Type 2 Diabetes Support Group

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angelis81
angelis81 Posts: 18
edited January 21 in Social Groups
Although I have been diagnosed and have seen the nurse and GP, I still do not know what I am doing! I live in the UK and if you are on Oral medication they do not provide the machine to check your glucose levels, instead I have a HBA1C done every 3 months.

I have no idea what I am doing with the food side of things. I know I have to eat healthy and exercise. Is sticking to 3 meals a day ok and also if I want a sweet treat, what are some good things to have and at what times should I eat these? Also Is there a time I should stop eating by? Currently on 1mg Metoformin once a day.

Thanks for any guidance x

Replies

  • wcucats77
    wcucats77 Posts: 180
    Angie... Good evening from South Carolina, ( southern USA) . I know the diagnosis was a shock, but joining MFP was a great thing to do. You will gain support and help from all of us here.

    That said, anything you need , please don't hesitate to ask. Good luck on your journey.

    WCUCATS77
  • BigG59
    BigG59 Posts: 396 Member
    Hi Angie, almost missed your post with a number of newbies signing up, welcome.

    I'm in the UK too. It is all a little overwhelming isn't it when you are first diagnosed. What will happen is that your GP will put you in the Diabetic register, this will then mean that all the NHS support systems will then start to kick in. So you will get the eye tests, feet checked, regular A1C etc. etc

    Other things you have to actively seek out e.g. time with the dietician, local support group.

    My approach was to research as much as I could. Two great books I thoroughly recommend are "The First year T2 diabetes" by Gretchen Becker and the T2 for Dummies book.

    As for what to eat and how much. There is so much conflicting advice as we all react differently. For example I eat 3 meals a day and two snacks. When I started I kept carbs below 50g per meal and snack below 30g. However, that level of carbs would be way too high for others. I have a number of MFP friends whose blood sugars would be through the roof with that level. Now my blood sugars are controlled and I have lost the weight, I do eat a bit more.

    Is there a time you should not eat after? in my view no. Some diabetics like to eat late at night to stop the "dawn effect" - a process which means your sugars go up before you eat in the morning. I have never suffered from this.

    A practice a lot do is "eat to their meter", copy this link to your browser http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/flyer.pdf it is from an excellent site which can be found here http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/

    I recommend you buy a blood sugar meter. I use the Aviva Nano.

    The diabetes UK web site is also useful http://www.diabetes.org.uk/

    Hope this helps
  • retiree2006
    retiree2006 Posts: 951 Member
    Hello and welcome to the group. Another blood glucose meter that seems to be reasonably priced is carried at WalMart, the ReliOn. And in the U.S. the strips cost $9 for 50 strips. It seems accurate when compared to the previous and more expensive meter I had.

    The diabetic specialist I first saw suggested 3 meals with around 45 grams of carbs eaten at each meal and 1 or 2 snacks a day at around 20 grams as a starting point. Then you can see how you react and fine tune from there. I have lowered my carbs a bit along with staying away from certain foods most of the time that cause spikes (white potatoes, white rice, white bread, sugar) and go more for whole grains, veggies, and most fruits.

    If you have any classes available at hospital or through a dietician, they can address some of your biggest questions. So feel free to ask questions here as you'll find a great group of people who are very supportive. Good luck.
  • djshari
    djshari Posts: 513 Member
    Welcome!! And what everyone else said re: carbs. I try to stay around 100-150 a day although I'd like to tighten that up a bit. I don't know if it will help you but what I did was buy a notebook and record all of my meals and readings - so I could see if something made me spike so I don't eat it again (or often). I have also bought a few atkins books used to get an idea for meals and things like that. Oh! not sure if anyone pointed you to the website bloodsugar101... lots of info there too.
  • nvstlrgrl
    nvstlrgrl Posts: 70 Member
    Welcome to the group. My biggest suggestion to you would be to buy a meter. With that you have an idea of what is going on. You can visually see which foods are your triggers (causing blood sugars to go up). That way you can eliminate them. Everyone is different and foods react differently in each of us. However I do recommend staying away from as much processed/packaged food as possible as there are so many hidden sugars in them. With that said reading labels is a huge step in learning to control your diabetes. I wish you luck and know there are lots of people here to help and support you. I have been a diabetic for 23 years and am always willing to share my wisdom. I am not a medical professional so it is only based on my history and beliefs. Feel free to add me as a friend.
  • robert65ferguson
    robert65ferguson Posts: 390 Member
    @angelis81 Hi and welcome to this group. Other members have given sound advice and BigG has provided an excellent summary as usual. I'm also in the UK and you will find a number of others in this group. One of the frustrating things about Diabetes is that it's a very individual condition and as Big G said ,each of us has to work out what works best for us. You have been given some very good sources of information and the only one I would add is Diabetes.co.uk, their weekly newsletter is excellent. The other suggestion I would make is to suggest that you ask your GP for a place on a Diabetes Education course. The vast majority of people who do these courses find them excellent. Take things one issue at a time and only move on when that issue has been resolved. The really great news is that the MFP programme, if properly applied, really does work, as many members can testify. Information is power, so take your time to read over the various threads in the group and get a feel for the site. When you're ready to ask questions you will find lots of genuine people in the group who will be willing to share their experience and to provide lots of support and encouragement. I wish you well on your journey to a healthy and active life and will do all I can to help you.
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