• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.

Tips I have for fellow Type 2 newbies.

Katetype2

Katetype2

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hello.

I’ve been thinking about how scary getting a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis is to start with and all the bits I have learned so far that are helpful.

The following is not medical advice. Just bits you may want to think about and do your own research on. This is what has been working for me - we are all different and you will need to work out what works for you.

  • Don’t panic. It’s normal to feel shocked for a while. There is plenty you can do to help yourself.
  • Knowledge is power. Don’t wait for the doctor to tell you exactly what to do - chances are, you’ll be waiting a long time! Start your own research on diabetes - Diabetes UK has excellent resources. There’s lots of information out there - YouTube, books, podcasts… BUT apply common sense. Don’t fall for quacks trying to sell you stuff, or attempt anything extreme. Question the source of the information and how reliable it is.
  • Reduce your carb intake. Limit pasta, rice, bread, cereals and potatoes. I’m a fatty with a lot of timber to lose, so for the time being I have cut these out altogether and try to stick to a max limit of 150g carbs per day. If you eat the above, choose brown over white and pair with a protein. You still need some carbs - so don’t eliminate them completely! Measure your carbs.
  • Eat protein - especially if you are on weight loss drugs! Losing weight often means losing muscle - protein helps limit that. It also keeps you nice and full. Lean meats, poultry, eggs, fish, plain Greek yoghurt… some beans are high in protein too.
  • Low fat products can often have more sugar than full fat versions so check your labels!
  • Eat your veggies! Lots of them! Leafy dark greens are full of helpful phytonutrients - so get plenty. Some vegetables like sweetcorn and peas are starchy - so eat these in moderation.
  • Fruit - very nutritious but can be full of sugar too. Berries and citrus fruits are the best - mango and bananas are not so good - so again, moderation. Eat fruits paired with protein where possible. Best after a meal as dessert rather than as a snack between meals.
  • Fruit juice is junk food. Delicious, and unfortunately, extremely sugary. Not good for diabetes at all and by the time it has been pasteurised, it’s not particularly nutritious anyway. Avoid! (The exception being that it can help when experiencing low blood sugars - hypoglycaemia).
  • Caffeine spikes some people so work out if it affects you. More water is good. Cut down on booze. Opt for sugar free drinks.
  • Snacks: nuts - particularly almonds and walnuts, a little cheese, peanut butter and apple, seeds, olives, hummus and veg, pork scratchings. Obviously some of these are high in fat so just watch the amounts you eat.
  • Good fats - olive oil, avocados, fish, nuts… there are more and you do need them. Don’t be afraid of good fats - we need them - just in moderation.
  • Avoid trans fats. It’s bottom-tier garbage food.
  • Ditch takeaway food. If I’m in a pinch, I order a subway salad as it’s fairly easy to control what is in it.
  • Nutrition - make sure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals you need - your doctor should advise you if you are deficient. Metformin can make you deficient in B12. Almost everyone is lacking in vitamin D. Ask your doctor if you need to take anything.
  • There are loads of supplements out there - some could react with medications so do your research first! Berberine is often touted as helpful for diabetics - and for some, it certainly could be. But, apparently it shouldn’t be taken along with GLP1 medications. So again - do your research.
  • Chia seeds and milled flax seeds are extremely nutritious and have fibre. They don’t really taste of much, so you can easily toss them in a yogurt, in soups, on salads… you won’t even notice them but they are superfoods that pack a punch.
  • Exercise. Move a bit more - whatever you can manage. Walking is fantastic and free. Do something you enjoy and you’ll likely stick to it.
  • Strength training. If you can incorporate some muscle building exercises in to your life, do. Muscle uses glucose! Also, certain meds and weight loss can cause muscle loss - which you don’t want. Even a few arm curls with some cans of beans could help a bit.
  • If you are a fellow fatty like me, don’t be afraid of the gym. I promise you that everyone there is concentrating on their own workout and won’t be looking at you. And if they do look, so what?! They just get to see a big person trying hard. I can honestly say I could not pick a single person from the gym out of a police line up - I just do my workout and go.
  • Try your local council run gym. Mine is superb - very reasonable price, bang up to date equipment and very inclusive of disabled people.
  • Cravings. I find that cravings are worst in the first two or three weeks of a diet. It gets easier. Most cravings pass in 20 mins or so. You can just acknowledge it and choose to ignore it. I tell myself that I would rather keep my eyesight and feet than give in and have a pizza.
  • Listen to your body. If you are dog tired, rest. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
  • Consistency is key. Weekends are no different to week days. I tend to avoid cheat days because I’m of the nature that they turn in to cheat weeks - and before I know it I’m back to square one.
  • Track your food. Get an app and track everything that passes your lips - it keeps you accountable.
  • Finally, if you have a rough day and slip up FORGIVE YOURSELF. You are not a robot - you are human. Tomorrow is another day. You’ve got this.
 
Last edited:
Well written... wish that was here when i joined all confused

Thread should be pinned so it stays at the top

Id add stay positive, you aint alone on this journey
 
Last edited:
A very thoughtful considered post. Certainly worth pinning for Newbies.
 
Katetype2 said:
Hello.

I’ve been thinking about how scary getting a diagnosis is to start with and all the bits I have learned so far that are helpful.

The following is not medical advice. Just bits you may want to think about and do your own research on. This is what has been working for me - we are all different and you will need to work out what works for you.

  • Don’t panic. It’s normal to feel shocked for a while. There is plenty you can do to help yourself.
  • Knowledge is power. Don’t wait for the doctor to tell you exactly what to do - chances are, you’ll be waiting a long time! Start your own research on diabetes - Diabetes UK has excellent resources. There’s lots of information out there - YouTube, books, podcasts… BUT apply common sense. Don’t fall for quacks trying to sell you stuff, or attempt anything extreme. Question the source of the information and how reliable it is.
  • Reduce your carb intake. Limit pasta, rice, bread, cereals and potatoes. I’m a fatty with a lot of timber to lose, so for the time being I have cut these out altogether and try to stick to a max limit of 150g carbs per day. If you eat the above, choose brown over white and pair with a protein. You still need some carbs - so don’t eliminate them completely! Measure your carbs.
  • Eat protein - especially if you are on weight loss drugs! Losing weight often means losing muscle - protein helps limit that. It also keeps you nice and full. Lean meats, poultry, eggs, fish, plain Greek yoghurt… some beans are high in protein too.
  • Low fat products can often have more sugar than full fat versions so check your labels!
  • Eat your veggies! Lots of them! Leafy dark greens are full of helpful phytonutrients - so get plenty. Some vegetables like sweetcorn and peas are starchy - so eat these in moderation.
  • Fruit - very nutritious but can be full of sugar too. Berries and citrus fruits are the best - mango and bananas are not so good - so again, moderation. Eat fruits paired with protein where possible. Best after a meal as dessert rather than as a snack between meals.
  • Fruit juice is junk food. Delicious, and unfortunately, extremely sugary. Not good for diabetes at all and by the time it has been pasteurised, it’s not particularly nutritious anyway. Avoid!
  • Caffeine spikes some people so work out if it affects you. More water is good. Cut down on booze. Opt for sugar free drinks.
  • Snacks: nuts - particularly almonds and walnuts, a little cheese, peanut butter and apple, seeds, olives, hummus and veg, pork scratchings. Obviously some of these are high in fat so just watch the amounts you eat.
  • Good fats - olive oil, avocados, fish, nuts… there are more and you do need them. Don’t be afraid of good fats - we need them - just in moderation.
  • Avoid trans fats. It’s bottom-tier garbage food.
  • Ditch takeaway food. If I’m in a pinch, I order a subway salad as it’s fairly easy to control what is in it.
  • Nutrition - make sure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals you need - your doctor should advise you if you are deficient. Metformin can make you deficient in B12. Almost everyone is lacking in vitamin D. Ask your doctor if you need to take anything.
  • There are loads of supplements out there - some could react with medications so do your research first! Berberine is often touted as essential for diabetics - and for some, it certainly could be. But, apparently it shouldn’t be taken along with GLP1 medications. So again - do your research.
  • Chia seeds and milled flax seeds are extremely nutritious and have fibre. They don’t really taste of much, so you can easily toss them in a yogurt, in soups, on salads… you won’t even notice them but they are superfoods that pack a punch.
  • Exercise. Move a bit more - whatever you can manage. Walking is fantastic and free. Do something you enjoy and you’ll likely stick to it.
  • Strength training. If you can incorporate some muscle building exercises in to your life, do. Muscle uses glucose! Also, certain meds and weight loss can cause muscle loss - which you don’t want. Even a few arm curls with some cans of beans could help a bit.
  • If you are a fellow fatty like me, don’t be afraid of the gym. I promise you that everyone there is concentrating on their own workout and won’t be looking at you. And if they do look, so what?! They just get to see a big person trying hard. I can honestly say I could not pick a single person from the gym out of a police line up - I just do my workout and go.
  • Try your local council run gym. Mine is superb - very reasonable price, bang up to date equipment and very inclusive of disabled people.
  • Cravings. I find that cravings are worst in the first two or three weeks of a diet. It gets easier. Most cravings pass in 20 mins or so. You can just acknowledge it and choose to ignore it. I tell myself that I would rather keep my eyesight and feet than give in and have a pizza.
  • Listen to your body. If you are dog tired, rest. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
  • Consistency is key. Weekends are no different to week days. I tend to avoid cheat days because I’m of the nature that they turn in to cheat weeks - and before I know it I’m back to square one.
  • Track your food. Get an app and track everything that passes your lips - it keeps you accountable.
  • Finally, if you have a rough day and slip up FORGIVE YOURSELF. You are not a robot - you are human. Tomorrow is another day. You’ve got this.
Click to expand...
That is amazing that you have been able to produce such an insightful view of getting 'that diagnosis' so soon after your own diagnosis.
I'm sure many of those though ring very true with lots of people.
Hopefully it will encourage people not to bury their head in the sand and take action.
Very well done, it should be pinned up in every GP surgery.
 
I agree with everyone above.

Really excellent list and to have picked up on so much in such a short space of time and got the balance just right in expressing it all, is REALLY IMPRESSIVE!! Well done!
Yes, it definitely needs to be a "sticky"
 
Very well thought out post which I’m sure will be helpful for people who get the diagnosis. I whole heartedly agree about advocating for yourself and finding out as much as you can from DUK and other good sources. Quite a lot of GPs and other HCPs don’t have the time or in some cases up to date knowledge to help. Knowledge is power.

Thank you for your post!
 
Great insights from someone with type 2 for such a short time.
If this is made a sticky as @rebrascora suggests, perhaps it should highlight "type 2" or "diet treated" as some of the advice is inapplicable to other types of diabetes. For example, fruit juice can be used as a great hypo treatment or drunk as someone without diabetes if insulin is taken.
 
Katetype2 said:
Hello.

I’ve been thinking about how scary getting a diagnosis is to start with and all the bits I have learned so far that are helpful.

The following is not medical advice. Just bits you may want to think about and do your own research on. This is what has been working for me - we are all different and you will need to work out what works for you.

  • Don’t panic. It’s normal to feel shocked for a while. There is plenty you can do to help yourself.
  • Knowledge is power. Don’t wait for the doctor to tell you exactly what to do - chances are, you’ll be waiting a long time! Start your own research on diabetes - Diabetes UK has excellent resources. There’s lots of information out there - YouTube, books, podcasts… BUT apply common sense. Don’t fall for quacks trying to sell you stuff, or attempt anything extreme. Question the source of the information and how reliable it is.
  • Reduce your carb intake. Limit pasta, rice, bread, cereals and potatoes. I’m a fatty with a lot of timber to lose, so for the time being I have cut these out altogether and try to stick to a max limit of 150g carbs per day. If you eat the above, choose brown over white and pair with a protein. You still need some carbs - so don’t eliminate them completely! Measure your carbs.
  • Eat protein - especially if you are on weight loss drugs! Losing weight often means losing muscle - protein helps limit that. It also keeps you nice and full. Lean meats, poultry, eggs, fish, plain Greek yoghurt… some beans are high in protein too.
  • Low fat products can often have more sugar than full fat versions so check your labels!
  • Eat your veggies! Lots of them! Leafy dark greens are full of helpful phytonutrients - so get plenty. Some vegetables like sweetcorn and peas are starchy - so eat these in moderation.
  • Fruit - very nutritious but can be full of sugar too. Berries and citrus fruits are the best - mango and bananas are not so good - so again, moderation. Eat fruits paired with protein where possible. Best after a meal as dessert rather than as a snack between meals.
  • Fruit juice is junk food. Delicious, and unfortunately, extremely sugary. Not good for diabetes at all and by the time it has been pasteurised, it’s not particularly nutritious anyway. Avoid!
  • Caffeine spikes some people so work out if it affects you. More water is good. Cut down on booze. Opt for sugar free drinks.
  • Snacks: nuts - particularly almonds and walnuts, a little cheese, peanut butter and apple, seeds, olives, hummus and veg, pork scratchings. Obviously some of these are high in fat so just watch the amounts you eat.
  • Good fats - olive oil, avocados, fish, nuts… there are more and you do need them. Don’t be afraid of good fats - we need them - just in moderation.
  • Avoid trans fats. It’s bottom-tier garbage food.
  • Ditch takeaway food. If I’m in a pinch, I order a subway salad as it’s fairly easy to control what is in it.
  • Nutrition - make sure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals you need - your doctor should advise you if you are deficient. Metformin can make you deficient in B12. Almost everyone is lacking in vitamin D. Ask your doctor if you need to take anything.
  • There are loads of supplements out there - some could react with medications so do your research first! Berberine is often touted as essential for diabetics - and for some, it certainly could be. But, apparently it shouldn’t be taken along with GLP1 medications. So again - do your research.
  • Chia seeds and milled flax seeds are extremely nutritious and have fibre. They don’t really taste of much, so you can easily toss them in a yogurt, in soups, on salads… you won’t even notice them but they are superfoods that pack a punch.
  • Exercise. Move a bit more - whatever you can manage. Walking is fantastic and free. Do something you enjoy and you’ll likely stick to it.
  • Strength training. If you can incorporate some muscle building exercises in to your life, do. Muscle uses glucose! Also, certain meds and weight loss can cause muscle loss - which you don’t want. Even a few arm curls with some cans of beans could help a bit.
  • If you are a fellow fatty like me, don’t be afraid of the gym. I promise you that everyone there is concentrating on their own workout and won’t be looking at you. And if they do look, so what?! They just get to see a big person trying hard. I can honestly say I could not pick a single person from the gym out of a police line up - I just do my workout and go.
  • Try your local council run gym. Mine is superb - very reasonable price, bang up to date equipment and very inclusive of disabled people.
  • Cravings. I find that cravings are worst in the first two or three weeks of a diet. It gets easier. Most cravings pass in 20 mins or so. You can just acknowledge it and choose to ignore it. I tell myself that I would rather keep my eyesight and feet than give in and have a pizza.
  • Listen to your body. If you are dog tired, rest. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
  • Consistency is key. Weekends are no different to week days. I tend to avoid cheat days because I’m of the nature that they turn in to cheat weeks - and before I know it I’m back to square one.
  • Track your food. Get an app and track everything that passes your lips - it keeps you accountable.
  • Finally, if you have a rough day and slip up FORGIVE YOURSELF. You are not a robot - you are human. Tomorrow is another day. You’ve got this.
Click to expand...
Fantastic! I really appreciate you taking such trouble over this: it would have been incredibly helpful to me when I was first diagnosed.

Your point about fruit juice reminds me that apparently one of the reasons that Elvis put on so much weight (apart from all the hamburgers) was that he drank loads of orange juice, in the mistaken belief that it was healthy for him.

1737117032647.png
 
Katetype2 said:
Hello.

I’ve been thinking about how scary getting a diagnosis is to start with and all the bits I have learned so far that are helpful.

The following is not medical advice. Just bits you may want to think about and do your own research on. This is what has been working for me - we are all different and you will need to work out what works for you.

  • Don’t panic. It’s normal to feel shocked for a while. There is plenty you can do to help yourself.
  • Knowledge is power. Don’t wait for the doctor to tell you exactly what to do - chances are, you’ll be waiting a long time! Start your own research on diabetes - Diabetes UK has excellent resources. There’s lots of information out there - YouTube, books, podcasts… BUT apply common sense. Don’t fall for quacks trying to sell you stuff, or attempt anything extreme. Question the source of the information and how reliable it is.
  • Reduce your carb intake. Limit pasta, rice, bread, cereals and potatoes. I’m a fatty with a lot of timber to lose, so for the time being I have cut these out altogether and try to stick to a max limit of 150g carbs per day. If you eat the above, choose brown over white and pair with a protein. You still need some carbs - so don’t eliminate them completely! Measure your carbs.
  • Eat protein - especially if you are on weight loss drugs! Losing weight often means losing muscle - protein helps limit that. It also keeps you nice and full. Lean meats, poultry, eggs, fish, plain Greek yoghurt… some beans are high in protein too.
  • Low fat products can often have more sugar than full fat versions so check your labels!
  • Eat your veggies! Lots of them! Leafy dark greens are full of helpful phytonutrients - so get plenty. Some vegetables like sweetcorn and peas are starchy - so eat these in moderation.
  • Fruit - very nutritious but can be full of sugar too. Berries and citrus fruits are the best - mango and bananas are not so good - so again, moderation. Eat fruits paired with protein where possible. Best after a meal as dessert rather than as a snack between meals.
  • Fruit juice is junk food. Delicious, and unfortunately, extremely sugary. Not good for diabetes at all and by the time it has been pasteurised, it’s not particularly nutritious anyway. Avoid!
  • Caffeine spikes some people so work out if it affects you. More water is good. Cut down on booze. Opt for sugar free drinks.
  • Snacks: nuts - particularly almonds and walnuts, a little cheese, peanut butter and apple, seeds, olives, hummus and veg, pork scratchings. Obviously some of these are high in fat so just watch the amounts you eat.
  • Good fats - olive oil, avocados, fish, nuts… there are more and you do need them. Don’t be afraid of good fats - we need them - just in moderation.
  • Avoid trans fats. It’s bottom-tier garbage food.
  • Ditch takeaway food. If I’m in a pinch, I order a subway salad as it’s fairly easy to control what is in it.
  • Nutrition - make sure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals you need - your doctor should advise you if you are deficient. Metformin can make you deficient in B12. Almost everyone is lacking in vitamin D. Ask your doctor if you need to take anything.
  • There are loads of supplements out there - some could react with medications so do your research first! Berberine is often touted as essential for diabetics - and for some, it certainly could be. But, apparently it shouldn’t be taken along with GLP1 medications. So again - do your research.
  • Chia seeds and milled flax seeds are extremely nutritious and have fibre. They don’t really taste of much, so you can easily toss them in a yogurt, in soups, on salads… you won’t even notice them but they are superfoods that pack a punch.
  • Exercise. Move a bit more - whatever you can manage. Walking is fantastic and free. Do something you enjoy and you’ll likely stick to it.
  • Strength training. If you can incorporate some muscle building exercises in to your life, do. Muscle uses glucose! Also, certain meds and weight loss can cause muscle loss - which you don’t want. Even a few arm curls with some cans of beans could help a bit.
  • If you are a fellow fatty like me, don’t be afraid of the gym. I promise you that everyone there is concentrating on their own workout and won’t be looking at you. And if they do look, so what?! They just get to see a big person trying hard. I can honestly say I could not pick a single person from the gym out of a police line up - I just do my workout and go.
  • Try your local council run gym. Mine is superb - very reasonable price, bang up to date equipment and very inclusive of disabled people.
  • Cravings. I find that cravings are worst in the first two or three weeks of a diet. It gets easier. Most cravings pass in 20 mins or so. You can just acknowledge it and choose to ignore it. I tell myself that I would rather keep my eyesight and feet than give in and have a pizza.
  • Listen to your body. If you are dog tired, rest. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
  • Consistency is key. Weekends are no different to week days. I tend to avoid cheat days because I’m of the nature that they turn in to cheat weeks - and before I know it I’m back to square one.
  • Track your food. Get an app and track everything that passes your lips - it keeps you accountable.
  • Finally, if you have a rough day and slip up FORGIVE YOURSELF. You are not a robot - you are human. Tomorrow is another day. You’ve got this.
Click to expand...
Building on your points about exercise, as a keen cyclist I'd encourage non-cyclists (and lapsed cyclists) to consider buying an ebike (a real one from Halfords or a bike shop, not the 'electric motorbikes' that delivery people sometimes use that just look like pedal bikes): you'll still be getting a great workout, without having to struggle up hills or into the wind if you don't want to.
 
Anna DUK said:
A real great summarisation @Katetype2. Moving to the newbies chat and pinning it to the top. :party::star:
Click to expand...
Fine to move it and pin it BUT the suggestion from @helli to adjust the title should also be implemented. Much of this excellent post is not for T1s or immediate insulin dependent T3cs.
 
Katetype2 said:
Hello.

I’ve been thinking about how scary getting a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis is to start with and all the bits I have learned so far that are helpful.

The following is not medical advice. Just bits you may want to think about and do your own research on. This is what has been working for me - we are all different and you will need to work out what works for you.

  • Don’t panic. It’s normal to feel shocked for a while. There is plenty you can do to help yourself.
  • Knowledge is power. Don’t wait for the doctor to tell you exactly what to do - chances are, you’ll be waiting a long time! Start your own research on diabetes - Diabetes UK has excellent resources. There’s lots of information out there - YouTube, books, podcasts… BUT apply common sense. Don’t fall for quacks trying to sell you stuff, or attempt anything extreme. Question the source of the information and how reliable it is.
  • Reduce your carb intake. Limit pasta, rice, bread, cereals and potatoes. I’m a fatty with a lot of timber to lose, so for the time being I have cut these out altogether and try to stick to a max limit of 150g carbs per day. If you eat the above, choose brown over white and pair with a protein. You still need some carbs - so don’t eliminate them completely! Measure your carbs.
  • Eat protein - especially if you are on weight loss drugs! Losing weight often means losing muscle - protein helps limit that. It also keeps you nice and full. Lean meats, poultry, eggs, fish, plain Greek yoghurt… some beans are high in protein too.
  • Low fat products can often have more sugar than full fat versions so check your labels!
  • Eat your veggies! Lots of them! Leafy dark greens are full of helpful phytonutrients - so get plenty. Some vegetables like sweetcorn and peas are starchy - so eat these in moderation.
  • Fruit - very nutritious but can be full of sugar too. Berries and citrus fruits are the best - mango and bananas are not so good - so again, moderation. Eat fruits paired with protein where possible. Best after a meal as dessert rather than as a snack between meals.
  • Fruit juice is junk food. Delicious, and unfortunately, extremely sugary. Not good for diabetes at all and by the time it has been pasteurised, it’s not particularly nutritious anyway. Avoid!
  • Caffeine spikes some people so work out if it affects you. More water is good. Cut down on booze. Opt for sugar free drinks.
  • Snacks: nuts - particularly almonds and walnuts, a little cheese, peanut butter and apple, seeds, olives, hummus and veg, pork scratchings. Obviously some of these are high in fat so just watch the amounts you eat.
  • Good fats - olive oil, avocados, fish, nuts… there are more and you do need them. Don’t be afraid of good fats - we need them - just in moderation.
  • Avoid trans fats. It’s bottom-tier garbage food.
  • Ditch takeaway food. If I’m in a pinch, I order a subway salad as it’s fairly easy to control what is in it.
  • Nutrition - make sure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals you need - your doctor should advise you if you are deficient. Metformin can make you deficient in B12. Almost everyone is lacking in vitamin D. Ask your doctor if you need to take anything.
  • There are loads of supplements out there - some could react with medications so do your research first! Berberine is often touted as essential for diabetics - and for some, it certainly could be. But, apparently it shouldn’t be taken along with GLP1 medications. So again - do your research.
  • Chia seeds and milled flax seeds are extremely nutritious and have fibre. They don’t really taste of much, so you can easily toss them in a yogurt, in soups, on salads… you won’t even notice them but they are superfoods that pack a punch.
  • Exercise. Move a bit more - whatever you can manage. Walking is fantastic and free. Do something you enjoy and you’ll likely stick to it.
  • Strength training. If you can incorporate some muscle building exercises in to your life, do. Muscle uses glucose! Also, certain meds and weight loss can cause muscle loss - which you don’t want. Even a few arm curls with some cans of beans could help a bit.
  • If you are a fellow fatty like me, don’t be afraid of the gym. I promise you that everyone there is concentrating on their own workout and won’t be looking at you. And if they do look, so what?! They just get to see a big person trying hard. I can honestly say I could not pick a single person from the gym out of a police line up - I just do my workout and go.
  • Try your local council run gym. Mine is superb - very reasonable price, bang up to date equipment and very inclusive of disabled people.
  • Cravings. I find that cravings are worst in the first two or three weeks of a diet. It gets easier. Most cravings pass in 20 mins or so. You can just acknowledge it and choose to ignore it. I tell myself that I would rather keep my eyesight and feet than give in and have a pizza.
  • Listen to your body. If you are dog tired, rest. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
  • Consistency is key. Weekends are no different to week days. I tend to avoid cheat days because I’m of the nature that they turn in to cheat weeks - and before I know it I’m back to square one.
  • Track your food. Get an app and track everything that passes your lips - it keeps you accountable.
  • Finally, if you have a rough day and slip up FORGIVE YOURSELF. You are not a robot - you are human. Tomorrow is another day. You’ve got this.
Click to expand...
Thanks all for the feedback. I have now added that there are tips for type 2.
 
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