I have Type 2 Diabetes

Hey-
I have been diabetic since I was 5, I will be happy to help you!
Ask your doctor about Byetta; its an injection twice a day BUT it works!! I had major side affects from Metformin. I took Byetta for 2 years and loved it, right now I am on no meds!!! I watch my diet and exercise!! Unfortunately, the winter has helped me pack on a few pounds, but my last HGa1c was a 6.0 so, I'm not doing toooo bad!!!
Let me know what questions you have -
Dina

I have type 1 so I guess I am not much help to you, but what has been posted so far make sense. I don't know what Byetta is but I sure do wish I could get my A1C down to six, man that would feel good.

Are you just recently diagnosed? Basically for a diabetic diet you need to pair Protein with complex carbs. Fruit and bread, etc will effect your blood sugar, where protein and vegetables help maintain it. The idea is to maintain balance as you don't want your blood sugar to jump way high, or get too low. I would recommend eating every 3-4 hours in small amounts. Each meal have some protein and a few carbs--for instance.

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with low fat cheese and vegies, a piece of delightful low carb bread.
Snack: Apple and a cheese stick
Lunch: a sandwich with meat of your choice, two pieces of bread, carrots and celery with dip
Snack: Pistachios (shown to keep blood sugars on an even keel)
Dinner: Chicken breast, Whole wheat spaghetti (measured portion) marinara sauce, parmesan and mixed vegies
snack a small amount of Chocolate covered almonds... My new guilty pleasure!

As you can see it is a basic healthy set of meals. If you keep track of your sugars and your carb intake you will quickly learn what works for you! Just be sure that you avoid the white stuff, sugar and flour...They spike your sugars the fastest.

I met with a dietician when I was first diagnosed with Gestational diabetes (what I currently have) it made a huge difference for me. You may want to ask for a referral just so you know more of what you need!

Best of luck!

Did your doc diagnose you with diabetes and then just expect you to figure it out on your own? I am a type II diabetic. I take metformin and insulin. I was on 4 shots a day, but I have lost enough to come off one of my insulins all together and start taking the other one as needed instead of with every meal no matter what. Anyway, how does your sugar run and what are your eating habits now? Do you know if you are insulin deficient or insulin resistant or both? With diabetes you need to eat 6 small meals a day. My food diary is public if you want to look at it. I keep my carbs between 120 and 150. It was higher yesterday because I at at Olive Garden. I saw a diabetic educator to learn the right way to eat. It gets pretty complicated when you are learning how to eat right. There are "good" carbs, "bad" carbs, fiber and net carbs. I was overwhelmed. You have to watch your carbs, yet eat enough carbs and also combine them with protein. Some of the low carb foods I eat are nuts, seeds, cheese, peanut butter, cottage cheese, some veggies. If you have specific questions feel free to message me. If you haven't seen a diabetic educator yet, I suggest starting there. Don't take anyone's advice on here as "the way to do things". Diabetes is a serious disease and everyone is different. Everyone's treatment is different. What works for me may not work for you. Good luck.

I'm a type 2 diabetic as well. Polo has it down with the amount of carb intakes per snack and meals. I will add that veggies, lean meat, whole wheat and fiber play vital roles in lowering your blood sugar. According to the diabetic exchange, 15g of carbs = 1 serving of carbs = 1/2 cup of juice/milk = 1 slice of toast = 1/2 potato = 1/2 cup of cereal and so on. So, for the main meals of the day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), keep it to 3 servings of carbs. Definitely no more than 4.

Snacks should be eaten 2 - 3 hours between meals to keep your glucose levels stable throughout the day, and should be kept at 1 serving of carbs (15g). Definitely no more than 2.

If you want "free foods" that can be eaten throughout the day between snacks, you can have 1 cup of [preferable low sodium] chicken broth, 2 stalks of celery, coffee [with minimal to no cream, and Splenda - no real sugar], unsweetened hot tea, unsweetened iced tea. As for condiments, mustard, hot sauce, salsa, pepper, are examples of flavorings to add to food that have little to no carbs in them per serving.

Keep in mind that when you're reading food labels and nutrition facts, you have to pay attention to the serving size, as the labels indicate only the amounts of nutritional value PER SERVING. It's very easy to misinterpret those labels for the whole package. Also, invest in a food scale. Measuring out your portions will keep your serving sizes accurate for proper carb control also.

Lastly, exercise and increased water intake will absolutely lower your glucose levels. If you don't already have one, get a glucose meter and test yourself every morning and 2 hours after your largest meal [which is usually dinner for most people] to get an idea of where your blood sugar is throughout the day. Test more often if you'd like, which is preferable to me. Generally an hour after eating smaller meals or snacks will give you a better steady graph of how your progress is going.

The methods are the ones I used for myself, and I'm proud to say that I'm completely asymptomatic of diabetes and I'm no longer on medication. I was initially on insulin when I was first diagnosed because I went into the ER last April for a sudden diabetic coma + acute pancreatitis. Since my pancreas was damaged, I required insulin shots and was put on Glucotrol to stimulate insulin production. By June of last year, 2 months after the initial diagnosis, I had completely turned it around and no longer required medication for it. I'm not trying to be bragadocious about it, but it's to prove that it is possible to reverse the symptoms of high blood sugar. That doesn't mean I'm no longer diabetic because once you have it, it's very easy to go right back to being hyperglycemic again. So, be mindful of your diet, exercise, and drink plenty of water.

I wish you the best of luck with your health.

bump

Welcome! Did you know that many insurance companies cover diabetes education? I think that would be a really good place to start if you haven't already...you can sit down with a registered dietitian and learn all about what to do to manage diabetes!