Newly diagnosed type 2

[Carlos15]

Good morning.

On Monday I was told that I am now a type 2 diabetic.

To add to the problem I had a heart attack in 2010, so have regular blood test and reviews. In 2013 I was told my BS levels suggested pre diabetes, but nothing else was said. On Monday, I was told my reading was 66 but last year it was 50 and nothing was said. I remember I had a large glass of orange juice before going to the docs, Tested 40 mins after that, so I don't know if that caused a much higher reading???

I joined another forum trying to get diet advice, and was shocked at the mantra Low carb high fat. Given I have had a heart attack I really don't want to suddenly be putting butter on top of my food and having strawberries with double cream.

My diet has been steadily getting worse since the heart attack, lots more microwave meals, more beer and curries. Plus cheese and butter were reintroduced to my fridge.

I have been totally confused about what I should be eating. I understand about reducing carbs, but I really don't get swapping bad carbs for bad fats.

Docs told me I need to lose 20kg, and said aim to get there in 6 to 12 months - 1 or 2 lbs a week.

I already exercise and plan to waddle round the Great North run in September in about 2 and a half hours. I did London Marathon 11 months after my heart attack, in 5 hours 45.

A long ramble but my brain is in a mess, just trying to start my life with Diabetes

 

[Northerner]

Hi Carlos15, welcome to the forum 🙂 I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis - hopeflly we will be able to help you regain control of your blood sugar levels and feeling healthier. My first recommendation would be to read Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter. These should give you a good idea of how to set about things. I'd also recommend getting a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker, which many of our members have found very helpful.

Diet is a difficult subject, and not as straightforward as some would like to suggest. What you are hoping to achieve is a good, varied diet that you find easy to maintain, suiting both your pocket and your tastes. This comes with a caveat, of course - you may need to limit or remove some items if you find that you simply do not tolerate them well. How will you know how well you tolerate things? The only real way is to test your blood sugar levels both before and after eating so you can measure their impact on you. People can vary widely in their tolerance for the same things, and whilst some items are fairly obvious, some things you might think of as healthy might cause you, as an individual, a problem. Have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to see how an efficient testing programme can help you tailor your diet. If your GP hasn't given you a meter (and many don't as they see it as an unnecessary expense for Type 2s not on certain medications), then it is worth getting your own. Once you have gained an understanding of your diet and how it affects you, then you won't need to test as much as you do initially. The cheapest option we have come across here is the SD Codefree Meter with test strips at around £7/£8 for 50.

Ideally, your diet should be one which impacts your blood sugar levels slowly and steadily, without 'spiking' quickly af ter eating. I'd recommend looking a a low GI/GL diet which works on this principle - The GL Diet for Dummies is a good introduction 🙂

In answer to your question, the orange juice you had would not have impacted your blood sugar levels, because the numbers you quote suggest that the test was an HbA1c test (you'll get used to hearing that talked about!). This is different to the fingerprick tests, which are just a 'snapshot' of levels - the HbA1c is a measure of how your levels have been over the preceding 8-12 weeks, so the orange juice would have only the tiniest of influences on this.

Terrific that you are doing the GNR and the goal of 1-2 pounds a week is a good, achievable target, so let us know how you get on with it 🙂

Please feel free to ask any questions you may have - nothing is oncsidered 'silly' and we will do our best to help!

 

[Mark T]

Welcome to the forum Carlos15 🙂

 

[KookyCat]

Hey Carlos
Welcome to our confusing world, I promise it gets less confusing though as you get used to it. The low carb, high fat debate is a tough one, you have to make your own choices which makes it even more difficult if you got other health issues. But as Northerner wrote you need to find your own balance. I tend to go for moderate fat, moderate carb and err towards carbs with the most nutritional value (veggies, pulses) and "good" fats like olive oil, sunflower oil, nut oils etc. I worked that out by testing my reaction to foods. It all seems quite overwhelming at first but it quickly becomes second nature 🙂

 

[trophywench]

Well I agree - diabetes - and weight - wise, low carb is the key. The reason you see High Fat mentioned is simply because diabetes wise it doesn't have a bad press - whereas it definitely does for Cardiac issues. Thing is though that fat is really useful for T2, because it slows down the way that the carbs eaten with it impact on our bloodstream so let's say eg Fried rice - will hit the bloodstream more gradually, over a longer time - whereas Boiled rice will arrive altogether in a huge lump like an express train.

As Kooky says - choose your fats wisely- and choose what you eat them with wisely too.

Take fruit - orange juice hits quicker than an actual orange would - because eating the whole one, the fibre will slow it down a bit, as well as being helpful to your digestive system generally, as most edible fibre would be. But an orange isn't the wisest choice carb-wise. Any berries have far less carbs than the equivalent weight of most other fruit. So eat a bowl of strawbs or rasps instead of the orange. I'm happy with them on their own if they are nice and ripe - BUT if you aren't trying to lose weight and haven't got heart issues - why not have a spot of cream to make the fruit feel like more of a luxury? and slow even the lower carbs down, even more.

Are you 'getting it' a bit better now? None of it is compulsory, we can only suggest and the rest is up to you - as Northerner and Alan S (the Test Review Adjust author) say - your meter is the only one whose opinion counts !

 

[Carlos15]

Food and fats

Yes it is slowly starting to make sense.

I have ordered a meter and strips and will see where I am with that.

I have been very good this week and not sinned at all.

The harder time will be weekend, when I usually eat the really bad stuff

I also have no idea what I can drink down the pub?

 

[Northerner]

Sounds like you have made a good start Carlos! Good that you have got a meter, it will really help you understand things 🙂

Beer is carby, and of course mixers and soft drinks can be sugar-laden, so best avoided. I find lager affects me less than real ale. Shorts with diet mixers are probably the best choice as they won't affect your levels much at all. Beware of soft drinks, because often when you ask for diet they give you the full sugar variety. There's some more inf on diabetes and alcohol here:

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Managing-your-diabetes/Alcohol/