Hello I haven't had a chance to read many post here yet but I have two quesitons that I would love if anybody had the time to answer
1) I have been cutting out carbs and processed sugars and have been concentrating on protein and vegatables so I'm eating healthy but my blood sugar has been a little higher since I started doing this, has anyone else experienced that? (Not real high mind you, but before most mornings my fasting level would be about 90-95 now it's mostly 110-115).
2) I have been following the MRC diet with my hubby but I just don't seem to be moving the lbs has anyone else had issues with losing the weight while diabetic even when you are staying strictly to your diet?
Welcome Iansmom, I don't know what the MRC diet is.
I am pre-diabetic, having some success with low carb. Am also perimenopausal, so weight is leaving me very slowing, but leaving. It also helps keep my sugars balanced.
What are your post meal sugars like?
Are there specific things in your new diet causing spikes?
For me, pc sugars are more important than fasting.
Thank you both for your response. MRC is Metabolic Research Center. It has a diet taking most processed foods and sugars out of your diet. Here is an example of a typical days diet is as follows:
Breakfast
1 slice of low cal bread (45 cal)
2 oz of cheese or a hard boiled egg
Lunch
Grilled chicked 5 oz
Salad with low cal dressing or oil and vinegar 8 oz
One small piece of fruit
Sugar free jello for snack
Dinner
5 oz of meat
8 oz of raw vegatables or 4 ounces of cooked
1 slice of low carbed bread or 1/2 tortilla shell
Vegatable no nos are carrots, corn (which is really a start any way) no potatoes (basically any veg that has high sugar or starch content). And no caffine.
The higher fasting blood glucose (FBG) might be attributed to the Dawn Phenomenon. My normal FBG is in the high 80's, but if my liver dumps glucose while I sleep, then it spikes to the high 90's or low 100's. Just a fact of life I've come to accept. When I notice the higher FBG numbers I will eat an after dinner/bedtime snack of protein. Usually a cheese stick or 1 oz of lean sandwich meat.
How long have you been on MRC? How often do you test and at what times? Are you exercising regularly? When I was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, it took me awhile to figure out what foods I was sensitive to. I like to think of it as being an active participant in a life long science experiment. Me and my meter are close buds. You will find some great info here. Again, welcome to 3FC.
How long have you been on MRC? How often do you test and at what times? Are you exercising regularly? When I was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, it took me awhile to figure out what foods I was sensitive to. I like to think of it as being an active participant in a life long science experiment. Me and my meter are close buds. You will find some great info here. Again, welcome to 3FC.
mr z, I think the same way. I have been able to learn what causes spikes and be careful of those foods. There was a LOT of testing in the early days, no I just do once a day, or even every other day. I do a fasting once a week, and a post each meal at least once a week. More if I have gone off track a bit, and feel the need to track the effect.
So Iansmom, I think the suggestion is lots of testing esp. post meal, (2 hours after you start eating) to see how this diet is affecting your sugars. I assume the low cal bread and tortillas are whole grain complex carbs. It seems a sensible diet, but are you getting enough calories overall? If no one has said it yet, check out the diabetes101 website too. Lots of helpful stuff there.
Yes I check mine AT Least twice a day before I eat and 2 hours after either lunch or dinner. I will pay more attention with this diet as to if their is any spikes and the low cal bread it whole grain.
Just wanted to let anyone who was interested know that I talked to my endocrinologist today about my question of slow metabolism and slightly elevated fasting blood sugars and she said that the reason for this was because since I am on a diet and I am reducing my calories and sugar/starch intake my liver is continually dumping sugar at night while I'm asleep trying to feed those cells and since my body doesn't make enough insulin to regulate this is causing increased fasting sugar levels. She suggested eating a small snack right before bedtime such as a small piece of cheese or a small bowl of cottage cheese and she said I should see a marked improvement.
On a brighter note still have great A1C - 6.0 (slightly higher than the 5.8 from the last time but we will see what this snack at night will do for me) and I have lost 13 lbs since March 31st, so I can't complain!
Great news on the weight loss front, and this is the dawn effect we were talking about. Her plan for you is sound. Cheese has some carbs, but also some protein, so burns slower than a plain carb snack. You are doing really well so far, and things will only get better as you get more control.
GOOD for you!
For me as a type 2, I try not to eat anything after 8 PM. My snack is usually a sugar free pudding cup. Then I have a hot cup of green tea about 30 min before bed. My fasting blood sugars run from 89 to 110 in the morning. Which , according to my doctor, are pretty good fasting numbers. Good Luck!
I'm still trying to understand diabetes and the rise in BG.
Do some carbs or foods raise BG more than others? I can eat potato salad with hardly a change but my favorite food on the planet Nilla Wafers it raise it by 100.
morning FBG 102 after a handfull of nilla's with black coffee 1/2 hour later it was 215! I do know that nilla's aren't the best breakfast, just surprised at the high spike. no more nilla's in my house.
I'm still in the pre stage with a A1c at 6 but i am still watching and learning and trying to understand how it all works.
thanks so much.
...
Do some carbs or foods raise BG more than others?...
The simple answer is YES. We are all unique and each of us will react differently to different foods. You are lucky, if I even look at a potato I get a spike. I checked the nutritional values for Nilla Wafers by Nabisco.
Even before evaluating the yummy Nilla Wafers, it gets a big no-no in my book because it's a processed food. I'm a low carber, so 21g of carbs (total carbs - dietary fiber) is about what I shoot for in an entire meal. To put things in perspective, I can either eat the eight wafers as a whole meal or feast at a salad bar. Let's not forget the protein. 1g is pretty low. Protein is a diabetics friend. It doesn't have to be flesh. There are so many alternatives available. 11g of unadulterated refined processed sugar is most likely what's causing your huge spike. 1 teaspoon of sugar is approximately 4.2g. So 8 wafers is just under 3 teaspoons of white everyday table sugar. If you want to experiment, you could take a baseline reading, eat 3 teaspoons of white sugar, then test again. I've done similar experiments on myself to find out what foods and sugar substitutes I'm sensitive to.
Don't get me wrong, I still eat processed foods and sweets. It's just not that often and I usually try to make up for it (i.e. extra exercise). Your A1c is good and you are ahead of the game by educating yourself and taking responsibility before things get worse.
Well, right off the bat, the first thing I noticed about your meal plan is that not only is it very low carb, it is also low calorie; and that could cause your body to panic a bit and hence, stall or plateau (refuse to let the weight go). The extreme low carbs can cause the DAWN EFFECT (low sugars during the night resulting in higher morning numbers; weird but it happened to me too).
I now have a protein based snack in the evening as well and that has helped a lot (I am also now totally off the Metformin and am feeling much better). I also added a few extra tsp of good fats (flax oil, olive oil, etc) to my day to help curb hunger and I am actually eating a bit more calories each day; but I have started losing weight again. I am very pleased and it goes to show that everyone is different.
Some people lose weight on low calorie or low carb plans; and others, like me, do much better on a more balanced plan in the long run (I'm doing the diabetic calorie-based portion plan). You could add that extra protein snack in the evening and something in the afternoon like a handful of nuts to see if that makes any difference.
Hope you get it all sorted out very soon.
Last edited by Justwant2Bhealthy; 06-03-2010 at 10:50 PM.
thanks for the info diabetic z, I'm in the process of cleaning out the junk carbs from my house. I'm going to start eating to the meter like i hear so many people say, even if my numbers aren't that high now, if i don't they will be sooner than later.
Since its so hot lately here, a large tuna salad with a glass of unsweetened tea sounds good for lunch or dinner.
Better eating during the summer months will help too.
I have syndrome X so i have to be careful on so many levels now.
Getting old and being out of shape sure sucks big time.
Diabetes and Dieting questions..
You will find some great info here. Again, welcome to 3FC.
Good Luck!
I'm a low carber, so 21g of carbs (total carbs - dietary fiber) is about what I shoot for in an entire meal. To put things in perspective, I can either eat the eight wafers as a whole meal or feast at a salad bar. Let's not forget the protein. 1g is pretty low. Protein is a diabetics friend. It doesn't have to be flesh. There are so many alternatives available. 11g of unadulterated refined processed sugar is most likely what's causing your huge spike. 1 teaspoon of sugar is approximately 4.2g. So 8 wafers is just under 3 teaspoons of white everyday table sugar. If you want to experiment, you could take a baseline reading, eat 3 teaspoons of white sugar, then test again. I've done similar experiments on myself to find out what foods and sugar substitutes I'm sensitive to.
