# New  T2 On one blood test



## March (Oct 18, 2022)

Hi I’ve been told today I’m T2 diabetic on an
H1bac of 49.
I’ve been told to repeat test in 5 weeks , is it possible to reduce the 49 to a lower level. My Dr has said highly unlikely I can which I don’t understand . 
Very confusing trying to know what’s happening.


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## Drummer (Oct 18, 2022)

March said:


> Hi I’ve been told today I’m T2 diabetic on an
> H1bac of 49.
> I’ve been told to repeat test in 5 weeks , is it possible to reduce the 49 to a lower level. My Dr has said highly unlikely I can which I don’t understand .
> Very confusing trying to know what’s happening.


You are only just in the diabetic range, you are really quite lucky although you might not feel it right now.
If you are an ordinary type two and not something more exotic, then by reducing the amount of carbohydrate in your diet you will lower your blood glucose levels and your Hba1c should go down.
A lot of people have done that, it was the only way to treat diabetes at one time and it is still effective, even if your GP has never come across it.
It will mean assessing your intake of carbs and cutting down or swapping the high carb ones.


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## March (Oct 18, 2022)

Drummer said:


> You are only just in the diabetic range, you are really quite lucky although you might not feel it right now.
> If you are an ordinary type two and not something more exotic, then by reducing the amount of carbohydrate in your diet you will lower your blood glucose levels and your Hba1c should go down.
> A lot of people have done that, it was the only way to treat diabetes at one time and it is still effective, even if your GP has never come across it.
> It will mean assessing your intake of carbs and cutting down or swapping the high carb ones.


Thankyou it sounds as though you’ve done very well.
I’m starting low cal diet 900 cals per day.
Trying to keep carbs at 45 percent of food steering clear of white breads potatoes white rice and pasta. I’ve no real knowledge on this so need to learn quickly


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## Leadinglights (Oct 18, 2022)

March said:


> Thankyou it sounds as though you’ve done very well.
> I’m starting low cal diet 900 cals per day.
> Trying to keep carbs at 45 percent of food steering clear of white breads potatoes white rice and pasta. I’ve no real knowledge on this so need to learn quickly


Many find a low carb way is effective though some find a low calorie works for them but 45% carbs sounds a bit high for effective reduction of blood glucose.
As you say you have no real knowledge then this link is a very straight forward explanation and some ideas for modifying your diet. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
I reduced my HbA1C from 50mmol/mol to 36mmol/mol by dietary (low carb) changes which is a way I find enjoyable and is now my new way of eating. So your doctor is being very negative. I take no notice of calories and eat normal healthy fat.
There are many here who have managed to reduce their blood glucose.


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## Drummer (Oct 18, 2022)

March said:


> Thankyou it sounds as though you’ve done very well.
> I’m starting low cal diet 900 cals per day.
> Trying to keep carbs at 45 percent of food steering clear of white breads potatoes white rice and pasta. I’ve no real knowledge on this so need to learn quickly


Oh dear - I would feel absoutely wretched on a low calorie diet - but I was pushed into trying to do them so many times my metabolism just rebelled and went into an almighty sulk. I would turn pale grey and go all faint and have to either sit or lie down for fear of falling over.
Don't be fooled into the 'brown carbs are good' blind alley - they contain almost the same amount of carbs as the white, and if anything they just extend the time you have high glucose levels.
You might find that a glucose testing meter will help with food choices. You should not need to do anything drastic as your Hba1c is not at all elevated, and you might find that only a few changes will keep your levels in the normal range. You could even be back there by the time you have a second test - I'd love to be a fly on the wall observer of your GPs expression then.


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## March (Oct 18, 2022)

Leadinglights said:


> Many find a low carb way is effective though some find a low calorie works for them but 45% carbs sounds a bit high for effective reduction of blood glucose.
> As you say you have no real knowledge then this link is a very straight forward explanation and some ideas for modifying your diet. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
> I reduced my HbA1C from 50mmol/mol to 36mmol/mol by dietary (low carb) changes which is a way I find enjoyable and is now my new way of eating. So your doctor is being very negative. I take no notice of calories and eat normal healthy fat.
> There are many here who have managed to reduce their blood glucose.


Thankyou for the link. I will look at this and see if I can learn what it is I need to be doing.
It might take me some time to find best way forward.


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## travellor (Oct 18, 2022)

It looks like you may have upset the low carb zealots.
In reality, in a 900 calorie diet, that's 405 calories from carbs.
At 4 calories per gram, that 101g of carbs, well below the usual 130g  low carb level.
I did the 800 calorie Newcastle shake diet, it reversed my diabetes with no issue.
Very similar carbs.
Although my aim was to actually reverse my diabetes, and get it out of the way, and eat a normal diet later, not a fussy diet for life.
Although I was overweight, so I ate my way to being diabetic, so losing weight made a great change in all aspects of my life, not just focusing on BG by diet control.


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## March (Oct 18, 2022)

travellor said:


> It looks like you may have upset the low carb zealots.
> In reality, in a 900 calorie diet, that's 405 calories from carbs.
> At 4 calories per gram, that 101g of carbs, well below the usual 130g  low carb level.
> I did the 800 calorie Newcastle shake diet, it reversed my diabetes with no issue.
> ...


I don’t really understand all this so I’m using 
My fitness pal app 
I put all food in for day and today I’ve had 818 calories which it show me is inclusive of 95 g of carbs. My intention was to try and do this over next 5 weeks. I won’t always be as low as this but my intention is to not be far away. It also shows me salt intake etc etc so I’m hoping it’s a sensible albeit tough way to go to try and reduce numbers and then eat carefully going forward.
I’ve enjoyed food and wine a little too much and I guess this has come home to roost. 
I appreciate hugely the replies and help offered.


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## travellor (Oct 18, 2022)

March said:


> I don’t really understand all this so I’m using
> My fitness pal app
> I put all food in for day and today I’ve had 818 calories which it show me is inclusive of 95 g of carbs. My intention was to try and do this over next 5 weeks. I won’t always be as low as this but my intention is to not be far away. It also shows me salt intake etc etc so I’m hoping it’s a sensible albeit tough way to go to try and reduce numbers and then eat carefully going forward.
> I’ve enjoyed food and wine a little too much and I guess this has come home to roost.
> I appreciate hugely the replies and help offered.



That's low enough.
Do you need to lose weight?
That was the game changer for me.


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## March (Oct 18, 2022)

travellor said:


> That's low enough.
> Do you need to lose weight?
> That was the game changer for me.


5 foot 11  and 15 stone 10 so yes I do need to lose weight. My initial plan is 14 then a little more after. But I need to change figures in the 5 weeks. Hopefully Dr will see enough change to let me continue to my goal.


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## travellor (Oct 18, 2022)

March said:


> 5 foot 11  and 15 stone 10 so yes I do need to lose weight. My initial plan is 14 then a little more after. But I need to change figures in the 5 weeks. Hopefully Dr will see enough change to let me continue to my goal.



I went down from 16 to 11 stone, on low fat then 800 calorie restricted diet, but I was morbidly obese to start with.
I also switched my diet from junk high fat food to an NHS healthy diet, working with an NHS dietician.
I think you will see a good difference in 5 weeks with your plan.


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## March (Oct 18, 2022)

travellor said:


> I went down from 16 to 11 stone, on low fat then 800 calorie restricted diet, but I was morbidly obese to start with.
> I also switched my diet from junk high fat food to an NHS healthy diet, working with an NHS dietician.
> I think you will see a good difference in 5 weeks with your plan.


Wow you have done so well. Congratulations 
Thanks for your help


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## travellor (Oct 18, 2022)

March said:


> Wow you have done so well. Congratulations
> Thanks for your help



I think you have made a great start, let us know how you get on.


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## harbottle (Oct 18, 2022)

I cut out the ‘white’ carbs and junk food and lost weight and got my hba1c back into decent figures. A mix of low calorie and low carb, really, although did have a few meals out with potatoes or fries and a small portion of bread. 

I concentrated on getting the weight off, and didn’t test my BG for three months after diagnosed. I just hoped that cutting the junk and losing weight would work… which is what the GP told me to do.

In five weeks I lost a lot of weight - so much so that people thought my wife had a new chap!


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## Drummer (Oct 19, 2022)

I was almost spherical following the diet my GP insisted was healthy.
Just eating fewer carbs resulted in a weight loss of over 50lb - I had stopped weighing myself some time before diagnosis as I could not stop the weight gain on the amount of carbs I was to eat, and low fat too. 
Simply lowering the carb intake and eating the fats which came naturally with the protein was enough to resolve my diabetes in 6 months, but I was no longer diabetic in 80 days, so you could confound your GP at the next test.


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## March (Oct 19, 2022)

the problem with being new to this and not having ever taken any notice of these things is getting to grips with all the terminology etc.
Went to sleep last night wondering why people put BG 

Woke up realising it’s Blood Glucose
Such a lot to learn so little time to sort it.
Here comes day 2


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## Leadinglights (Oct 19, 2022)

March said:


> the problem with being new to this and not having ever taken any notice of these things is getting to grips with all the terminology etc.
> Went to sleep last night wondering why people put BG
> 
> Woke up realising it’s Blood Glucose
> ...


I think confusion arises because some people refer to blood sugar (BS) when strictly speaking it is blood glucose (BG) but sometimes you see people say BM and that comes from the name of the company Boeringer Mannheim who produced the test kits used in a clinical setting.


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## March (Oct 19, 2022)

Leadinglights said:


> I think confusion arises because some people refer to blood sugar (BS) when strictly speaking it is blood glucose (BG) but sometimes you see people say BM and that comes from the name of the company Boeringer Mannheim who produced the test kits used in a clinical setting.


Ok I’m starting to get some of it

You are all so helpful


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## travellor (Oct 19, 2022)

March said:


> Ok I’m starting to get some of it
> 
> You are all so helpful



I also started exercise at the gym, not really so much to burn calories, more to improve insulin resistance by building muscle.
The other useful thing to know is carbs and proteins have 4 calories per gram, fat has 9 calories, a fairly major reason why I avoid fat on a calorie controlled diet.
As Drummer said, just focusing on controlling BG did have the benefit of losing 3.5 stone in 6 years on a low carb high fat diet.
I realised for me my issue was weight, I wanted a different option, I lost 5 stone in 2 years on a low fat calorie  limited diet, and let my BG fall into place.
As you want to work on a shorter timescale, of the five weeks, the 100g carb reduced calories sounds like a good option.


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## March (Oct 19, 2022)

Yes that’s what I’m going to do and by tracking food on app it makes life easier for me.
I’ve also started trying minimum of 10.000 steps per day although this is more challenging as I work and am behind a desk all day on laptop.
If I do the diet and in 5 weeks the dr was right then so be it.


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## Moburt (Oct 19, 2022)

March said:


> Hi I’ve been told today I’m T2 diabetic on an
> H1bac of 49.
> I’ve been told to repeat test in 5 weeks , is it possible to reduce the 49 to a lower level. My Dr has said highly unlikely I can which I don’t understand .
> Very confusing trying to know what’s happening.


Hi
It is defo possible to reduce it i was diagnosed with a HBA1C level of 59 that was in Jan 22 and then on my next checkup on 5th April 22 i was 38. I was determined to get into remission and lucky my DN nurse was happy for me to try. I cut out most carbs and followed a low calorie diet 4 stone weight lost so far and levels checked again end of July and they are down a little more to 33. It can be done and and you will do it too i am sure but these boards are amazing and very helpful with all the knowledge people have.
Regards 
Michele


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## March (Oct 19, 2022)

Moburt said:


> Hi
> It is defo possible to reduce it i was diagnosed with a HBA1C level of 59 that was in Jan 22 and then on my next checkup on 5th April 22 i was 38. I was determined to get into remission and lucky my DN nurse was happy for me to try. I cut out most carbs and followed a low calorie diet 4 stone weight lost so far and levels checked again end of July and they are down a little more to 33. It can be done and and you will do it too i am sure but these boards are amazing and very helpful with all the knowledge people have.
> Regards
> Michele


Hi 
Out of interest what was your calories per day. I’m going for 900 with it seems from all the lovely people on here with a reduced carb intake should help me. I’m now thinking I might delay the Dr and get 8 weeks under my belt before I redo the test. I’m guessing at HBA1C of 49 that I’m not doing any significant damage and extra time might help me. Originally Dr wanted to redo test in 2 weeks but then agreed 5.


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## travellor (Oct 19, 2022)

March said:


> Yes that’s what I’m going to do and by tracking food on app it makes life easier for me.
> I’ve also started trying minimum of 10.000 steps per day although this is more challenging as I work and am behind a desk all day on laptop.
> If I do the diet and in 5 weeks the dr was right then so be it.



The hba1c doesn't really matter to be honest.
You've made major lifestyle improvements, losing weight, better diet, so you've got the ground running.
Either way, 5 weeks, 8 weeks, 52 weeks, it won't be changing for the worse anymore.

You have the support of a doctor who is retesting you in five weeks he must think something is going to happen though.


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## Moburt (Oct 19, 2022)

March said:


> Hi
> Out of interest what was your calories per day. I’m going for 900 with it seems from all the lovely people on here with a reduced carb intake should help me. I’m now thinking I might delay the Dr and get 8 weeks under my belt before I redo the test. I’m guessing at HBA1C of 49 that I’m not doing any significant damage and extra time might help me. Originally Dr wanted to redo test in 2 weeks but then agreed 5.


Hi 
When i first started i was on 800 cals a day i did this for about 10 weeks and to be honest i found that fairly easy as my head was right i need to to this mode and dropped weight fairly quick. I bought the cals & Carbs book and kept a food diary i also was given a testing machine from my DN nurse and tracked my blood levels before food and then two hours after to determine what foods triggered my levels and i cut them out. Now i am eating around 1000/1100 cals a day and still losing weight only around a 1lb a week. I also started cycling as my husband brought me an e-bike and i love it so we tend to go out for a 10-12 mile ride a couple of times a week if we can. i must admit i have let things slip a bit in recent weeks as i have had a few holidays and covid. And this is the thing don't be hard on yourself some weeks are good weeks and some are bad but you are trying your best and no one can ask anymore of you. 
Regards 
Michele


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## 42istheanswer (Oct 19, 2022)

I'm averaging 1100-1200 calories a day, and 80-100g carbs (with 130g set in head as max limit, but some days I've only happened to have 50g) and losing weight and blood glucose seemingly under control with that. I considered doing a dietary 800 cal for 12 weeks but I think I'm happier with keeping it down to the current average (some days only having 900 ish but some days more if I want a treat meal) over a longer term as I have quite a bit of weight to lose if I want to not be obese. (I had tipped slightly over go morbidly obese earlier in the year so at least I have already come below that!)

My practice nurse gave me a meter so I'm checking new meals to see if they raise BG especially the ones with slightly more carbs (I know that if I'm having eggs & a little veg/meat for breakfast that will be fine!) to try to keep levels as steady as I can overall, but although I'm testing more often than the nurse wants me to I'm sure I will reduce it soon as I'm feeling I do have a pretty good handle now on how much carbs, plus what proportion of the calories they are, will be OK.


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## Kitch (Oct 19, 2022)

March said:


> Hi I’ve been told today I’m T2 diabetic on an
> H1bac of 49.
> I’ve been told to repeat test in 5 weeks , is it possible to reduce the 49 to a lower level. My Dr has said highly unlikely I can which I don’t understand .
> Very confusing trying to know what’s happening.


Hi welcome 

I was diagnosed in July with H1b at 89, it only took me 2 month to get down to 49, I found it relatively easy diet wise,  I just cut out the high sugar content, fortunately for me I can still process the carbs quite well. Example, I ate a full 12in pizza 4.8 before 5.9 2 hours after. I just don’t the first month finger testing with all different foods.


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## March (Oct 19, 2022)

I’ve no idea what my BG is as I’m hopeful I can turn things back.

Dr etc has. It told me I need to test so I’m not. Maybe he’s waiting to do the second test ?
It’s encouraging to see so many of you getting things sorted and under control.
Any tips on the weekend trip to pub or has that gone out the window ?


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## Leadinglights (Oct 19, 2022)

March said:


> I’ve no idea what my BG is as I’m hopeful I can turn things back.
> 
> Dr etc has. It told me I need to test so I’m not. Maybe he’s waiting to do the second test ?
> It’s encouraging to see so many of you getting things sorted and under control.
> Any tips on the weekend trip to pub or has that gone out the window ?


Just drinking or eating as well?
Dry wines or spirits with diet mixers are not bad on carbs, it is beer and cider that can be high carb but some pubs are serving low carb beers now.
As far as food, steak and salad, Caesar salad, ask for extra veg or coleslaw rather than chips or potatoes or rice and avoid the pasta dishes.


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## 42istheanswer (Oct 19, 2022)

March said:


> I’ve no idea what my BG is as I’m hopeful I can turn things back.
> 
> Dr etc has. It told me I need to test so I’m not. Maybe he’s waiting to do the second test ?
> It’s encouraging to see so many of you getting things sorted and under control.
> Any tips on the weekend trip to pub or has that gone out the window ?


Beer contains more carbohydrates that wine (especially dry wine) or gin/ vodka if drunk with a sugar free tonic/soda.

Alcohol can also drop BG (probably because your liver switches to focusing on clearing the alcohol out rather than releasing glucose). I did an experiment a couple of weeks ago with having a glass of red wine and a chocolate muffin, and my BG stayed nice and stable! But I don't plan to drink every day to be able to eat cake daily   .

Obviously alcohol can still be used as fuel (calories) by our bodies, so if part of your planned strategy is weight loss then you'll need to consider that in terms of your overall calorie intake planning.


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## March (Oct 19, 2022)

42istheanswer said:


> Beer contains more carbohydrates that wine (especially dry wine) or gin/ vodka if drunk with a sugar free tonic/soda.
> 
> Alcohol can also drop BG (probably because your liver switches to focusing on clearing the alcohol out rather than releasing glucose). I did an experiment a couple of weeks ago with having a glass of red wine and a chocolate muffin, and my BG stayed nice and stable! But I don't plan to drink every day to be able to eat cake daily   .
> 
> Obviously alcohol can still be used as fuel (calories) by our bodies, so if part of your planned strategy is weight loss then you'll need to consider that in terms of your overall calorie intake planning.


Yes I think a glass of red wine and a little more exercise that day to try and gain some calories. 
Been a busy two days taking everything on board. 
Everyone’s help appreciated.


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## harbottle (Oct 19, 2022)

I usually have a JD and diet coke.
Maybe some single malts.
Gin and tonic doesn't affect me at all. In fact, alcohol causes blood sugar to drop.
I usually have a bag of crisps. After a walk home my BG is sometimes as low as 3.

I have some low carb at home (Michelob) but it's disgusting!
Quite often have a glass of white wine.

As mentioned, alcohol can make your BG drop anyway, so next time I might try a pint of something or a bottle of beer.


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## Drummer (Oct 19, 2022)

Testing to see what you can and can't eat is so very useful though.
I could see that my blood glucose level was right down as soon as I got a meter, so I was not worried about anything - which is actually a very good thing.
You are only just into diabetic numbers, with over a month to the next test you might be able to drop into normal numbers in that time.


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## everydayupsanddowns (Oct 21, 2022)

March said:


> Ok I’m starting to get some of it
> 
> You are all so helpful



For folks that have been members of the forum for a few weeks / months / years(!) do tend to start abbreviating things.

There’s a list of common ones here:








						Acronyms and Abbreviations
					

Here is an alphabetical list of acronyms and abbreviations you may come across on the forum:  Health-related  A1c - Shortened version of HbA1c the blood test that checks average BG over previous 6-12 weeks ADA - American Diabetic Association  Basal - 'Background', long acting insulin (eg Lantus...




					forum.diabetes.org.uk
				




Welcome to the forum! And glad you’ve found the suggestions and shared experiences helpful


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## March (Oct 21, 2022)

everydayupsanddowns said:


> For folks that have been members of the forum for a few weeks / months / years(!) do tend to start abbreviating things.
> 
> There’s a list of common ones here:
> 
> ...


Everyone has been so helpful and encouraging. Only 5 days in but I’ve learnt so much and stuck religiously to my diet plan.
Not managed the exercise as much as I wanted but with work that’s hard to do. 
Hopefully do better next week


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## notmez (Oct 25, 2022)

You'll smash it based on reading your comments so far.  To go from 49 to "normal"  the changes you have already made will hopefully be great for you.  I'm having my next test in Nov and I hope it will have a significant drop but even even if it's only a slight drop I've lost near 10kg, I feel better, I have more energy and I'm eating less junk. I have more stamina and have shaved minutes off the amount of time it take to walk a mile. 

Stick to what you are doing and at the next test you can decide to stick to it or change it based on the data from your test results.


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## Barrowman (Oct 25, 2022)

Hi @March and welcome to the forum.

Five months ago when I was diagnosed with T2, I had an A1c of 89, in that time I reduced it to 42 just by exercising and cutting out things like potatoes, pasta, pastries and just generally all junk food.

I'm no expert on this subject, but if my doctor had said that to me I would have been devastated as I would imagine you were at the time. 

Keep following the forum, there are lots of knowledgeable members here with lots of good advice.


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## Dave_Z1a (Oct 27, 2022)

Drummer said:


> I was almost spherical following the diet my GP insisted was healthy.
> Just eating fewer carbs resulted in a weight loss of over 50lb - I had stopped weighing myself some time before diagnosis as I could not stop the weight gain on the amount of carbs I was to eat, and low fat too.
> Simply lowering the carb intake and eating the fats which came naturally with the protein was enough to resolve my diabetes in 6 months, but I was no longer diabetic in 80 days, so you could confound your GP at the next test.


"I was almost spherical"...oh that comment , made my day! for some reason it made me laugh so much, don't mean to be rude but can't get image of space hopper out of my mind, am going to bed now, take care. Apologies.


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## March (Oct 27, 2022)

Dave_Z1a said:


> "I was almost spherical"...oh that comment , made my day! for some reason it made me laugh so much, don't mean to be rude but can't get image of space hopper out of my mind, am going to bed now, take care. Apologies.


Morning 
I was hoping someone might help me with the following. I am following my diet and whilst it’s tough I am doing ok. I’ve got in my head the following thought from somewhere.
When looking at carbs and the value of suger per 100g that figure always needs to be 4% or under ?
Is this correct and should I be following this .
My muesli this morning was a new packet bought before I got  my “news” and it reads
Carbs per 100 g suger = 16% so I’m about to throw away. 
Hopefully what I’ve written makes some sense to you guys!!!


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## Spathiphyllum (Oct 27, 2022)

everydayupsanddowns said:


> For folks that have been members of the forum for a few weeks / months / years(!) do tend to start abbreviating things.
> 
> There’s a list of common ones here:
> 
> ...


Thanks very much for this list!! ... Might it be a good idea to 'pin' it? On both the General and the Newbies boards? ...

(I think I've worked 'em out by now, but a lot of things were a little puzzling at first!)


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## Leadinglights (Oct 27, 2022)

March said:


> Morning
> I was hoping someone might help me with the following. I am following my diet and whilst it’s tough I am doing ok. I’ve got in my head the following thought from somewhere.
> When looking at carbs and the value of suger per 100g that figure always needs to be 4% or under ?
> Is this correct and should I be following this .
> ...


You are confusing yourself by looking at the sugar rather than the Total carbs as that is the important number.
For example, it might say Total carbs per 100g is 45g and sugar 3.8g for something like a granola so a 20g portion would be 9g total carbs, this would be a better option than say puffed wheat which is 70g total carb per 100g but sugar is only 0.6g so for a 20g portion the total carbs would be 14g carb but 0.1g sugar. 
On that basis the granola is the better option.
I hope I haven't confused you even more.


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## travellor (Oct 27, 2022)

To be fair, "all carbs convert to glucose" is nonsense as a statement on how we deal with that as type 2s.
We produce insulin in varying amounts.
We are insulin resistant in varying amounts.
Any carb is digested at a different speed.
So a meal of pure sugar could easily produce a monster spike in someone struggling with insulin response and insulin resistance.
A meal of a very low GI carb, mixed with fat and protein, with someone exercising to reduce insulin resistance, and producing a good insulin response may may even register.
That's before you look at the quantity.
Granola is quite dense, you might eat 100g, and so ingest 45g of carbs.
Puffed wheat is airy, you may fill the same space with 50g of puffed what, and so I get only 35g.

And on a 900 calorie diet, I didn't even bother carb counting, by definition that number of calories is low carb enough.


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## silentsquirrel (Oct 27, 2022)

March said:


> Morning
> I was hoping someone might help me with the following. I am following my diet and whilst it’s tough I am doing ok. I’ve got in my head the following thought from somewhere.
> When looking at carbs and the value of suger per 100g that figure always needs to be 4% or under ?
> Is this correct and should I be following this .
> ...


It depends what level of carbs you are aiming at.  Some people have a rule for themselves that they don't eat anything above a certain % of carbs, maybe 10%, but that doesn't take portion size into consideration.  Things like mustard, ketchup, salad cream can be high in carbs per 100g ie as a %, but unless you eat a very large portion the *amount* of carbs will be low for a portion.

Rather than throw it away, you could perhaps have a small amount on top of Greek/Greek style plain yogurt and berries?  So maybe 10 - 15g rather than a 30 - 50g portion with milk?

I would also go with @Leadinglights, ignore the "of which sugars" figure, just use the total carbs.  Ignore the traffic lights, you will only find total carbs in the full nutritional information box.  16% sounds like sugars, carbs for muesli are more likely to be around 60%.


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## March (Oct 27, 2022)

silentsquirrel said:


> It depends what level of carbs you are aiming at.  Some people have a rule for themselves that they don't eat anything above a certain % of carbs, maybe 10%, but that doesn't take portion size into consideration.  Things like mustard, ketchup, salad cream can be high in carbs per 100g ie as a %, but unless you eat a very large portion the *amount* of carbs will be low for a portion.
> 
> Rather than throw it away, you could perhaps have a small amount on top of Greek/Greek style plain yogurt and berries?  So maybe 10 - 15g rather than a 30 - 50g portion with milk?
> 
> I would also go with @Leadinglights, ignore the "of which sugars" figure, just use the total carbs.  Ignore the traffic lights, you will only find total carbs in the full nutritional information box.  16% sounds like sugars, carbs for muesli are more likely to be around 60%.


Thankyou for your help. Since I started my highest total carbs has been 91 so from what you are saying if I stick to trying to keep my carbs at about 80/85 per day and ignore suger content by carbs I’m ok.
So just checked and the granola this morning is 30g carbs in 45g portion.

For someone new to this it’s confusing, but I’m going to now concentrate on carb figure?


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## Leadinglights (Oct 27, 2022)

March said:


> Thankyou for your help. Since I started my highest total carbs has been 91 so from what you are saying if I stick to trying to keep my carbs at about 80/85 per day and ignore suger content by carbs I’m ok.
> So just checked and the granola this morning is 30g carbs in 45g portion.
> 
> For someone new to this it’s confusing, but I’m going to now concentrate on carb figure?


I would suggest you perhaps have half that portion with some full fat Greek yoghurt and a few berries to keep your carbs for breakfast to about 20g carbs


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## March (Oct 28, 2022)

Ok I can do this so would you suggest my carbs total for the day at 80 / 85 is a little high. 
Yesterday it was 91 with total calories of 900


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## Leadinglights (Oct 28, 2022)

March said:


> Ok I can do this so would you suggest my carbs total for the day at 80 / 85 is a little high.
> Yesterday it was 91 with total calories of 900


I wasn't suggesting that necessarily because everybody has to determine how much and what type of carbs they as an individual can tolerate and they will determine that by using a blood glucose monitor to test the effect of various foods.
Some people can't tolerate the same amount of carbs if it is bread but can if it is rice and vice versa.
I was more suggesting you might find with a breakfast with less carbs and more protein and healthy fat you would start the day with a lower blood glucose level than if it was only carbs.
It is hard to be watching both carbs and calories but you have to find a balance which suits you.


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## travellor (Oct 28, 2022)

March said:


> Ok I can do this so would you suggest my carbs total for the day at 80 / 85 is a little high.
> Yesterday it was 91 with total calories of 900



You really have to make a choice of whether you are going low carb or low calorie.
Trying to watch both takes over entirely, as you are finding out.
Also decide how long you want to do this for.
Low carb tends to be a diet control for life, low calorie is shorter term, after which you need to review what you want to do then.
Many choose low carb, and claim it's an easier regime.
I chose low calorie simply to lose weight, as I wanted to reverse my diabetes, then not worry over what I ate.


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## March (Nov 1, 2022)

Bad day today. I weigh myself Tuesday and Friday mornings.
Can not believe this morning that I’m a 1lb heavier. Yes I had a couple and I mean a couple of glasses of wine Sunday with a roast dinner where I had two very small roast potatoes but I played golf in morning m, first time in two years, walking 15,000 steps pushing my clubs.
Not sure how that happens but it’s very disappointing.


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## Leadinglights (Nov 1, 2022)

March said:


> Bad day today. I weigh myself Tuesday and Friday mornings.
> Can not believe this morning that I’m a 1lb heavier. Yes I had a couple and I mean a couple of glasses of wine Sunday with a roast dinner where I had two very small roast potatoes but I played golf in morning m, first time in two years, walking 15,000 steps pushing my clubs.
> Not sure how that happens but it’s very disappointing.


May all depend on how hydrated you are, if you have been to the loo, probably not a genuine increase.


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## March (Nov 1, 2022)

Leadinglights said:


> May all depend on how hydrated you are, if you have been to the loo, probably not a genuine increase.


I do hope not. Still I will keep going. Having read so much on here I am cancelling my appointment at Dr for second blood test and will go 10 weeks after being given the news to have best chance of reducing figure.
Dr said redo test after two weeks which from what I have read makes little sense.


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## JWHP (Nov 1, 2022)

March said:


> Bad day today. I weigh myself Tuesday and Friday mornings.
> Can not believe this morning that I’m a 1lb heavier. Yes I had a couple and I mean a couple of glasses of wine Sunday with a roast dinner where I had two very small roast potatoes but I played golf in morning m, first time in two years, walking 15,000 steps pushing my clubs.
> Not sure how that happens but it’s very disappointing.


I certainly know that feeling ... I weigh myself every day, and then take an average over the week. I find that that's much better to show the overall trend.


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## Drummer (Nov 1, 2022)

March said:


> Bad day today. I weigh myself Tuesday and Friday mornings.
> Can not believe this morning that I’m a 1lb heavier. Yes I had a couple and I mean a couple of glasses of wine Sunday with a roast dinner where I had two very small roast potatoes but I played golf in morning m, first time in two years, walking 15,000 steps pushing my clubs.
> Not sure how that happens but it’s very disappointing.


But are you keeping your blood glucose in normal numbers?
Staying under 8mmol/l at 2 hours after eating seemed to be the point at which things turned around for me.


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## March (Nov 8, 2022)

Hi all I have just started my 4th week and Dr today agreed to my second blood test being delayed until Mid December. HBA1C was 49 on first. Working hard to reduce weight and increase exercise. Last two days 800 calories and yesterday 80g carbs, but today 890 cals and 98g carbs.
Is this level of carbs likely to be ok in reducing my BG for next test .

I feel like I’m asking same question over and over but I’m keen to get this right. 
16,000 steps Sunday and 11,000 Monday and again Tuesday. Do I need more exercise than this ?
The input from those with experience really helps me and motivates me whilst also guiding to make good decisions


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## Leadinglights (Nov 8, 2022)

March said:


> Hi all I have just started my 4th week and Dr today agreed to my second blood test being delayed until Mid December. HBA1C was 49 on first. Working hard to reduce weight and increase exercise. Last two days 800 calories and yesterday 80g carbs, but today 890 cals and 98g carbs.
> Is this level of carbs likely to be ok in reducing my BG for next test .
> 
> I feel like I’m asking same question over and over but I’m keen to get this right.
> ...


That seems like a sensible amount of carbs, reducing your carbs too quickly can give your eye of nerve issues. Your exercise should be something manageable otherwise you will lose enthusiasm. If your steps are with purpose as in brisk walking rather than ambling, it is a good start.


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