[Mayfly]

Hello everyone

I was diagnosed in 2003, just before Christmas. I have always had high figures and am now on my last hope, Byetta, before switching to the dreaded Insulin. The Byetta is not going as well as I had hoped, although I am only on a half dose, it has not brought my figures down that much, and has not had the miracle effects I was told I could experience, such as weight loss and hunger management. I am resigned tot eh fact that I experience hunger almost 24/7. Some of it is due to high figures, but also because my body simply won’t shut up about food.

I take regular exercise, which at first was brilliant on my figures, but now my body is used to the regime, so it makes no difference. I am trying to cut out carbs in the evening, something which does at least have an effect on my figures, but unfortunately leaves him hungry straight after my evening meal. The only thing which stops my stomach from rumbling is a dose of carbs.

I am a confirmed chocolholic, so everytime I step into a supermarket, I want to buy that and puddings and all the things we are no longer allowed to have. Trying to steer onto a healthy diet is not a happy decision, it’s always with a feeling of resentment. I am tired of boiled vegetables, particularly as my other half likes to boil them to death. Trying to concentrate on a plate of limp, colourless, flavourless vegetables instead of tucking into a chocolate cake makes me feel sick, although does not cut down on my hunger at all.

I have stopped drinking and I have stopped smoking, two bad habits I battle with, but the alternative is worse.

What else? I try to stay positive and happy, sometimes succeeding. I am a Top Gear fan, in particular a James May fan. I work for a lovely company. I have to keep some details a secret because I only have access to the internet at work, and therefore anything I write is allowed to be viewed by my company. I am therefore obliged to keep that under wraps. Also, I am occasionally involved in stuff I’m not allowed to discuss, just to add some spice to my day.

I hope to make some good friends here.

 

[Countrygal]

May so nice to meet you, you said "I am a confirmed chocolholic, so everytime I step into a supermarket, I want to buy that and puddings and all the things we are no longer allowed to have".

I'm the same as you hon, I have such a struggle with the chocolate I only recently decided i HAVE to start buckling down and behave with my carb intake or else. You are in the right place. I am a newbie here like you. I am on a pump and tend to go back and forth with that and injections. I know what you mean about feeling hungry all the time. Please let us be informed about your med changes and everything else. I have a friend who is on byetta too. I am a type 1 and she is a type 2. Glad to have you here hon

 

[Mayfly]

May so nice to meet you, you said "I am a confirmed chocolholic, so everytime I step into a supermarket, I want to buy that and puddings and all the things we are no longer allowed to have".

I'm the same as you hon, I have such a struggle with the chocolate I only recently decided i HAVE to start buckling down and behave with my carb intake or else. You are in the right place. I am a newbie here like you. I am on a pump and tend to go back and forth with that and injections. I know what you mean about feeling hungry all the time. Please let us be informed about your med changes and everything else. I have a friend who is on byetta too. I am a type 1 and she is a type 2. Glad to have you here hon

Many thanks for the welcome!

 

[onlymep]

welcome Mayfly glad you've joined us. It's a real discipline isn't it to stay healthy... but if you keep at it... it will become a habit. I take it you are type 2? Have you had a recent C-peptide test & GAD test done? There's a few possibilities as to why medications may not be working. My story is that I'm type 2 and I now have beta cell damage in my pancreas which means I no longer produce enough of my own insulin... so I need to take insulin full time to help me. Oral medication stopped working on me too... I insisted on getting tests done. In a way it was a relief as I knew I wasn't going stupid and I got an answer as to why BGLs weren't going down. In regards to feeling hungry all the time... maybe you would benefit eating 6 small meals per day? Eating fibre is good to help you feel full. Choose wholegrain foods for carbs. Like you, I can still feel hungry after eating boiled vegies too. I function better eating a grain carb with my meal... but that's me. We're all so different. Use your glucometer and find what foods work best for you. Having a positive attitude helps you to stay in control too. Look forward to hearing your experiences.

 

[jwags]

Mayfly, it is nice to see you posting here. I think you will see lots of people from other forums here. This is a great place. I know you have had a long, hard road with bg control. Have you ever had a C Peptide test done? It could be that you just don't have enough insulin to push those bgs down. Many Type 2's end up using some type of long acting insulin to replicate their basal insulin. I have never used Byetta but many people feel Victoza works a little better. I don't think there is any miracle drug out there, maybe except insulin. I understand the part of being a chocoholic. I usually eat a small amount of 85% dark Chocolate daily. I usually take a brancrisp cracker and spread it with coconut oil, almold butter, a little shredded unsweet coconut and top it with a square of dark chocolate. It is very filling and meets my chocolate fix.

 

[breezeonby]

Hello everyone

I was diagnosed in 2003, just before Christmas. I have always had high figures and am now on my last hope, Byetta, before switching to the dreaded Insulin. The Byetta is not going as well as I had hoped, although I am only on a half dose, it has not brought my figures down that much, and has not had the miracle effects I was told I could experience, such as weight loss and hunger management. I am resigned tot eh fact that I experience hunger almost 24/7. Some of it is due to high figures, but also because my body simply won’t shut up about food.

I take regular exercise, which at first was brilliant on my figures, but now my body is used to the regime, so it makes no difference. I am trying to cut out carbs in the evening, something which does at least have an effect on my figures, but unfortunately leaves him hungry straight after my evening meal. The only thing which stops my stomach from rumbling is a dose of carbs.

I am a confirmed chocolholic, so everytime I step into a supermarket, I want to buy that and puddings and all the things we are no longer allowed to have. Trying to steer onto a healthy diet is not a happy decision, it’s always with a feeling of resentment. I am tired of boiled vegetables, particularly as my other half likes to boil them to death. Trying to concentrate on a plate of limp, colourless, flavourless vegetables instead of tucking into a chocolate cake makes me feel sick, although does not cut down on my hunger at all.

I have stopped drinking and I have stopped smoking, two bad habits I battle with, but the alternative is worse.

What else? I try to stay positive and happy, sometimes succeeding. I am a Top Gear fan, in particular a James May fan. I work for a lovely company. I have to keep some details a secret because I only have access to the internet at work, and therefore anything I write is allowed to be viewed by my company. I am therefore obliged to keep that under wraps. Also, I am occasionally involved in stuff I’m not allowed to discuss, just to add some spice to my day.

I hope to make some good friends here.

Hello and welcome to the forum! I hope you will feel comfotable here! I am on insulin and it has made managing my diabetes much easier. Perhaps you could just try insulin and see if you like the change? I hope that you will visit often and take care!

 

[Mayfly]

Hello all

Thank you for the warm welcomes. I will try and answer everything!
I think that I have not been choosing the 'right' carbohydrates. I have actually tried cutting out what I have been eating and have seen a fall, although I spent two nights away this week, and forgot my blooming needles. I am so annoyed with myself because I remembered the medication, but left one important bit behind. So I couldn't take two of my doses. However, my reading wasn't as high as I expected this morning. It seems to be carbs at night - I have tried having brown bread but even this pushes my figures up.

Like the chocolate fix with coconut etc! Sounds lovely, but I've never heard of almond butter. Well, something else to look out for now.

I am indeed type 2 but I don't want to go onto insulin because of the weight gain. I feel very emotional about this problem and seem to have trouble explaining it to people. I was very upset over an incident on another board, so I don't want to start a whole, "You don't know what you're talking about" thing here, but it would be nice to get some more viewpoints on it. I will ask my doctor about any other tests I could have done - I have an appointment coming up. I don't think the Byetta is working as well as it could.

Right, must finish here, my post is getting too long!

 

[Shanny]

Right, must finish here, my post is getting too long!

Heheh! Never happen! Not here! We're nothing if not chatty, so ramble on, Mayfly! Glad to have you with us!

 

[moon]

First - congrats on quitting smoking! That takes a lot of discipline and determination, character traits you can tap in to as you go along.

I'm a serious newbie - 10 days out from diagnosis - I was very sick. My bs was over 600 and my A1C was 14.6. I'm having to toss out almost everything I used to eat: fruit juices, carrot juice, milk, pasta, rice, fruit, fruit yoghurt, applesauce, cereal, bread - and of course sweets. I ate a little meat, veggies but always with high amts of carbs. No wonder I got into the trouble I'm in. I could drink a 1/2 gallon of apple cider in 2 days.

Like you, the change is devastating, but I'm trying to look at it as a blessing. I had to give away almost all the food in the fridge and cubbard! I was so unhealthy, and this is the boot to my backside that I needed to get my body functioning well again, to get healthy. I'm not sure I could've/would've done it without a dramatic event.

Someone suggested avocado - and if you like that it's very filling. I just had one for breakfast -

Years ago I gave up sugar for a month and at the end of it I lost my cravings. I think we do adjust far more than we can imagine. But it is HARD - no doubt about it.

Hang in there - I think we're amongst other hangers

 

[onlymep]

I think you would benefit learning what types of carbs there are and how they work. You can't eliminate carbs from your diet as it's your body that needs it, especially your brain. I've given it a try once myself and I got very sick. It's really all about 'how' do you fuel your body? I've mentioned on another post that "brown bread" is high GI and that means it's a carb that turns into sugar quick and makes your BGLs spike and then you get a sudden drop. Choose wholegrain natural foods... if bread, then 'wholegrain' is what you want as it's low GI which means it's a carb that slowly releases sugar into your blood which equates to more stable BGL and sustained energy. By 'GI' I'm referring to the Glycemic Index which is a measure of the effects of carbohydrates on your BGLs. There is lots of info on the net about it. No food is off limits... it's learning about how you are fuelling your body overall using portion sizes and mixing right food types. Also remember that food and exercise is not the only thing that impacts your BGLs... that would make it dead easy to control if it was. Being newly diagnosed I understand there is lots to learn... I started out myself being extremely strict on my diet and exercise. I then realised I was really restricting myself.... and guess what... it stopped working on me anyhow. Don't be afraid of insulin... seriously it could be what you need to help you along. I admit I was a little hesitant at first too... but I haven't gained weight at all since being on it for a year now. Also I'd rather have good BGL control (or try too) than all the bad readings I was getting on oral meds. Now I'm still getting some bad readings at times, but I know it's my health causing it majority of the time. I tend to offer advice based on my own experience... I hope I'm not overwhelming you with too much info. Please continue to share with us... there is plenty of support here

 

[Shanny]

Every PWD must use his/her meter and work out the best regimen for his/her own disorder, but there is research that refutes a lot of the dietary myths which abound, and here is some of it: Blood Sugar 101 Very good reading and not a lot of technical jargon.

 

[onlymep]

Every PWD must use his/her meter and work out the best regimen for his/her own disorder, but there is research that refutes a lot of the dietary myths which abound, and here is some of it: Blood Sugar 101 Very good reading and not a lot of technical jargon.

interesting article... I've never heard of 130g carb per day required for the brain.... must be that they don't tell me myths here. lol. What Jenny is saying doesn't work for me though... thank goodness we're all different. I do agree eating to your meter is what works. I don't believe that eliminating carbs completely would work safely for anyone (and I don't know any diabetic who has done that)... because all food in moderation is the key to a healthy diet.

 

[Shanny]

interesting article... I've never heard of 130g carb per day required for the brain.... must be that they don't tell me myths here. lol. What Jenny is saying doesn't work for me though... thank goodness we're all different. I do agree eating to your meter is what works. I don't believe that eliminating carbs completely would work safely for anyone (and I don't know any diabetic who has done that)... because all food in moderation is the key to a healthy diet.

Mep? This is YOUR key to a healthy diet. It was even MY key for 60-some years. But I'm a non-insulin-dependent diabetic now, and maintaining my good health required me to find a NEW key which turned out to be eliminating all except the most high-fiber carbs. I cannot begin to eat the kinds and amounts of carbs you eat, even if I do eat moderately. You surely can't be telling me that I should eat all things "in moderation" when my meter tells me that one ripe banana sends my BGL over 200. That may be a moderate amount of fruit, but it is NOT a moderate BGL reading. Are you implying then, that I'm not eating a healthy diet? Or that in order to eat all things in moderation, I should move on up to using insulin? I'm not at all averse to that, except that I don't need it yet, and here in the States insulin is an expensive little commodity. Please be careful with blanket statements like this . . . they don't fit in with your belief in eating to the meter. Obviously, I cannot eat everything in moderation, and still eat to my meter. Know what I mean?

 

[ThoseBackPages]

130 carbs in ONE day? oh my! thats a lot in a week for me

 

[onlymep]

Mep? This is YOUR key to a healthy diet. It was even MY key for 60-some years. But I'm a non-insulin-dependent diabetic now, and maintaining my good health required me to find a NEW key which turned out to be eliminating all except the most high-fiber carbs. I cannot begin to eat the kinds and amounts of carbs you eat, even if I do eat moderately. You surely can't be telling me that I should eat all things "in moderation" when my meter tells me that one ripe banana sends my BGL over 200. That may be a moderate amount of fruit, but it is NOT a moderate BGL reading. Are you implying then, that I'm not eating a healthy diet? Or that in order to eat all things in moderation, I should move on up to using insulin? I'm not at all averse to that, except that I don't need it yet, and here in the States insulin is an expensive little commodity. Please be careful with blanket statements like this . . . they don't fit in with your belief in eating to the meter. Obviously, I cannot eat everything in moderation, and still eat to my meter. Know what I mean?

yeah I know what you mean Shanny... apologies as I'm not saying absolutely everyone can eat everything. But I'm not a fan of eliminating stuff when it's not necessary either. I did mention that you should eat to your meter. If I don't eat carbs I get sick... that's just me. If there's something you identify that you can't eat... then you know you can't eat it. I made that statement because for some reason people think they should go to extremes without checking first... no food is technically off limits as such and that's the myth... you need to find what works for you is what I'm saying. Apologies if I wasn't really clear.

 

[Shanny]

130 carbs in ONE day? oh my! thats a lot in a week for me

When Mep commented that carbs are required especially for the brain - that rang a bell. Our brains don't require carbs, the brain requires glucose, and our bodies are perfectly capable of making glucose out of dietary protein. So in theory, our bodies can function effectively on zero carbs. But as Jenny explains, the myth endures that dietary carbs are a must. My stance is that the highest fiber carbs serve other digestive purposes & keep the system moving along smoothly, so those might be considered important dietary elements, and people who engage in extremely strenuous activities & training are going to require carbs for energy and stamina. But a fat old granny like me does not need carbs, and in fact, risks health & wellbeing by eating a carb-heavy diet. So this "all foods in moderation" for a healthy diet - even though it sounds like it should be true . . . all the diabetics of the world had better eat to their meters & find out for sure for themselves. And the docs who say we don't need to test, are compromising our health. As you and I know, Eric . . . one size does NOT fit all!!

 

[Mayfly]

Yeah, carbs can be a bit of a touchy subject - I think we are best to agree that everyone needs something different. My dietician tells me I can still eat chocolate in moderation, but firstly that's like telling an alcoholic that they are fine with a couple of glasses of wine a night, and secondly, any processed sugar sends my levels up into the 20's. Don't think I'll be doing that again....

Thanks for the congrats on stopping smoking, moon. I thought it would be impossible, but here I am a year later, smoke free. I couldn't afford it now. One thing : I did what most quitters do and I carried around four cigarettes with me when I was trying to give up. I cannot tell you how much I obsessed about those four little tubes of death. I gave in one evening and smoked them. I have never looked back. I love Allan Carr's books on the subject, it's very much a "I'm free now" thought pattern, rather than, "I'm missing out".

Anyway, yes, I need to study carbs more, I'm very ignorant about them. I keep putting it off, I don't want to know what else I can't eat. Then again, I'd like to get my levels down, so sooner or later, I have to get to grips with it. I need something that tastes really good, but fills me up and won't trigger high levels. I'm afraid I hate avacados. And bananas.

I like meringue. That's not a carb.

 

[Jeremymc1]

You know, I was having trouble keeping track of my carb intake and wanted to find a better way to keep track of it. In the app store, I found an amazing App called D Buddy on my iPad, which keeps track of all of my carbs, fat, calories, blood sugar readings, exercise, water intake, etc. It shows trending graphs, etc. You can then email all of the stats to your Dr. As a gadget kind of guy, I love it. There is another program for the iPhone called Lose It. It keeps track of the same things, with a bit of an emphasis on calories, but it will still list and keep track of your carbs and sugar. Both products have extensive lists of foods, even restaurants. I am sure there are even more apps out there.

Jeremy

 

[weaveroflight]

Hi May.
Glad that you are here.
Byetta worked well for me except my gallbladder did not like it.
Lantus is not such a terrible insulin for me.