Welcome from someone who has been living with T2DM for 35 years.
While T2 tends to progress you in the very early stages may be able to gain near or normal blood glucose levels for life with a carb restricted diet and regular daily or near daily exercise.
Use your meter to learn what foods affect your BG levels the most.The following link to Alan Sandley’s blog gives a good way to do that.
This requires a lot of finger sticks, but is worth it. Part of the problem with T2 meal plans and food lists is that we are unique biochemical/electrical beings. Those plans and lists are only guidlines.
In general reducing dietary carbs, starches and sugars is really helpful. This reduces the glucose entering the bloodstream from our digestive systems. All carbs that are digestible are quickly broken down into the simple sugar glucose.
The second important thing for us with (using its full name)Type 2 insulin resistant diabetes mellitus is regular exercise. I disagree with those who say 30 minutes throughout the day. Well I agree with the 30 minutes minimum, but it really needs to be in on piece.
A symptom common to all types of uncontrolled DM is fatigue. For T1 it’s the lack of insulin allowing fuel to enter cells of the skeletal muscles, liver and fat cells. For us it is a genetic propensity of those cells insulin receptors to resist the attachment of insulin.
Right now your Beta cells are secreting plenty of insulin but there is resistance. This causes blood glucose levels and insulin levels to rise. The glucose that is not getting into cellls and the high levels of insulin cause the liver to convert glucose into triglycerides to be stored in fat cells.
The absolute best way to increase insulin cellular sensitivity is regular exercise. Metformin works 3 ways 1. Slows the emptying of the stomach, reduces stored glycogen conversion into glucose and increases insulin sensitivity a bit, but not as much as exercise.
I advise walking to begin with, since there is this underlying fatigue it is good to start slow. I am not interested in miles or steps, but duration. Begin with 5 or 10 minutes for a week or two. When that becomes easier, extend the time until 30 minutes is achieved. Then pick up the pace. If you have a smart watch or band you can judge fitness by distance.
I am 75. My fitness regime is to bicycle daily and to do resistance exercise once or twice a week. I don’t know how old you are but we start losing muscle mass at 40. Muscle is good to have and is a sink for glucose.
By diet and exercise you may be able to stop the progression of T2DM for life. That’s because you Beta cells haven’t been running at Warp Speed 10, but much lower, so they may continue to be healthy for longer. Take the diagnoses seriously, and you will have a good life.
I am a firm believer in doing what it takes. The effects of undiagnosed BG in me weren’t evident until I got good control. I never want to feel that awful again.
Here’s another link to Alan’s blog:
Oh, on meters and test strips, while I have a CGM, I have 2 meters I carry with me always - one in my bike kit and the other in my every day kit. I buy my own and am very happy with Contour Edge meters and strips. I get the strips from Amazon at a reasonable price. The strips in my bike kit are individual foil wrapped. This takes less space although more pricey.
If you have anymore questions or concerns, just ask.
). The other key for us is a carbohydrate restricted diet. This is hard to do in the beginning, but all carbs very quickly are digested into glucose (the sugar we are concerned with) to enter the bloodstream. By limiting carbs we limit the amount of glucose in our blood.