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I should introduce myself. I was diagnosed as prediabetic the first time I took an a1c in 2011. It was 5.8 then. Since then in 2012 it has come down to 5.6. This year I've lost 19 pounds. I have 7 more pounds to go when I'll be in the normal weight range. I've started eating a ketogenic diet and really exercising hard (HIIT, jogging, P90X), so I hope my a1c is better. I have a father with T2 who is skinny. His diabetes doesn't appear to be related to weight. IR seems to run in his side of the family. His T2 was uncontrolled for years (he hated to test himself, so he didn't and his lousy endo never really questioned him on the really high a1c), so now he has only 35% kidney function left. Luckily, he doesn't need dialysis, but has to take a kidney sparing diet in addition to his diabetic diet. I just want to avoid ever being in his shoes as far as T2 goes.
Hi BooksandBeach ... sorry about your dad's reduced liver function ... that's one of the things Diabetes does to you. The longer you have the disease, the more likey it will affect one or more body parts. I'd be aftaid to eat a ketogenic diet becasue I've read it's hard on your kidneys ... which is another organ that is affected by Diabetes. And yes, it does tend to run in families and is not necessarily an outcome of being overweight. However, overweight people are frequently insulin intolerant and that does bring on diabetes.
Wellcome to the group, and I hope you find what you are looking for on here.0 -
Thank you for responding I will make a note of it so I can tell my doctor...0
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Just discovered this group this morning. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 3 or 4 years ago. The most I have been doing about it is taking metformin 850 two times a day. Haven't really been testing my sugars much but my last a1c was 7.1. After spending all day reading this form I can see I really need to get serious about it. I have not had a good experience with the Metformin, it is very hard on my intestines and need to talk my Dr. into giving me a different medication. Any way I'm so stressed about all this new information and need to learn so much more on how to control this disease . If any one could tell me about a different med that is popular and safe , I would like to know it before I see my doctor again. All my complaining about the metformin has got me is the lower dose of 850 down from 1000 twice a day. Thank you....Cindy
You might consider asking for Metformin HCL ER ... the ER means extended release ... and they do not affect the intestines the same way ... or so I've been told. You also only take the pill(s) one time a day. I know someone who gets them for about $9.00 a month at Walmart.
That being said ... don't get the 1000 mg ER metformin because the cost of those is sky-high. You can get lower doses and take more than one tablet.
Good luck0 -
Let's see if I did this right.. Thank you for responding. This helps a lot.0
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Hi!
My name is Pradnya and I just discovered this group.
I am not a type 2 yet technically, however, I have had my sugar readings done couple of times in the past and they were in a range of about 104 fasting and 120 PP. These are normal as per the medical reference range generally followed in my country.
However, considering my age and the fact that I haven't yet undergone pregnancy etc, the doctor thinks these levels are on the higher side of the continuum. That I possibly might suffer from Gestational diabetes and/or might develop it at a later stage in my life, seeing as my parents have newly been diagnosed as type 2. I want to avoid it especially as I plan to TTC soon.
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Hi, my name is Julie. I've been Type 2 for about 6 years, and have been really haphazard about any real control. I should know better, as my family history (father, 3 grandparents and various uncles) all were Type 2, and all died due to complications (my father at 48). I am about 30-40 pounds overweight, and until 2 years ago, totally sedentary. I started at the gym January 2012, and have been consistent with the treadmill and a few weight machines, and have increased my visits to 4-5 times a week, for about 45-1 hour a visit. Last Christmas, I got a Fitbit Flex to help me track my steps, and I'm around 12K a day average. Due to a lot of arthritis, I don't run or lift heavy weights, but do about 2.5 - 3 miles in 40 minutes on the treadmill. My real issue these days is food, if it wasn't for the gym visits, I'd be a lot heavier.
Basically, I need accountability and motivation. I signed up for MFP because I noticed that wearing the Fitbit has worked for continuing the exercise program, so I needed another app to help with the food aspect. I really don't think that total purging of all bad foods will work for me; hopefully being able to have something sweet after dinner should allow me to avoid it during the day.
My A1C has fluctuated between 9.8 (a few years back) to 7.5, but my last lab work came back at 8.5, so I decided to get going on this. I'm really hoping that a daily visit to MFP, along with my Flex will keep me on the right track. Any suggestions would be much appreciated, I obviously am unable to do this on my own.
Thanks!0 -
Hi!
My name is Pradnya and I just discovered this group.
I am not a type 2 yet technically, however, I have had my sugar readings done couple of times in the past and they were in a range of about 104 fasting and 120 PP. These are normal as per the medical reference range generally followed in my country.
However, considering my age and the fact that I haven't yet undergone pregnancy etc, the doctor thinks these levels are on the higher side of the continuum. That I possibly might suffer from Gestational diabetes and/or might develop it at a later stage in my life, seeing as my parents have newly been diagnosed as type 2. I want to avoid it especially as I plan to TTC soon.
Thanks
Welcome Pradnya ... the best thing you can do to hold of the diabetes that runs in your family is to live healthy ... don't get overweight, eat a balanced diet and do not eat sugar or high carbs .... however, if you are a vegetarian, then you are pretty much living on vegetables and beans, nuts, fruit ... so good luck. PS ... I think your doctor should stop frightening you.0 -
Hi, my name is Julie. I've been Type 2 for about 6 years, and have been really haphazard about any real control. I should know better, as my family history (father, 3 grandparents and various uncles) all were Type 2, and all died due to complications (my father at 48). I am about 30-40 pounds overweight, and until 2 years ago, totally sedentary. I started at the gym January 2012, and have been consistent with the treadmill and a few weight machines, and have increased my visits to 4-5 times a week, for about 45-1 hour a visit. Last Christmas, I got a Fitbit Flex to help me track my steps, and I'm around 12K a day average. Due to a lot of arthritis, I don't run or lift heavy weights, but do about 2.5 - 3 miles in 40 minutes on the treadmill. My real issue these days is food, if it wasn't for the gym visits, I'd be a lot heavier.
Basically, I need accountability and motivation. I signed up for MFP because I noticed that wearing the Fitbit has worked for continuing the exercise program, so I needed another app to help with the food aspect. I really don't think that total purging of all bad foods will work for me; hopefully being able to have something sweet after dinner should allow me to avoid it during the day.
My A1C has fluctuated between 9.8 (a few years back) to 7.5, but my last lab work came back at 8.5, so I decided to get going on this. I'm really hoping that a daily visit to MFP, along with my Flex will keep me on the right track. Any suggestions would be much appreciated, I obviously am unable to do this on my own.
Thanks!
Hi, and welcome Julie ... did you know that there are no limitations on what diabetics eat as long as it fits into their meal plan? Work up a meal plan with your nutritionist and follow it. Learn, if you don't already know ... how to interpret the nutrtional labels on the foods you buy and get to recognize what a portion of something is ... .... just to share a bit about me, I find I cannot have sweets or packaged treats around because I will overeat on them. So ... when I want an ice cream cone ... which I allow myself to have once in a while, I go out to have it and get a small one. Works for me. Good Luck0 -
Hello all. My name is John and I am new to this group just thought i would stop on in and introduce myself. I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes earlier this week by my doctor which came as a complete shock considering my physical from last week went surprisingly well for me. But the blood work finally came back and there it was type 2 diabetes. It has been rough hearing this news especially since all along I thought I was doing well for my diet but I guess not. It's hard but I am managing the best that I can. Just hoping I can find the motivation to continue on my weight loss journey so I can be on a path to a healthier me.0
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Hi ..My name is Maryann...I am new to the MFP, so am still getting familiar w/ this site. I joined this T2D support group after learning my A1C is 6.4. My Dr recommended I lose 25# in order to prevent or slow the progression of diabetes. I am not on any medications for diabetes at this point. I will have my A1C checked again in dec. I am 62yrs old and weigh 167#. I am fairly active, I am a retired nurse. I am looking for a healthy & easy diabetic meal plan. According to MFP I can consume 1600cal daily. I plan to navigate this website looking for the answers I need. Any advice or suggestions as far as diet will be much appreciated to get me started. Sometimes the information we find, can be so overwhelming and confusing, so thought getting advice from people living it would be helpful to get me on my way. Thanks0
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Hello! I'm finally joining the group after following everybody's posts for about 2 months. My name is Toni and I have been Type 2 for several years (with numbers too low to scare me much). I just retired from 30+ years of teaching. I am now determined to change things around and take charge of my health for the next chapter of my life! I am on Metformin and am hoping with my most recent A1C of 5.4 I can reduce my dosage and maybe one day "treat" this disease with diet and exercise alone. I have about 70 pounds to lose. This seems like a great group. I have learned a lot just by following everyone else's posts. Maybe I can start contributing now. Thanks for the info, advice, and encouragement.0
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Hi Toni.
Saw your post under the fasting BG thread and wanted to offer you a warm welcome to our group!
Congratulations on your retirement, along with the decision you've made to take charge of your health!
Bob0 -
I thought I had introduced myself to this group a long time ago ... but probably just jumped right in without doing so. Therefore, please allow me to do so now.
I love Winni-the-Pooh and the whole Christopher Robin's thing ... so Piglet and he are my profile picture. There are real pictures on my page if you want to see what this fat old lady with Type II who lives in New York State, USA looks like now and on the day she was married.
The highest my AIc ever came in at is 7.5 about 12 years ago ... I'm not even certain if they every tested me for it before then. I've been able to keep it at about 6.2 to 6.5 once I started to take it more seriously and educated myself better on the bodies response to food and how it works. When I was given the sugar water test, my BG shot up to 220 on that super sweet drink, but the doctor classified me as Insulin Resistant. Have I crossed the line to full blown? Yep, it's here to stay.
In my family, this desease runs amok on my mom's side of the line. She had it, and all her children got it. I was the last one to be diagnosed with it.
One of my biggest challenges is that I wake up with higher glucose numbers than I have after dinner and before gong to bed. During the day, it doesn't go hypo but it does drop down to below 100 quite often.
Like many people with Insulin Resistance, I got heavier with time. I can recall that sometimes when we kids were all together with mom that we would use her glucose meter to run a check on ourselves for random sugar readings. Mine was always the lowest but it did start to creep up. I recall the day that it reached 101 for the first time. I was about 30 pounds overweight at that time, and had been having a really hard time of dropping any pounds, plus my figure was starting to really fill out at the waist line a lot. The doctor never associated my figure change with Insuline uptake, and we were all kind of shaped like little apples.
Of course, I didn't make all the changes in my diet that I should have done and thus I kept gaining weight and my medications kept increasing. Finally I got a new doctor and told him I wanted to be very selective about the medication I was on because I kept reading about meds I'd been on before being linked to severe health issues ... like Actos. He has kept me on Metformin but I now take 2000 mg a day of it.
I am working on my weight, nutrition, physical condition, and life habits. I'm also working on bringing down that morning reading to a better level. It seems that when I stop eating at supper time that my readings are much higher in the morning than if I have something to eat close to bedtime, or even in the middle of the night ... but that wreaks havoc with my weight loss attempts.
Any tips on things that worked for others would be appreciated. Also just sharing with other people on here who live with Diabetes II and are trying to reach the same type of goals I am striving for.
See you on the threads.
Niki0 -
Hi, Niki - I'm Toni from TN. I just hit Medicare age and am finally getting serious about my health. Thanks for sharing about yourself. This new format is confusing and I'm a newbie to posting.
- Your story could be mine. So similar. My A1c has never been super high - I never felt too alarmed about my diabetes. I'm on 1500 mg of Metformin and want to reduce it. So far following a 1200 cal diet (doctor "prescribed") while upping my protein and reducing carbs has really helped my BG. My doctor says she is only interested in my 2hr pp level after my biggest meal. Occasionally I test my fasting in the AM. I need to lose about 65 more pounds. So far the weight loss has been slow (even on 1200 cal). Wish I hadn't waited until now to get this off, because Fat over Fifty is stubborn!
- I do water aerobics plus water jogging 6 days a week and do a Yoga stretch class once a week. I've tried some senior strength classes, too, but my shoulders are protesting that. I think this group will help keep me tuned in to my goals and progress. I look forward to sharing tips and encouragement with others.0 -
@tngram2seven ...Hi Toni, thank you for the welcome. Now that we know both of us are interested in this topic, maybe we'll see one another on one of the Discussion topics. The only one that seems to get regular activity is the one about reporting your glucose reading.
Anyone can start a thread discussion and I see several people have put disscussions out there about different topics, but I haven't seen much, if any activity, on them. Perhaps a Group thread just doesn't get the exposure as the topical discussions do. I belong to one such thread ... it's under the category of Motivation and Support and is named "Need to Lose 100 LBS _ Robins Thread".
The focus of that thread is weight loss, not diabetes management ... so I am really hoping this group gets more action on it.
Boy, aren't most of our stories similar?!?
Niki0 -
This group has the potential to be really helpful. I've noticed a big drop in the activity on the threads since this new format began. Maybe things will pick back up soon. Thank you, Niki, for the tip about the "Need to lose...." thread.0
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Hi everyone,
My name is Liz and I was just diagnosed with T2 last week. I guess I've known for a much longer time but I've been avoiding the dr like a plague. I have some issues with my legs and that brought me to the dr and well .. here I am.
I'm currently taking 1500 metformin and will be starting Farxiga 5mg tomorrow. The dr says if I lose weight that I should be able to control what's going on. I'm actually going to a free clinic so even though they are helping me out it is pretty minimal. I don't have a way to track my blood sugar on a daily basis and I wasn't given any sort of guidance other than 'Mediterranean diet is probably good for you'. But i'm a smart person and with the power of the internet and google I think i've come up with a pretty good plan for myself. I'm hoping I can get some good info from this thread and maybe some friends and tips along the way so I don't feel so .. alone .. I guess.
Anyway.. hi
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Welcome, Liz. I'm newer to this thread - not diabetes. I have finally become proactive about my diet. I am seeing how I can control my BG so much better with the healthy choices I am making. Good luck with your journey.0
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Hi, I am Lori. I was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and put on metformin. I see a dietician tomorrow. Type 2 runs in my family. I don't feel prepared to make more changes. I don't have a home meter, I just have lab tests for glucose. I have been feeling less fatigued during the day and I think it may be the metformin. I get tired after meals.
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Hi. I'm Rita, and a Type2 Diabetic. I am currently on Metphormin tablet 500mg to help control my glucose. It's either that, or the insulin shot. My diet and mild working out isn't helping much, so now I take Metphormin twice a day. Yes, I still watch my eating, drink plenty of water because I become so dehydrated/thirsty. I avoid sweets, don't drink, don't smoke, walk as often as I can (living on a mountain has it's disadvantages now that it is hunting-season). Play with my little dog, tend to my woodstove, and have recently joined the Senior Center to meet people and get involved with many other things. I am 61 years old, and a happy grandmother of 4. My two grown daughters are an inspiration and a great support to me.
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