Feeling Guilty

carolemorden9

My current HbA1c is 6.0. I do not have a limit on the amount of carbs I can have a day. I've been reading a lot of posts from people who talk about only consuming so many carbs a day to help keep their blood sugars down. This makes me feel guilty because I don't have a limit for myself on carbs. When I eat, I do take into account how many carbs I'm going to eat, and if my blood sugars are at 100 or above, I'll take a shot of humalog between 5 - 15 units depending on how high my blood sugar is and how many carbs is in what I'm going to eat. Lately, I haven't needed to take very much humalog because my lantus and metformin have been doing a good job at keeping my sugars at good levels. I also try and exercise everyday and it helps that I track my calories and have better portion control now than I used to. I still feel guilty though.

robert65ferguson

Carole, nobody should feel guilty about taking medication to help control blood sugars. If that is what is required at the moment then so be it. You said that you did not have a carb target. If you have not entered your perrsonal stats to the system you should do so but remember that the carb targets given by MFP are a tad high for diabetics and should be adjusted downwards. A useful rule of thumb for you might be to aim for a macronutrient ratio of 40:30:30 for Carbs, Protein and Fat. I should add my usual caveat of saying that this is a consensus target and since diabetes is a very individual condition, what works for one person may not work for you. The consensus target at least gives you something to aim for. The suggested ratio is based on 1 gm carb = 4 cals; 1 gm of protein = 4 cals; 1 gm of fat = 9 cals. From this you can work out your individual targets. I hope this helps and that you gain sufficient control to enable you to reduce or even do without your meds. If you haven't yet been on a diabetes education course then I would urge you to do so as soon as possible. The majority of people in this group have found them to be invaluable.

carolemorden9

That is some very good advice. I'm going to work on that. Thanks!

dylansmom87

Hi Carole,
Dont ever feel guilty for taking medicine to help control your diabetes.It is just what has to be done.
Roberts advice is very good. Definatly enter your info in so you can see where abouts your numbers need to be. Everyone is diffferent but when I went to the dietician when i was diagnosed 4 weeks ago she said a basic rule to follow was, keep your carbs to 45grams or under for your meals and 20gr or under for any snacks.So far this is working for me. Ive already been able to bring my blood sugar levels down some.Plus losta few punds so far.

Keep up the great work
Deeann

bdubya55

Hi Carole,

I too, would like to offer you my support, in addition to robert's and dylansmom's wonderful posts. The way I see it, the insulin meds I use are just tools my body requires for optimum and tighter blood glucose control. You should be very proud of your progress so far, since joining MFP, I am.

Your weight loss, in addition to reducing your mealtime meds is huge!, and shouldn't be discounted. That's wonderful progress.

I found two great books that really helped me, and might be helpful to you too, in gaining a better understanding of mastering the art and science of matching insulin to our bodies ever changing needs.

http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Pancreas-Practical-Insulin-Completely/dp/0738215147

http://www.amazon.com/Until-There-Is-Cure-Self-Care/dp/1938170105

I wish you great success as you move forward on your journey.

Bob

carolemorden9

I don't feel guilty about being on medication. I feel guilty because I can have so many carbs and still have good numbers while others seem to work harder for their good numbers. I've been able to lower my medications since starting this program 4 weeks ago, and have lost 14.4 pounds to date. I really enjoy the exercise and tracking what I eat. Thanks for all the good suggestions though!

tonyoconnor129

Ah, that's what I was getting when I read your post.
Don't feel guilty about the fact you can eat more carbs than others can
others can eat. If you can eat the carbs enjoy them.
For me, I was feeling anxious about my
exchange program of 1800 calories a day. As a vegetarian how
in the world am I going to get the protein exchanges I needed,
according to the exchange list, without overloading on carbs.
One of the reasons I'm in the particular shape I'm in right now is
that I gave up trying, and ate my way into needing Metformin,
Onglyza and glimepride. Now the Dr tells me insulin is probably in my future.

Now, I don't know about you, but I am NO GOOD around needles.
Never have been. Never will be. So I found this website, did a little research
and found that some vegetarian recommend 60:30:10 for the mix of carbs protein and fat.
Others say 60:20:20, and I saw one book that said 60:10:30 . Given this info, I
adjusted my goals accordingly. I still use the exchange list to help me plan my meals
and as an aid in portion control, but I use the food diary here to track calories and carbs
in at each meal. I found that by eating a balanced diet and portion control has been a huge help
in taking off some weight (I was at 235 when I started back on the exchange lists, about 2 weeks before
finding this site and fine tuning the plan, 217 now) . My fasting BGL has been steadily dropping, down from
a high of +300 to a 14 day average of 107, and a solid week of under 100.

Also, by keeping my carbs at about that 60% ratio, and eating plenty of beans, legumes and
a wide variety of veggies, raw and cooked I've found that i am getting all the protein I need.

CALIECAT

where do I find where I can change my %\s I want to change mine to 40-30=30. I have look under all stings and can't seem to find it. Thanks

Never mind I found it

djshari

Don't feel guilty! While we struggle with many of the same things we are still individuals. I have learned that fruit spikes some people and others not at all. I kinda learned this from reading people's posts... I have actually seen some diabetics get upset with others saying "you can't eat that!! it's bad... it makes ME spike" which just goes against the whole eat to your meter. If your diet keeps you where you need to be then I wouldn't worry about what other people can or can't eat.

You should be happy - because diabetes is a progressive disease you may not always be able to enjoy foods later that you can now without spiking.