Looking for Diabetics.....
PinkSurvivorJen
Posts: 11 Member
Hello! I was diagnosed with diabetes a little over a week ago. I take Metformin in the mornings but I am still having trouble trying to get my sugar in the normal range. It tends to run high. (Not dangerously high, just higher than normal range.) I am just starting my journey of learning what it means to be a diabetic. The hardest part is learning to eat better. As awful as this is, it may just be the motivation I need to lose weight. I am now being forced to pay closer attention to what is being put in my mouth and avoiding the things I shouldn't. This is hard for me because sweets are my weakness.
I am hoping to meet friends on here who are willing to provide moral support, and I would be willing to do the same. I have a wonderful support team at home with my mom and two teenage children. My son has even started looking up recipes that are diabetic friendly for us to cook for dinner. However, it is always nice to be able to talk to people who are sharing the same experience. I especially would like to meet some other diabetics who may be able to share first-hand experience with me to help me learn more about this disease and how to better control it.
I am hoping to meet friends on here who are willing to provide moral support, and I would be willing to do the same. I have a wonderful support team at home with my mom and two teenage children. My son has even started looking up recipes that are diabetic friendly for us to cook for dinner. However, it is always nice to be able to talk to people who are sharing the same experience. I especially would like to meet some other diabetics who may be able to share first-hand experience with me to help me learn more about this disease and how to better control it.
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Replies
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I am a diabetic also, they just increased my Metformin to a 2000 a day and I am working harder to keep it under control it is so hard when you love to bake and eat what you bake.1
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Hi! I'm a type 2 diabetic, diagnosed a year ago. My A1c has gone from 11 at diagnosis to 4.7 at last testing, and I've lost 105 lbs. You're in the right place, you can do this!
There's a type 2 support group on MFP which you might be interested in joining, and I sent you a friend request.3 -
I'm a Type 1, but I use MFP to count carbs for my insulin dosing. I did set a weight loss goal though, and I've lost @40# in the past two years. My doctor told me that improving my diet, losing some weight and most importantly, being more active would all help to improve my health and make my diabetes easier to manage.1
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I’m a lapsed MFP user jumping back in. Just yesterday I was told I have Diabetes. Not a happy camper.
I’m looking for an iOS app like mfp to track my sugars and A1C.
Any suggestions?0 -
Hi, I'm Jenn and diagnosed with T2 diabetes at the end of July/early August. I've also been working on losing weight. In the last week or so I've gotten off track with religiously tracking everything. I'm happy to help motivate and be motivated by others on this same journey.
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It's funny how many people are in the same position in any given day. I was diagnosed with Type II. Luckily my A1C is only 6.9, so no medication yet, but I've started tracking calories and have some made some changes to my diet. Hopefully if I can loose some weight and eat better I'll be able to fend off medication for a while. It's nice to have a group to talk about our experiences. @Carole325 I'm using mySugr on android, but I they have an iOS app too. I like it so far. Simple.2
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Walk! Walk! Walk! And watch your intake, of course.
I was diagnosed in August. My A1C was 6.8 with a avg of 148. I don't take any medications and my doctor queried me on what I was doing. I told her and she said keep doing that. All I was doing was walking and watching my food intake. I haven't cut out anything in my diet, just lowered portions and found substitutes for the really 'bad' things.
Read about the Glycemic Index. It will help you in figuring out what are okay carbs (hate really using the term bad carbs) and better carbs. But, walking is the best.
Feel free to add me.1 -
I ve recently been diagnosed too and put on medication. I was suggested to get a cook book the Michael Mosley 8 week diet.
I have cut out all refined sugars and most carbs. So no rice, pasta,potatoes or bread etc. My pt told me to aim for 1900 cals 50g carb 100g fat and 200g protein. I ve lost 8kg in 2 weeks.
I m planning to do everything I can to get rid of it asap. Pt has got me doing weight training specifically for getting the fat off1 -
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Type 2, and I'll volunteer to be the bad example of the group. A1C was 13 when I was diagnosed about 6 years ago. Haven't been back to the doctor in about 4yrs so not sure where I'm at now. It just got too dam expensive, and it's not like they were telling me anything I didn't already know. I have managed to drop about 70lbs since then, but I'm still fat. Got another 50 to go to make me happy, or another 100 if you buy into the BMI numbers. I'm trying to manage with better eating and exercise but I also have a soda addiction, so I'm trying to bail out my sinking ship with a dixie cup.0
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I was diagnosed with Type 2 exactly a year ago, my A1C was 8% and my fasting glucose was 268 that day. I found a workout buddy and hit the gym, worked up to 5ks and have completed 2 half marathons. My checkup was 2 days ago and my A1C is at 7% and my fasting glucose and all other values are normal. My doc is ecstatic with my progress and lowered the dosage on my meds. She thinks I will be off meds completely as long as I keep exercising and improving my fitness. My advise is take the diagnosis seriously and get moving. The only diet changes I made were to cut down on sweets and switch to diet soda. Exercise did the rest. 5 days a week at the gym is a small price to pay!
Feel free to add me!1 -
YepItsKriss wrote: »jamespatten3576 wrote: »Type 2, and I'll volunteer to be the bad example of the group. A1C was 13 when I was diagnosed about 6 years ago. Haven't been back to the doctor in about 4yrs so not sure where I'm at now. It just got too dam expensive, and it's not like they were telling me anything I didn't already know. I have managed to drop about 70lbs since then, but I'm still fat. Got another 50 to go to make me happy, or another 100 if you buy into the BMI numbers. I'm trying to manage with better eating and exercise but I also have a soda addiction, so I'm trying to bail out my sinking ship with a dixie cup.
You know, there was a time when i was drinking 3L of soda a day... diet pop mind you but still drinking it and trying to wrap my mind around drinking less then what i was seemed ridiculous. Often times what we refer to as addictions when it comes to specific foods is simply just habitual. I enjoy snacks or meals or this activity with soda, soda becomes the center focus of enjoying the other things and thus is directed towards more things in life. Cant watch a movie without soda, can't play this board game without soda, can't wake up in the morning without soda.. etc.
Its not really because you have an addiction you just haven't figured out something else to bring you the same enjoyment. When i found carbonated flavored water, some of them tasted like butt crack but fruit2o and sparkling ice make great ones, i found i enjoyed those just as much as soda. It didnt REPLACE soda, but it was something that brought me joy too that i could alternate and drink less of one vice.
Yeah, I didn't mean addiction in the strictest sense, but it is something I enjoy and turn to when stressed. And it seems like I'm always stressed, coupled with a general lack of will power. I will definitely give the fruit2o and sparkling ice's a shot. Thanks for the tip. I tried the zero waters and they were ok, but I still turned to soda most of the time. The soda is the biggest thing that I let get in the way.0 -
Thank you all for responding. As much as I hate that all of us have this disease, it is nice to know there are others out there who can relate to what I am going through. It's nice to have others to be able to talk to for encouragement and advice. I am currently on Metformin 500 mg. I have been doing pretty good about changing my eating habits and watching my carbs and sugar. There are still things I know I need to eliminate like bread and pasta. My mom and my two teenagers live with me. He has been looking up healthy diabetic recipes to cook. My mom helps with groceries and usually sends my son to do the shopping. I have been trying to encourage him to buy wheat pasta, but he says he "aint eating that nasty stuff." I cut back on my portion sizes and have eliminated soda. My weakness is sweets. I have some sugar free cookies on hand when I get that sweet craving, but I try not to eat too many of them. The hardest thing for me is to get motivated to exercise. I like to get out and walk, but it has been raining here for days now. I have some work out videos to do at home, but it is hard getting myself motivated to do them after working all day. I am proud to say that I have lost about 2 1/2 pounds since my diagnosis, so that's a start. I know I need the exercise, too, though.
I have joined the diabetic support group, as well. I look forward to getting to know you all better.
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I’m a lapsed MFP user jumping back in. Just yesterday I was told I have Diabetes. Not a happy camper.
I’m looking for an iOS app like mfp to track my sugars and A1C.
Any suggestions?
I don't know if they have this app for iOS, but I found one called Medsafe. You can set it up to remind you to take your medicine (which I am bad about), as well as, keep track of your blood sugar readings and other things.1 -
Good job on your weight loss so far! I found that I really needed to find an activity I couldn't make excuses about, in other words not dependent on the weather, going somewhere, knee injuries, etc. so I strongly depended on my stationary bike. As I became more fit I started doing more YouTube videos and eventually joined a gym. I like FitnessBlender, the fitness Marshall, and Bollywood Zumba.PinkSurvivorJen wrote: »Thank you all for responding. As much as I hate that all of us have this disease, it is nice to know there are others out there who can relate to what I am going through. It's nice to have others to be able to talk to for encouragement and advice. I am currently on Metformin 500 mg. I have been doing pretty good about changing my eating habits and watching my carbs and sugar. There are still things I know I need to eliminate like bread and pasta. My mom and my two teenagers live with me. He has been looking up healthy diabetic recipes to cook. My mom helps with groceries and usually sends my son to do the shopping. I have been trying to encourage him to buy wheat pasta, but he says he "aint eating that nasty stuff." I cut back on my portion sizes and have eliminated soda. My weakness is sweets. I have some sugar free cookies on hand when I get that sweet craving, but I try not to eat too many of them. The hardest thing for me is to get motivated to exercise. I like to get out and walk, but it has been raining here for days now. I have some work out videos to do at home, but it is hard getting myself motivated to do them after working all day. I am proud to say that I have lost about 2 1/2 pounds since my diagnosis, so that's a start. I know I need the exercise, too, though.
I have joined the diabetic support group, as well. I look forward to getting to know you all better.
My husband agrees with your son about the whole wheat pasta (and besides it has just as many carbs.) Some options I have found which work for me are soba noodles or spaghetti squash instead of spaghetti - soba is made with buckwheat and lower on the glycemic index so it spikes me less - Zoodles instead of fettuccine, and lentil / chickpea pasta for Mac and Cheese.
Dark chocolate and fruit get me over my sweet cravings. My husband makes me almond milk lattes with cinnamon which are 15 calories and satisfy a sweet craving too. If you don't have a cappuccino machine, you can foam milk in the microwave.
How are you tolerating the metformin? A lot of people have gastric issues with it, but I never did. Plus it's an appetite suppressant which is nice! My doctor said I could go off it since my numbers have improved so much, but I elected to stay on it for the appetite suppressing qualities.
Do you have a blood glucose monitor? For me that was the most essential thing in getting my numbers down. Get one with cheap strips so you are not afraid to test frequently. I like the Bayer Contour next which is a good price on Amazon. Then test after every meal until you know how different foods affect you. You may be surprised - for example I learned that potatoes and fruit don't bother me at all, but rice and flour tortillas are a no go. Different diabetics handle the same foods very differently, so it's essential to test. This is very neglected by doctors, who tend not to advise testing until they put you on insulin. Without a meter you're just floundering around in the dark!1 -
jamespatten3576 wrote: »Type 2, and I'll volunteer to be the bad example of the group. A1C was 13 when I was diagnosed about 6 years ago. Haven't been back to the doctor in about 4yrs so not sure where I'm at now. It just got too dam expensive, and it's not like they were telling me anything I didn't already know. I have managed to drop about 70lbs since then, but I'm still fat. Got another 50 to go to make me happy, or another 100 if you buy into the BMI numbers. I'm trying to manage with better eating and exercise but I also have a soda addiction, so I'm trying to bail out my sinking ship with a dixie cup.
You have my sympathy with the soda, that was my downfall too. I just have to eliminate it completely. It can help if you change some of the habits you associate with drinking it. I used to buy a Coke Icee every day on the way home, so I changed my driving route so it didn't take me past the same corner. My husband, who still drinks it, uses a coozy over his can so I don't have to look at it.
As far as being a bad example is concerned, I guess in a way I was lucky, because I had such severe symptoms when I was diagnosed that I was never tempted to blow it off as just some numbers. My toes and fingertips had numbness, and my vision got severely blurry when my sugar was high. I know for a certain fact that I will go blind and lose sensation if I don't deal with this, which is a strong motivator.1 -
rheddmobile wrote: »
Good job on your weight loss so far! I found that I really needed to find an activity I couldn't make excuses about, in other words not dependent on the weather, going somewhere, knee injuries, etc. so I strongly depended on my stationary bike. As I became more fit I started doing more YouTube videos and eventually joined a gym. I like FitnessBlender, the fitness Marshall, and Bollywood Zumba.PinkSurvivorJen wrote: »Thank you all for responding. As much as I hate that all of us have this disease, it is nice to know there are others out there who can relate to what I am going through. It's nice to have others to be able to talk to for encouragement and advice. I am currently on Metformin 500 mg. I have been doing pretty good about changing my eating habits and watching my carbs and sugar. There are still things I know I need to eliminate like bread and pasta. My mom and my two teenagers live with me. He has been looking up healthy diabetic recipes to cook. My mom helps with groceries and usually sends my son to do the shopping. I have been trying to encourage him to buy wheat pasta, but he says he "aint eating that nasty stuff." I cut back on my portion sizes and have eliminated soda. My weakness is sweets. I have some sugar free cookies on hand when I get that sweet craving, but I try not to eat too many of them. The hardest thing for me is to get motivated to exercise. I like to get out and walk, but it has been raining here for days now. I have some work out videos to do at home, but it is hard getting myself motivated to do them after working all day. I am proud to say that I have lost about 2 1/2 pounds since my diagnosis, so that's a start. I know I need the exercise, too, though.
I have joined the diabetic support group, as well. I look forward to getting to know you all better.
My husband agrees with your son about the whole wheat pasta (and besides it has just as many carbs.) Some options I have found which work for me are soba noodles or spaghetti squash instead of spaghetti - soba is made with buckwheat and lower on the glycemic index so it spikes me less - Zoodles instead of fettuccine, and lentil / chickpea pasta for Mac and Cheese.
Dark chocolate and fruit get me over my sweet cravings. My husband makes me almond milk lattes with cinnamon which are 15 calories and satisfy a sweet craving too. If you don't have a cappuccino machine, you can foam milk in the microwave.
How are you tolerating the metformin? A lot of people have gastric issues with it, but I never did. Plus it's an appetite suppressant which is nice! My doctor said I could go off it since my numbers have improved so much, but I elected to stay on it for the appetite suppressing qualities.
Do you have a blood glucose monitor? For me that was the most essential thing in getting my numbers down. Get one with cheap strips so you are not afraid to test frequently. I like the Bayer Contour next which is a good price on Amazon. Then test after every meal until you know how different foods affect you. You may be surprised - for example I learned that potatoes and fruit don't bother me at all, but rice and flour tortillas are a no go. Different diabetics handle the same foods very differently, so it's essential to test. This is very neglected by doctors, who tend not to advise testing until they put you on insulin. Without a meter you're just floundering around in the dark!
Some days Metformin has not been my friend. I have randomly had diarrhea. I have noticed the appetite suppressing factors so that is a plus. I feel myself getting fuller faster. I have heard that it is best to have light snacks in between meals, but I don't always feel hungry enough to eat one.
I do have a glucose monitor and check myself regularly. My uncle recently gave me some tips on how I should be eating, as far as how many carbs I should be taking in per meal. I am trying my best to eat right and am making healthier choices. I just can't seem to get my sugar where I would like to have it. Most days it is in normal range when I test after meals but there but a lot of times it is higher than it should be. Every morning, though, my fasting sugar is high. Trying to figure out what to do there.0 -
My glucose monitor has been my friend. There are many reasons a glucose reading will be high - beyond food intake. But, if used properly, it can help you along the way. Try not eating carbs too late in the evening. Stick to fats and proteins for dinner and evening snack, if you have one.
Do you know about the Glycemic Index? There carbs out there that are better for diabetics than others. For instance, a sweet potato is better than a russet potato or white potato. The lower on the GI scale, the better it is for us. It is a hit and miss for diabetics. We have to experiment on how different foods react with us. While some can have almost anything in moderation, others can't. I have a friend who is also a diabetic. He is on two or three different insulin shots every day. There are things like breads and pastas that shoot his sugar through the roof. He doesn't react well to them so he stays away from them. I can have them, but in small quantities and have some effect on me, but not like him.
Do you sleep good at night? I noticed that my glucose level would be up in the mornings when I wasn't sleeping well the night before. This happened a few times when I was pet sitting at a friend's house.
Right now, it is important to keep in mind that you are making changes to your body and your lifestyle. That itself will affect your glucose readings. Just keep track of them. Stay your course of losing weight. That's the biggest factor in getting sugar under control. Walk. The exercise will help you on both fronts. CICO - make sure your Calories in are less than your Calories out. Your weight will come off. You're new food habits will get set in place. Keep experimenting with what works for you and what doesn't.
I log my fasting glucose reading every morning in my food notes in my diary here. If they are high for one day, I can look at the day before and know why. If they are high for a few days and my logs don't indicate any reason why, I can know that it is external to my food intake. Then I can look at other possible factors. I will even make note if I know why. This way I always have my numbers with me.0 -
Hello ladies,very happy to know am not alone. I am diagnosed with insulin resistence which means my body attacks insuline. I am on metapgormin 750 x3 times a day. I dont know what to do with my energy level. I eat healthy and followup with nutritionist and endocrino, i exercise at least 30 mins every day. Still cant help feeling down with energy. Do you guys have that?anyone can share their tricks to make it better?0
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