Just diagnosed as T2 diabetic

[SunnyWinterDay]

As the title says I have just been diagnosed as T2 diabetic (amongst other conditions that are currently being investigated).at the moment it’s going to be controlled by tablets but I’ve been warned I may need insulin. I’ve also been told I need to amend my diet but I was a bit shocked by the news so it didn’t all sink in. I’m wondering if anyone could tell me what they did to amend their diet and if their daily blood sugar levels came down quite quickly as a result. Any suggestions for meals/snacks to keep me full and help boost my energy levels which are pretty low ATM. I’ve a few ideas ie subbing sweet potatoes for my beloved jacket potatoes, berries and yoghurt for breakfast, eggs, cutting out wine etc. many thanks

My biggest advice is find a way of living/eating that feels sustainable and doable for you and ignore what people on some of the diabetes forums say. Some of them are full of people who act like you’ve failed if you eat a single gram of carbs and for many of us (me!) that’s unrealistic.

I personally still eat a lot of the carby meals I did before but smaller portions than I did before. I’m also a big jacket potato fan. I’ve taken it from a massive one every week covered in cheese to a smaller one occasionally (say once a month - 6 weeks) with some chicken or something added to the cheese to up the protein.

I’ve focused on weighing my portions of things like pasta and having slightly less than a portion. I was pretty certain when I thought about it that before diagnosis I was eating more than a recommended serving and that turned out to be true.

I did a half day NHS course for people with type 2 which was really helpful. Locally it’s called Diabetes 2gether.

Good luck figuring it out!
Take a look here for some good info on diet
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/keto/

I’ve lost 4st and brought my HbA1C down from 78 to a consistent 48 by One Meal A Day, almost completely excluding ultra processed foods, making the OMAD high protein and low carb.

I bought a blood glucose monitor too; for me, seeing the consequence of crap foods or cheating rather focused my mind!

I had full support of my GP to do OMAD and intermittent fasting, though it may not be right for you. I had anorexia as a teen so keep a food diary (part of my glucose log, lots of choice on Amazon, I personally love The Little Book of Pricks lol) that I go through with my Nurse Practitioner every couple of months to make sure that I’m not over-restricting.

Since being diagnosed in June 2022, I’m now down to 6 monthly bloods and annual check in with the Diabetes Nurse. I still take Metformin as the GP thinks I ‘run high’ due to a pre existing, painful degenerative illness.

I was diagnosed exactly 1 month after my father died with Type 2 diabetes as one of the causes of his death. He did nothing to comply with trying to control his diabetes, not even taking prescribed Metformin, and seeing his multiple amputations and declining health and death was really brutal.

Wet gangrene is one smell I’ll always remember.

I know that’s my future if I don’t work to keep my diabetes under control, and frankly, f*ck that as a way to go.

My friend reversed her T2 diabetes by going plantbased. She lost a lot of weight in the process.

Intermittent fasting and low carb.

You can cure T2 yourself that way. Fasting is an absolute game changer for insulin resistance.

Thank you. I fully intend to reverse my T2 diagnosis via diet and exercise. It’s a very big change though and I suspect it will take a lot of determination and effort on my part.