spoons of sour cream and chive dip from the chilled counter. I might also make some pepperoni crisps to have with it. Just slices of pepperoni zapped in the microwave between 2 sheets of kitchen paper until they go crispy. Just takes about a minute, depending upon how many and makes a really savoury snack or addition to veggies, like cabbage..... cabbage and bacon is such a good combination.
Tonight I will be making a big pan of ratatouille with peppers and courgettes and aubergine and onions and garlic and lots of olive oil and then a couple of tins of tomatoes and herbs and some red wine and a good glug of balsamic vinegar and stick it in the oven and I might top it with sliced halloumi towards the end to brown off.

 

[NeoUser]

I appreciate that some of those things are acquired tastes, like black pudding, but high meat content sausages work or I guess veggie alternatives. Olives are not everyone's cup of tea but I seem to have developed a real thing for them, especially with nice cheese. Also got a real thing for feta stuffed peppadew peppers.... usually found with the olives in the chilled counter at Aldi or Lidl. Only buy the red round cherry red ones as the green ones are naff. They can sometimes be a bit spicy but so nice as a nibble treat.
Cauliflower mash works well with bangers or gammon or chops. Celeriac chips work well with steak and salad and the obligatory creamy/cheese coleslaw. I love a 2 or 3 egg omelette with lots of different fillings and a big side salad, dressed with balsamic and again a big dollop of cheese coleslaw. Sometimes I just have a big portion of broccoli zapped in the mircrowave for 3.5 mins and a few spoons of sour cream and chive dip from the chilled counter. I might also make some pepperoni crisps to have with it. Just slices of pepperoni zapped in the microwave between 2 sheets of kitchen paper until they go crispy. Just takes about a minute, depending upon how many and makes a really savoury snack or addition to veggies, like cabbage..... cabbage and bacon is such a good combination.
Tonight I will be making a big pan of ratatouille with peppers and courgettes and aubergine and onions and garlic and lots of olive oil and then a couple of tins of tomatoes and herbs and some red wine and a good glug of balsamic vinegar and stick it in the oven and I might top it with sliced halloumi towards the end to brown off.

I love black pudding but don't have it often. In fact, I love all the foods you've mentioned except Cauliflower mash - I've never tried that. I presume you boil the cauliflower enough to mash, but what else do you add to it? Milk? Cream? Might give that a try.

 

[rebrascora]

I love black pudding but don't have it often. In fact, I love all the foods you've mentioned except Cauliflower mash - I've never tried that. I presume you boil the cauliflower enough to mash, but what else do you add to it? Milk? Cream? Might give that a try.

The great thing about cauli mash is there is no peeling, just cut into florets, it boils quicker than tatties, so just about 10 mins, and mashes easier. The key thing is to drain it really, REALLY well before you mash it and then a good dollop of cream cheese and I usually add a good teaspoon of wholegrain mustard but you can add any mustard you like or none if you don't like it. It works great on cottage pie etc with plenty of grated cheese on top of course.

 

[NeoUser]

The great thing about cauli mash is there is no peeling, just cut into florets, it boils quicker than tatties, so just about 10 mins, and mashes easier. The key thing is to drain it really, REALLY well before you mash it and then a good dollop of cream cheese and I usually add a good teaspoon of wholegrain mustard but you can add any mustard you like or none if you don't like it. It works great on cottage pie etc with plenty of grated cheese on top of course.

Thanks for this. I tried cauliflower mash last night and it was really yummy 😛 Definitely a go to now!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Thanks for this. I tried cauliflower mash last night and it was really yummy 😛 Definitely a go to now!

Great to hear @NeoUser - there are lots of cauli fans on the forum!

 

[T2Disnot4me!]

Good evening all
Just to update and thank you for your support and advice. 3 months after my original diagnosis on an HBa1c of 79, I’ve now managed to loose nearly 3 stone and now just had results from most recent tests which show my HBa1c has come down to 44 and all my liver function tests are back to normal. I am so glad I’ve managed to do this without medication and hope desperately this can continue. Pleased, but still a way to go for maintaining and hopefully improving my stats further. Beginning to accept this is likely to be the way forward for me now… but still wish it wasn’t! Thanks again

 

[rebrascora]

Good evening all
Just to update and thank you for your support and advice. 3 months after my original diagnosis on an HBa1c of 79, I’ve now managed to loose nearly 3 stone and now just had results from most recent tests which show my HBa1c has come down to 44 and all my liver function tests are back to normal. I am so glad I’ve managed to do this without medication and hope desperately this can continue. Pleased, but still a way to go for maintaining and hopefully improving my stats further. Beginning to accept this is likely to be the way forward for me now… but still wish it wasn’t! Thanks again

Many congratulations on a fantastic result! Well done and good luck with the maintenance phase.

 

[Martin.A]

Good evening all
Just to update and thank you for your support and advice. 3 months after my original diagnosis on an HBa1c of 79, I’ve now managed to loose nearly 3 stone and now just had results from most recent tests which show my HBa1c has come down to 44 and all my liver function tests are back to normal. I am so glad I’ve managed to do this without medication and hope desperately this can continue. Pleased, but still a way to go for maintaining and hopefully improving my stats further. Beginning to accept this is likely to be the way forward for me now… but still wish it wasn’t! Thanks again

That's a great result - well done - and you're halfway to being classed as being in remission based on the current definition (HbA1c remains below 48mmol/mol for at least three months without diabetes medication), so keep up the good work.

 

[NeoUser]

Good evening all
Just to update and thank you for your support and advice. 3 months after my original diagnosis on an HBa1c of 79, I’ve now managed to loose nearly 3 stone and now just had results from most recent tests which show my HBa1c has come down to 44 and all my liver function tests are back to normal. I am so glad I’ve managed to do this without medication and hope desperately this can continue. Pleased, but still a way to go for maintaining and hopefully improving my stats further. Beginning to accept this is likely to be the way forward for me now… but still wish it wasn’t! Thanks again

Really amazing news! Keep us posted on how you're doing!

 

[MadWayne]

Have to admit wasn’t obsessed it’s new to me, set myself a plan and it appears to be working see my other posts.

I did some reading o the subject before diagnosis was confirmed, didn’t even know why the docs were calling me back for another blood test receptionist said routine.

It isn’t routine to have blood tests regularly for me at all.

I have made some lifestyle choices and achieved my first goal which is blood sugar Hb1Ac in the normal zone. So being twice the 48mmol/mol limit down to 38mmol/mol limit.

Now it’s to get rid of the metformin, maintain a steady weight loss which is happening, but got 4stone to go to get into my bmi range, however think I will end up 2stone short because large frame to start with but no one tells you your bmi for your build.

I certainly feel better for the weight loss, certainly can see the difference.

My vices were carbs like toast, chocolate way too regular the rest of my diet wasn’t so bad, well when you take out the takeaways.

Just need to maintain the lifestyle changes and should be fine but get me off this metformin

 

[its_an_inheritance_tax]

I got told I was prediabetic with 42 and I became obsessed after being upset. I also knew I was eating bad and not doing exercise. But I changed diet, went gym and increased steps. I got 35 in my last test so now I want to see if I can get it lower.

For me, it felt like body fat - I am male and was probably in my thirties for %. I’m easily 15% or lower now. I feel so much better about myself now and want to continue. I really like the health goals and results. I’m used to the diet now - I don’t eat junk or drink fizzy drinks. I don’t do refined sugars and I don’t drink alcohol. I eat protein and fast every day. Occasionally I’ll break the rules, but I’m so used to my routine, it won’t make a difference.

I’m not upset with my diagnosis anymore - I am actually happy it happened. I want to focus on making sure I am healthy now and not at risk of T2.

 

[MadWayne]

Just had my second blood sugar result and it’s 35mmol/mol so around 6 months since my 38mmol/mol result and it’s still dropping.

However I have increased my carbs a little and refined sugars since my January result including refined sugars I with treats but the treats are controlled and certainly a lot less that before the diagnosis.

The agreement with the doctors is to reduce meds as long as I stay in spec when tested.

So was on 1.5g after January (missed the odd tablet midday) and now going to 1g a day from today.

Certainly don’t want too risk coming off it fast it could spike.

My weight is still obese category having lost 6 stone plus now, and about 7 lbs to lose to get in the overweight category but struggling to get the weight down now, say struggling it’s just very very slow now over last month it’s barely moved.

Had two short breaks, my birthday and family birthday events and a funeral event in last few months and they didn’t help with weight loss, so hoping it be easier over next few weeks to lose the weight.

its clear that some damage has been done with the eyes and the eye scans have proved that it isn’t new damage and the bent lines are now straight so doesn’t appear to be permanent.

Also found it interesting that damage was only in my left eye which has also been my weak/lazy eye.

I am swimming 3 times a week roughly and distance wise it’s half a mile plus, one day a week it last usually over a mile.

All this started because I had an issue with shoulder pain that wasn’t improving (blood test came out at 96mmol/mol pretty high) and the shoulder is almost back to normal and now able to do front crawl and certainly a lot fitter.

Walk to the baths usually once a week, which is a 4 mile round trip.

Just worried about my excess skin may not tighten up, it’s not bad at the minute but given I have just under 3 stone to lose to get to target weight it could be very bad soon enough. Trying collagen intake but not sure if that will do the job or not.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Great stuff @T2Disnot4me! @its_an_inheritance_tax and @MadWayne

Inspiring stories!