I've had Type 2 diabetes since 1994... controlled by diet for several years, then oral meds. Had to quit working in 1998 due to some kind of neurological disorder that surfaced in 1996. Symptoms similar to MS and Chronic Fatigue... MRI's and other tests haven't yielded a diagnosis. As a result, my lifestyle is very sedentary.
I stayed fairly active gardening the first year. Then my grandson was born in April of 1999 and I was keeping him five days a week, until he started to pre-school in October. Life style and diabetes control have gone to pot, since I'm not very active at all. Exercise brings on the neuro symptoms... it and the diabetes seem to work against each other.
I had to start insulin about a year ago, and I started Sugar Busters at the same time. Stayed with it for four months and didn't lose anything, in fact I gained a few pounds, apparently because of the insulin. Looked into Schwarzbein's and a few others, but nothing seemed to help that much. Finally gave up on the idea of weight loss and concentrated on keeping the Glucose levels steady.
I still eat pretty much by the Low Glycemic guidelines. Not sure what to try next... At present I concentrate on one meal at a time, trying to limiting the carb content to 15-30 grams per meal, usually 0-15 at breakfast; 15-30 at lunch; 0-15 at dinner. I seem to handle the carbs better at the noon meal.
I've read some of the archives and notice some of you have had success with the WW diabetic plan. My wife was on the old program when they used the exchange system. With their new Point System, is it still a Low Fat diet the way it used to be? I've been focusing mainly on carbs... maybe the fat is a factor I need to pay more attention to?
Since my activity level has fallen off even more, the two 70/30 injections don't seem to be working. I'm considering going to Regular insulin before each meal. Has anyone else tried this intensive therapy? I'm not sure about the dosage for what carbs I plan to eat. I've read some books geared to Type 1's and apparently they can have LOTS more carbs than my body can handle, so their formulas don't apply. I must be very, very Insulin Resistant. I live in a small town and use a family doctor, a D.O. So I've pretty well been on my own to figure out what works best for me... I guess we all have to do that anyway, even with a good diabetes doctor.
I have to take a long-acting before bedtime to ward off the Dawn Phenomenon, so this will make four injections a day... not a pleasant thought, but what's two more holes or pinpricks to a diabetic anyway?
Oh, almost forgot the personal info...
My name is Ronnie, I'm a 55 year old male, weigh 230 and need to be under 200. My wife Betty is an LPN at a local nursing home.