no medication

[Neens]

New to T2 , been pre for over 10years.
Lapsed diet .probably too many choc biscuits, chocolate,and fruit juice.

Had too much over Christmas but generally, I am careful and do not eat big meals of any sort.

I could probably lose 5kg, but only weigh 56.4kg.

I am struggling to know what to eat, keep getting conflicting reports....I tackled pre-diabetes by just cutting down on sugar and had small portions of potatoes., ate all fresh fruit. I have had no personal diet suggested just told fresh fruit etc, which I know...but some people say you can have too much of that? I walk for as many times a week as poss, for at least 3/4 to 1 hour.I have no symptoms so it is hard to know what I should do.I am going for the same as before ie. no biscuits, chocolate, cake etc but I have no idea if that will sort it.We are all different so I am aware there is no "One suits all" .At the moment I am afraid of eating anything.For others like me who are not overweight what is the best food to avoid?

Welcome @Willpower as far as fruit goes (because of Fructose) my DN (Diabetic Nurse) advised 1 piece a day. I used to eat 3-4 pieces of fruit. Since monitoring my BG I have discovered I can only have half an apple and bananas only small and infrequently and pears are the same. Berries are best. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries etc - and I tend to have 80g as that is considered a portion.

There is lots of nutritional advice both on the website and this forum.
At first it can seem really hard as there is no diabetic diet and we are all experience different effects caused by food. You will find foods that work for you.
Take it easy, lots of support for you here.

 

[Willpower]

No real food is completely bad, or even completely good for that matter. It depends upon your personal genetics, metabolism and gut biome and also how you eat it.
Many foods which are 'healthy' in small or moderate portions can be damaging if you over indulge in them.

Rather than only using a BG meter 'if this doesn't check out' I suggest that instead you use the meter in order to find which foods suit you. Otherwise you are going by 'feel' rather than actual measurement. You wouldn't drive a car without a speedometer would you?

Agreed but I know I was over eating in recent months on cake ,choc, buiscuits. crisps last thing at night instead of my usual healthy foods. ..I thought I was ok to do that. I know differently now after recent bloods .I have stopped the bad foods and the bad habit...I don't need them. I dont miss them. I have no idea how to use a monitor .no one has shown me and if I dont know what I am doing with that .I could frighten myself into eating nothing at all...which must be wotse.I never eat huge amounts of even good food. I do know good and bad foods,and I would Never drive a car without a speedometer although I have driven for years and can gauge my speed quite well without looking at it.......

 

[Willpower]

Welcome @Willpower as far as fruit goes (because of Fructose) my DN (Diabetic Nurse) advised 1 piece a day. I used to eat 3-4 pieces of fruit. Since monitoring my BG I have discovered I can only have half an apple and bananas only small and infrequently and pears are the same. Berries are best. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries etc - and I tend to have 80g as that is considered a portion.

There is lots of nutritional advice both on the website and this forum.
At first it can seem really hard as there is no diabetic diet and we are all experience different effects caused by food. You will find foods that work for you.
Take it easy, lots of support for you here.

Exactly, I agree...when I was told I was pre diabetic 10 years ago I was given no advice except to eat fresh and healthy and small amounts. of the not so good foods...I measured nothing, just did as suggested, I ate 2 lots of fruit a day1 1/2 bannana ,10 max in grapes....no problem for all those years....after 10 years I think I can be forgiven for slipping up!!! I know it was wrong but no one ever told me I couldn't .Life is hard enough as it is, I like to keep things as simple thins possible and still get the results....we shall see! Unlike most I burn endless amounts of nervous energy and if I stress I actually eat nothing.

 

[Drummer]

[

Many thanks, I haven't used the home blood test yet .I party want to do what my body is telling me and the obvious things,no unnatural sugar, low carb and a bit if the right fat.If this doesn't check out I will have to test myself. I have
lost 1kg by adjusting diet (56.4kg now) and noticed things with my health that seem "different" already.I am not like most seem to be, I find morning and most of the day no problem, especially if
I am busy and on the move...love a walk if possible. Did nearly 2 miles yesterday, beautiful day. My difference is I can't go to bed hungry, and just a 1/2 glass of semi-skimmed milk...some cheese on 1/2 buttered wholemeal roll and 6 grapes would do it but I am not sure if that is bad ,for me it settles my hunger pangs and I sleep well .I used to have a bowl of rolled oats (uncooked) and milk but oats seem to be listed bad. When we use these advised foods, I like to think of cholesterol as well and oats and fresh fruit can be very good ...I understand the test kit might decide ! Thank you for your assistance.I had stomach problems in the past and was told by the doctor to do the exact opposite of what it turned out was right for me and I was very ill for a year.Don't want to go down that road again.All the best...

We have been so bombarded with 'information' about cholesterol which is now considered a life and death subject - but the numbers are becoming more and more problematic - they don't add up.
As a type two diabetic your intake of carbs is most likely to be the most powerful tool for normalizing blood glucose, with any luck. If you are fortunate eating a diet which normalizes your blood glucose will normalize a lot more, restore metabolism and well being - it is something quite a few of us have managed - but bread is high in starch like all grains, fruit such as grapes are high in sugar, and the fructose has to be dealt with by the liver, which can be problematic. Milk is sugary - lactose is a sugar. I don't think there are any unnatural sugars...

 

[Drummer]

In the pack with the glucose meter there should be the instructions - the device might need setting up when first switched on but after that it is nothing complicated to get a test done, and the device can give averages of readings over the last week, two weeks and month if it is like any of the several different ones I have come across.
Controlling blood glucose is exactly like knowing your speed when driving - I have sorted out and discarded the foods which cause me to have spikes after eating - I know that I am very sensitive to carbs - that legumes cause spikes higher than their carb content would imply. I stick to foods with less than 11 percent carbs except for an occasional square of high cocoa chocolate, I only need to eat twice a day, which is convenient, and I don't need to snack as the foods I eat are highly nutritious, so I am not hungry.

 

[Willpower]

Hi everyone. I am totally confused and have gone off all food....I am starting to think that people who have a lot of weight to lose have a clearer direction than people like me,who haven't.I have "normal " blood pressure and cholesterol... and when you read ( as I did) that the new A1c levels were being queried by the very people that instigated them I despair even more...a bit like"pin the tail on the donkey". I give up.Hope you all have better luck than me...all the best

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Willpower

Really not sure what prompted that last post as I am just reading this thread now, but just wanted to welcome you and say.....

Firstly, Diabetes is a marathon not a sprint, so take your time to learn and come to terms with it. I appreciate that you have been prediabetic for a long time (10 years) but that a slight relapse in diet may have lead to things crossing over into the full blown range, which should be easy to redress.
Testing is a useful tool but if you are not comfortable with that, then it is certainly not the "be all and end all"

Do you know what your latest HbA1c reading is? This gives us an idea of where on the diabetes scale you are and how significant the dietary changes might need to be to get you back on track.
There are also different types of diabetes some of which are progressive, like LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults) which start off looking like Type 2 but are actually a form of Type 1 so dietary changes may not be relevant if that is the case. I was initially diagnosed as Type 2 almost a year ago but subsequent tests have shown I am Type 1. I still follow a low carb diet, even though I don't need to but that is my choice as it makes managing my insulin usage a little easier.
For me, eating low carb became a whole lot easier and more enjoyable when I started eating more fat/oil. Fat/oil takes longer to digest and therefore keeps you fuller for longer (keeps hunger at bay) and provides a much slower release energy than carbohydrates..... and best of all it makes food taste good. Being veggie does make things a little more difficult (do you eat eggs as well as cheese as that certainly opens up more possibilities....eggs are so versatile!), but it certainly doesn't make things impossible. The real difficulty I found was getting my head around increasing my fat/oil intake and that really makes a dramatic difference. I am not a vegetarian so I can eat fatty meat etc, but don't be frightened to use loads of olive oil in your cooking and plenty of nuts and nut butters (ie peanut butter) and olives or nuts for snacks if you like them. Aubergines and mushrooms are wonderful for soaking up olive oil and taste fabulous, so throw half a cup of olive oil in your pan and sauté a big batch and add a bit more if it needs it.... I make big batches of ratatouille and have it baked with grated cheese on the top. Avocados are another high fat food which will help to fill you up. Prawn and avocado salads are a regular on my menu. Cheese is good but I no longer need biscuits or bread with it, but maybe half an apple cut into slices and a glass of red wine. Omelettes are great for breakfast with a side salad. I often have them with mushrooms, aubergines, onions and peppers, cooked in lots of olive oil. These are really filling meals and if I have a 2 egg omelette for breakfast, I just have a chunk of nice cheese or some nuts at lunchtime and then my evening meal and feel very satisfied. The more carbs you eat, the more you want has been my experience. Filling up with fats and veggies means I don't feel hungry anymore and 2 meals a day is all; I need.
I boil a dozen eggs and have them as snacks and in salads for the week ahead (I have my own free range chickens so at certain times of the year there is a glut....) Eggs improve my mental health as well as stabilising my BG levels and filling me up.... They are a great source of nutrients if your personal principles allow you to eat them and please don't be concerned about outdated cholesterol issues with them.

Another big tip is cauliflower.... it is a truly wonderful veg as far as us diabetics are concerned.... can be mashed (with a good dollop of cream cheese) instead of potatoes or grated and used as a rice or couscous replacement or just served as good old cauliflower cheese.

Anyway, I just wanted to say, please don't feel like you are being railroaded into self testing. It can be quite daunting for some people and whilst it is a necessity for me as a Type 1 diabetic, it is not an essential aspect of type 2 management, just a very useful tool if you can get your head around it.
I wish you luck with managing your diabetes and hope you are able to at least get back to your pre diabetes levels, but that you will stick with or come back to the forum if you need to, as there is much useful info to be gained from it. A diabetes diagnosis is an overwhelming situation and takes time to come to terms with. Many liken it to grieving for a lost loved one and you are not always in an open frame of mind when dealing with emotions like this.
I would just like to say that I have a far healthier and enjoyable diet and lifestyle as a result of my diabetes diagnosis and I can see many positives as a result of it, but it has taken time and adjustment to get here and I could not have done it without the help of this forum. Many posts have challenged my views and the general advice which I have been bombarded with all my life, but I am finding the best way forward for me as a result of the responses I have been given here on the forum, much more so than any other source, including health care professionals.

 

[Willpower]

This is very kind of you to get back to me with all the information. I am actually eating the way you suggest and I have no problem with it , except I would never be able to eat such things as an omelet for breakfast, I have never had other than seeded toast and all bran...which I know is not always recommended but I had this all the time I was pre-diabetic and it suited me fine. I also like some fresh fruit during a lunch or evening meal and again this might not suit some.
I am waiting to hear from the Hospital who has my file as to what is suggested and I will go from there.
I have done so much research on this now and as so many have already said each case is very individual .
I think most people would find I eat "mouse" like portions of food , even as I child I was not a big"eater".Once I get a bit further on in my diagnosis I hope I will understand the best way forward.I just decided for the moment that most people did not seem to relate to my situation and I was getting "overload" even though well-meaning. I certainly agree re health care professionals and I always question everything having had so many miss diagnoses. If I had not listened to my own body I would be on all sorts of medication, which has never been needed! Healthy food , healthy life has always been my motto too but things come along in one's life when those priorities come second, I need to put them first again.
I will keep in touch, thank you for your kindness ..updates will follow.!I am so pleased to hear you are finding your way forward and that is good to know....I hope to follow your example...