For the last 3 years, I've been visiting a site that I found in my pharmacie's diabetic newsletter.
They offer news about new products, test results from research institutes and recipes. They also have meal planning and event-type recipes (holidays). I use the heck out of it and your welcome to use it too. It's:

http://www.diabetic-lifestyle.com/

Try the links at the top of the home page. They'll take you to all kinds of recipes.

Take care,
- Jim

Thanks Jim for the information.I will be checking that out.

My blood sugar has dropped back to more normal readings again. I'm exercising faithfully every day.

Fruit, and especially watermelon, sounds good, but I can't eat fruit without my blood sugar soaring. So I mostly avoid it. Once in a while I have a little bit, but it's not worth the extra shot unless it's really, really good!

Watch out when your doctor says you are a borderline diabetic.....that's like being just a little bit pregnant!

(Sorry, couldn't resist. That was what my diabetes educator said in one of my classes.)

I'm glad to see so much posting in our group again.

Hi All - Hey Jim, thanks for the info - I'm always looking for good recipes, even though I don't cook that much anymore!

Well, I satisfied my watermelon craving - sure was good! Why does all the good stuff have to be bad for you? Although now they say that chocolate can be actually good for you - I knew it! Don't you think that cheesecake should be beneficial, too? Haha!

I am hurting today. I went to "boot-camp" with a co-worker and she tried to kill me with exercise! We use a weight bar (about 10 pounds) and use it to do lunges and curls, etc. and then do leg lifts and crunches, etc. I could FEEL my butt muscles burning! I was never so happy to get out of the YMCA in my life! I do intend to keep going though, I'm a glutton for punishment!

I play in a dart league on Tuesdays and Thursdays nights and I finally won some money last night! My partner and I came in second place and I was so happy. I've been playing since January and have only won once before. It's a lot of fun.

I hope that everyone has a great weekend. I am having a garage sale tomorrow - wish me luck! Barbi

Hi everyone.

Jim, thanks for the link. I've been reading books about diabetes like crazy but haven't really had time to check out the internet for good sites.

Can someone help me? I've been monitoring my sugar levels for about two weeks now and am not quite sure if I understand what to do about my sugar levels. I mean, my levels have been anywhere from 173 to 92, not on the same day, but I'm not quite sure I understand what to do about those types of readings. I know it's important to keep my numbers pretty much the same all the time and know that my eating habits are not helping any. Any advice, altho I'm not quite sure what kind of advice I'm looking for here, would be helpful.

For me, my doctor wants my morning reading under 120 and the rest of my readings under 140 through the day.

I have more of a problem with my morning readings because my blood sugar starts rising about 5 AM and sometimes by 7:30 or 8 is already over the 120 reading. If I get up really early to test, it is okay. But I like to sleep until 8 most days.

Hi luz - are you testing right before you eat? And when are the readings high and when are they low? How many times a day do you test? My doctor wants mine below 110 and above 70 all the the time. When I get in the low 70's I get a low BS reaction - shakes and dizzy - can't seem to move my arms and legs! So, I try to stay at about 80 - 100 range. I try to eat at the same time every day, to keep my BS pretty level through the day. I usually eat the most amount of carbs in the morning after I test so I can "work" them off during the day before my evening test and also because I'm usually low in the mornings. How do you feel? Are you having any low or high BS symptoms? Hope we can help you! Barbi

I am a newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic. I am on an exchange diet at the moment that was recommended by my doctor and the dietian. I also take Glucophage twice a day. I am doing fairly well on this diet and have lost about 10 lbs. so far with MANY more to go. But I am getting very bored with it. I have a major problem with Lunch. What do I eat??? I would appreciate any suggestions. Please help.

You should have seen me the first time I used my glucometer. I was so scared. I was shaking and crying and just knew it was going to kill me! I finally had my son who is an emt/firefighter do it for me. Boy was I embarrassed! I never felt it and I am doing my own just fine now.

Please help me with some lunch ideas or suggestions. I know that I have to do this or I will lose my sight, feet, heart , or kidneys.

Thanks so much for your time.

Reety Sue,

Hi and welcome.

Don't feel bad....the first time I tested I held the lancing device against my finger for over 30 minutes, trying to get up the nerve to do it. I was shaking too.

I babysit for my 3 yr. old granddaughter so my lunches are quick and easy. Most of the time I have a sandwich or a Weight Watcher frozen dinner. I try to keep a salad or some kind of vegetables in the refrigerator to eat with my lunch. My granddaughter likes to eat whatever I'm having. Sometimes we have Morningstar corndogs (soy) and oven fries. She loves them. I do not fry foods any more, and haven't for a year and a half now. And I feel that eating lots of vegetables really helped me to lose weight faster.

Sometimes if I have leftovers from my evening meal, I will fix a plate for my lunch the next day. Do you work? If so, maybe that would be an option for you. By taking your lunch you wouldn't have to worry about having to make choices on what to eat.

Hi Reety Sue! I'm with Janet, I usually have a sandwich or salad for lunch, or leftovers from the night before. I was doing the frozen food thing for a while - but I got tired of them. I like to eat cheese at lunch, too, with crackers. Some low sodium soups are good, too. If I eat fast food I try to get grilled chicken sandwiches or Mexican I'll get tacos and not eat all the tortilla.

I had a scare last night. I was at the Y working out and started feeling light-headed and by the time I got home I was shaking and felt faint. I took my BS and it was 51 !! I ate some food and drank some milk and skipped my insulin shot and finally felt okay after about an hour. I wear a Medic Alert bracelet all the time, but I'm glad that I made it home before passing out! I did eat a snack yesterday afternoon, but apparently it wasn't enough. It really freaked me out! What if I had passed out while driving home? Next time I will drink some juice or soda at the Y or maybe get someone to come and get me!

Barbi

Barbi,

That's a good idea! You know those lows you have scare me!

I figure you were just trying to impress some of the hunks at the gym and overdid it, am I right?

Talk to you later....

was done by my MIL who was also diabetic. I turned my head cuz I didn't want to see it and she jabbed me in the middle of the pad on my index finger. I almost said bad words and it hurt like a son of a gun for a week at least. I've always thought she did that on purpose, but will never know now. I'm just thankful for the improvements in our gear over the last 15 years.

Barbi, sounds like you need to carry some Lifesavers with you. They could be.

Take care,
- Jim

I'm thankful too. They just keep improving things. I think it is so nice to test on my arm instead of my fingertips now. They are finally smooth and soft again, but I can still see lancet holes in the fingertips and some of them are permanently bruised, I think. And I've been using a Freestyle monitor ever since they came out, months ago. I guess all the years of testing left their mark.

Jim, I met you on Dotti's board, didn't I? I am janetlf on the ezboards. I follow the WW program...OP Day 513 for me! I've been a lifetime member since November of last year.

Janet,

Good memory. Yeah, that's me from Dotti's.

Did you do a trade-in on your Freestyle? I like my Accu-chek, but the finger pricks are getting old. Are the strips about the same price?

Still following WW, over a year now. Stuck at -50 pounds for 5 months now. Still trying to break the plateau, but it will happen.

Have a great day.
Take care,
- Jim

Hi Jim,

I just threw my accu-chek away and bought a freestyle when I saw them first advertised. I offered it to the diabetes center here, but they aren't allowed to give used ones to patients. They did take all my unopened strips though. They can give them to people as long as they are unopened.

I think the strips might be just a little higher for the freestyle, but I'm not 100% sure. I only have to pay a $10 co-payment for 200 strips a month....thank goodness for insurance! My insurance also pays for my syringes, insulin, and lancets.

My WW leader says to eat at least 5 fish meals a week to break a plateau. I've tried it....it worked for me. And the closer I got to goal I started eating more fish too. Whether it was the fish or not, I don't know, but I was losing every week towards the end when a lot of people have trouble losing the last 5 or 10 pounds before goal. I was eating baked catfish fillets--I would spray pam on a sheet of foil, lay the fillets on the foil and salt and pepper it a little, tighten the foil over the top and bake it at 425 for about 15 minutes. You could add any seasoning you wanted. I try to avoid high sodium seasonings.

Give it a try....it might work for you too.

Hi Janet & Jim - Well, I carry glucose tablets in my purse - but I didn't even think to eat any of them! I just felt like I had to get home! I live only about a mile or so from the Y - so I felt I could make it! Yes, Janet, I was trying to impress the hunks - but darn the luck - they weren't looking at me!

Jim, I have been stuck on a plateau for months now! I'm going to try the fish thing. I love catfish! I've been walking and exercising more and more, but it's just making my fat all toned up - haha! I see that you are from Texas. Where in Texas are you if you don't mind me asking!

It is very hot and humid here today - once again we are under storm watches. The weather is so freaky here...storms just seem to brew up out of nowhere! I live really close to the OK border and we always seem to get their bad weather.

I'm tired of the finger sticks, too! I've been using Avon Moisture Therapy cream on my fingers and that seems to help. My middle fingers are pretty hard to get any blood out of any more! Can you do your toes? Haha!

Must get back to work - all 5 phone lines keep ringing!


Barbi