Newly diagnosed type two diabetes!

I'm not pre-diabetic or diabetic but I have insulin resistance and hypoglycemia and follow a diet similar to diabetics.

My dietician told me to eat between 30-45 grams of carbs per meal and 15-30 grams of carbs per snack. I typically eat less than 30 grams of carbs per meal because when I eat more, my blood sugar drops.

I take Metformin as well and have found it works most effectively when combined with a low carb diet.

Eat lots of: Lean meats, fish, non starchy veggies (spinach, broccoli, kale, romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, etc), nuts, nut butters, seeds, avocados, olive oil.

Moderation: Fruit, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, quinoa.

Limit: Baked goods like muffins, cookies, cake, ice cream, other highly processed foods.

Hey! I've been a T2D for seven years and it's really easy to eat right if you get into a routine. Cutting carbs isn't that bad. there are a lot of substitutes. You can pintrest low carb meals/snacks and there are just pages upon pages of recipes. It's rally great and quite a few are really delicious.
In all honesty, this forces you to eat right and at the end of the day you'll end up feeling better. More energy, and proud of yourself.

Hey girl, I'm not a diabetic, but my mother is. I know a dietician might tell you 40g of carbs per meal is appropriate, but it's probably not. I'd shoot for a daily total intake around 120 / 100g. You might be able to increase this if you find your blood sugar is stable, but 40g per meal is quite high. Try to sub in more protein instead of carbohydrates and choose low GI foods.

Type 2 here, well was, no sign of it now. Read my intro on my main page for what I did to get rid of it... Yes, technically I'm still diabetic but you can't tell. Even my A1c levels are 100% normal, and have been for nearly two years! Last one was 4.9, can't get better than that. My diabetes was totally related to eating crap and being overweight and I'm proof you can reverse it! Good luck! She's lucky you are there for her during this!

rogers_aletha wrote: »

Thanks all so much for the info!! The doctor said shoot for 40g per meal and carb free snacks so we are starting there! She is VERY much wanting to control this without medication in the future. She has been on Lovastatin for 6 years and JUST got off that bc her numbers were good for her cholesterol. One thing I am worried about is if I feed her cheese, fish, and eggs am I gonna do harm to her cholesterol while avoiding high carb lol. It's crazy I just want her to be as healthy as possible but we just started monitoring her blood she has to test 3 times a day now and record it. Also do you guys find your sugar is high in the morning? Yesterday she did 3 tests 1st was 240 2nd and third were closer to 150. She went on the elliptical for an hour so maybe that's why the other 2 were better but just curious! I love fitnesspal and I knew I could count on you guys for some info and advice, we did talk to a diabetic specialist and I will be contacting someone else bc she just didn't seem able to answer some of my basic questions We are completely uneducated about this disease so were reading alot on diabetes.org too.
151.

As far as the cholesterol thing, low carbing (check out ketogenic diet as it relates to T2D) is known for decreasing it. However, if she has a genetic pre-disposition to high cholesterol independent of T2D (entirely possible) then she will have to do additional research as this is outside of the scope of what I'm aware of & practice.

Again, many variables here. It will depend on how much research you guys do and how you apply it.

I was diagnosed at 44, as a result of my high blood sugar, my triglycerides were high, my cholesterol was high, my blood pressure was high, my weight was high -___- See how that works =P

I was able to keep off of statins & high BP medication because I researched everything & brought my plan to my doctor. While he didn't agree with me, he agreed we could try it my way & if I couldn't effectively lower these numbers, we'd try it his way (medications).

That was 2 years ago & he's *never* had to give me any other Rx's other than the one I started out with (Metformin XR)

One thing's for sure, he never asked me to decrease or cut my carbs.
He never told me to test & I had to ask him for a glucometer, though he gives me as many strips as I want. This is important as strips are expensive, especially if 'you eat to your meter' like I do.

This may be because all of his patients are geriatric patients, so I'm guessing non compliance or complacency is what he expected of me, so his advice was lax to say the least. I'm in NY, btw...no shortage of doctors here, especially in Great Neck lol!

More stuff to think about:
Glycogen in your muscles (once it gets there) cannot be used in any other way for anything else. If you decrease that, circulating glucose can be replaced in the muscles, thereby decreasing blood sugar.

How do you do that?
Exercise.

Something as simple as jumping jacks, arm circles, a brisk walk etc. can decrease your blood sugar by as much as 50 mg/dl depending on the person and the activity.

Why are BG's higher in the morning:
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/17561156.php

What are normal blood sugars?
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045621.php

How to lower your blood sugar
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php

send a FR if you'd like

hookilau wrote: »

rogers_aletha wrote: »

Thanks all so much for the info!! The doctor said shoot for 40g per meal and carb free snacks so we are starting there! She is VERY much wanting to control this without medication in the future. She has been on Lovastatin for 6 years and JUST got off that bc her numbers were good for her cholesterol. One thing I am worried about is if I feed her cheese, fish, and eggs am I gonna do harm to her cholesterol while avoiding high carb lol. It's crazy I just want her to be as healthy as possible but we just started monitoring her blood she has to test 3 times a day now and record it. Also do you guys find your sugar is high in the morning? Yesterday she did 3 tests 1st was 240 2nd and third were closer to 150. She went on the elliptical for an hour so maybe that's why the other 2 were better but just curious! I love fitnesspal and I knew I could count on you guys for some info and advice, we did talk to a diabetic specialist and I will be contacting someone else bc she just didn't seem able to answer some of my basic questions We are completely uneducated about this disease so were reading alot on diabetes.org too.
151.

As far as the cholesterol thing, low carbing (check out ketogenic diet as it relates to T2D) is known for decreasing it. However, if she has a genetic pre-disposition to high cholesterol independent of T2D (entirely possible) then she will have to do additional research as this is outside of the scope of what I'm aware of & practice.

Again, many variables here. It will depend on how much research you guys do and how you apply it.

I was diagnosed at 44, as a result of my high blood sugar, my triglycerides were high, my cholesterol was high, my blood pressure was high, my weight was high -___- See how that works =P

I was able to keep off of statins & high BP medication because I researched everything & brought my plan to my doctor. While he didn't agree with me, he agreed we could try it my way & if I couldn't effectively lower these numbers, we'd try it his way (medications).

That was 2 years ago & he's *never* had to give me any other Rx's other than the one I started out with (Metformin XR)

One thing's for sure, he never asked me to decrease or cut my carbs.
He never told me to test & I had to ask him for a glucometer, though he gives me as many strips as I want. This is important as strips are expensive, especially if 'you eat to your meter' like I do.

This may be because all of his patients are geriatric patients, so I'm guessing non compliance or complacency is what he expected of me, so his advice was lax to say the least. I'm in NY, btw...no shortage of doctors here, especially in Great Neck lol!

More stuff to think about:
Glycogen in your muscles (once it gets there) cannot be used in any other way for anything else. If you decrease that, circulating glucose can be replaced in the muscles, thereby decreasing blood sugar.

How do you do that?
Exercise.

Something as simple as jumping jacks, arm circles, a brisk walk etc. can decrease your blood sugar by as much as 50 mg/dl depending on the person and the activity.

Why are BG's higher in the morning:
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/17561156.php

What are normal blood sugars?
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045621.php

How to lower your blood sugar
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php

send a FR if you'd like

excellent post and advice.
there is also a dedicated diabetes forum on here with a lot of great info.
diabetes t2 is beatable back to a pre- diabetic i state.
iknow this as i have achieved it from diet and DAILY exercise.
start with small steps.
kudos to you for helping your partner.

Managing blood sugar within normal ranges (to avoid medication) is not the same as reversing diabetes. Please always be aware that diabetes is something that does not have a true cure. The key is what you and your friend are trying to do which is to manage the disease without medication. This will need to be a lifestyle change because if she reverts back to a "non-diabetic" way of life (i.e. gain weight, stop working out, eating high carbs, etc.), she could easily see the diabetes go out of control again in the long term.

It is great to see that you are trying to educate yourselves on the topic. Take a look at Glycemic Indexes and Glycemic Load of foods (the lower, the better for both). You can google this and though it isn't an exact science, you will be able to avoid some of the higher GI and GL foods. This will help you make more educated choices on the foods that you're eating. Education and lifestyle changes are the best route for you and your friend. Good luck!

The best advice I could give would be to get some exercise every day. I'm walking or bike riding. The other thing I would suggest is to buy a good food scale and use it religiously. I love mine. When I have to weigh and calculate everything and then log it, I find myself cutting back on things naturally to avoid having to log them. Like using a teaspoon of mayo per slice of bread instead of a tablespoon. It's the small things that add up.

My own plan seems to be working. I just try to eliminate 200 calories from my regular intake every day and walk off another 100-200 calories. As long as I'm staying at or under my max for the day I'm happy. It will take awhile to get to my goal, but it's a steady movement in the right direction.

My sis used to have type 2 DM also. She lost weight and is no longer on meds and her bloodsugar is in the normal range. She did it by watching her carbs, portion control and walking.

Good luck to you both!