New T2D diagnosis

fwchica
fwchica Posts: 2 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Yesterday I got the diagnosis I have been dreading. My Hg A1c is in the diabetic range at 6.5. I am angry with myself for not doing more (anything) to prevent it.
I’m looking for others that have used MyFitness Pal to help control their T2D. My biggest question right now is: what the H does “watch your carbs” mean????

Replies

  • Jacki916W
    Jacki916W Posts: 114 Member
    Hi @fwchica. I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes, with an A1c between 5.5 and 6.1, Depending on how dedicated I was to bringing my A1c number down. I’ve never been put on any medication because my doctor says I manage it pretty well with my diet. To a diabetic, carbs are the white stuff. Stay away from flour, rice, potatoes – anything white, except cauliflower. The good carbs are whole wheat, make sure it says whole wheat or it’s not, multi grain, brown rice, wild rice, things like that that take longer to digest than the white stuff. It’s the white stuff that causes the blood sugar problems as it doesn’t help you regulate your insulin and in fact only hurts it.

    Hope this helps!

    Jacki916W
  • ldaltonbishop
    ldaltonbishop Posts: 97 Member
    My DH and I were diagnosed with T2 diabetes a year apart, and I attended his sessions with a nutritionist when he went through them and then attended on my own behalf when it was my turn. (I still think insomnia was my trigger. By then we were both eating pretty healthy.) Anyway, even though he weights considerably more than I did and do, we were both advised to eat between 45-60 carb grams per meal, or about 180 per day. It's pretty doable. But more than that, the registered dietician recommended that meals be balanced and include protein and (minimal) fat along with carbs. Because if you eat all carbs or all protein it's hard on whichever organ (kidneys, liver, pancreas) works on that particular macro.

    So 45 carbs sounds generous, but two ounces of dry pasta have about 42 carbs. So portion control is going to matter.

    Half your plate should be leafy greens or a low-carb veg, they said. A quarter is your lean protein. And a quarter can be a reasonable portion of something starchy. High fiber is generally healthier (for digestion, among other things) but count all carbs as carbs.

    Works for us. I control my glucose with diet and exercise. He has a prescription.
  • fwchica
    fwchica Posts: 2 Member
    @Jacki916W , @ldaltonbishop
    Thank you so much for the information. It's just all a little overwhelming. But the more information I get, and the longer I do this, the easier it will get.
  • mlrtri
    mlrtri Posts: 425 Member
    I had a wonky lab and decided to take action now. I have my 3 month follow up today so hoping for better numbers. It can get a bit overwhelming at first. But as you learn it gets easier. I get a lot of my carbs from fruit. It is a natural sugar but it also has fiber which slows absorption rate as well as other good things for my body. I pick fruits (and berries) with higher fiber to offset the carbs. I am working to cut out as much added sugar from my diet as I can. They sneak that stuff in everywhere. When you start reading labels closely you will be surprised. I used to eat “low fat” everything. But now I see that a lot of the fat was replaced by sugar. So I go for regular things like cottage cheese, but just eat a little less. Eating food closest to its natural way has made keeping carbs in check fairly easy. Whole wheat is fine but read the labels carefully. Once you have read labels and found products you like it gets easier. My first few grocery trips took forever. But now I have my go to items.

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