Newly diagnosed
whuffman1
Posts: 18 Member
I was newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and no idea what I am facing.
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Replies
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What is your a1c? Weight? Family history? I was dx over 2 years ago with an a1c of 7.9. I lost 50 lbs over 2 years and started eating low carb and although my BS isn't where I want it, it is back into a pre level. Last a1c was 5.8. From what I have learned is that the old thinking of 40g of carbs a meal every meal, doesn't work. All carbs turn to glucose. Many on here are very strict into low carb high fat and keep there diabetes at bay. It is tougher for some than others. I can't totally give up all carbs but I replaced potatoes with cauliflower and white/wheat flower with almond flower. You can do it. There is a lot of information and support on here and other Web sites. Good luck!!2
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I second 1234usmc's opinion that low carb makes it far easier to manage type 2 than the ada recommended diet. I'd also highly recommend "Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars" https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Bernsteins-Diabetes-Solution-Achieving/dp/0316182699 for anyone new to being diabetic... really helps you get a handle on the whole thing and gets you on good footing to get started. You can do it man, there's great resources out there for managing diabetes and a lot of really helpful people on this board and on reddit as well if you need support.
If you've got the money for strips, testing early on more frequently to see the patterns your body has really helps... first couple weeks I wasted a lot of money testing... fasting, pre-meals, 1h, 2h, 3h post-meal, before bed, but I really feel like it helped me understand what was occurring in my body, how it was reacting to specific foods, etc. Well worth the "price of admission." The big ones as testing goes are "fasting" which is the first test in the AM after you've been asleep, and 2h pp which is two hours since the end of your meal (although 2hpp can be a bit misleading, some people peak early or late, it's useful to test a few different pp times to get the right one.)
Also be aware that if you see a big spike in your am blood glucose reading over what it was when you went to bed, you might have what is called the sunrise effect/dawn phenomenon and you can rectify that by eating something with some fat and protein before bed usually (really helped stabilize my morning blood sugars a lot.) If you're also hypoglycemic there's also the chronic Somogyi rebound as well, but that tends to be a bit more serious than DP.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_phenomenon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_Somogyi_rebound5 -
230lbs when diagnosed and my
a1c was 7.7 I am not sure how they arrive at that number. That you for responding its very helpful.1 -
You can view a1c as "average blood glucose" over a 2-4 month period roughly. An a1c of 7.7 would be right around 175 mg/dl average.3
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I second Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. It's a wonderful book. He has many youtube videos floating around too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VaNJO7KMgg
Dr Hallberg knows her stuff too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1vvigy5tQ
I also second testing you BG (blood glucose) a lot. Buy a glucose metre. Test when you wake, before a meal and after a meal. I like to test 30-60 minutes after a meal, and then 90-120 minutes after.
Testing will give you a good idea of how foods affect your BG. Typically, refined carbs (flours=processed), sugar and sugary (tropical) fruit will affect it the most. Starches often raise it a LOT too. Protein will do very little to BG. Fats do not affect BG unless you have eaten a very large amount of food.
Ideally, you want your BG to barely move upwards after a meal. I eat very low carb and my post meal BG numbers are almost the same as before I eat. My highest number of the day tends to be first thing in the morning because my liver has made glucose over night-dawn phenomenon.
Read lots, buy a metre and start limiting or skipping flours and sugars. Your A1c is not super high yet. I bet you can bring it down within a few months.
Good luck, and welcome to the group.4 -
I have to get educated for sure. I am eating healthier but getting destroyed with carbohydrates. Its not easy. Thank you all!!1
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I have to get educated for sure. I am eating healthier but getting destroyed with carbohydrates. Its not easy. Thank you all!!
I'm a celiac. I started thinking of carby foods like I do food with gluten - something that will hurt my health and must be avoided. No choice about it. Thinking of it as a medical treatment helped me. YMMV.
Keep testing and keep at it. It takes a month or so to get used to new ways of eating. Just keep at it and it gets easier. 3
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