I need help to control type 2 Diabetes

Exercise is very beneficial.
Also makes you feel better. Walk outside , find a YMCA , Silver sneakers has lots of great exercise classes

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I've been on two Metformin delayed release and diet it works well if i limit carbs that is the secret most people think if they take a drug like metformin that you can eat whatever you want. "YOU CAN'T" I'm Italian so pasta was a main meal for most of my life until 8 years ago I like bread but if I eat bread and pasta I gain weight period. There's no getting around the diet change you must reduce carbs eat more fat but still must watch caloric intake but once you start to lose weight you can exercise more and lose more weight. Just break the carb cycle sugar and processed grains are not healthy for us don't listen to main stream medical advise telling you to eat more whole grain products don't they process a little slower but won't lower you're blood sugar enough. Good luck on your new journey in healthy eating.

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Actually Italians do much better than Americans in Type 2 diabetes rates according to the International Diabetes Federation: USA has 50% more diabetes than Italy.

My hunch is Italians have both healthier foods and move a lot more in their daily lives.
At 80, I have few to no health issues and thank goodness without any drugs vitamins/supplmnts, surgeries. Have active lifestyle and good sleep.

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Actually Italians do much better than Americans in Type 2 diabetes rates according to the International Diabetes Federation: USA has 50% more diabetes than Italy.

My hunch is Italians have both healthier foods and move a lot more in their daily lives.
At 80, I have few to no health issues and thank goodness without any drugs vitamins/supplmnts, surgeries. Have active lifestyle and good sleep.

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I’ve been watching this discussion since it started 2/29/2024. My history is as follows:

* 1975 Type 1 diabetes diagnosis at age 18
* 1975 - 2005 college, graduate school, marriage, 2 very complicated pregnancies (resulting in 2 fabulous daughters) and a full life including family, career & caring for all 4 in-laws who had various conditions and needed home health care.
* 2005 pancreas transplant at age 48
* 2008 Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) diagnosis due to diabetes. At that time mild / moderate stage.
* 2016 Type 2 Diabetes and CKD stage 4 diagnoses
* 2016 - present taking care of diabetes and kidney disease

I think I’m (finally) ready to chime in here. Previous posters have all had great suggestions regarding controlling diabetes. I’m going to try to categorize and summarize them here:

EATING (diet / nutrition) - low carb, low fat, low sodium. A nutritionist well versed in diabetes (nephrology & cardiology too) can help determine how many carbs are appropriate for the individual. High fiber (such as whole grains) is a special kind of carb that is absorbed and digested differently. It can help to minimize the blood sugar spike that happens with other carbs & simple sugars. There are 2 kinds of fats. “Bad” fats are saturated & / or trans fats. They raise LDL and clog up your circulatory vessels. The “good” fats such as olive oil raise the HDL. Low sodium is generally a good idea. Too much salt raises blood pressure and can contribute to heart & kidney problems. Weight management is important and is directly related to diet. Your provider can determine the best weight range for you. A dietician can help you customize a diet best suited to help get you there.

EXERCISE - this goes hand in hand with your eating plan. It doesn’t have to mean a full on workout! It simply means enough activity (movement) to utilize the nutrients being put in the body. Too much or too little of either is a bad idea! Think of Goldilocks. Find what is just right for you. The same thing applies to the type of exercise. This is really important because people enjoy different activities. If you really hate doing something, you probably won’t. It takes time to develop a good habit. Start small and gradually increase your activity level and time spent working at it.

REST & RELAXATION- be sure to make time for this including getting an adequate amount of sleep each day. Folks talked about different breathing techniques to reduce stress and increase relaxation. Recreation, hobbies and other enjoyable activities provides variety and a needed change of pace.

HYGIENE & SELF CARE - this goes without saying but is so easy to minimize and forget. This would include feet care (already described by another member). It is really important for diabetics because we tend to have deficits in circulation especially in the extremities (mainly feet). They are easily ignored. A wound or infection there can become a crisis.

MEDICATION - many members mentioned various medications. All meds have side effects and there can be interactions between other medications that are taken. This is a matter best worked out between each patient and their medical providers. There is no such thing as “one size fits all”.

TECHNOLOGY & MEDICAL DEVICES - members mentioned continual glucose monitors (CGM). These devices provide a 24/7 picture of what is going on. (Related to this are insulin pumps or insulin delivery systems). Other tests and measurements were referred to such as fasting glucose, pre and post prandial testing. This is testing blood sugar upon waking, before eating and 2 hours after eating to determine how particular foods affect blood sugar. For example I will get a bad blood sugar spike after rice or pasta. This is good to know because although I really like those things I don’t indulge very often and strictly watch portion size.

I’ve yammered long enough. Hope something here helps.

Jump to this post

I’ve been watching this discussion since it started 2/29/2024. My history is as follows:

* 1975 Type 1 diabetes diagnosis at age 18
* 1975 - 2005 college, graduate school, marriage, 2 very complicated pregnancies (resulting in 2 fabulous daughters) and a full life including family, career & caring for all 4 in-laws who had various conditions and needed home health care.
* 2005 pancreas transplant at age 48
* 2008 Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) diagnosis due to diabetes. At that time mild / moderate stage.
* 2016 Type 2 Diabetes and CKD stage 4 diagnoses
* 2016 - present taking care of diabetes and kidney disease

I think I’m (finally) ready to chime in here. Previous posters have all had great suggestions regarding controlling diabetes. I’m going to try to categorize and summarize them here:

EATING (diet / nutrition) - low carb, low fat, low sodium. A nutritionist well versed in diabetes (nephrology & cardiology too) can help determine how many carbs are appropriate for the individual. High fiber (such as whole grains) is a special kind of carb that is absorbed and digested differently. It can help to minimize the blood sugar spike that happens with other carbs & simple sugars. There are 2 kinds of fats. “Bad” fats are saturated & / or trans fats. They raise LDL and clog up your circulatory vessels. The “good” fats such as olive oil raise the HDL. Low sodium is generally a good idea. Too much salt raises blood pressure and can contribute to heart & kidney problems. Weight management is important and is directly related to diet. Your provider can determine the best weight range for you. A dietician can help you customize a diet best suited to help get you there.

EXERCISE - this goes hand in hand with your eating plan. It doesn’t have to mean a full on workout! It simply means enough activity (movement) to utilize the nutrients being put in the body. Too much or too little of either is a bad idea! Think of Goldilocks. Find what is just right for you. The same thing applies to the type of exercise. This is really important because people enjoy different activities. If you really hate doing something, you probably won’t. It takes time to develop a good habit. Start small and gradually increase your activity level and time spent working at it.

REST & RELAXATION- be sure to make time for this including getting an adequate amount of sleep each day. Folks talked about different breathing techniques to reduce stress and increase relaxation. Recreation, hobbies and other enjoyable activities provides variety and a needed change of pace.

HYGIENE & SELF CARE - this goes without saying but is so easy to minimize and forget. This would include feet care (already described by another member). It is really important for diabetics because we tend to have deficits in circulation especially in the extremities (mainly feet). They are easily ignored. A wound or infection there can become a crisis.

MEDICATION - many members mentioned various medications. All meds have side effects and there can be interactions between other medications that are taken. This is a matter best worked out between each patient and their medical providers. There is no such thing as “one size fits all”.

TECHNOLOGY & MEDICAL DEVICES - members mentioned continual glucose monitors (CGM). These devices provide a 24/7 picture of what is going on. (Related to this are insulin pumps or insulin delivery systems). Other tests and measurements were referred to such as fasting glucose, pre and post prandial testing. This is testing blood sugar upon waking, before eating and 2 hours after eating to determine how particular foods affect blood sugar. For example I will get a bad blood sugar spike after rice or pasta. This is good to know because although I really like those things I don’t indulge very often and strictly watch portion size.

I’ve yammered long enough. Hope something here helps.

Jump to this post

@salliesallie Bless your heart! I understand how you feel — I was so angry when I was diagnosed with type2! No one in my family had ever had diabetes. I was just sure the doc was wrong.

All of the advice you’ve been given is great! You can do this!

I started on januvia, but now I don’t take any meds for T2 diabetes. It’s diet controlled. I found out that I could control it by diet after losing between 15 and 20 pounds over a 3 week period following a throat procedure. I do not recommend losing weight like that! But after I got better I was taken off both januvia and blood pressure meds.

So losing weight was key for me to control my T2 diabetes. I hope you can lose some weight and limit carbs to about 50 per meal (about 20 for between meal snacks) and can make yourself exercise! (Making myself exercise is the hardest part for me because I’m a lazy Lima bean!)

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I appreciated your advice. "Lima Bean"...I don't think so! I think I will be able to control the diabetes with diet and exercise. I have already lost a few pounds.
I now weigh 136 pounds.
God is Good!

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