saying hi

[david fox]

Hi My name is David and I have just been diagnosed with pre type 2. Finding all the help pages very confussing. The N H S good eating guide says one thing. You say another. Also have high colestrel levels.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi My name is David and I have just been diagnosed with pre type 2. Finding all the help pages very confussing. The N H S good eating guide says one thing. You say another. Also have high colestrel levels.

Welcome to the forum
A prediabetes diagnosis is basically a wakeup call to make some lifestyle changes as by not doing anything you may find yourself crossing over that threshold of 47mmol/mol into the diabetes zone.
Loosing weight if you need to, getting more exercise and making some dietary changes should be enough to bring your HbA1C down into normal range.
Many people find the biggest thing is what can I eat. Foods that are fine are meals based on meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, nuts, vegetables, salads, fruit like berries which small portions of high carbohydrate foods. Those are potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, breakfast cereals, tropical fruits, starchy veg.
You will really wanting to be cutting out sugary foods like cakes, biscuits, sugary drinks including fruit juice.
It is very difficult to be prescriptive about how many carbohydrates people should have but the suggested amount is no more than 130g per day carbs not just sugar. Many peoples normal diet can be anything between 250-300g so you can see it needs some thought on how to make changes.
I found this link very helpful, it is a low carb approach which suits some people. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
The information on the DUK site is for people with all types of diabetes so people need to be selective and see what may be appropriate for them.
Please do come back with any questions that you have about what is confusing you if the link does not help.

 

[david fox]

Welcome to the forum
A prediabetes diagnosis is basically a wakeup call to make some lifestyle changes as by not doing anything you may find yourself crossing over that threshold of 47mmol/mol into the diabetes zone.
Loosing weight if you need to, getting more exercise and making some dietary changes should be enough to bring your HbA1C down into normal range.
Many people find the biggest thing is what can I eat. Foods that are fine are meals based on meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, nuts, vegetables, salads, fruit like berries which small portions of high carbohydrate foods. Those are potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, breakfast cereals, tropical fruits, starchy veg.
You will really wanting to be cutting out sugary foods like cakes, biscuits, sugary drinks including fruit juice.
It is very difficult to be prescriptive about how many carbohydrates people should have but the suggested amount is no more than 130g per day carbs not just sugar. Many peoples normal diet can be anything between 250-300g so you can see it needs some thought on how to make changes.
I found this link very helpful, it is a low carb approach which suits some people. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
The information on the DUK site is for people with all types of diabetes so people need to be selective and see what may be appropriate for them.
Please do come back with any questions that you have about what is confusing you if the link does not help.

Thanks so much for the quick reply. A quick question please. On my bolltle of Lidl 100% pure orange juice made from concentrate. It Says carbohydrate 9.5g of which sugars 8.4g. is this safe to drink please. This is all new to me. Thanks

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks so much for the quick reply. A quick question please. On my bolltle of Lidl 100% pure orange juice made from concentrate. It Says carbohydrate 9.5g of which sugars 8.4g. is this safe to drink please. This is all new to me. Thanks

I would say NO as that is pretty well pure sugar.
Fruit juice is usually avoided by people who are Type 2 and reserved for treating hypos (low blood glucose) by people taking insulin.

 

[david fox]

thanks so much. down the drain it goes.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @david fox

As a T1 taking insulin the only time I’d reach for fruit juice would be if I were experiencing low blood glucose and needed a rapid rise, so I wouldn’t recommend fruit juice as a regular part of your menu - there are a variety of other more BG-friendly sources of vitamin C including peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, and even cabbage!


One of the biggest questions when trying to get to grips with your diabetes is often ‘what can I eat’ and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits. That doesn’t mean you have to try to avoid all those things entirely, but being careful about portion sizes can really help.

Many new members find it can be really helpful to keep a brutally honest food diary for a week or two. Note down everything you eat and drink, along with a reasonable estimate of the carbohydrate comtent (not just of which sugsrs) in your meals and snacks. It might sound like a bit of a faff, and will involve weighing portions, squinting at the fine print on packaging, and possibly looking up things on the internet, but it will give you a really good idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu.

Once you can see which meals or snacks are your ‘big hitters’, and where carbs might be unexpectedly lurking, the diary might also suggest some likely candidates for swaps, portion reductions, or using lower carb alternatives (eg celeriac or swede mash, or cauli ‘rice’).

 

[david fox]

Welcome to the forum @david fox

As a T1 taking insulin the only time I’d reach for fruit juice would be if I were experiencing low blood glucose and needed a rapid rise, so I wouldn’t recommend fruit juice as a regular part of your menu - there are a variety of other more BG-friendly sources of vitamin C including peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, and even cabbage!


One of the biggest questions when trying to get to grips with your diabetes is often ‘what can I eat’ and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits. That doesn’t mean you have to try to avoid all those things entirely, but being careful about portion sizes can really help.

Many new members find it can be really helpful to keep a brutally honest food diary for a week or two. Note down everything you eat and drink, along with a reasonable estimate of the carbohydrate comtent (not just of which sugsrs) in your meals and snacks. It might sound like a bit of a faff, and will involve weighing portions, squinting at the fine print on packaging, and possibly looking up things on the internet, but it will give you a really good idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu.

Once you can see which meals or snacks are your ‘big hitters’, and where carbs might be unexpectedly lurking, the diary might also suggest some likely candidates for swaps, portion reductions, or using lower carb alternatives (eg celeriac or swede mash, or cauli ‘rice’).

Thanks so much. That is so usufull. The thought of walking round Disney in Florida and not being able to eat all the yummey snacks is not a happy one. But I have very strong will power. If its no it no. Already made lots of changes and really feel better allready.

 

[Martin.A]

Already made lots of changes and really feel better already.

That's what I found, too. To be honest I actually feel fitter and healthier than I've felt in years, probably not since my days as a squash player and cricketer back in my 20s and 30s.

Shame it came about as the result of a diabetes diagnosis.

 

[david fox]

my problem is i have high cholesterol and blood presseure as well but working on that.told to excersise more. it is hard when you get up early for work, you can't be bothered.

 

[Lurcher67]

Hi, I was diagnosed T2 (HbA1c 81)with high cholesterol. Although I am on medication (metformin and statins), cholesterol now in normal range and HbA1c down to 52 after 3 months, I have found my BG readings are usually lower if I take a 20-30 min walk after evening meal or some other activity ie gardening etc, so increased exercise doesn’t necessarily mean a visit to the gym. My BP and weight have also dropped even though I wasn’t overweight or had high BP. You can reduce BG and BP with a change in diet and an increase in exercise, not sure whether cholesterol will follow as mine dropped after taking statins. Some small changes should make a big difference. Good luck.

 

[Leadinglights]

I think it depends on how high your cholesterol is, if you have diabetes then 'they' like it to be below 4 but some people find that by reducing carbs it also helps lower cholesterol or improve the ratios. Everybody actually need cholesterol as it is involved in normal metabolic functions and is needed for tissue healing.

 

[david fox]

Hi, I was diagnosed T2 (HbA1c 81)with high cholesterol. Although I am on medication (metformin and statins), cholesterol now in normal range and HbA1c down to 52 after 3 months, I have found my BG readings are usually lower if I take a 20-30 min walk after evening meal or some other activity ie gardening etc, so increased exercise doesn’t necessarily mean a visit to the gym. My BP and weight have also dropped even though I wasn’t overweight or had high BP. You can reduce BG and BP with a change in diet and an increase in exercise, not sure whether cholesterol will follow as mine dropped after taking statins. Some small changes should make a big difference. Good luck.

I always power walk when I can. I think the nurse I had had it in for me. She said walking is not enough I have to run. Did it today, not run since school. Pratically killed me. ache all over. Will keep it up though. I have a lovely park just neer me.

 

[Leadinglights]

I always power walk when I can. I think the nurse I had had it in for me. She said walking is not enough I have to run. Did it today, not run since school. Pratically killed me. ache all over. Will keep it up though. I have a lovely park just neer me.

When she said walking was not enough I suspect that is because most people when they go for a walk just amble along rather than brisk walking which is obviously better. But just do what you can and build up to more as you are able without risking injury.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

I always power walk when I can. I think the nurse I had had it in for me. She said walking is not enough I have to run. Did it today, not run since school. Pratically killed me. ache all over. Will keep it up though. I have a lovely park just neer me.

I think that nurse was talking nonsense. There all sorts of reasons why not everybody can just start running - and the older one gets the more that applies. Certainly some people can be running in their 80s- but by no means everybody.

Brisk walking is commendable. Also you need a regime (= diet in conjunction with exercise / activity) that is SUSTAINABLE in the long term. I fully agree with @Leadinglights: do what you can and build up exercise strength steadily - if you can. But no point in gaining an exercise injury that immobilises you for a long period and prevents you from achieving any helpful regime.

 

[david fox]

When she said walking was not enough I suspect that is because most people when they go for a walk just amble along rather than brisk walking which is obviously better. But just do what you can and build up to more as you are able without risking injury.

Thanks that makes a lot of sense

 

[david fox]

I think that nurse was talking nonsense. There all sorts of reasons why not everybody can just start running - and the older one gets the more that applies. Certainly some people can be running in their 80s- but by no means everybody.

Brisk walking is commendable. Also you need a regime (= diet in conjunction with exercise / activity) that is SUSTAINABLE in the long term. I fully agree with @Leadinglights: do what you can and build up exercise strength steadily - if you can. But no point in gaining an exercise injury that immobilises you for a long period and prevents you from achieving any helpful regime.

thanks that very usufull.