weight watchers for type 2 diabetes?

[cat84a]

Hi guys, recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I am confused to say the least! My diabetes nurse told me to follow the Weight Watcher plan and do some walking. Is this accurate advice? I tried counting carbs but thats sooooooo difficult. Took me 2 hours to get the weekly shopping cause I had to read all the labels!!!!!!!!!!!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cath

 

[Drummer]

You'll soon get the hang of low carb shopping.
I have a large freezer so I always stop at the reduced for quick sale spot to get meat and fish to freeze - I used to have two shopping lists which I used alternately for variety - but packs of frozen seafood, mixed veges - avoiding those with sweetcorn and looking for the lowest percentage carb, packs of frozen berries, also seeking the lowest carbs, in the vege section I get mushrooms courgettes aubergines cabbage and cauliflower celery celeriac, also stir fry mixtures - checking the carb content, then salad, tomatoes, coleslaw, through to cheese, cream and yoghurts - full fat Geek style seems to be the lowest carb. I get some Alpro soy yoghurts as there is one with zero carbs and some low carb flavoured ones - almond and coconut. Sugar free jellies, tins of tuna and sometimes salmon, eggs, herbs spices, pepper corns for the grinder - ham and corned beef - I do buy been sprouts for stir fries, but should really do them myself as they are so easy.

 

[Pine Marten]

You can also get various books giving the amount of carbs in different foods - I have the Carbs and Cals book here, and it's very useful as you can go straight to whatever food you are wanting: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Carbs-Cals-Count-Calories-Photos/dp/1908261064/ref=sr_1_5?crid=28KA6VKHTZHPF&keywords=carbs+and+cals+book&qid=1563382989&s=gateway&sprefix=carbs,aps,155&sr=8-5

There are others as well, and I think there is an app but as I'm not techy I don't use such things

 

[zuludog]

I don't know much about Weight Watchers, but I do have a few ideas on walking

I have been hiking & backpacking most of my life, but now I don't do much serious or hard stuff; just low level and rambles
Any sort of exercise is good, and walking is probably the easiest if you haven't done much before
Besides the actual physical exercise it's the fact that you're getting out & about and away from everyday worries & problems - as my doctor put it, years ago, " it's possible to sweat and relax at the same time"
You'll probably start to enjoy wandering around parts of your local town & countryside that you never knew existed, and make new friends

There must be some sort of walking group where you are. The Ramblers do just that; easy low level walks, and they're a friendly bunch. Or try your local sports centre, medical centre, or doctor; they usually do some sort of easy health walk

It's summer now, and at low level you won't need any complicated or expensive gear - decent trainers or cheapish trail shoes, and a waterproof jacket, plus some sort of rucsac for your drink & sandwiches. You'll pick the rest up as you go along

Just one thing - it can be a bit tricky to judge medication/food/exercise, so take something for hypos - sweets, sugary fizzy drink, or whatever. Tell the leader. Remember, a hypo is not like a bit of a twinge in your knee, you can't walk through it, it will only get worse, and if you need to eat, you need to eat pretty damn soon

Go to www.ramblers.org.uk or Search Google for walking groups, followed by your town

Huh! the link doesn't seem to work properly, but it does if you enter it directly into Google

 

[cat84a]

Hi Guys, thank yo all so very much for the great welcome and advice. It is very much appreciated. I will take all the advice onboard and keep you posted as to how I get on. Thanks again. Cath84a

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Cath and welcome from me too.

You will need to invest some time and effort in the initial stages of shopping and planning meals because carbs have taken up the bulk of space on your plate for pretty well all of your life, so it takes a bit of getting your head around and finding alternative things that you still enjoy and a bit of experimentation. You will get into a routine of staples that you need weekly and then things to chop and change between as @Drummer suggests. I am not sure that Weight Watchers will offer an ideal diet plan for your needs but Diabetes can be hugely varied as regards the type of food some people can get away with and others can't and also because everyone has different tastes. It is easier for the nurse to advise you to do that than to spend hours explaining which foods might cause you a problem and which may not. It can be a case of trial and error as regards finding what works for you and if you are anything like me, you will get it wrong at least half the time in the first few weeks.... I would buy things thinking they would be suitable only to find that there were hidden sugars/carbs in them when you read all the info on the back.... The label on the back which lists carbohydrates is what you are interested in, not the sugars which are listed on the front. Health professionals are also loath to advise you to eat a Keto diet or Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) diet because they have been taught (as we all have) that fats are bad and that they need to be reduced if you want to lose weight and be healthy. The problem with that is that we have ended up eating more carbohydrates instead of fat to fill us up and now we are seeing a Diabetes epidemic, but the government advice is still....Low Fat!

If you like olives and nuts and cheese and eggs, they all make good snacks instead of crisps and biscuits. Plenty of leafy veg and salads... ideal time of year for those and berries are usually better for us diabetics than other more exotic fruits like bananas or peaches etc, but as I say, we are not all the same and some people tolerate an apple better than berries and others spike their BG with apples. If I am going to eat an apple or a banana, I eat half one day and the other half the next and savour every mouthful!

Many of us find that using a Blood Glucose Meter to test out blood is beneficial as we can then figure out which foods cause our blood glucose to spike the most and avoid those foods. They can be purchased quite cheaply (approx £15) if your nurse is unable to provide you with one, the real expense is in test strips for it. The CodeFree model is most often recommended on this forum because the test strips for it are the cheapest at £8 for a pot of 50 as compared to £20 for some other brands. Testing is usually done first thing on a morning (Fasting test) and then before and 2hrs after each meal.

Good luck with your journey with this. It will be frustrating at times (I was in tears last night) but there are also times when you feel so much better than you ever did before diagnosis, especially when you lose weight and eat healthier and get fitter. We are here to support each other through the difficult times and celebrate each other's achievements. This really is a wonderful community and I really hope you find it as beneficial being part of it as I have.

 

[CathyB]

Hi Cath, welcome! We have all been where you are now, as the others have said it does get easier. I am basically lazy so to make my shopping easier I completely cut potatoes, rice, pasta and only buy Burgen (or Sainsbury’s own) low carb bread. I started by keeping a food diary where I tracked my readings against my meals and soon saw what did or didn’t work for me. Veg is easy, green (apart from peas) or white, no root veg. Fruit needs to be trial and error, I can’t do berries but can have a couple of small apples, absolute no no is any tropical fruit, way too high in natural sugar! Eggs, bacon & meat unlimited, I avoid processed or packet foods and that means I don’t have to read so many labels.
I hate exercise so am never going to be a gym bunny 😱 but I do love animals, peace & quiet and countryside....so I borrow a neighbours dog and go for a walk. Took about 6 months to get the hang of it but as the numbers dropped, so did my weight! I see my diet as part of my treatment rather than a ‘diet’, that way cheating is not an option, would be like choosing not to take medication when you need it!