Good day. Enough is enough.. I've been diagnosed type2 for a couple of years and for most of that time been on 4 metformin a day. Docs have said I'm capable of reversing it with lifestyle change and I spells I've been on track..however for I'd say the last 7 or 8 months I've been arrogantly complacent and now it's punishing me. Just been to the local shop grabbing cans of fizzy pop and kids sweets like a junkie..embarrassing for a middle aged man..Not sure what I'm looking for here except a rollocking to get my act together.
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Type2 been in denial !
- Thread starter Manxie73
- Start date
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Windy
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Morning @Manxie73 Firstly, I'm not going to give you a rollocking.
I'm going to ask you - what sort of future do you want?
Diagnosis is a chance to change course. You can look at your diet now and think - is this what I really want, or do I want to get it as controlled as I can? Complications for diabetes are not good, google them if you're not aware of the possibilities ahead. You can stack the cards in your favour for a better outcome if you stop with the sweets and pop.
I was 5 stone overweight, and regularly ate kitkats, crisps and mini cheddars, as well as pizzas and other stuff, and took almost no exercise. When I found out I was T2, it stopped that day. I bagged up all the unopened carb rich food in my house and gave it to my neighbour, and went onto a low calorie, low carb diet. I did a couple of weeks of limited carbs, then started a spreadsheet where I logged all my food and worked out how many calories and grams of carbohydrate I was eating. I've lost 9kg so far (30kg to go, sigh!) and am still logging, and testing my blood sugar levels before and after meals to make sure they're not spiking.
So what I'm saying, is do this for yourself, for your friends, for your family and workmates. Do it to have a better, healthier future. You're worth something, people value you.
Make a plan for after Christmas, to go on a diet. Don't go to the corner shop, or if you do, avoid the tempting sweets etc. Buy or borrow from the library a book about eating for diabetes and weight loss.
But bite the bullet and do it. We're all here to support you. If you want a rollocking you've come to the wrong place, it doesn't work and will make you comfort eat.
Best wishes, Sarah
I'm going to ask you - what sort of future do you want?
Diagnosis is a chance to change course. You can look at your diet now and think - is this what I really want, or do I want to get it as controlled as I can? Complications for diabetes are not good, google them if you're not aware of the possibilities ahead. You can stack the cards in your favour for a better outcome if you stop with the sweets and pop.
I was 5 stone overweight, and regularly ate kitkats, crisps and mini cheddars, as well as pizzas and other stuff, and took almost no exercise. When I found out I was T2, it stopped that day. I bagged up all the unopened carb rich food in my house and gave it to my neighbour, and went onto a low calorie, low carb diet. I did a couple of weeks of limited carbs, then started a spreadsheet where I logged all my food and worked out how many calories and grams of carbohydrate I was eating. I've lost 9kg so far (30kg to go, sigh!) and am still logging, and testing my blood sugar levels before and after meals to make sure they're not spiking.
So what I'm saying, is do this for yourself, for your friends, for your family and workmates. Do it to have a better, healthier future. You're worth something, people value you.
Make a plan for after Christmas, to go on a diet. Don't go to the corner shop, or if you do, avoid the tempting sweets etc. Buy or borrow from the library a book about eating for diabetes and weight loss.
But bite the bullet and do it. We're all here to support you. If you want a rollocking you've come to the wrong place, it doesn't work and will make you comfort eat.
Best wishes, Sarah
Docb
Moderator
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi @Manxie73 and welcome to the forum. Well, one thing for sure is that you will not get a rollocking, it's not the way we do things. Being a group of most of whom have been where you are now, what you are more likely to get is thoughts, ideas and encouragement and our first thought is to encourage anybody to come out of denial and to take charge.... and you have done the first part of that!
The next thing we tend to encourage is to take stock, work out what you want to achieve and then put together a plan to get there that suits you. There are some pretty clear general principles but how you apply them is a bit individual. There are no magic cures, no instantaneous route to success for all. You have to work out your own way, and we will help you with that.
My first step in taking stock is to look at your latest HbA1c result to see how far along the diabetic pathway you are. So do you know what that was?
The next thing we tend to encourage is to take stock, work out what you want to achieve and then put together a plan to get there that suits you. There are some pretty clear general principles but how you apply them is a bit individual. There are no magic cures, no instantaneous route to success for all. You have to work out your own way, and we will help you with that.
My first step in taking stock is to look at your latest HbA1c result to see how far along the diabetic pathway you are. So do you know what that was?
janw
Much Missed Member.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Stop, just stop. Get yourself some sugar free sweets - eat more than 3 in a day and you'll be too darned busy in the bathroom to reach for another, let alone a can of foot amputation and blindness! Have the odd can of zero sugar if you must, but it is time to pull up your socks and tackle this head on! Got a meter? Use it - if not get one. Count your carbs, reduce your portions if you need to, think how wonderful it will be to be on the road to health and possible remission - but only you can do this, so give yourself a kick up the backside or a good talking to! Okay I am being tongue in cheek here, to a certain extent, but you know it is time to start taking this seriously otherwise you wouldn't have posted. If you want a telling off, just say, I can give you my long term mother and childcare/youth group side of me - be warned! Sweets and cans in the bin or give to a good home. Starting afresh in 3, 2, 1 ....
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Welcome to the forum
I think you know yourself that what you have been doing is not wise. Perhaps ditch those cans and sweets into the charity food collection box.
As your Doc says lifestyle changes will make getting your blood glucose levels down, metformin alone is not a magic bullet.
Essentially reducing ALL carbohydrates in your diet, basing meals on meat, fish, cheese, eggs, diary, veg and salads and ditching those high carb foods or at the very least reducing portions.
The immediate things to cut are those sugary drinks, sweets, cakes and biscuits.
Getting a blood glucose monitor so you can test at home and see the effect foods and meals are having would be a good start. Inexpensive ones are available, just ask for details if that is something you want to do.
I think you know yourself that what you have been doing is not wise. Perhaps ditch those cans and sweets into the charity food collection box.
As your Doc says lifestyle changes will make getting your blood glucose levels down, metformin alone is not a magic bullet.
Essentially reducing ALL carbohydrates in your diet, basing meals on meat, fish, cheese, eggs, diary, veg and salads and ditching those high carb foods or at the very least reducing portions.
The immediate things to cut are those sugary drinks, sweets, cakes and biscuits.
Getting a blood glucose monitor so you can test at home and see the effect foods and meals are having would be a good start. Inexpensive ones are available, just ask for details if that is something you want to do.
Thankyou all for these responses.
Magnificent to see such support for each other and am glad I signed up.
As I explained I am not a newbie in the sense of being diabetic but have been absurdly arrogant about it to this point and realised this morning that I need to turn the corner with this.
I think I'd gone from finding sweet treats tempting to actually feeling like I needed them to function and certainly felt that way this morning. I have never taken a reading even ..I have just been for a blood test and a catch up with the doc every so often...it can't continue.
So thanks again for taking time to reply to my post and I will take a proper read through those replies aswell as have a proper read around the forum.
Magnificent to see such support for each other and am glad I signed up.
As I explained I am not a newbie in the sense of being diabetic but have been absurdly arrogant about it to this point and realised this morning that I need to turn the corner with this.
I think I'd gone from finding sweet treats tempting to actually feeling like I needed them to function and certainly felt that way this morning. I have never taken a reading even ..I have just been for a blood test and a catch up with the doc every so often...it can't continue.
So thanks again for taking time to reply to my post and I will take a proper read through those replies aswell as have a proper read around the forum.
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Although not a newbie, reading around the forum and looking at the Learning Zone will help you get a better understanding of how to manage your condition and turn things around.
There is no need for meals to be tasteless and boring which is what everybody imagines when they think about having to cut out some of those staple foods, NOT A BIT OF IT.
Have a look at the thread What did you eat Yesterday in the Food and recipes forum for ideas of what Type 2 folk have, just bear in mind that people will be on different regimes which may depend on whether they are dietary managed of on various medications.
Many people find success with a low carb regime which is regarded as being less than 130g per day but many do go lower than that but there are other options which people also succeed with.
There is no need for meals to be tasteless and boring which is what everybody imagines when they think about having to cut out some of those staple foods, NOT A BIT OF IT.
Have a look at the thread What did you eat Yesterday in the Food and recipes forum for ideas of what Type 2 folk have, just bear in mind that people will be on different regimes which may depend on whether they are dietary managed of on various medications.
Many people find success with a low carb regime which is regarded as being less than 130g per day but many do go lower than that but there are other options which people also succeed with.
Thanks again.. yes I will try get a blood glucose monitor..presumably can buy over the counter at the chemist..( have my prescription to collect midweek so will get one then) I'd rather get something reliable not save on a cheaper option.
Windy
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
I got mine from Amazon - Gluco navii (as recommended by @janw ). The cost of buying test strips and lancets can add up, and it's one of the best value ones for that. There was another one recommended - Spirit healthcare Tee 2.
You'll also need to get a sharps bin to put the strips and lancets in as they're medical waste. Your chemist may take the full ones and be able to provide empty ones, so ask along with the BS monitors, and get an idea of the cost of the test strips there as well as lancets.
You'll also need to get a sharps bin to put the strips and lancets in as they're medical waste. Your chemist may take the full ones and be able to provide empty ones, so ask along with the BS monitors, and get an idea of the cost of the test strips there as well as lancets.
Windy
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
There's more information about blood sugar levels here and I can recommend watching a youtube video on testing your levels so you can see someone else do it first. I couldn't manage to get the top off the lancing pen [user error!], and had to get the practice nurse to show me. I'm fine with doing it now.
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I would recommend the GlucoNavil as the test strips which are the consumable bit are the cheapest, many find that monitor reliable. All monitors have to conform to standards.
The strips for monitors sold by pharmacies tend to be anything up to 3x the price which deters people from using them to good effect because of the cost.
Thankyou for this info.
Thankyou
Alan S
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
G'day. I've read through the posts; you have had some excellent replies. I wrote this to help you tie it all together: Getting Started
I know you are not brand new but the ideas in that will be new to you.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Glad you have joined us @Manxie73
You’ve made a really important step by joining here - Not just thinking you’ll do something about it, but constantly putting it off, but actually taking steps, and, importantly… you’ve gathered a support network around you
Looking forward to following your progress over the coming weeks 🙂
You’ve made a really important step by joining here - Not just thinking you’ll do something about it, but constantly putting it off, but actually taking steps, and, importantly… you’ve gathered a support network around you
Looking forward to following your progress over the coming weeks 🙂
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