Hi everybody,
Back again after my first vacation in five years. I took two weeks to be with family, but boy did my diet eat it! I wasn't in control--lots of meals out (which I don't do very much) and not a lot of experience on ordering appropriately. I'm back home-cooking for myself mostly so I know what I'm eating. Any suggestions on how to order appropriately would be appreciated as I have a holiday trip in December and want to do better! Don

Eating out properly is easy for me, but it's probably because I almost never eat at home.

A couple of strategies that might help:
-Ask for substitutes for the carbs (I ask for extra veggies in place of rice or potatoes).
-Watch the low fat and fat free salad dressings. It's better to have real ranch or blue cheese in a smaller quantity than to get low-fat or fat free as those types of dressings often have more sugar to make them taste better.
-Drink water or unsweetened tea.
-At Mexican restaurants I ask for lettuce/diced tomato in place of the rice and beans. Add a little salsa and you have a little salad on the side.
-Share with someone. My wife would always want to share and I would say no back when I didn't care about my calories/carbs. Now we share often and I can have something with carbs, just half of it instead of the whole plate. And the bill gets cheaper.
-If you can't share (dining alone or no one wants the same thing) just cut the food in half and put the rest in a to go box right away.
-when I know in advance where we are eating I try to get online and look up the menu and pre-enter everything into my tracker.
-don't be afraid to ask for more time when you are ordering. At first my wife got annoyed with me because I'd look up stuff to check values (when I was first learning what was safe and what I should avoid). I just kept pushing on that I needed more time. Eventually I got better at locating good options on a menu faster.

If I think of more I'll add them!

WoW! These are great ideas. I would have done better. Thanks, Don

Diagnosed with diabetes on Saturday... currently waiting for my doctor to submit a referral to a endocrinology clinic... as a "stop gap" I am taking 250 mg of Metaformin(?) 3 times/day...

Hello. I am Ron and was diagnosed w/T2D 2 weeks ago. They failed my CDL physical certificate until my numbers go down. Day 1, I was @ 300mg + A1c @ 12.7. 2 weeks later, today I am @ 161mg + A1c @ 8.1. I was put on Metformin x2 and Glipizide x2. I was told I can get my job back after I get my A1c number below 10. I'm not sure how I am progressing in the big picture, but am happy I have kept my A1c below 10. I've been watching my carbs and getting at least 30 mins. of exorcise a day. Mostly walking.
As a truckdriver, it can be very difficult to eat right and get the proper exorcise. Truck companies claim they want you to be healthy, yet give you loads that are so tight, you rarely have time to pull into a rest area to use the restroom much less stop to eat or exorcise. By the end of the day. you're so tired from being thrown around and stress, you just want to lay down and unwind instead of exorcising. So when I get back, some changes will be made. They are going to HAVE to allow me more time during the day to take care of my health needs. As someone who had stayed in shape, outside of age progression, I find my current health situation embarrassing. So I am going into this battle in full force.

Hi my name is Kim. I am Type 2 or T2 as I have learned here today. I was diagnosed 8 years ago and only getting serious this month, this year. My doctor was astounded that my A1C was 13%. I wasn't. I knew I had been eating anything I wanted as much as I wanted. I have cut back with the help of MFP. Making better choices. My doctor currently has me on Janumet and Glimeperide, I have also been walking as exercise and it has really helped. I hope this forum helps as well.

My name is Janell and I have had type 2 for about 10 years; the first 5-6 I kept it under control with diet and now take meds. I am always eager to learn tips from the pros or people who have experienced it.

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 everyone! My name is Stacy. I have recently gotten back on MFP when I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in September. My journey is just beginning and I have a long way to go. Not really sure if I am eating correctly and my fasting blood sugar has been high the past 3 days. I just started testing.
I have seen my diabetic educator and I am trying to do all of the things he told me to do. So right now it's just about trying to get things going correctly. I found this group for support, which I think will really help me out. My pcp did not put me on any medication and my A1C was 6.6 at the beginning of September. My Dr hopes I can bring that number down by December so I won't have to be put on any medication. I have my fingers crossed. At this moment I'm feeling overwhelmed by it because so far my numbers aren't great.
I will keep trying until I get it right
I just wanted to introduce myself and hope to meet some great friends!

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 luck

I have been a T2 Diabetic for about three years and I can't seem to get my eating under control. I have joined so many diets and bought so many books, and I have participated in weight loss contests and online diet bets. As soon as the contest/bet is over, I gain everything back. I am an emotional/stress eater and I might even be a food addict. I am watching what diabetes does to a person because my Mother is really suffering. I don't want diabetes to do that to me. I am depressed, I have no energy, and all I want to do is sleep.

BUT I'M FINALLY GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!! Because this is in MY control. I have 70 lbs to lose and I would like to lose it slowly over the next year while learning portion control, self control, etc. I'm going to log everything that goes into my mouth on MFP, and I'm going to shoot for one hour of activity every single day. I know it might take a while, but I will start feeling better.

I'm starting today.

Good for you!
Boy, do I know what you are talking about! I'm with you on your plan .. except my hour of activity includes common things like straightening up the house or cleaning ... and grocery shopping .... My doctor said the best form of activity for activities sake for me is just to take a walk ... like an hour after a meal around the block or two.

Thank you for responding I will make a note of it so I can tell my doctor...

Let's see if I did this right.. Thank you for responding. This helps a lot.

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, 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 Luck

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. Thanks