Newly Diagnosed - Given Metformin

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If you are hungry.... have a tuna salad with mayonnaise or a 2-3egg omelette with salad and coleslaw or whatever. You really don't need to go without food.... just eat plenty of the low carb stuff.

I am just having my first meal of the day and haven't felt hungry all day now that I am adapted to low carb higher fat eating and I didn't have a proper meal last night either.... just some olives and cheese. I did have a few roasted peanuts at lunchtime but it literally was just a few. Currently having a big plate of salad with balsamic vinegar (I'm addicted to balsamic) with chilli and a big dollop of cheese coleslaw and a glass of rose wine and actually struggling to clear my plate!
What I am saying is that it really does get easier once your body learns to run on other fuels than carbs AND you give it those other fuels, the cravings and hunger stop. Pre diagnosis, I could eat 4 slices of wholemeal toast with a whole can of baked beans for lunch and be hungry 2 hours later. I used to think beans on wholemeal toast was a healthy meal, but it is just carbs in a carb rich sauce on more carbs. Triple whammy carbs on one plate and I was eating a double portion and still feeling hungry afterwards! Sometimes I find it amazing how little food my body really needs now that I have changed what I eat. I still really enjoy my food but I feel in control of what I eat rather than being at the whim of hunger and cravings. It really has been a revelation!
 
Leadinglights said:
I think 100g is a good starting place, low carb is suggested as less than 130g so you are well under that. I know some people do go lower but they have determined that they need to by testing using their monitor. But other people may be fine with the 130g. you have the advantage of having the monitor so you can make sensible choices but gently does it, many people use the expression that good blood glucose management is a marathon not a sprint so bear that in mind and allow your self some time for things to settle and for your body to adapt to having less carbs.
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Thank you SO much. You’ve helped me such a lot and I’m very grateful.
 
rebrascora said:
If you are hungry.... have a tuna salad with mayonnaise or a 2-3egg omelette with salad and coleslaw or whatever. You really don't need to go without food.... just eat plenty of the low carb stuff.

I am just having my first meal of the day and haven't felt hungry all day now that I am adapted to low carb higher fat eating and I didn't have a proper meal last night either.... just some olives and cheese. I did have a few roasted peanuts at lunchtime but it literally was just a few. Currently having a big plate of salad with balsamic vinegar (I'm addicted to balsamic) with chilli and a big dollop of cheese coleslaw and a glass of rose wine and actually struggling to clear my plate!
What I am saying is that it really does get easier once your body learns to run on other fuels than carbs AND you give it those other fuels, the cravings and hunger stop. Pre diagnosis, I could eat 4 slices of wholemeal toast with a whole can of baked beans for lunch and be hungry 2 hours later. I used to think beans on wholemeal toast was a healthy meal, but it is just carbs in a carb rich sauce on more carbs. Triple whammy carbs on one plate and I was eating a double portion and still feeling hungry afterwards! Sometimes I find it amazing how little food my body really needs now that I have changed what I eat. I still really enjoy my food but I feel in control of what I eat rather than being at the whim of hunger and cravings. It really has been a revelation!
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I’m a chocoholic so if I get hungry I would normally grab a Kitkat or a couple of club biscuits. I’m finding it difficult to eat less chocolate (I’m not cutting out completely) but I’m finding the new foods enjoyable. If I didn’t need to lose weight I’d find it all so much easier. Counting calories as well as having to count carbs is a pain but I have to do the calories for now as it’s the only way I can lose weight. I had a chicken salad for dinner with a boiled egg and some beetroot. It was lovely. I’ve had some water melon since and I don’t feel hungry. I’ve craved beans on toast for a week!! It’s not something I eat often so I don’t know where that has come from but I might have to risk all my carbs on it!!!
 
Lynne888 said:
I’m a chocoholic so if I get hungry I would normally grab a Kitkat or a couple of club biscuits. I’m finding it difficult to eat less chocolate (I’m not cutting out completely) but I’m finding the new foods enjoyable. If I didn’t need to lose weight I’d find it all so much easier. Counting calories as well as having to count carbs is a pain but I have to do the calories for now as it’s the only way I can lose weight. I had a chicken salad for dinner with a boiled egg and some beetroot. It was lovely. I’ve had some water melon since and I don’t feel hungry. I’ve craved beans on toast for a week!! It’s not something I eat often so I don’t know where that has come from but I might have to risk all my carbs on it!!!
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You don't need to count calories as well, cutting the carbs will help with weight loss. When I started on the low carb, never worried about calories I lost 15kg.
If you are missing chocolate and are ok with nuts then Nature Valley protein Nut and chocolate bars, KIND or Shop own sea salt and dark choc from Morrisons are low carb less than 10g carb per bar.
You are experimenting at this stage so try your beans on toast and check, you will then know if your body can cope with it, if your blood glucose shoots up then give it a miss.
 
Leadinglights said:
You don't need to count calories as well, cutting the carbs will help with weight loss. When I started on the low carb, never worried about calories I lost 15kg.
If you are missing chocolate and are ok with nuts then Nature Valley protein Nut and chocolate bars, KIND or Shop own sea salt and dark choc from Morrisons are low carb less than 10g carb per bar.
You are experimenting at this stage so try your beans on toast and check, you will then know if your body can cope with it, if your blood glucose shoots up then give it a miss.
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I feel like I would gain weight if I didn’t count calories. It worries me not to as it’s something I’ve always done! What if I have too many calories, surely I’d gain weight? I’m sure beans on toast will spike my BG will shoot up so I might not do it but I want to know what my triggers are. Thanks for the chocolate tips. I’m googling them now!
 
I too was a chocoholic..... I could eat a whole multipack of Snickers in an afternoon or a 200g bar of Cadbury's Dairy milk and not feel sick.... and I am ashamed to say it happened regularly. 😱 I went cold turkey with both sugar and chocolate straight away when my symptoms hit and I suspected diabetes. Then after diagnosis and joining this forum I learned about all carbs being the problem so I gradually whittled them all down until I felt like I was eating cardboard, as I was also following NHS advice for low fat and low salt and no alcohol as well as getting my carbs down to the absolute bare minimum to try to bring my levels down. Then they started me on insulin and told me "to eat normally".... I hadn't a clue what that meant as I had gone from one extreme to another, so after a couple of weeks of confusion I decided to stick with low carb but introduce more fat and a little salt which just changed the whole game for me and made it all sustainable.
I have no doubt that I could very easily go back to the old me of being a sugar addict and a chocoholic and a carb monster for bread and spuds and beans but my health can't afford me to and I don't want to think about the amount of insulin I would need to inject or the BG upheaval it would cause. I love the fact that I don't crave those things anymore although I do have the occasional square of 70-85% choc with a spoon of peanut butter and it is enough because it is different to the chocolate I ate before and not as moreish/addictive.

I guess I am a bit of an all or nothing girl..... You have to figure out what works best for you.
 
Lynne888 said:
I feel like I would gain weight if I didn’t count calories. It worries me not to as it’s something I’ve always done! What if I have too many calories, surely I’d gain weight? I’m sure beans on toast will spike my BG will shoot up so I might not do it but I want to know what my triggers are. Thanks for the chocolate tips. I’m googling them now!
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This TEDX video might convince you about the calories.
you need to skip the adverts.
 
rebrascora said:
I too was a chocoholic..... I could eat a whole multipack of Snickers in an afternoon or a 200g bar of Cadbury's Dairy milk and not feel sick.... and I am ashamed to say it happened regularly. 😱 I went cold turkey with both sugar and chocolate straight away when my symptoms hit and I suspected diabetes. Then after diagnosis and joining this forum I learned about all carbs being the problem so I gradually whittled them all down until I felt like I was eating cardboard, as I was also following NHS advice for low fat and low salt and no alcohol as well as getting my carbs down to the absolute bare minimum to try to bring my levels down. Then they started me on insulin and told me "to eat normally".... I hadn't a clue what that meant as I had gone from one extreme to another, so after a couple of weeks of confusion I decided to stick with low carb but introduce more fat and a little salt which just changed the whole game for me and made it all sustainable.
I have no doubt that I could very easily go back to the old me of being a sugar addict and a chocoholic and a carb monster for bread and spuds and beans but my health can't afford me to and I don't want to think about the amount of insulin I would need to inject or the BG upheaval it would cause. I love the fact that I don't crave those things anymore although I do have the occasional square of 70-85% choc with a spoon of peanut butter and it is enough because it is different to the chocolate I ate before and not as moreish/addictive.

I guess I am a bit of an all or nothing girl..... You have to figure out what works best for you.
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I too could eat a whole family pack of chocolate and I’ve certainly eaten a large bar of cadburys on more than one occasion. I’d have rather eaten it than a meal tbh. I had a few squares of dark chocolate today and really enjoyed it but I wouldn’t have wanted more. You’ve done so well from such a high reading initially. Well done for turning it round. You really are an all or nothing girl!!
 
Lynne888 said:
I feel like I would gain weight if I didn’t count calories. It worries me not to as it’s something I’ve always done! What if I have too many calories, surely I’d gain weight? I’m sure beans on toast will spike my BG will shoot up so I might not do it but I want to know what my triggers are. Thanks for the chocolate tips. I’m googling them now!
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Has counting calories and worrying about how many you are consuming actually achieved anything for you over the years? Since it sounds like you still need to lose weight now, then I am guessing it probably hasn't. It gives you a false impression/hope of control but it is an illusion.
It takes a leap of faith to change your approach so drastically, so I do understand your reticence. I felt really bad about going against the NHS low fat advice, but the results have been amazing and there is little doubt in my mind now that the low fat advice/food industry and food advertising has contributed to the diabetes and obesity epidemic in our society. The lack of natural fat and subsequent increase in carb intake and the highly processed foods have tipped the balance for many people and their bodies now crave more and more food and they are locked in a vicious circle of dieting involving low fat and unrestricted carbs and probably processed foods created by WW or SW or whatever just adding to that cycle of craving.
I have never felt better eating more fat and less carbs and minimally processed foods or been more in control of my diet and that control being easy and not needing willpower and whilst I have to battle feelings of guilt about some of the things I eat, it becomes easier the more I see how well my body feels on this way of eating.

If you really feel that you can't let go of counting calories, then maybe go the Newcastle diet route of diabetes management. This is a short tern very low calorie program of 800calories a day for 8-12 weeks. The problem is that after that period of time, you have to maintain the weight loss and if you have been dieting for years and yo-yoing then the maintenance phase will be the toughest part.
For me, my low carb higher fat (couldn't care less about the calories) is sustainable for the rest of my life. I might only have had 500 calories today, tomorrow I might have nearer 2000 or even 3000, I don't really care, as my body tells me when I need food and when it has had enough and the fat helps to trigger that stopping point..... but yes, fat is calorie rich.... I just don't need much of it to tell me I have had enough.
 
I too count (and limit) calories and carbohydrates and, .... protein, fibre, fats, saturated fats, salt, cholesterol, fruit portions, nuts, I find that monitoring and limiting it all is important and a challenge, but possible.

I am sure that if I didn't then I would mess up most of it because it would all then just be guesswork, and I am not good at being accurate when guessing. I wanted to be as accurate as I could be so that I could more effectively target my diabetes etc.

It worked
 
I suppose I’d be thin if dieting had worked fully but I’ve certainly lost weight and kept it off for several years. It has eventually crept back on but I’m not surprised with all the stuff I’m now learning. The worst thing was gaining 3 stone during lockdown. I feel that was the straw that broke the camels back. I guess because I know that to lose a pound in weight per week we need to cut back by 3500 calories, it sticks with me to count calories. The video shared below is brilliant
 
Gwynn said:
I too count (and limit) calories and carbohydrates and, .... protein, fibre, fats, saturated fats, salt, cholesterol, fruit portions, nuts, I find that monitoring and limiting it all is important and a challenge, but possible.

I am sure that if I didn't then I would mess up most of it because it would all then just be guesswork, and I am not good at being accurate when guessing. I wanted to be as accurate as I could be so that I could more effectively target my diabetes etc.

It worked
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Proof that we all deal with things differently. I’m like you and need to know what I’m eating or I feel sure I’d end up 4lb heavier the following week.. but I’m happy to be educated if others have tried other ways and succeeded.
 
Kitkat, club biscuits and snickers do contain some chocolate - but you were not a chocoholic if you chose them - they are all high carb both starches and sugars.
These days I have the 95% cocoa chocolate from Lidl, in the fridge all the time, often several bars, but I eat it very rarely and am more likely to make a creamy dessert and add the chocolate to that though I do still have a single square of it from time to time.
 
Drummer said:
Kitkat, club biscuits and snickers do contain some chocolate - but you were not a chocoholic if you chose them - they are all high carb both starches and sugars.
These days I have the 95% cocoa chocolate from Lidl, in the fridge all the time, often several bars, but I eat it very rarely and am more likely to make a creamy dessert and add the chocolate to that though I do still have a single square of it from time to time.
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I am a chocoholic.. I love bars of Cadbury’s and ripples, buttons, crème eggs.. the list is endless. The biscuits would be a small snack! I’m not proud!! I’ll check out the Lidl chocolate but I think it would be too sharp for me. What sort of creamy dessert do you make?
 
rebrascora said:
If you are hungry.... have a tuna salad with mayonnaise or a 2-3egg omelette with salad and coleslaw or whatever. You really don't need to go without food.... just eat plenty of the low carb stuff.

I am just having my first meal of the day and haven't felt hungry all day now that I am adapted to low carb higher fat eating and I didn't have a proper meal last night either.... just some olives and cheese. I did have a few roasted peanuts at lunchtime but it literally was just a few. Currently having a big plate of salad with balsamic vinegar (I'm addicted to balsamic) with chilli and a big dollop of cheese coleslaw and a glass of rose wine and actually struggling to clear my plate!
What I am saying is that it really does get easier once your body learns to run on other fuels than carbs AND you give it those other fuels, the cravings and hunger stop. Pre diagnosis, I could eat 4 slices of wholemeal toast with a whole can of baked beans for lunch and be hungry 2 hours later. I used to think beans on wholemeal toast was a healthy meal, but it is just carbs in a carb rich sauce on more carbs. Triple whammy carbs on one plate and I was eating a double portion and still feeling hungry afterwards! Sometimes I find it amazing how little food my body really needs now that I have changed what I eat. I still really enjoy my food but I feel in control of what I eat rather than being at the whim of hunger and cravings. It really has been a revelation!
Click to expand...
 
I thought small baked beans on one slice white toast was low carbs and higher protein? am I fooling myself or what!
 
Docsue said:
I thought small baked beans on one slice white toast was low carbs and higher protein? am I fooling myself or what!
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It’s certainly lower carbs than a full tin of baked beans on two white toast, but it could still be more carbs than you can handle. The only way to find out is to eat it and test your bg
 
That is what makes this diabetic problem fascinating and yet so sad....we all react differently so it is very difficult for the 'professionals' to recomnend one good way forward to benefit us all. Add into the mix, snake oil merchants, big pharma, vested interests of those in power, and the recipe for disaster is strong.

Low carb, higher fat, higher protein seems the most consistent, most sensible, most beneficial strategy with a lot (and increasing) good evidence to back it up. That video was really good but almost a lone voice in the wilderness.

When was the last time your GP or DSN recommended a low carb, higher fat, higher protein diet AND suggested that reversing type 2 diabetes is possible, giving hope, motivation and good advice? Most seem hell bent on exacerbating the problem by jumping onto the medication bandwagon way too quickly and leaving us with little or no useful information....after all it's your own fault! (cynical joke there)

If only we could effectively education our youngsters, no, everyone better....
 
Leadinglights said:
You want to be looking at the range 4-7mmol/l before meals and no more than 2-3mmol/l increase 2 hours after your meal and aiming at no more than 8.5mmol/l.
So if you had 5.7mmol/l just before you started eating then as long as your 2 hour after is less than 8.7mmol/l your meal was Ok, obviously nearer to a 2mmol /l increase the better. But as you start to lower the increases by good food choices than you before meal reading will start to be lower but do keep sight of the range and don't always try to get too fussy.
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This morning my BG is 7. That seems at the high end considering it was lower last night. What should I be aiming for first thing in the morning? You mentioned 4 - 7 before meals but I honestly thought after not eating all night it would be lower.I’m hoping it ok!!
 
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