Advice on food needed

mclgo

Hello,
I was diagnosed last week. Right now I'm on Metformin once a day, and will move to 2x per day Thursday. My BG is up and down. 98 one reading, 134 the next. Up at 164 this morning!!! I know I can't gain control in one week. I've been wonderful about sticking to my calorie limit and getting exercise.

I'm wondering about carbs. I'm trying to eat "lower" carb but I'm sure I'm exceeding some good limits. Anyone want to take a look at my food diary and offer some advice?

Thanks

nvstlrgrl

Your diary is private, or maybe only viewable to friends. Add me and I will be happy to look and see if I see anything.

RaineyLaney

Yup, unable to view diary... if you open it up to all, I will take a look. (go to your food tab, then to settings and then it gives you options to let all view, just friends or no one.)

robert65ferguson

Diabetes is a very individual condition which makes it one of the most frustrating to deal with. What works for one person may not work for the next. It really is a case of trying to identify those foods which cause you to spike and then either eliminating them from your diet or keeping them strictly controlled. The individual nature of Diabetes also means that prescriptive advice, however well intentioned, should be treated with extreme caution. There is however a general consensus that a reasonable target to aim for would be 45 gms of net carbs per main meal with say 20 net carbs allowed for snacks if required. The majority of diabetics would also support the concept of focusing food choices on complex carbs rather than the simple carbs which form such a large proportion of our western diet. I hope this helps to give you something to work to.

mclgo

My diary is public now

JaceyMarieS

The easiest way to figure out what foods are best for you is to use your meter as a guide. A couple of different explanations

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php ( I also HIGHLY recommend reading the rest of this site!!)

http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/test-review-adjust.html

http://lizzysdlounge.com/2012/03/14/testing-101/

nvstlrgrl

One thing I noticed is you are not tracking your sugar intake. That may help to some degree. Lots of foods have sugars in them that can cause high numbers, such as marinara (pasta) sauce, and the yogurts. Also most breads have hidden sugars in them as well.

You may want to change your settings to view sugars even if it is only for a few days. I know that really helps me keep things in line. Carbs that come from bread, pasta, sauces etc cause huge swings in my numbers. Where as carbs from most fruit does not. A lot of it has to do with ingredients in packaged foods. Besides watching carb and sugar intake, try reading labels. You will be amazed at how many foods we eat contain some type of sugar/corn syrup. For me it helps to pay attention to those things. Yes I still have a treat once in a while, but I try to keep it to just that.

Feel free to ask me if you have any other questions. I can only tell you my experiences, but am willing to help anyway I can.

RaineyLaney

I know Nsvtirgrl said to put sugar as a value. I would advise to put fiber up next to your carbs. That way you can see at a quick glance what your "Net Carbs" are. (the good carbs vs the bad). If you take your total carbs and subtract the fiber, you will get your net carbs. 10 Carbs - 5 fiber = 5 carbs. These are the carbs you need to keep in check.

I would also advise and like Robert said, it is all an indivitual thing being diabetic. but I would try to even out my carbs per main meals... Ex. Instead of having lets say. 50 carbs for breakfast and 2 carbs for lunch. Try to even it out with 25 for each meal. or what every amount your body can handle without a spike. Like Robert said, I would try for 45 carbs (no more) and if sugar is spiking after meals, slowly lower those carbs down untill you see what amount your body can handle.

Over all your diary doesn't look to bad. It is all trial and error. and testing after meals from the minute you put the food in your mouth. Then test 1 hr and 2hr to see where your body spikes from the foods you ate. You don't have to do this all the time. But it helps to see if something is really spiking your sugars too high. A good example was with me. I was eating a Honey Bunches of Oats Blend with blueberries/banana's. My FBG was doing good, but when I checked the 1 hr mark, my sugars jumped from good numbers to 265 and then in the 2nd hour it was starting to drop, think it was like 245. What I learned was I can not eat the honey bunches of oat blends at all. My dear father inherited a nice box of cereal.

nczuczu

You have already gotten a lot of great advice. I agree that it is really by trial and error that you will find what will work for you. To start with, just be very good about tracking everything. There is a great site that I have found that helps me track what spikes my sugars. You can track your food, exercise, blood glucose readings and even your medicine (if needed). It may be helpful to you as well so you can find trends that affect you. It is http://www.glucosebuddy.com/ and they have an iPhone/Android app (although the android app does not synch with the online website).

Good luck to you!

Nancy