Diabetes #10

[luzcious]

Again, I hope it's okay that I started a new thread. I can't believe this group is so "HOT"!:spin:

I've missed being able to log on "talk" with everyone. I must say that the past month since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes has been crazy. I'm scared, confused, and frustrated. :cry: I had been checking my sugar every morning as instructed by my nurse practioner but had something weird happen to me so I started testing all through out the day. Testing during the day only mad me more confused. I went on vacation two weeks ago and had a blast. Sweat my butt off checking out some beautiful waterfalls in nothern Georgia, then came back home only to move all my furniture by myself into the bedroom the first day and then into the living room the next day. I was whooped. Well, I'm not a very active person and I think a combination of all that heavy lifting plus flying for the first time might have goofed up my ears. Could all that strenous activity caused my sugar to be all out of whack? I'm not quite sure it was sugar related or not but whatever it was scared me. I was sitting at my desk the day after all this lifting doing my job and I got this weird, cold feeling in my head, like I was gonna faint. All I knew was that I felt that I had to be around someone. So, I went and got a co-worker of mine and we went downstairs and I got some juice and a bagel. Drank the juice, hardly touched the bagel and felt better after about 45 minutes. Unfortunately, I didn't test my sugar that morning but whatever happened scared me. Long story short, I had an appt with my doc today and although I've lost 5 lbs since my last visit, my sugar levels are still high. My fasting morning test is averaging 145. My doctor wants me to focus more on diet and exercise.

Ok, here come the questions:

I can have 8-9 servings of carbos, according to the plan I'm following...is that too many? And what about fruit? I can have it but what does it do to my sugar?

How much exercise should I be getting? I certainly don't want to over do it because of what happened last week.

I've been trying to eat every 4-6 hours, is that good? I know that I can't go from 6:30 am to 11:30 am without something, what should I have as a snack? And can I have a snack in the afternoon? It's tough waiting so long to eat, and I know what will happen if I do wait that long, I'll overeat because I'm starving!


Sorry to ramble on and I hope this email doesn't sound too scatter brained, it's been a long day. I've missed you all and now that I'm back online, I'll be visiting more often so my posts won't be sooooooooo lonnnnnnnnnnnggggggggg!

TTFN
Michelle

[Walkingchick]

Hi there Luzcious. I'm new to this group. Have had type 2 diabetes for about 2 years, but am only now getting control of it and looking after myself. Congratulations for dealing with yours positively from diagnosis.

To answer some of your questions, firstly, everyone is different with regards to how many carbo servings they can tolerate. I have had my sugars under good control now for around 6 months. I am on WW, what plan are you following? As far as fruit is concerned, I tend to limit myself to small portions of strawberries and that's about it. Fruit and fruit juice tend to make my sugars rocket. I don't know if thats the same for everyone. I try to make sure that I get at least 5/7 portions of veggies a day. I try to avoid the starchy ones, so mainly brocolli, peppers, onions, carrots etc. I do love corn on the cob though, and have that a few times a week.

I don't know if this is hepling you in anyway, as I am not really giving you any concrete advice. I think that you are so recently diagnosed, you will have to test your sugars regularly to get an idea of what affects tham and when. What has your doctor told you to do with regard to testing?

I currently test 4 times a day. I vary when I test. One day, I will test pre meal levels, and the following day, post meal levels.
If you are worried about the exercise, you could test before exercising and then after, to get a picture of what is happening. I walk for 4 miles each mornig and it takes me about an hour. Then in the evening, I try to get in another mile or so. I have been losing weight steadily since adopting this regime. My Bloods have lowered across the board. I say don't be afraid of exercise, it is one of the most significant factors in reducing your sugar levels.

I tend to eat 6 mini meals a day, roughly 3 hour apart. It works for me. I don't think its good to wait until you are too hungry before eating. I tend to overeat and make bad choice if I get into that state.

Anyway, hope some of this helps. I think that they key for you is to keep testing your blood and journaling what you are eating. You can't be expected to get it absolutely right first time. If you keep track of your bloods and carbs, your diabetic team can assist you witha ny changes you have to make.

Hope this helps a little, sorry it was so long!

Monica :)

[jlea]

luzcious,

That would be too many carbs for me, but everyone is different. Fruit is full of natural sugar so that is why fruit and juice raises your blood sugar so quickly. I only use juice for treating lows, and very rarely eat fruit.

I eat breakfast between 8 and 9, so I don't need a morning snack before lunch, but I always have one in the afternoon, about 3 hours after lunch. And if my dinner is going to be later that usual, I sometimes need another one. You really should eat about every 3 hours. You will feel better.

It sounds like you might have had a low blood sugar episode. It was wise to get someone to be with you until you felt better. Next time you should check your blood sugar to see at what reading you are feeling this way. I make it a habit to check my blood sugar often if I'm having a very active day. This way if it is starting to drop, a small snack will bring it back up before I let it get too low. I have learned over the years that it takes a lot less food or juice to bring your blood sugar back up than you think too. My reaction was always to start drinking lots of juice and stuffing food in, then I would always have a wicked high later on.

Try to exercise every day. It's good for you and will bring your blood sugar down too.

I know it's all confusing at first, but you will get more comfortable as time goes by and learn to listen to your body telling you what it needs. Don't be afraid to test often. It helps you learn how your system reacts to food, exercise, and stress.:)

Post as much or as often as you like!:D

[luzcious]

Monica, Hi and welcome. Your advice is just fine. I need to hear things like that to know that other real people are dealing with this just like me. I've been reading books and tons of articles and that has really helped me alot, but it's just not the same as talking with someone who deals with this disease day in and day out.

The meal plan I'm trying to follow was given to me by the nurse practioner I saw last month. It's a basic meal plan from the Lilly company, a pharmaceutical company. However, I was wondering what everyone thought about the sugar busters program. I mean, that is what I'm trying to do, right? Get the sugar out of my diet. I've been able to eliminate candy and sweets, which is amazing in and of itself. I love to eat me some sweets, as Oprah would say. But, now I'm finding it hard knocking out the hidden sugars/carbos. I don't think I'm going to stick to eating every
4-6 hours, I just can't. I'm so starved when I eat that I overeat. I'm going to try the mini meal thing and see how that goes for me.

Thank you for the advice about walking also. Another question, may be exercise related that anyone can answer, how high is too high? I know what too low is and what to do for it, but how high is too high and what should be done if my sugar get's too high?

Janet, funny you should say not to be afraid to test often, because I am. I don't quite understand what those numbers mean and what I should do about them. :?: I don't want to live my life so focused on a number that I miss out on life all together. My doctor wants me to focus on lowering my sugar, period! Test in the morning and again two hours after a meal, any meal.

Thank you both for your advice. I do feel a whole lot better when I'm with all of you. Knowing there is someone who can help me understand is a wonderful thing.

[jlea]

luzcious,

I don't know anything about the Sugar Buster's program, but maybe someone else can help you out. There may even be a group that does that program here on 3FC.

I think you will feel better with the mini meals.:)

As for too high blood sugar readings, I'm honestly not sure what is too high if you are testing 2 hours after a meal. My guidelines from my endocrinologist are for pre-meal readings. Maybe your doctor can tell you what range he/she considers too high after a meal.

I'm not much help!!:D

I agree though, don't miss out on the fun things in life by being afraid of your diabetes. I have found by changing my eating habits and making lifestyle changes with the WW program, such as exercising regularly, that it all works together to help my diabetes control and maintaining my weight loss. Testing and injections are just something I have to do every day, like bathing and brushing my teeth, and I don't dwell on it, just do it and go on with my life.:) I don't let it keep me from doing things. I do have a healthy respect for diabetes though, and what it has done to me after all these years by not taking care of myself, and I'm doing all I can to take care of myself now.:D

I guess what I'm saying is, don't let it rule your life, but take care of yourself before you have a chance to develop complications.:)

We will all get through this together.:)

[luzcious]

Hi Janet,

My doctor said that 2 hours post meal my reading should be about 140ish and fasting should be about 115. Right now my fasting (morning) reading is averaging 145, sometimes higher, like last night I had popcorn before I went to bed. One of my all time favorites, but this morning my bs was 179.

Would any of you here have a problem if I listed my eating plan with my blood sugars for a while and get some feedback from everyone? I'll start keeping a food journal and posting it, if that's ok with everyone. I don't want to tie up the thread with my food journals. I think that's another thread! :)

Michelle

[jlea]

That would be fine.:)Post away!!

Those readings are about the same as my pre-meal ranges. My fasting is supposed to be 80-120, and all the others 80-140.

I have never had really low fasting BS readings, even with my very vest control. I've had periods of time where it would be in the 90's and 100's, but most of the time would be in the 120's or 130's. My doctor said she could live with that.:)

Popcorn will run my blood sugar up really high too!:( And it can be such a low point snack when you air pop it or use the low fat microwave kinds. Not fair, is it!!

[janney]

Hi. I'm new to this and hope I can be of some assistance. I also am diabetic. I started taking insulin about 2 months ago. Prior to that I was taking oral medication and supposed to be following the American Diabetic Diet.

As far as carbs go, it's my understanding that it depends on the amount of calories you are allowed in a day. Fruit is a carb and should be counted as such. I'm currently on a 1500 calorie diet (as I have allot of weight to lose). This is my meal plan for a day:

8:00 am 40-45 carbs (this includes 2 starches and 1 milk)

ex. 1 cup 1/2% milk and 1 1/4 cup cheerios

12:30 pm 45 carbs (this includes 2 starches, 1 fruit and veg.)

ex. sadwich with wheat bread, 1 oz meat and 1 small apple--most veggies are free)

3:00 pm 15 to 20 carbs.

ex. 8 regular size pretzels (get carb count from package)

6:30 pm 45 carbs (this includes 2 starches, 1 fruit and veggies)

ex. 1 cup rice, 1 cup melon, 6 oz meat

10:00 pm 15 carbs

ex. 3 cups popcorn

I hope this helps you. If the time is too long between meals, you can always hold back some carbs and then use them between breakfast and lunch. I know the dietician suggested that I could for breakfast have 1 cup milk and 3/4 cup cheerios and then later have a small fruit between breakfast and lunch. As I'm not much of a breakfast eater, this didn't matter to me.

:) Best of luck.

I was told by my doctor that fasting sugars should be between 80 and 120. Then after eating, acceptable range would be anything from 100 to 140. Ideally it should be 100 to 120.

Hope all this helps. Sorry it was so long.

[jlea]

Hi Janney,

Welcome to the group.:)

Was it hard to learn to count carbs? And do you adjust your insulin to the amount of carbs per meal? I've been wondering if I would have better control if I did this. I read an article about it once and I've been interested in it ever since.:D

[Walkingchick]

Hi there Luzcious and everyone else. I have slightly different numbers that you guys have given. I think I should also explain that I am new to testing in mg. I am from the UK and recently moved here to sunny CA. You guys use different measurements than in the UK.

Anyway, here's what I have got.

For "Good Control" you should be aimimg for numbers in these regions.

Pre meal glucose 80-120

Post meal glucose 11/2-2 hrs after eating <180

Bedtime Glucose 100-140

HbA1c 7% or less

You may not have had an HbA1c done yet as you are newly diagnosed. Anyway, according to the American Diabetic Association, and my Doc, reading within these scales are perfectly acceptable as a general rule.

Your morning blood sugar can be elevated slightly. I used to have problems with this before I kicked in with my exercise regime. It has settled now. I cant remember what the explanation was for its elevation. It had something to do with your body being at rest.

Just for your info, I took all my readings today pre meal.
Waking was 111, pre lunch 89, pre dinner 89, pre bedtime 116.

It has taken me quite a while to get my bloods this low. I still occasionally eat chocolate and sweeties. If I do, I have them as part of a meal. That way they are not quite the same shock to my system as if I had eaten them as a snack. Not a good idea. :dizzy:

I don't really stress about my carbs either. What was important for me was learning portion control.

I think you need to relax a little about this at the moment. Its important to take your blood readings in some form of routine. As I said, today I tested pre meal, tomorrow, I may test post meal. I don't know how often you are in contact with your Doc, but if you are anxious about this, why dont you test both pre and post meal for a couple of days.

You are so much further ahead of the game than I was at your stage. It took me 2 years to face up to this and start dealing with it. Take your time, use this as a learning experience about your body. Remember, it is yours and your experience of this disease will not be exactly the same as others.

Hope this is a help for you.

Feel free to email me at anytime on this. :)

Regards
Monica:) :) :)

[janney]

:) Thanks Janet for the welcome. I take insulin twice a day. I'm on humulin 70/30. I take 35 units before breakfast and then 5 to 15 units prior to dinner. :D I'm not too thrilled with giving myself the shots but it sure has helped in bringing my sugar into control. I also take oral medication, Glucophage 1000 mg twice a day.

I have found that the carbs make a world of difference. It is very easy to count the carbs once you get used to it. I'm still learning. I'm allowed things I would never have thought I could have without counting them. The back of packages always breaks down the carbs. As long as you know what to count as a carb, it's pretty easy.

Are you insulin dependant?

Again, thanks for the welcome. I'm just hoping to learn and help out too. Also looking for support. It's been a long hard battle.

:wave:

[luzcious]

Janney, where in Michigan are you? I'm in southwest lower Michigan.

Well, today was a really bad day for me, I'm premenstrual, sorry Jim, and was craving sugar all day. I ate very poorly but am no longer hungry for sweets. I've just got to eat my sweets to get it out of my system or it's all I can think about during the day.

I will not be posting my journal today, since there isn't one to post :) but will try again tomorrow.

Can't stay long, gotta get some housework done. Have a great night everyone! :wave:


Michelle

[Debelli]

Good Sunday Morning!:)

Hope you don't mind me throwing in a quick 2 cents. ;)

If anyone is interested in SUGAR BUSTERS we have our own boards here on the 3FC'S site. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.

I've been following SB since 3/22/00 and made goal on 6/10/01, to date, I've lost 65.5lbs. I can tell you from experience and many pass attempts on other "diets" that SB DOES WORK, and I thank my lucky stars to have decided to follow this WOE (way of eating). It's easy, makes a load of sense and I can live like this the rest of my life.

Anyhow, please, feel free to visit our boards at the link below. Our most active board is our SB WEEKLY SUPPORT BOARD (we start a new board each week on Monday). We have a wonderful group of women on our board, all ready to answer questions and help out in any way. Here's our link:


http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?forumid=62


Whatever you decide do, I wish you all continued success!

Debbie
Debelli@AOL.com
194/128.5/129
SB since 3/22/00
Reached goal 6/10/01

[jlea]

Thanks Debbie,

I figured there was probably a group here that did SB, but hadn't looked.

Janney, I take up to 4 shots a day, depending on my BS readings. I don't have to take anywhere near the dosages I took before losing weight though!:D

Before WW I took 50 units lente/20 units lispro in the AM, 10 units lispro at lunch, 20 units lispro at supper, and 50 units lente at bedtime, with up to 20 units of lispro, depending on my BS reading. I know, I was a mess!! :dizzy:

Now I take 3 units of lente/3 units Humalog (lispro) in the AM, and 2 units of Humalog with supper. And I don't always take it with supper, since my BS is always down and I exercise after supper every day. If my blood sugar is over 180 at lunch or bedtime, I'm supposed to take 1-2 units of Humalog, but I rarely have to take those. Now that's quite a change, isn't it!:D:D It proves what weight loss and regular exercise can do for you.:)

[luzcious]

Thanks Debelli for the invite. I was checking out the thread the other day. I'll be posting soon. I just bought the book and will be ready to start SB next week. I know it's not good to say I'm going to start something XX day, but my life is really a mess right now and I know I won't be able to dedicate 100% of my time to learning to eat properly and to understand why I'm eating a new way. I want to make sure I read the book thoroughly rather than just jump right in.

One of the many things that I have learned is that my menstrual cycle does affect my BS. I'm about 20 pts higher this week than the past couple of weeks. I had read in a book that will happen. I go for blood tests on Tuesday, not quite sure why, it's only been a month since I've been diagnosed and I'm sure my levels haven't changed much in a month. But, it won't hurt anything to have blood drawn again. I'll fill you all in on what they find.

Well, it's absolutely a beautiful day today and I'm on my way to be in it. Have a great day everyone! :wave:

[Debelli]

LUZ, we'd love to have you join us! That goes for anyone else who is interested in SB as well. Please, don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have, no matter how insignificant or "stupid" you may think they sound! This is a learning process and we all learn from each other.

JLEA, same goes for you;)

Here's the link to this weeks support board that just started today:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=7014

Whenever you are ready, we'll be there for you!!

Have a wonderful week!


Debbie
194/128/129
SB since 3/22/00
Reached goal 6/10/01

[janney]

[QUOTE]:)

Hi. Great job on your sugar control Janet. I started taking 35 units of 70/30 humulin in the am and 15 units in the pm (before dinner) a couple months ago. With diet and exercise, I'm now down to 25 units in the am and anywhere from 2 to 5 units at night. There are some nights that my sugar is 80 and I don't take any insulin at all. I'm also taking oral medication for it. The doctor said to keep taking that and not to decrease the oral med. He'd rather me decrease the insulin.

I talked to him about the sugar busters but he would prefer me to follow the ada plan for now. With having 120 lbs to lose, I think I'll follow his advise for now. It's just discouraging because that is a long way to go. Although I have noticed a difference with the sugar already.

Best get going for now. Talk to all of you soon.

You are all :angel:

[baboo]

Hi Y'all - I was wondering where everyone went! Now I know. Boy, everyones' diet plans are so different. I'm on 1800 cals. a day, I can have 15 carb choices a day (a "choice" is 15 grams of carbs, so I'm allowed 225 total) and 30 grams of fat. I've lost about 75 pounds in the past year. I started walking and exercising and joined the YMCA and I love it. Exercise definitely helps lower your BS!

My BS is higher during my period also, I wonder why that is? You'd think it would be lower.

My endocrinologist wants my BS to be between 70 and 100. I normally have been running in the 80's and 90's. When I get in the 70's I get all shakey. I used to have highs in the morning, but when I started taking insulin before dinner, it came down. My doctor told me that at about 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning your body is at the lowest point and your body panics thinking your gonna die and it starts pumping out sugar like crazy and that's why you are high in the mornings. He said the goal is to try and keep your BS pretty much even all through the day, so small meals every few hours is better.

I wear a Medic Alert bracelet - have any of y'all worn one? I spend a lot of time out and at the Y alone so I wear it all the time. It has my condition and allergies on the backside of the medallion along with a phone number someone can call and they keep all your info on file. It cost me $45 for the bracelet and then $10 a year to maintain your file at Medic Alert. My diabetes counselor suggested I wear it. It's titanium and gold and is actually kind of pretty. It may save my life one day and then that $45 would seem like a small price to pay!

Having diabetes is no fun - but after a while it's just part of your life. The only time it really bothers me is when I just can't go anywhere to eat on a whim - always have to take a pill and a shot first! And I pretty much try to eat at the same time every day - it helps keep the BS level down - and that can be a hassle when you are out or are visiting someone.

How I wish I had taken better care of myself when I was younger!:lol: At least it has made my nieces lose weight and take better care of themselves.

Barbi

[Poohbear10]

First of all, I would like to say thanks to everyone who helped get this forum up and running. I just found the site and think it is wonderful.

I was just diagnosed one week ago with Type II diabetes and am having a terrible time. My blood sugars were extremely high and have been fluctuating between 16 mm/l and 7.5 mm/l all week. My doctor indicated that my blood pressure was a bit high also and I have to return to see her next week. She put me on 1/2 pill (250 mg) of Metformin in the morning and at night. I have been testing my blood before and after meals and cannot seem to figure out what is raising or lowering it.

I have an appointment booked for next Friday with a dietician and would really like it if someone could give me a sample meal plan that I could perhaps work with over the weekend and next week prior to seeing her.

I am about 100+ pounds overweight and have tried WW many times. Upon reading the threads here, I know it is possible to lose and have diabetes but at the moment, I am really overwhelmed and need all of the help and support I can get.

Could someone also tell me if they have experienced terrible headaches and what to do. I awoke at 3am with a severe headache and it is still nagging in the back of my head. Is this the diabetes or the blood sugar?

Sorry to be so long winded, but I am so confused and really don't know what to do until I return to doctor/dietician.

Thanks in advance.

[jlea]

Poohbear10,

Welcome to the group.:)

Are you eating a lot of complex carbohydrates like rice, potatoes, pasta, and bread with your meals? These foods break down into sugar and will raise your blood sugar. Fruits, juice and milk products have natural sugars in them and will do the same.

It is quite possible that your blood sugar got too low in the night with the medication you are taking and the headache is from that. When my BS drops really low and then comes back up or I have to treat it I get a really bad headache for hours.

Here's what I eat on a regular day:

Breakfast
1 cup cheerios
1/2 cup skim milk

or

1 egg plus extra egg whites
2 slices low fat bread
1 TBSP light margarine

Lunch
sandwich with 2 slices of low-fat bread and 1 slice of 2% cheese and fat-free turkey
lettuce and tomato
1 fat-free, no sugar added fudgesicle

or

Boca burger with 2 slices low-fat bread and oven fries

Snack
1 TBSP low fat peanut butter
2 graham crackers

Supper
Baked chicken or fish
1/2 cup of mashed potatoes, brown rice or pasta
green beans, boiled squash, salad or any low calorie vegetable
light margarine
low-fat sour dough roll, if I'm not having potatoes, rice, or pasta

Snack
1/2 sandwich, cheese and crackers, or graham cracker with low fat peanut butter

That's pretty close to how I eat every day. We do eat out some on the weekends and I try to watch my starch portions really careful.

I do the WW program, and eat 26 points maximum on maintenance.:)

I hope this helps you a little. Post often.:)

[Poohbear10]

:p Thank you so much for your response. I eat pretty much as you described and last night I had a chicken burger on a small kaiser with tomatoe and lettuce - tiny bit of mayonnaise.

The headache is still there as I type this, but my levels are lower today than they have been over the past week.

I will monitor over the weekend and try to log what seems to lower and raise the levels until I meet with the dietician.

Thank you for the help once again and congratulations on your own success! One day I hope to do the same.

[jlea]

Another thought, poohbear, is that the headache could be from the pill you are taking. I had headaches when I tried some of the different pills for diabetes.:)

[Walkingchick]

Hi there Poohbear,

I am sorry that you are having trouble with your diabetes at the moment. It WILL get better.:) Re your headaches, I agree with Jlea that they may be a side effect of lower blood sugars during the night. However, I think it may also just be a side effect of your meds. Metformin seems to be the drug most frequently prescribed for new type 2's with weight to lose. Some of the other drugs can cause you to gain weight. However, my experience is that Metformin is the drug most likely to give you a lot of side effects. Mine were nasty on this drug. I had a permanently upset stomach, (probably why the drug doesn't make you gain weight:lol: ), and had frequent intense headaches. I too was newly diagnosed at the time, and didn't think to question my doc's choice of drug.

I have since changed to Glucotrol XL, wich gives me none of the previous side effects. I am losing weight through WW and exercise. I have lost 15lbs since the beginning of May, so this drug certainly doesn't appear to contra indicated. Speak to your diabetic team, it could be as simple as changing meds.

Good luck,

Monica:wave:

[luzcious]

Hi all from gloomy and humid Michigan! :wave:

I've been reading the posts daily, just haven't posted. My dad has been in the hospital for the past week, but he is home now and I'm feeling less stressed.

I haven't been monitoring my sugar for the past week, but have been trying to eat better. The weekends are tough, I just want to eat all day. I did good this morning, but am having a rough evening. I'm trying to follow the Sugar Busters plan and think I'm doing pretty good. I'm making small changes rather than trying to change everything at one. I know from past experience that I get easily discouraged if something isn't going my way.

Poohbear, I'm new, too. You will find lots of great support here. I certainly have. When I was first diagnosed I was scared and confused. But, just coming here helps me to realize there are REAL people who are managing to live full lives inspite of diabetes. I still feel a little scared, but I don't feel lonely! :)

I wish I could contribute more to the group but and still learning myself and certainly don't want to mislead anyone with my lack of knowledge on the subject. So for now, I will keep asking questions and learning, because that's what this is all about.

I'm still working on posting my food journals but the past week has been rough, so starting tomorrow, I'll be journaling and posting in the evening.

Have a great weekend! :wave:

[baboo]

Hi All - Poohbear - could your headaches be from your high blood pressure?. Before I got mine under control I would wake up with awful headaches. I know you said yours was slightly high - how high has it been?

I have been having dizzy spells lately, when I stand up and when I bend over. I know it's not from my BS - I have been running in the 90's almost all the time. I'm wondering if my BP meds are now too strong. I've been losing weight again and so maybe my BP has dropped some. I go to the doctor next month. I've been taking it at Wal-Mart and it has been around 125/78.

I've been out in the sun a lot lately - swimming. It's been in the low 100's here - and will only get hotter. Maybe I'm getting too much sun.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. See ya - Barbi

[Poohbear10]

Good Morning:

Would like to say a great big Thank you to all of you who have welcomed me and made me feel at home. It is wonderful to have responses from people who are experiencing or have experienced the same things that I am going through at the moment. Thank you so much for the helpful advice. I will be seeing the dietician on Friday and going to my doctor after that appointment.

My blood pressure was 155/85 so I am hoping that it has started to come down. Over the weekend my blood sugar levels came down quite a bit also. Not sure if it was because of the stress free time away from work or just starting to have the meds kick in.

Anyway, thank you all for your wonderful advice. I will keep you posted after my visit Friday.

Have a great week:dizzy:

[luzcious]

Hi all.

Well, like I said I would be posting my food journal and today was not a good day, but rather than say "Oh well, tomorrow is another day", I'm going to get this out in the open.

BS 6:00a 137

9:00a Cheddar Herb bagel (the whole darn thing), 1 T cream cheese

11:30a Boca burger (just the pattie) w/ mustard & ketchup, several slices of cucumber, 1 c Dannon Light and Fit yogurt, 12 Triscuits w/ 6 thin slices Alpine Lace Swiss Cheese, 1 c skim milk

3:45p peach

4:14p 2-3 dozen almonds

5:30p Baked Tostitos (lots of 'em - didn't measure like I should have w/ 1/3 c cheddar & monterey jack cheese, lettuce, black olives, salsa, light sour cream
1 c yogurt (same as above)

Well, it's not pretty but I am learning. I'm learning the difficult time for me is when I get home from work. I start eating as soon as I walk in the door and usually don't stop until a couple of hours later. Altho, most of the time, I am not hungry while eating all this stuff. It's also really hard to eat at certain times of the day. Again, daytime is ok, I'm at work and have a morning break and a lunch hour. I guess afternoons when I get home from work would be a good time to get some exercise in. Altho, today was sooo humid, but later this week it's supposed to be gorgeous. I just have to have a little something before I walk or play tennis so that I don't get shaky. Almonds are a good snack for me, just not so many as what I had today.

Ok, that's all for me. I don't think I'll be testing tonight. Just going to test in the morning on an empty stomach. Another thing I see that happened today, not enuf veggies. I like to eat my carrots and because I'm following sugarbusters, no carrots allowed. Oh well, a small sacrafice to make I guess!

Take care everyone! :wave:

[Mis]

Hello everyone, I can't tell you how happy I am to have found this thread. I have had Type II diabetes since '96, but not really controlling it until now, and I find all of you offer wonderful support, even though it's not intended only for me. I guess there was a lot denial involved, plus personal problems, which always screw things up

Poohbear, it's wonderful to see another Canadian on-line, one who's BS readings are supposed to be similar to mine.

I'm on oral medication right now, and along with my WW diet, my BS readings are really right on line. I'm supposed to be between 4 and 8 mmol/l at all times, and I'm finally achieving those readings. I've also lost 31 pounds (49 supposedly still to go) so i'm feeling good.

Talk at you all soon and, again, thanks for being there.



Linda

[Poohbear10]

Good Morning:

Hello to MIS - I agree - it is also nice to see a fellow Canadian on this board, but I must agree that I have received some awesome help already in the short time I have been a part of this forum from everyone.

Congratulations on your weight loss. I am hoping that in the very near future I will be able to respond likewise. Glad to hear that you have finally taken control and are getting your blood sugars under control.

I am still fluctuating between 7.5 - 10.0 and having terrible headaches, but I see the doctor on Friday and hopefully will get some answers.

Did you have a hard time figuring things out using Weight Watchers? I would love some sample menus - I attended years ago but find it just too costly. I know it is a small price to pay for your health, but with other costs mounting daily, it is hard to justify the additional expense.

Talk to you soon.



:wave:

[jlea]

Linda,

Welcome to the group!:)

[Mis]

Thanks for the welcome, Janet.

Poohbear, I don't have a lot of menus. I only cook for myself so it's very simple food. I do like to put havarti cheese on my chicken breast. I found it easier to follow my diabetic guidelines with the WW diet than I did before WW, just looking at the point values for food is a good guideline, also I'm eating a lot more vegetables now, except I can't look at another salad righ now

Yes, WW is expensive, but I signed up for 6 months knowing I need the discipline of weekly weigh ins, now if only I could quit smoking!!!!!!, but that's a whole other story.

Have to get back to work (they expect that for some reason) so I'll talk at you later.



Linda

[luzcious]

6:00a B 1/2 c oj
2 slices stone ground whole wheat toast
1 T Brummel and Brown margarine
1 T Polaner All Fruit

9:00a S 1 c frosted mini wheats
1 c skim milk

12:00 L Chicken Caesar salad

4:15 S 15 bing cherries
5:15 D 4 slices bacon, almost all fat removed
several triscuits with lf cream cheese
8 oz low sodium tomato juice
couple spoons of lf cottage cheese

Not too bad. BS at 4:00 (forgot this morning) was 100. Think I'll test again in a few minutes to see what it is after my dinner.

Waiting for a phone call, if it doesn't come in the next hour, I'm going to go play tennis at the school across the street.

Thank you for letting me post my journals. I know they are not perfect and warn people to not eat like I am. I'm just learning myself and needed to post my food diaries to get them out in the open. If anyone has any tips, I would really appreciate all the help I can get! :)

Bye :wave:

[jlea]

Luzcious,

Does cereal and skim milk make your blood sugar go really high?

I've been having a lot of trouble getting my blood sugar down again and I'm testing more often. This morning my fasting blood sugar was 121, but after 1 cup of cheerios and 1/2 cup skim milk it went up to 238. By noon it was down to 151.

[luzcious]

Janet,

I'm not really sure if it does, I usually eat my cereal at work and don't test there. I guess I should find out, huh? The frosted mini wheats that I eat probably isn't the best choice either. I think this weekend I'll have some cereal and test.

My fasting BS has come down a little. I was in the 140's and now I'm in the 130's. Yeah, long way to go as my doctor wants my morning BS to be 115.

Gotta go to work, altho I think I'm gonna skip out a little early today. It's really slow where I work and the weather is perfect here! :wave:

[baboo]

Hi All - Okay, what is a Boca burger and where do I get them? For some reason the name just sounds delicious! Are they like veggie burgers?

Well, I had a low BS episode last night - it was scarey. I was playing darts and as I was standing there throwing I got really dizzy and had trouble focusing. Luckily I had friends there at the bar and they went to my car and got my glucose tablets. By then I was sitting on the floor, shaking. I ate a tablet and drank a Coke. They got me on a chair, and one of them went over to Circle K and bought me a hot dog to eat. I had taken my shot and eaten before I went to darts, but only ate a small amount of macaroni salad and some squash - I thought it would be enough but apparently it wasn't. After about 45 minutes I was feeling fine. From now on I will eat some kind of protein at dinner.

My Mom joined Weight Watchers last night. I am going to do the "points" with her. I still need to lose about another 50 pounds and I want to get it off by Christmas. Janet, I am going to be bugging you with a lot of questions!! :)

Well, back to work!


Barbi

[jlea]

Barbie,

A boca burger is a veggie burger...only 1 point, and actually pretty good. I eat a lot of them. There are several flavors and other boca products. Even Randy likes them.

After everything that happened, did you win in darts?:D

Email me later.

[Mis]

Thanks for the welcome, Janet

Poohbear, I did not have any problems adapting my diet to WW, I find it extremely simple. Mind you, I only cook for myself so I don't get fancy at all, therefore, I unforutnately don't have any recipes to pass on, maybe someone else does.

I agree WW is expensive, but I signed up for 6 months cause I know i need the discipline of the weekly weigh in.

I just had my meds cut in half, so I only take 2.5 mg of Glyburyde once a day now--what a nice feeling.

Linda

[luzcious]

I know I shouldn't post this but I'm having a rough time. I am trying soooo hard to eat right, which I do during the day, but when I come home from work I eat all night. I have something as soon as I get home, then I have dinner, then I just had a "before bed snack", and even though I'm telling myself I shouldn't be eating this stuff, I just keep right on eating, thinking of all the bad that it's doing to my body. Thinking of this disease that I have, thinking that it these very eating patterns that probably contributed to my diabetes. I'm sorry everyone, but I just had to get that off my chest. It just seems that for every two steps forward, I take three steps back. I have started exercising in the evenings, but didn't tonight, it's just too darn muggy, you can't even walk outside with out feeling like your choking.

Again, I'm very sorry to be so negative but sometimes it's hard to stay positive, well, maybe I should say it's so hard to stay in control. I just feel like in the evenings, I have NO control. I try to get out of the house and go window shopping or to the bookstore, but there are nights when I just want to come home and do nothing! I feel like a prisoner in my own home. Gosh, I better stop now. I hope I haven't brought anybody down with me.

A nice pep talk would be good right about now if anyone would like to give one! :( :?: :eek:

:wave:

[jlea]

I'll try!:)

Believe it or not, we have probably all gone through this at one time. I know I did. I knew what it was doing to me, but I just couldn't seem to get it together. Day after day after day.

I just finally got to the point to where there was no where to go but forward, with regards to taking care of myself.

But don't wait that long to take care of yourself. Do it now. Don't try to change everything at once, but work on 1 or 2 things at a time.

Are you having an afternoon snack? If not, maybe that is why you are eating as soon as you get home. You need to have something in the middle of the afternoon, so your blood sugar won't get too low. If you do need or want to eat as soon as you get home, use whatever you are having as part of your meal.....have a salad or some vegetables as soon as you come home to take the edge off, then follow with the rest of your meal later. Drink a big glass of water or a diet drink. Keep sugar-free jello in the refrigerator, make some broth. There are all kinds of things you can have that won't raise your blood sugar and are low in calories.

Have a bedtime snack that includes a protein and a carb. You should be having a bedtime snack. Don't feel like you are doing anything wrong by doing this. A diabetic needs to eat every 3-4 hours. You just need to make good choices on what you are eating.:)

I think you are just reacting to the fact that you have diabetes...it's scary and no one wants to have it. We want it to go away. But by taking care of yourself now, you are doing the next best thing. You owe it to yourself to do what you can now to take the very best care of yourself.:)

We are here to help you get through this. Post whenever and whatever you want.:) I hope I was a little bit of help and maybe someone else can help or give you better advice than me. (I wish I had found a place like this years ago to help me through the rough times.:))

[baboo]

Hi Luz - Janet is right! Having diabetes in HARD!!!!! I eat like crazy every month before my period - I CRAVE chocolate! If you absolutely have to have something - go ahead and eat it, but work it into your allotted calories, carbs, etc. for the day.

I was a snacker, too, especially at night while watching TV. But now I iron clothes, pay bills, clean my bathroom, go play darts, go to the YMCA. get online, read a book - anything to keep me occupied! After a while you stop eating for no reason.

When I get the munchies I'll have celery with no-fat cream cheese, or baby carrots with no-fat Ranch dressing. It's not so much that I'm hungry but that I need to CHEW on something!

Hang in there girl! We didn't get this disease overnight so it won't go away overnight - but you can control it - don't let it control you! And when you are depressed and upset that's the best time to come to this message board - because we all know what it's like and we care about you! We will always be here for you and not here to judge you!

Janet is the best thing that has happened to me since I found out I had diabetes and I met her here. So keep posting - WE CARE!

Barbi

[luzcious]

Janet and Barbi,

Thank you both, :) you really are helping me see the light! I do get really scared about this, :eek: and I think that's when I freak out. Somedays I feel in control, other days I feel "why me?" But by just reading your posts, I feel alot better. It helps knowing there are women like you who have been there, done that, who can lead me and guide me to make the right decisions. I'm the only one who be held accountable for my actions, right? But with little nudges and suggestions, I know I'll be making the right choices!

Janet, I'm going to make some weight watcher veggie soup, even tho it's hot here, if I don't heat it too much, it should be a good afternoon snack. I'm also going to make some sugar free chocolate pudding with lite cool whip. I seem to want something sweet when I get home.

Barbi, I've even thought about changing my work hours so that I come home later in the evening, I can eat dinner when I get home and then be done for the night. But, I just love getting out of work at 3:30. I love to cross-stitch, I think I'll get my project out and start working on that again. Keeps my hands busy, right?

Thank you again! You gals are my :angel:

Michelle:wave: