Sorry to hear of the funerals coming up. I went to a post-service luncheon this week and I ate some deli turkey without the bun, along with some lettuce and tomato. I also had a bit of cole slaw. I didn't want to miss the socialization but also didn't want to blow my diet. Of course, this was a family funeral. It is not usually necessary to attend when it's just a friend or acquaintance. The acquaintance will not be there.:(

Trish, you are right. Your fiber is good for YOU. A book cannot decide what will work for every person, and we are all different.

So far I am doing well today. Right before I was going to start cooking my greens, DH wanted a late breakfast, so I ate scrambled eggs with mushrooms with him. Breakfast instead of lunch, not in addition to. He wants ravioli for dinner and I know that is high carb, but I am also making some veggies....seasoned broccoli and cauliflower....so I will be OK. I am paying attention and will not overeat. I entered my food including my anticipated dinner into FitDay and I am a little over 1000 calories. That's low for me, but if I get hungry after dinner I will cook some of my greens since I have calories to spare. I decided I HAVE to watch my calories closer because even if food it healthy, it still has calories and I believe you can eat too much even if the food is healthy.

Tomorrow I am going to start adding some fruit. It's not something I normally reach for, but it's not that I don't like it. I think I need it. I did not have any beans today and so far I don't have any belly pain. I hope that's all it was.

I have set a non-weight-related goal for myself. I am going to clean off my dining room table and keep it that way until Easter. We have a habit of dropping everything on the table and then it gets cluttered. The paper, the mail, small things we buy, my Nook, etc. I'm so embarassed if someone stops in. So I am going to clear it off every day, and my goal is to keep it cleared off until Easter. Maybe by that time it will become a habit and I will never have it cluttered again.

I finally figured out how to make this work for me. I'm starting with the low carb way of eating that I usually do and then adding the fiber to each meal and snack. Without any real hard work, it has become 50 grams of fiber. I'm finding it can be done with the lower calories. So I'm pleased with how it is going. I'm better satisfied and don't really get hungry. I just have to remember to drink plenty of water.

Carol Sue I liked your non-weight-goal for yourself and decided that I would do the same thing. There was so much tax stuff spread out on the table. I'm happy to say that as of tonight the only thing on the table that doesn't belong is the box with all receipts in it that will be go in storage then the table will be clear. And taxes have been done and will go be picked up by the postman tomorrow. So glad to have all that done.

Tomorrow I have to work at cleaning up the kitchen before DGS comes home this weekend. He is trying to save his license and get insurance on his car because his Mama let it go. He wanted us to put us on ours, but we would lose our discount if we put him on there because of his tickets and he is 20 yrs old. So DH told him he would have to work and get it himself. Spring break is next week so I figure he will be here all week. I've got to plan meals etc for him to be here. We will eat a little differently with him home to make the food go farther. Plus I want to get him some of the foods he will eat that we don't eat. Wish he would let us know what his plans are so I don't have to go spend money on food we won't use.

Hope everyone has had a good day.

Trish, my tax stuff is still on the table. I hope to have it done by the weekend. I guess a lot of people use their table as a drop-off because my son and DIL do it too.

How long do you keep your receipts? Are they for tax purposes or just for your records. I usually keep a receipt until I know the item I bought is satisfactory and I intend to keep it. On larger purchases, we have a metal box in the basement where we keep receipts for warranty purposes. DH said we should have a box upstairs and put every receipt in it. Sometimes I buy food items and by the time I'm ready to use it a week later I realize it's bad, but the receipt is gone. One time I had shredded cheese and there was a pinhole in the bag and it went moldy in a few days. The receipt was gone by then.

You are doing very well with your fiber. Mine is not as high as yours. On the days I don't eat beans I don't get pains, but on the days I eat them I do. And I don't notice it when I eat chili with kidney beans, but only since I've been eating the lentils. I don't like to waste food, so once the cans of lentil soup are gone I think I will switch to a different type of bean. In the meantime, I'm limiting the amount of lentils I'm eating.

Carol Sue we use to have that problem leaving things on the dining room table. I think it's just easy when your house is set up that way :) We don't have a dining room here and the kitchen table is a no-no :) Nice victory to plan :)

Trish, good luck with the meal planning :) My daughter got a wake up call when she and her husband had to get their own insurance. They also now know how it feels to have bills since they opted to get their own place when they moved back down here. Life isn't as easy as she thought. ;)

I am back to my low today 164.8. I hope I can keep it going

Rennie - Good job on the 164.8.

I am thinking about changing things around. I want to try steel cut oats. I am trying to use up the oatmeal I have now. I made some oatmeal cookies for DH and this morning I had a small bowl of oatmeal instead of my eggs. It's instant oatmeal and I know it's not as healthy as the steel cut oats, but I don't want to waste it. I have always felt that oatmeal had too many carbs for my diabetes, but others have told me that it helps with their FBS. I really like oatmeal, but I also like eggs, which I think are better for my diabetes because of low carb. Today I had egg substitute for lunch with mushrooms, onions and tomato since I didn't have them for breakfast. When I was in the hospital, they gave me both for breakfast. My BS went down and I lost weight. So much food, so little time! LOL I have to figure out how I'm going to do this. Since I eat dinner with DH that has to be based on something we both like, unless we eat out, at which time we can both make our own choices. Maybe I can stay with the egg for breakfast and add oatmeal like they did in the hospital,or eat the oatmeal as a snack in the evening. I don't want to be adding more calories. And then I have to remember my steamed kale and other greens. I don't want to eliminate those, or the beans. Maybe I just need to vary my menu instead of eating the same thing every day and trying to fit everything in.

I am also going to make some homemade yogurt again. Someone on another board mixes it with chopped fruit and cinnamon and then tops it with some original Fiber One cereal. That would add fruit, fiber and cinnamon along with the nutrition from the yogurt. Maybe I could alternate it with the oatmeal in the morning, with my egg.

I guess I am posting this to try to convince myself that this will be a positive change. I like to eat foods that I like but are also healthy.

Does anyone else have any experience with oatmeal that they would like to share? Has it been helpful, or do you get a spike? I realize everyone is different.

Thanks Carol Sue :) no comment on the oatmeal the texture of it drives me nuts ... can't eat it. The kids have tried everything to get me to like it. How do you make yogurt? That seems interesting.

I made the oopsie bread. It doesn't taste bad, it looks exactly like the pictures but it's a little airy in the middle, reminds me of meringue. I'd like for it to be a tad bit firmer. Don't know if I'll try it with a burger or not. Also I followed the recipe and my mixture made 11 pieces. I count two as a serving which is 7 calories higher than the person that made the recipe.

Down another .4 to 164.4 ... hope to keep it moving :crossed:

I have T2 diabetes and prior to diagnosis ate oatmeal frequently thinking it was a GREAT idea... NOT! For me, once I started testing, I found it significantly spikes my BS every time. Definitely try it, but definitely test to see how you react.

I find if I eat eggs and a bit of ham, I can also have two slices of toast (I always go with rye) and I DON'T get the spike I often get if I eat that same bread for lunch or a snack. I am pretty sure that having the eggs/protein really helps offset the BS spike. I have not tried eggs with oatmeal... Wonder if that might help?

I am very carb-sensitive and just cannot eat a typical size serving w/o a spike, so I really have to space them out in small amounts.

I did drop 40 pounds over the last year and haven't tried the oatmeal since the loss so perhaps it wouldn't be as much of a spike, but even with the loss, carbs still spike me more than I would like. But at least I am lots healthier!!

Laurie :welcome2: Glad to have you with us.

Oatmeal is one of those things I can eat 1/2 serving of. I learned that when I found Instant Steel cut oats. The serving is 1/4 c dry and I had no problem with that. So when I have regular oat meal, I make 1/4 c dry and I do fine. I would suggest testing after eating. I also learned that a lot of it depends too on what I add to it.

Still getting calories and fiber working for me. I think I cannot eat 50 g of fiber. I seem to do good eating up to 46 g of fiber so I can eat less than 1600 calories.

DGS is home for 4 days and then will be gone Thurs, Fri and part of Sat. We will have to get him to and from work tomorrow through Wednesday. I will have to get up around 6 or 6:30 am Tues and Wed. He has to work for as much as he can get to get his license and insurance again. He seems to think it will cost him $400.00 which he says his Mom is supposed to take care of when she gets her income tax return.

Busy next few days so will check in when I have time. Have a great weekend.

Laurie - A big WELCOME to the Diabetes thread. It sounds like you have your diabetes under control, and have had a successful weight loss. Good for you! I hope you stick around.

When I was diagnosed and in the hospital, they were giving me a very generous breakfast. I ordered oatmeal every day and scrambled eggs, which were probably egg substitute. With that I could have 1 slice of toast and fruit, which was usually half a banana. And skim milk. I love milk, but don't usually drink it at home. It's very possible that the oatmeal was not causing a spike because I was eating it with the eggs and milk which both supply protein. The thing was, they were small portions....not what you would see on a restaurant breakfast. A very small portion of oatmeal, egg substitute equivalent to 1 egg. They gave me 2 small cartons of milk, maybe 4 oz each. I think the fact that I was getting all 4 food groups at breakfast kept my BS steady. I continued to follow that basic menu after I came home, but eventually that went by the wayside. I probably should have stuck with it.

I woke up from surgery and they were injecting insulin. I told them I was not diabetic and they said "Oh, yes you are!" I got insulin before each meal along with Metformin and Amaryl. By the time I left the hospital I no longer needed the insulin, so the diet definately brought my blood sugar down. Since that time my PCP took me off the Amaryl, but now I'm thinking I need it again because now I can't get a good reading to save my soul.

Trish - I didn't know they made instant steel cut oats. I basically only use a bit of artificial sweetener and some cinnamon in my oatmeal. When I'm ready to switch to steel cut I will look for the instant, and now I am definately going to go with the 1/4 cup of oatmeal and 1 egg with milk and some fruit. I don't buy a lot of fruit, but I have apples. And I buy those small cups of fruit for my grandson, and I like the pears, so that will also be an option. I think the pears are in juice rather than syrup. I also have some frozen fruit and a little carton of frozen blueberries in the freezer that I keep forgetting about.

Rennie - I heard about the home made yogurt on another board. I made it once in a little crockpot because I didn't have a yogurt maker. Now I bought a yogurt maker at Goodwill. New in the box, looks like they didn't use it much. I'm going to try again. The thing I like about homemade is that you can control the ingredients. Basically, you heat the milk, then let it cool to a specified temperature and add either some yogurt starter or some plain yogurt from the store. You turn off the crockpot, wrap a big towel around it to hold the heat, and I put it next to my heater vent in the dining room overnight. With the yogurt maker, you pour the mixture into the glass jars provided and leave it plugged in for 12 hours. Then refrigerate. It is not as thick as store bought yogurt. If you want it thicker you can use a cheese strainer to make what's called yogurt cheese.....the whey drips out of the strainer and the yogurt gets thicker.

If you or anyone else is interested, I have a couple recipes that I can post. I was nervous the first time I did it, but it was relatively easy. I talked to the dietician from the hospital about it and she assured me that is is not only safe, but preferrable to store bought yogurt. I think if you don't eat enough yogurt it's just easier to buy it. I see people at the store buying so much yogurt when it's on sale. they are the ones who need to make their own. I like it tart and plain, but you can add your own fruit, and one time I added some sugar free strawberry jam and just stirred it in. Another option is that Polenar All Fruit if it comes sugar free.

You are a great group with so many ideas! Just diagnosed T2 on cusp. I spent the whole day yesterday reading Bernstein, looking at ADA (I would go to sleep after every meal if I ate that many carbs), and figuring out the carbs on all the food I like to eat. I have not starting testing but I feel better with lower carb, high fat/protein. Just not sure how low carb I need to go. Woke up with a headache this morning - probably too low carb too quickly yesterday. Very interested in all the different ways you are coping with this disease. Fiber, exercise, etc! Hope to learn a lot.

Thank you for the compliment! I think we are a good group because we are real people, discussing diabetes from our own experiences, not just some dietician or doctor telling you what to do. We have found that everyone is different and needs to find what works for them. I am still struggling, but some others here are succeeding, and I'm learning a lot from them.

I think the one thing I would tell someone new to Type 2 diabetes is that the best thing for you is exercise. We have no way to lower a high reading the way Type 1's do, injecting insulin, so I believe our best choice is to go for a walk.

The second thing I would suggest is to test often, 2 hours after a meal, to see how different foods effect you. If you get a spike from something, cut back or cut it out altogether. In time you will learn what you can and can't eat. I know, but still have trouble staying away from the bad foods.

Here is a site that gives a lot of information that is dependable.

http://www.bloodsugar101.com/

I hope we hear from you again!

Trish and Rennie - I have been having trouble with the ACV water because of the taste of the vinegar. I was reading an article about ridding your body of toxins and one of their suggestions was drinking a lot of water, with ACV and lemon juice. I added some lemon juice today and it's going down much easier.

Continuing to work out my ultra carb sensitivity at breakfast that we were discussing above... And really do find that I can have a bit more carbs (15-20ish) when I also have the protein with it. (Read somewhere the other day that many type 2s cannot go with many carbs in the morning... Though other opinions do differ!)

Today I made a waffle using Maple Grove Farms Sugar Free mix ... It's not marketed as low carb, but for the 1/4 cup of mix it is 8 carbs - 2fiber (net 6 carbs.) I added some ground flax and a little whey protein powder, egg white, baking soda and water. Made a great waffle... Had it with some Walden Farms blueberry syrup (0 carb/0sugar/0fat). Enjoyed it with an egg and couple ounces of ham. My FBS was 107 and an hour after Bfast it was 112; 2 hours at 118!!