Hi! Will you welcome a non-diabetic? I may not have it, but I live with diabetes every day. My husband and mother-in-law are both type 2, my 10 year old daughter is type 1, and I had gestational, which puts me at a higher risk of developing type 2.

I'm happily married for 12 years, and we have 2 beautiful children: an 11 year old son and a 10 year old daughter. We live with my MIL, and my husband takes care of her. I would love to be a Certified Diabetes Educator, but don't have the training: but I do teach about diabetes at work and am considered the resident expert. We're all still learning something each and every day.

YES, JULIANA ~ you are certainly welcome to join us; you and your family qualify for sure ... lots to deal with there. Sometimes, you learn more from experience than reading anyways.


Well, got into some nibbles yesterday afternoon, but didn't ruin the day too bad; made DH take those nibbles away and hide them from me ... sigh! The battle rages on, but I did extra well today so no harm done; it all evens out in the end, thank goodness!

We are getting buried in ***** right now; lots of work for the snow fairies tomorrow ... ;) Take good care now ... Rosebud :flow1:

Good morning. I had a really low reading this morning - 2.6 - and am in recovery mode right now. Not sure why it happened because I did eat properly yesterday. Maybe wine with dinner?

Peatpod, those numbers are just fine. How often are you testing? I test first thing in the morning and my average is much like yours.

Julianna, of course you are welcome to join us. The more knowledge we share, the more we all know.

Rosebud, ****!?? Isn't this supposed to be a warm spell? The snow is actually disappearing from my deck. I welcomed back the BBQ yesterday and may use it later today.

Happy Sunday to us all.

oh welcome to the new members and returns too.
Ruth, are you on any meds? could they be causing your low sugar?

Peatpod, I have also brought mine into line very quickly. My educator says that when people are newly diagnosed they often get in line quickly since they get scared, and that the harder part is long term. People don't lose weight, or regain it and get out of the new good habits. Then is comes back. All the same problems as weight loss and keeping the weight off after a loss. So WE must be extra vigilant to keep ourselves in these good patterns we are losing.

RUTH ~ geepers ... 2.5? I'd be about ready to pass out at those low numbers; I would get :dizzy: when mine fell into the 4.0's, but that doesn't happen much anymore becuz I have a small evening snack now. Sometimes, it may just be some cheese and 2 whole wheat crackers, just enuff to keep my sugars from dipping too low at 3 AM (becuz that was happening for a while there). Can wine lower your blood sugar levels? Didn't know about that one. Hope you get it all sorted out soon ...

Hope you all have a great week ... Rosebud :flow1:

even after working half the night, I got up today and managed to eat ok and even got on the treadmill for 30 minutes. I am so unbelievably astounded that I can keep this up even with my work schedule. wow, I am feeling better. I am challenging myself on the treadmill more and more during my 30 minutes and I plan to continue!
thanks for all the support here

Hello All,
welcome new ones! :)

Oh my goodness, i'm so happy the holidays are over but can't believe Jan is almost gone! I made the mistake of going to dinner at a chinese buffett last night. My sugar was 173 this morning! eeek I have had high sugars lately because my work out has slowed down (rain) and my eating has increased. I need to find a happy balance between the two.

So heres to better sugars, more exercising and yummy healthy eating! :)

happy monday everyone, have a great week!

Nice to see you back, Moni. Chinese buffet are my crack, I'm afraid, and they sure do a number on my BGL and weight! Sugar, fat and salt - what could be worse. :shrug:

Fatmad, I'm on Metformin and glyburide - low dosages of both. My doc will cut them when my HA1C goes down a bit more.

Hey! I did my complete 90 minutes at the gym today and it actually felt really good! Breathing is still bad from my cold but I've broken down the treadmill into four 5 minute sessions to get the time in for now.

Who doesn't love Chinese, raise your hand? :shrug: The last time we had Chinese, the fellow made me a nice veggie dish with just lean pieces of beef with broccoli, onions, and carrots; it was really nice. DH had the chicken one with bean sprouts, mushrooms, and other veggies; and that one was delish too. If we could just be sure to limit the rice and battered & fried stuff, it might not be too bad. I just have to have my Chinese fix at least once a year, so I try to control the damage ...

:wave: HI MONI ~ nice to see you drop by ...

Had a great OP day; made steak & mushroom medley for dinner ... healthy and yummy! Just staying home and keepin' warm right now. We had more ***** today; well ya, it's winter!

Ruth: the glyburide can cause hypoglycemia if you don't get enough carbs, maybe some slow burning carbs before bed, like ww toast w peanut butter?

I have been careful at the chinese food buffet to avoid the rice and noodle dishes, unless a small taste, and really stick to the veggies and protein foods. I try to stick to one or 2 small plates of food and not overdoing it at buffets. I'm not always successful, so sometimes I wind up ordering from a menu to avoid the overindulgence. Don't have a lot of willpower.

I am continuing on the treadmill and my sugars are great now. I am so surprised how much better I feel after. I was feeling crummy after work yesterday, hardest day ever to get on the machine, but I did and I felt good afterward. Really astounded by that.
Have to do my blood work this week, so will do a fasting again then. Probably tomorrow if my colleagues can do it.

Thanks, Mad. You are dead on, of course. It's the glyberide that does it. I eat dinner quite late - sometimes 7:30 and must make sure to include some complex carbs. I had ww couscous last night and am 4.8 this morning, a bit low but still OK.

Treadmill is about to happen. I am considering getting one of those 7" DVD players to watch while I exercise. Reading just doesn't work and it's just so boring treading away and looking out the window. Sometimes I don't even see a car drive down the road in the 20 minutes!

Happy Tuesday everyone - and we get two more minutes of daylight here as of today. Yippee! I want Spring. :encore:

Had lovely :sunny: today; it was very warm and it kinda felt like summer sitting in my rocker by our big livingroom window. Had a good OP day; having turkey leg and roasted veggies for dinner tonight; yum! Spent my day catching up on laundry and other daily stuff ...

Have a wonderful Wednesday tomorrow ... Rosebud :flow1:

Ruth we are lucky and have an exercise room near the rec room so I can watch tv while on the treadmill. I make it something I enjoy. helps a lot. SO a good dvd may help. I didn't find reading good either. Made me dizzy. rosebud, enjoy that sun. We got a little snow today. I hope it continues, cause then I can ski again.

Hi Guys!!! Well I've been pretty much staying OP =) I must admit I have alot of difficulty at night and search the fridge for something to munch on ... I havent been very successful in my hunting techniques though so I have mainly been having a tea with a tsp of honey. I cant believe that I have limited my coffee intake so well .. I use to live on Timmies XL 3x3. Now I might have one or two a week and have reduced the sugar to 2x2 =)
One of my foster kids is complaining about all the salad we are eating .. his small bowl vs my dinner salad is hardly something to freak out about however .. I kept reminding him he still gets all his junk food but I do encourage him to have the salad .. actually I dont encourage I demand lol.
Have any of you just eaten what you use to eat just to see how it affected your blood sugar?? I meet with the diabeties educator next week and I still have yet to do my blood work .. oops .. I better do that tomorrow. Today I think I may have messed up a bit as I was out shopping and picked up a Wendy's Chicken BLT salad .. well I didnt realize the chicken was breaded and deep fried!!! Oh well .. live and learn. I cant say I picked off the breading either =)
I dont think I am loosing much weight if any .. I dont own a scale at the moment so the only weight I have gotten was at the doctors. I really do need to buy a good one ... that and a meat grinder.
Hope everyone has a wonderful day =)
Oh and what does HC1C stand for???
Laura

Hi Laura. HA1C is the average of your blood sugars over a 3 month period. The Wendy's BLT and Chicken was not a huge transgression - you did learn from it. By the way, I would be absolutely terrified to go back to eating the way I used to eat!

LAURA ~ I'm not even sure I remember what I ate before; as I have cut down over some time. I do recall that each week, I would bake something for DH (usually cookies); and they would disappear way too quickly (I stopped doing that years ago, so he buys them now).

We have a pkg out in the cold room -- he went out today and brought in just one (a double chocolate chip one). I told him to stop waving it around; and I had one of my mocha coffees instead -- it was yummy and didn't have 220 calories in it!

Like RUTH -- I wouldn't want to go there ... ;)


The sun peaked out late this afternoon; hope it sticks around for tomorrow as they predicted but here, the weather can change so quickly. The temps stayed down today @ - 10C ... drats! Oh well, that's a lot better than -20's or -30's ... so I'll take it!

Have a great evening folks ... :hug:

Well I joined Curves today .. just got back and dispite drinking 3 liters of water though out the day and having dinner .. their scale said that I have lost 5 lbs .. I realize this is mainly water retention but I will take the loss anyway I can =) I didnt make to for my blood work this morning as I needed to be at the Royal Botanical Gardens ... thats where I garden all winter long =) So there was lots of lifting and lugging being done. Im there almost everyday so in order to fit in Curves I have enrolled my foster daughter with me =) Neither of my foster kids can be left unsupervised as they are both high risk ... so they are never far from me. We both need to loose weight but I am not going to have her diet the same as I do .. after all she is only 14 and learning to eat properly is much more important at this point than dieting. I think if she learns all the things she needs to then she will have those habits for life. I asked her to wait a month before telling her family that she is attending Curves or changing her eating habits to see if they notice any change =) I think she will be very happy with the out come. Doing this together will also help the two of to bond. Both her parents are ill and will eventually pass due to complications from their illness and she will need to have a "parent" to fall back on =) I really enjoy her company and she is actually a really good kid so I hope she will chose me for that roll =) Anywho .. time to hit the shower =)

Originally Posted by peatpod:
...
Have any of you just eaten what you use to eat just to see how it affected your blood sugar?? ...

The 9th was my first diabetic birthday. I went the whole day staying very low carb and low calorie in preparation for spending the evening at my friend's house. In years past, whenever I would visit him I would supply the pizza and he would provide the beer. This year was a little different. I still brought over our usual pizza but made a key substitution. Instead of the deep dish crust, I went with a gluten free thin crust. I also only bought one large, instead of a large for each of us. I figured since I would only have a couple of slices, it didn't make sense for me to order another whole pizza. We watched movies until the wee hours of the morning and I drank only ice water. I do miss my beer. :( Even with the healthier crust option, I still spiked and went into a little food coma. My friend had to nudge me awake a couple times. :D

My doc and dietitian have both suggested wine as an acceptable alternative to beer, for social occasions. Unfortunately, I have never acquired the taste. While I don't envision ever getting drunk on the stuff, I would like to try and find a wine that is compatible with my palate. Since I'm currently not on any meds (knock on wood), I don't have to worry about pesky adverse alcohol/drug reactions.

It was warmer today and tomorrow will be in the upper 40s F. I'm still sick from a cold I caught on my birthday (go figure :mad:) but plan on taking my dogs for a much needed walk tomorrow. Oh, and I'm another recovering Chinese buffet addict. When I think back on it, I totally over indulged myself with carbs and sweets. :dizzy:

Nice to see you joining us, Mr Z. Chinese food id definitely an addiction IMHO. Have you tried a low-carb beer?

Rosebud, are you sending soem of that sun my way? I think I remeber what it looks like.

Peatpod, joining Curves is a great move and it's great that your F DD can join you there. (FDD is my foster dear daughter.) I am still envious of your garden work.

Well, the BGL is good but the darned scale is stuck! I think the peameal bacon roast did me in. It had 40% RDA for sodium. I should have just eaten Chinese food.

TGIF, y'all.

Well Im not as sore as I thought I would be so I guess that's a good thing =) I hope I can still say that after the weekend =)
Ruth, I dont know how far you are from the Central Experimental Farm but they take volunteers. Alot of gardening places would love to have the extra help =) It might be something you would really love and the best part is all the wonderful people you meet.
I was wondering if anyone knows why my bsl is higher in the mornings when I first get up?
Z WTG with the healthy choices .. Im finding it to be hit and miss with some of my choices also but its proving to be an adventure. I think one of my biggest challenges this far is to not eat anything in the evening .. Im awake until 2 or 3 am and then up at 7. Sometimes I get even less sleep ... Ive always been this way so I get the munchies ... for the most part I have been able to get past the desire to eat but its hard.

Peatpod, I'm 90 minutes from the Experimental Farm - I grew up right beside it! At my age (71), I'm a bit past the heavy stuff in a garden centre although I did volunteer in one for years until it was sold.

As far as high morning BGL, how high is it? There is an effect called The Dawn Syndrome. The BGL falls during the night and the liver pumps out glycogen to get it back up. Sometimes it pumps out too much and you get a high morning reading. A snack of protein and carb at bedtime often helps. There's a thread on that in here somewhere - I'll take a look.
Here you are. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/diab...wn-affect.html

RUTH ~ well, we had sun for the last 2 days, but it disappeared today, so maybe it's on its way to you now ... hope so; we have to share ... ;)

PEA ~ I agree with RUTH; I had a problem with snacking in the evening, but now I have to have a small protein & carb snack or my BSL's dip in the middle of the night too. I seem to be OK in the morning, so my body is probably rectifying it ... hence, the DAWN AFFECT! Since I had been saving up some cals for the evening snack, this hasn't been happening lately.

MR. Z ~ kudos to you for getting that thin crust pizza; the take-out ones aren't too bad. We bought one from the store once -- and it was like cardboard so now we get the regular and I give the center of the crust to our dear FIDO ... which he loves! Sometimes, if I feel really energetic, I make my own whole grain crust and roll it out thinner. We don't have pizza too often now; but I have also made them on whole grain tortillas and DH loved them too ...

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend ... Rosebud :flow1:

Well its been a busy day .. and I am finding out so much about my body I am totally confused lol.
The Dawn syndrome sounds like me so I will try the protine / carb snack prior to bed.
My levels have been all over the place today .. I think its a combo of adding the exercise and well girly things. I feel exhausted today and my numbers have weird .. I took my bsl after breakfast and it was 6.4 ... then I took it prior to lunch and it was 6.9 why would it go up when I hadnt anything to eat? At 3 it was 6.2 and then dropped to 4.7 by 5:30. We went out for dinner at 7 ... I had a nice dinner of liver, onions and bacon .. no gravy, broc & cauliflower and some fries .. now at 10:30 my levels are only at 5.5. And Im exhausted .. totally whiped so Im off to bed ..

Just got back from seeing "The Tooth Fairy". I didn't even know Julie Andrews was in the film. The movie helped to buoy my spirit after seeing the doc today. I was prescribed an antibiotic and told to cease all dieting and exercise until I shake this nasty bug I've got. The only good news was that when I was weighed, the scale showed a 10 lbs loss in the past 2 weeks. I just hope I get better soon and not gain too much weight while I'm getting better. Happy weekend everyone. I plan on drinking lots of hot tea and curling up with a good book this weekend.

Sounds like a good weekend plan, Mr Z. Be sure you choose good quality food while you recover and the scale will stay kind.

Peatpod, I'm no endocrinologist but those numbers look fine to me. Why are you testing so often? Doctor's orders or curiosity? By the way, you should wait two hours before testing after a meal.

Had a bit of a problem with some chocolate covered cookies yesterday which set off some carb cravings. I had a potato omelet and salad for dinner and BGL is fine this morning although a bit low at 3.8. Now if I could just get the darn scale to move the right way!

Ruth I know my levels do seem fine to me also .. but they go up when I dont have anything to eat ... I do test about two hours after eating. Yesterday I just felt like crap .. really tired and I felt kind of light headed .. it was an odd feeling so I checked a few extra times. I haven't seen the dietician yet and she asked me to take it when I awakened .. before I eat and then 2 hours after I eat and then prior to bedtime. So my poor little fingers look like they have been though a grinder =)
Originally I went to the doc's complaining about feeling REALLY tired. Its not like me to be tired all the time and falling asleep at the drop of a dime. If anything Im the opposite. I asked to be screened for diabeties as my dad is type 2 and it runs in my family. Personally I think when I see the dietician on Monday she is going to see my numbers and think hummmm maybe the test wasnt right. I think I have more of a B 12 deficiency .. that runs in my family also.
Now one would think that drinking two XL coffees with three cream and three sugar would do in my levels ... nope they were 5 when I took it at lunchtime. Im just confused because my levels have been fine all the way along. With any luck they will remain this way.

PEA ~ I thought the same thing as RUTH; why is she testing so often? My doctor had me test upon waking the first while (about 3 weeks?); then got me to change the times each day and keep a record for the next 3 weeks or so (in between visits) to see how they varied at different times. But I just had to test once a day. Once we saw how that was, I went back to the AM again; only every other day becuz my readings were so good. Eventually I was able to go down to twice a week; then once a week; and now only once every other week just to make sure they aren't going up too high. Now this was over 1-2 years in time.

Did you say you had food with those coffees? If that is all you are having, they are like a snack or meal substitute so your numbers could be fine. You may be like me and really had only PRE-DIABETES. I was sick at the time and that may have elevated my numbers somewhat. I find that if I don't eat every 3 hours or so, that I feel very hungry and my sugars can dip; but there is a situation like RUTH says, that your body will raise your sugars by producing more insulin if it thinks you haven't had enuff to eat.

I know that's confusing but it happens; and that is also why eating regularly is so important. My sister used to skip breakfast and her sugars went up high; but when she started eating a light breakfast of toast in the AM, her sugars went back down to the normal range again. Her body was producing extra insulin becuz she hadn't eaten. The reason she didn't eat breakfast was becuz she has very severe IBS and had to work @ 10 AM. (IBS & Diabetes runs in our family too)

In time, your doctor and dietician will see if you have your levels in a good range; and you will find out when and what you should eat. Your extreme fatigue may have been caused by something else. Your doctor is the best one to ask about that.

MR. Z ~ hope you are feeling better soon -- that good doctor wants you to eat healthy so you have lots of energy to recover from that nasty flu. Lots of good liquids (tea is great and low cal) and good healthy foods and you should maintain just fine.

HI RUTH ~ we are supposed to be getting some really mild temps starting tomorrow, if they are correct? In the +'s for the week; we have been really blessed with nice weather this year. :D

We had roasted chicken & veggies & sweet potatoes for dinner tonight; lots leftover for tomorrow too -- just have to heat 'em up! Have a great Sunday ... Rosebud :flow1:

All I got was a phone call telling me what to do .. so Im not sure why she is having me test so often ... but I will find out tomorrow when I meet with her. Boy will I feel stupid if I didnt understand her properly. I already feel stupid for doing it so often.
I have never been one to skip breakfast. I dont really get hunger pains I get more emotional and aggitated when I dont eat so I make sure I have something to start my day, occassionally I will miss lunch but have something later in the day when I start feeling angry =) The coffee is normally after I have had breakfast and I have only been having one or two occassionally. So I would say its more like a snack.
I really need to look at the recipes because I have been living off of salad, fish and poached chicken for the past month or so =) I know there are other foods I can eat that will help me loose weight .. anyone have any favorites?? I have to make three different meals so I try to keep mine as easy as possible. The kids need the higher carbs and hubby just isnt that into salads not to mention fish =) I love liver and ground up beef heart ... but the kids and hubby wont eat that either. We are originally from Northern Ontario so we use to get alot of wild game from friends and family and that was wonderful too. I am a big meat eater and will chose meat over anything else if I have a choice so I have been watching what meats I eat and the fat content.
I cant wait to let you all know how it goes tomorrow .. until then =)

Peatpod, I hope today resolves some of your questions and don't feel stupid! The only stupid question is the unasked one. By the way, I'm a big meat lover too - when I was a kid, we finished our veggies just so we could have seconds on meat. I made a venison pot roast yesterday. Want to take the train to Kingston and come here for leftovers?

Time to have my usual breakfast of Fibre 1, sf/ff yogurt and frozen blueberries and then head off for the gym. I try to get there when it opens at 7:30 but have been easing up on that pressure lately. I am supposed to be retired and life is getting shorter day by day.

See you all later.

PEA ~ I agree with RUTH -- this is a learning process for all of us; I just went by what my doctor told me to do and it worked out well for me. I am finding that each person is different and so is the advice given by different doctors & dieticians. We are waiting with baited breath to hear the results of today's consult ... :hug:

DH & I like moose, but that is hard to get unless someone gives it to us as a gift, but it is nice and lean; so, I pick out the leanest cuts of meat that I can find at the grocer. DH is a meat & potato man, but has adjusted very well to our new eating style, but he won't eat salads at all (will leave it on his plate, so I don't put it on anymore). Most of the time we eat our favorites that I have lowered the fat and sugar (I try to omit the sugar & most of the salt too).

Here's some of our favorites meals -- I pull out this list whenever I can't make up my mind what to have for dinner ...

1 -- roasted whole chicken with veggies, and/or small new potatoes or sweet potatoes; veggies like: carrots, onions, celery, parsnips, turnip, broccoli & cauliflower. Just put the veggies around the chicken.

2 -- lean steak & mushroom medley: sliced mushrooms & onions, sometime adding in some corn or broccoli. I may have corn and DH has a new potato. I make DH a hamburger steak, becuz he can't chew the regular steak. (We're trying to get him new bottom teeth; TMI).

3 -- lean center pork chops with brown rice mix & veggies: I use half brown rice & long-grain converted rice (supposed to be lower GI); and veggies of choice: broccoli, carrots, cauliflower OR asparagus OR green beans, etc.

4 -- creole patties: lean meatball patties (2 oz each) with canned tomatoes & onions (chopped); served with potatoes or rice (often with leftovers). I often serve this with green beans & coleslaw; a family favorite. To stretch, we used to put some kniblets corn in with the tomatoes too, optional.

5 -- wg spagetti with meatballs or lean meat sauce -- we just have 1 cup cooked pasta each. I put veggies like grated zucchini & carrots, plus onions, mushrooms, and sweet green peppers in my sauce too.

6 -- lean roast beef or pork with carrots, parsnips, turnips, onions & light gravy; and potatoes (just be sure to measure, or fill up on the meat & veggies). Leftovers are made into a cottage pie for another day.

7 -- roast turkey or chicken pieces (breasts) with roasted veggies; or HAM shoulder and veggies of choice.

8 -- homemade soups or stews with beef or chicken; serve with whole wheat buns, biscuits, or bread for the family.

9 -- hamburger on whole wheat bun and salad; I have been known to have a chicken burger when I can find my favorite ones. Homemade beef burgers made with lean meat have less calories.

10 -- Fish & Homefrie Potatoes with coleslaw and sliced tomatoes/cukes. On rarer occasions, we may have pizza on ww crust (when I make my own dough, I roll it thin); or on wg tortillas or pitas.

11 -- even rarer is Chinese Food with an emphasis on meat/veggie dishes and 1/3 to 1/2 cup rice; although I could forgo that.

12 -- Chicken & Ribs: a family favorite; changed the wings to drums or breasts and the ribs to country ribs (made from lean chops). Sometimes will have Back Ribs on occasion. Served with baked potato, coleslaw and green beans. I can skip the tator though.

13 -- Others: sometimes beans or chili; chicken dogs; or pasta casseroles. We have pasta once a week and I vary the type each week (sometimes with beef or chicken or tuna, or meatless). Cabbage rolls for me, but DH loves Shepherd's or Cottage Pie. Hamburgers Steak & Onions; Meatloaf; Liver & Onions; or Omelettes; 6" or homemade subs on whole wheat hot dog buns, etc. About once a week (usually Saturdays), we try to have something different just for fun ...

I don't know where to start over here. Let me just give a brief intro of myself. I'm a type 2 diabetic and I've done ww, meetings, but online now, in an attempt to become healthier. I started with a major challenge- for me anyway- today. While running errands, instead of taking the elevator, I used my legs. It was a challege but I felt a little better. I do a finger stick twice a day, as instructed by my dr, and i've noticed that my sugar levels are much lower at night than in the mornings. For now, I'm taking metformin once a day and seeing my dr every two weeks so that she can monitor my progress.

Welcome aboard, Timoba. It's a bit overwhelming at first but you'll get the hang of it.

I'm stressing a bit tonight but will avoid any carb blow-outs. My basement had 6" of water in it at 4 PM, my PC is stalling on me AND my next door neighbour's house just burned! Luckily they weren't there but I'm sure I'll be seeing them as soon as they get home from work.

The sump pump is working now so the water is receding but is anyone in the market for wet cardboard boxes? The PC will probably last another day or so and I'm very glad nobody was hurt in the fire.

Tomorrow is another day - Thank God!

OMG Ruth ... that's a lot to take in for one day. I'm happy no one was hurt in the house fire.
Timoba WTG for taking the stairs!! I realize that its the little changes that we add to our lives that makes us stronger a little bit at a time .. and those are the changes that seem to stick with us forever!!
Rosebud .. Im drooling over the possibilities .. thanks so much for your list of faves =)
Ok so I had my meet and greet with the dietician .. I now have been crowned "Dumbass" of the year =) She didnt want me poking myself so often .. geeze I spent the afternoon apologizing to my chubby little fingers =) and feeling a bit foolish =) We didnt really talk about much just portion control and looking at these changes as being just that changes. Not a diet where I will shed 100 lbs over night but changes to my lifestyle. She put me on Metformin 500 mg twice daily. Question .. if my levels were fine with diet and exercise then why the meds? She wants me to limit my meat intake to 4 oz servings .. thats a pretty tall order for this chick but Im sure I can do it. I dont think she thinks I will be a compliant patient but I know I will be .. she looked at my file and commented on how I dont see the doc very often =) Did I mention that I dont like my doctor =) Im not normally sick and I certainly not the type to run to the doctor with a runny nose .. so my file is pretty lean =)
I went out and purchased a new digital scale .. and a meat grinder. Beef heart here I come!!!!!!!!!!! All hubby can think of is attempting to make sausages lol. Wow its going to be nice to have some control over the type of meats I can use in different recipes =)
So all in all it was a pretty good day .. hit the docs .. off to the greenhouse and then to curves .. busy but good ... Oh and Im down 11 lbs now .. woot woot!!!!!!!

Hi everyone,

I am new here too. I was diagnosed with Type 2 just before Christmas and I am trying to control by diet and exercise right now. Most of my daily readings went from 9-12 when I first started and now a month later I am in the 5.5-6.5 range. It has been hard work but I must say I feel better than I have in a long, long time. At 34 years - I am much to young to say that.

I still waiting for a referral to the diabetes centre - and I meet with my family Dr every two weeks to monitor until I get that appointment! I am learning all I can about the GI levels of foods and following the WW plan with it.

This morning I had a great thrill - put on my dress pants for work...took two step and they fell off!!!!!!!!! I am focusing on making this fun and have a life style change - I am not on a diet and exercise program - I am on a life plan!

My sugars were high in the morning -like everyone here has said by saving some of my points and having a small protein and carb snack before bed I have lowered my morning readings.

Cheers
Trinie

To quote Professor Higgins "I think she's got it!" Cheers indeed, Trinie. It sounds like you are on track. WW and GI are both good plans for control. :lol: at the pants falling down "problem".

Peatpod's question:

Originally Posted by :
If my levels were fine with diet and exercise then why the meds?

Metformin improves the blood's ability to utilize what insulin we do produce and gives the pancreas a bit of a break.

I've also learned the meaning of the word "fine" when it comes from a medical person. It usually means "acceptable for this condition". For example, my HA1C is usually between 6 and 7 when tested. A non-diabetics would be 6 or less. My doctor says it's just fine while the 6-7 range really means "fine for a controlled diabetic". They see lots of really seriously out of control diabetics and everything is relative to them, if not to us. :shrug:

Ruth- what a day! First, thank god your neighbors weren't home. 6" of water, yuck. Hope things dry out quickly.

Peat- 11lbs is great. wtg!

Trinie- you are viewing this with a very positive attitude. I used to crash diet and would lose nice amounts of weight. As soon as I started eating regular foods, the weight would come back. When you learn to change other things also, thats where success comes in.

Nothing much new going on with me right now. I walked around the neighborhood today. I didn't get tired and my legs didn't bother me. I'm looking forward to stepping on the scale soon! I feel better and even if the numbers didn't move much, i'm content b/c i'm moving in the right direction.

[QUOTE=diabetic z;3109563 We watched movies until the wee hours of the morning and I drank only ice water. I do miss my beer. :( Even with the healthier crust option, I still spiked and went into a little food coma. My friend had to nudge me awake a couple times. :D

My doc and dietitian have both suggested wine as an acceptable alternative to beer, for social occasions. Unfortunately, I have never acquired the taste. While I don't envision ever getting drunk on the stuff, I would like to try and find a wine that is compatible with my palate. Since I'm currently not on any meds (knock on wood), I don't have to worry about pesky adverse alcohol/drug reactions.

:[/QUOTE]

have you ever tried the low carb beers? do you spike with one of those? If you are in otherwise good control, maybe you could try one of those with a lower carb meal, like buffalo wings or something.
I have stopped drinking for the time being, until I have lost weight and feel like the pre-diabetes is in check. I missed it a bit this weekend, but would rather enjoy the good food than worry about the effect of the alcohol.

FATMAD ~ you posted while I was typing. My doctor said it was OK to have a small glass of wine or beer on occasion too. I like Spumonti Bambino or Pinot Noir (whites); for reds, Castlevetro is nice. Rose Bambino is nice for a rose too.

TIMOBA ~ you have a good attitude too; the walking will help a lot. I went through the same as you before; now I'm working on good health for life.

RUTH ~ poor you: a flooded basement; and your poor neighbours coming home to well, no home (I sent up some prayers for them). Glad things are looking better for you. :hug:

TRINIE ~ sounds like you are doing great already; keep up the good work! Wow, your pants fell off; you must have lost quite a bit then!

PEA ~ my last doctor's favorite word was "fine" ... :lol: Have a new one now; and all he wants to talk about is having WLS (uh, uh). I am glad that he is very sympathetic to my plight, but I am going to continue on the road I'm on, thanks! :congrat: for losing 11 pounds forever ...

OUR temps have dropped down to -15C and we had ***** today and will have some more tomorrow. This is normal for this time of year; as we approach February, then the real cold temps arrive, but that is good becuz we have our WINTER CARNIVAL in the middle of February and we need the cold temps for that.

We had stir-fry veggies of brown rice mix for dinner; nice and healthy; had a good OP (on plan) day. Just did stuff around here today; not too busy. Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone ... Rosebud :flow1:

keep on with the exercise
 

I am back from my weekend away with friends. I skied and snowshoed getting about 90 minutes of exercise each day for 3 days. So I was really pleased. I avoided desserts and drinking. I missed the beer and wine, these are friends we usually spend our time drinking and playing card with them. But I stuck to water and diet ginger ale. I did have peanuts for snacks a bit, and I think my portions were a bit bigger. I was disappointed, in spite of portion control and regular exercise, I still haven't lost any weight. I haven't gained anything tho. I may need to go to ww or something to get more control.
I wasn't feeling well yesterday and didn't exercise, but made sure to get on the treadmill tonight while watching the biggest loser.
Again, the show can be abrasive but it making me take a look at why I am not losing weight. I am doing well with sugars and with exercise and felt like the eating was improving, but obviously I have a way to go. I am open to suggestions.
I really appreciate the comments from this group, they are so constructive and practical.
:hug:

Rosebud, he was pushing WLS! Sheesh! IMHO that's a last resort and is not "fine". Keep on keeping on. We'll show him.

Fatmad, it sounds like an enjoyable weekend despite the booze absence. Could the peanuts (salt) be making your weight hold on?

We seems to be getting on track about checking in. That's so good. I know we are all on different diets but we do have this "problem" to deal with and it helps to know there are others for support and ideas.

My poor neighbours (I feel so badly for them) will be here for lunch again today. They can now go in to what's left of their house and are going to try to salvage some of the upstairs things. The fire inspector says a wiring problem caused the blaze - the old wiring that had not yet been replaced. We are going to try doing some laundry with vinegar and detergent to see if we can get the smoke smell out of clothes and linens.

Yesterday's exercise was treadmill for cardio and lugging heavy wet cardboard for arm weights!

Happy Hump Day!