type 2 diabetes

[lil4399]

Seth, (gamekeeper?)

Sorry for your situation,  BUT unlike many conditions,  YOU can take control.

My past life (pre early retirement ) was fitness and health. (Sports centres and gyms) my own area of professional qualification was human biology.

Many decades of work in this area gave me a particular insight into weight and related health issues.
Weight: you are what you eat.
Health: you are what you eat.

Exercise - do you need it? Well, it helps, but you do not need to be "marathon man" a 20 min walk every day (or a min of 5 days) at a speed where, talking, makes, your, breathing, slightly, laboured.

You Are What You Eat. There is just TOO much information to digest. (Sorry for that one).

Despite my profession, I must admit, I continually battled with my weight. Why? I LOVE EATING! And Wine and Malt!! So what did I do?, first of all, there is no "quick fix" and "no one hat fits all"
But, I did a lot (And I mean A LOT) of research into the most popular diets available in the UK over the last 10 years, based on calories, protein, fats (saturated/non saturated) sugar ( all variants ) not just for me, but also to advise people who: didn't understand, had time issues, had financial issues and, most importantly, those who didn't really care, because if it was too much hassle would say "Fuck it"

But, living in the UK as you do, there is a fairly easy option - slimming world.

Stop laughing. The diet - perfectly and professionally balanced, you have an allowance of sugar based "syns" which, as a diabetic you simply ignore. Ever thing else is perfectly balanced.

I would also suggest attending the meetings ( men do go!) As stepping on the scales is a great incentive not to deviate, but also it is an amazing support mechanism. (Experience talking!)

You have simple to follow menus, information on what foods are good or bad in easy to understand language - not in biological terms but simple English. Most important for me was the inclusion of free foods, I.e. food you can eat unlimited - got the munchies? How about  beans, egg(scrambled or poached) and bacon (grilled)? As much as you like?

I lost 4 stone, BMI reduced to 24, blood sugar down to 4.1.

Best of all?  I still had wine 3/4 bottle Wednesdays,  Friday's,  Saturday's  and Sunday's.  Whisky chasers Friday's and Saturday's.  I walk the dog's 2 - 3 kilometres most days at the right pace, and no longer worry about health.

It won't work for everyone, but it is a proven option. Good luck whichever path you take, just make sure you take a positive one.

As the old China man said "a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step" 

[Boa]

Hi Seth, sorry you've joined the club

Make sure you avoid Lactose-free, as previously advised, it's insanely full of sugar. Switch to skimmed milk.

Best to avoid carbs as much as sugars, but don't eat a boring diet. My sugar levels are getting better, so they upped my Metformin to try and accelerate the drop. On a plus side, Metformin tends to encourage weight loss, but the down side is it can give you the squits.

Eat lots of veg and fish, and if you like your tatties change to sweet potatoes. I would recommend you don't bother with wholemeal pasta cos it's crap, but switch to wholemeal bread.

See you this year hopefully, depending on whether a rally's on the cards.

Chris

[seth]

must have court this from you when i changed your brake pads 😎
yes it'll be good to catch up again soon was a good weekend only thing definitely planned is stormin the castle at the end of the summer.
i hear what your all saying about thr milk i changed from semi skimned to that lactose free thinking it was better for me I'll now change back but these are just the kind of info i was looking for as im just doing what i think is right and carrying on or changing as i find out more about all if this .

cheers chris

[Boa]

must have court this from you when i changed your brake pads 😎
yes it'll be good to catch up again soon was a good weekend only thing definitely planned is stormin the castle at the end of the summer.
i hear what your all saying about thr milk i changed from semi skimned to that lactose free thinking it was better for me I'll now change back but these are just the kind of info i was looking for as im just doing what i think is right and carrying on or changing as i find out more about all if this .

cheers chris

Oh... and exercise  (whatever that is) 

[seth]

 

[Beaker]

Seth - the best advice I can give you is to try an LCHF diet - low carb high fat. I am a type 1 diabetic and have been following this way of eating for 12 months now. My blood sugar control has improved out of sight and my need for insulin practically halved when I started it. Not too many dieticians will recommend this way of eating because their associations are usually financially influenced by many of the high carb manufacturers, but my endocronologist pointed me in this direction and I reckon I have had pretty good results. Definitely the next best thing to a cure for me!

It is not for everyone as giving up carbohydrates can be difficult - potatoes (rostis especially) were the hardest for me - there are also not many fruits that fit this. I have loosened my diet a little to allow for beer as all the low carb beers taste like shite.

Pic below shows how much my daily insulin intake reduced...

If you want any further info feel free to PM me!

Cheers,
Chris

[Beaker]

and more...the pic below shows the change in my BSL levels after changing to LCHF...

[seth]

i dont have to check my blood sugar levels i think I'll be on 2-3 month check at first then 6 monthly once its settled down.
im looking at everything and hopefully will get this type 2 reversed in time .
i now know my diet has been poor so hopefully fixing that losding a little bit more weight and getting a bit fitter will sort me out .
thanks for all the advice it has been noted.

[Kiwifruit]

G'day Seth. Sorry to hear you have joined the diabetes club. All is not lost and with care you could possibly become non-diabetic. I am a Type 1 diabetic and have been for the last 34 years.
My mum became type 2 some time ago, mainly due to carrying too much weight.
As a type one diabetic I take Insulin via injection along with Metformin tablets. The Metformin I am told is to assist my Insulin absorption as my pancreas does not produce insulin. When mum was diagnosed with type 2 her insulin requirement was greater than her pancreas could produce. With diet and some exercise she lost weight, lowering her requirement for insulin and bringing her body back into a range that her pancreas could support. Your pancreas must be producing some insulin or you would be on insulin injections.
Some women become diabetic when pregnant, most return to normal post pregnancy.

As has been said fruit juice is very high in sugar as the pulp has gone, to fill a glass with orange juice could require 5 or 6 squeezed oranges.....would you ever sit down and eat 6 oranges ? Water is your best bet...... hot water is even better. Sorry !! I have been told there are up to 3 teaspoons of sugar in a can of baked beans......go figure ??

Just to make things more difficult for me I also have Coeliac Disease and as such am wheat intolerant. So diet becomes even more important. I have been told to cut out grains, anything with wheat, rice and corn. 80% of the worlds corn is GM !!
I feel my ears are getting longer and am slowly growing a white tail.....

Diabetes management is a balance of your sugar intake and especially reducing sugar spikes, regular exercise and your medication.

A word of caution.......motorcycling and diabetes are not always best of friends. Please always know your blood sugar levels before riding. 

Seth, there is much to learn, but don't be spooked. If you just start by cutting out the things you know are not good for you, you are well on your way. 

Beaker..... have just read your post and agree 100%. I too have just started on low carb high fat diet. Avocados are my new friend.

[VladTepes]

I.. am wheat intolerant.

Intolerance is frowned on these days mate. 

A word of caution.......motorcycling and diabetes are not always best of friends. Please always know your blood sugar levels before riding.

A very good point.  A friend lost his son to a bike accident and it's believed he suffered a blackout while riding.  Certainly it's no reason to stop riding or driving BUT you obviously have to ensure it's controlled.

Avocados are my new friend.

Avocados are everybody's friend.

[KiwiCol]

"Avocados are everybody's friend."

Especially with crispy fried diced bacon!    Hmmmm   or   shrimp & seafood sauce (where the seed was)  Hmmmm. 

[grog]

Seth, wasnt going to add to this but will. wife is type 1, me type2. very different things. i wont offer diet advice, already some great stuff posted. get a plan, stick to it, might seem a strange thing to say but it becomes just normal. were very adaptive us humans. i stopped all stuff i thought was bad, except beer. give up beer, might as well just give up. just me. i lost 18kg in around 3 mths. pain in arse buying new clothes. 6 yrs later, what i eat now is really varied, i look fwd to stuff i wouldnt have before. exercise is totally important. my tests are all good, never really vary. one metex a day is my medicine, was prescribed 3, told doc not taking 3. im ok, life is good. someone said here, if you think its no good, dont eat it. brilliant advice. youll be fine mate. the initial stress is the worst part, gets easier by lots. how hard, how much worry the first time you had to remove fuel pump from that bloody gsx , how much easier the second time. 

[Kiwifruit]

I.. am wheat intolerant.

Intolerance is frowned on these days mate. 


I have a "Black Belt" in Intolerance...... my darling wife says I am also a bit racist. At least wheat does not commit crime !! 

[seth]

Seth, wasnt going to add to this but will. wife is type 1, me type2. very different things. i wont offer diet advice, already some great stuff posted. get a plan, stick to it, might seem a strange thing to say but it becomes just normal. were very adaptive us humans. i stopped all stuff i thought was bad, except beer. give up beer, might as well just give up. just me. i lost 18kg in around 3 mths. pain in arse buying new clothes. 6 yrs later, what i eat now is really varied, i look fwd to stuff i wouldnt have before. exercise is totally important. my tests are all good, never really vary. one metex a day is my medicine, was prescribed 3, told doc not taking 3. im ok, life is good. someone said here, if you think its no good, dont eat it. brilliant advice. youll be fine mate. the initial stress is the worst part, gets easier by lots. how hard, how much worry the first time you had to remove fuel pump from that bloody gsx , how much easier the second time. 

cheers buddy
it's just a big learning curve as you say once i get used to things all the changes will all fall in to place.
its just the initial scary worry as its all so new.
thanks for all the support.

[Mick_J]

Hope you get on top of things soon Seth, I don't have it myself but have worked with lads who had it and once they got into a rhythm everything was fine, it's just another thing to learn.  My cat has it so I am having to learn for him.