# i'm in la la land!



## mrsgalliano (Mar 3, 2017)

Hi, I  was diagnosed with type 2 a month ago with a sugar level of 20.5 !!!! Horror ! Shock!
I am now in the crazy world of blood checks! sugar checks! eye checks! water checks! feet checks! too much attention for me (  I have been overtaken by diet sheets, do's and don'ts, low fats, low sugars, low carbs, high fibres, I have become a vegetable soup maker, a smoothie maker, eating salmon, ( I can swim like one now) butter has been banned, and how I miss my parmo with chips!!! Amazingly, EVERYBODY has an opinion about diabetes, what a strange new world I find myself in lol On a good point, I am shrinking!
Love this site, it talks common sense. (unlike me)


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## James 048 (Mar 3, 2017)

Warm welcome to the gang


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## Nomad (Mar 3, 2017)

Welcome.


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## grovesy (Mar 3, 2017)

*Welcome.*


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## Lucy Honeychurch (Mar 3, 2017)

Hi and welcome


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## mrsgalliano (Mar 3, 2017)

James 048 said:


> Warm welcome to the gang


thank you for your welcome I have a lot to learn


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## mrsgalliano (Mar 3, 2017)

thank you everybody it's great to read the experiences of fellow diabetics ! Its a scary world for a beginner!


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## Grogg1 (Mar 3, 2017)

Welcome aboard!  Ps I love butter, No trashy chemical margarine for me!  I eat good fats and just restrict carbs, sweets and fruit.


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## Owen (Mar 3, 2017)

Watch the smoothies, they can cause rapid spikes. The rest you will figure out.


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## mrsgalliano (Mar 3, 2017)

Grogg1 said:


> Welcome aboard!  Ps I love butter, No trashy chemical margarine for me!  I eat good fats and just restrict carbs, sweets and fruit.


Hi you eat butter!!! That's great news , there is life after diabetes lol thank you for cheering me up !


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## mrsgalliano (Mar 3, 2017)

Hi


Owen said:


> Watch the smoothies, they can cause rapid spikes. The rest you will figure out.


 thanks for warning, is fruit one of the no go areas? Smoothies out! Lol ps forgive my ignorance, what is a rapid spike?


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## Owen (Mar 3, 2017)

No it's because the give is removed when you blend it, releasing the sugar's


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## mrsgalliano (Mar 3, 2017)

Owen said:


> No it's because the give is removed when you blend it, releasing the sugar's


I didn't know that, many thanks


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## Andy HB (Mar 3, 2017)

Grogg1 said:


> Welcome aboard!  Ps I love butter, No trashy chemical margarine for me!  I eat good fats and just restrict carbs, sweets and fruit.


This is interesting. When I lost weight originally, I used almost entirely those low fat olive spreads (either Tesco or Sainsburys depending on where I shopped).

This time round, I am sticking with proper butter only and am getting similarly good results and it's much tastier! I have also ditched using those spreadable butters. It is proper blocks of good and proper Welsh butter only!

Anyway, welcome to the forum from me too, mrsgalliano.

Andy 

p.s. Of course, it's all about the quantity at the end of the day.


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## mrsgalliano (Mar 3, 2017)

Andy HB said:


> This is interesting. When I lost weight originally, I used almost entirely those low fat olive spreads (either Tesco or Sainsburys depending on where I shopped).
> 
> This time round, I am sticking with proper butter only and am getting similarly good results and it's much tastier! I have also ditched using those spreadable butters. It is proper blocks of good and proper Welsh butter only!
> 
> ...


Best news I heard today Andy! Thank you


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## Grogg1 (Mar 3, 2017)

mrsgalliano said:


> Hi, I  was diagnosed with type 2 a month ago with a sugar level of 20.5 !!!! Horror ! Shock!
> I am now in the crazy world of blood checks! sugar checks! eye checks! water checks! feet checks! too much attention for me (  I have been overtaken by diet sheets, do's and don'ts, low fats, low sugars, low carbs, high fibres, I have become a vegetable soup maker, a smoothie maker, eating salmon, ( I can swim like one now) butter has been banned, and how I miss my parmo with chips!!! Amazingly, EVERYBODY has an opinion about diabetes, what a strange new world I find myself in lol On a good point, I am shrinking
> 
> Love this site, it talks common sense. (unlike me)



I am only 3 months on from diagnosis and my blood sugar was high as you will see from my signature.  My recent hb1ac has put me in "pre diabetic" range.  I'm still diabetic and if I return to my old eating habits my BG will go shooting back up but so far my dietary changes, along with testing, have allowed me to take control of my BG.

Like many other forum members reading other's posts about how they control their diabetes helped me (and inspired and reassured me) to take control.

I am not a big meat eater and had previously my meals revolved around pasta, rice, potatoes and to a lesser extent bread with my favourite veg of parsnips, swede, peas.  I also loved smoothies and orange juice.  The fruit juices I knew had to go due to high sugar content.  I also decided to reduce my carbs to see if that would work for me.  I have to say I went for it and cut them out as much as possible.  I upped my green veg to make sure I didn't suffer constipation - it can be a side effect of having a diet low in carbs.   My hubby has always been anti "low fat" products so we have butter.  I only have skimmed milk though in my tea not because it's low fat I just prefer the taste.  I have double cream with a few strawberries too!  My daughter is vegan and wants me to go diary free but I eat so much cheese, more so than meat.

I found it useful to post questions about food, whether others have found them good or bad in the early days.  Now I'm a bit more confident.  I now eat small portions of rice, sweet potato wedges the odd roast potato and I tolerate them quite well.  Sadly I can't eat chocolate profiterole as it caused me a big rise (just one measly one too).   I keep a packet of nuts (homebargains sell small bags for 25p) in my drawer in work which I eat if others around me are snacking on crisps or chocolate.


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## Ralph-YK (Mar 4, 2017)

mrsgalliano said:


> what is a rapid spike?


It's when your BG rises quickly and noticeably higher.


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## Ljc (Mar 4, 2017)

Hi Welcome. One of the best things you can do for yourself it test your BG (blood glucose ) levels to see how various foods and drinks affect you.
If they won't provide with a meter , some really strange excuses are given, if you can afford to fund the ongoing cost of the testing strips, then the SD Codefree meter is the cheapest one to self fund , their strips cost around £8 for 50 where other high street brands can cost £25
It's available from Amazon or directly from Homehealth
We use the mmol/L measurement in the UK, don't forget to claim VAT relief
You will also need to buy more strips  and lancets as they only issue 10 in a starter pack

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/

Ditch those smoothies too it's best to eat our veggies and fruit to get all the good fibre. Many of us have to be careful of fruit and find berries are tolerated better grapes are little sugar bombs.

Most of us on here ignore that that eatwell plate or whatever they call it now.
You will see we all follow different types of diet, theirs LCHF (low carb high fat) don't let the high fat bit worry you , it's basically normal fats but the healthy ones,  (personally  I don't buy anything that is not naturally low fat),  The Atkins diet,  keto and paleo diet, some do LCLF 
If you eat sausages and burgers though they are more expensive go for the high meat content ones, the more meat the less carbs in Them.
To start will just cut down on the starchy carbs , potatoes, rice, pasta and bread especially white . Till you find suitable substitutes fill up on veg esp leafy green ones.


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## mrsgalliano (Mar 4, 2017)

Grogg1 said:


> I am only 3 months on from diagnosis and my blood sugar was high as you will see from my signature.  My recent hb1ac has put me in "pre diabetic" range.  I'm still diabetic and if I return to my old eating habits my BG will go shooting back up but so far my dietary changes, along with testing, have allowed me to take control of my BG.
> 
> Like many other forum members reading other's posts about how they control their diabetes helped me (and inspired and reassured me) to take control.
> 
> ...


Thank you, your message was so useful, I have stopped smoothies, we are always being told to eat lots of fruit, but it doesn't apply to diabetics lol I have a vegan son who is delighted I have replaced meat with quorn and soya products. I have been told I don't need to monitor my levels but I would like to so am going to purchase  a tester, any recommendations? its all guess work at the moment! its so reassuring to be in contact with experienced diabetics, many, many thanks to you all.


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## mrsgalliano (Mar 4, 2017)

Ljc said:


> Hi Welcome. One of the best things you can do for yourself it test your BG (blood glucose ) levels to see how various foods and drinks affect you.
> If they won't provide with a meter , some really strange excuses are given, if you can afford to fund the ongoing cost of the testing strips, then the SD Codefree meter is the cheapest one to self fund , their strips cost around £8 for 50 where other high street brands can cost £25
> It's available from Amazon or directly from Homehealth
> We use the mmol/L measurement in the UK, don't forget to claim VAT relief
> ...


thank you, for your no nonsense advice, I was warned about grapes, I guess that knocks the wine then lol I will visit amazon and purchase the monitor you recommended, very grateful to you.


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## mrsgalliano (Mar 4, 2017)

mrsgalliano said:


> thank you, for your no nonsense advice, I was warned about grapes, I guess that knocks the wine then lol I will visit amazon and purchase the monitor you recommended, very grateful to you.


tester kit purchased thank you!


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## mrsgalliano (Mar 4, 2017)

bought the sd codefree meter from amazon, total cost was £25 which includes starter pack, extra supplies of strips and lancets. I wont feel a true diabetic until I jab, test and record  this forum is amazing, I have learnt so much in 2 days, thank you everybody.


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## Grogg1 (Mar 4, 2017)

mrsgalliano said:


> thank you, for your no nonsense advice, I was warned about grapes, I guess that knocks the wine then lol I will visit amazon and purchase the monitor you recommended, very grateful to you.


No sugar in wine !


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## Mark Parrott (Mar 4, 2017)

Hi.  You'll be pleased to know that wine us ok.  The alcohol gives the liver something else to do rather than raise your glucose levels.  All in moderation of course.


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## Radders (Mar 4, 2017)

Grogg1 said:


> No sugar in wine !


As long as it's not sweet wine of course. I love rose wine but the one they always seem to sell in pubs is Zinfandel which is very sugary. Give me a Pinot blush any day!


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## Ljc (Mar 4, 2017)

A drop of wine is fine.


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## Ralph-YK (Mar 4, 2017)

*buys a crate of wine*


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## Ditto (Mar 4, 2017)

Hello and welcome to the forum Mrs G. My sister has been eating tons of grapes! I told her to leave them out, they're sugar bombs. The only fruit I really miss is nectarines.


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## Grogg1 (Mar 4, 2017)

Ljc said:


> A drop of wine is fine.


A bottle is better  

I ate a small jacket potato with 3 butter knobs and a whole bottle of red wine.   Blood sugar reading 2 hours later 5.4 lol!!!


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## mrsgalliano (Mar 4, 2017)

Grogg1 said:


> No sugar in wine !


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## mrsgalliano (Mar 4, 2017)

Wine is back on my do's list! smoothies and grapes are off!! I have no idea what my sugar levels are until my magic box arrives and tells me, I hate needles so hope it doesn't hurt Thanks everybody, there is so much info on here.
PS if you grew up reading Enid Blyton you will recognise my user name !!


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