Adjustments to food tracker for diabetics?

dianne1023
dianne1023 Posts: 9
edited September 26 in Food and Nutrition
Good morning. I am fairly new to the site and I am finding that the food tracker is a great tool for me to keep tabs on what I am eating. However, the tracker guides me on how many calories I need to have in a day based on weight, age and weight loss goals. Does this need to be adjusted somehow for the fact that I am diabetic? It says so many grams of sugar per day as part of my plan but I can't imagine that much sugar is good for me. Thanks in advance for all the help, I was justg diagnosed and awaiting my diabetes management class to help make sense of this all.

Replies

  • patio1313
    patio1313 Posts: 169 Member
    I was diagnosed with Type 2 last July and have found this to be very helpful in tracking my carbs...I know that sugar is not good for me so I avoid it when at all possible but the thing that is EVERYWHERE and harder to watch are Carbs and that is what really affects my glucose readings. My nutritionist told me based on my weight and weight loss goals that I should shoot for meals to be between 45-60 carbs each (lower end to lose weight) and then a snack of around 15 or so.

    I have been trying to keep my carbs in those ranges and have found that tracking them on this site have helped ALOT.

    When I was dignosed my a1c was 11.2, three months later it was 6.2, three months after that it was 5.8 (only 1/10 % over the "normal" range) I have my next checkup in about three weeks and if it is back into the normal range I might be able to go off of some meds...

    best of luck, you can do this...Portion control, better food choices and EXERCISE EXERCISE EXERCISE makes a HUGE difference in your glucose. Oh yeah and I cannot stress enough how inportant lots of water is.
  • ikeinmass
    ikeinmass Posts: 17
    I've been a type 1 diabetic for ~ 20 years now and I didn't make any changes from the guidelines. I count carbs though and not sugars because sugars are included in carbs. Since you were just diagnosed I'm sure they will be sending you to see a nutritionist. You should take your guidelines from this site to see if they think you should modify the guidelines. Something else to keep in mind is that your values will change here every time you lose 10 lbs. Feel free to friend me.
  • dianne1023
    dianne1023 Posts: 9
    Thanks for the replies :D

    I found out I have type 2 diabetes when I was in the emergency room for something else, completely unrelated. When the ER doc told me, I didnt want to believe him. I went to my follow up appointment 2 days later with my PCP and sure enough, my a1c was 8.0, which is I understand is bad, but not completely horrible. That put an end to my "denial" phase right there. My PCP put me on 1000mg Metformin a day, and I am awaiting the local hospital to call me to get me set up in a diabetes management class.

    I cant wait to start the class, honestly, this has been overwhelming and I strongly feel the class will break down all the info for me and make it much easier to understand.

    In the meantime, I have completely changed my lifestyle. I am set up here to stay on a diet where I will lose about 2 pounds/week. I stay away from anything pre-fab (pre-packaged), with the exception of yogurt and the like. No more junk. Period. I have found the food tracker to be very helpful. For example, finding out I am using up 12 g of sugar in a lousy 1/2 cup of orange juice in the morning. OMG... who knew? Wow. I can think of better ways to spend that precious 12 g of sugar, like in a banana or a cup of strawberries.

    I also joined a gym and have been exercising regularly. I walk on the treadmill and ride the stationary bike as much as possible, or these days... as much as my feet will let me. They get rather sore and I ended up with blisters after a 4 miles walk :(

    But its been under a week and I am taking the right steps to get this under control. I don't know exactly how I did it, but I lost 4 pounds in this very first week since I was diagnosed. I feel better already, sleeping better, etc.
  • patio1313
    patio1313 Posts: 169 Member
    What I learned from my nutritionist was GOLD...Fruit Juice...You can have but you would be alot better to just eat the fruit and get the fiber that it contains...Bananas...I pretty much avoid because they have alot of natural sugars and not alot of fiber...I usually enjoy a crunchy apple with the peel left on...Gets some fruit and the fiber helps to more evenly distribute the glucose/sugars.

    The one thing that I learned was that LIFE HAPPENS and occasionally you will stray from the straight and narrow and that is ok as long as it is not a habit. I the past 8 months I have gone from an a1c of 11.2 to my last checkup that was 5.8. Now I will find out my 9 month a1c in a few weeks.

    I have found that eating higher fiber, lower carb helps alot and drinking alot of water and like I said in my last post...EXERCISE...Take those carbs and sugars that you ingest at meal/snack time and burn them off...Your glucose levels will look alot better, you will FEEL alot better and you will lose weight.

    This time last year (not knowing yet that I had Type 2) I had just quit smoking and had gotten all the way up to 245 pounds. Now through diet and exercise my weight is down to 189 pounds and my glucose levels are more in control.

    It will help once you have the classes and meet with a nutritionist because when I was diagnosed I thought that I couldn't eat ANYTHING, and then found out that I can eat whatever I want just in moderation with exercise...GOOD LUCK YOU CAN DO THIS
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