Type 2 diagnosis yesterday. Emotions are everywhere. Suffer with mental health as well, and have a b12 deficiency.
I know I shouldn't but just want to comfort eat.
Hi
@Foxycrochet, welcome to the forum
🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis
How did it come about? Have you been given any medication for it? Try not to worry, the diagnosis is bound to be a shock, but the good thing is that although it is a serious condition it can be managed well with the right knowledge and a bit of work
🙂 One of the particularly annoying things about diabetes is that when your blood sugar levels are high or all over the place your emotions will be to, so it's perfectly normal to feel like you do. Your blood sugar levels are high because your body is not able to use your insulin properly so it can get energy into your body's cells efficiently - think of it like your cells have doors with locks on, and insulin is the key to unlock those doors and let the sugar in. With Type 2 diabetes it's as though those locks are a bit rusty or the keys don't quite fit properly. Your brain misinterprets the lack of energy to mean you need more food, hence you feel hungry
🙄 Don't worry, this will get better
🙂 It won't happen overnight, and it may be a bit of a struggle at times, but we are all here to help you and support you, and answer any questions or address any concerns you may have - so ask away!
🙂
I would suggest starting by reading
Maggie Davey's letter, which will give you a good overview and an idea of what it all entails
🙂 Also highly recommended is
Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker - a well-written and very positive guide to these early weeks and months
🙂
Take things at your own pace - this is a marathon, not a sprint, and the adjustments you make to your diet and activity levels need to be sustainable, but I promise you that, once you begin to get your levels under control you will start to feel happier and healthier than you may have felt for quite some time prior to your diagnosis
🙂
A good start is to make a 'food diary'. Diabetes is principally all about carbohydrates, both in the food we eat and what we drink - not just sugar, which is one type of carb, but things like bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, pastries etc. Be methodical and work out the amount of carbohydrate in everything you eat and drink for a week or two - you can use the information on food packaging, or a book such as
Collins Carb Counter 🙂 Some people find the
Carbs and Cals Carbs and Calorie Counter especially useful as it uses photos of food, although it is more expensive.
Using this food diary you will then be able to look for areas where you might be able to make your diet more 'blood sugar friendly' by reducing or replacing certain elements - less potato, more green veg, for example (there are lots of good ideas and recipes in our Food section
🙂).
As far as your diet is concerned, the most useful thing you can do is to test your blood sugar levels before and after eating using a home blood glucose meter - read
Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand how to do this. If you don't have a meter and haven't been given one by your GP or nurse (they will often only give them to people on certain types of medication) then it is worth funding your own for a while as you learn about how your different food choices impact your blood sugar levels. Understanding what is going on will give you a feeling of being 'in control' instead of just trying to eat healthily and keeping your fingers crossed
🙂 The cheapest option we have come across is the
SD Codefree Meter which has
test strips at around £8 for 50.
Any form of regular activity will also be extremely beneficial in helping you get your levels under control, so whatever you can do in this respect will be beneficial - a brisk daily walk after eating, for example. This isn't so much because of weight loss, but because the exercise works like oil for those 'rusty locks' I mentioned earlier, making it easier for your body's cells to use the energy provided by your food
🙂
Please let us know if you have any questions at all - nothing is considered 'silly'!
🙂 Keep in touch and let us know how you are getting on
🙂
