[pattygirl63]

Shannon So thrilled and looking so forward to hear how your move turned into a blessing.

Kris I compared the Relion reading with my Touchtone when I first got the Relion meter. I don't remember it being that much different. I've already eaten breakfast this morning, but I will compare them tomorrow and see if there is a big difference and which way. I do remember Fatmad RN who used to post here said they were allowed to be off by a certain % but I can't remember what it was. I do know that when I've compared with my blood work it isn't that far off so I never worried about it. I didn't mind it because my A1c was almost always lower than my home fbs reading.

Carol Sue I would have cried if I had to give up my eggs too. Eggs are so full of good nutrition. I will never take turmeric in the form of a pill again because they have found some side effects that they didn't have out when I started taking it. It just isn't worth taking the chance. Info says you can get sufficient amount by eating mustard and some other foods with it or even cook with the spice, but not sure I'll even do that. Not for a long time any way. As for dairy, I am not willing to take the chance with it either. I am using Coffeemate French Vanilla in my coffee and read this morning on the box that it is Lactose Free, Gluten Free as well as free of some other things which I can't remember right now. I was surprised that it has coconut oil in it. Maybe that is why I had problems when I added the CO to my coffee when I used it. It was too much. So I thank God I don't have to give that up.

I did have another interesting experience last night. You know I cut the Metformin in half to take about 12 hrs apart. Well, the one I took yesterday morning caused me no problem. But about an hour or so after I took the night one, I had the potty issues again. I didn't have that problem when I took the whole one at night. However, according to Atkins and other lowcarb plans people are able to reduce amounts and even come off their bp and diabetic meds. My FBS was 111 this morning. Except for yesterday, I've had readings below 120 all week. And my bp this morning was 111/59. and I'm only taking the Lisinopril. Not ready to worry about the bp meds yet, but I will watch that because I am eating more salt as recommended when doing lowcarb. But I'm thinking I need watch my reactions to the Metformin and may have to cut back and take only 500mg. It was the second one that caused me the problem last night.

DH and I talked last night and I'm coming off of the Metformin and all my supplements for a couple of days to flush that stuff out of my system. Then I will add 1/2 the Metformin at night and see what happens. I may not have to take those supplements any more. I will get blood work the 1st week in September and I will be able to talk to my doctor about all this then.

I seem to be doing more of an Atkins Induction mainly because I can't eat grains or (dairy) cheese right now any way. If this is what is going on, the up side will be that my body is correcting itself and I am actually experiencing the benefits of Atkins/lowcarbing. If that is true, then this will turn out to be a good thing and not bad and I will be happy about that. And if what they say is true, I will have energy again and feel better than I have in years.

Had my eggs and bacon this morning without cheese. However, it wasn't really too bad. I plan to cook chicken wings for our main meal today. Not sure if I'll eat veggies, but since DGS is going to be home to eat, we'll probably have broccoli. I read that a large serving of broccoli will help replace the calcium I won't get from the dairy. May fix a chicken stir-fry for dinner with soy sauce for the sodium.

Hope everyone has a nice Sunday.

[Wannabehealthy]

Trish, this is really funny, but my FBS was 111 this morning, also! LOL I had a bad day yesterday and had to take my glimiperide so today, since I'm starting off with a low bs I will work to stay low carb and not need the meds.

Bedtime Metformin makes me throw up during the night.

I would worry if I had a blood pressure that low, but I used to get them that low when I was in the hospital and they never seemed alarmed to see it. Watch the sodium. My BIL gets his sodium too LOW and ends up with seizures. I think it's caused by a BP med his first doctor put him on, but his new dr just keeps telling him to up his sodium intake.

I like to snack on cheese, but I don't like it with something else. I don't like it with eggs or bacon. Don't like cheese on a sandwich or burger. I used to love these things, but my tastes have changed. I just buy blocks of cheese that I can cut off a portion. At a party, I am always working on the cheese plate.

I did some reading about Coconut Oil and have decided to give it another chance. Although it is a sat fat, it contains 50% lauric acid which is different than other fatty acids. That's what makes it healthy and gives it heart health benefits. I have used half of my jar, so I will go back to using it for sauteeing but just use a little less since it seems so greasy to me. I still like my current coffee creamer too much to try the CO in the coffee.

Yesterday I made some breaded fried zucchini. I haven't eaten any fried foods in so long that although it tasted really good when I ate it, I paid for it in tummy troubles the rest of the day and ended up taking antacids at bedtime. Greasy just doesn't agree with me.

Shannon, I too, am anxious to hear how moving problems turned out to be a blessing. i have had several bad luck incidents turn into blessings, too. Every cloud has a silver lining....well, most of them. LOL

[pattygirl63]

I read some more on dietdoctor.com and most of my symptoms the past week was normal except I see nothing about diarrhea so I'm thinking maybe I'm not needing 1000 mg Metformin any more on the lowcarbing. It had a place to write the doctor and ask questions so I wrote and told him my experiences so will see what he says. I also thought about writing the girl on MFP who was able to come off her bp and diabetic meds and see what her experiences were when she knew she didn't have to take them any more.

I ate baked plain wings with seasonings on it and broccoli. I decided to eat the protein first and then eat the broccoli. I have not had any medicine or supplements and I actually feel better. Of course, it has been 24+ hrs since I ate dairy. I'm having another cup of coffee with the Coffeemate. Not recommended on the dietdoctor's LCHF diet, but it isn't causing me any trouble. After reading some of what I have on lowcarbing, I am going to start drinking decaf tomorrow. Something is still causing me to wake up in the mornings with dry mouth.

Carol Sue I like the benefits of CO and I think when I get myself straightened out that I will try it again in small amounts. I do like the idea that it is in the Coffeemate.

Edited: I wrote the woman who came off all her meds doing LCHF to see if she will share with me her experiences when she knew it was time to stop them or cut them in half. Of course, I will let you know what I learn.

[pattygirl63]

Finally got my calorie count up to 1268, net carb 23, fat 86 and protein 88. If I can even eat it. I may not be able to ever eat the 168 calorie snack.

I assume that doesn't really matter because I read on dietdoctor.com that some people can only eat 2 meals a day, but to just shoot for 3 and that is basically what I'm doing.

[pattygirl63]

Kris Just checked my blood sugar 1 hr after eating dinner. I used same blood stick of blood with the Relion and on my old Touchtone I got from the doctor. The Relion read 115 and the Touchtone read 116. So I think a 1 pt difference is pretty accurate. Maybe it isyour meter. Maybe Walmart would exchange it.

[kris2008]

Thanks for feedback. I guess I just got a really bad meter. Glad to see you are all doing well.

[Wannabehealthy]

Kris, I would do another control test on the meter and check again. Make sure you have the right control solution. The other option would be to take it back to WalMart and tell them you got a control test that was too high. The meter and the strips came from them, so either way, they should be responsible.

Trish, I would not assume that your potty issues are being caused by the Metformin based on a few days. Potty issues can be caused by a lot of things. I don't think it would hurt you to quit taking it for a while. It does not lower your blood sugar...it just keeps your body from releasing glucose and raising BS more. If you quit taking it and your BS stays low, go for it. It's not a life and death situation. I know you are not supposed to quit taking meds without your doctor's consent. I have done it myself on a med that is not a life and death matter, and I am just suggesting it as a possibility. I always add that disclaimer anytime I suggest that someone change their meds from what is prescribed because I don't want someone to scream at me. I always consider that I pay my doctor to assist me, but in the end, I'm in charge of my own health and the final decision should be mine. You are going to discuss this with your doctor in Sept anyway.

I think this new coffee creamer I'm using is raising my BS. I can start the day out with a decent BS but after a few cups of coffee it goes up. I just bought a new 32 oz container. I had intended to cut way back on coffee, to 1/2 cup in the morning like I used to have, but this creamer makes it taste so good and now I'm back to several cups. It doesn't even taste like coffee. I just looked at it. I thought it had 3gm carb and 3gm sugar per TBS, but it's 5. OMG. No wonder my BS is going up. I can't stand to waste that whole bottle, so I will try to cut back to one cup per day until it's gone. They make creamer that is sugar free, but not in the flavor I like. I will probably try one to see if I can find a substitute.

Diabetes sucks.

[pattygirl63]

I heard from the lady who wrote the blog I shared with y'all. She said she experienced exactly the same GI symptoms (diarrhea and gas) I did when it was time to lower her Metformin. The symptoms were similar to what she had experienced when she first started taking Metformin. This is how she knew she didn't need 2000 mg. She then went from 1000 mg of Metformin 2x a day to 1000 mg once a day. It is her suggestion that since I had no problem with the one dose of 500 mg that I might try taking it with my dinner and be sure that I'm eating enough when I take it. I think I will probably try that but I will wait until after Wednesday to do that. I had to miss church yesterday and last Wednesday because of this stuff and I don't want to miss Wednesday night Bible study. If I have a reaction Thursday, at least I'll have a day or two to get over it.

Her doctor told her that Metformin stays in your system for 3 weeks when you stop it. She stayed on 1 Metformin 1000 mg a day until she saw her fbs staying under 100 a day. She knew if it started going back up 2 weeks, she could go back to a lower dose.

She said that someone named Jenny Ruhl's blog - Bloodsugar 101 helped her learn about metformin tweaking and changing the timing and learn more about the drugs capabilities to help her get better readings before she started the LCHF protocols. I haven't looked that up yet. Will do that later today.

On 2000 mg metformin she got readings between 128 - 148. After cutting dose in half, her readings were between 110 - 115 for about a week and then went back down. Now without any meds she can hit 80's, but when tweaking she can get a 111 like she did yesterday. Her A1c reading probably now is around 5.3 - 5.5 but she will know that when she goes to her doctor in Sept.

She recommended that I take up weights which I hope my Kettlebell weights count as that and exercise. And she recommended reading Volek and Phinney's short book. I'll be checking that out as well.

We are going to Charlotte to Costco today. Not sure where we will eat. I hope DH will be in the mood to go to Sonny's BBQ because I can get sliced pork and a double order of green beans there and stay OP. I'm doing so good, I just don't want to mess it up.

My FBS was 115 this morning and my bp was 121/80.

[Wannabehealthy]

Originally Posted by pattygirl63

On 2000 mg metformin she got readings between 128 - 148. After cutting dose in half, her readings were between 110 - 115 for about a week and then went back down. Now without any meds she can hit 80's, but when tweaking she can get a 111 like she did yesterday. Her A1c reading probably now is around 5.3 - 5.5 but she will know that when she goes to her doctor in Sept.


My FBS was 115 this morning and my bp was 121/80.

Trish, this sounds like you are saying that when she took less Metformin, her BS went lower. Is that right?

Also, when she said to take the 500mg at dinner, she might have meant at your largest meal, and isn't your largest meal at midday and a lighter meal at dinnertime? That might make a difference.

You are definately doing good! That 121/80 is perfect! Keep up whatever you're doing, except for whatever is causing the tummy troubles. LOL

I don't eat first thing when I get up and this morning DH mentioned something he wanted from Target. The ad said "limited quantities, no rainchecks" so we left right away to get it. We did some shopping there, then went to Kohls and did some shopping there, then went to Goodwill and did some shopping there. We still hadn't eaten and I didn't want to stop and eat something. We were a little hungry but not starving. So when we got home I made a quick dinner and we ate around 3:30, first meal of the day for both of us. I think when I'm home I eat just to eat, but when I am out and about I forget about food. Before dinner my BS was 87. I think I am going to try to go longer without eating. Not to the point of starving. I think back to when I was thin. I used to eat breakfast and lunch but not much dinner, sometimes no dinner. Now that I eat with DH I am used to eating dinner every day. Adding that on top of breakfast and lunch is so much more food than I need to eat. Many times DH gets busy in the garage and doesn't think to eat until dinner time. I might try to be more like that now that I'm eating dinner with him. I never wanted to be like that...wanted to eat 1200 cals per day and 3 meals, but that just isn't working for me anymore and I need to do something to shake things up.

[pattygirl63]

Originally Posted by Wannabehealthy

Trish, this sounds like you are saying that when she took less Metformin, her BS went lower. Is that right?

Also, when she said to take the 500mg at dinner, she might have meant at your largest meal, and isn't your largest meal at midday and a lighter meal at dinnertime? That might make a difference.

No, I'm sorry, I guess I didn't say it right. She said when she was taking 2000 mg that her fbs usually ran between 128 - 148 until she started eating LCHF. Then it began to go lower. Then she started getting GI symptoms like she had when she first started the metformin. So she decided to start taking 1000 mg instead of the 2000. That is when her reading stayed between 110 and 115 for about a week and then started going lower. She had to come off the metformin when she had to have some sort of surgery and she stay off of metformin to see what would happen. She knew she could always go back to taking it if her bs started going up again. After 4 weeks off the metformin, her fbs was still lowering to where some times she hits in the 80s depending on when she tweaks. She tests bs after every new food she introduces into her diet. She tests it 2x and if it spikes too high, she scratches it and will not add it into her list of foods to eat. She says she has no problem of ever taking the Metformin if she ever had to, but right now the way she eats and the exercise she is entering into her plan, she doesn't need it.

I heard from her again today. She is so full of info and I see that another big plus for her is that her DH eats this way too. Wish I could get Tony interested in doing this. I read all the information I had from her today as we went to and from Costco. When I finished he said "Well the bottom line is that my high cholesterol and diabetes is caused from the carbohydrates I eat. So what do you eat?" I'm not pushing. I'm just hoping that I will have such a big change in my health that he will get seriously interested. I gave him the dietdoctor's website hoping he will go there and read.

We did eat at Sonny's. I had pulled pork, green beans and shared cole slaw with DH. I came home and put it in my MFP log. I am actually eating roughly 1200 calories, net calories are around 20 and high fat and moderate protein on average. If I can keep this up, it won't be long until my doctor will be taking me off my meds.

I don't have a larger meal any more. Since I eat no starchy foods or dairy, I eat pretty evenly portions at lunch and dinner. I had started taking dividing my Metformin and took 1/2 at breakfast and I ate a snack with just enough food in the evening in order to take the other 1/2 about 12 hrs later. However, since the GI problems, I am mostly eating just 3 meals a day now that I don't really get very hungry because I'm eating more healthy fat. So I think she just thought I might like to take it at dinner. The thought behind that is that metformin is supposed to keep us from getting a big insulin spike during the night. So taking it later in the day will help my fbs to be lower.

I do the same thing when I'm not home Carol Sue. I used to go till 1 or 2 in the afternoon without eating and my fbs was always lower. That's why a Intermittent Fasting works so well for some people. I did read on dietdoctor.com that a lot of diabetics who are doing the LCHF protocol are eating only 1 or 2 meals a day and off all meds because they just do not get hungry.

[Wannabehealthy]

Ok, now that makes more sense. It would be good if your DH would start eating that way because it would make it easier for you and it would be healthier for him. If he can stick to LC. I have absolutely no delusion that my DH would EVER eat that way. LOL Never. He told me that he wants to be happy eating what he likes (carbs and sweets) and it it happens that he dies sooner, so be it. He made it to 71 and considers every year he has after that as a bonus. He told me that I can go ahead and eat my kale and yogurt etc and in the end, I'm still going to die. And he's right. But I have come to like these foods and no longer like the taste of sweets and greasy fried foods. I, too, am eating what I like, with the exception of bread. That is the main food I have had to give up that I really miss.

[zinkemomx2]

Originally Posted by Wannabehealthy

My thyroid is weird. It was always in the 2.4 range. One day last year I felt so terrible with an irregular heart beat and spiking blood pressure. They did tests and said everything looked good except my TSH was 7.9 and advised me to go to my PCP. I called him, and instead of seeing me or doing more tests he just put me on synthroid. I was good for about a week then I felt terrible again. I quit taking the synthroid, the DR tested in a month, and my thyroid was back to "normal." Lately it has been creeping up again, like to 3.7 but doc says it's still normal.

I think I would feel like a zombie at 7.9. I can tell when mine is over 2.0 because I start sleeping all the time and am an angry mess. It was 1.8 at my last checkup.

Originally Posted by Wannabehealthy

I have absolutely no delusion that my DH would EVER eat that way. LOL Never. He told me that he wants to be happy eating what he likes (carbs and sweets) and it it happens that he dies sooner, so be it.

I think I've heard that come out of my husbands mouth almost word for word. He turns 40 this December. His idea of vegetables are peeled cucumbers or ketchup. We will eat a few more fruits thankfully. A banana every day he works and apples, melons and canned fruit. He won't touch pasta or rice for anything. I don't think he has met a fried potato he hasn't liked. And we won't even discuss the amount of sugar the man eats.

We are slowly trying to get back into school mode. Only 11 more days before we start. I do much better with a schedule.

I have decided to create a vision board of sorts. Obviously I need to lose some weight for my health. But it gets in the way of me having fun with my kids. While I was gone for the week we went to the county fair. I've never had problems while riding the Scrambler type ride before. This was a different amusement company though and they had the Sizzler. It was basically the same thing. Except my fat belly didn't fit in this one. He got the bar closed and I had hoped that my bulk would just sink down around things like it has in the past. It didn't. I had to have him come over and let me off the ride before it even started because I was in so much pain. My son had to ride alone because mommy was too fat. They had 3 or 4 other adventure type rides I would have loved to try but by then I was to ashamed to even try. I didn't want to go through the humiliation of not fitting again. So that is one goal for next summer. I know I won't be skinny but hopefully I can be small enough to ride comfortably. Both of my kids have also been taking horseback riding lessons for the last two years. I would love to go trail riding with them. No way is that possible at my current weight. I know I'll have to be at least under 250 but probably best under 200 since I'm not an experienced rider. So that is 90 pounds in the next year to get off. Hard but doable.

[Wannabehealthy]

Originally Posted by zinkemomx2

I start sleeping all the time and am an angry mess.

.

Hi Zinke! This describes me to a T. LOL Do you see an endicrinologist or just a PCP?

I was shopping in Target yesterday and the store was crowded with parents and kids, school shopping. For a second or two, I wished I could be school shopping again, but then I realized what else that would entail and the feeling passed. I remember every year how much I loved going back to school. The year after I graduated I got up early and watched all the kids going off to school and I felt so sad. It wasn't that I loved school so much, it was the comaradarie. I was usually just as happy to see the last day of school come every year. It surprises me that I can remember back that far. LOL

I'm sorry to hear that you feel bad not being able to do things with your kids. This is something to focus on in the coming year. Next summer you will be able to ride those rides! You can do this!

[Wannabehealthy]

Trish, I remember you said that an avacado can last you several days. How do you keep them from turning brown once you cut them?

[pattygirl63]

Originally Posted by Wannabehealthy

Trish, I remember you said that an avacado can last you several days. How do you keep them from turning brown once you cut them?

I'm sure there is a better way to keep it, but I scoop out the amount I want to use and always keep the seed in it. Then close back together like and I wrap it with a paper towel then put it in a glad bag and place in veggie compartment in fridge. It will keep for a couple of days like this depending on how wripe it is when you cut into it. If it turns too dark, I ditch it. I think I read somewhere that you can sprinkle lemon on it, but I haven't tried that.