[bigrosiegreenbaum]

Wow. Yesterday I went out and bought $200 worth of groceries. Today I got a call from my doctor telling me I have Type 2 diabetes. Now I have to throw out pretty much everything I bought yesterday and I have no clue what I can eat and what I can't and what's worse, I'm afraid to eat anything I have in the house because I don't know much about the disease and don't know what eating the wrong thing will do to me. My diabetes education classes won't start until April 30th so until then all I have to rely on is the internet and who knows what's true and what's not. On one site I read 'you can't eat cheese anymore', another site says you can. I have NO clue. When I heard the news, I started throwing out everything I bought that might have any sugar or flour in it. The only thing I see in my pantry that might be okay is Jello Sugar free/fat free pudding - and even that I don't know if I can have. I'm on my fifth bowl of salad right now and I'm STILL starving. I have a piece of plain chicken cooking right now just to fill me up some.

I know I can't learn everything about this in one night but I'm on a super-tight budget and have to go shopping again for new food tomorrow with my last 60 bucks. Can anyone give words of encouragement and maybe tips on what I should buy tomorrow? It's got to last me two more weeks. I cannot believe I can't eat the foods I love anymore. . .

 

[ThoseBackPages]

Rosie, take a deep breath....breathe in, and now out.

you are not going to learn everything in one night on the internet

you were wise to sign up here. this is the best place you'll find for support and advice

others will chip in, i assure you. give it some time, not everyone is on here 24/7

Here is my advice:

what you CAN eat: Cheese and meat, i have them every meal.

what you shouldnt eat: anything with sugar, anything white, man made carbohydrates.

you need to get yourself a food scale and start weighing your food.
you need to eat to what the label says is one portion

you will be hungry after eating one portion, its natural for most americans to feel that way because they are used to eating too much food.

 

[bigrosiegreenbaum]

Breathing In And Out...

Rosie, take a deep breath....breathe in, and now out.

you are not going to learn everything in one night on the internet

you were wise to sign up here. this is the best place you'll find for support and advice

others will chip in, i assure you. give it some time, not everyone is on here 24/7

Here is my advice:

what you CAN eat: Cheese and meat, i have them every meal.

what you shouldnt eat: anything with sugar, anything white, man made carbohydrates.

you need to get yourself a food scale and start weighing your food.
you need to eat to what the label says is one portion

you will be hungry after eating one portion, its natural for most americans to feel that way because they are used to eating too much food.

------------------------------------------
Thank you, I'm more calm now. I'm giving myself a little pity party, but after it's over I am trying to see this as a win-win situation. I have been trying to kick my junk food and soda habits for a very long time and getting diagnosed today is the kick in the pants I need to do that. I have read that adopting a vegan or vegetarian diet will help reverse the diabetes to something close to normal. I am setting a goal of six months from tomorrow to drop 50-60 pounds, get fit, walk 2 hours a day, and try to do something Atkins-like but without red meat. I'm Italian and I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that I will never have another cannoli again

Looks like it's going to be a long night on the internet tonight.... :yawn:

 

[ThoseBackPages]

tell us more about yourself. Age? Height/Weight? all that good stuff.

 

[bigrosiegreenbaum]

tell us more about yourself. Age? Height/Weight? all that good stuff.

It's not great, actually. I saw on your post that you are 6'2, 158lbs. I'm 43 yo, 5 feet tall, and as of today 171 lbs - not good, and a lot of those pounds are soda related. I've had a terrible Coke addiction for a long time. I quit soda for about a decade, then had one and couldn't stop. I'm now viewing that and the junk food I love as poison. The diabetes will keep me off it forever - not worth dying over!

 

[ThoseBackPages]

It's not great, actually. I saw on your post that you are 6'2, 158lbs. I'm 43 yo, 5 feet tall, and as of today 171 lbs - not good, and a lot of those pounds are soda related. I've had a terrible Coke addiction for a long time. I quit soda for about a decade, then had one and couldn't stop. I'm now viewing that and the junk food I love as poison. The diabetes will keep me off it forever - not worth dying over!

when i was younger, i was a coke drinker, then about 12 years ago now, i switched to diet pepsi. been a diet pepsi fanatic ever since. in fact, thats the one thing since diagnosis that i have not given up, and have no intention of doing so.

So give diet coke a shot as a transition period for yourself. as for the junk food, yea, that needs to go bye-bye.

Sunday makes two years since ive had any candy/cake/etc. seems longer then that though.

 

[bigrosiegreenbaum]

when i was younger, i was a coke drinker, then about 12 years ago now, i switched to diet pepsi. been a diet pepsi fanatic ever since. in fact, thats the one thing since diagnosis that i have not given up, and have no intention of doing so.

So give diet coke a shot as a transition period for yourself. as for the junk food, yea, that needs to go bye-bye.

Sunday makes two years since ive had any candy/cake/etc. seems longer then that though.

____________________________________

What I can't figure out is how to feel full. Luckily my doctor called me before I had breakfast this morning so I didn't have my usual Cap'n Crunch fix. I had some strawberries and skim milk, then tuna on rye for lunch, chicken and broccoli for dinner, and I'm still so hungry. When I get hungry like this is when I start thinking of junk food. How do you stay full as a diabetic?

Also, does the diet soda have any sugar at all in it?

 

[mellitus]

Keep going Rosie, stick with it. I was in your shoes 18 months ago. I was told I had "diabetes", and to limit my carbs to a quarter of my meal plate. Everything else, I learned the hard way.

The first year is the toughest. We were all such (unkowningly) slaves to carbs, it's tough limiting them. Replace the carbs with more life activities, tea, meditation on bigger things.

Exercise will reduce blood glucose and curb hunger. Work through the hunger spike, don't feed it. What I mean is set your meals and stick to them in quantity and schedule, and push through the inbetween urges, it gets easier.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

____________________________________

What I can't figure out is how to feel full. Luckily my doctor called me before I had breakfast this morning so I didn't have my usual Cap'n Crunch fix. I had some strawberries and skim milk, then tuna on rye for lunch, chicken and broccoli for dinner, and I'm still so hungry. When I get hungry like this is when I start thinking of junk food. How do you stay full as a diabetic?

Also, does the diet soda have any sugar at all in it?

Baby Steps. Youre brand new to all this, so theres going to be some learning time to adjust.

Start reading all your labels. learn what a "portion" really is, you're gonna be shocked, i know i was.

Carbs are BAD for diabetics, especially man made carbs.

Of course you're going to feel hungry, its something that you're going to have to get used to until your stomach gets smaller and you adjust to intaking less food.

Did you get your blood sugar meter yet?

Diet soda does not have sugar or calories

 

[jwags]

Hi Rosie, welcome to our fourm. The important thing to remember is that this is a disease that is very easily managed. I was dx'd 4 years ago with a fasting of 240 and HbA1c over 10. I now have fastings in the low 80's and an HbA1c of 5.3. So it is very doable. I used to be a vegetarian before diabetes and ate no meat, fat, just carbs. I now eat totally different. I eat meat, cheese, nuts and bake all my cookies and snacks from scratch. I have give up anything made from wheat flour but make tons of recipes using almond flour, coconut flour, whey powder and flaxseed meal. I eat very well. A lot of us do something called Eating to our meter. We test at 2 hours after we eat things and aim for the lowest number possible ( 120-140) or lower. Pretty soon you see what foods raise your bgs and what don't. What food did you buy in your $200 shopping trip. You may be able to eat some of it. Again welcome. Also since going on low carb I have lost tons of weight. 10 years ago I was almost 200 pounds , I am now 118 pounds. I am 5' 3".

 

[bigrosiegreenbaum]

Baby Steps. Youre brand new to all this, so theres going to be some learning time to adjust.

Start reading all your labels. learn what a "portion" really is, you're gonna be shocked, i know i was.

Carbs are BAD for diabetics, especially man made carbs.

Of course you're going to feel hungry, its something that you're going to have to get used to until your stomach gets smaller and you adjust to intaking less food.

Did you get your blood sugar meter yet?

Diet soda does not have sugar or calories

___________________________________________

Great advice, thanks. I have not received a meter yet, I'm told I'll get one when I go to my first diabetes class on the 30th, which seems like a long time to wait. My doctor didn't put me on meds today, she says she wants to wait a month and see how diet and exercise goes.

Boy, I wish I could have a final blowout and THEN start fresh...

Can you give me an example of what you have for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks?

 

[bigrosiegreenbaum]

Hi Rosie, welcome to our fourm. The important thing to remember is that this is a disease that is very easily managed. I was dx'd 4 years ago with a fasting of 240 and HbA1c over 10. I now have fastings in the low 80's and an HbA1c of 5.3. So it is very doable. I used to be a vegetarian before diabetes and ate no meat, fat, just carbs. I now eat totally different. I eat meat, cheese, nuts and bake all my cookies and snacks from scratch. I have give up anything made from wheat flour but make tons of recipes using almond flour, coconut flour, whey powder and flaxseed meal. I eat very well. A lot of us do something called Eating to our meter. We test at 2 hours after we eat things and aim for the lowest number possible ( 120-140) or lower. Pretty soon you see what foods raise your bgs and what don't. What food did you buy in your $200 shopping trip. You may be able to eat some of it. Again welcome. Also since going on low carb I have lost tons of weight. 10 years ago I was almost 200 pounds , I am now 118 pounds. I am 5' 3".

--------------------------------------------------

Thanks for the welcome! You mentioned that you stay away from wheat flour - I'm a little confused about that, I thought that wheat was better than white. Maybe just not in all foods, though? I really wish I'd paid better attention in nutrition class in college.

How do you make your own cookies and snacks? Can you give some examples - what do you replace sugar with?

 

[ThoseBackPages]

___________________________________________

Great advice, thanks. I have not received a meter yet, I'm told I'll get one when I go to my first diabetes class on the 30th, which seems like a long time to wait. My doctor didn't put me on meds today, she says she wants to wait a month and see how diet and exercise goes.

Boy, I wish I could have a final blowout and THEN start fresh...

Can you give me an example of what you have for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks?

im sure others will have better advice when it comes to food.

but here is what i eat...

i eat three times per day (dr's orders)

first meal: Meat (chicken or turkey or beef or pork or etc), cheese (cheddar or swiss or mozzarella), cooked peppers&onions, microwaved

second meal: Meat (chicken or turkey or beef or pork or etc), cheese (cheddar or swiss or mozzarella), cooked peppers&onions, microwaved (usually opposite meat of what my first meal was)

third meal: Meat (chicken or turkey or beef or pork or etc, but lean towards chicken), cheese (cheddar or swiss or mozzarella), cold with mayo dipping sauce

i do not snack.

 

[bigrosiegreenbaum]

im sure others will have better advice when it comes to food.

but here is what i eat...

i eat three times per day (dr's orders)

first meal: Meat (chicken or turkey or beef or pork or etc), cheese (cheddar or swiss or mozzarella), cooked peppers&onions, microwaved

second meal: Meat (chicken or turkey or beef or pork or etc), cheese (cheddar or swiss or mozzarella), cooked peppers&onions, microwaved (usually opposite meat of what my first meal was)

third meal: Meat (chicken or turkey or beef or pork or etc, but lean towards chicken), cheese (cheddar or swiss or mozzarella), cold with mayo dipping sauce

i do not snack.

---------------------------------------------------
Wow, are you saying that you have meat for breakfast? That's hardcore. My doctor didn't give me orders like that, she just said eat sensibly and no sugar. Do you ever get bored with your meals or are you just used to it now?

 

[ThoseBackPages]

---------------------------------------------------
Wow, are you saying that you have meat for breakfast? That's hardcore. My doctor didn't give me orders like that, she just said eat sensibly and no sugar. Do you ever get bored with your meals or are you just used to it now?

i am bored with eating and wish i didnt have to do it at all to be honest.

i work nights, so my first meal of the day is around 1pm, 2nd around 7pm and 3rd around 1am

 

[bigrosiegreenbaum]

i am bored with eating and wish i didnt have to do it at all to be honest.

i work nights, so my first meal of the day is around 1pm, 2nd around 7pm and 3rd around 1am

____________________________________________

I know what you mean, I'm wishing I never had to eat again. But eating your first meal at 1pm, it kinda feels like it's lunch and not breakfast. I'd have trouble cooking a "dinner" like meal in the morning.

I'm trying to look at this as eating to live, not living to eat. I've done that and look where it got me

 

[AcadianFury]

Do not get to worried about it. Eat food that are healthy. Fruits, veggies, meat, cheese and for filling nuts ( no peanuts). it a lifestyle adjustment that we need to go thru and the results are amazing when you stick with it.

I do not feel hungry anymore, I got used to it. When u get your meter testing is the key to control and finding out what makes u spike.

As for breakfast, good old bacon and eggs

Good luck and welcome to the forum, it has helped alot lately

Sent from my iPod touch using Diabetes

 

[bigrosiegreenbaum]

Do not get to worried about it. Eat food that are healthy. Fruits, veggies, meat, cheese and for filling nuts ( no peanuts). it a lifestyle adjustment that we need to go thru and the results are amazing when you stick with it.

I do not feel hungry anymore, I got used to it. When u get your meter testing is the key to control and finding out what makes u spike.

As for breakfast, good old bacon and eggs

Good luck and welcome to the forum, it has helped alot lately

Sent from my iPod touch using Diabetes

______________________________________________

This is where I get so confused. I've read that eggs are a no-no. So much info to sift through. Thanks for the advice, though!

 

[AcadianFury]

Oh god no eggs are good, unless u have bad cholesterol. Then just get the egg whites. And please question anything the diabetes associations tell u. U need to decide what is right for u but like I said the testing will show u the path. I dropped from 7.5's to low 6's after getting my meter and testing what makes me spike. All good now. The first weeks and months are hard but once u realize that u are going on the right track u will feel fantastic.

Sent from my iPod touch using Diabetes

 

[Guest]

Wow. Yesterday I went out and bought $200 worth of groceries. Today I got a call from my doctor telling me I have Type 2 diabetes. Now I have to throw out pretty much everything I bought yesterday and I have no clue what I can eat and what I can't and what's worse, I'm afraid to eat anything I have in the house because I don't know much about the disease and don't know what eating the wrong thing will do to me. My diabetes education classes won't start until April 30th so until then all I have to rely on is the internet and who knows what's true and what's not. On one site I read 'you can't eat cheese anymore', another site says you can. I have NO clue. When I heard the news, I started throwing out everything I bought that might have any sugar or flour in it. The only thing I see in my pantry that might be okay is Jello Sugar free/fat free pudding - and even that I don't know if I can have. I'm on my fifth bowl of salad right now and I'm STILL starving. I have a piece of plain chicken cooking right now just to fill me up some.

I know I can't learn everything about this in one night but I'm on a super-tight budget and have to go shopping again for new food tomorrow with my last 60 bucks. Can anyone give words of encouragement and maybe tips on what I should buy tomorrow? It's got to last me two more weeks. I cannot believe I can't eat the foods I love anymore. . .

welcome I'm sorry you've just got the news... it's not a nice feeling (I remember it too well). Firstly... it's a myth that you can't eat certain foods as such... no food is off limits. Although every person with diabetes reacts differently and you need to figure out what works best for you. The best start as far is grocery shopping is concerned is to not buy the 'processed' foods. Try and stick to natural products as much as you can. Dairy is a good food choice as it's a low GI carb. (look up glycemic index on the net and to learn which carbs are better for you... the lower the GI the better). Watch your carb portions. Stick to increasing fibre intake (non starchy vegies) and some here would say increase your intake of proteins and fats. But the fats bit doesn't work for everyone... so just be careful there. I'm not sure whether or not you have a glucometer as yet? If you do, start testing straight away and do so regularly to figure out what you should be eating. Test first thing in the morning before you eat, then before meals, then 1 hour after meals (try not to go over 140), then 2 hours after meals. I know this sounds like a lot of testing... but it's the only way to check how your body responds to various types of food. You may work out that some foods you should either eliminate or reduce intake in your diet. Shopping to start with is a bit daunting as you feel restricted. Another thing is to check labels on products you buy. Sugars should be <5g, but you need to check the carb content, fat, and sodium too. Being diabetic means we have to be mindful of everything, not just food and exercise... you need to get good sleep, keep stress at bay, drink plenty of water, have regular check ups, etc. In regards to food, it's Ok to have the occasional treat, but you just factor it in with everything else you're eating for the day. I'm not one to use my diabetes as an excuse with others when there is a celebration happening... but that is me and I'm sure there are others here who are the same. I'm saying this as I know it plays a part in the initial thought process when diagnosed... you can feel ripped off. But it does get easier. There's a lot of support and info on this forum. Keep us posted on how you're doing.