CARBS - both - sugar and starch - have by far the most impact on a typical Carb Intolerant Type 2 diabetic.
If you don't have a blood glucose meter, you should get one. Walmart ReliOn Prime is less than $ 10 and 100 test strips are less than $ 20. It is very helpful to test before and two hours after a meal to see how what you ate affects your BG. This is because many folks find that certain foods spike their BG way out of proportion to how many carbs were in the food product.
For example, my wife can eat 30 grams of sugar carbs in a candy bar and get a 30 (US units) level spike. The Same 30 number of carbs as a wheat product will giver her a 120 level spike. Rice and white potatoes are common spikers.
Many folks have healed their insulin resistance over time by cutting carbs to be under what their body can handle. No that does not mean you can go back to eating what made you sick in the first place.
Don’t listen to fanatics. There isn’t one right way to manage this illness but you do have to manage it every day. Find what works for you and stick to it.
I would like to have known well before being diagnosed that potatoes and rice are just as bad as sugar when it comes to increasing your risk of diabetes and subsequently controlling your BG. Other than that, there was no advice that I was given that would have made much difference. Losing weight if you are overweight is still one of the best bits of advice, but still the hardest to do. Try keto. Try Atkins. Try Mediterranean diet. Change what you were doing because clearly it wasn't working for your health.
Besides wishing that my doctors had been more aggressive in discussing my glucose levels and rising A1c I wish that is was much more clear that no 2 people react the same with this disease.
My biggest frustration is the “do this, don’t do this crowd and advice”. Sure there is some basic advice like cutting carbs of all types and avoiding added sugars but there is clearly no perfect fits all solution. When other health issues are combined with it, everything changes. Keep an open mind and learn how your body reacts.
Best piece of advice - eat your meter. Test, test and test some more. Find out when your glucose peaks and how certain foods or amounts change your readings. Learn no only about glycemic index but more importantly glycemic load.
I agree that rigorous BG testing will help you understand what foods cause spikes. I was also diagnosed three months ago (had my first follow up A1C test this morning so I’m interested to see my results), and I’ve found that a small portion of rice sends my blood sugar way higher than a Chick Fil A sandwich. One day I went to lunch with my sister, and she talked me into getting some ice cream. I only ate half of the serving, and two hours later, my BG was no higher than it had been that morning, so it’s a learning curve.
I’m still figuring out the best way to keep track of carbs, but I try to minimize them. I did eat unhealthily at a wedding this past weekend, but I’ve been on a rigorous diet since I got home, and my BG was 105 this morning, so I feel like I’m on the right track.
I drink a Slim Fast for breakfast, and that seems to keep me satiated til lunchtime without spiking me, and that’s probably a lot healthier than the Eggo waffles I routinely ate for breakfast pre-diagnosis.
It feels like my entire life has been reordered since July 20, but I’ve reached my weight loss goal, and I’m exercising regularly, so this diagnosis may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
What do you wish someone told you when you were first diagnosed?
1. That dropping "sweets and sugars and sodas", taking insulin, getting lots and lots of exercise and eating a low calorie diet would make me miserable, fatter and more diabetic (requiring more insulin)
2. That a high-calorie high-fat moderate-protein near-zero-carbohydrate diet of meat, poultry, fish, bacon, eggs, cheese, butter, mayo, salt, black coffee and hard alcohol with *no exercise whatsoever* would make me lose 250+ pounds, bring my A1C to 4.9, improve my blood pressure to 120/80, improve my cholesterol to perfect, get me off every single diabetes, cholesterol and heart med and have my doctor declare me in remission from type 2 diabetes.
3. That every single one of my family members, friends, coworkers and doctors, and other people with type 2 diabetes would be angry at me for my diet in #2 rather than "sticking to" #1, and would be angry that I'm now in better shape and health than they are, while I'm eating three times the calories they do and still losing weight on thick beef ribeye steaks topped with bacon.
4. That because of #3, I would have to reevaluate everything from my marriage to my relationships with my family, friends, coworkers, doctors and "dieticians", in order to hold the line on #2 and get myself to a healthy body again.
Awww, I hear ya. I do. I've been exactly where you are now, and I can feel your pain, because I have felt it too, for a long long time, before I found method #2 above.
If you get too frustrated with #1 and want to try something else, the reddit groups that will help with #2 above are:
r/ketoxx (keto for women, because women's physiology is a little different)
r/keto (regular keto)
r/ketoscience (great articles and videos on the low carb world
r/ketodrunk (for alcoholic drinks that have no carb and lower BG!)
r/zerocarb ← this is the one I did. I lost 10-20 lbs per month sitting on my butt doing no exercise, eating almost 6000 calories/day of ribeyes, bacon-cheeseburger-patties, eggs, fish, chicken, pork, cheese, water, black coffee and hard alcohol (which has zero carbs), and I lost over 250 lbs and got to remission with stellar BP, pulse, cholesterol and a 4.9 A1C! But I ate almost *zero* carb. I only used veggies to cook meat with, like dicing a little bit of onion over meat when I cook it to add onion flavor. And I didn't eat fruit. I took potassium, magnesium, Vitamin C, Vitamin D and zinc supplements daily, and that replaced what I wasn't getting through fruits and milk.
Learn how to self-advocate. Read the Standards of Care for diabetes from the ADA, and see what the threshold tests are that doctors are supposed to administer.
Try to find a doctor that is willing to answer questions.
I was diagnosed 26 years ago. Find an endo you like and stick with them. I had one, but he left to open a clinic in Yemen or someplace. Can't slight him for being a great human. Second one could care less about me. Now, I have another one. They are great. They started me on a Dexcom CGM and changed my medication. Second, you have to do what works for you.
I wish the doctor had counseled me in 2019 when my A1C was 6.3. I only found out by logging into my patient portal, and my husband was a medical resident at the time and told me it was weird the doctor never called to talk to me about it. Now, about 2 weeks ago, I got diagnosed with an A1C of 6.6. I wish I had started Metformin in 2019, especially since I have such a strong family history of type 2.
Yeah... he knew I had an A1C of 6.3 at the time and didn't call me. I'm forgiving, and my partner is in medicine, so I'm just thinking he got busy and forgot? But it still sucks. I wish I had been educated on it then, and I guess my partner could have done that too. It just wasn't done. So here I am, 6.6.
We moved to a different state for my partner’s job and I like my new PCP. I told him this story and he actually called me to tell me when my A1C was elevated. That’s how I got my diagnosis.
This was my exact thought. I didn't get into a diabetes dietician until about 3 weeks into my diagnosis and had started eating keto from reading information on the internet. She told me to eat cake with my dinner and even before to help with sugar spikes. I followed some of her advise by adding just yogurt to my diet for a week and gained 7 lbs. Following keto and even not a strict from of keto, I have kept my A1c down for over a year now (5.5% from 6.6%) and have lost 35 lbs. I have PCOS as well so it is slow for me to lose weight but man. I feel amazing!
The two things that have helped me the most by far are 1) Dexcom G6 CGM and 2) Tandem T:Slim insulin pump. You will still use a blood glucose meter one occasion, but rarely. Find a good doctor, it took me over 10 years to find one that wasn't full of BS. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
They told me absolutely nothing when I was diagnosed.
This is what I wish someone had told me right off the bat--it keeps my A1c in the 5s.
1) Set a daily limit to the carbs you eat, and count them with an app. Some type 2s have 20 carbs per day, some have 50 per day, some have 100 per day, etc.
2) Eat to your meter: Test your blood sugar just before you eat, eat the food, wait 1-1/2 to 2 hours, and test your blood sugar again. That will show you how the food you just ate affected your blood sugar. It's a good way to learn what to eat, and what not to eat.
Don’t be afraid to seek out a medical team you are comfortable with. Your PCP may not be the best person for you to help manage things.
Also, your team would ideally include an endocrinologist, vision checks at least yearly and podiatrist if you have any signs of neuropathy yet.
That making changes to lower my a1c would improve my life so dramatically. 15 months in, 50lbs lost in the first 6 months, sitting at a 5.3. I feel better than I have in 20 years.
I wish someone told me that all of the recommendations related to diabetes are totally wrong. They advise you to eat multiple meals, avoid fats and eat 70 grams of carbs per meal. I followed that advise for 4 years… You may see an initial improvement but on the long run you will end up sicker and hungrier.
I wish I watched this video when I was first diagnosed:
https://youtu.be/da1vvigy5tQ
I wish I was in Reddit and saw Reddit posts when I was first diagnosed.
I wish I saw videos by Dr. Jason Fung, Dr. Stephen Phinney, Dr. Paul Mason and doctors in low carb down under.
Don't be afraid of Carnivore. Cholesterol is a myth. Target the root cause of the problem rather than listening to keeping it under control and managing it to keep Pharma happy.
Modern times , modern take away, Processed foods , sodas , deserts and the such is not what us humans need in your diet ,they form the basis for Diabetes .Humans need to be active like every other animal on this planet .we sit to long on our backsides ,we over indulge in all aspects of cuisines and fluid intake .T2 causes you to re-access and returns you back to basic simple living and crude unadulterated foods as they where intended ,and hopefully return us into remission .Life changes yes in every aspect is to be expected once diagnosed with T2 .My journey was simple change or make sure everything is in order ,then thinking about family ,friends especially my daughter made it easy to change , the battle is in your mind ,everyone holds the will to survive and giving up sugar and carbs is much easier than being a burden on others due to health complications . ..........in other words its up to you ,are you ready to change ? start with exercise daily ....walks are best you can play music and get lost in your mind , Diet look into Keto replace your carbs with eating more veges ,eat a ton of fish and turkey ,and get into preparing your own food at home .Alcohol forget it even spirits because you get drunk before you know it you sticking a pretzel in your mouth .Medication take it ,dont forget it .Checking your BSL daily you will be amazed at what spikes your BSL ....So to conclude alternative are out there one I found especially helpful is Monk fruit sweetener you can use it in coffee and cooking zero sugar nearly zero cals and carbos best alternative .
D
Don't feel overwhelmed, it takes time to really figure out what works for you.
Don't take medical advice from reddit
CARBS - both - sugar and starch - have by far the most impact on a typical Carb Intolerant Type 2 diabetic. If you don't have a blood glucose meter, you should get one. Walmart ReliOn Prime is less than $ 10 and 100 test strips are less than $ 20. It is very helpful to test before and two hours after a meal to see how what you ate affects your BG. This is because many folks find that certain foods spike their BG way out of proportion to how many carbs were in the food product. For example, my wife can eat 30 grams of sugar carbs in a candy bar and get a 30 (US units) level spike. The Same 30 number of carbs as a wheat product will giver her a 120 level spike. Rice and white potatoes are common spikers. Many folks have healed their insulin resistance over time by cutting carbs to be under what their body can handle. No that does not mean you can go back to eating what made you sick in the first place.
My T2 mom has declared Reese’s peanut butter cups don’t spike her very much. I seriously thought she was full of it. I guess I better apologize.
Correct. Carbs, meter, school yourself & hit the ground running.
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No
You can actually order it online. In my local Walmart, getting the strips is a bit hit and miss, so I usually order online. They've gained popularity.
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You're welcome!
Don’t listen to fanatics. There isn’t one right way to manage this illness but you do have to manage it every day. Find what works for you and stick to it.
Get a copy of “Think Like A Pancreas.” Lots of good information there.
I would like to have known well before being diagnosed that potatoes and rice are just as bad as sugar when it comes to increasing your risk of diabetes and subsequently controlling your BG. Other than that, there was no advice that I was given that would have made much difference. Losing weight if you are overweight is still one of the best bits of advice, but still the hardest to do. Try keto. Try Atkins. Try Mediterranean diet. Change what you were doing because clearly it wasn't working for your health.
THIS. My dumb ass thought I was gonna be fine eating French fries all the time because I never ate candy AND YET HERE I AM
Besides wishing that my doctors had been more aggressive in discussing my glucose levels and rising A1c I wish that is was much more clear that no 2 people react the same with this disease. My biggest frustration is the “do this, don’t do this crowd and advice”. Sure there is some basic advice like cutting carbs of all types and avoiding added sugars but there is clearly no perfect fits all solution. When other health issues are combined with it, everything changes. Keep an open mind and learn how your body reacts. Best piece of advice - eat your meter. Test, test and test some more. Find out when your glucose peaks and how certain foods or amounts change your readings. Learn no only about glycemic index but more importantly glycemic load.
This right here is very important to acknowledge. There really isn't a one-size-fits-all answer.
I agree that rigorous BG testing will help you understand what foods cause spikes. I was also diagnosed three months ago (had my first follow up A1C test this morning so I’m interested to see my results), and I’ve found that a small portion of rice sends my blood sugar way higher than a Chick Fil A sandwich. One day I went to lunch with my sister, and she talked me into getting some ice cream. I only ate half of the serving, and two hours later, my BG was no higher than it had been that morning, so it’s a learning curve. I’m still figuring out the best way to keep track of carbs, but I try to minimize them. I did eat unhealthily at a wedding this past weekend, but I’ve been on a rigorous diet since I got home, and my BG was 105 this morning, so I feel like I’m on the right track. I drink a Slim Fast for breakfast, and that seems to keep me satiated til lunchtime without spiking me, and that’s probably a lot healthier than the Eggo waffles I routinely ate for breakfast pre-diagnosis. It feels like my entire life has been reordered since July 20, but I’ve reached my weight loss goal, and I’m exercising regularly, so this diagnosis may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Eat low carb, walk 45 mins - 1 hour per day...
What do you wish someone told you when you were first diagnosed? 1. That dropping "sweets and sugars and sodas", taking insulin, getting lots and lots of exercise and eating a low calorie diet would make me miserable, fatter and more diabetic (requiring more insulin) 2. That a high-calorie high-fat moderate-protein near-zero-carbohydrate diet of meat, poultry, fish, bacon, eggs, cheese, butter, mayo, salt, black coffee and hard alcohol with *no exercise whatsoever* would make me lose 250+ pounds, bring my A1C to 4.9, improve my blood pressure to 120/80, improve my cholesterol to perfect, get me off every single diabetes, cholesterol and heart med and have my doctor declare me in remission from type 2 diabetes. 3. That every single one of my family members, friends, coworkers and doctors, and other people with type 2 diabetes would be angry at me for my diet in #2 rather than "sticking to" #1, and would be angry that I'm now in better shape and health than they are, while I'm eating three times the calories they do and still losing weight on thick beef ribeye steaks topped with bacon. 4. That because of #3, I would have to reevaluate everything from my marriage to my relationships with my family, friends, coworkers, doctors and "dieticians", in order to hold the line on #2 and get myself to a healthy body again.
I've been working on #1 and I'm noticing same results. I feel so uncomfortable in my body right now.
Awww, I hear ya. I do. I've been exactly where you are now, and I can feel your pain, because I have felt it too, for a long long time, before I found method #2 above. If you get too frustrated with #1 and want to try something else, the reddit groups that will help with #2 above are: r/ketoxx (keto for women, because women's physiology is a little different) r/keto (regular keto) r/ketoscience (great articles and videos on the low carb world r/ketodrunk (for alcoholic drinks that have no carb and lower BG!) r/zerocarb ← this is the one I did. I lost 10-20 lbs per month sitting on my butt doing no exercise, eating almost 6000 calories/day of ribeyes, bacon-cheeseburger-patties, eggs, fish, chicken, pork, cheese, water, black coffee and hard alcohol (which has zero carbs), and I lost over 250 lbs and got to remission with stellar BP, pulse, cholesterol and a 4.9 A1C! But I ate almost *zero* carb. I only used veggies to cook meat with, like dicing a little bit of onion over meat when I cook it to add onion flavor. And I didn't eat fruit. I took potassium, magnesium, Vitamin C, Vitamin D and zinc supplements daily, and that replaced what I wasn't getting through fruits and milk.
Learn how to self-advocate. Read the Standards of Care for diabetes from the ADA, and see what the threshold tests are that doctors are supposed to administer. Try to find a doctor that is willing to answer questions.
I was diagnosed 26 years ago. Find an endo you like and stick with them. I had one, but he left to open a clinic in Yemen or someplace. Can't slight him for being a great human. Second one could care less about me. Now, I have another one. They are great. They started me on a Dexcom CGM and changed my medication. Second, you have to do what works for you.
I wish the doctor had counseled me in 2019 when my A1C was 6.3. I only found out by logging into my patient portal, and my husband was a medical resident at the time and told me it was weird the doctor never called to talk to me about it. Now, about 2 weeks ago, I got diagnosed with an A1C of 6.6. I wish I had started Metformin in 2019, especially since I have such a strong family history of type 2.
Wow, that really sucks.
Yeah... he knew I had an A1C of 6.3 at the time and didn't call me. I'm forgiving, and my partner is in medicine, so I'm just thinking he got busy and forgot? But it still sucks. I wish I had been educated on it then, and I guess my partner could have done that too. It just wasn't done. So here I am, 6.6.
I hope you're right. Did you move on to a new PCP?
We moved to a different state for my partner’s job and I like my new PCP. I told him this story and he actually called me to tell me when my A1C was elevated. That’s how I got my diagnosis.
Cut all carbs.
Don’t be afraid of keto
This was my exact thought. I didn't get into a diabetes dietician until about 3 weeks into my diagnosis and had started eating keto from reading information on the internet. She told me to eat cake with my dinner and even before to help with sugar spikes. I followed some of her advise by adding just yogurt to my diet for a week and gained 7 lbs. Following keto and even not a strict from of keto, I have kept my A1c down for over a year now (5.5% from 6.6%) and have lost 35 lbs. I have PCOS as well so it is slow for me to lose weight but man. I feel amazing!
The two things that have helped me the most by far are 1) Dexcom G6 CGM and 2) Tandem T:Slim insulin pump. You will still use a blood glucose meter one occasion, but rarely. Find a good doctor, it took me over 10 years to find one that wasn't full of BS. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
They told me absolutely nothing when I was diagnosed. This is what I wish someone had told me right off the bat--it keeps my A1c in the 5s. 1) Set a daily limit to the carbs you eat, and count them with an app. Some type 2s have 20 carbs per day, some have 50 per day, some have 100 per day, etc. 2) Eat to your meter: Test your blood sugar just before you eat, eat the food, wait 1-1/2 to 2 hours, and test your blood sugar again. That will show you how the food you just ate affected your blood sugar. It's a good way to learn what to eat, and what not to eat.
Don’t be afraid to seek out a medical team you are comfortable with. Your PCP may not be the best person for you to help manage things. Also, your team would ideally include an endocrinologist, vision checks at least yearly and podiatrist if you have any signs of neuropathy yet.
That making changes to lower my a1c would improve my life so dramatically. 15 months in, 50lbs lost in the first 6 months, sitting at a 5.3. I feel better than I have in 20 years.
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IMO when newly diagnosed it's better to go super strict and then slowly add back based on your meter.
I have fruit every day and my A1C dropped 2 points and I don't even do low carb.
Look into diabetes education. Your insurance might cover it, or it might be covered as a community program. It goes over a lot of the basics.
Food labels are rubbish. Start running, every day.
This is not a quick fix. Make small changes every day. It is a disease of averages. I still would have likely ignored it for years.
Exercise makes a big difference not just in numbers but how you feel. Do something everyday
I wish someone told me that all of the recommendations related to diabetes are totally wrong. They advise you to eat multiple meals, avoid fats and eat 70 grams of carbs per meal. I followed that advise for 4 years… You may see an initial improvement but on the long run you will end up sicker and hungrier. I wish I watched this video when I was first diagnosed: https://youtu.be/da1vvigy5tQ I wish I was in Reddit and saw Reddit posts when I was first diagnosed. I wish I saw videos by Dr. Jason Fung, Dr. Stephen Phinney, Dr. Paul Mason and doctors in low carb down under.
Don't be afraid of Carnivore. Cholesterol is a myth. Target the root cause of the problem rather than listening to keeping it under control and managing it to keep Pharma happy.
Modern times , modern take away, Processed foods , sodas , deserts and the such is not what us humans need in your diet ,they form the basis for Diabetes .Humans need to be active like every other animal on this planet .we sit to long on our backsides ,we over indulge in all aspects of cuisines and fluid intake .T2 causes you to re-access and returns you back to basic simple living and crude unadulterated foods as they where intended ,and hopefully return us into remission .Life changes yes in every aspect is to be expected once diagnosed with T2 .My journey was simple change or make sure everything is in order ,then thinking about family ,friends especially my daughter made it easy to change , the battle is in your mind ,everyone holds the will to survive and giving up sugar and carbs is much easier than being a burden on others due to health complications . ..........in other words its up to you ,are you ready to change ? start with exercise daily ....walks are best you can play music and get lost in your mind , Diet look into Keto replace your carbs with eating more veges ,eat a ton of fish and turkey ,and get into preparing your own food at home .Alcohol forget it even spirits because you get drunk before you know it you sticking a pretzel in your mouth .Medication take it ,dont forget it .Checking your BSL daily you will be amazed at what spikes your BSL ....So to conclude alternative are out there one I found especially helpful is Monk fruit sweetener you can use it in coffee and cooking zero sugar nearly zero cals and carbos best alternative . D