Newly diagnosed diabetes

AngiLarosa

I, my name is Angi and I'd love any tips or advice with maintaining my goals and keeping my blood glucose in check? I'm not currently on meds, and opted to diet and exercise to see if I could get it under control. I'm 30 pounds down in the last 2 months. I'm just having issues with my sugar being a little high still at times (could be stress as I'm in a stressful environment)

neanderthin

Where you diagnosed after you losing 30lbs? I suspect your referring to diabetes 2 and believe standard of care would have obligated the Doctor to a complete evaluation for other related comorbidities, setting glycemic targets and you monitoring your blood glucose levels with some lifestyle management suggestions but you opted for diet and exercise. Did your doctor suggest a diet and type of exercise or is it up to you? sorry for all the questions.

Anyway type 2 diabetes is elevated blood glucose, too much sugar circulating due to the body's inability to use insulin properly (insulin resistant) and if you add chronic stress to that, which is more common that what most people believe that can undoubtedly effect increased blood sugar levels with hormones that are associated with that stress, which are the fight or flight hormones, adrenaline and cortisol which adds to elevated glucose by either releasing glucose from the liver with adrenaline providing a quick energy source or cortisol promoting gluconeogenesis which is the production of new glucose by the liver and cortisol also reduces the effectiveness of insulin getting into the cells which also results in that glucose staying in the blood and elevating blood levels. Some stress management guidance is certainly helpful, it's surprising how much a little correction or alteration can have big effects. Anyway good luck with your n:1 control, that being yourself, which is all that really matters.

aussiegoldy

Good on you for your efforts and success so far! 👏

Food:
Using this app is incredible if you carefully track your food. You’ll be surprised how many carbohydrate grams you eat. You should check with your doctor if this protocol is right for you: high fat (specific fats!), medium protein and low carbohydrate.

Don’t use artificial sweeteners as there is significant research that says that the body can still treat it like sugar. I personally find that anything sweet that has them makes me crave more sweet things. I never believed my taste buds could change by limiting sweetness, but they have, just within a couple of months.

High fat - keeps you satiated. Fats from real and unprocessed food.
Opt for olive (EVOO if you can), coconut, avocado, butter, ghee, tallow, lard.
Stay away from industrial seed and vegetable oils (sunflower, safflower, vegetable, canola, corn, olive oil mixed with vegetable oil, cottonseed, grapeseed, soybean, sesame etc).

Medium protein - also keeps you satiated and provides vitamins and minerals your body needs. Proteins also typically make food tasty and interesting.

Low carbohydrate - carbs, even low-GI carbs, spike your blood sugars, either faster or slower. Low-GI carbs are better for you than med and high. Try to avoid anything at all that is high-GI. For eg, if you are going to eat rice, avoid jasmine or white long grain and opt for Basmati or Doongara. I personally have not had rice in a few months and make ‘cauliflower rice’.

Exercise:
If you can get out into nature to exercise, even if it is just a park (though better if it is away from cars, homes, concrete jungles!), it will help from both a physical and mental health perspective, assisting in keeping your stress levels down (and reducing cortisol which can be so damaging).

Lifting weights is important for many things, but particularly for those with T2D to keep glucose levels down. You can start small and build up reps and weight. If you don’t have dumbbells, try soup cans. Resistance bands are also really useful and you can even pack them if you go away!

HIIT is a very efficient and effective way to exercise and could be a great option as part of your exercise routines.

perryc05

This is a good resource to explore:
https://glycemicindex.com/

yirara

Get a referral to a registered dietician as well. Don't just accept comments from amateurs (us here). Important: not a nutritionist as everyone can call themselves this without having to study for it. You need a registered dietician if you're in the US.

MargaretYakoda

You might want to consider a continuous glucose monitor, along with a fitness tracker like an Apple Watch or a Garmin. If that’s not an option? Consider keeping a strict log of your diet, exercise, and blood glucose levels. The CGM and exercise tracker just makes that much easier, but it is possible to do the old school way.

When you keep a strict log of diet, exercise, and blood glucose levels you should spot patterns in what increases your BG and what keeps it in check. Everyone is slightly different. Some people are more reactive to certain things than others. It’s good to learn what works best for you.

KaizenLe

One small thing I found really useful when I had gestational diabetes was to take a ten minute walk after meals. Even if you just walk around the house. Def helped to keep my blood sugar in check. If you don’t already it’s worth keeping a food diary and noting your levels alongside your meal, this way you may be able to identify foods or combinations of foods that aren’t working for you. Sounds like you are well on the right track ☺️