Just been diagnosed with Diabetes type 2

Thank you lemongrove.

Cabbie,hope you can keep the diabetes at bay.Its frustrating how different foods affect us all differently.My husband can eat whatever he wants and his sugars aren’t affected,I look at a biscuit and mine go through the roof?‍♀️?

Thank you sooooo much for all your really helpful advice. Its a Godsend that Gransnet are there for when one is feeling unsure and perhaps slightly overwhelmed and need a second opinion. I've downloaded a book on my Kindle called The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet: Lose weight and reprogramme your body by Dr Michael Moseley. So, that will be my bedtime reading I spose. I'm doing okay and only have 2 slices of bread a day now and no pasta, rice or potatoes and have substituted it with Quinoa and Lentils? Still, when I read this book it might turn out that I'm doing it all wrong? I'm thankful I've not developed it until now really as grandmother, mother and brother were all diabetic from their 40s, so happy I've got to 65 before it hit. Thanks again Grans, appreciate it loads. Onwards and upwards! [grin}

Latest low-carb thread here Evie64. Come and join us. ?
www.gransnet.com/forums/dieting_and_exercise/1280821-New-low-carb-thread-for-post-lockdown

mamie I was going to suggest that?

Diabetes UK has loads of advice, they advocate doing the low carb high fat diet . My husband was diagnosed with type 2 , he did this diet lost a huge amount of weight and no longer has type 2. He takes no medication , walks at least 10000 steps per day ( which he didn't before ) and is much healthier. I hope you give lowcarb a try, there are so many who have reversed the diabetes by doing just that .

And please, please buy a blood sugar monitor . Type 2's aren't given one on the NHS but armed with that you can see for yourself what happens if you eat too may carbs. You will be testing a lot when you first start the low carb diet, test before eating and then about an hour after. You will see if blood sugars rise and if so by how much. The normal range is about 4.5 -6.5 after eating so if you are in that range you are under control.I know many consider a blood sugar meter to be an extravagance but really it is a life saver. there are quite cheap ones on E-Bay or Amazon , in fact Boots sell them , but look at how much the test strips cost as well. Some cheap meters have expensive test strips so it's worth while comparing prices. ( Another tip from my husband as this spurred him on)

Yes DH is testing his about once a month usually about 5.5 so he is confident that what we are eating is ok.

Once we got it back under control, we have relaxed a bit and will eat a piece of cake for afternoon tea if there is any in the house or the occasional pudding, but we don’t go mad.

* Whitewavemark2* my DH isn't a fan of cakes/puddings but really like crisps (!) , now he is under control he has the occasional packet usually before he undertakes a good long dog walk.

Sorry that was supposed to bold for your name, obv got that wrong Too early in the day!

I was diagnosed 21 years ago. Don't beat yourself up. One thing to beware of which you might not think of is fructose which is prevalent in fruit. There is a train of thought which I agree with, as this is more harmful to diabetics than sugar. If you look at the fodmap diet it recommends fruit you can eat that are low in fructans. Strawberries grapes clementine are examples whereas apples pears peaches are to be avoided. Good luck

The US system is very different to UK. When I was diagnosed 10 yrs ago mine was 22 and I was told very dangerous. I'm not sure a reading in the 50s using my tester is even possible.

Hi, first post here. Have a look at diabetes.co.uk - great source of information. Get yourself a monitor - you test before eating and then two hours after your first bite.

Go low carb - this not only means no bread/rice/potatoes but all veg grown underground except celeriac. Also beans/legumes are very carby. Wave bye bye to fruit except for a handful of berries. I think someone mentioned apples and pears in another post - generally too sugary so will do more harm than good.

I get a low carb bread and have two slices a day and they don’t adversely affect my numbers - but I only know this because I tested.

There are also some other items I can tolerate but other T2Ds can’t. But you can’t find out how your body reacts without a monitor.

I eat more fat than I used to, and most people worry about cholesterol - it really isn’t a problem.

DietDoctor website is very useful! Their mug bread toasted is quite moreish and I occasionally make a mug cake. Although my go to pudding is extra thick cream with dark choc chips. Look at your milk and go lactose-free,or whole milk.

HTH and good luck.

Questions
Blood sugar monitors is it a machine that "breaks the skin" or is it a strip of some sort,
is this where you get a level of 22 from?
Blood sugar levels between 4.5 and 6.5?
is this different from Cholesterol levels
or is the number 22 mentioned aboved the coorect measure

This may be helpful infoman

www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html These are UK levels. In the USA they work on a different system.

Nothing to do with cholesterol levels

For testing kits go onto the Amazon website an search for code free blood glucose monitor..

When DH has his annual blood test (he has high BP well controlled by meds) he was told he was pre diabetic. So. . .he immediately stopped having a biscuit/Kit Kat every day, no longer bought sweets and only drinks water-not squash. We also upped our daily walk-although he’s always active gardening. Ta! Dah! No longer pre diabetic! But he still gets calls and letters asking him to attend Diabetic Clinic! Hmmm-me smells a fee payable to GP!

A good way to test what foods raise your blood sugar is the Freestyle Libre continuous glucose monitor. It costs about €50 and lasts for 14 days. You stick it on the back of your arm and scan it with your mobile phone.

I'm pre-diabetic and struggling to reduce my HBA1C , depite loding weight and eating low carb. I've also tried intermittent fasting and regularly miss breakfast. I try to fast for 24 hours once a week. I can recommend the Diet Doctor website and reading The Diabetes Code by Jason Fung.

I am so glad to find this thread. Have just come home with 10 day heart monitor and doctor rang to arrange repeating my HbA1c in four weeks as it was 50. I'm not feeling very cheerful and feeling my age. (69)
Lots of good helpful advice here. Gransnet is good.

But he still gets calls and letters asking him to attend Diabetic Clinic! Hmmm-me smells a fee payable to GP!

No, it's nothing to do with fees to the GP. As I explained to someone on another thread, your husband is obviously prone to developing Type 2 but his lifestyle changes have prevented it so far. It's in his interests to be monitored.

Should I avoid my small glass of red wine?

You don't need to avoid one small glass of red wine. Just don't drink a whole bottle in one go!

My OH went for seven years after being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, just by using diet and exercise. He wasn't very overweight but did lose a stone. For the last six or seven years he has had a low dose of metformin.

When watching your diet everyone knows that you should avoid sugar as much as possible but he has found he has to be just as careful with carbohydrates. He can only have one and a half slices of toast, never two, but he still indulges in his favourite roast potatoes now and then.

Thanks Varian. appreciated. I usually have a half glass of wine, not much but I look forward to it. And the diet advice sounds simple enough. Just some willpower for cutting out chocolate.

annepl very dark chocolate, over 70%, is acceptable now and then

ThanksBBevan. I do have a square or two each day but I think that's too much now.

And I must confess I do have a treat once or twice a week which I will miss but I need to get this reading down. I need to take it more seriously.

We have a cake once every 10 days. When the online shopping is delivered. I get quite excited. Sad really. Portuguese custard tarts are my favourite.