Struggling

[hayleym12]

hi everyone
I was diagnosed with diabetes last Thursday and my blood level was 24 (prick test) I was given medication metformin 2x daily and 1 to take for a short time to bring the level down quickly. And today it was 10.3.
My problem is I'm frightened of eating, I have a shake for breakfast and lunch and I am struggling to find decent dinners to cook. And I know I'm not helping myself because I feel hungry all the time! I have been good though completely left all the sweet/chocolate/crisps alone and have a sweetener in my tea/coffee. Can anyone offer me some advice please

 

[pav]

Welcome to the forum, it can be very scary being diagnosed. You need to eat as you can make yourself ill'er. It's a good start cutting out the sweets and crisps, diabetes is a long haul not a mad rush to get ones levels down. If you have been eating white bread try and switch to wholemeal / granary as they will raise ones slower. With potatoes you can reduce the amount you have, if I have a baked spud it's one that's less than the size of my clenched fist. On foods look at the total carbs in them and not just the sugars, and take it slowly slowly a small step at a time. Diabetes is unique to the individual and there's no one rule that applies to us all with food. Breakfast cereals are out for me, thankfully I don't like pasta or pizza's another source of problems.

If you post up the foods you normally have to eat during the day, it can be suggested as to what can be swapped for something else that's better.

 

[Ljc]

Hi Hayleym welcome.
How did you come to be diagnosed.

It's perfectly normal to be frightened of eating when you're first diagnosed. But it's important for ou to eat ok , else you're going to make yourself ill.

I'm going list a few things that are usually fine for us just to get you started eating again.
If you eat meat, all meat is fine including high meat content sausages and burgers. Eggs cooked anyway you like yes fried are ok, mushrooms , veg that grows above ground , cheese, butter, cream, milk, some nuts are not too high in carbohydrates, fish, you do not need to throw out your frying pan either. This list is not exhaustive. We actually get to eat lots of nice tasty grub.

Wholemeal bread is better than white, some here have switched to other types of bread ie, Bugen, high protein bread or Lidle protein rolls from their in house bakery.
We often tolerate a few new potatoes better than mashed.
Fruit juice is considered healthy but it is packed full of sugar as are grapes

Just to give you some more ideas , We have a recipe section where members put their own creative recipes, you'll find sweet stuff in there too.
https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/forums/recipes.21/
And a thread called 'What did you eat yesterday'
https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/what-did-you-eat-yesterday.30349/page-102#post-745953
For future reference you'll find both on the , Food/carb queries and recipe thread.

Diabetes control is not just about what we eat, if you are able some exercise helps a lot, this doesn't mean spending hours in the gym, going for a walk every day helps a lot.

Feel free to ask questions, we'll do our best to help
Others will be along later with lots of useful advise and suggested reading. I don't want to overwhelm you so I'll say bye for now.

 

[Bubbsie]

hi everyone
I was diagnosed with diabetes last Thursday and my blood level was 24 (prick test) I was given medication metformin 2x daily and 1 to take for a short time to bring the level down quickly. And today it was 10.3.
My problem is I'm frightened of eating, I have a shake for breakfast and lunch and I am struggling to find decent dinners to cook. And I know I'm not helping myself because I feel hungry all the time! I have been good though completely left all the sweet/chocolate/crisps alone and have a sweetener in my tea/coffee. Can anyone offer me some advice please

Hi hayleym...one of the best pieces of advice I was given when I first joined the forum was not to rush...take my time...find a routine that suits me...one I can sustain long term...I would echo that advice...often there is a misconception about what we can & can't eat...what we need to avoid is anything carbohydrate heavy...many of the foods we believe are 'healthy' for us have hidden sugars...some fruits are very carb heavy (banana a prime example)...grapes loaded with sugar...give yourself a little leeway...still very early days for you...your testing meter will be your best guide to what is suitable to lower your sugar levels...as @Ljc says there are several threads here that will you great ideas on diet...honestly it's not all doom & gloom...I notice you have a shake for breakfast & lunch...only eat in the evening...have you checked the nutritional contents in the shake...those will be labelled on the packaging...the prospect of managing our diabetes is daunting initially...many of us felt exactly the same as you at diagnosis...but...it does get better...it is manageable...your figures are high...nothing outrageous...they will reduce as you learn more about diabetes...something that will help is a book called Type 2 The First year...by Gretchen Becker...she is a diabetic herself...writes about her first year from diagnosis onwards...month by month...answers many of the questions we all had...how/why...is it my fault (the answer is no)...advice on diet/exercise...you'd be surprised...even a light walk/vigorous housework can help a great deal...she explains the benefits of testing our blood sugars...how to interpret those results...I cannot recommend it highly enough...step back a little...refocus...fortunately you've come to the forum early...a wealth of information available here...anything you need to ask post it here...good luck...keep us updated

 

[hayleym12]

Th

Welcome to the forum, it can be very scary being diagnosed. You need to eat as you can make yourself ill'er. It's a good start cutting out the sweets and crisps, diabetes is a long haul not a mad rush to get ones levels down. If you have been eating white bread try and switch to wholemeal / granary as they will raise ones slower. With potatoes you can reduce the amount you have, if I have a baked spud it's one that's less than the size of my clenched fist. On foods look at the total carbs in them and not just the sugars, and take it slowly slowly a small step at a time. Diabetes is unique to the individual and there's no one rule that applies to us all with food. Breakfast cereals are out for me, thankfully I don't like pasta or pizza's another source of problems.

If you post up the foods you normally have to eat during the day, it can be suggested as to what can be swapped for something else that's better.[/QUOTE

Welcome to the forum, it can be very scary being diagnosed. You need to eat as you can make yourself ill'er. It's a good start cutting out the sweets and crisps, diabetes is a long haul not a mad rush to get ones levels down. If you have been eating white bread try and switch to wholemeal / granary as they will raise ones slower. With potatoes you can reduce the amount you have, if I have a baked spud it's one that's less than the size of my clenched fist. On foods look at the total carbs in them and not just the sugars, and take it slowly slowly a small step at a time. Diabetes is unique to the individual and there's no one rule that applies to us all with food. Breakfast cereals are out for me, thankfully I don't like pasta or pizza's another source of problems.

If you post up the foods you normally have to eat during the day, it can be suggested as to what can be swapped for something else that's better.

thank you for your advice it has been a bit of a shock because I did have a sweet tooth but on a positive it's probably a kick up the bum I needed to help lose some weight as well. I'm. It an adventurous cook either so it's programming my brain to eat differently. I'm sure I will get there and with help from you guys I will be heading in the right direction

 

[PinkGrapefruit]

I know how you feel about not knowing what to eat. I remember breaking into tears in the middle of a shopping isle at the supermarket, because I just didn't know what to eat!

Perfect day for me is something like this;

Breakfast - few berries and a coffee/tea with a splash of milk

A nut bar (9bar) or some nuts for a snack

Salad for lunch with Tuna or chicken

Again a bar a few berries or nuts for a snack (I have a +90 min commute each way so make sure I have a boost before I drive).

Dinner - curry and steamed veg, or cauli cheese and a bit of fish meat, stir frys. 2/3rds of my plate is veg. You can eat as much green veg like spinach courgette, cauliflower, asparagus as you can stomach. Low calorie, low carb, delicious. I microwave most of my veg now, with just a drop of water only they steam super quick.

I must confess my diet has become more liberal, but I still stick to no potatoes, rice, pasta, bread. They are almost poison in my mind now. It's weird.

See the Link below to Dr Unwin's diet sheet. Good luck!

 

[hayleym12]

Thank you everyone for your advice. I guess I was panicking and trying to rush to get my levels down too quickly. Your right in saying it takes time. So today I just had a shake for breakfast and a salad at lunchtime with ham and boiled egg. And I am attempting a chucking curry tonight with whole grain rice.
I guess it's take one day at a time until I get used to it. On the plus side I'm not feeling as tired and my vision is not so blurry so I'm doing something right. This forum has been so helpful and certainly doesn't make you feel so alone. Thank you again for your advice