Hi everyone, i have recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I havnt been given any medication as my doctor wants me to try and control it with diet etc, my question is I keep going really weak and shaky, like I'm going to pass out, this comes on quickly, the only way I feel better is too eat something with sugar but I'm talking ravenous hunger even after eating regularly, I really need some advice on how I can try and keep my levels more stable and what to eat when this happens again, its getting scary now especially when I'm out on my own, and has anyone been diagnosed when they started peri menopause? Thankyou
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Newly diagnosed
- Thread starter Becky1111
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Hi @Becky1111 - welcome to the forum! I’m very sorry to hear about your diagnosis - it can be such a scary time for people. As a type 1 diabetic, I’m not completely clued up on type 2 but I do notice that fruit can be a good way of helping with low blood sugar episodes without having to eat lots of unhealthy snacks. So not sure if you’ve tried that? But also have you noticed a pattern with when you do have these episodes? It could be related to physical activity you’re doing.
But also certain types of food have a habit of making your blood sugars plummet a few hours after eating and they also make you very hungry not long afterwards. So things like fast-food and other foods which are high in fat can have that effect. Maybe try looking at the fat content and while you’re not on medication, keep those foods to a minimum where you can. But like I said, this is just me using my knowledge of type 1 to try and help but you should really try and speak to your doctor about it and see if they can offer some more medically advised help.
Wishing you all the best and here’s hoping someone who’s more clued up on type 2 can give you some more tips on here!
But also certain types of food have a habit of making your blood sugars plummet a few hours after eating and they also make you very hungry not long afterwards. So things like fast-food and other foods which are high in fat can have that effect. Maybe try looking at the fat content and while you’re not on medication, keep those foods to a minimum where you can. But like I said, this is just me using my knowledge of type 1 to try and help but you should really try and speak to your doctor about it and see if they can offer some more medically advised help.
Wishing you all the best and here’s hoping someone who’s more clued up on type 2 can give you some more tips on here!
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Do you have any way to check your blood glucose when you go shaky?
It might be best to go back to your GP about it - as there is a possibility that you have been misdiagnosed.
If you are eating a low carb diet then there is always something you can eat, but being hungry is not normal experience.
Hi @Becky1111.
Just before my diagnosis earlier this month as a Type 2 I noticed that I was constantly hungry all the time. I could literally eat my dinner and be full then within 5 mins be starving again. I didn't twig at the time and put it down to the menopause (wrongly).
Did the doctor tell you what your HBA1C results are? You probably had this blood test done and that's what alerts the doctor to the fact you are, or almost are, diabetic or prediabetic - it shows the average sugar levels in your blood over the last 3 months. The fact your doctor has asked you to try and control this through your diet hopefully means that your score was quite low or near the 'normal' range.
I personally have started doing a low carb diet which is going well for me - it may not for everyone. On the advice from others in this great group I also bought a blood glucose meter and now test my sugar levels when I wake up, an hour before meals and then 2 hours after meals so I can track the effect my food is having on me.
I have seen others in the group saying they eat a jelly baby or 2 when their sugar levels are very low as a quick fix but ideally you want to find out what's causing the dizziness ie is it certain foods or at a specific time of the day etc. Your sugar levels can cause issues if they are too high or too low.
I am just new to all of this too but I am sure some experts will be along soon to give you better info than I can - I am definitely still finding my feet too but am determined to try and control this rather than let it control me (if possible).
Good luck and shout whenever you need help.
Just before my diagnosis earlier this month as a Type 2 I noticed that I was constantly hungry all the time. I could literally eat my dinner and be full then within 5 mins be starving again. I didn't twig at the time and put it down to the menopause (wrongly).
Did the doctor tell you what your HBA1C results are? You probably had this blood test done and that's what alerts the doctor to the fact you are, or almost are, diabetic or prediabetic - it shows the average sugar levels in your blood over the last 3 months. The fact your doctor has asked you to try and control this through your diet hopefully means that your score was quite low or near the 'normal' range.
I personally have started doing a low carb diet which is going well for me - it may not for everyone. On the advice from others in this great group I also bought a blood glucose meter and now test my sugar levels when I wake up, an hour before meals and then 2 hours after meals so I can track the effect my food is having on me.
I have seen others in the group saying they eat a jelly baby or 2 when their sugar levels are very low as a quick fix but ideally you want to find out what's causing the dizziness ie is it certain foods or at a specific time of the day etc. Your sugar levels can cause issues if they are too high or too low.
I am just new to all of this too but I am sure some experts will be along soon to give you better info than I can - I am definitely still finding my feet too but am determined to try and control this rather than let it control me (if possible).
Good luck and shout whenever you need help.
SB2015
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Welcome to the forum @Becky1111
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis but glad that you have found the forum.
You have already been given lots of useful advice. Another thought about the times when you feel weak and need to eat, this could be that your body is used to have high glucose levels in your blood, and when these drop as people start to manage their condition the body gets a bit stroppy, and this leads to false hypos, where the body thinks your levels are now too low. Often this is not the case, especially as you are not using any medication.
Many on here have commented on how useful an honest food diary can be. It is any carbohydrates that we eat that will be converted into glucose once inside us. The body doesn’t care whether this is sugar, sweets, potatoes, … It will all end up as glucose. So if you can start to find out how much carbohydrate you are eating at present this can help. As you now have diabetes, your body is not able to match the glucose in your blood to the amount of insulin available. This is what enables your body to extract the glucose from your blood. Too much glucose or not enough insulin leads to the high levels. Once you know how many carbs you are eating, you can then reduce the amount by changing your portion sizes or swapping to lower carb options.
If you can use a BG meter, and take a reading before, and 2 hrs after eating, this can show you how food is affecting you as an individual (everyone is different, and it’s important to understand your own tolerances and ‘safe choices’). The numbers themselves don’t matter so much at the beginning, it is the difference between them - the ‘meal rise‘ which you want to keep as near to 2-3mmol/L as you can. If you happen to identify any carbs that seem to be spiking BG, you can experimenting with reducing amounts or swapping types (sometimes just having things at a different time of day makes a difference). If you are interested in this apporach you may find test-review-adjust by Alan S a helpful framework.
If you’d like to try this approach and have to fund your own meter, a key factor is the ongoing cost of the stips - One of the most affordaoble meters members here have found is from SD, and has been recently updated to the SD Gluco Navii which has test strips at around £8 for 50.
I hope that helps.
Sue
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis but glad that you have found the forum.
You have already been given lots of useful advice. Another thought about the times when you feel weak and need to eat, this could be that your body is used to have high glucose levels in your blood, and when these drop as people start to manage their condition the body gets a bit stroppy, and this leads to false hypos, where the body thinks your levels are now too low. Often this is not the case, especially as you are not using any medication.
Many on here have commented on how useful an honest food diary can be. It is any carbohydrates that we eat that will be converted into glucose once inside us. The body doesn’t care whether this is sugar, sweets, potatoes, … It will all end up as glucose. So if you can start to find out how much carbohydrate you are eating at present this can help. As you now have diabetes, your body is not able to match the glucose in your blood to the amount of insulin available. This is what enables your body to extract the glucose from your blood. Too much glucose or not enough insulin leads to the high levels. Once you know how many carbs you are eating, you can then reduce the amount by changing your portion sizes or swapping to lower carb options.
If you can use a BG meter, and take a reading before, and 2 hrs after eating, this can show you how food is affecting you as an individual (everyone is different, and it’s important to understand your own tolerances and ‘safe choices’). The numbers themselves don’t matter so much at the beginning, it is the difference between them - the ‘meal rise‘ which you want to keep as near to 2-3mmol/L as you can. If you happen to identify any carbs that seem to be spiking BG, you can experimenting with reducing amounts or swapping types (sometimes just having things at a different time of day makes a difference). If you are interested in this apporach you may find test-review-adjust by Alan S a helpful framework.
If you’d like to try this approach and have to fund your own meter, a key factor is the ongoing cost of the stips - One of the most affordaoble meters members here have found is from SD, and has been recently updated to the SD Gluco Navii which has test strips at around £8 for 50.
I hope that helps.
Sue
Rick B
Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- At risk of diabetes
Hi @Becky1111
I can only speak for myself regarding hunger, but over the years I've found that the more carbohydrates I eat, the more hungry I feel. It's a vicious cycle and common in people who suffer with metabolic syndrome, such as myself.
I've recently switched to a low carbohydrate diet and adopted an approach called Time Restricted Eating (TRE).
In it's simplest form, TRE for me means stopping eating at 6 pm (including sugary and sweetened drinks) and skipping breakfast, consuming all meals in a 6-8 hour window, 5 days a week.
I've found I've been able to reset my hunger hormones, lose weight and reduce my blood glucose in a relatively short period of time.
There's lots of good books on this type of approach.
It might be worth looking considering for you.
For me, it has stopped my cravings and hunger.
Just a thought!
Good luck and best wishes for the future.
I used to get like this during peri menopause but since finding out I am pre diabetic and reducing my carb intake it hasn’t happened for quite a while now! In fact it never even occurred to me until I read your post! No idea whether it was related to diabetes or menopause?
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