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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.
Type 2 Diabetic since October.
- Thread starter Pjh
- Start date
pjgtech
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi and welcome. If you are happy to share a few more details that would be great, eg: how your diagnosis came about, what was your last HbA1c level? are you on meds? have you been advised to lose weight or change diet? etc, etc.
Check out the learning zone on this website.
Any questions just ask away there's people with every type of diabetes on here with decades of real world experience, so you will usually get an answer to any question.
Maybe also check out the eatfreshwell website and sugarfreelondoner for great low carb recipes, and diabetic friendly recipes, etc
Cheers
Check out the learning zone on this website.
Any questions just ask away there's people with every type of diabetes on here with decades of real world experience, so you will usually get an answer to any question.
Maybe also check out the eatfreshwell website and sugarfreelondoner for great low carb recipes, and diabetic friendly recipes, etc
Cheers
Hi Peter and welcome to the forum! Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself or your diagnosis? As pjgtech has said - feel free to ask any questions or share any worries you might have - the forum holds a lot of gathered knowledge so someone is always bound to have the answer.
A year ago I started with right hip pain. I work nights for a big supermarket chain in their price integrity department. Walking Miles a night. Thought that was the reason for the pain. To make a long story short. I was send for MRI and a Cat scan. Before the Cat scan I had to do bloods. Then I had to go for more bloods, just to get a call from the diabetic nurse to inform me I have type 2 diabetes. My count was a 128 twice in a 3 month period. Apparently that was enough for them to put me on Metformin 1000mg morning and 1000mg night time. I am seeing the diabetic nurse tomorrow for my 3 monthly bloods. Hope the changes I've made have lowered that count.
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
That was definitely a very high HbA1C the threshold being over 48mmol/mol but many have been able to reduce it back by a combination of diet and medication. Metformin will help but diet will be the most powerful. Were you given any advice on that front? Sadly that can be quite lacking.
This link may help you with some ideas for a low carb approach which many have found successful, it is based on the suggested no more than 130g carbs not just sugar per day. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
Will do thanks.
Cheers. Changed from white bread, pasta and rice to brown. Once a week red meat only a small lean piece size of the palm of my hand. Steamed Salmon at least once a week. Beer to Vodka with diet tonic. Still can't get myself to go for exercise though. Hopefully with spring around the corner I might be more motivated.
Will definitely check the site out you've suggested thanks
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I think you will find it points out that the brown versions of rice, pasta, bread are not really any better than the white as they are just as many carbs and meat, fish, eggs, cheese are good options as they are pretty well zero carbs with plenty of veg and no need to have low fat unless needed for other conditions.
The book or app Carbs and Cals is also useful as it gives carb values for portion sizes of a whole range of foods.
saffron15
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
@Pjh welcome to the forum. Most people diagnosed with type 2 have fat round their middle even if their actual weight seems OK. Check out the NHS site for BMI and particularly waist height ratio.
All that walking is good exercise but I suspect your job is stressful. If you have access to a pool a swim once or twice a week would be good. I was / am a fatty and chose to go low carb. However I was then put on an SGLT2 which works on carbs so had to up carbs a bit. I never went very low or keto usually 80 to 120 and probably slightly higher as didn't include the milk in drinks.
Most people advise if you are changing your diet that you do it steadily as your body can have a bit of a shock if you are too drastic. Be kind to yourself as the diagnosis is a shock.
I still eat bread but very reduced, I tend to have it if I go to a café with limited choice. Other things like potato I eat occasionally in small portions with extra veg. I have cut out pasta and use an alternative I buy in Holland and Barrett.
I've cut back on red meat as I have high cholestral but if you are not in that situation red meat is low carb.
This site from an nhs GP has lots of info in one place. Under diet are links to websites like Freshwell and Michael Moseley. Obviously checkout diabetes UK and the learning zone.
I don't know what access to food you have at night. At this time of year homemade soup and perhaps some snacks eg hardboiled egg or piece of cheese would be good.
newforestpcn.co.uk
All that walking is good exercise but I suspect your job is stressful. If you have access to a pool a swim once or twice a week would be good. I was / am a fatty and chose to go low carb. However I was then put on an SGLT2 which works on carbs so had to up carbs a bit. I never went very low or keto usually 80 to 120 and probably slightly higher as didn't include the milk in drinks.
Most people advise if you are changing your diet that you do it steadily as your body can have a bit of a shock if you are too drastic. Be kind to yourself as the diagnosis is a shock.
I still eat bread but very reduced, I tend to have it if I go to a café with limited choice. Other things like potato I eat occasionally in small portions with extra veg. I have cut out pasta and use an alternative I buy in Holland and Barrett.
I've cut back on red meat as I have high cholestral but if you are not in that situation red meat is low carb.
This site from an nhs GP has lots of info in one place. Under diet are links to websites like Freshwell and Michael Moseley. Obviously checkout diabetes UK and the learning zone.
I don't know what access to food you have at night. At this time of year homemade soup and perhaps some snacks eg hardboiled egg or piece of cheese would be good.
Diabetes & Metabolic Health | New Forest PCN
newforestpcn.co.uk
pjgtech
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi, as per above, brown versions of rice, pasta, bread, etc are unfortunately still fairly high in carbs.
Most T2D's (but not all) will try a low carb diet, eg: 120 carbs or lower per day.
A lot of below ground (root) veg can also be high in carbs, so potato, sweet potato, carrots, etc, and most above ground and green leafy veg are fine, as are salads. Fish, meat and dairy are usually all fine, assuming you are ok with diary, etc.
So lots of eggs, lots of salads, fish, chicken, etc. Also try to avoid pre made ready type meals as they are usually not that healthy. General advice is avoid food with lots of ingredients and especially any with lots of chemicals, emulsifiers, additives, E numbers, etc.
Also be careful with fruit, often recommended as healthy, so people eat lots of fruit, But, lots of fruit has high sugar/carbs, eg: bananas, and any exotic fruit, eg: pineapple. Best fruits generally are apples and berries.
Its difficult I know, I used to love bread and potato, but TBH I rarely have them now. I do still have them very occasionally, but probably only about 1/10th of what I used to eat. Maybe even less!
But, what I will say is that after a while, you just don't miss them, at least I don't. You do get used to eating other stuff.
I make sure I have lots of salad and veg, usually at least half the plate, sometimes more. So that I feel full.
Over time you will learn what your body can tolerate/eat without spiking your BG.
Cheers
Most T2D's (but not all) will try a low carb diet, eg: 120 carbs or lower per day.
A lot of below ground (root) veg can also be high in carbs, so potato, sweet potato, carrots, etc, and most above ground and green leafy veg are fine, as are salads. Fish, meat and dairy are usually all fine, assuming you are ok with diary, etc.
So lots of eggs, lots of salads, fish, chicken, etc. Also try to avoid pre made ready type meals as they are usually not that healthy. General advice is avoid food with lots of ingredients and especially any with lots of chemicals, emulsifiers, additives, E numbers, etc.
Also be careful with fruit, often recommended as healthy, so people eat lots of fruit, But, lots of fruit has high sugar/carbs, eg: bananas, and any exotic fruit, eg: pineapple. Best fruits generally are apples and berries.
Its difficult I know, I used to love bread and potato, but TBH I rarely have them now. I do still have them very occasionally, but probably only about 1/10th of what I used to eat. Maybe even less!
But, what I will say is that after a while, you just don't miss them, at least I don't. You do get used to eating other stuff.
I make sure I have lots of salad and veg, usually at least half the plate, sometimes more. So that I feel full.
Over time you will learn what your body can tolerate/eat without spiking your BG.
Cheers
Walking miles (how many steps?) each night counts as exercise.
Maybe fit in some stretches etc.
Have you seen this quick guide to meals and foods to eat/not eat:
Beware too many/any snacks. Good digestion needs time. But keep hydrated.
@Pjh welcome to the forums and as you can see there are a lot of knowledgeable and helpful people around to support you on what is a now a long journey.
As others have said low carb and exercise is a good way forward but you need to find what suits you as an individual so keep reading, asking questions and most importantly of all hope your meeting with the DN today has gone well.
As others have said low carb and exercise is a good way forward but you need to find what suits you as an individual so keep reading, asking questions and most importantly of all hope your meeting with the DN today has gone well.