First post here.
 

I’ve been reading and enjoying all your comments for the past couple of months and finally joined up last week. At 5’3” and 303 lbs. I have a lot of work to do. I’m on 1000 mg metformin and 4 mg glimepiride twice a day and an A1c of 8.0. I retired a couple of years ago, with no family except my 4-legged canine kids, and a few good friends. Things have been so out of control that I’m looking to put some order into my days.

This year I want to give myself the Christmas gift of good health and a better ordered house. So my resolutions are to lose a lb. a week, to start a walking program with a 5 minute walk after 1 meal and gradually build to about 15 minutes after each meal at least 5 days a week. Loved Shannon’s idea of 52 weeks of decluttering so will work on that too. Well that’s about it for now.

Chris

Hi Chris! You've come to a great group with a lot of knowledge and heart. I seldom post, but the others are very diligent and helpful. You can do it, one foot in front of the other.

After about 20 years of yo-yoing up and down and ending up in the same place, I lost 15 pounds last year and I am still down that 15 pounds. Actually, I have diabetes to thank because I refuse to go down that path. My dr's office had vials of simulated blood - without diabetes and with diabetes. Have you guys seen this? The blood with diabetes was thick like molasses - no wonder there are so many complications! So I remember that when I think about eating sugar and processed carbs. And I have a relative who has lost his sight and is in danger of losing toes. That is enough to scare you straight!

Though I haven't had to take medicine yet, my FBS is never below 110. So I am not out of the woods, even with low carb eating. My plan is another 15 pounds this year. And yoga, walking and weights.

Wow! The past couple days have been very good for this thread! Lots of interesting posts. That's what we really need, getting everyone's input and experiences. I hope we all keep coming here. Even if you are struggling, it can be very helpful to come here and unload...everyone will pitch in and give you support.

Secondhalf, pizza is very bad for me. It spikes my blood sugar worse than any other food. DH gets a pizza about once a week and it's very hard for me to stay away from it. That will be one of my goals for the new year.

I hope you can stay away from insulin. My main issue with it is that it causes weight gain, and weight gain in a big part of our problem with diabetes. I think if you have shown a noticeable improvement since your last visit you should be able to continue trying this on your own. Just remember, they can recommend insulin, but they can't make you take it. That's your decision. Be true to yourself.

Moonkissed, I have a Fitbit One. I love mine, too. For anyone interested, the best thing to do is go to the Fitbit.com website and read about each one and decide what you want to do with it to help you decide which one you want. There are also other good trackers, like the Jawbone. Read the reviews of people who already have them. I just wanted something basic, a little better than a pedometer. I love the Fitbit online account. You can do so much with it. I haven't done all of it yet. Getting back to exercising will help me accumulate more steps. That is another goal for the new year.

Shannon, I don't agree with everything my Son and DIL are doing regarding my grandson, but I keep my mouth shut and tell DH to do the same. Their child, their decisions and responsibility. Some things have turned out well for them. He was never a problem sleeper, but he went through the hitting with his mother and also with other kids at preschool and kindergarten. The hitting with his mother was nipped in the bud but they still have some issues at kindergarten. I don't want him to be a doormat, but I don't want him to be a bully either. She will probably outgrow all of this, but I know that's no consolation now. {{Hugs}}}

I also like your 52 weeks of decluttering. For a while I have wanted to hold to a cleaning schedule. A room each day, rather than trying to tackle the whole house at once, or having so much clutter accumulating that it becomes a daunting task. So far the plan is still in the planning stages. LOL Another goal for the new year.

Lettingslenderin, I have a hard time with any weight loss plan where I have to pay. That's why I didn't keep up with WW. I felt that I was paying someone $43 per month to weigh me. There is a website online where you can pay to bet you will lose a certain amount in a certain length of time. If you don't, you lose your money. If you do, you get back more than you paid in. It sounds very tempting to me, but I don't really trust it. I would like to do it on my own with DH being my banker, but I know he would entice me to eat so that he could keep my money! LOL Can't trust him, either!

Welcome, Chris. Walking after meals is a very good way to get your blood sugar in line.

Kris, the side effects from high blood sugar are scary to me, too. I love to read and don't know what I would do if I lost my eyesight. Toes are pretty important, too. We all need to be "scared straight."

Today is a great day for me I am down 2.2lbs this week! My FBS this morning was 104.

I decided to set some fitness goals. I will walk twice everyday for 1.25 miles each for a total of 2.5 miles a day from now until the end of Jan. Then in Feb I will increase it to a total of 4 miles a day. And in March I am going to start a couch25k program and start running. I really wanna be a runner and I just need to do it. I am also doing strength workout 3 times a week.

My weight goal for the new year is to get under 200lbs by April.

TheSecondHalf the fitbit is really neat. You can check it out at fitbit.com The best is that it syncs when you are near your computer and keeps track of it all automatically. The fitbit tracking site is free and really neat too. It also syncs with other websites like sparkpeople or my myfitnesspal.

Hello Chris & Welcome! Good health is the best Christmas gift you can give yourself for sure! I think walking after meals is a great idea. I walk after dinner and it does wonders for my BS.

lettingslenderin you might want to check out sparkpeople.com it is totally free and they have a nice diabetic program. It is my goto site. I can't express how much I love it. I track my weight, calories, BS & fitness there. Plus it has alot of recipes, support groups and articles.

Welcome to the newbies and I too hope you will keep coming to this thread. I agree with Carol Sue that it is helpful to have the input of the experiences etc of others. I also love the support we all give each other here. I think sometimes people stay away because they have a bad day or week etc. I know I even have that tendency sometimes when I'm struggling, but it really does help me to pick myself up and keep trying during those bad times when I go ahead and come here. No one makes me feel like a failure because I had a bad day or am struggling instead they are here to encourage me and help me get through the struggle and that is what we all need during those bad times.

Carol Sue About DH glimiperide. It is 4 mg for one pill taken 2 x a day. The largest amount they are allowed to prescribe is 8 mg a day which he takes 1 4mg pill 2x a day. I never thought about it, but I probably should have taken only half. Knowing how my body reacted to it, maybe that is why he doesn't want to give it to me.

Right now my fbs is staying in the 140s which is where it was before my doctor's appt a few weeks ago. So that means I'm still in the A1c range of 6s. The weight is steadily coming back down since I'm not eating much with because of this cold/flu or whatever and the meds I'm taking for it. Without even trying, I'm eating within my IF 8 hr window. Hopefully that will help it to become a habit for me since I do so much better knowing that I have to stop eating by a certain time. Guess it fits my personality.:dizzy:

Shannon I like your idea of 52 weeks decluttering. Many times I have said that I was going to just take one room a week and get things straightened up around here. I will make that one of my goals for 2015. You have been under so much stress this past year with getting things ready to sell 2 houses and your move etc. It is no wonder you had such a melt down. There are always people who find it easy to criticize how you raise your children, but it is harder when it is someone so close. You are the one raising Olivia and you know her better than anyone. You have to go with what feels right for you. I don't agree with everything that DH DD does with her kids, but I know she is a really good Mom doing what she feels is right with her children. I try to be more supportive of her and I believe that the most important thing at the end of the day is that Olivia knows you love her. My Mama always said "Love is the Key" and I have found that to be true. So try to relax and just be the Mom you have always been for your baby girl and everything will work out right in the end. I promise you that works.

Secondhalf I never want to take insulin either and work hard not to ever have to. They mention it to my DH from time to time, but I told him that it will only cause him to gain weight. We kind of help each other stay on track. It is hard for him because he had never been extremely over weight and no one in his family ever had diabetes so he was shocked when he was diagnosed. However, I have read that a lot of the meds he has had to take causes diabetes so I suspect that is where it came from. He now has a difficult time losing weight himself. It is sad that it has taken him experiencing that part before he could understand what his first wife (who died from complications of diabetes) and I go through with the weight loss.

Moonkissed I've never used the Fitbit. I did have a pedometer from WW once, but it never worked right. Even the one I bought from Walmart was whacky. My fbs is much better when I exercise and I hope to get back to that really soon. I had planned to start back to exercising when I got sick. I will get back to a regular routine as soon as I get rid of this crud. When I get used to exercising, I actually miss it when I can't do it. I just have to not allow myself to get lazy about it. I use a recumbent bike and actually love using it while watching something on tv.

Lettingslenderin I did WW meetings and got bored with them and I've done WW online. I actually did better with WW on my own. Doing it online messed me up. I was doing it my way and was losing weight etc until I joined a support group that told me I was doing it wrong and I wasn't eating enough. When I started doing it their way, I stopped losing and started gaining. That was the end of WW for me. I have tried to go back to doing it again, but can't seem to get it going so I don't even try it any more.

Chris Actually I read a book on reversing diabetes and also read online about a woman who lost weight with Intermittent Fasting and they both said the best time for diabetics to exercise is after a meal. I try to ride my recumbent bike for 3 miles after my biggest meal of the day and I have to say that it makes feel better as well as bringing the fbs down.

Kris I agree that the complications of letting the blood sugar go wild is very scary to me. Because of what my DH went through with his deceased wife, he is so afraid of losing me the same way. I had 2 cousins who were Type 1 and they died because they wouldn't follow a diet. I have a cousin who has T2 and is blind and had kidney transplant. However after the kidney transplant is following a diet and doing well. Like Carol Sue, I love to read and would be lost if I lost my eyesight.

Sorry this is so long. Hope I didn't miss anyone. Have a nice day!!!

I have so much I want to respond to but I want to start with this:

Originally Posted by :
Just remember, they can recommend insulin, but they can't make you take it. That's your decision. Be true to yourself.

Thank you, wannabe. I have been kind of stewing on that very same thought for a while. I like my doctor, but she is very very pill and test happy. I understand there are some tests I need and others that might help, but she needs to understand that my insurance does not pay for sleep studies and random abdominal ultrasounds and in my life, I can not do a 24 hour urine catch because when I have I ever been a. home for 24 hours at a time and b. not sick? If I am home that much, I AM NOT WELL and they can't use the results anyway. Especially having read here, and then done some research - I can not afford to gain weight. I am working VERY VERY hard to lose weight. Once I find something that spikes my blood sugar, I don't eat that thing anymore. It's very black and white to me at this point and I'm willing to do the work. My friend's mom just had her second leg amputated because she relied on meds instead of lifestyle changes to manage her diabetes. My mom is on her way there. I don't want to do that. If I MUST start meds, so be it, but now that I am finally seriously every single moment of the day trying to do this myself, I want time to do it!

I have to see the diabetic nurse the day after my birthday (next week) and I'm looking forward to getting information and having some questions answered, but I'm going to make my case for not starting insulin and if they aren't willing to go along with that, I will be looking for a new doctor.

Hi, Chris! And good look with your resolutions!

Kris, congrats on keeping your 15 off! I would like to see those blood samples, and I think a lot of people would benefit from a concrete visual like that, instead of just "this thing is going wrong in your body and you really won't feel the difference until it's too late" kind of warning we usually get.

moonkissed, congratulations! And good luck on your goals! I have some fitness goals this year, too. I'm going to check out the fitbit site. I have a bday coming up. Maybe I'll buy myself something sporty.

pattygirl, I feel better knowing I'm not the only one trying to avoid insulin. The doctor jumped on it like it was the next and only logical step, went so far as to prescribe it (and I bought the prescription) without EVER mentioning that it would likely cause weight gain, all while telling me I needed to lose weight for my fatty liver. One or the other, lady.

I have some New Year's resolutions - not a huge list, but three big ones that I hope will yield some nice results:

1. Walk. Walk, walk, walk. I have the Walk Away the Pounds DVDs, which I love, and I need to do those on the cruddy weather days and walk outside on the nice weather days, including climbing the stairs where we live. Last summer I went to the mountains in Tenn with my daughter and was shockingly out of shape. We missed a lot because I couldn't hike uphill very long at all. Next summer, I want to hit all those moderate hiking trails to waterfalls so she doesn't have to miss something because Mom is fat and out of shape.

2. Be in more pictures. I never ever let anyone take pictures of me, I just kind of quietly make myself scarce or always offer to take the picture. I am editing myself out of my child's life. She's only eight. How much do you remember from when you were eight? If something happens to me tomorrow, despite all the time we spend together, she won't have any pictures of me. She's eight and we have only a handful of pictures together. That's just sad.

3. Find a church. We are pretty liberal Christians in a very conservative town, but there has to be a spiritual community somewhere that will have us :^:

4. Don't slack on testing and keep a food and testing journal. All the time. Every day. And actually pay attention to the results.

5. Edited because I thought of an important one: I have to get off Diet Coke this year. I don't know the time frame, I don't have a plan, but I have got to kick this habit.

Hope everyone is recovering for the holiday and has nice NYE plans. We don't have a sitter and my daughter is on her second round of stomach virus so I see a quiet night in for us.

Wow, this was long!

Patty, WW did not work for me at all, either. It was way too slow, it was boring, and just was the wrong fit for me.

Today was day 3 using my new cleaning and laundry schedules as well as my new 5 morning and evening habits to develop lists and so far they are really helping. Of course we have been home more those days and Mark has taken Olivia out as well but progress is progress. I'm still working on making a schedule for meal planning but it is truly my nemesis so that will be a struggle. I did make a list of crock pot recipes for Mon and Thurs...the two days of the week dinner is particularly challengingbsince we are at ballet and bible study. I am also already working on prepping and freezing ahead as well. I prepped two breakfast casseroles tonight (with a surprise ingredient....spaghetti squash!), got spices portioned out to make two pounds of sausage tomorrow and prepared apples to go in the crock for homemade applesauce. Today hubby put together the rolling cart I bought for Olivia's books. It is so cute, looks like a library cart! That got all her books in one place and freed up space in her closet for the baby strollers I was falling over! Still waiting on the new faucet, maybe next weekend.

I'm glad you all liked the 52 week declutter idea....here is a link to where the idea originated, lots of posts on this blog that are helpful as well as a template for making your list if you want one http://orgjunkie.com/52-weeks

It sounds like we all have some good goals set up for 2015! That's great! Start off the year on a positive note.

Lettingslenderin, I ordered Diabetes Miracle from my local library and I just got an email that it's ready for me. From what I've read about it, I don't think it's something I will follow, but I like reading about different programs and I pick up pointers from them that help me work on my own plan.

Secondhalf, I truly believe that you can do this without insulin. Most of the time, they start type 2s off with Metformin, which, for the most part, is harmless. It helps with weight loss, and if you start off with a low dose you don't usually have the stomach problems that some have. You have a very good attitude about all this, and he should be able to see that you have made good progress.

Shannon, when my step-children lived here I always planned meals for each week. I actually posted them inside the kitchen cabinet because they were always asking what we were having for dinner, so this way they could just look at the list and see. Also, they were each allowed some input and could choose 1 meal per week. I shopped for the meal plans. Now, I shop specials and stock up, and meals are usually just planned day to day. It's different when you have a family. DH would never let me put food in the crockpot when we were not going to be home. That was a real downer. He was afraid something would short out and start a fire. I know thousands of people do this every day. Because of that our meals during the week were quickies, and I could cook more involved meals on weekends.

Trish, I think the doctor didn't prescribe the glimiperide for you because with your A1c, you don't need it on a daily basis. You might have a higher reading once in a while but that's relatively normal. DH probably was having a much higher A1c than you and that's what the doctor had to prescribe for him to keep his A1c at a healthier level. My doctor doesn't know I don't take it every day as prescribed. When I am truly eating low carb, I don't need it.

Lettingslenderin and Carol Sue I really haven't taken an interest in the Diabetic Miracle because I suspect that the diet plan is probably the same as the one in her book The Metabolism Diet which I have. I truly believe it will work for correcting diabetes because is followed correctly it supposedly teaches the liver how to function properly. I did it for a while, but it was just too involved and with cooking for 2 other people, it just didn't work for me. I can't remember off the top of my head what the program was except you had to really pay close attention to almost every bite you ate because you were only allowed so many carbs within a certain amount of time if I remember correctly. It would be great if I was cooking just for me and didn't have anything else to do but pursue that particular way of eating. It will be interesting to see what you have to say about it Carol Sue. Maybe she has learned some simpler ways of doing it.

Shannon Thanks for the website. I bookmarked it to look at latter. I love foods especial one dish meals cooked in crock pot, but DH does not. He is a picky eater so that makes things difficult. I love to take foods and just throw them together in a pan and cook and eat and he turns his nose up and say "How can you eat that?" I married 2 men like that. I started to re-order the Diabetic Living magazine because they have some great meals, but most of them are foods you cook together and Mr. Picky eater would not touch it so why bother. However, I still may order it and just cook the main part with the recipe and just put the other foods around it. So I haven't ruled it out yet.

You will be doing fine again before you know it Shannon, because you are getting yourself organized again. 2015 will be good for you as you finally get to settle into your new home. Things have been really crazy for you even before you moved. The pressure you've been under was difficult. You just wait and see you will be fine. :hug: :)

Secondhalf Carol Sue is right. You have a good attitude. Hopefully your doctor will see that and work with you. When I told my doctor about the research on Intermittent Fasting and took him copies of the newspaper article and a copy of the research paper, he was skeptical, but he said to me, "At least I know you are trying" and he likes that. Therefore, he is willing to work with me. I'm sure your doctor will do the same. Mine once told me that he could tell when his patients were trying and when they weren't. He also knows that I do not want the complications that come with diabetes. I think that is why he is so willing to work with me.

I am feeling better. I hope to be back to normal in the next few days. DH wanted to go out today, but it rainy and cold and I told him I didn't want to get out in this weather. I want to wait until tomorrow afternoon when the rain is supposed to be over.

I forgot and took my cold medicine before I checked my fbs. However, the fbs was 142 which is 2 pts less than yesterday. So I'm sure it will be less when I can stop taking the meds and when I can get back to my exercises. I am encouraged that I'm doing as well as I am even while sick. I even lost another .2 lbs this morning. Eating within an 8 hr window is very helpful too. It shows me that if this can work when I am sick that it will definitely work better when I'm not sick. I think even this has been a learning experience. I haven't even been eating VLC while sick which also makes me believe that the research on the Intermittent Fasting will work for diabetics. Hopefully, my experience will be a positive example to my doctor for IF.

I think we all have our goal plans for the new year. I don't call them New Year Resolutions only because most people start out good with them to only fall away from them and forget them. I don't want to set myself up for failure. Just me. However, I do have the goal of getting my life more organized starting with Shannon Decluttering idea, work at getting DH and myself eating healthier and losing as much weight as possible in 2015. I know from previous experiences that when I get the weight right that the blood sugar will be right too.

I'm still around, just busy with kids and holiday.
Be back next week.

Yes, I really do not like the website for DM! I am using MyNetDiary diabetes which is a pay site because it also tracks my diabetes charts and lines them up with my meals. It is a small amount but worth it so far.

Fitbit - I have the one, and I think you can link up with other people if you want. If anyone can figure it out, would anyone like to be Fitbit buddies?

Today I experimented with the Accu-Chek Aviva v. the Freestyle Lite. Aviva is about 12 points higher than the Lite. The Lite takes much less blood, which is a plus.

I am having a great day eating & exercise wise. My FBS was 121 this morning :( but my after lunch/predinner was only 94!

lettingslenderin I'd love to be fitbit friends. Anyone feel free to add me: https://www.fitbit.com/user/339JXN (I am Aimee)

Trish I hope you feel better soon :hug:

TheSecondHalf I so feel your diet coke habit. I was addicted hardcore. I broke my habit and couldn't be happier. It wasn't easy though. I still have one on a rare occasion like if I am out to eat but I never keep it in the house anymore.

The next time I go to Target I'm going to talk to the pharmacist about my glimiperide prescription. They are generic, and I was getting the same manufacturer for all this time. Now they switched me to a different manufacturer and these pills don't work as well. I have to take 2 to get the same effect as 1 of the others. I worked at Medco for 9 years and I know the pharmacists will say that they are all the same, but DH and I both had the same problem with our BP meds once. We had to have a note put in our file to only fill our RX with a certain manufacturer. I am trying to get off these pills altogether, so I sure don't want to have to take double!

Hi Dgramie! Welcome back!

Moonkissed, I will wait until I get my exercise going again before I sign up with anyone for Fitbit Friends. My numbers have been really bad lately. It's embarassing! LOL

Lettingslenderin, I once got a free Freestyle meter and I liked it, but the strips were too expensive for me.

I stopped at the library yesterday and picked up the book but I can't start reading it until I finish an ebook I'm reading that expires in 7 days. I can renew the actual books for additional time but you can't do that with ebooks.

I am reading Gone Girl. I read it way back when it came out, but then when it became so big I couldn't remember what it was about. I am about half way through it and it only seems vaguely familiar. I guess I am losing my short-term memory! LOL

Trish, DH does not like foods mixed together, either. He always says casseroles are for women. I find it so easy to mix everything together and let it cook, rather than stand at the stove with 3 pots going at the same time. It makes it hard to time it so everything gets done at the same time. He loves potatoes, especially fried, and has to have them at least 5 days a week. Some days he will eat just potatoes. Some days he will have cookies and coffee for breakfast, Ramen Noodles for lunch, potatoes for dinner, and pancakes before he goes to bed. All starchy foods. I have to have meat every day, or I don't feel satisfied. I need my protein.

Secondhalf, I quit diet coke once but then went back to it. Right now I'm out of it and I will only buy it when it's on sale, so I'm trying to see how long I can go without buying it again. I love it. When I was on my first diet, Diet Pepsi was what got me through it. If I got hungry, I would drink Diet Pepsi and it would fill my stomach up and keep me from eating.

Shannon, I think prepping meals for the freezer is a great idea for an active mother, but DH would never eat something that had been frozen. He is very picky. He didn't even want to eat the turkey I had had in the freezer for a year, but as it turned out, it was fine, and he ate it. But he only ate it the day it was cooked. I was the only one who ate the leftovers. The turkey salad I made with it was delicious! I can't pull anything over on him. When I'm cooking, he's always in the kitchen watching, stirring, lifting lids, wanting to know when it's going to be done. He's really funny sometimes. He will pull something out of the freezer, hold it up and say "What is this?" He's always digging around in there looking for hot dogs.

Hi all!

I have decided to drink through the Diet Coke I have and not buy any more. I will have it outside of the house occasionally, but I'm really really going to try to switch to something else. I really crave the bubbles so I'm going to try to keep La Croix (I like the coconut and the lime) on hand. I have a Soda Stream but I haven't figured out how to make that kind of flavored fizzy water.

I'm trying to meal plan and I usually do a week at a time (hate grocery shopping). It's really hard to eat low carb without planning ahead! Lucky for me, my family is really ok with soups and crock pot things because I don't love to cook. I'm a one-dish wonder and I love my crock pot. I usually eat leftovers for lunch. I'm not a fan of mushy crock pot food and a lot of the recipes I've found online are kind of meh, but I've found some we really like as well so that helps. And thank goodness everyone eats eggs. We eat a lot of omelets.

Your husbands are very lucky to have such patient wives. I don't particularly enjoy (although I am a pretty good cook) so it's eat what I cook or enjoy whatever it is you make for yourself. I can not imagine living with a picky eater. I guess he would just be hungry or learn to cook.

Wannabe, I LOVED Gone Girl. So Much Pretty is kind of similar in that it's hard to figure out exactly what is going on.

I'm off to grocery shop, which is probably my least favorite thing. Wish me luck!