a followup to my Diabetes thread, got a monitor

[mekasmom]

I wanted to add,
Just simply try to control your carb intake, and when you choose carbs use low glycemic ones. Choose those with fiber over those without.... Eat the orange rather than drinking orange juice. Anything (like fiber) that slows digestion will help keep your blood glucose lower.

Your doctor should send you to a nutritionist who will explain food choices to you. The simple idea is to limit sugars (carbs) and when you choose them choose low glycemic ones. Proteins and fats are not sugars (carbohydrates). They don't raise blood sugar in the same way. Eggs (yolks and all) will not raise your blood sugar like fruit will or like sugars will. To control blood sugar, you just try to control the intake of items that will raise it. If you can't control it with diet, then they can give you medications to help.

[Old Vet]

Originally Posted by ronbre

ok i had a few carbs that are considered no no's today..one was after i got up..8 oz skim milk, 2 hours after my BS was 131

at lunch i had a slice of whole grain rye bread toasted with 1 T natural peanut butter on it..2 hours later my BS was 116 ....so I didn't consider those as bad as the numbers have been for the last few days..

one problem though today..i can't think of what to eat..really ..my brain just won't wrap around it..so far my calories are only 700 and i know i have to eat more..but i can't get my head to think it through..what to eat...what to eat...I know i'll think of something..but right now i just wish i had gone shopping !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i did try a new food today I had never had before..i cooked some fresh swiss chard in a pan with 1/2 tsp of butter and then steamed it..and it was delicious..i never had swiss chard before..this was some that had not grown well last year and it came back this year and is good picking size now..(i have a lot..now that i know i like it it won't last long)..

hubby tried a little and he even liked it..and he doesn't like good food..Probably why my calories are so low, i've been eating lots of greens today..ok..gotta find something to eat

Try to take your blood sugar before meals not after you will get a better reading. Mine will get up to 150 after meals and down to 90 before meals. Of course I am on insulin two times per day and that might be the reason the DR tole me to take it before each meal and at bedtime.

[Jenni979]

I was told to take my glucose AFTER meals...

[Elffriend]

2 hrs after meals is the standard recommendation, though some drs want 1 hr after meals. In order to maintain good control, especially if you are trying to stay diet controlled, you have to see the effect different foods are having on your blood sugar.

[Shygal]

Originally Posted by mekasmom

So.... You are brighter than all the doctors I have went to for DM for all these years? or they simply lied to me about it being normal for DM blood glucose to be higher in the morning? Or all those people who were posting in all those places in the links I provided lied? Or perhaps the scientists who explain how the liver dumps extra glucose into the blood stream in the morning are lying, or just don't know as much as you do? Take your pick. I am willing to learn from your vast expertise. I know my decades of experience with the disease and doctors can't compare to your knowledge.
http://forecast.diabetes.org/magazin...o-high-morning


DM2 with insulin resistance almost universally has higher glucose AM. It is a normal part of the disease. One forty is not perfect, but it is not that high either. It is probably still at a point you might be able to control it with food choices. Good luck.

I said that blood sugar being higher in the morning is NOT normal for a non diabetic.
You are telling her that 140 fasting glucose is not bad, it is HIGH. A fasting blood sugar might be highER in the morning but it should NOT be 140. A controlled diabetic will not have that high a morning blood sugar normally.

And I have dealt with diabetes and doctors for 30 years, with myself and my father and my brother, and I am a registered nurse. I still stand by my statement that you are giving bad advice, and if your blood sugar is 140 or more in the morning, perhaps you need a different expert doctor.

[Shygal]

Originally Posted by mnn2501

Actually, it is entirely normal for most diabetics to be high in the morning due to overnight liver function, it is much rarer for them not to be. 140 in the morning is in the normal range. yes 90 or below is considered ideal, but overnight liver function drives a lot of people up. Again in diabetes one size does NOT fit all. Each persons blood chemistry is unique and each persons body reacts differently.


I would watch the high fat items as they cause other problems

She had said that it was normal for most people, it is not.
I know the liver does that in a diabetic

[ronbre]

yeah i knew the skim milk wasn't the best..but that is what i had..as i haven't been able to shop yet since I got the blood sugar monitor..Ron's check was deposited today so i'll be ale to shop..but i still have a gallon of skim milk..so what do you do.

i did have a high protein soy drink with hardly any carbs in some more skim milk before bed last night..

got my A1c test restults today..it was high..6.2 so i guess it is official???? still scheduled to see dr on June 10 in the meantime i have gotten my numbers down a bit now so i'm going to work on that over the next 3 weeks until i see the dr..

i NEVER use any Transfats..like i said, i've been on a "so called healthy" diet for 30 years..but evidently even the whole grains, fruits and vegetables have been killing me so i have to rethink my entire way of thinking...i'lkl go to those sites as i have time..thanks.

[ronbre]

shygal I understand what both of you are saying..I'm quite familiar with the diabetic diet and have read up on the dawn syndrome since it was posted on here.

I understand the difference between sugars, proteiins and fats also and have read the exerpts from the boooks about the super low carb diets as well.

I also feel that if i am able to still eat some berries and fruit occasionally i will probably do that as i know there are nutrients in them that you can't get from other foods.

i have always been aware that juices put sugar into your blood faster than other foods, i have studied diet and nutrition my entire life and was one of the first coop owners of the first natural food coop in our town in 1971...so i've always been into natural foods.

however..the problem that i feel that i have had was the misteaching that you are better off eating WHOLE GRAINS >>>FRUITS>>VEGETABLES than any other food, ever.

this is what i've been taught since i was a child..so that is how I have always eaten.

I've always used very small amounts of meat and fat..i've been on skim milk and low fat cheeses since i can remember..

So my house had no fat other than butter and oils in it, period, when this all hit the fan last week. And very little meat. I have always enjoyed nuts and seeds so they weren't a problem and i've never eaten things like margarine or crisco..haven't had either in the house for many years.

however, I have been big on making my own bread or eating only whole grain rye bread from the store, and I've always shied away from eggs..even farm eggs..as they tend to give me some diah..but I'm eating amish farm eggs right now.

I'll have to get used to breaking myself into eating meat..i'm not that fond of it...but i'll buy some when i can get to the store...later today or tomorrow.

I do have some cheese and milk products and still have some whole grain breads that i'll be using up..that are not regular fat..but then when i replace them i'll buy regular fat.

i already gave away most of the food in my house,and i'll probably give away another dozen or so bags of food.

i just planted fruit and nut trees and berry bushes ..so i'm a little mixed in my feelings about that..i love my fruit..honestly this is going to be the hardest thing for me ..fruit..i am a huge fruit eater..the largest thing in my shopping list has always been fruit.

i have also got a large vegetable garden planted, so when it comes on i'll be getting a lot more fresh vegetables..but don't know if i should even plant the sweet corn seed which i would be doing this next week in Michigan.

a lot to think about..have done a ton of reading this past week..thanks for all the links

[Terri]

What is wrong with skim milk???????

One part of diabetes that never gets mentioned is that you MUST eat when you do not want to. You need to eat when you need to eat, even when you do not want to.

Please eat at least 1200 calories a day.
Edited to add: 6.2 is excellent for a diabet, but high for a NON diabetic. It will be interesting to see what your numbers are like in a month. Since you are losing weight, your diabvetes might be much better at a lower weight.

[ronbre]

mekasmom, thanks, i looked up those sites and bookmarked them..that second one, the -gi-diet.org was very helpful in comparing low and hi GI foods for me..so i can see that once maybe i get some kind of control over this i can be eating small amounts of my favorite fruits and whole grains occasionally..I'll know better after I actually SEE a DR..the person I'm scheduled to see in June ..i'm not even sure if it is a dr..it is a diabetic education appointment..whatever that means..as i said the A1c was 6.2 so I know that isn't good but isn't as bad as it could be..and I also know now that i've been more careful..my numbers are down a bit..i'm going to change into some clothes and hit the grocery store..later..bre

[Elffriend]

Yeah, 6.2 is slightly higher than the high end of normal, but good control for someone who is diabetic. I'm betting that if it was 6.2 before you began making serious diet changes it will be even lower the next time you have it done.

[ronbre]

thanks for all the encouragement..really helps a lot.
I ran to the store and blew $275.00...have to basically restock the whole house with healthier foods for me to eat now..with the diet changes.

i got some great prices..it was like the store knew i was coming and put their meat, cheese, dairy, nuts and decent vegetables all on sale..just for me.

the ground sirloin was $2 off..so i got 10 pounds ..will freeze most of it and grill a bunch up..got brats on sale and ital sausage..the jerky was $2 off per package so i got a bunch, got a little bit of dip and cream cheese on sale and got some cukes, celery, peppers, coleslaw/brocc mix, and other fresh veggies to dip and stir fry (mushrooms and summer squash)..and i got my Bold almonds on sale and got some walnuts and sunfl seeds too..even bought Ron his ice cream..good me.

now my frig, is so full i can't remove something without lifting up something else..my freezers are stocked..

oh i found the oat bran for the salmon patties too.

one problem, my store doesn't carry any of the low carb products like low carb breads, tortillas, pastas, etc...i asked..they used to when Atkins and S beach were the rage..but they lost money on them so they stopped..

guess i'll just have to wing it with what is available..

and the bread i normally buy (whole grain rye) had the LOWEST carbs of all the bread in the store !!!!! at least the ones i looked at...so i guess that is better than nothing.

the pasta that they carried that said low carb..was 44 grams per serving..44 !!!! i don't consider that low carb..so i left it on the shelf.

i'll just have to read labels..measure or weigh everything to make sure i have the right size servings..etc.

yeah i know i was way way way too low on my calories yesterday..i got them up to only 900..but it was just cause my brain couldn't wrap around what i wanted to eat..i'll do better now that i actually have the right kinds of food in the house..hopefully i don't go too far the other way..but i have a lovely grill and will be keeping it buys..

thanks again..bre (oh so 6.2 wasn't horrible eh??? cool)

[mekasmom]

What will happen is when you see your doctor and nutritionist, they will help you set goals. When I was first diagnosed, I was further into the disease than you are, so my goals were below 160 in the AM, below 150 two hours after eating, and below 140 before bed. It seems like the HgA1c goal was something like below 6.8. It was back in the late 70s, so I don't recall the exact goals. But they vary by person. A person who is waaayyyyy out of control might simply have a goal of lowering their glucose level below 180 in the morning. You start from where you are, set goals to better your glucose control, and keep checking in with your doctor every 2-4wks to see if you have achieved that goal or change your lifestyle or medication to meet the goal . If you do, then you try to go lower to a more normal level as the next goal. It's a step by step process. Someone who has extremely high glucose will take longer to control their eating/medications than someone like you who is not really that far out of control.

Because your glucose is not that far out of control yet, your goals will probably be something like keeping your blood sugar below 120 in the morning, and getting the HgA1c down to 6 or whatever they suggest. Your nutritionist/doctor will help you set reasonable goals for you in a step by step process that you can achieve if you work on it.

I do want to encourage you to not panic. You are not an out of control brittle diabetic. You do have a long life in front of you. You are just at the beginning of showing symptoms of the disease. If you can learn about correct eating for your body, you might be able to still control it with diet or very little medication. I know how scary it can be, and people sometimes make it worse. But honestly, at this stage, it is not that bad yet. You are not going to be hooked to an insulin pump tomorrow, go blind next week, or die from the disease this month at this glucose level. It's really, really not that bad at this point. I promise you it isn't. You still have time to work on it. The world hasn't tipped on your head. You still have a full life ahead of you. You just need to start making some changes with the help of your doctor and your eating coach. Set attainable, reasonable goals, work to meet each one, and stay healthy. This is not a death sentence. People live many decades with the disease. And if you have a bad reading one time or a bad day, then you start again the next day. Line upon line, precept upon precept.....goal upon goal. Don't let fear and panic overtake you. Just start eating better today, and work with your own medical team.

One more thing about the glycemic index...... Also remember that you have eat reasonable portion sizes. A portion size for grapes is 6 grapes for a DM patient. A portion size for a higher carb food like potatoes is 1/4 cup. A portion size for meat is the size of a deck of cards. You can usually find the suggested portion sizes by looking at the glycemic load as well as the glycemic index. Your own nutritionist will help you. You will see her a lot, so learn from her.
And as I said before, fat doesn't raise blood sugar like carbohydrates do. If you are hungry even after a meal than eat some boiled eggs or some macademia nuts, olives, or some protein like meat. And at meals when you choose carbs eat whole grains and whole fruits as compared to processed grains or juices. But eat those in moderation.

Good luck.


----------------
I need to edit and add that they only test HgA1c quarterly, but you still have goals for it. If you can meet your daily goals you will probably reach your HgA1c goal. And that is the most important test to meet because it gives a snapshot of control over a time period. I figured if I didn't add this info someone else would in a nasty tone. But overall, you will do fine once your doctor and you create a plan of action, and you learn to meet your eating/glucose goals.

[SpaceCadet12364]

I wish I still had the book I'd gotten from the dietician when I came up gestational diabetic. It had different combination of foods recommendations, still around 2500 cal per day and I LOST weight while pregnant. Still had a nice healthy 8lb DD (usually losing weight isnt a good thing while prego). Had to really watch the carbs and some of the fruits.

One thing to try and pay attention on, especially if you have a hard time finding low-carb stuff......is try to cut back on the products you use that have high fructose corn syrup in it. There are several brands of bread products out there, that if its not the low carb, at least if its not got the HFCS in it...should be a little better for you.

If you are a soda-fiend, don't fall into the "Ill just do diet soda" trap. Some of those artificial sugars are worse than regular sugar for you......and, there are some that will actually give you "the munchies". If you have not tried it before, it may take a bit to get used to, but there are some brands of sparkling water out there that are flavored (so it doesnt make you feel so deprived since its plain) but are not sweetened at all. Water of course would be best, but if you think you need that fizziness, try finding some of the sparkling waters that are out there for an occasional treat.

[mekasmom]

Originally Posted by Terri

What is wrong with skim milk???????

There is nothing wrong with it per say. It just raises blood sugar higher/faster than whole milk because the fat has been discarded which leaves only "sugar" water with VitA and D in it. If you are trying to control blood sugar, the fat slows the digestion process, so the glycemic load is lower in whole milk than in skim milk. Fats that God makes are not a bad thing in moderation. Skim milk is higher on the glycemic scale than whole milk. It's not the best choice of the two for someone with high blood sugar. But it's a lot better choice than fruit juices or sugary soda pop.

[ronbre]

i don't drink any pop, i drink only water or caffiene free unsweetened tea ..hot or cold..right now cold as it is in the 80's here..woo hoo.

i had 2 eggs before i went to shop, and after i grilled sirloin burgers and ate one 4 oz, and a huge salad, mostly baby greens but also some strips of pepper, radish, celery, and 3 tiny little tomatos and still using up the dressing (but i bought real stuff)..

i posted what i've eaten on www.fitday.com (i always post on there, it is free)..anyway I'm only up to between 300 and 400 calories and i'm still not really hungry..but I'll make sure i eat a few more times before bedtime..that was a late lunch at 2 cause i was gone for a while shopping

i know i need to get used to this way of eating and get my calories up.,.but i'm just not used to filling up on meat..like this..with the burger and salad i was totally stuffed !

[jill.costello]

Ronbre,
Congrats on being so in-tune w/ your body; I like that! That said, I wanted to share with you my "secret" to my high-protein diet that I was on a few years back that I lost weight/felt great on and will go back on soon!

EGGS! eggs-eggs-eggs! And Splenda! Splenda, the no-calorie, no-carb sweetener!

I made crepes with eggs, HEAVY cream, and a bit of Atkins flour. Then made a mix of Large-curd cottage cheese, sour cream and Splenda and stuffed those crepes!!! MMMMMMMMMM, I was started on my high-protein diet! Ha ha! I lost 30 lbs and joined the Army, kept the weight off through my service.

Now that I'm out, I believe I am pre-diabetic like yourself (possibly full-blown); I have gained weight back plus extra, have mood issues, blurry-er vision, etc. Because of THIS thread, I have an appt. scheduled at the VA on the 27th of May (just 7 days away!). Thanks!

[mekasmom]

Originally Posted by jill.costello

Ronbre,
Congrats on being so in-tune w/ your body; I like that! That said, I wanted to share with you my "secret" to my high-protein diet that I was on a few years back that I lost weight/felt great on and will go back on soon!

EGGS! eggs-eggs-eggs! And Splenda! Splenda, the no-calorie, no-carb sweetener!

I made crepes with eggs, HEAVY cream, and a bit of Atkins flour. Then made a mix of Large-curd cottage cheese, sour cream and Splenda and stuffed those crepes!!! MMMMMMMMMM, I was started on my high-protein diet! Ha ha! I lost 30 lbs and joined the Army, kept the weight off through my service.

Now that I'm out, I believe I am pre-diabetic like yourself (possibly full-blown); I have gained weight back plus extra, have mood issues, blurry-er vision, etc. Because of THIS thread, I have an appt. scheduled at the VA on the 27th of May (just 7 days away!). Thanks!

You can use soy flour, just a tad of wheat flour, and wheat gluten as a low carb substitute too. I think that is similar to the Atkin's low carb flour. And for thickener (like gravy) use bean flour. I can make gravy from that without a huge up in my blood sugar.

Good luck with your doctor's appt. Many times, simple eating changes can help control blood sugar to normal levels if you are just beginning to show signs of insulin resistance and DM2. It's good to check it early. Good Luck.

[ronbre]

Jill, I'm so glad that you are getting checked..please continue letting us know how you are doing..my numbers were up some today in the morning again..so i was not too thrilled with that..oh well such is life..i won't see the dr for another 3 weeks..almost.

can't wait to hear how things come out for you..blessings on your testing and hope that things come together for you..i'm just hoping this change will not only help me get healthy but lose some of the weight i have gained as well..brenda

[rileyjo]

Me too!! because of this thread, I have an appt with my doctor on June 11th to discuss my whacked out blood sugars.

My overnight fasting is fine, but my sugars are taking 2 - 3 hours to regulate after a meal.