# Hiya, another newbie here!



## mandyafc (Apr 26, 2012)

Hi everyone, another newbie!  

I?m 49 and was diagnosed with type 2 a fortnight ago after a new patient appointment and a fasting blood test.  I have been prescribed medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol and was given a diet booklet.  I have my first appointment at the Diabetic Clinic on May 17th.

I do feel as if I?ve been left kind of ?high and dry?.  I haven?t a clue what my blood glucose level is and the diet I?m following doesn?t seem logical to me.  It says to have 2 portions of starchy foods at every meal which I?m struggling with.  I thought that carbs are quickly broken down into sugars when digested so I?m finding it hard to understand why I?m having to eat more of them than I was previously doing so.  I?ve also found that since I?ve been following this diet I?ve felt hungry not long after I?ve eaten...and when I say hungry, I mean ravenous!  Is this normal?  I don?t feel as if I?ve lost any weight either, and I have one hell of a lot to lose.

The person I work with is also a type 2 diabetic and it was him that pointed me in the direction of this site as he?s already a member.  I?m looking forward to chatting with you all and learning more about how to live with this condition.  

ps. I seem to have written loads, sorry!


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## vince13 (Apr 26, 2012)

Hello and welcome to the Forum.  Our sugery automatically prescribed medication for high blood pressure and also for high cholesterol so maybe yours does the same - some do as a precautionary measure, some don't.

I take your point about the high carb side of things but this seems to be the way Diabetes UK and the NHS seem to consider "correct healthy eating" for diabetics.  Someone who understand these things better than I do will come along I'm sure and tell you more than I understand about carbs and how they affect our diabetic levels.

Just wanted to say join in with the chat, ask questions, rant whatever - someone will always be in touch and, although we're not allowed to give medical advice, you will surely find that whatever is troubling you also rings a bell with someone else one here.  The really good thing about this site is that the people on here are living with the condition (or looking after someone else who has diabetes) and their general outlook is "you control it, it doesn't control you" - not always easy to believe I can tell you but they are living proof that life goes on even though Diabetes has chosen you to be its friend


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## will2016 (Apr 26, 2012)

welcome Mandy, you ALWAYS talk a lot! and no you DIDN'T catch it from me!


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## Mark T (Apr 26, 2012)

Welcome to the forum Mandy 

It seems you have been hit with the usual one-size-fits-all advice which isn't actually all the useful.

I would recommend pushing for a Blood Glucose meter (or even just getting one yourself) so you can take control of your diabetes.

Oh, if you have high blood glucose levels it can make you feel hungry I believe because your body isn't able to get the energy from the food (this is insulin resistance) and your body just demands more food to compensate.


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## mandyafc (Apr 27, 2012)

Thanks for the warm welcome and helpful info.



vince13 said:


> Hello and welcome to the Forum.  Our sugery automatically prescribed medication for high blood pressure and also for high cholesterol so maybe yours does the same - some do as a precautionary measure, some don't.


My cholesterol is higher than it should be and as I have a family history of heart disease on one side and strokes on the other, I'm happy to take drugs for this.  Ironically, my blood pressure was lower than it has been for years but still on the high side of normal.



will2016 said:


> welcome Mandy, you ALWAYS talk a lot! and no you DIDN'T catch it from me!


Cheers Will, don't forget you said you'd bring your stabometer into work today so I can see what my blood glucose level is 



Mark T said:


> Welcome to the forum Mandy
> 
> Oh, if you have high blood glucose levels it can make you feel hungry I believe because your body isn't able to get the energy from the food (this is insulin resistance) and your body just demands more food to compensate.


Thanks for this Mark, it's good to know this hunger isn't purely down to me being a greedy cow!


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## mcdonagh47 (Apr 27, 2012)

mandyafc said:


> Hi everyone, another newbie!
> 
> I?m 49 and was diagnosed with type 2 a fortnight ago after a new patient appointment and a fasting blood test.  I have been prescribed medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol and was given a diet booklet.  I have my first appointment at the Diabetic Clinic on May 17th.
> 
> ...



Carb portion in this context (T2s according to X-pert Patient Course) is 15 grams of carbs e.g two small new potatoes or slice of bread or a Taz bar.

In general the NHS/Diabetes UK recommend a low GI, Mediterranean style diet ( salads and plenty of good fats). And,of course, a max of 1800-2000 calories a day for a woman.


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## traceycat (Apr 27, 2012)

welcome to the forum mandy


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## tomtat (Apr 28, 2012)

Welcome Mandy, I'm sure you'll find a lot of good advice here, I know I do


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## mandyafc (Apr 28, 2012)

mcdonagh47 said:


> Carb portion in this context (T2s according to X-pert Patient Course) is 15 grams of carbs e.g two small new potatoes or slice of bread or a Taz bar.
> 
> In general the NHS/Diabetes UK recommend a low GI, Mediterranean style diet ( salads and plenty of good fats). And,of course, a max of 1800-2000 calories a day for a woman.



Thanks for this mcdonagh, is there a difference between new and other kinds of potatoes, in my booklet it just states a medium potato?  What is a Taz bar?

Thanks for the welcome, tomtat and traceycat (there seems to be a theme here  ).  I've been having a good look through the various boards here, there's so much info to take in, I'm hoping my head'll stop spinning soon!


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## gail1 (Apr 28, 2012)

hi and welcome to the forum


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## mandyafc (Apr 28, 2012)

Thanks Gail


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## slipper (Apr 28, 2012)

Hi Mandy, welcome aboard.  I think the difference with new potatoes and old, is likely that new pots are firmer and take longer to digest, thus not flooding you with carb spikes (Sugar) too quickly.  Same with mashed, digested very quickly, so bad for the carb spike.


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## Mark T (Apr 28, 2012)

slipper said:


> Hi Mandy, welcome aboard.  I think the difference with new potatoes and old, is likely that new pots are firmer and take longer to digest, thus not flooding you with carb spikes (Sugar) too quickly.  Same with mashed, digested very quickly, so bad for the carb spike.


Yep, thats exactly the theory.  Apparently you can make new potatoes even slower to release their carbs by cooking them, then chilling them in the fridge overnight and dressing them in a lemon based (I think) dressing.


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## mandyafc (Apr 30, 2012)

Thanks Slipper and Mark, that makes perfect sense and thanks for being so welcoming


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## Steff (Apr 30, 2012)

Hi Mandy, 
A warm welcome to the forum


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## Andy HB (Apr 30, 2012)

Welcome to the forum from me too (sorry! a very late welcome!!) 

I just wanted to add that I think the other thing about new potatoes is that being so much smaller than old potatoes (usually) the portion size can be better controlled too.

Andy


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## mandyafc (May 1, 2012)

Thanks Steff and Andy


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## Northerner (May 5, 2012)

Hi mandy. I do hope you don;t think I am rude - I have just realised that I didn't welcome you to the forum!  Welcome! I hope that you enjoy reading and find it useful


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