I was told 3 weeks ago that my HbA1C had increased from 44 to 57 and I’ve been started on low dose metformin. To try and figure out where I’d gone wrong diet wise, I bought a blood glucose monitor to track my blood sugar before and after meals. Of course my surgery have refused to give me the test strips on prescription as metformin isn’t a criteria for blood sugar testing. C’est la vie.
Anyway I attended the Smart Review course on Monday and mentioned to the dietitian my issue of reducing carbs causing my calorie intake to be low, sometimes I’ve been lucky to consume 1000 calories in a day, my daily amount is 1600. She suggested increasing what I eat plus exercising more to counteract it. I explained about monitoring my blood sugars to see where I was going wrong diet wise and that there’s be no massive spikes 2 hours after eating. The dietitian suggested checking my blood sugar sooner as my stomach could be empty two hours after eating. Since following her advice I’ve noticed I’m getting raised fasting blood sugars, but not markedly raised. Last two days I’ve eaten Quaker protein porridge for breakfast and yesterday spiked at 10.3mmol/l. I had a flat white at breakfast. Today my fasting bm is 7.3mmol/l spiking at 11.2 after the same meal but with coffee with milk. I’m currently drinking water to try to and reduce my blood sugar. I woke up this morning feeling hungry but really lousy as if I’d been on a sugar binge.
I don’t know if I’m making matters worse trying to keep myself in check. Protein porridge is definitely a no no for me so I won’t be eating that again.
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LentilBurgermot699
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I'm sorry you are struggling but it is possible to turn round T2 diabetes. I would suggest you reread the replies to your last posthealthunlocked.com/weight-l....
You were given lots of helpful tips and links. Read the links especially the DietDoctor one. There is helpful information and meal ideas. You can even get meal plans to get you started if you are not sure what you should eat. WWW.DietDoctor.com.
I was prediabetic when I started and I found Michael Moseley's books very helpful. He turned his own T2 diabetes around. There are recipe books to go with them to give you ideas.
I followed and still follow Low carb healthy Fat diet. The most important things to cut out are bread, potatoes, rice and pasta - all white carbs as they raise blood sugars. For breakfast try eggs however you like them or greek yogurt with berries. An English breakfast is okay e.g bacon, egg, tomatoes and mushrooms. Avoid things like toast and hash browns.
Has your GP referred you to a diabetes course? I went to one which was very helpful. I can't remember the name now but ask your GP or diabetes nurse. They do get very booked up but its worth going. Have they given you a diet sheet? Sadly GPs are not very clued up on Low Carb Diet and it sounds like they are giving you conflicting information. Do your own research by reading the links and find out as much as you can.
It is possible to turn your diabetes around. You can do this.
Thank you. When I was first diagnosed I aimed to eat 40-50g carbs per meal and my HbA1c fell to 44. I got a little lax and had some takeaways and allowed a bun twice a month. Then I discovered my HbA1c had increased to 57 and now on metformin. As I’m no longer working so not as active aimed for 30-40g carbs per meal and I’m losing weight. My calorie are low and not sure if 1200 max is too low for a 17 stone retiree who walks their dog twice a day. It’s the blood sugar spikes that are bothering me. The dietitian says I’m not eating enough carbs and to increase them. Apparently I should have 80g protein a day which is hard for someone who doesn’t like meat. I think I’ll go back to having yogurt and berries for breakfast. It seems oats are not my friend.
I’ve been on the smart course and just attended the review course and highlighted my problems to the dietitian. They don’t like low carb diets and try to steer you towards Mediterranean diet. I am going to repeat the healthy lifestyle courses when the dates come out. I was never given a diet sheet but found some information regarding food dos and don’ts from NHS Lanarkshire which I’m going to read again. I’ll look at all the other links as well. My daughter is type 1 diabetic and says she won’t be giving me any sympathy as I’ve only got myself to blame. I don’t know if having a family history of type 2 diabetes through 3 generations works against me.
I think you have answered your own question. When you ate 30-40g carbs your blood sugars went down to 44. This is what you need to do. Keep carbs low. It's easy to let things slide and eat more carbs but it's important to keep them as low as possible. Don't worry about calories. Just focus on the carbs. Log your food on an app e.g MFP if its helps to keep count or a food diary. You can Google the carbs if you are not sure.
As TabbyCat said mixing calories and carbs doesn't work. If you are hungry fill up on healthy fats. If you are following LCHF you shouldn't be hungry. It is possible to do if you are vegetarian. The DietDoctor website will give you lots of ideas. Michael moseley books explain it in an easy to understand way and gives you recipe ideas. Have a look under topics on the right of your screen and scroll down to recipes-low carb for more ideas from members who have/do follow low carb
Do read as much as you can. The more information you have the better. There is lots of information available if look in the right place
Hi LentilBurgermot699,I'm very lucky in that I don't have blood sugar problems. When I joined here I counted calories which works, then I tried the low carb lifestyle and I found that that works too. What doesn't work is mixing the two lifestyles. We can't have our cake AND eat it. When we lower our carbs the calories need to be bumped up with healthy fats, which are expensive calorie wise,so it's better not to count them.
I suggest that you follow Gizmocat's suggestion. Low carb can definitely turn pre-diabetes around. Try not to over think it, many of our members use the "diet doctor " site. It's free, too.
If you don’t count calories how do you keep track of what you’re eating? I sadly had porridge and peanut butter with raspberries for breakfast which spiked my blood sugar. At lunch I had avocado and poached egg on toast with cherry tomatoes and some nuts. Who knows what I’ll eat for tea. I’ll look at the diet doctor site.
Cut out the porridge and have Greek yogurt with raspberries. Full fat yogurt not the low fat stuff which is full of sugar. Always go for full fat which fill you up. Don't eat anything low fat or fat free.
Avocado and poached egg with tomato and nuts is fine but leave out the toast. It's a case of getting to know what you can eat. BridgeGirl gave you a link to a simple pictorial guide on your previous post which is helpful. Its hard to get used to but once you get into the swing of it it gets easier
Many of us have been there. It's seems hard but now I don't miss them. It is possible. It's a life style change but you will be better for it. My blood sugars are normal. It can be done.
It is hard, but for myself (recently diagnosed as prediabetic) I'm having to make the choice between eating the carbs I used to love - bread, pasta, rice etc or prioritising my health. I've gotten used to swapping out carbs and having cauliflower rice instead of regular rice, or having bolognaise stuffed bell peppers instead of spaghetti etc. I really like how I eat now and use a lot of advice from Dr Michael Mosley, who reversed his own type 2, and has helped so many others..
hey LentilBurgermot699 - have you tried or looked into intermittent fasting..? It’s what helped my mum come down from hb1ac from 98 to 41 - she takes glicazade rather than metformin .. sorry they didn’t give u test strips that’s bizarre.
I find intermittent fasting a long with moderate to low carb really helped me and my mum. …
Keep going you will find out what works for you with a bit of trail and error x
Apparently you’re not at risk of hypos with metformin so don’t need to check your blood sugars. If you take gliclazide you get test strips as that medication can cause hypos.
How long is your fasting window? Before my recent bloods I wasn’t eating breakfast, but had coffee and my HbA1c became raised.
Gosh it all sounds complicated not knowing anything about it. but others are understanding and sound knowledgeable of your condition and have lots of advice. I can only say good luck and keep at it, you sound like you are getting used to the way it works. Best Wisjes and look forward to your improvemnet.
Hi. When I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I was advised to lose weight and exercise more.I have always had problems with being overweight.
I joined Weight Loss Resources diet website.
They analysed my nutrition. I found that I wasn't eating a balanced diet. So I reduced carbs and increased protein within my calorie allowance. I lost weight and was able to stop taking metformin.
I try to avoid ultraprocessed food, lots of hidden sugar. I read labels and choose food with fewer ingredients. I don't buy supermarket bread. Independent bakers sell bread without added chemicals and unnecessary additives. I find it more satisfying.
Thank you. I think I will go back to Wylde bakery and start getting their sourdough bread again. It’s probably much better than my Allinson’s wholemeal. That spiked my blood sugar this morning 🙄 I think my beloved quorn sausage as classed as highly processed. I look into tying to make my own as I did with veggie burgers. I can’t eat meat sausages x
I was diagnosed about 15 years ago with pre diabetes. At first l found it all a bit scary and overwhelming. I did lots of research and found diabetes.co.uk site . It has lots of useful information. It has a forum too. What worked for me I have a low carb high fat diet, which works very well for me. The best way l found was to test regularly. l tested 1st thing on a morning. Then before food & 1.5 to 2 hours after food. I recorded what I ate and what my blood sugars were. I then found what I could and couldn’t eat. A lot of effort but helped me. I don’t test like this now , I just keep an eye on my blood sugars. Different foods cause spikes for some people and not others. There are lots of great recipes online. Hope this helps.
Thank you. I bought a monitor to see where I had been going wrong and all my blood sugars were in normal ranges. After meals they didn’t rise above 8.5mmol/L then the dietitian told me 2 hours after food, my stomach is most likely empty so check 1.5 hours after eating. So far porridge creates a large spike and wholemeal bread if I dare to have 2 slices.
Regarding LCHF I’m not sure whether having high cholesterol may not allow doing that. I try to have avocados and use olive oil and avocado oil. Only saturated fat I have is usually in dairy and I’m not a fan of meat. I found diabetes.co.uk yesterday and have become a member. Hopefully I’ll get some use out of the site.
It’s the carbs the spike generally, have a read up on various foods. LCHF doesn’t suit everyone, but it’s the sugars and low fat foods the do the most damage. I’m sure you will find helpful. hope you find the diabetes site as useful as I have. Lots of intelligent people on there, like on here that will help you. You are doing the right things in finding out how you can help yourself. Well done , and good luck.
I followed a vegetarian diet for decades so my meals have always been carb heavy. My mum once saw me making a chilli out of lentils and she stood there saying you’re never going to lose weight eating lentils. I replied I’ve always eaten them so she said exactly! Nowt like a blunt Yorkshire woman 😂
I haven’t experienced any notable side effects since starting metformin. There’s a family of type 2 diabetes so i think I’m lucky to have lasted this long before developing it.
hi! I’m reading all the posts but am not seeing what I need, and what I think you might also be looking for. I need some low carb, high protein vegetarian food. Lentils are high carb so it’s impossible to add an accompaniment of basmati rice etc. I’m on 30g carbs for my main meals and 15g of carbs for three snacks. My cup of tea is 2g carbs and sometimes I like 2 cups! I use the carbs&cals app. Although expensive (£33 per year) I find it so useful. But I get my test strips from the doctor. My blood sugar goes from 2.0 to 13.2 regularly. My hba1c is ok but has recently climbed to 34. I have too many hypos, so keeps my number low. I will keep looking for vegetarian inspiration ! Good luck.
I eat cheese and tofu, but can't eat eggs due to allergic reactions in the past. I don't venture anywhere near cakes etc! Tonight we're having falafel with a tahini/lemon sauce. How much pitta I can have with it, I will have to carefully calculate. I'm having tofu or cheese for lunch - but I was having tofu everyday as my cholesterol levels always edge to high. The NHS dietitian keeps saying 'you just need to eat meat' - but that's not very helpful.
Brilliant! Thank you so much for this info. I have opened the site and have pinned it to my laptop. I will take a look today, and will continue visiting it. Great, I appreciate this, thank you again.
BridgeGirlAdministratorSS Supercook2 stone• in reply tomld78
I understand where your problem. I find if I make dishes with lentils I can't have anything with rice or potato as well. I use cauliflower rice as an accompaniment now. my blood sugar spikes if I eat more than 30g carbs at a meal. I made quorn chilli and ate that with cauliflower rice for lunch.
Rose Elliot has 2 books The Low Carb Vegetarian and The Low Carb Vegetarian Cookbook. They're available on Amazon. I have found the Diet Doctor invaluable. BridgeGirl has given you the link.
I did a bit of research on YouTube and found SugarMD. He basically said an older person like me should only have 15-20g carbs per meal. he also suggested eating chia pudding instead of oats at breakfast.
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