[MIKEYROBERT]

MYMy name is Mike, i'm 52 years old, married , got diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2001. My diabetes is still not in control my last a1c a month ago was 8.9. The highest it was was 13.5 5 years ago. I'm constantly sick with infections due to my diabetes my dr said. I used to weigh 330 but am down to 276, but i've plateaued out on my weight and a1c.I've been sober in AA over 23 years and not smoked in over 15 years but CANNOT get my diabetes under control due to my constant overeating. I've lost lots of jobs the last 3 years due to get respiratory infections and missing work. My wifes and i finances are never stable due to my work instability due to getting sick from my diabetes. I've joined this forum to get hope that i can get my diabetes under control and be active again. I used to be so active no one could keep up with me but not in a long time. So anyways thanks for letting me share. I'm not looking for sympathy or pity from anyone, just advice from others who got their diabetes under control so i can be a better husband, father, and worker again. thanks, "Mikey"

 

[breezeonby]

Hello Mike and :welcome: to the forum! I hope you will be comfortable here. There is a lot of information on here so read what interests you. If you can't find something, just do a search on the forum page in the white box. I hope that you have time to visit often and take care!

 

[ThoseBackPages]

Welcome Mike

Cutting out the man made carbs is a great way to start your BGS management

 

[ConnieB525]

Welcome, Mike. I'm a recovering pain pill addict. It seems that if we can get our addictions in check, we should be able to get our bs in check. I'm still struggling. I'm not disciplined enough to cut all the manmade carbs out.

 

[moon]

I was a foodie too, and when I was dx'ed with diabetes a few months ago I thought 'aw crap' - and mostly because I wasn't good with portion control before, how was I magically going to be able to do it now?

Well, I had been so sick it scared me into cutting carbs on a dime. And what I found was that after a week I was losing my cravings for carbs, and was satiated in a way I didn't recall being for (many) years. When our sugar is out of control, our pancreas is pumping out insulin making us hungrier and we eat more carbs, pump out more insulin, store fat ... vicious stuff.

My recommendation would be to slash your carbs to as low as you can (<50) for a week and see what happens. See what it does to your appetite and cravings, and see what it does to your numbers.

 

[Shalynne]

Welcome, Mike!

Glad you found us! This is a great place for info and support!

You've already conquered so much, and now you're faced with one more battle. (I haven't been able to ace the smoking thing yet. You have my deep respect.)

I know that, for me, maybe avoiding bad stuff or, even, maybe feeling better someday is just not enough motivation.

When I was diagnosed (which involved scary numbers and a sudden hospital stay), I was forced to go low-carb almost overnight -- despite Dr's. orders, I might add.

The very first day I dropped the fruit and slice of toast I'd still clung to, I felt better than I had in years!

Feeling better, like, now -- for me, that's motivation!

Mike, do you have a blood glucose meter? You'll need one to keep control.

 

[jwags]

Hi Mike, Welcome to DD. Can you tell us a little more about what meds or insulins you have tried? Also what type of diet have you been following. I find with diabetes a lot of it seems to be trial and error. The same thing doesn't work for all of us. I have tried different types of diets. The worst one was the one my dietician gave me. I am now doing a moderate low carb diet and that works for me. I am on metformin, the max amount ( 3 x 850) and so far it works most of the time with the LC/HF diet. With diabetes you need to find the right combination of meds/insulins to give you close to normal bgs. I'm glad you found us.

 

[MIKEYROBERT]

I take metformin 1000 2x a day and levemir, 50 2x a day. I have a glucometer whereas i check my blood sugar 2-3x daily. I've tried a low-no carb diet, and am currently on 100 carbs daily, 30 breakfast, 30 lunch, and about 40-50 at supper. My diabetic educator told me some years ago that i needed to eat 300 gms of carbs daily, which drove my bs into the 400 and 500s so i backed off that.My dr told me a low carb diet would hurt my liver, but my high bs are wrecking my health. If my bs gets below 130 i start panicing and eat a glucose tablet because it's not used to normal blood sugars. Thanks for all the help and advice. Mikey

 

[Shalynne]

130 is still a diabetic level. When I see that, I reach for corrective insulin -- never a glucose tab! Below 70 is a true low.

But if your levels have been Up There for awhile, yeah, getting closer to normal can feel very strange. Gets better, though.

Many Drs. will advise higher carbs than you need (or can manage), and try to keep you at blood sugar levels high enough to cause damage. I try to stay below 140 at all costs.

(Actually, I try to stay below 100. So far, that goal's been pretty elusive. But a month ago, my goal was under 150, and that was no picnic at first.)

 

[Shanny]

I take metformin 1000 2x a day and levemir, 50 2x a day. I have a glucometer whereas i check my blood sugar 2-3x daily. I've tried a low-no carb diet, and am currently on 100 carbs daily, 30 breakfast, 30 lunch, and about 40-50 at supper. My diabetic educator told me some years ago that i needed to eat 300 gms of carbs daily, which drove my bs into the 400 and 500s so i backed off that.My dr told me a low carb diet would hurt my liver, but my high bs are wrecking my health. If my bs gets below 130 i start panicing and eat a glucose tablet because it's not used to normal blood sugars. Thanks for all the help and advice. Mikey

As Shalynne says, 130 is still a diabetic reading and should surely not be treated. Let your body get accustomed to lower levels, and don't worry about treating it unless you drop below 70. If you feel shaky/nauseated/etc., go ahead & eat a few bites of PROTEIN, but do not treat with carbs.

My doc started me out at 100g carbs per day too, and I could never even get down to 140 on that much. So I just started trimming a little more each day until I got down to 140 mg/dl, and took it from there. I can tolerate about 50g carb per day, but often eat less. Our bodies do NOT need carbs to function efficiently. And doc is very pleased with my results now! heheh . . .

 

[Raindance]

The first thing most people want to know is how many carbs they should eat. There are differing opinions and everyone is different, so you will have to figure out what works for you, but a rule of thumb that might help you get started is eat between 20 and 60 carbs per day. I am on 20 to 30 net carbs. Glad you found us. Welcome.

 

[bigrosiegreenbaum]

Mike, you say you overeat too much. Can you give us a sample of what you eat for your meals on a typical day?

 

[MIKEYROBERT]

This morning i had one and 1/2 sausage mcmuffin plus 3 cups decaf coffee with splenda and sugar free creamer. Lunch 2 hotdogs without bread and 3 pieces fry chicken without breading. Tonight i had 2 porkchops and 1 cup mixed vegetables. snack 1/2 cup cream and i small piece of cake. Earlie in the day i had i cup mixed nuts for a snack. I drank 3 waters and 3 decaf diet sodas all day.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

This morning i had one and 1/2 sausage mcmuffin plus 3 cups decaf coffee with splenda and sugar free creamer. Lunch 2 hotdogs without bread and 3 pieces fry chicken without breading. Tonight i had 2 porkchops and 1 cup mixed vegetables. snack 1/2 cup cream and i small piece of cake. Earlie in the day i had i cup mixed nuts for a snack. I drank 3 waters and 3 decaf diet sodas all day.

muffins and cake will send most diabetics to high sugar levels. there is no reason to be eating them really

 

[Shanny]

3 cups decaf coffee with splenda and sugar free creamer.

Check the carbs in that creamer - lotta that stuff is loaded with HFCS or corn sugar, and/or other corn derivatives - nasty additives. Real cream is a better choice - not half & half - heavy dairy CREAM. Powdered splenda is also laced with other sugar additives like maltodextrin, etc. Liquid sweeteners are better.

 

[onlymep]

welcome Mike I think the man made stuff is what you're looking to get rid of. I'd stay clear of hotdogs too as goodness knows what they shove in them. I said in another posting today that we have to be careful of our sodium intake too... that puts our blood pressure up and increases our risk of complications just as much as sugar. I'm no fan of eating one food type or too much of just one type of thing... everything in moderation is good and keep servings small and don't over eat. It's good to keep your metabolism fired up by eating every 3 hours... I find this helps BGLs too. But aim for healthy food intake and not man made. Look for wholegrain for carbs... choose real meat instead of the cold meat and processed meats. Keep us posted on how you're doing... you can make a change as you've already done it a couple times already with past habits.

 

[bigrosiegreenbaum]

welcome Mike I think the man made stuff is what you're looking to get rid of. I'd stay clear of hotdogs too as goodness knows what they shove in them. I said in another posting today that we have to be careful of our sodium intake too... that puts our blood pressure up and increases our risk of complications just as much as sugar. I'm no fan of eating one food type or too much of just one type of thing... everything in moderation is good and keep servings small and don't over eat. It's good to keep your metabolism fired up by eating every 3 hours... I find this helps BGLs too. But aim for healthy food intake and not man made. Look for wholegrain for carbs... choose real meat instead of the cold meat and processed meats. Keep us posted on how you're doing... you can make a change as you've already done it a couple times already with past habits.

Onlymep, would deli turkey sliced at the counter count as a processed meat?

 

[onlymep]

Onlymep, would deli turkey sliced at the counter count as a processed meat?

yes, it sure would. I like including that in a snack sometimes... but I keep it to a minimum. You can taste the salt in it for sure... you have some fresh turkey and it usually has a lot less salt that the sliced stuff.

I know with ham, one serve equates to 25g normally which usually equates to >300mg sodium.. usually around 500mg for a lot of ham out there I'd think.

For info re: salt intake, check out the following site (I think everywhere else have similar guidelines):
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/sci...s/factsheets2009/howmuchsodiumandsalt4340.cfm

 

[ThoseBackPages]

Onlymep, would deli turkey sliced at the counter count as a processed meat?

Boareshead Products are fine, i'd stay away from all other brands

 

[jwags]

I use to eat lots of deli meat, especially pepperoni for snacks. Since last summer I have tried to eliminate as much processed food as possible. I always read the labels and buy bacon that has 0 nitrates or other chemicals. Once in awhile I do eat hot dogs but I buy Trader Joes natural ones. They still have tons of sodium which I think causes my bgs to spike. I have to say since eating non processed, I do feel better and my BP has improved tons. The only comment I would make about your diet is too much protein can be converted to glucose , so don't overdo it.