Outta control

[Sarahm25]

HI I'm new on here. Joined about 2mins ago cos I'm confused I'm type 2 I was obese over wgt and placed on insulin. I've lost 7 stone and was put on tablets due to high exercise and wgt loss but my sugars are still out of control and high I really need to take control but I'm really struggling diabetics sites and books say eat brown rice pasta low gi beans and pulses my doctor says no you can eat white makes no difference just smaller quantity as both spike the same just slower, and he says add fat to my diet to bring down the spikes?? I wanna loose more wgt not add fat??. Now I have lost so much wgt shouldn't my sugars be better? I understand none of this x sorry to burden you all

 

[Northerner]

Hi Sarahm25, welcome to the forum🙂 Sorry to hear you are having problems - part of the problem seems to be the conflicting advice you are receiving, which really can't be helping! So, how long have you been diagnosed, and what medication are you currently on? When you say your levels are out of control, what sort of numbers are you getting, and at what times do you test?

The main thing to bear in mind where diabetes is concerned is that it is a very individual thing, and people have varying tolerances for different foods - unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all, and what one person can tolerate well another may find spikes their levels high. Ideally, as the various books you have read suggest, you want to choose food that will have a slow and steady release of energy, so it's useful to follow something like the Glycaemic Load diet which identifies food combinations that will help you achieve this - The GL Diet for Dummies is a good introduction. However, you need to qualify this by testing your levels before and after eating to see how you yourself react to what you have eaten. Have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S , which will explain this more clearly. Fat will slow the digestion of food, so it should reduce spikes, and it may not be as evil as we've all been led to believe - new evidence is emerging that it is actually eating too much carbohydrate that causes weight gain, not fat, so don't be too worried about including it in your meals.

I'd also recommend reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter which may help you understand diabetes better.

You've done tremendously well with your weight loss - well done! Presumably you were taken off insulin because your levels had improved to a point where your doctor thought you no longer needed it? Did they improve or have you had problems throughout?

 

[robert@fm]

Don't worry about burdening us — the point of this forum is that we understand what your problems are, as at least some of us have had similar ones. This is a very friendly and helpful forum, a good place to ask advice or just have a moan if you need one. 😉

Welcome! 🙂

 

[Mark T]

Welcome to the forum Sarahm25 🙂

 

[Sarahm25]

I was diagnosed in 2002 was placed on insulin until May 2007 then was placed on metformin been on it ever since. to be honest I'never wen back to doctors I lost so much wgt I thought sugars will be fine and even stopped testing I was nieve and silly.. then last yr I had bloods and was exstreamly high and he put up my metformin an said if don't work it's back to insulin. my sugars are always at 18.+ 16 when awake in morning but my diet has always been good as has my exercise. I don't think however I've ever controlled my sugars just my wgt. I now need to gain controll of all of it x thanks for your help

 

[Northerner]

I was diagnosed in 2002 was placed on insulin until May 2007 then was placed on metformin been on it ever since. to be honest I'never wen back to doctors I lost so much wgt I thought sugars will be fine and even stopped testing I was nieve and silly.. then last yr I had bloods and was exstreamly high and he put up my metformin an said if don't work it's back to insulin. my sugars are always at 18.+ 16 when awake in morning but my diet has always been good as has my exercise. I don't think however I've ever controlled my sugars just my wgt. I now need to gain controll of all of it x thanks for your help

It does sound as though you would really benefit from going back on the insulin Sarah. How do you feel about that? It really is the best way to get your levels under control. It's possible that what as happened is that your pancreas is simply unable to produce sufficient insulin any more to keep your levels down, and most of the pills that are normally prescribed then become useless - everyone needs insulin, and if you're not making it yourself any more then you will need to inject it. It's not a punishment, and it's not your fault - some people do lose weight and can then control their levels perfectly well, but many people can't, not because they aren't trying, but because of a natural decline that can't be avoided.

You've already won the other battles - you have a good diet and you exercise 🙂 Getting your levels down closer to 'normal' will make you feel soooooo much better! Go back to your GP and let him/her know that you are still struggling, you really can't continue to run levels so high.