# greetings



## type2_what_to_do (Oct 8, 2019)

Just joined the group thanks to type 2. 
Been told to go on low carb diet, and exercise.
Been tot he gym and got a programme, doing sober October to kick start weight loss but as for low carb diets cannot find any information of real value, ideas?


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## Deleted member 25429 (Oct 8, 2019)

There is a book called carb and calorie counter , even has pictures so you can get an idea of portion size . Good luck ..


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## Ljc (Oct 9, 2019)

Hello @type2_what_to_do ,welcome to the forum. 
I am really pleased to hear that you have been told to go low carb , well to be honest I am amazed as usually we’re are told the opposite.  It is carbs we need to reduce, we are usually fine with protein and this may surprise you , good fats. 

Just to give you a few ideas to get you started 
Some of these are probably going to surprise you. 
If you eat meat, it’s fine as are high meat content sausages and burgers, butter, milk, cream, veg esp leafy green veg. Mushrooms, eggs cooked anyway you like,  avocados, olives, fruit with berry in its name, peanut butter, some nuts are low carb unsalted if course though I do eat a few salted nuts. 

The following needs to be reduced/ cut out and replacements found for. 
Our enemies are mainly the starchy carbs. 
Potatoes, rice, pasta and bread esp white (I know this sounds horrid (don’t worry you will find good replacements, ie cauliflower or broccoli rice. High protein bread)
Fruit  juice, flour esp white ,breakfast cereals many people have problems with fruit (berries are tolerated better) grapes are little sugar bombs .
Now you are thinking OH HECK what can I eat , well Their is loads, but whatever you choose to do , dietary and exercise wise make sure it’s is sustainable for you as the last thing you need is to set yourself up to fail some here go very low carb but others do not. 

When you have some time and are up to some info overload have a read through these threads.
maggie-daveys-letter-to-newly-diagnosed-type-2s

test-review-adjust by Alan S and if you decide you want to self test but are told they won’t provide you a glucose meter, this is the cheapest one we know of to self fund the ongoing cost of the testing strips, they are around £8 for 50 where others are £15+ , when your initially testing directly before then two hours after meals, cost is important. 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Codefree-G...&linkId=f39210144fdc26c27738e45b6d957003&th=1

We have some terrific innovative cooks on the forum who kindly put their creations in the
recipes section of the food/carb queries forum

This thread will get you drooling too 
what-did-you-eat-yesterday


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## rebrascora (Oct 9, 2019)

Hi and welcome from me too....

It can be a bit overwhelming at first but as Lin says above, it is quite an enjoyable way to eat once you get your head around it.... A cooked English breakfast or an omelette is great for breakfast if you have time. If you want an "on the go"  breakfast, a Nature Valley Protein bar (Salted Caramel or Chocolate and Peanut) is just under 10g carbs per bar which is less than half of many similar items..... learning to read the label on the back of products for carbohydrate content will become second nature to you eventually.
Some people manage to get away with a slice or two of Low Carb Protein bread, but personally I choose not to eat bread anymore and once you learn how to eat without it, you really don't miss it. 
Many people purchase their own Blood Glucose meter if they are not provided with one. This enables them to test after eating different meals to assess the impact it has had on their BG and learn which foods they can get away with and which need to be significantly reduced or eliminated from their diet. We are all different, so some people can manage to eat porridge whilst it gives others a huge BG spike. Meters are relatively inexpensive to buy (Approx £15) but the testing strips are an on going expense which soon adds up, so getting a meter which has the cheapest test strips makes a lot of sense if you are self funding. The SD Codefree meter is recommended by many on the forum for this reason as the test strips are about £8 per pot of 50 whereas others can be as much as £20.
Anyway, I hope that gives you a few ideas. Because everyone responds differently to different foods, there is no real diet plan that we could suggest, just significantly reduce the carb heavy foods like grains and anything made with flour or potatoes, as well as sugar and honey etc and fruit and particularly fruit juice.
Good luck


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## type2_what_to_do (Oct 9, 2019)

many thanks for the replies, both full of good information on where to start
Thanks again for taking the time to reply


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## Ditto (Oct 9, 2019)

Hello and welcome to the forum.


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## type2_what_to_do (Oct 10, 2019)

Freddie1966 said:


> There is a book called carb and calorie counter , even has pictures so you can get an idea of portion size . Good luck ..


thanks I will have a look for it


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## type2_what_to_do (Oct 10, 2019)

Ditto said:


> Hello and welcome to the forum.


thank you


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## Felinia (Oct 10, 2019)

Low carbs, as described by others!!  I went online and got a web membership and app which gives you all the calories, carbs, fats, protein etc per item of food (literally thousands of them and a barcode search).  It keeps a running total per meal, day and week, so you can see at a glance what you have had, or whether or not to have something you are tempted with!!  I saw Diabetes UK said less then 130gm per day was low carb, but some forum members go really low carb.  I've settled at between 75 and 90 gm pd, plan in advance and record everything the night before.  It works for me and keeps me on track.


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## CathyB (Oct 10, 2019)

Hi and welcome
The others have said it really, the only thing I would add is if you are going to test then map your results to a food diary for a couple of weeks, makes it easier to see trends and work out where you need to tweak and repeat.
Lastly, get crafty with cauliflower, mash it with butter & a bit of mustard as a replacement for mashed potatoes, great as a topping for cottage pie with a layer of cheese on top, cauliflower rice makes a tasty stir fry with a bit of garlic, small onion and peppers, there is so much you can do with it......and to think that all my prediabetic years I thought it was a bland white boring side dish


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## type2_what_to_do (Oct 16, 2019)

thank you for the hints and tips


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## Bronco Billy (Oct 16, 2019)

You need to reduce your carb intake rather than go to a low carb diet. The body needs a good balance of nutrients. It’s all about finding what works for you, so don’t be afraid to experiment a bit.


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## type2_what_to_do (Oct 31, 2019)

Bronco Billy said:


> You need to reduce your carb intake rather than go to a low carb diet. The body needs a good balance of nutrients. It’s all about finding what works for you, so don’t be afraid to experiment a bit.


Thanks for the advice, your of course correct reducing the carbs is key but low carb is a way to start and then experiment from there.


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## Drummer (Oct 31, 2019)

Just remember that starch and sugar are not nutrients - you need protein and fat in order to live, carbs are just the icing, and the cake.


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## Bronco Billy (Oct 31, 2019)

type2_what_to_do said:


> Thanks for the advice, your of course correct reducing the carbs is key but low carb is a way to start and then experiment from there.




I'd start by reducing carbs rather than going low carb immediately. You can gradually reduce your carb intake if it doesn't work as you would like it to. Carbs are as important as any other nutrient.


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## Drummer (Nov 1, 2019)

Bronco Billy said:


> I'd start by reducing carbs rather than going low carb immediately. You can gradually reduce your carb intake if it doesn't work as you would like it to. Carbs are as important as any other nutrient.


How do you justify that when carbs are simply not essential?
Sugars and starches are not nutrients - fats and proteins are essential to life itself. It is an incontrovertible biological fact. We do not need either sugar or starch in order to function.


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## Drummer (Nov 1, 2019)

calcium comes from bone and iron from blood - b vitamins in meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. 
I don't think fibre is all that important really - we are just used to getting it so our guts expand to deal with it.


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## Bronco Billy (Nov 1, 2019)

Drummer said:


> How do you justify that when carbs are simply not essential?
> Sugars and starches are not nutrients - fats and proteins are essential to life itself. It is an incontrovertible biological fact. We do not need either sugar or starch in order to function.



I justify it by respectfully disagreeing with your assertion that carbs are not essential. Type “why do we need carbs” into a search engine and there are many reputable sites telling you why carbs are essential.


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## everydayupsanddowns (Nov 1, 2019)

Different people have different tolerances.

I think it’s virtually impossible to go ‘no carb’ as there is carbohydrate in many vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds that are important in dietary health for their vitamins, minerals and fibre. B vitamins are available in red meats, and it’s more of a challenge for vegetarians and vegans to get a good supply of them.

Carbs are the body’s preferred source of energy (which is linked to their easy absorption and conversion into glucose).

As you can see @type2_what_to_do - different people have different tolerances and it’s important that you find your own balance. This post is quite helpful in that regard:
https://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/test-review-adjust.html

I like the idea of finding a ‘low spike nutritionally complete diet that suits you’


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## Drummer (Nov 1, 2019)

Bronco Billy said:


> I justify it by respectfully disagreeing with your assertion that carbs are not essential. Type “why do we need carbs” into a search engine and there are many reputable sites telling you why carbs are essential.


How can they be reputable?
Humans lived in the far northern latitudes and did not eat carbohydrates, surviving in robust good health on seals, whales, fish, caribou and other animals - if carbs were essential then surely that would have been impossible.


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## Eddy Edson (Nov 2, 2019)

Drummer said:


> How can they be reputable?
> Humans lived in the far northern latitudes and did not eat carbohydrates, surviving in robust good health on seals, whales, fish, caribou and other animals - if carbs were essential then surely that would have been impossible.



Just to note that the idea that the Inuit traditionally had superior health is incorrect: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12535749


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