I was diagnosed with Type 2 in the last 3 months and I have only just felt comfortable to brave posting here. I have been given a load of leaflets and websites. Things to read and think about and I feel a little lost as I am not sure where to start.
I found out entirely by accident after having a blood test for tiredness and forgetting things, so it came a quite a shock and my initial was to to be very upset and embarrassed about the situation. I have only told my mum, brother and partner as I still feel I that people will see it as self inflicted and judge me ( even if it is !!). So I have been trying to navigate through all the information to decide how best to handle everything.
I was prescribed Metformin which did not agree with me at all so I was changed onto Canagliflozin, though I feel reluctant to take them as I don't really want to be taking medication if I can help it.
So I am looking for some advice and tips about where to start and what to tackle first. I am trying to break it into small bite size chucks. Any help will be gratefully received S x x
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Welcome. If I where you I would walk as much as I could. Cut down strongly on foods with lots of carbs. I have two of my good friends who were T2 & now OFF all meds for T2. One of who was on insulin. I have been T2 for more than 50yrs & still picking up tips on how to control it. Good Luck & ask if not sure.
The best thing is exercise that fits in with your life. I love walking and especially in green places. Cut down or cut out white carbs. I use oatcakes and only occasionally whoemeal bread. Instead of rice pasta or potatoes I eat every kind of veg piled up with fish eggs or meat. I enjoy nuts and seeds and berries and apples too. I love 85% dark chocolate. It's not cheap but two squares after lunch and dinner keep sweet cravings at bay. BUT this has taken me a good while to research and get used to and everyone is different. I tested a lot at first to see what foods did to MY blood sugar. I like avocados and nuts for good fats and do eat butter and cheese. I am 70 and not on any meds and my hbaic is 6.1 you will get times when you get fed up, and feel deprived and sorry for yourself but persevere. You are worth it! and be honest with people - lots of skinny people get type 2 and I have a massive friend who has not got it. All the best and you will feel so much better. (Do this one change at a time)
It can be confusing and lowering carb intake (not eliminating it) is a good place to start. Try and see if you can go onto the slow release metforming, the general one upset my stomach but I'm on the SR one now for nearly 6 years and it is fine. I have reduced my levels over the years back into nearly normal range. GP won't take me off metformin though because it also helps protect against some cancers and heart disease and I'm happy to stay on it.
Try and get on the Xperthealth.org.uk 6 week course, its a half day once a week for 6 weeks. I found it really helpful and have done two refresher courses since then which were also excellent.
Have a look on the Diabetes UK website, they have lots of information and educational modules that will help you. Most of all, don't panic! A few tweaks to your diet, exercise and understanding what diabetes is all about will help you get to grips with it. I've gone added sugar free in the last 3 months and feel so much better for it, no processed foods (except occasionally) and 1-2 pieces of fruit a day with lots of veg and protein.
Thank you all for your responses - gives me food for thought from people who know which is a little more reassuring
In answer to some of the questions asked. I am 29 and I would say I am 5'5 and weigh approx 96 kg I have lost 4 kg in recent weeks.
I have a very busy lifestyle and I work very early in the mornings, so I often miss breakfast and then for want of a better word binge at lunch and eat lots :/. Then, I have tea later on sometimes very late as I have 2 children and try and get them sorted before I sit down for the evening. I usually have something like steak chips and salad, mince and little lettuce leaves or takeaway. It's usually Chinese or a kebab lamb sheesh with salad and no sauce. That was typical up until my diagnosis and sometimes it's the easiest and that wins out unfortunately. I am trying to change my diet currently and don't drink fizzy drinks anymore.
In terms of labs, I only just bought a testing kit recently so I don't have much info in that regard but when I was tested the day I was told of my diagnosis, my blood sugar level was 23.
I do the same at work and here at the house when I babysit. I walk all the time when I have work at the Senior Center Monday-Friday. When I get home, I follow my Nephew up and down the steps and in the hallways. Get tons of walking in that way. My Nephew calls the walking "dancing"!
I commiserate with you for your recent diagnosis. All of a sudden, your world is turned upside down and you have to work your way through the maze of information given you. It never is easy but you have to look at yourself and say what are your priorities. You want to live a long and careful life. You want to be as healthy as you can be and you want to be in control of yourself and have a quality of life. The next factor is how do I go about each of these areas? No dietician will tell you that you can't have something, but the watch words are "everything in moderation." We have to learn our own limitations. We must take everything in bite sized chunks and improve our own education, but should not be stressed out in the process! Like camping, the first thing we do is put a spike in the ground to get a place to get started. I recommend that you seek a diabetes course offered by your surgery/clinic and sign up to attend and much more information will filter its way to you. There is help everywhere - seeking those who have the condition and their experiences and, of course this forum. Here's hoping you find that pathway controlling your diabetes soon, but in a relaxed way. Best wishes.
I was diagnosed 14 years ago - when I first saw the dr he gave me some meds Amryl and aspirin. As I went to the chemist he made a suggestion - asking me just diagnosed I said yes. He said take my advise don't take meds control it with diet and walk ! For the next six years I controlled it with diet and walking daily 45 mins n it worked. Later on due to some serious stress in my life I had to go on meds. I regret it till this day. Had I managed it with walking and a good low carb diet I would be a happier man.
Diabetes is a symptom label and it is quite a shock when you discover you have 'it'. The first case of type 2 diabetes was discovered in the United States of America in 1933. There are genetic sub types in diabetes. A and B are incurable, C and D are curable but these latter two are quite rare so do not hold out too much hope there! The genes themselves do not cause diabetes rather they either allow the disease to reverse or (most usually) not.
If you have a diagnosis of diabetes therefore the best thing you can do is slow it's worsening otherwise your life will become intolerable and you will develop other related conditions or worsen them such as the metabolic syndrome (the main cause of obesity), insulin resistance, CV disease, peripheral neuropathy and Alzheimers to name but a few.
The most important thing you must do is avoid eating fats labelled as "unsaturated". The reason for this is the term is used not just to label the natural cis-isomer form of fats but also the artifical form of vegetable fats known as "trans-fats". Type 2 diabetes is caused only and entirely by the poisoning of the short electron transport chain in pancreatic beta cells by trans-fatty acids derived from trans fats. In practice in almost all processed foods that are labelled as containing unsaturated fat, the unsaturated fats are actually trans fats, the sole cause of type 2 diabetes. By reason of quantity the most dangerous foods for those diagnosed with diabetes (and, well just about anybody actually) ar vegetable oils such as sunflower oil and rapeseed oil. Extra virgin olive oil is generally safe.
Please note that a few years ago all vegetable oils (and some animal fats) were being passed through hydrogenation plants. This process continues to this day BUT with the hydrogen turned off. This allows the manufacturers to avoid having to label their products as hydrogenated while at the same time increasing the trans-fat content. Please also note that my definition of trans-fats is not the same as the definition the Food Standard Agency uses. In my definition any oil which contains one or more trans-isomer bond is a trans fat. I believe that for the FSA all unsaturated bonds must be of the trans-isomer type. This allows them to define the trans-isomer content of vegetable oils as being very low while in my definition it is very high. There should be no trans bonds whatsoever in vegetable oils.
There very best thing to do is to consume only those vegetable oils which are cold-pressed AND which you are absolutely certain are farm bottled. This can include rapeseed and sunflower oils. I have heard but am not certain that some cold pressed oils are being passed through hydrogenation plant post pressing. Cold-pressed after all mere refers to the extraction process and not any post processing refinement. As an alternative to extracted oils eating them before extraction is a good idea. Eat therefore raw (not toasted or roasted) nuts and seed. To get things moving and slow down the development of diabetes I suggest eating 1 kg per week of sunflower seeds (the small green gray ones). Do this for a month. For a second month eat 0.5 kg per week and for the rest of the year about two ounces per day. Ignore the supposed extra calorific burden as you will eat less of other things to compensate and in any event overweight and obesity are NOT caused by eating too much and not excercising enough but having your metabolism reduced as a result of eating unsaturated fats (of the wrong kind).
This process of avoiding the lies of the medical industry and the dieticians will do you much good. It will reverse any unatural obesity, the metabolic syndrome, CV disease (but slowly), neuropathy, prevent Alzheimers in most cases and slow down the worsening of a diabetic condition to the point that it stops.
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S x x
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