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MyFitnessPal Community

Help for Diabetics

Shelly916

I am fairly new to this still and I am having problems with my sugar dropping! When this happens, I want to eat everything in the house

I can't seem to get this right. I am always under my calories but I have trouble staying in range with the rest (cars, sodium, sugar, etc.) I have quit drinking pop! Any suggestions? I know I really need to eat small meals 6 times a day but I can't seem to figure out how to work 6 meals in. Help! I am ready to give up!

Replies

CyberEd312

Diabetic here (type 2), I eat 3 main meals a day and work in 3 snacks between meals. I track carbs. Proteins, and fats but beyond that nothing else. I drink plenty of water and exercise 6 days a week..... I try to stick to a 40/30/30 split on my macros and my meals are alot of lean meats, veggies,fruits, and whole grains and I work in some discretionary items daily as well..... Just set a plan and work eveyday to hit that plan, track your blood sugars and see what foods effect it more than others.. Best of Luck

Shelly916

I don't exercise because of neuropathy! I am not a meat eater as well. I can eat very little of meat. I am eating much healthier than I was so I guess that's a plus! I just need suggestion on simple meals to eat. Just discouraged today, lol.

Thanks for helping!

BeckiCharlotte13x

I can't help with the 6 meals thing really but to start off, why don't you focus on your calories and then one other macro. After you've got that nailed, you can work out how to be on target for the others.

Shelly916

Thanks I am trying! I will take your advice and see how that works.

H4rpy

There is a Type 2 support group here as well. They're a nice, helpful bunch. :-)

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/1789-type-2-diabetes-support-group

redladywitch

I work on controlling my carbs for each meal. My goal is to not go over 50 for each meal or snack.

Shelly916

Thanks will check that out

Shelly916

My Dr. doesn't want me to have over 60 carbs in a day. So I figure about 16 carbs for each meal and the rest for snacks. It is very hard to stay in that range.

Rowan01

I am also very new to this it happened very sudden and very high, it is complicated but I went from being fairly normal blood sugar no red flags ever to being way over the top in less than a couple of months and it was detected just last week for the first time. Monday I went for some pre op tests and my blood sugar was high by Friday I was in emerg with iv's and Dr.s galore. I am now taking insulin shots once a day but as yet have not been into the diabetic clinic they are trying to work out all the paper work. I am so lost I have no idea what I am to eat or not eat. They said they want the blood sugar to go down slowly for me and not to make drastic changes to my diet right now, but it scares the heck out of me. My blood sugar is 1/2 of what it was on Friday but it is still pretty high. I just want to know what I should eat for snacks my meals seem to be ok. Can I have peanuts or any nuts? Cheese? Crackers? Fresh Fruit? I am nerveous. I was staying around 12. to 12.7 most of this week but today it was 14.2. I must have eaten something wrong last night just not sure what. I had some peanut butter on a whole grain toast. Any ideas for me until I can see someone?

cindyrooney39

Hi I'm fairly new to using the board, so far I have found this site great. Mainly joined because my husband is diabetic (wanted him to have some extra support. Anyway as for having a diabetic husband I also am a nurse and work with diabetics in a specialized clinic, unfortunately I see a lot of nasty complications coming from poor sugars controls. My husbands motivating factor was seeing some nasty foot ulcers. So I would just like to say kudos to you for making a healthy change. Some of my advice to you would be to increase your fiber, that will help stabilize your sugars throughout the day. My own experience from my husband who has a huge appetite and some issues with comfort eating is the small snacks throughout the day, but we also start the day with a vegan protein powder, with some extra flax and hemp and frozen fruit, coconut milk in it blended into a smoothie, that will help boost your protein levels and give you a good shot of fibre for the day, fills you up. For snacks we always try for a fresh fruit or veg, cheese and crackers, nuts are good to. you may want to try to stay away from peanut butter unless its fresh ground(most loaded with sugar) that one alway makes my husband sugars skyrocket. If you can aim for your sugars to get under 10 2hours after eating you should be good. To tight of control of your sugars can be just as damaging. One of the best things I found for my husband is to weigh everything, you would really be surprised at how we all misjudge our portions. Me included(i always thought I was a good judge of portion sizes) I personally think 60 grams of carbs is to low, if you go over stick to unrefined carbs. Weight loss and diet are your best solutions to controlling your diabetes, even a small loss of 5% -10% of your body weight can make a huge difference. Once your meds are sorted out, thing s will look clearer and fall into place.

Shelly916

Thanks and I hope you are right. I have been so discouraged today. I am a picky eater and I'm finding it difficult to stay within my numbers. Overall, I know I am doing better because I have quit pop, went to sugar-free jello, pudding, and applesauce. Hasn't bothered me until today. Still trying because I want to get off of some of my meds. I hope I can figure out some simple meals to fix and stay with my numbers.

cindyrooney39

Don't loose hope, not easy making drastic changes. My husbands biggest vice was pop, once you have things under control you can have the things you love in moderation, but over time you will start to develop new tastes, you will find new healthy things that you will absolutely love, takes a lot of experimenting, its a huge learning process. I have even found my grocery bill has started to go down, not buying any processed foods. Being a new diabetic this is the time to make the changes if you wait to long complications can be irreversible, statistically most diabetics have been so for 5 - 7 years before diagnosis. You mentioned neuropathy that may have been one of you earlier signs, but was just not picked up on, for my husband in his mid 20's doctor noticed sugar was a bit high at times and not others was not officially diagnosed until 10 years later, but that was essentially where it started for him. Been a long road. One bit of advice is try not to fall into some of the fad diets, when your diabetic on insulin you need all of your major food groups in order to function properly and not feel deprived.

GlucernaBrand

Shelly you're making several important changes! It's often helpful when planning meals to start with protein and then add in lower carbohydrate vegetables. Think about meals like stir-fry veggies with chicken, tofu or fish; grilled chicken or lean pork with roasted veggies (my current favorites are asparagus, green beans, cauliflower and broccoli); or a soup with protein such as lentils, black beans or chicken with lots of vegetables. Then you can add a slice of whole grain bread, or a piece of fruit, or 1 cup of sugar-free yogurt or even 1/2 cup potato to the meal. That way you'll feel satisfied, be able to enjoy great-tasting food, and meet your doctor's carbohydrate guidelines. You might ask your doctor for a referral to a registered dietitian who can help you with even more ideas. ~Lynn /Glucerna

MissReena73

Is there any type of Diabetic Association where you live? 70 carbs a day seems way too low, and it might be worth seeing if there is someone who specializes in it that can help. Doctors have a lot of high level information about a lot of things, but can sometimes give incorrect information.

My doctor had me on 90 per day and the local association, who specialize in these types of things, told me that was way too low. I know according to the Canadian guidelines, it is 130 grams per day. The doctor also listed off a laundry list of foods I could never eat again, including most fruits. The association has taught me that you can still eat almost anything, but you have to be careful, and it needs to be in moderation.

I tried changing everything at once and I made myself crazy. I tried eating 6 times a day and testing my blood 4 times a day and keeping under 90g per day of carbs and trying to be more active. It was overwhelming.

I am lucky that my province has a program with a lot of certified diabetes educators, and they have made it a lot easier. I also found some great cookbooks. And there are some local grocery stores that have dieticians that give free classes on reading labels and eating healthier.

I wish you the best of luck. It is very overwhelming at first, and I had days where I didn't want to eat at all because I felt like everything I picked was wrong, but I am getting better with it.

SbetaK

Great site online: http://www.diabetes.org/

Darlekins

Another excellent site http://www.diabetesforum.com/ and bloodsugar101.com

I don't agree with the advice to increase carbs. Your doctor has the right idea. Diabetics need fewer carbs, not more and keeping carbs consistently low will even out your readings.

You said you were experiencing lows. Do you just feel low or is your meter indicating an actual hypoglycemic event (below 60?) What medications are you taking? Insulin and insulin stimulating drugs will often result in lows, so if it's common, check with your doctor about lowering medications

Also read up on reactive hyperoglycemia. You may be experiencing a roller coaster because you are eating too many carbs, not too few.

ferr92

i am new to all this, fitness pal and diabetes, so i have some general questions that i hope someone can help me with.....should i adjust my daily fitness pal recommendations i.e. carbs and sugars for the diabetes? it seems like they are high...