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Just got on this Roller Coaster Need good advice how to control it.

4K views 18 replies 5 participants last post by  VeeJay 
#1 ·
Hello, Just starting this roller coaster ride. Officially diagnosed Thursday with Type 2. 285 fasting Bad blood work all around. 56 years old Given Metformin 500 2x a day and Glipizide 5mg 2xday & Lisinopril 5mg 1xday. I stopped eating almost everything with carbs except some zucchini, mostly protein. Was an interesting weekend of low sugar symptoms. Heart racing, shaky, dizzy, so Saturday I cut my meds in half. I felt better, but today my morning was BG 175 again. Yesterday my vision turned blurry which I found out is a side effect of Glipizide. Not liking this ride at all :vs_mad: Looking for answers on how to eat keep my numbers down. Really what to do next. :sad2:
 
#2 · (Edited)
Hi Grace, we know you are a bit overwhelmed right now, as we all have been through what you are now going through. Good news is we can help! The first thing I tell everyone is that getting knowledge on this disease if one important first step. I am sure you doctor and/or others will at some time go over all the basics and maybe even have you talk to a dietician or diabetic nurse. All that help in gathering information and learning some of the basics.

On this website most of us have read information on a website about how to control diabetes. The website is www.bloodsugar101. In that site you will read about our eating model we call Low Carb High Fat or LCHF for short.

Do you have a blood sugar monitor and testing strips yet? How did you know you blood sugar was low this weekend? How low was it? If not I would recommend you consider getting one either through your doctor, insurance, or on line. Pay special attention to the cost of test strips. You should not have to pay more than 15-19 cents per strip. The meters usually run around 8-9 dollars. Search on this website and you can find lots more on these meters....

After you have checked out the website, common back and let us know what you thought....then we can all share our stories and get you going on a good path that your design for yourself.....we cannot cure diabetes, but we can take control of it!

I can see you had a bad weekend, the drugs and what you are eating can play havoc as you begin. I would recommend you stay low carb on what you eat but add in some fat to offset the low carb. Eggs, bacon, steak, hamburger, Avocado, Heavy Whipping Cream with tea of coffee, etc. are all good low carb fats you need to have when you are on a low carb diet. Need a snack, try some fried pork rinds with Salsa....Further information on this is on that website I mentioned above. But, try some fat and keep your salt intake higher than normal because low carb eating forces water out of your tissues and with that going on you need to replace the salt....that can make you feel dizzy and weak. I eat salted eggs, Avocado, etc. to avoid this...

Good luck
 
#3 ·
Thank you for the encouragement. I got a meter on the way home last Thursday.Mornings so far 205,129,130,153,175. I halfed the meds Saturday before lunches 90 -115. Bedtime 198 down to 132. It has only been 3 1/2 days. Been eating meat and eggs. Morning is hard to stomach things though. Right now it is 115. Guacamole is good then? Thanks for the snack idea. One of my biggest problems is eating enough. Skipping meals. Trying to fix that. Didn't realize how often I ate crackers with my snacks and bread / high carbs with my meals. Thank you again.
 
#5 ·
Hi Grace,
Your blood sugars being high in the morning is normal and sometimes difficult to control. We call it the 'morning phenomenon'! Your liver store a form of sugar for emergencies. Since your body is used to higher sugars, when you suddenly cut back and then go to sleep, early in the morning like 4am, you liver senses the lowering sugar, so it zaps you with a good shot of sugar. You wake up and say wow, did I sleep walk and eat some pie?:surprise: You can work on that later and learn about it by searching this website for 'morning phenomenon'

You are actually off to a good start, have you read the website yet. You will learn a lot and better understand some of the stuff we all do if you read the website.

At this point getting a menu of foods that you like for breakfast, lunch, and dinner plus a few good snacks...is your first challenge, this is personal to each our own tastes...so look to the right on this web page and look on the 'Diet Forum' some stuff will be on that. Also search the word 'breakfast' and then search 'lunch'....etc in the Find Information you need....it is all here just take time.

Meanwhile go to Sonic or wherever you favorite burger is and order a couple with everything on it except catsup, I get mustard instead! Take them home and throw out the buns and take a fork and knife and eat them up.....they taste great and they are low carb high fat! Or go to Kentucky Fried Chicken, and order some Baked Chicken, they do this well also....then an order of those green beans they have and your hunger is soon gone....actually you can do this with just about any restaurant or fast food....you like mexican, eat a Chile Rellano or a Taco Salad (don't eat the tacos though) ....etc.

Quick meals at home cheese and meat (sausage or cold cuts), full fat yogurt with fruit (look at the carbs I usually can find some with 10-12 carbs) this is a good breakfast and keeps me full. Some days I eat one for breakfast and one for lunch....quick and easy!

Be sure to up your water intake when you go low carb you will throw off lots of water and salt....your weight will drop! Salt all of your food, if you get lethargic or dizzy....it is probably dehydration and/or salt issue. Avoid this as it comes on fast, but adding water and salt will stop it or keep it from coming on....

Keep going you will find your own path......
 
#4 ·
#6 ·
Thanks for the great advice. I am thinking the Glipizide will be history when I go back. I have been researching a lot and not liking what I found. I am more natural and would like to go the LCHF approach. Stay with the Metformin. Wondering if I should should even take it for this month. Def do only half a pill on each end of the day instead of 2 whole ones. Funny I made Taco Salad yesterday, today I made Italian sausage spaghetti squash w/ marinara. Last night I mixed red pepper hummus w/ some canned shredded chicken. Taking Steps.:vs_cool:
 
#7 ·
Hi

I don't have anything to add to the advice you've been given. Just wanted to welcome you to the forum.

I do have one thing to add afterall - I put my spaghetti over baby spinach and love it that way (less work - don't have to cook it). I learned about this from an Italian restaurant that offered this alternative to pasta.
 
#9 ·
Welcome to the forum Grace. I haven't posted in a while..been having some issues myself however you have come to the right place to learn about diabetes. Your numbers will come down and you will start to feel better once you get this LCHF lifestyle down. I'm currently working on Dawn phenomenon now due to falling off the wagon. Again welcome and do read some of the links given to you.
 
#13 ·
Grace,
I recently started to eat Chobani Greek Yogurt with strawberries or blueberries added. Each serving has around 12-15g carbs! I eat it primarily for breakfast. That is all I eat. It is good eating and fills me up and I weight 270 at 6'2"! So I am not a small guy. Sometimes I eat one for lunch also, depending how rushed I am.

Just wanted to mention this 'quick' meal!
 
#17 ·
Grace,
Have you ever tried Chobani Greek Yogurt? I too hated yogurt all of it...then I went to work for a Swedish company and traveled into that part of the world in 2010. It was there I found out about REAL yogurt. That runny goopy stuff Americans had been eating all of my life was nothing like this stuff...it tasted more like pudding to me....and I love puddings! Thick, creamy, and no sour flavors....just nice smooth cream...with a hint of fruit...:biggrin:

Finally, a few years ago I found this brand of yogurt in the US food stores and tried it....it is really good if you get the one with fruit...just watch the carbs because they have some high and some low....

And if you have tried it and don't like it, try it like noted above...add heavy whipping cream which adds fat and cuts carbs...that has to be good!

On the other hand as a diabetic, it may be a good time to change what you like and don't like. I know I had to, just to keep a good variety in my meals.....My wife always told me to get out of my box....and when I did, usually I was pleasantly surprized....:vs_cool:
 
#18 ·
Some of my kids like it, but I can't even stomach the smell. I have made extreme changes in my diet. I gave up anything with sugars or grains in it no fruit or anything. No fruit or anything. I will try adding somethings after my Dr, Appt next month. Just trying to get the glucose out of my system. I still have blurry vision which I am finding out is normal for dropping BG levels. Not a very nice disease. So use to skipping meals and just being able to grab something and go on. I miss that the most :( I did try the Pizza recipe on here last night. It was very good. Moz cheese, almond flour, egg, cr cheese. It seems like my day is planning something edible.
 
#19 ·
Hi Grace

Diabetes is definitely not convenient.

It does take some time for the "new normal" way of living with diabetes to "feel" normal. I think you are doing a great job already.

I sort of like yogurt, but can't eat it because of the dairy, for which I am sensitive. For for me, I don't include yogurt in my eating plan. It certainly isn't necessary. There's lots of other things to choose from.
 
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