# New and confused



## Louise Jayne (Feb 19, 2021)

Morning all. I’m 4 weeks new into type 2


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## EllsBells (Feb 19, 2021)

Louise Jayne said:


> Morning all. I’m 4 weeks new into type 2


Welcome and sorry to hear it. How did you find out and what was your HbA1c level?


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## Inka (Feb 19, 2021)

Welcome @Louise Jayne  

What are you confused about? Ask anything you want no matter how trivial. No question is silly.


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## adrian1der (Feb 19, 2021)

Hi @Louise Jayne and welcome


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## MrDaibetes (Feb 19, 2021)

Hi Louise and welcome to the forum. Being diagnosed with diabetes can be very confusing, with that said there is lots of information on Diabetes UK about Diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. 

What is it that you are confused about? I'm sure you can find lots of answers from the wonderful community we have here on the forum.


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## SB2015 (Feb 19, 2021)

Welcome to the forum that no one wants to need to join @Louise Jayne 

As others have said there is plenty of info available in here, as well as a wealth of experience to draw on.  There is a lot of info in the Learning Zone (a tab at the top of this page), as well interesting chats in What did you eat yesterday thread.

Whatever questions you have just ask.  Nothing is considered silly on here, and it is a lot to take in at the start.  Plenty of help on here.


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## Louise Jayne (Mar 5, 2021)

EllsBells said:


> Welcome and sorry to hear it. How did you find out and what was your HbA1c level?


Hi, I was having blood tests done for others health issues and it was flagged up. My HbA1c level is 52. Tbh I’m not sure if that’s really high or not.


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## adrian1der (Mar 5, 2021)

Hi @Louise Jayne The cut off for diagnosis is 48 so at 52 you are only just over the line. With a few minor adjustments you should be able to bring that down.


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## Louise Jayne (Mar 5, 2021)

Hi all, thank you for you replies. I’ve had a rough start to type 2 as the meds have made me feel so unwell. Thankfully dr has now changed them. I see a lot of ppl test their bloods but I’ve been told I don’t need too, just need a blood test every  3 months. Is this true for all? I struggle with food as I’m so fussy! I’ve cut out all snacking so hopefully will have lost weight when I go back. Stay safe


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## Louise Jayne (Mar 5, 2021)

adrian1der said:


> Hi @Louise Jayne The cut off for diagnosis is 48 so at 52 you are only just over the line. With a few minor adjustments you should be able to bring that down.


Thank you for your reply. Can you tell me what the best way forward is to lose weight. I see you’ve done incredibly well....good for you. What does GI mean? What health eat plan is best for me? Low carbs?


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## Inka (Mar 5, 2021)

GI = glycaemic index @Louise Jayne It’s a measure of how fast foods put blood sugar up, so, for example, sugar would be high GI because it puts blood glucose up quickly.

What kind of foods do you like? What would a typical day’s food look like for you at the moment?


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## adrian1der (Mar 5, 2021)

Hi @Louise Jayne I would start by reducing your portions of carb heavy food. So bit less bread, spuds, rice, pasta etc. You can replace those elements with green veg. Carbohydrates are rapidly converted into glucose in your body. If you take a bit more exercise as well that will also help your BG. Of course, with smaller portions and a bit more exercise you should also see the pounds dropping off which in turn will further improve your BG. It is a virtuous circle!


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## Louise Jayne (Mar 5, 2021)

Inka said:


> GI = glycaemic index @Louise Jayne It’s a measure of how fast foods put blood sugar up, so, for example, sugar would be high GI because it puts blood glucose up quickly.
> 
> What kind of foods do you like? What would a typical day’s food look like for you at the moment?


I’d currently have porridge or weetabix for breakfast, a piece of fruit around 10 ish, then tuna salad at lunch. Dinner might be a curry or jacket potato with baked beans. Another piece of fruit in the evening say an apple or banana. I don’t have bread every day. I’ve changed to brown rice and whole meal bread. I’ve cut out butter, chocolate, biscuits, crisps sweets, cakes.


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## Louise Jayne (Mar 5, 2021)

adrian1der said:


> Hi @Louise Jayne I would start by reducing your portions of carb heavy food. So bit less bread, spuds, rice, pasta etc. You can replace those elements with green veg. Carbohydrates are rapidly converted into glucose in your body. If you take a bit more exercise as well that will also help your BG. Of course, with smaller portions and a bit more exercise you should also see the pounds dropping off which in turn will further improve your BG. It is a virtuous circle!


Thank you for your advice. What are the recommended amounts of carbs, salt, sugar etc per day.


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## Louise Jayne (Mar 5, 2021)

SB2015 said:


> Welcome to the forum that no one wants to need to join @Louise Jayne
> 
> As others have said there is plenty of info available in here, as well as a wealth of experience to draw on.  There is a lot of info in the Learning Zone (a tab at the top of this page), as well interesting chats in What did you eat yesterday thread.
> 
> Whatever questions you have just ask.  Nothing is considered silly on here, and it is a lot to take in at the start.  Plenty of help on here.


Thank you


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## adrian1der (Mar 5, 2021)

Louise Jayne said:


> Thank you for your advice. What are the recommended amounts of carbs, salt, sugar etc per day.


It's hard to say as everyone varies in their tolerances. This is why many members use a finger prick test. If you test before a meal and two hours afterwards you are looking for a rise of less than 3 and ideally less than 2 after the meal. If you keep a food diary and test you will soon learn what foods your body can, and can't tolerate.


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## Drummer (Mar 5, 2021)

Your diet would be a disaster for me, as I am very sensitive to carbs. Eating low carb means that I only need to eat twice a day, and do not snack. 
As your Hba1c is a lot lower than mine at diagnosis you might well be able to reduce back to normal eating far more carbs, but if you tot up the amount you are eating you might be surprised.
I eat no more than 40 gm of carb a day, and my meter shows normal numbers.
You don't ned to cut out butter - it is better than seed oils or spreads made from them.
Chocolate - a high cocoa one should be fine - it is the amount of sugar in ordinary chocolates which is the problem.
Brown carbs are no better than white ones, it is the amount which is the key factor.
Choosing fruit with lower percentages of carbs is a good idea - berries are the lowest.


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## Louise Jayne (Mar 5, 2021)

adrian1der said:


> It's hard to say as everyone varies in their tolerances. This is why many members use a finger prick test. If you test before a meal and two hours afterwards you are looking for a rise of less than 3 and ideally less than 2 after the meal. If you keep a food diary and test you will soon learn what foods your body can, and can't tolerate.


I’ve not been given a machine to test. I’ve been told I don’t need to do this


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## Drummer (Mar 5, 2021)

Louise Jayne said:


> I’ve not been given a machine to test. I’ve been told I don’t need to do this


Many are - but would a car driver prefer to have a speedometer in the car or rely on the absence of speeding fines at the end of each quarter?


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## Drummer (Mar 5, 2021)

Non working speedo is an MOT failure here.


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## Inka (Mar 5, 2021)

You’ve made some good changes @Louise Jayne See how that goes. To keep carbs moderate, you could look at keeping portions small and maybe count your carbs, etc on an app like My Fitness Pal.

Baked potatoes are often mentioned in diets but if I remember correctly, they’re quite high GI and one of the large-ish baking potatoes would have a fair amount of carbs. Adding the baked beans to that would add about 30g carbs too. Curry and rice should be ok if you keep your rice portion small or use cauli rice instead. Veg is always good to bulk out meals and add health benefits.


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## Jenny Rowcliffe (Mar 5, 2021)

Louise Jayne said:


> Morning all. I’m 4 weeks new 2


Hello Louise! Snap! It sounds as though we received the Type2 diagnosis at the same time. I hope you feel better than I do about it.


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## Inka (Mar 6, 2021)

Jenny Rowcliffe said:


> Hello Louise! Snap! It sounds as though we received the Type2 diagnosis at the same time. I hope you feel better than I do about it.



Welcome @Jenny Rowcliffe  

A diabetes diagnosis is hard for sure. Is there anything in particular that’s getting to you?


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## Louise Jayne (Mar 6, 2021)

Inka said:


> You’ve made some good changes @Louise Jayne See how that goes. To keep carbs moderate, you could look at keeping portions small and maybe count your carbs, etc on an app like My Fitness Pal.
> 
> Baked potatoes are often mentioned in diets but if I remember correctly, they’re quite high GI and one of the large-ish baking potatoes would have a fair amount of carbs. Adding the baked beans to that would add about 30g carbs too. Curry and rice should be ok if you keep your rice portion small or use cauli rice instead. Veg is always good to bulk out meals and add health benefits.


Thank you for your advice. As I said I’m a fussy eater and if I cut out more things I like I’ll be living on air! Ha ha


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## Louise Jayne (Mar 6, 2021)

Jenny Rowcliffe said:


> Hello Louise! Snap! It sounds as though we received the Type2 diagnosis at the same time. I hope you feel better than I do about it.


Hi Jenny, I’m just getting on with it tbh. Still trying to get my meds right and just cut out the foods I’m not allowed to have. Sorry to hear you’re not feeling good. There’s lots of support on here and we can boost each other too.


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## Inka (Mar 6, 2021)

Louise Jayne said:


> Thank you for your advice. As I said I’m a fussy eater and if I cut out more things I like I’ll be living on air! Ha ha



Just small changes can help eg tuna and mayo in your baked potato, or cottage cheese. Or a smaller potato bulked out with a side salad and/or green veg.
Little changes all add up


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## Louise Jayne (Mar 6, 2021)

Inka said:


> Just small changes can help eg tuna and mayo in your baked potato, or cottage cheese. Or a smaller potato bulked out with a side salad and/or green veg.
> Little changes all add up


Thank you. I’m doing all of those thing minus cheese as it’s a no good food for me. I appreciate all your help.


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## Jenny Rowcliffe (Mar 6, 2021)

Louise Jayne said:


> Hi Jenny, I’m just getting on with it tbh. Still trying to get my meds right and just cut out the foods I’m not allowed to have. Sorry to hear you’re not feeling good. There’s lots of support on here and we can boost each other too.


Thank you! I can’t even work the phone being a sad technophobe! am surprised when I succeed in seeing a reply!
my GP phoned with this diagnosis and said I should try for next 3 months to reduce blood sugars. No pills and don’t need insulin so it is vital I manage my  diet.
My balance is poor, knees painful and am nauseous! Had a smart watch for my birthday recently... 4000 steps a day is my best so far! I know!!!!!! I am trying!!


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## everydayupsanddowns (Mar 7, 2021)

Jenny Rowcliffe said:


> Thank you! I can’t even work the phone being a sad technophobe! am surprised when I succeed in seeing a reply!
> my GP phoned with this diagnosis and said I should try for next 3 months to reduce blood sugars. No pills and don’t need insulin so it is vital I manage my  diet.
> My balance is poor, knees painful and am nauseous! Had a smart watch for my birthday recently... 4000 steps a day is my best so far! I know!!!!!! I am trying!!



Welcome to the forum @Jenny Rowcliffe and @Louise Jayne 

Lots of help, support and encouragement here


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## Drummer (Mar 7, 2021)

My knees got really bad before I lost some weight - I found a trampoline was really low impact - I have an 8ft one in the garden.


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## Jenny Rowcliffe (Mar 17, 2021)

Inka said:


> Welcome @Jenny Rowcliffe
> 
> A diabetes diagnosis is hard for sure. Is there anything in particular that’s getting to you?


Have at last spoken briefly with the community dietician and she will phone me for a proper talk in a couple of weeks. I am following a very low carb menu that I hope will lower my blood sugars. Reduced potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, cake, biscuits to almost zero. No alcohol although I confess I have half a centimetre of Paddy’s whiskey waiting for me in a small glass! It is St Patrick’s Day! Result is 7lbs lighter! No idea about blood sugars although I will have another hospital blood test in 6 weeks time. 
I am very grumpy and I have to keep my mouth shut else no one will have a scrap of sympathy!


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## Jenny Rowcliffe (Mar 17, 2021)

Louise Jayne said:


> Hi Jenny, I’m just getting on with it tbh. Still trying to get my meds right and just cut out the foods I’m not allowed to have. Sorry to hear you’re not feeling good. There’s lots of support on here and we can boost each other too.


How are you getting on? I hope you are coping with knowing what is good for us to eat and what is not! I think planning ahead was not easy for my muddled mind but now I am better prepared. I hope your meds are all sorted now. Keep positive.


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## Drummer (Mar 17, 2021)

Jenny Rowcliffe said:


> Have at last spoken briefly with the community dietician and she will phone me for a proper talk in a couple of weeks. I am following a very low carb menu that I hope will lower my blood sugars. Reduced potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, cake, biscuits to almost zero. No alcohol although I confess I have half a centimetre of Paddy’s whiskey waiting for me in a small glass! It is St Patrick’s Day! Result is 7lbs lighter! No idea about blood sugars although I will have another hospital blood test in 6 weeks time.
> I am very grumpy and I have to keep my mouth shut else no one will have a scrap of sympathy!


Have you added more meat or fish, eggs etc, to keep you going having removed the carbs? Many people find that keeping up their energy levels results in weightloss faster than not eating much at all.


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## Jenny Rowcliffe (Mar 19, 2021)

Yes forgot to say I eat more chicken but not as much red mead as I used to. I force myself to eat fish but can only manage salmon for dinner and occasionally smoked salmon on a stack with portobello mushrooms and poached eggs.


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## NotPink (Mar 19, 2021)

Drummer said:


> Your diet would be a disaster for me, as I am very sensitive to carbs. Eating low carb means that I only need to eat twice a day, and do not snack.
> As your Hba1c is a lot lower than mine at diagnosis you might well be able to reduce back to normal eating far more carbs, but if you tot up the amount you are eating you might be surprised.
> I eat no more than 40 gm of carb a day, and my meter shows normal numbers.
> You don't ned to cut out butter - it is better than seed oils or spreads made from them.
> ...


Just picking up your carb sensitivity. I am very sensitive to carbs I cannot eat bread, pots or any grains cos my readings go up very quickly and I get neg. symptoms. So I don't eat them. 
I thought i was the only one who was like this cos many here say they cut down on carbs and don't cut them out. Even stranger because of my other dietary dilemma I have not eaten carbs nor sugar or fruit etc for many years but I was still diagnosed with pre diabetes...how weird is that? 
Now having said that I binged on chocolate over Xmas first time in many years which wasn't a good idea but occasionally I need something to tempt me and regretted it...


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## Drummer (Mar 20, 2021)

I was always sensitive to carbs from very early on - it just took a 'healthy' diet to push me over into full diabetes. 
I find that beans appear to have more carbs than they are credited with - but I digest them better than most, I think - and the meter shows where they end up spiking my BG levels.
I think the sensitivity runs in the family, and if it is there it surfaces in the end - it took me until I was 65.
I have 95% cocoa choclate from Lidl and that seems adequate even if I have just one square.


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