Diabetes and PreDiabetes Chat and Support for March
 

So, March is here, and I want us all to "March" to good blood sugar!

Happy March ladies! DH just left town, I'm cooking wings in the oven for lunch, cutting up broccoli for soup I am making for dinner and after that starting a clean up/declutter of the dining room. It is surrounded on all walls by piles. I used it as a staging area for the declutter of the sewing room that never got finished so it still has piles everywhere. One of my goals is to start prettying up the dining room. I have fabric for drapes that just needs hemming, I have things to hang on the walls, want to get some candles. Also on the docket is cutting out pieces and sewing Olivia a dress with the Dr Seuss fabric I bought last year, this week is Seuss week at preschool.

I checked my measurements yesterday and am seeing some progress :-)

hello friends, and happy March:
Well, I went back to low carb at the beginning of February, and was 187, and now am 181, so 6 pounds down over a month and that included a couple of off days, so I am pretty pleased with that.

Shannon and Carol Sue: about dream fields pasta, it has a "special process" that "coats " the carbs to make them burn and digest quite slowly, much more slowly than even whole grain pastas.
The only problem is that is does seem that eventually all the carbs do flow through, perhaps suddenly. Some people have noted blood sugar spikes 4-6 hours after eating. SO measure servings carefully and don't overdo would be my advice. Also, cooked spaghetti squash makes a good noodle alternative.

got to a yoga class this morning too. Going for a walk with the dog in a bit, this is the warmest day in ages around here. -7 C. There is sun too, very exciting.

have a lovely Sunday friends.

I did well today with no between meal eating. And so far, nothing after dinner. We got a rotisserie chicken which I love, and after the terrible breaded chicken I made last night, it was great!

Good job on your weight loss, Mad! I was surprised this morning when I got on the scale. I was down 4 lbs. But before you start clapping and cheering, remember, they are the 4 lbs I GAINED last week. I'm just glad they are back off and hope to lose more. I have been in the 190s for a couple years now. Up and down.

Mad, I like spaghetti squash cooked with butter and garlic, but not served as a pasta dish with a red sauce. It's just not the same for me.

From what I heard, and read online, Dreamfields settled a class action lawsuit over it's claims of the pasta being 5 net carbs, although they admitted no wrongdoing. On Dana Carpenters blog there were people who tested it and some said they had no major spikes, and some did. But they all went according to the serving size stated on the box, which is actually the amount you would use for a side dish of pasta, not a main course. The amount most people eat is usually much larger. Also, if it's eaten as a side dish with, as one person did, pork chops, the protein reduces the blood sugar spike. That's why they say to always eat a protein with a carb. When I make pasta, I make a lot of meatballs. My dish is mostly meatballs over a small portion of pasta, so I get to taste it, but I'm not eating a large portion. I also eat lasagne, but again, there is a lot of meat and cheese in it, and the protein offsets the blood sugar spike. I don't spike too badly with pasta, potatoes or rice. But don't let me near a loaf of bread.

Trish, my eating window today was about 7 hours...2 meals. I am not going to use a set time or number of meals. It may vary day to day based on my hunger. If I happen to have a shorter window some days, I may also have a longer one other days, but I will try to stay under 10, and not eat between meals. Everything I have read about lowering insulin resistance puts a big emphasis on exercise.

Shannon, I don't know how you do all that you do. It's a good thing DH goes out of town once in a while and gets out of your hair. LOL

Tell me more about your broccoli soup. How did you make it, and how did it turn out?

I have had 3 days successfully eating only 3 meals. However, I am going to have to add the egg(s) at night for the lower reading in the morning. My readings before the lunch and dinner are good so I'm pleased with that. I think the eggs don't hurt because being protein and fat, it doesn't raise insulin. I ended up with .4 gain for the month, but that doesn't bother me because I did a lot of experimenting with my eating this past month. 4 tenths of a lb isn't really a gain at all. If I averaged the weight like CAD teaches, I might would show a loss. That was one thing I liked about their way of counting actual weight loss. But my main concern is learning to get the insulin under control.

I actually have no problem not eating snacks. I drink tea w/o sweetners and it actually satisfies me except it makes me cold and it is cold already.

DH had to help DGS with his car and they left for a while after church. I had told DH that I was saving my eggs for tonight and I didn't want to eat as soon as I got home so I would cook for him like I normally do when we got home but I was going to wait my 5 hrs before eating lunch. When they left, I decided to ride the recumbent bike and get a little more exercise with some housework so I could count all that on MFP. I felt so good after and was so proud of myself. I never exercise on Sunday. That exercise actually counts as extra this week since it is usually a day off. YAY!!! for me.

Carol Sue I agree that exercise is a real key to lowering bs. I am really working at it.

Since I didn't go to our small group Bible Study last time, I decided to go to Amazon and order the book that goes with the lesson. We don't usually use the books in class because we use the workbook and a film + discussion. I had checked out a story from it and decided I wanted to know more. I read it in spurts so haven't gotten very far, but decided to take it with me to the beauty shop since I was getting a perm yesterday. So I read some while under the hair dryer. I was amazed at how the Lord seems to lead me to just what I need at the time.

I've been thinking lately that I needed to treat my woe and exercise different and set my mind to just practice what I know to do until it becomes second nature to me. In the part I read yesterday, he tells how they took kids learning to play the violin. They found that all of the kids practiced and they could tell by how much the children practiced who was going to be kind ok violinists, mediocre and the those who could become good enough to be professionals because they had more of a passion for it and practiced the most. So I think I am on something for me and my personality. "Practice makes perfect". So far this is not a struggle any more.

Here's to a good March.

Trish, good for you on the extra day of exercise! This is how we do it!

Carol Sue here is the recipe I used, I had to add alot more salt and it was a little greasy so I will try another recipe out next time but it was good, I ate two bowls, Olivia ate her whole bowl and I plan to eat the leftovers this week.

http://jensaves.com/broccoli-cheddar-soup/

Thanks, Shannon. I copied it but I probably won't make it because I prefer creamy broccoli soup, without the cheese. I'm weird about cheese. I can eat a piece of cheese, but don't usually like it in a recipe. Unless it's cheesecake! LOL Oh, and I also like it on pizza and in lasagne. If I order a sandwich out and it has cheese on it, like a club sandwich, I will take it off and eat it by itself, but I don't like it on the sandwich.

I had a pretty good eating day so far. Eggs and sausage for breakfast. DH bought a Subway sandwich for lunch. I took some of the filling and dumped it into a bowl of salad greens and ate it as a salad. Very tasty! We're having fish for dinner. I'm having grilled talapia and he's having Gortons breaded that you bake in the oven. I'm surprised he's even eating that! He wants Rice-a-roni with it, so I will have to close my eyes and pretend I don't see it. LOL

Happy Tuesday ladies! Olivia lost her first tooth last night! And she woke alot in the night wondering about the tooth fairy, lol, so I am tired today! I got the dining room decluttered but of course most of the piles just moved to other places still to be dealt with...sigh...lol! I am in a purging mode again....clutter be gone! We ate out last night after Olivia's dance class and I was just tired and not thinking. I ate off plan and drank a huge caffeinated drink. I was up til 2. I am back on plan today and no caffeine since coffee! My clothes feel looser which is nice. My pants had gotten tight again and I felt so uncomfortable. I really need some new clothes but want to lose some more....maybe I will treat myself to some shopping for easter if I continue doing well. I am excited that my sewing retreat is a week from Friday! Two and a half days for ME!! I'm probably a little too excited about that, huh? Lol!

Shannon, I can understand your excitement about your Me time. You have Olivia almost 24/7 and a lot of that time is with DH gone, so no help. We all need some time to ourselves. I wish I could get into a purge mode. One problem I have is DH. Anytime I want to just donate stuff or throw it away he starts to say sell it online of have a yard sale. One time I put something online and he got upset that some stranger was going to be coming to the house. So make up your mind! And the thing I hate about a yard sale is all the stuff that is leftover that didn't sell. DH helps me put the stuff out, but when the people come he runs inside so they don't see him. Our house is starting to look like a Hoarders episode! LOL

So what's the tooth fairy up to these days? Back when I was losing teeth I was getting a nickel! Ha Ha

I am back on 3 Fat Chicks after a hiatus, while having my 2 kiddos. I am pre-diabetic and had gestational diabetes with both pregnancies. Looking to lose about 35 pounds.

Welcome Mission2Lose! Tell us more about yourself. Good for you for catching this while it's still in the pre-diabetes stage. I was not told I had any problems until I had full-blown diabetes.

What eating plan are you using? Something that limits carbs is best for diabetes. Shannon is also pre-diabetic. She will probably have a lot of information for you, plus kid stories to share.

HI gang:

Had my eye test today. I am to get tested every year to 18 months, instead of every 2 years. The pressure in my eyes is slightly elevated. SO far its not glaucoma, but I am at higher risk for developing glaucoma, so will be going back regularly. My prescription has hardly changed, so thats good news too.

DD is having housing issues, so is moving home for the next few months. She is planning on going back to school in the fall, and will likely move then. Here's to hoping that as an adult she will be a good roommate and things will be reasonably good for this time period. I am relatively happy about it, not too stressed, I just want it to be good. This may be (I hope) the last time she lives with us and I want the end of the time to feel good.

She can be a good cook, and is quite nutrition conscious, so I am envisioning lots of veggies in our suppers.

Weight is stable, not gaining, and I am hoping for a little whoosh down again soon. Doesn't have to be big, I just want to get under 180 for now.

I have a presentation tomorrow, so back to work now.

Welcome to the newbie, and thanks for the updates friends, especially about the tooth fairy!

I don't strictly follow any one plan, but I like the Insulin Resistance Diet combined with what I learned on the gestational diabetes diet. Basically, I follow the GD diet but with fewer carbs. I eat 3 meals and 3 snacks, try to only get carbs from whole grains and veggies, and space out the carbs.

It's relatively easy on maternity leave but things will get a lot more stressful once I return to work so I am a little worried about that!

Welcome Mission2Lose. I agree with Carol Sue it is good to get this under control while you are pre-diabetic. I am one of those who believes that you can get control of it and as long as you eat and live your life keeping in mind that if you don't what will happen that you won't have to ever worry about being full blown diabetic. I did that when I first was diagnosed years ago, but somewhere along the way forgot about it and now I'm having to do this all over again. Good luck on your journey. My doctor told me that any diet would work... you just have to find what works for you that you can live with.

Well, I went for lab work this morning. What is done for the past 3 months and I cannot change it. So now to get to work with what I've learned and what I know to do that works for me. I have my own "Personal" plan in my mind and now to do it and work it around my DH and my schedules.

I plan to eat 2 meals 4 to 5 hours apart and finish the day with 1 or 2 eggs around 9 pm giving me a 6 to 7 hr eating window and a 17 to 18 fasting hours using the CAD/Lowcarbing for dummies book guidelines especially when DH and I eat out. I'm beginning to enjoy exercising so that is going to be a big help too.

My sister doesn't like the way she feels on the medicine she is on. She is thinking about asking her doctor to let her try doing it with diet and exercises. We are becoming each other support system. I don't think she realizes how much it is helping me as I try to be a help to her. I call and check on her almost everyday and I thought I might be bugging her, but she thanked me yesterday for supporting her. I think she is more of what some doctor's call pre-diabetes, but my doctor and hers seem to feel that you either are or you are not. Her A1c was 6.4 and I told her that isn't too high and she is blessed for her doctor to find it while it isn't higher. In fact, I think my last one was 6.5. When looking for my last lab work, I was surprised to find that last year I got my A1c down to 5.9. I seemed to have gotten messed up when I went on that trip home. Helps me see what I was able to do and if I did it before that I most surely can do it again. I decided today that it is time to stop stressing about all this (stress also raised bs) and to just relax, do what I know to do and enjoy my life.

Shannon I loved playing tooth fairy with my kids. I still look forward to ME time everyday. I believe that we all need it.

Mad I hope that your time with your DD will be a great experience. I am trying to remember with DGS to enjoy what time we have with him because hopefully it won't last forever and I want us to remain on good terms when he leaves someday. It is hard. Ex.. he has an 8 o'clock class 2 days a week. he stays out so late that he misses that class more than he makes it. He said he woke up at 8 and obviously he decided not to go and went back to sleep. I used to get him up when I saw he wasn't up, but I stopped. He is 21 and needs to learn responsibility and I'm not going to stress about it. I did tell him this morning that this was not going to work out in his favor in the future and I hoped he never needed that teacher as a reference because all he would be able to say is that "he seldom shows up". I've learned that sometimes it is better to let them learn on their own when they refuse to listen. Besides if you say too much, it hurts you and your relationship with them and they tune us out any way. I pray all goes well for you two.

Got to get going. DH has lab work this afternoon and then have to hit Sam's club for some protein foods. And I am determined to get back to my Bible study class tonight. No snow/ice etc expected tonight so we can have it.

Have a blessed day.

Mission2Lose, I am wondering about the Insulin Resistance Diet. Is that the book by Cheryle Hart? I have that right now from the library. I like it to a point. It has more carbs than I think I should eat, but it has pointers on how to have protein at every meal to lower the insulin response.

Congratulations on the new baby! Boy or girl? Is you other child a boy or girl?

Trish, I looked at my records and back in 2011 my A1c was 5.7, and that's when I was exercising regularly. My diet wasn't much different from now an my weight was the same. So the exercise is what made the difference.

I have decided that I am going back to including milk and yogurt and also beans. The beans give me needed fiber and milk seems to reduce my hunger and gives me a full feeling. The Insulin Resistance Diet says that beans and dairy, although they have carbs, are handled differently by the body and do not increase insulin response. Frequest testing will tell. People just don't seem to be able to agree on that, so I am going to go with those who do. And I'm not going to go out of my way to increase fat, nor will I purposely look for foods labeled low fat. I have been reading about all the different programs and from what I've read, South Beach includes both dairy and beans, and does not push for a high fat diet. I don't know any more than that about it, and can't say I'm actually following it, but there are those who have and have lost and maintained. At the end of the day, I'm going to do what works best for my blood sugar and heart disease, hoping that it will also promote weight loss.

I agree that the key to sharing your home with an adult child or grandchild has a lot to do with their sense of responsibility and respect for you, realizing that opening your home to them is not their right, but a favor to them. I also hope that Mad has a good experience. This could be a good bonding time for them.

Shannon, my grandson got $5 each from the tooth fairy for his 2 front teeth! Yikes! Things sure have changed. I guess in the end, that money will be spent for video games that they would normally be buying for him. My DIL said she was in the kitchen having dry heaves during the tooth removal process!

Wannabehealthy, yes, it is the Cheryle Hart book. But I don't follow anything religiously.

Now I have 2 girls, a full-time job, plus commuting...just don't know how I will be able to have the time/energy to exercise once maternity leave ends!!

I had a hard time fitting exercise in with a full time job. Maybe you can start by getting some walking in during lunch or breaks.

I like gathering tips and ideas from the various books I read then try to put them together to form a plan that works for me.

Hi gang:

have my blood work in my hot little hands. and the A1C is..... (drumroll please)..... 5.7:carrot:

Hurray very good, I am totally please. It had gotten up to 6.0 and I didn't want that borderline diagnosis that could put me from glucose intolerant/prediabetic into diabetic range.
fasting bs was 5.2 (mmol/L) (93.6 to our USA friends) and that is also fine.

most other stuff was fine with a few odd things.
high potassium, (I don't take any supplements for this and don't eat the big potassium containing foods, and have no other indicators of kidney issues) and came to to normal on a redraw
ALT is also high, though not as high on the redraw. This is a liver enzyme, and I have no symptoms of liver disease so thats a mystery. but since I am well we will leave it alone for now.

lipid profile is excellent.
Thyroid stuff is fine too, so I can't blame my weight on that at all.

And in other good news, my hepatitis B immunization is finally working. (I have been immunized and had boosters many times, and it didn't take for the first 2 times, and since I work in a high risk field, I do want to be immune!).


All in all a fine picture of post-menopausal health.

Thanks for all the support about DD moving home. those who have been here a while may remember how difficult the teen years were with her. But she was and is a kind loving person, with many great qualities, and we get along well these days. So am hopeful that things will be good. Having a time limit is also helpful, I hope it will keep me from getting frustrated when things don't go smoothly.

I stayed on plan pretty much today, except DH brought home a huge bag of potato chips. Potatoes are nightshade veggies I am not to eat, but I have had about 12 chips. I am going to be before I cave and binge eat the rest of the bag.

good night all.

Great A1c Fatmad!! I have had issues in the past with elevated AST and ALT from taking too much Advil.

Welcome Mission2Lose!!

Carol Sue and Trish - So, I am a frugal tooth fairy and gave 2 $1 coins for the tooth :-) that is what the second tooth (currently very wiggly) will get as well. The tooth fairy also left fairy dust (glitter) on the note Olivia had me write. As she gets older the rate may go up, especially for the molars, but at not even 5 yrs old she has no sense of money so I see no reason to set the bar high this early on! Binwanted to give $1 but DH argued for $2, lol!

Trish I had cut out beans last year but this year I am trying a new to me bean called chana dahl. I had to get it from an Asian market but have heard some Walmarts carry it. It was $2.99 for a bag that I cooked up as a soup in the crock and got 6 or 7 two cup servings that I froze. It is a lentil that has even lower glycemic impact than the regular lentil. I had absolutely no spike after eating chana dahl soup.

I read the South Beach Diet book and it is the way I'm already eating, so I don't understand my inability to lose weight. With not eating between meals I have been letting myself feel hunger, so I think I have improved my portions. The only thing I'm thinking is that I could keep cutting back at dinner, gradually, until I start to see a drop. I still have a tendancy to eat a second helping when there's leftovers, but not nearly as much as I used to. That's the only place I think needs work and still be eating healthy.

Shannon, according to what I've been reading, beans and dairy have little to no insulin response, but caffeine does! So I can eat my beans and drink my milk, but not my coffee! LOL I could easily do decaf, but DH makes a big pot of regular coffee every morning so I just drink what's there. I don't notice a difference between regular and decaf. It's just convenience.

I think the $5 my grandson got for his teeth was excessive, but my step-son probably figured he was going to spend it on something they would be buying anyway. His behavior in preschool was so terrible that they would buy him a game for his Wii anytime he got successive green lights. Either it worked or he just matured, because he gets almost all green lights in kindergarten. I sure hope he grows up to have a really good paying job because they sure are indulging him now IMO.

Mad, congratulations on the great lab results!! I always thought you were diabetic. Didn't realize it was just pre-diabetes. Lucky you! Do you take any Metformin? Some do, some don't.

A quick flyby as it is late. I didn't realize I hadn't been here in a few days.

Mad Congratulation on the low A1c. You are doing really well.

I'm OP. Been eating only 3 meals, but bs was a little high to night ( never check at bedtime) so I had 2 scrambled eggs to see if it helps me have a good fbs tomorrow.

I'll try to check in here in the morning.

Foods that Reverse Diabetes
 

A healthy diet is extremely important for anyone, but it’s especially important for diabetics. Many foods we consume are turned into glucose (sugar), which the body uses for energy during the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. When the pancreas fails to produce the hormone insulin, blood sugar cannot get into the body’s cells.

Seandaniken, welcome to 3Fatchicks and the Diabetes thread. Do you have diabetes? You are correct...people who have type 1 diabetes do not produce enough insulin and therefore have to inject insulin to survive. However, for type 2, the pancreas does produce insulin, but they have insulin resistance and even though there is insulin present, it is unable to send the glucose to the cells for energy, and the glucose builds up in the blood. Type1 and Type 2 are different, and need to be treated differently. They do both require a healthy diet.

Trish, my blood sugar has been holding steady for the past few days without any extreme highs and lows. Yesterday I ate some snacks in the evening. Even though they were healthy snacks, they prevented the bedtime egg from helping, and my blood sugar was higher this morning than it should have been. I always check at bedtime so I can see if and how much it goes up or down overnight. The dawn phenomenon has me intrigued. I'm determined to find a way to prevent it. If I work all day to keep my blood sugar low, I see no reason why it should spike overnight. They say a bedtime snack helps, but for me, nothing has ever helped except the egg. And it doesn't always work.

Seandaniken I agree that eating healthy is key to Type 1 and 2 diabetes. Like Carol Sue says, we have learned that there is a difference in the way the 2 function. Type 1 does not produce insulin however Type 2 produces the insulin but our cells resist the insulin. We have been learning which foods cause our bs to rise and which do not.

Carol Sue My FBS has been a little higher the past few days which isn't great since I get an A1c test Wednesday. Hopefully the weeks I had of really good readings will out weigh the bad readings. Also I know that the Relion meters read a little higher and the fact it has been so cold that my hands are never really warm when I take the morning readings that maybe my higher readings may not be accurate and they are as high as it seems. I've also been out of my Gluccocil for the past few weeks too. I didn't realize I was almost out so will have to watch that more.

I have also come to realize that while I may be able to eat higher GL starchy carbs even healthy ones 1 or 2 days a week, I don't I can eat them everyday as it makes it too easy for me to eat more than I should be. The only thing I plan to not have very often is bread.

I decided today to go back to the low carb breakfasts, however, I did eat 1 small wedge of Cantaloupe. I will check bs before lunch time. I also have planned a lowcarb lunch. DH will have a bacon, tomato sandwich and I will have my BLT on a bed of lettuce and finish off my lunch with a couple of strawberries cut up in a small serving of yogurt for a dessert effect. Not sure if I will have a glass of milk with the lunch or save it for dinner. I made a pitcher of tea to start drinking as I can drink it without sweetner. I do think at my age calcium is extremely important. I plan to have an egg salad around 8ish since the egg does seem to lower the morning fbs.

I am so impressed with Mad's quick response to her low carb eating and especially impressed with what I've learned from the group at the low carb site and the Magic Foods book. I just don't think I can apply the info in the dummies low carb book on a daily basis as it doesn't work for me, because it too easy to eat more starchy carbs than my body can handle. It gets me into trouble. Saying that, I do think the GL we learned about in the Magic Foods book along with what we learned from Dr. Fungs about giving our bodies at least 5 hrs to work with the insulin is great info to live by. I like the idea that this causes our liver to function properly and teaches our cells how to accept the insulin again.

Shannon I appreciate you sharing the recipes you are enjoying. I am so bad about moving a pile of books etc from one place to another. My plan for spring cleaning is to ditch a lot of things and declutter my house.

I decided to eat my meals 5 hrs apart today and test before each meal. My fbs was high at 163, 5 hrs after breakfast and before lunch it was 116. Ate my last meal 5 hrs after lunch and checked and bs reading was 118. I'm going to do this for a while and just see how this affects my bs readings. I find this interesting and just wanted to share my experience.

Hi everyone, happy weekend to you!

Shannon, I must ask, does chana dahl look like chickpeas? I like to eat Chana Masala, which is a chick pea curry in the Masala style, not too hot or spicy, but richly flavoured. It makes sense that chick peas are low glycemic. I also eat them in hummus mostly. Yum indeed.

Thanks for all the lab kudos, and yes I do take metformin.
I took some of the research links from the diabetes 101 website into my doc several years ago (5 I think) and we reviewed it, and concluded that metformin is also promising at preventing glucose intolerance from becoming full blown diabetes, and that I was more likely to live a long life with all my toes if I started on it. I was also quite symptomatic (thirsty/peeing a lot etc) and with a strong family history, we both figured it was just a matter of time before she would have me on it anyway.
I take 500 mg twice a day.
There is really no downside to metformin if you can manage the side effects. The gastro effects went away after a month for me, and the leg pain is fine with a good B complex supplement. (B12 and folic acid seem to be important)

We have all of DD stuff in our house now. She has long work shifts (restaurant server, high end steak house) this weekend, so we are not moving fast to reorganize, but will do that throughout the week. She is still very stressed from the whole housing disaster, and I think, a little embarrassed that the parents had to rescue her, but it will all settle with time and hugs I hope.

Making plans for the spring, as things are warming up a little this week and daytime temps may actually go about freezing this week. Very excited about that.
Have a lovely weekend friends.

Mad, I had nausea after I started Metformin but I attributed it to my heart surgery, not the Metformin. Now that I know the side effects, I realize it might have been the Metformin. The nausea caused weight loss until it subsided in a couple months. I wish it would have continued so I would have lost more weight.

I also love hummus. I like to make my own, separate it into 2 containers and make 2 different flavors, usually roasted red pepper and garlic. My 6 year old grandson loves chick peas because they make him toot! LOL At least he's getting his fiber. He calls them chicken peas.

Trish, I test before meals to make sure my blood sugar is not high before I eat. They say type 1s should test before meals so they know how much insulin to inject and type2s should test after meals to see if they spiked. But I figure that I already know what makes me spike and if I do spike, there's not much I can do about it because I have no insulin to bring it back down.

I am wavering between trying South Beach or 5:2. I already eat similar to SB and am not losing, so my only option there would be to cut back more on portions. 5:2 would be a completely different plan than I have ever tried before. I don't like the idea of only eating 500 cals on the 2 days, but I could do it if I only ate salads and cooked veggies. I have to do something to get the scale to move. I know I won't have a whoosh with either plan because I have not been eating carbs. That rapid weight loss in the beginning usually comes from cutting carbs. Right now I'm dying for a slice of sourdough bread. I'm pretending I don't know there's some in the freezer. LOL

Fatmad chick peas, if I am thinking correctly, are white and round like a ball. The chana dahl are yellow and round but flat just like a regular green or brown lentil. I am not a huge bean fan so I can't say "oh I just love them" but with my plan I am supposed to eat at least 5 meals a week that are a little higher in carbs to keep metabolism reved and for energy so they work!

Well, ladies, I lost another 1.2 lbs this week so I think I am somewhere around 9 lbs lost. My FBS was 129 this morning!!! It was 115 a couple days ago. Not sure exactly what is going on with that but I'm not too concerned. I do need to get an appt here in my new town and have labs done. I was due at Christmas but cancelled so I am overdue. I am dreading having to argue with a new doctor about my cholesterol and not taking statins. LOL!

Well, we made it through the week. DH got back late last night. I am proud that I only cheated once all week and I did not eat any "kid food" I made for Olivia this week. Usually it's just easier to eat whatever I make for her....when DH is gone I don't cook as much of the same meals I make when he is gone bc it wastes meat. I had alot of big salads, made wings a couple times, soups.

Good job Shannon! 9 lbs is nothing to sneeze at!

Soon Olivia will be eating your foods instead of you eating hers. My gs is 6 and he is starting to want what mom and dad are eating. Gone on the days of chicken nuggets and mac and cheese. YAY! He actually ate chili which was made with deer meat, but didn't know it was deer meat. He might not have eaten it if he knew it was Bambi. LOL One of his favorites is BBQ ribs! He is going to be a meat lover like his dad.

Where is everyone? Did everyone "spring forward?" Nothing is really new with me. The sun is shining and melting the snow. It's 46 degrees out there now and supposed to get into the 50s through the week.

I think I did well with my food yesterday. I had eggs for breakfast, I don't remember what I ate for lunch, and I had a salad and a piece of liver for dinner. You read that right. Liver! I love it! DH had 2 hamburger patties and a salad. I am down another pound this morning, so I'm happy about that. I don't know what plan I'm following. I haven't been eating any bread, rice, pasta, potatoes or sweets. But the veggies, lentils, and hidden carbs are keeping my carb count in the 70 range.

Ha Ha Last week I was cleaning the kitchen. I actually moved the breadbox to clean behind it and found a Hershey's kiss leftover from Christmas. I ate it. LOL

I have not been taking the Glimiperide. My blood sugar has improved but it's still not good. I'm happy that I haven't gone over 200 for a few weeks, but I've also not gone below 130. I need to get back to exercising. That will help. I'm just so lazy lately. I know once I do it I will stick to it. Maybe now that it's a little warmer.

Have a good Sunday, everyone!

I'm still here. Just haven't been doing really good. Not OP plan. I have got to find my way back to IF/IE. Got to get my head on straight. Don't know what my problem is. I have docs appt Wednesday and my weight is up. If I could I would skip the appt completely. I know he is going to want to put me on some medicine. The bad thing is that I'm ready to cave in and take it. I need to work on my 5 hr window eating. I know eating every 5 hrs is good, but it throws me eating as late as 8 or 9 at night because of us not eating our main meal until 3 or 3:30 since DH has changed his eating time to being later. I sometimes go as much as 6 hrs between breakfast and lunch, but I'm only going approximately 4 hrs or less between lunch and dinner. That just doesn't cut it for me.

Catch y'all tomorrow.

Well, interesting turn of events. I knew or thought that I had overloaded on the carbs Saturday and Sunday, so I took one of DH bs pills. I felt really weird last night but wouldn't tell him that I had taken one of them. I was lightheaded so I ate a cheese stick. I was determined not to eat any more carbs. Checked bs before I ate the cheese stick and bs reading was 86. So I knew that I would be ok because it wasn't too low, it had just gone down too fast. This morning I checked the fbs and it was 80.

I've decided that this is a good place to get right back on VLC eating semi-Atkins to keep things down. I'm not sure what my A1c is going to be when I go Wednesday. I hope I've had enough low readings in the past 3 months that it will show a slight improvement because I really don't want to get on any diabetic meds. I think I would find myself in a hypoglycemic state most the time. I do believe that if I get back to faithfully eating low carb again that my bs will return to normal. The only thing I might agree to taking would be the pill that my sister's doc gave her because he wasn't originally giving it to her for bs. He was giving it to her to help her to lose weight. After he decided to put her on that pill, he checked her bs and found she was diabetic. I think she is more of a pre-diabetic, but her doc is like mine. You are either diabetic or not. They don't even think in terms of pre-diabetic. If it does turn out that he insists on giving me a medicine, I could get it and use only if and when needed like Carol Sue has done and since I do know what to look for and if I get too many hypoglycemic reactions and I don't need it I sure don't have to continue taking it.

My weight is up about 5 lbs from the ticker, but since that is from the carby foods, it should come back down although maybe not enough by the time I see the doctor. I don't think I can do the IF any more and I know I can't fast right now either, because I seem to need at least 1 egg or something later at night, but I can do the low carb. And that was one of the 3 options Dr. Fung said would lower and/or reverse diabetes. I've also decided that people who do low carb do not wrinkle as they lose the weight and at 71 y/o that is a big + as far as I'm concerned.

I've been reading some of the success stories here on 3fc and also reading about what others eat on another lowcarb site. Under the Atkins on the other lowcarb site is a thread of foods that get them through. I was impressed with one lady who said that no particular food gets her through, but the fact that she just made a commitment NOT TO CHEAT. I remember when I did that. However, I did like the fact that a lot of others shared some of the foods they kept on hand for when they needed something. So I think I need to do that too. Lately I really do enjoy the scrambled eggs in butter a little before bedtime. So I may make that one of my "get me through" the tough times foods.

Sorry this is so long, but my tendency is to just back off and say nothing, but decided to use the thread for therapy today and share what I'm feeling/experiencing right now.

Here's to a good week.

Edited to Share: Set MFP goals Carb 38 to 44g, Fat 111g and Protein 96g. with 30 min day of exercise which includes housework etc 6 days a week.

Trish, don't stay away when you're doing poorly. I miss you! I get lonely here all by myself. When I'm not staying OP I still come here, but don't always discuss it. Sometimes I just come to give support to others, and hearing of other's successes makes me want to do better. I'm too gabby to stay away! LOL

I am anxious to hear what you A1c is. Remember, it's an average, and you have had a lot of good reading through the past 3 months. I don't think your Dr will put you on meds unless you're over 8. Remember, many of the diabetes drugs cause weight gain, and the weight loss drugs only work as long as you keep taking them. Stop them, and you regain. You have seen that. You are much better off doing it with diet and exercise, even though it might be slow. It is nice to see those readings in the 80s but remember, you didn't do it, the drug did. I think you felt light headed because your blood sugar came down quickly instead of more gradually. That happens to me too, and it's a scary feeling. I am so glad I'm not taking much glimiperide any more. Maybe a half tablet once in a while, and mine are only 1 gm. It makes it much easier to cheat when you know you can "fix" it with the pills. I don't want to depend on them. I think if your DR did put you on it, it would be a 1gm does like I have rather than the higher does your DH takes. Does DH ever get hypo?

I am not recommending that others do what I'm doing. You should always take your meds the way the doctor prescribes them. I have no proof that I'm not doing myself harm. I just hope I'm not.

There is a woman on another LC board who is doing Atkins Induction continuously, not just 2 weeks. The only carbs she is eating is salad with lettuce, cukes and radishes. The weight is falling off. I am envious, but can't bring myself to do it. I want more veggies than that. My salads have lettuce and baby spinach, onion, shredded carrots and radishes, sometimes cheese, and I am also still eating sauteed cabbage with onion and kale with some lentils for xtra fiber, or mixed veggies...brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli. I use regular dressing on my salads, but have quit using real butter on my veggies. I use the 0 count buttery spray. When I remember, I put some red wine vinegar on them. When I make dinner, I sometimes have green beans, peas or corn, because DH likes them, but that's not a daily thing. I really find them boring.

Yesterday, I had a few home fries that DH was eating. A little taste like that once in a while satisfies me, without eating a whole serving for myself. I'm lucky that DH never finishes everything on his plate because then I get a taste. So Atkins is pretty much out of the question for me.

Oh dear! I am such a sinner. I've not been testing FBGL which is OK with my darling doctor BUT have not been taking my meds regularly since I came back from Cuba. Weight was 187.2 this morning so I've not made much progress on the ten pound loss that my ticker wants. I skipped breakfast except for coffee (3 cups) this morning and had two microwaved hotdogs in buns for lunch.

Somebody needs to yell at me!

Shrimp stir-fry with veggies is on tonight's supper menu and this afternoon I will fill the morning and evening dosettes ready for bedtime and tomorrow morning.

Bless me, Sugar Sisters, for I have sinned.

You know what Ruth? Testing your FBG is not going to change anything. All it does is tell you if you were bad or good, and if you've been bad, you already know that! LOL Your DR probably doesn't care if you test as long as your A1c is good.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of whomever they believe in!

:frypan: RUTH!

get out the veggies and add some protein. Eat just one really good meal today.
we love you!

I forgot what time I ate breakfast so don't know if I went 5 hrs or a little longer before lunch. My bs was 67 before I started cooking lunch. I will eat dinner around 8 pm. That will be about 5 hrs after lunch. Scrambled eggs are planned. I did eat a few more carbs at lunch. Just felt that I needed to with the way I was feeling. I was talking to my sister when I tested and got the 67. She said her daughter had told her not to go under 60. Her doctor's nurse told her to eat a little sugar if it went too low, but I don't want to use sugar. I would much rather eat a bite of something lowcarbish and healthier than sugar instead. I am feeling good this afternoon but haven't checked it as I want to check it just before I eat.

I don't think I mentioned that I read on the lowcarb site that the diarrhea I was having with the Metformin was not uncommon for some lowcarbers who take Metformin. They say it usually goes away within 3 weeks. I just might talk to doc about trying it again, but it will have to be during a time that I'm not going to be real busy for 3 weeks. Also they said that taking Metamucil while having the diarrhea will help. Seems weird since I think of Metamucil as a way to make me go potty not stop or slow it down. :?: I do like the protection that Metformin gives and I do have a lot of it left over from when I took it before. So that is another possibility and I don't expect to have to be on it for very long especially once the lowcarbing effects take over. Since I get the impression from Dr. Fung's articles/videos that by eating only 3 meals spread out over the day that we are teaching our liver to deal with the insulin better and for our cells to accept the insulin and learn how to use it instead of resisting the insulin, then perhaps it will help speed up the process. It sure couldn't hurt and I would have the protection from any damage from diabetes.

Ruthie I got such a laugh at your way of saying things. :hug: The sad thing is that you have a way of saying exactly how I have been feeling lately. I have felt like a complete failure because I KNOW what to do and I just love to be able :kickbutt::frypan: myself. But that won't help either of us. We just have to get back OP and do what we know to do. Come on dear friend... we can do this. We all have those times "trips, etc" that throws us, but it won't control us if we don't give up. I'm not going to give up and you won't either. Check you fbs in the morning for your starting check point and lets move forward. :hug:

Carol Sue Thanks for the encouraging words. You are so sweet. I do appreciate your friendship and we both do get a little wordy, but what the heck. I enjoy reading everyone's experience to. It helps me a lot. We are all human and have our moments but we are not quitters. We keep working at this.

Shannon and Mad :wave:

Got clothes to fold. Exercise today has been housework.

Today has been a great OP day with no problem and I didn't need the bedtime snack. Just checked my bs and it was 115. YAY