Start here

Once you have read this page and all of the reading material/videos it is linked to, you will have a better understanding of diabetes. You should also feel confident in knowing what your next steps are.

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You, or a loved one, has just been diagnosed with diabetes. What should you do?

It is normal to feel overwhelmed and distressed when you are first diagnosed with diabetes. Believe me, I was distraught, and I initially ignored my diagnosis and made no changes. I won't go into the details now, but this did not end well (if you are interested, you can read more about my story on the About me page). You cannot ignore diabetes. It is important to try to come to terms with it. I found that the best way to come to terms with it is to understand it in its entirety. By understanding diabetes, and making a plan to manage it, I gained back the control it so rudely stole from me. And you can too!

Diabetes does not have to be a death sentence. You can take control of it and prevent the complications that come with it. You can resume a normal, happy and healthy life. You just need to make a commitment to yourself, because you are worth it. I promise you if you push yourself to take control of your health and make a change, you will develop a bundle of confidence and self-respect that you never knew you had.

I believe everyone with diabetes should learn about and do the following:

• If you haven't already, book a doctors appointment. Your health care professional will play a vital role in your diabetes management.
• Understand what diabetes is, how it affects your body, and what type you have.
• Learn how to manage and cope with diabetes. This includes choosing the right diet for you, incorporating physical exercise into your lifestyle, understanding your medication, setting yourself targets, such as your ideal blood glucose levels, and keeping in touch with your mental health.
• Attend a diabetes education course . You can ask your doctor about how to enrol.
• Ask for your blood test results and learn what the results mean. This piece of advice was given to me when I attended a diabetes education course (X-Pert), it was the best advice I could have been given. I began looking at my test results, researching what each item meant and what I should be aiming for. This empowered me to make drastic changes. I had something to work towards, and I could visually see the improvements in my blood tests. It is the greatest feeling.
• Every time you think of a question, write it down ready to ask at your next doctor's appointment. Don't be afraid to ask questions! I often went to my appointments with around 10 questions!
• Join a diabetic forum/group. Sometimes you will just want to talk to someone who understands and has had similar experiences.

If you would like to talk to someone for support or more information you can call the Diabetes UK helpline on 0345 123 2399.

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You suspect that yourself, or a loved one, may have diabetes. What should you do?

If you are experiencing symptoms, or if you suspect you have diabetes, you should always make an appointment to see your doctor. Your physician will do some tests to determine whether you are diabetic, pre-diabetic or non-diabetic.

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Recommended reading and videos

Reading material

• The Definitive Guide to Insulin, Blood Sugar & Type 2 Diabetes by Mark Sisson
• The Laws of Small Numbers – Diabetes Solution by Richard K. Bernstein, M.D.

Videos

Diabetes explained

This video is from Diabetes UK.

How to "reverse" type 2 diabetes

This video is by the Diet Doctor featuring Dr. Fung, a Dr who does not believe diabetes needs to be a chronic disease. I do not believe in using the word "reversed", as you will always have diabetes, instead I prefer the term "remission". This means that you still have diabetes but achieve non-diabetic blood glucose levels through diet. Reading many of Dr. Fung's articles, and watching his videos, pushed me to work harder on my diet. Subsequently, it helped me to come off all diabetic medication.

Also, I highly recommend visiting the Diet Doctor's website . It is run by Dr Andreas Eenfeldt, who is an advocate for diabetics with a low carb lifestyle.

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What you'll get from Diabetesand.me

This website is run by myself, Becky Smith. I am a type 2 diabetic who has come off all diabetic medication and controlled blood glucose levels with diet alone.

You'll learn the steps I have taken to control my diabetes which has also resulted in over 2.5 stones (35 pounds) of weight loss. You'll be able to follow my daily experiences with diabetes. I will explain how I have overcome various issues in the hopes that it will help you. I will also detail how I manage my mental health, stress levels and my overall wellbeing. Lastly, you'll find plenty of delicious recipe ideas. All recipes posted on here have been tried and tested by myself. I will only post recipes that have not spiked my blood glucose levels, although, this may vary from person to person.

I aim to share my experiences, useful information from professionals and empower you to take control of your diabetes.

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Who am I and how did I control my diabetes?

My name is Becky Smith. I live in London, England. In January 2017, at the age of 28, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. At the time, I was about two stone overweight and found it hard to lose. However, after changing my lifestyle, adopting a low carb diet and increasing my exercise I managed to come off my diabetic medication (insulin and metformin). You can find out more about my story here.