After years of dieting and bingeing my body has finally protested. In July this year I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Now this was not a surprise to me but it was a shock to my system. I went straight into total healthy eating immediately and haven’t looked back.
The NHS measures your diabetes level in mmol.
If your mmol is under 41 then it’s ok.
42-47 mmol is higher risk.
Over 48 is diabetes.
My mmol when I was diagnosed was 64 🙈 so rather high. I am now proud to say that my blood test this week shows that my mmol is down to 38. My doctor had told me that if I have two consecutive readings of 38 or under over the next year I will officially be in remission. (Their terminology not mine.)
Originally I was put on a dose of 4 Metformin tablets a day but hadn’t even built up past 2 a day before the Dr was able to tell me to stick to 2. ( My 6 week blood test results were impressive .) I have now been told to cut back to 1 a day.
I have found a way of eating that is good for the diabetes, healthy and sustainable. My dietary approach is low carb, no sugary foods, not too much processed food and loads of fruit and veg. I don’t drink alcohol so that makes it easier too.
My diet could do with do more protein but I have always been a bit of a wuss with protein. The least thing makes me feel sick. 🙈. I am sure this is psychological but that doesn’t help. I am working on getting protein from lots of sources to increase my overall levels.
Exercise is important too, and I still need to add more into my routine. My main exercise is walking and my exercise bike but I need to tone up and do more aerobic exercise. (To be honest curling up with a book is much more tempting after a day at work 🙊.)
To date I have lost 31 pounds in weight (14.06kg) and I am still losing currently. Weight loss is important in the fight against diabetes so getting to a sensible weight is imperative.
For the the last 4 Thursday nights I have attended the free NHS course for diabetics. It is run by two lovely experts from the medical profession who are teaching us everything we need to know about diabetes and managing the condition. Though I could have done with this back in July, I have to say that I have learnt a lot about what exactly diabetes is, the causes and approaches to live with and improve your condition. If you are diabetic and get offered this course, you should go on it. I know people who have refused but it is helpful. The course I am on is by X-PERT Health (www.experthealth.co.uk).
When I was first diagnosed I used the charity diabetes.org.uk and I have found that very helpful. You can join and donate too, which I have done, but you don’t have to. It is another brilliant resource that is reliable and free. I avoided a lot of the general information online as there is so much that is not backed by a professional organisation.
One thing that really scares me about diabetes is the side effects if you don’t change your lifestyle. Some of these are strokes, heart attacks, kidney problems, loss of sight, loss of the use of limbs and even amputation, and many other unpleasant and, sometimes life threatening, illnesses.
Going forward I will carry on with the same dietary approach, I will up the exercise and I will live my life. I have been lucky that this has worked for me because some people struggle with getting their diabetes under control for all kinds of reasons. ( Including other medical conditions.)
If you know someone with diabetes please do not be that person who says “go on, it won’t hurt to eat it once”….. you have no idea what that person is going through and everyone’s situation is different. Just because your neighbours’ aunts’ sister can eat it doesn’t mean someone else can. I listened to the medical profession and will continue to do so. What has worked for me may not work for someone else, but I hope it does.
