# Good afternoon, I'm all new to this!!



## Mazza41 (Mar 8, 2022)

I have just recently been diagnosed with type 2 so I'm just looking for information and advice that will help me


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## ColinUK (Mar 8, 2022)

Hi, and welcome to the forum. 

Can you tell us a little more about how you came to be diagnosed and any questions you have right now?


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## Mazza41 (Mar 8, 2022)

I was prediabetic beforehand.....I'm going through the journey of having bariatric surgery so had my bloods done last week and obviously come back not good Dr has put me on metaformin, went to see nurse today so I got some advice but don't feel like it was enough, she has referred me to a Desmond group and made an appointment to get my eyes checked and I'm not back till 4 weeks time... I'm just wanting some ideas of what people are eating etc


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## Leadinglights (Mar 8, 2022)

Mazza41 said:


> I was prediabetic beforehand.....I'm going through the journey of having bariatric surgery so had my bloods done last week and obviously come back not good Dr has put me on metaformin, went to see nurse today so I got some advice but don't feel like it was enough, she has referred me to a Desmond group and made an appointment to get my eyes checked and I'm not back till 4 weeks time... I'm just wanting some ideas of what people are eating etc


The Desmond program is OK but follows the standard NHS advice following the EATWELL plate which might be ok for non diabetics but is rather too high in carbohydrates for many Type 2 people to be able to tolerate and still reduce their blood glucose. 
As well as the Learning Zone here you might find this link useful as it is a program developed for patients at that GP surgery and was found to be successful. Good explanation and food ideas.








						Freshwell Low Carb Project
					

Real Food, Low Carb, Good Health




					lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk


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## ColinUK (Mar 8, 2022)

Won’t the bariatric clinic lead on pre-op dietary advice?


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## Drummer (Mar 8, 2022)

@Mazza41 you might find that eating a low carb diet will solve several problems.
My ability to cope with carbs is low, and I eat only 40 gm a day or less, but my waistline has been in decline for some years, just drifting away inch by inch. My weight dropped quite dramatically in the first year even though I often have steak and mushrooms, or pork chop and mushrooms for breakfast.
All the earnest entreaties in the world would not get me back eating the usual diet for 'weightloss' - the one which never works, could never work, as it is all wrong.


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## Mazza41 (Mar 8, 2022)

Oo thank you for the replies, I don't know where to start....regarding pre op diet...my last bariatric appointment was the date I had my bloods took and not been back since getting results and  being diagnosed I have been on the journey since October and have been cutting back on lots of things but again could eat things that I can't now ie potatoes pastas etc and once I've had surgery again a whole different diet again it's all just so confusing and upsetting cause I'm just so lost right now ...I've just had apple pineapple and a yoghurt for my tea because I don't know what I can and can't have ....I'm just doing a online shop just now and I've added cauliflower rice,berries, pork steaks, so thanks for that ....can I eat muesli ? ....honestly I feel like banging my head off a brick wall


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## Leadinglights (Mar 8, 2022)

Mazza41 said:


> Oo thank you for the replies, I don't know where to start....regarding pre op diet...my last bariatric appointment was the date I had my bloods took and not been back since getting results and  being diagnosed I have been on the journey since October and have been cutting back on lots of things but again could eat things that I can't now ie potatoes pastas etc and once I've had surgery again a whole different diet again it's all just so confusing and upsetting cause I'm just so lost right now ...I've just had apple pineapple and a yoghurt for my tea because I don't know what I can and can't have ....I'm just doing a online shop just now and I've added cauliflower rice,berries, pork steaks, so thanks for that ....can I eat muesli ? ....honestly I feel like banging my head off a brick wall


The book the Diabetes weight loss Cookbook by Caldesi is very good as it gives explanation of how to go about implementing a low carb way of eating as well as some good recipes and meal suggestions.
Amazon have it for £12 or kindle version at £4.99.
Muesli can be high carbs as can all cereals but you could have full fat greek yoghurt with some berries and just a small portion 20g of a low sugar cereal like All Bran or granola.
I assume your bariatric surgery is for weight loss and as you say your diet may need to be very different following that but also a change of mindset about the amount of food you can eat.


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## Mazza41 (Mar 8, 2022)

I can't thank you all enough, I've just purchased that book along with the first year of having diabetes, I'm just so confused and now thinking what am I having for breakfast......I haven't even gone to sleep yet lol x


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## Drummer (Mar 8, 2022)

I don't eat grains, so no rice, bread, pastry, no breakfast cereals - no potato, cake or biscuit, no sugary stuff except some berries a couple of times a week, but I can have lots of eggs and cheese, meat, seafood, fish, full fat yoghurt, coffee with cream.
I am a lot thinner now, and need to make smaller clothes every year.


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## Mazza41 (Mar 9, 2022)

Good morning, please can I ask what is the best bread ....I have cut it out of my diet but it's just incase I need something quick etc ? This morn I have made breakfast muffins with ham base tomatoes mushrooms low fat cheese and eggs and had 2 of those with a small tin of plum tomatoes .....does this sound ok ?


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## Leadinglights (Mar 9, 2022)

Mazza41 said:


> Good morning, please can I ask what is the best bread ....I have cut it out of my diet but it's just incase I need something quick etc ? This morn I have made breakfast muffins with ham base tomatoes mushrooms low fat cheese and eggs and had 2 of those with a small tin of plum tomatoes .....does this sound ok ?


Depending on what part of the country you come from muffins can cover a multitude of different things to something like a bread roll to a cake like thing.
Some people make Keto muffins, sweet or savoury, which would be low carb.


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## everydayupsanddowns (Mar 10, 2022)

Well done for all the effort you are putting in @Mazza41 

Knowing what to eat, and how it might be affecting you can be so confusing in the early days!  

The really tricky thing is that blood glucose responses to various foods are highly individual, and it can be impossible to say which types and amounts of carbohydrate will ‘spike’ your BG without checking for yourself.

You can use a BG meter, taking a reading before and again 2hrs after eating, to see what the differences are, to identify any carbs that seem to be spiking BG (initially in a way the numbers themselves matter less than the differences between them). Ideally you would want to see a rise of no more than 2-3mmol/L at the 2hr mark. Once you can see how you respond to different meals you can begin experimenting with reducing portion sizes of the carbs where you see bigger rises. You might find that you are particularly sensitive to carbohydrate from one source (eg bread), but have more liberty with others (eg oats or basmati rice) - It’s all very individual! You might even find that just having things at a different time of day makes a difference - with breakfast time being the trickiest. 

Over weeks and months of experimentation you can gradually tweak and tailor your menu to find one that suits your tastebuds, your waistline, your budget *and* your BG levels - and a way of eating that is flexible enough to be sustainable long-term.

If you need to self fund your BG meter, the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - which both have test strips at around £8 for 50

Good luck and let us know how you get on


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## Mazza41 (Mar 10, 2022)

Thank you so much, the nurse at my go surgery said I didn't need to check bloods as I'm on metaformin, would you suggest I buy one anyway, that is a really good price.


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## Leadinglights (Mar 10, 2022)

Mazza41 said:


> Thank you so much, the nurse at my go surgery said I didn't need to check bloods as I'm on metaformin, would you suggest I buy one anyway, that is a really good price.


Absolutely!!!!!!!.
Your nurse drives her car without a speedometer then does she?


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## Mazza41 (Mar 10, 2022)

Well I will purchase one now  thanks again


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## KGL (Mar 10, 2022)

everydayupsanddowns said:


> Well done for all the effort you are putting in @Mazza41
> 
> Knowing what to eat, and how it might be affecting you can be so confusing in the early days!
> 
> ...


Following this thread with interest.   Mazza - I got the Spirit Tee2 monitor, only being using it for 2 days but it is easy to use.   

 Is there any guidance on the number of grams of daily carbs/sugar advised? All I can find is do "low carb" but I really need to know what I should be aiming for.   I'm monitoring my nutrition but I have no idea whether they are too high or not?


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## everydayupsanddowns (Mar 10, 2022)

KGL said:


> Following this thread with interest.   Mazza - I got the Spirit Tee2 monitor, only being using it for 2 days but it is easy to use.
> 
> Is there any guidance on the number of grams of daily carbs/sugar advised? All I can find is do "low carb" but I really need to know what I should be aiming for.   I'm monitoring my nutrition but I have no idea whether they are too high or not?



It’s a frustratingly individual thing unfortunately @KGL - it really depends on what your personal tolerances are, and what your preferences are too. 

If you are interested in exploring a low-carb approach, you might find this meal plan helpful?






						Low-carb diet and meal plan
					

Eating a low-carb diet means cutting down on the amount of carbohydrates (carbs) you eat to less than 130g a day. But low-carb eating shouldn’t be no-carb eating. Some carbohydrate foods contain essential vitamins, minerals and fibre, which form an important part of a healthy diet.




					www.diabetes.org.uk


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## KGL (Mar 10, 2022)

everydayupsanddowns said:


> It’s a frustratingly individual thing unfortunately @KGL - it really depends on what your personal tolerances are, and what your preferences are too.
> 
> If you are interested in exploring a low-carb approach, you might find this meal plan helpful?
> 
> ...


Thank you.  The 130g gives me a figure to work with.


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## Drummer (Mar 10, 2022)

KGL said:


> Thank you.  The 130g gives me a figure to work with.


Work with what your glucose is after meals - I have no more than 40 gm of carb a day, and that gives me normal numbers - but I had decades of being pushed to eat carbs even though I never felt well and put on weight so easily - right up until I was diagnosed type two.
Once I was seeing numbers in the 8's after meals I just kept eating the same things and my numbers gradually reduced as my metabolism presumably recovered.


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## goodybags (Mar 11, 2022)

Mazza41 said:


> Good morning, please can I ask what is the best bread ....I have cut it out of my diet but it's just incase I need something quick etc ? This morn I have made breakfast muffins with ham base tomatoes mushrooms low fat cheese and eggs and had 2 of those with a small tin of plum tomatoes .....does this sound ok ?


Hi @Mazza41 
When I reintroduced bread into my diet having cut it out,
I started looking at the carbs per slice (on the nutritional information label) It’s an real eye opener.

and found a Warburton's no added Sugar Wholemeal wasn’t to bad,
I’ve recently started buying Hovis Wholemeal Nimble and that’s actually slightly less carb than the Warburton. usually I just limit myself to one or two slices a day.


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## Mazza41 (Mar 14, 2022)

Good afternoon, my new purchase has arrived today ☺️ all I've had today is a bowl of albran for breakfast around 9 am I done my blood sugars at 12pm and it was 9.2 ??


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## trophywench (Mar 14, 2022)

You are aiming for between 4.0 & 7.0 prior to eating and an increase of no more than 3.0, by 2 hours post meal.

A one off test of 9.2 means nothing whatsoever - the idea is we test in order to discover something, eg whether a bowl of All Bran is doing our blood glucose any good or not - but to discover that, you need to test before you ate it and again 2hrs later.

If we don't use blood tests to inform ourselves there is very little point in testing - and as it's costing you money every time you do a test - better make as many of them as possible informative!


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## Mazza41 (Mar 14, 2022)

With it just getting delivered I had to test it out just so I know how to use it ect....I'm going to start in the morning before breakfast and after etc ........the thing I'm now concerned about is with it being 9.2 I don't dare eat anything.


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## Leadinglights (Mar 14, 2022)

Mazza41 said:


> With it just getting delivered I had to test it out just so I know how to use it ect....I'm going to start in the morning before breakfast and after etc ........the thing I'm now concerned about is with it being 9.2 I don't dare eat anything.


If you are newly diagnosed with a high enough HbA1C to be put on metformin then a reading of over 9 would not be unusual after eating All Bran, although one of the lower carb cereals it is still quite high carb.
It will take time and careful choices of food for your blood glucose to come down.


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## Mazza41 (Mar 14, 2022)

AHH ok, it's the first time I've eaten cereal since diagnoses....I fancied a changed from eggs lol .....I think I need some chickens for my back garden at this rate...I'm having chicken stir-fry for tea ....would soya sauce be ok would you think ? Thank you so much for advice.


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## Leadinglights (Mar 14, 2022)

Mazza41 said:


> AHH ok, it's the first time I've eaten cereal since diagnoses....I fancied a changed from eggs lol .....I think I need some chickens for my back garden at this rate...I'm having chicken stir-fry for tea ....would soya sauce be ok would you think ? Thank you so much for advice.


A tablespoonful is 1g carb i.e. not very much. It is those sachets of stir fry sauces which are high carbs.
I often make a stir fry satay with peanut butter, grated ginger, bit chilli powder and soy sauce.


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## Drummer (Mar 14, 2022)

Mazza41 said:


> Good afternoon, my new purchase has arrived today ☺️ all I've had today is a bowl of albran for breakfast around 9 am I done my blood sugars at 12pm and it was 9.2 ??


All Bran is about 1/2 carbs by weight - not really a good option


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## Mazza41 (Mar 15, 2022)

Right sooo my results before breakfast was 12.2 and 2 hrs after poached egg on wholegrain toast with a flat white coffee is 9.5! Any advice on this please ?


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## KGL (Mar 17, 2022)

I’m no expert but it looks like you’re heading the right way to me.  I guess it will take a couple of weeks to see any trends it for now if you’ve made changes that has to be positive.  Good luck


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## Leadinglights (Mar 17, 2022)

Mazza41 said:


> Right sooo my results before breakfast was 12.2 and 2 hrs after poached egg on wholegrain toast with a flat white coffee is 9.5! Any advice on this please ?


Before coming to any conclusions you will need to do a few more tests with the same meal. If you are getting the same then look for explanation. It does seem odd that it was so much lower after 2 hours unless you were doing lots of exercise. I would be more suspicious of the 12.2 before your meal.


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