Query

[iloveskamusic]

Recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 4 months ago levels 48mmol, felt ok and healthy, gp wanted me to start medications but i declined and explained to gp that i want to try diet controlled first which i had done in the past and went in to remission, however past year i did say to gp that i have been a bit silly and my healthy lifestyle went off track and also i have put on weight hence why the diagnosis. My question is will i be ok to have almased shakes to replace 1 or 2 meals, i have lost 5kg since diagnosed July of this year.

 

[Drummer]

The one I looked at was 29% sugar - I'd say no.
I just spent two months having shakes, fasting most of the day and going out to buy semi skinned milk regularly - my HbA1c went up!!
I now need smaller clothes, but I do feel it was a waste of time.
Now I am back to my usual routine of 2 meals a day and under 40 gm of carb I do feel a bit more relaxed and settled. Although I was not hungry I have Viking ancestry and although the few bright copper hairs are now silver I still have the red headed temper.

 

[Ieva DUK]

Hi @iloveskamusic and welcome to the forum!

I've read quite a few posts where people had a much higher result than 48mmol and managed to reduce that with diet and exercise alone so good on you for wanting to give that a go first. In terms of those shakes, diet is a very individual thing - it can depend on how much one moves day to day, if they exercise... Even how stressful their job gets. You need proper sustenance to keep you going through the day, but I know people have opted for shakes as well, when they have busier lifestyles. I'm not familiar with this specific brand, however as with any other, I'd urge you to look at the ingredients. Giving it a trial, to see if it fills you up enough for the day, how your body reacts to it (do you per chance self test?) etc., could be the way to do it, without having to instantly commit to getting a year's worth of supply.

 

[iloveskamusic]

Thank you for quick reply, i would be having this with water instead of milk as i only drink skimmed milk anyway such as in decaff tea/coffee or porridge, i have attached nutrition information for the 50g serving showing carbohydrates at 14.6 g and 14.6 g sugars, so would it be ok to have to replace even 1 meal ?

 

[iloveskamusic]

Hi @iloveskamusic and welcome to the forum!

I've read quite a few posts where people had a much higher result than 48mmol and managed to reduce that with diet and exercise alone so good on you for wanting to give that a go first. In terms of those shakes, diet is a very individual thing - it can depend on how much one moves day to day, if they exercise... Even how stressful their job gets. You need proper sustenance to keep you going through the day, but I know people have opted for shakes as well, when they have busier lifestyles. I'm not familiar with this specific brand, however as with any other, I'd urge you to look at the ingredients. Giving it a trial, to see if it fills you up enough for the day, how your body reacts to it (do you per chance self test?) etc., could be the way to do it, without having to instantly commit to getting a year's worth of supply.

Thank you for replying, yes my mum and sister were diabetics, mum type 2 and sister was type 1 insulin dependent from a very young age 5, originally for 3 years my results were 42 to 44 mmol but i controlled it by diet and in 2022 gp said my diabetes was in remission, i do have a busy job where i do 12 hour shifts, and walk a lot along with some exercise on my days off, currently not self testing, i tested once whilst at work mid morning after eating and results were showing 6 on blood glucose monitor, i was told it was low ? Yes that sounds like a good idea i might invest in a test monitor for home use, try the shakes and see how i feel, i did hear about this almased on the nhs site to be fair.

 

[harbottle]

I bought some of this and used to use it when I was in a rush to get to work. I had it with almond milk and olive oil.
I seem to recall a serving was around 15g of carbs, but it didn't affect my levels at all and in one case I went for a walk after drinking one and got into the 3s! Felt quite wobbly.

 

[pjgtech]

The Almasad website does not claim that these are "Total Diet Replacement" meals or TDR and that is important, as to be considered a proper TDR meal they have to meet strict dietary requirements, including providing only around 200 cals per meal and additional vitamins and nutrients (usually around 20).
There are companies who do provide proper TDR meals, including Altra Life, Shake that Weight and I think a couple of others.
These companies are used by HCP when referring diabetics onto the Newcastle Diet, (otherwise known as the T2D Pathway to Remission program).
If you are thinking of going down the shake route, I would be looking at those companies.
NB: is is not recommended to use TDR meals for more than a few weeks without medical supervision, as they are very low calories (typically 800 per day) and you therefore need to be monitored.

Edit, hmm, I see on their diabetic section they do mention "meal replacement" but not "Total Diet Replacement", which I think is the official medical/legal term to meet the strict requirements? So I would be wary personally....

 

[Leadinglights]

I reduced my HbA1C from 50mmol/mol down to 42 in 3 months following the principals in the link for a low carb approach, it is now my new way of eating, https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
You could give the shakes a try but better to establish a way of eating which you enjoy and will be sustainable.

 

[iloveskamusic]

I reduced my HbA1C from 50mmol/mol down to 42 in 3 months following the principals in the link for a low carb approach, it is now my new way of eating, https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
You could give the shakes a try but better to establish a way of eating which you enjoy and will be sustainable.

Thank you for your reply, yes i agree i tried low carb diet in the past also cutting out sugar which was my downfall as i have a sweet tooth but i perservered and also cut out red meat, ate only chicken, fish, quorn, plenty of legumes, veg and fruit, went in to remission and also brought down my cholesterol and high blood pressure, i feel like i failed especially after all the hard work i done and losing just over 20kg, i think i might try and go down that route again as like i said i lost track and went of the rails a bit, think my gp put it as warning that my diabetes was creeping up.

 

[iloveskamusic]

The Almasad website does not claim that these are "Total Diet Replacement" meals or TDR and that is important, as to be considered a proper TDR meal they have to meet strict dietary requirements, including providing only around 200 cals per meal and additional vitamins and nutrients (usually around 20).
There are companies who do provide proper TDR meals, including Altra Life, Shake that Weight and I think a couple of others.
These companies are used by HCP when referring diabetics onto the Newcastle Diet, (otherwise known as the T2D Pathway to Remission program).
If you are thinking of going down the shake route, I would be looking at those companies.
NB: is is not recommended to use TDR meals for more than a few weeks without medical supervision, as they are very low calories (typically 800 per day) and you therefore need to be monitored.

Edit, hmm, I see on their diabetic section they do mention "meal replacement" but not "Total Diet Replacement", which I think is the official medical/legal term to meet the strict requirements? So I would be wary personally....

Thank you for your reply, i have researched shakes beforehand, almased site does not claim tdr however i researched the diabetes UK site, i don't want to replace all meals with shakes just either 1 or 2, here is attachments.
.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you for your reply, yes i agree i tried low carb diet in the past also cutting out sugar which was my downfall as i have a sweet tooth but i perservered and also cut out red meat, ate only chicken, fish, quorn, plenty of legumes, veg and fruit, went in to remission and also brought down my cholesterol and high blood pressure, i feel like i failed especially after all the hard work i done and losing just over 20kg, i think i might try and go down that route again as like i said i lost track and went of the rails a bit, think my gp put it as warning that my diabetes was creeping up.

Unless you need to cut the red meat for other reasons then it is also low carb whereas legumes are not unless they are green beans, sugar snaps or mangetout.
To satisfy your sweet tooth then have a look on the website sugarfreelondoner for low carb cakes, biscuits and deserts.

 

[iloveskamusic]

Unless you need to cut the red meat for other reasons then it is also low carb whereas legumes are not unless they are green beans, sugar snaps or mangetout.
To satisfy your sweet tooth then have a look on the website sugarfreelondoner for low carb cakes, biscuits and deserts.

Thank you i will look at that site, was advised to cut down red meat by my gp due to when i had very high cholesterol (saturated fats and trans fats) so i just chose to cut it out all together, legumes i eat are lentils, chickpeas and kidney beans which also was advised by my gp and diabetic nurse due to the fibre contents and kept under 5 to10g, thanks for the information about legumes i will go back and speak to my healthcare team about this.

 

[iloveskamusic]

I bought some of this and used to use it when I was in a rush to get to work. I had it with almond milk and olive oil.
I seem to recall a serving was around 15g of carbs, but it didn't affect my levels at all and in one case I went for a walk after drinking one and got into the 3s! Felt quite wobbly.

Thanks for your reply, that's interesting to know, i was going to try it with water and olive oil as per instructions, like i said may give it a go and see how i feel, thanks.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you i will look at that site, was advised to cut down red meat by my gp due to when i had very high cholesterol (saturated fats and trans fats) so i just chose to cut it out all together, legumes i eat are lentils, chickpeas and kidney beans which also was advised by my gp and diabetic nurse due to the fibre contents and kept under 5 to10g, thanks for the information about legumes i will go back and speak to my healthcare team about this.

I'm not saying not to have them but just be aware of the carbs you are having when you have them. I do also have them but would add a tin to a chilli or curry that would be doing 6 meals.

 

[iloveskamusic]

I'm not saying not to have them but just be aware of the carbs you are having when you have them. I do also have them but would add a tin to a chilli or curry that would be doing 6 meals.

Thanks, yes like yourself i do add them when i make a bolognese from scratch with minced chicken or a chicken curry, just out of interest, how much carbs a day should diabetics have ? that's one thing i was never informed about, just told to keep carbs low

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks, yes like yourself i do add them when i make a bolognese from scratch with minced chicken or a chicken curry, just out of interest, how much carbs a day should diabetics have ? that's one thing i was never informed about, just told to keep carbs low

It is one of those questions where the answer is 'it all depends' people's tolerance to carbs varies on their metabolism, what medications they are prescribed and how much exercise they do. When you say diabetics then be specific and say Type 2 as it will be different for other Types.
The suggested amount of carbs for somebody opting to follow a low carb regime is a starting point of no more than 130g carbs not just sugar per day, but quite a few go lower depending on if they take certain medication.
People will usually determine what suits them by testing the effect of meals on blood glucose with a home monitor.
For some they are fine with 130g but others will settle on 70-100g.
I tend to look on it as a certain limit per meal so 15-20g for breakfast and lunch and 25-30 for dinner with a few more for drinks, but trying to keep to 70-80 per day but I don't take any meds.