I am going round in circles trying to make a decision for an eating plan !! I am type 2 Diabetic controlled with Metformin,

[kazzers]

I really want to try to control my weight with really low carb diet but then I run out of food choices, I could live on fruit, nuts, cheeses, meat etc but the I am concerned that I will be overloading on sugar from the fruit. I just want someone to TELL me what to eat to lose a pound or two a week. Added to that I am 58 yrs old , I seem to be finding it harder to lose now, I run 2 or 3 times a week and try to keep active but my weight is at a standstill !! Could anyone point me in the right direction please !!

[Penel]

You're right , you don't want to overdo the fruit. There are lots of recipes out there if you have a look. But you need to find what works for you.

bbc.co.uk/food/collections/...

foodnetwork.co.uk/recipe/lo...

[kazzers in reply to Penel]

hey, thank you, I'll have a look

[ceejayblue]

You don't have to go really low carb to lose weight, it means that you increase your fat and protein and that is not, in the long term, a good thing. I am 62, Type 2 on Metformin and I struggle to lose weight but I have lowered my carbs slightly mainly to keep my blood glucose levels in control. I have checked with my diabetic nurse (and yes before anyone says its, they are not always up on things but mine is!) and she is happy that my levels are now in the normal range and that l am losing the weight slowly. I belong to a weightloss group called weightlossresources.co.uk where I can log everything I eat and any exercise I do and when I am good I see myself losing weight . If I'm bad then I don't lose weight. Logging for me is the key, I am attempting to keep to 150-195g of carbs a day, which is 50g per meal and 65g for snacks (if needed) and around 1500 calories a day. It is hard, as we've had some serious health issues in the family recently and so occasionally I go onto maintenance calories for a week or two and I find that helps me through stressful times.

You could also look at : carbsandcals.com/ It is a book showing portions of carbs for foods, there's also an app for your phone. It is a very useful book for those people who have problems with portion control, but I find it helpful with new foods.

Being diabetic doesn't mean that you can't eat things, it means that you need to eat everything in moderation and just be aware that certain foods may cause your blood glucose to spike - however, if you are on metformin, you will find that your levels are fairly consistent (unless of course you consistently eat too much carbs). I eat wholewheat pasta, bread and rice but in much smaller portions than I did before and I also eat more berries. We're now coming into the full summer fruits season and that's brilliant for me because I love all berries, my downfall is nectarines but I am careful how many I eat of them too.

Speak to your diabetic team about your diet, they will know you better than anyone and can give you lots of advice. Also, if you haven't already done it, ask them to put you on the Xpert course which is for diabetics and is an amazing educational tool (its a course that runs for 6 weeks but you only go on a half day each week). I'm due for my refresher course soon and I'm glad I went on it.

[kazzers in reply to ceejayblue]

hey thank you ceejayblue, this is really helpful, i'll update my post in a couple of weeks

[margrete]

Fruit contains fructose which is a form of sugar, so go easy on the fruit. Green veg are lovely, and especially at this time of year, a lot are coming into season and are fresh. I often think that it's misleading that we're all advised to eat fruit and veg, as if they're all the same. They're not!

The diabetes specialist nurses know their subject, they keep up to date, and they know more than many general doctors.

[Swedegal]

Hej Kazzers! I too have type 2 diabetes. I learned of it in March of 2012 and my HbA1c level at the time was 5,9...the normal levels would be between 3,5 and 4,6. I take 500 mg metformin x2 daily. I inquired about diet, what I would need to cut out etc. But my doctor told me that I could pretty much eat what I wanted, but to limit myself with certain things. I live here in Sweden and here they aren't so much concerned with sugar as they are with fat. Anyway, my HbA1c level has steadily gone down and is now at 4,6...which is the high end of normal but has remained steady. My cholesterol (the bad kind) is down from 3,9 to 1,84, my point is everything that was getting out of control is getting better. I credit that to exercise, changing little things in my diet such as during the weekdays I usually cook 3/4 cup of oatmeal and add to that 1/4 cup frozen blueberries, a small banana and half glass of low fat milk. I have cut down on the amounts I eat as well. I have incorporated more veggies, salads to my dinner/lunch....I do eat bread though not as much as I used to. We make a whole wheat bread which I usually have a thin slice of with my breakfast and once in a while I'll have french bread with a salad. I cook a lot of grilled chicken breast....but I try to vary things to keep my interest. Since the weather has gotten a bit warmer we've been having cottage cheese with fresh fruit along with 2 Tablespoons 0.05% fat yogurt for lunch with a cup of tea...so you see though I don't go overboard with fruit intake I don't shy away from it. I eat everything from pineapple, pears, apples, bananas, to berries...all of which are fresh or frozen and no added sugar (syrup) added. Anyway, what I'm doing is working for me, but do talk with your doctor...maybe even a dietician....mine seems to be very happy with what I'm doing. I still eat rice as well, but instead of eating just white rice (I usually cook basmati) I incorporate some crushed bulger or brown rice into it and have cut down my serving from half a plate of rice (yikes!) to about 1/2 cup cooked rice and it seems to satisfy me...of course along with that I fill my plate with veggies and or salad along with a protein. Myfitnesspal.com has helped me with seeing how I relate to food and has helped me in curbing my enthusiasm for eating more than I should. I take things slower now so I'm more mindful. But the best advice I can give you is to move, move, move! What works for me might not work for you but keep in touch with your doctor/dietician....try to incorporate more veggies/salads and cut down on starches, how you cook things, what you cook them with etc. and see how you do. Moderation is a good thing. Good luck!

[kazzers in reply to Swedegal]

Hey Swedegal, this is all very helpful, it's good to hear from people with similar problems, and I DO intend to 'up' my exercise , I'll let you know how I get on

[ceejayblue in reply to Swedegal]

Swedegal, 5.9 is actually considered in the normal range in the UK! If you drop below 4 you could have a hypo (although with Metformin this is unlikely). You do have to be careful with carbs though, carbs turn into glucose in the body and its the glucose that we diabetics have problems with. I have lowered my carb intake, although not to the low level that some low carbers do (20g a day for me is far too low). Fruit also has carbs and so you need to be careful on fruit too! Berries are fine but bananas have a lot of carbs in (and potassium so we have to be careful not to eat too many of them).

Fat is also an issue here but we are now becoming more aware of the sugar content of foods, although I do wish they would say its the full carb content of food and not just the sugars that are important!

Do you have any special education programmes for diabetics in Sweden? We have one here called Xpert that is a 6 week course comprising a half day a week where we are taught all about diabetes and eating healthily. It was amazing how many on my course didn't know what diabetes actually means to their health and what they should be doing to help themselves.

You certainly seem to have your levels under control, I'm also in what is considered the normal range here in the UK on all my levels and I aim to keep them that way.

[Swedegal in reply to ceejayblue]

Hej Ceejayblue! I know that it varies in different countries, what is considered normal or not normal but I seem to be doing well and not stressing. My family has a history with diabetes, I have 2 sisters that are insulin dependent and I do not want to go that way. Yes, I know fruit has carbs...it seems that most things we eat can affect us in a bad way if we over indulge. I think I was a mindless eater before...now I feel like I've just had my eyes opened to what food is and am challenging myself...for example, I would eat an egg every morning with my oatmeal...I've learned that that was too many calories and I don't feel hungry if I don't eat it. When I eat fruit I usually share it with my husband to make sure that we both get in our fruit intake so it's not like I'm eating a ton of fruit...but enough. I am learning that moderation is the key and it seems to be working for me. Keeping track of what I'm eating has been a big help.

When I first found out I was type 2, I thought I'd have to give up quite a lot...I love bananas! But my doctor told me that I could eat what I wanted with some changes or modifications. I see a dietician and a diabetic doctor as well as my primary care physician and they are very pleased with how I'm doing. My health and body is in no way perfect, but I'm working on it. The main thing I can't stress enough to anyone that will listen is to move your body! ...it's so important for our health.

We have lot's of literature about living with diabetes, how to care for yourself etc., the doctors are well informed and eager to help. As far as a program like what you've taken, I haven't been to one. I thought I would have a problem regarding food because I do all the cooking in the house and my husband loves cream and all goodies. I love to cook and bake but haven't done much baking. I thought it would be hard to readjust the way I cook but it hasn't been hard at all since I basically cooked fairly healthily....I've just cut down on cooking fats, sugars, starches, have incorporated more foods like brown rice, bulger etc. I do eat potatoes still but now instead of cooking a whole pot of potatoes I cook between 3-5 medium sized potatoes and we usually don't eat them all...at most I'll have 1 and my husband will have 2...so there have been changes. I'm finding it very enjoyable to cut back on things...and honestly I'm happier and more focused on doing other things.

I'm glad you're doing well....I'm still learning about things, but really feel like moderation in eating and lot's of exercise is the best for me. (((HUGS)))

[ceejayblue in reply to Swedegal]

Exactly LOL! Moderation in all things. x

[Swedegal in reply to ceejayblue]

[justmarie]

Hi Kazzers, Have you tried joining a slimming group? I know that Slimming World plans are suitable for all dietary needs and you can choose the foods you eat. One of the ladies, in her 70's at a group I went to, lost 3 stone and dropped 8 of her diabetes tablets a day.

[kazzers in reply to justmarie]

thank you for the suggestion justmarie, everyone on here is really supportive, I'll let you know what I decide

[kazzers in reply to justmarie]

wow that sounds amazing, It's a real minefield isn't it !

[short-and-not-so-fat]

Hi I don't know if you can do my diet but I'm on a low carb diet ( I had a gastric bypass) but I eat what ever I want just half the plate is protien 2/3 what's left veg. And the rest carbs best of luck.

[kazzers in reply to short-and-not-so-fat]

thanks for the info short-and-not-so-fat

[Prin]

I am type 1 but steer away from fruit such as melon mango pineapple and grapes which are high in sugar go for non starchy veg, celery, cucumber, radishes. I am not a fan of any plan that excludes a food group by all means cut down on carbs, but long term living on nuts and cheese is quite a fatty diet and is not good for any arteries let alone diabetic ones! Good luck have you tried the 5:2? Sensible eating all week and restricting on 2 days

[kazzers in reply to Prin]

I haven't looked at the 5;2 but I will do. Thanks !!

[icaniwill1]

Hi everybody I am new to this group.

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in June 2013.

I weighed 227lbs, I am now 145lbs and seem to have more or less put my diabetes into remission, through diet and exercise.

At diagnosis my Hba1c was 180 (10 in old money LOL) at my last check 2 weeks ago it was now 84 (4.7 in old money)

I walk at least 5miles a day,(built up gradually from less than 1/4 of a mile) and eat a mostly low carb diet. I also read up as much as possible about this condition.

That is how I got here.

I would suggest a look at a book by Dr Bernard Bernstein's its called 'Diabetes Solution'.

You can see it they have it in your local library

'Google' it also and it will take you to the website, where some excerpts from the book is also posted.

With this condition, knowledge is power. This book has a lot of cutting edge information about the latest research on diabetes control. Some of the information we have been given over the years has actually been harmful for us, to say the least.

Also it helps to test, test, test. Only by testing post prandial do we truly know if a particular meal spikes us or not.

The point is that the Hba1c does not always tell the complete story, since, those post prandial spikes, don't always show at the Hba1c test (because that test is an average of the last 2-3mths reading) and the spikes are what does the damage and predisposes one to the dreaded complications.

Sadly fruit is not always our best friend with this condition, as great as they are for non-diabetics for us they can be quite problematic, especially for our all important Blood Glucose control and also our Appetite control, due to our already impaired insulin response.

All in all, losing weight (if one is overweight), being more active, (nothing major just a walk at whatever fitness level one is at) works wonders, also watching the carbs, seems to do a fantastic job of Blood Glucose control.

Cheers folks, and all the best for having this fantastic forum.

[kazzers]

Thank you for sharing ...........inspirational . I will have a look at the website too

[Penel]

This might be useful too.

drbriffa.com/2012/10/02/dia...