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  • 2t9nty
    2t9nty Posts: 1,572 Member
    Hello Karina - my counsel would be to get the diet under control first, but that is just me.

    I had NAFLD and was diagnosed T2 in 2016. I tried a variety of things, but the only thing I did that seemed to have any impact on my numbers was reducing and carefully monitoring carb intake. I managed to lose weight (which was part of my plan), and that helped too. BG numbers went down and so did liver enzymes. I still take a BP med and a statin, but I am off the diabetes meds with A1C's in the 5's.

    Take care and let us know how things go.
  • MargaretYakoda
    MargaretYakoda Posts: 2,113 Member
    Hi, I'm Karina and I've had T2 Diabetes for a few years now. I'm struggling. I am 4'11" and 193 pounds. My A1C is 7.5. I take metformin 2x/day and 25 mg. Jardiance. My dr. wants me to get down to 6.5, so I need encouragement. I'll do well one or two days with my food, then I rebel and eat what I want. It's crazy. I don't exercise but want to walk my dog and USE my subscription to Sworkit (exercise app). I have fatty liver, high blood pressure, cholesterol/triglyceride problems, and depression/anxiety (well controlled). So lots of things on my plate, but I'm not feeling sorry for myself too much. I'm anxious to see what everyone else does to bring this under control. I just made appointments with a podiatrist and dietitian. Should I see anyone else? Who should be on my "team"?

    Mostly, youshould be on your team.

    You say you do good for a couple days, then “go crazy”

    I assume you’re logging all your foods?
    Are you restricting too much and then binging?
    Are you missing favorite foods?
    Are you an emotional eater?

    These are things you need to consider carefully, and then find a way to manage.

    I learned by logging everything that I have a tendency to under eat, and then binge because I’m starving. Realizing I need to make sure I get enough, every day, at specific intervals throughout the day has really helped me.
  • robyn9833
    robyn9833 Posts: 27 Member
    edited August 2021
    Hello

    I was diagnosed with T2 around 2007. I had great control with diet and exercise until I had my son in 2009.

    I live in the UK, so some of my medicines might have different names than yours!

    I take Sukkarto (that's metformin), alogliptin (no idea what the US equivalent might be if there is one) and am about to add semiglutide.

    Until recently the NHS, in its infinite wisdom /s, decided T2s didn't need to check their BGL if they weren't on insulin. I have no now had a meter again for a whole month!

    Unfortunately, the meter is showing how bad my BGL actually is. This is making me grumpy. But I am trying to lose a few pounds (also making me grumpy) and I decided to join y'all.

    The one thing I am looking for right now is low carb breakfasts! Peanut Butter on brown toast has done it for me for years. Not any more!
  • 2t9nty
    2t9nty Posts: 1,572 Member
    robyn9833 wrote: »
    Hello

    I was diagnosed with T2 around 2007. I had great control with diet and exercise until I had my son in 2009.

    I live in the UK, so some of my medicines might have different names than yours!

    I take Sukkarto (that's metformin), alogliptin (no idea what the US equivalent might be if there is one) and am about to add semiglutide.

    Until recently the NHS, in its infinite wisdom /s, decided T2s didn't need to check their BGL if they weren't on insulin. I have no now had a meter again for a whole month!

    Unfortunately, the meter is showing how bad my BGL actually is. This is making me grumpy. But I am trying to lose a few pounds (also making me grumpy) and I decided to join y'all.

    The one thing I am looking for right now is low carb breakfasts! Peanut Butter on brown toast has done it for me for years. Not any more!

    Welcome to the group.

    I found that monitoring my BG and limiting carbs were what I needed to do to get my glucose under control. I am currently off diabetes meds. The meter gave a lot of reinforcement for good behavior and a reminder when I was not so careful.
  • artgoddess
    artgoddess Posts: 25 Member
    Hello all,

    At my husband's most recent appointment with his MD they are putting him on insulin to control his diabetes. We have not been great at controlling his eating. My account here is old, but I'll be asking him to set one up as well so we can track his foods. I'm hoping he will not be in insulin long term if we can get his diet better managed.
  • 2t9nty
    2t9nty Posts: 1,572 Member
    artgoddess wrote: »
    Hello all,

    At my husband's most recent appointment with his MD they are putting him on insulin to control his diabetes. We have not been great at controlling his eating. My account here is old, but I'll be asking him to set one up as well so we can track his foods. I'm hoping he will not be in insulin long term if we can get his diet better managed.

    Crossing my fingers for you folks...
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,030 Member
    schen503 wrote: »
    Hi, I'm Sandy. I was diagnosed with T2 in 2006. My doctor wants to me an injection to control my A1C, and she told me to think about the surgery, because I'm overweight all my life. I asked my doctor to give me 3 months to bring down A1C from 8.1 to 7. I'm addicted to carbs, and I don't like to cook either. Please help! Thanks in advance.

    Hi Sandy! To lose weight, first start by weighing and logging everything for one week without trying to change, then take a good hard look and see where you're at. If you don't like to cook, we need to figure out how you can eat better with minimal cooking! Tell us some of your favorite foods and we can think about this.

    Just fifteen minutes of intense exercise a day will make a huge difference in your insulin resistance. If you can schedule your exercise after meals, even better because it will bring your levels down. Even ten minutes is better than no minutes! Find something you can do rain or shine, no excuses, and just start. YouTube dance videos, swinging around water bottles while watching TV, anything.

    As far as bringing your A1c down, how often do you test? The approach I used to bring mine from 11 to 4.7 was what's called eating to the meter. Get a blood glucose meter which has strips inexpensive enough that you aren't afraid to use them often, and test after every new food, until you learn how many carbs of which kinds you can tolerate. For example I can eat quite a bit of pasta and fruit but rice and tortillas are poison to me. This varies from person to person so testing is essential. When you see your levels are too high, go immediately and do some exercise to bring them down - fifteen minutes of hard cycling on a stationary bike will drop my levels from almost 170 to about 80, and when I don't have access to my bike, bodyweight squats work well. Even walking will bring them down faster than nothing.

    Eventually you will learn what works for you. For example, if I test after dinner and find my levels are in the 120 range, I know now I can wait an hour and eat some dessert (usually fruit or cheese) and be fine - if I ate it right away I would have a spike. Or if my levels are below 100 I can go ahead. If I have messed up and miscalculated I can exercise and bring them down.

    Keep posting, there are lots of helpful people here!

    :)
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,030 Member
    2t9nty wrote: »
    robyn9833 wrote: »
    Hello

    I was diagnosed with T2 around 2007. I had great control with diet and exercise until I had my son in 2009.

    I live in the UK, so some of my medicines might have different names than yours!

    I take Sukkarto (that's metformin), alogliptin (no idea what the US equivalent might be if there is one) and am about to add semiglutide.

    Until recently the NHS, in its infinite wisdom /s, decided T2s didn't need to check their BGL if they weren't on insulin. I have no now had a meter again for a whole month!

    Unfortunately, the meter is showing how bad my BGL actually is. This is making me grumpy. But I am trying to lose a few pounds (also making me grumpy) and I decided to join y'all.

    The one thing I am looking for right now is low carb breakfasts! Peanut Butter on brown toast has done it for me for years. Not any more!

    Welcome to the group.

    I found that monitoring my BG and limiting carbs were what I needed to do to get my glucose under control. I am currently off diabetes meds. The meter gave a lot of reinforcement for good behavior and a reminder when I was not so careful.

    B)
  • aishmartin
    aishmartin Posts: 468 Member
    steelrod1 wrote: »
    Good day all:

    Kinda new here, I've recently been diagnosed with diabetes. I'm an older man with a lifetime of being active. Several years ago, I had a set back, life. Now all alone on my own struggling with depression and well just Life in general. I'm about 30 days into this Diabetes thing and initially kinda scared me. I'm learning as I go, have some guidance and trying to log all my foods and exercise. This seems to keep me " plugged " in. Doing ok so far, some days are harder then others.

    Anyway just looking for others in the same boat for tips on fitness, food and general information. Have a great weekend everyone oh and Go Buckeyes.

    Hi Steelrod!

    I'm sorry that you've been diagnosed with diabetes. It's good that you're researching and reaching out to others to learn about the disease, though. I should have done that a decade ago when I was diagnosed, but didn't. It's completely understandable that you're a bit scared; it's a scary thing and has scary consequences.

    I'm always looking for others on MFP who are diabetic, as well. Would you like to be friends? I'll send a request. I just got back on MFP after being away for over a year. This time, I'm focusing on my sugars (I'm type 2) rather than on losing weight. Of course, I'd love to lose weight, but it's not good for me to focus on it.

    And, yes, go Buckeyes!

    Aisha (pronounced "eye-sha")
  • Diabeticdiva69
    Diabeticdiva69 Posts: 4 Member
    Hi My Name is Sheila I'm 53 type 2 Diabetic I need to lose at least 60 pounds recently had to have a hysterectomy due to cancer now cancer free but need to lose weight and get my A1c back down my last one was 5.9 it is going up instead of going down anyway I am also looking for diabetic friends
  • 2t9nty
    2t9nty Posts: 1,572 Member
    Hi My Name is Sheila I'm 53 type 2 Diabetic I need to lose at least 60 pounds recently had to have a hysterectomy due to cancer now cancer free but need to lose weight and get my A1c back down my last one was 5.9 it is going up instead of going down anyway I am also looking for diabetic friends

    Are you on meds? I think most doctors are happy to see a 5.9 for a T2 diabetic, but who knows?
  • ZoneFive
    ZoneFive Posts: 570 Member
    edited October 2021
    I'm Ann-Marie. I was diagnosed T2 in . . . 2015? 2016? Somewhere in there. The doctor who diagnosed me was a sweet man, but simply told me I was diabetic and put me on Metformin. I was left to find out what I needed to know by myself, and because I was terrified of the whole idea of diabetes, I ignored it for as long as possible. Took my Metformin, ate what I'd always eaten, and figured the meds would take care of it. It took me two years to actually request a glucose meter from that same doctor, and that was a huge eye-opener for me. I cleaned up my act food-wise, started to walk a lot and swim at the high school pool, and got my A1c down from 7.9 to 5.4. I was pretty pleased with myself.

    Then we moved. I started going to the (new) local high school pool and tried to get on track again. Then I blew out my knee and walking came to an abrupt halt. My good eating went foom. We had a flood in the new house and I needed to be home for the reconstruction guys. Then came COVID; the pool was closed and walking wasn't happening.

    In August of 2020 I developed a very bad case of cellulitis and was hospitalized for 10 days. They had me on 11 different antibiotics, both oral and intravenous, plus steroids for a lovely purple-spotted rash that some of the antibiotics gave me. My blood sugar skyrocketed and the doctors prescribed insulin to go with the Metformin. I just got more and more depressed.

    In June of this year I started seeing a new doctor. We talked about diet and exercise and changing me over to Trulicity (diaglutide) instead of insulin. The Trulicity has the (to me) miraculous effect of lowering my appetite and helping me to realize that I feel full sooner than I would have previously. I've been making a real effort to eat more vegetables, grains and fruits. I'm starting to lose weight.

    This is a pretty long introduction. But I joined the group today because @MargaretYakoda and @rheddmobile posted about "eating to the meter" in this thread. I've wondered how to find out exactly which foods spike my BG, and now here it is. I've stocked up on test strips and lancets, and I'm beginning a long N=1 experiment. I hope this will give me some of the information I need to get and keep my A1c down.
  • 2t9nty
    2t9nty Posts: 1,572 Member
    Tracking the diet and the glucose readings is going to be very helpful for you as you get this sorted I claim. It was for me.
  • tinaBawesome
    tinaBawesome Posts: 92 Member
    Hello, I'm new - received a referral to this group from a member that reached out to me, on a post I made about "Managing my Diabetes Type 2". Thank you. I appreciate that. My name is Tina. I live in southern Wisconsin and have been searching for local Workshops, Classes, Events, etc. in my area without success. I was Pre-diabetic in 2019. So I started changing my foods and exercising more. Yet 2020 comes and here it's full blown DB2. To be honest, I was upset. I thought if I started changing my patterns, then I wouldn't get this and here I am. I'm actually Really Clueless to this Diagnosis. I need all the HELP I can get. I understand we have to watch our foods, portions, exercise, stress levels, sleep patterns, etc. This isn't enough information for me though. I have a Primary Doctor that diagnosed me. He told me the "basics", but kinda left me hanging. He mentioned a "Diabetes Nutritionist" and people online have told me to ask for an "Educator" instead, I guess it's all about the "wording". All I know so far, is that my health insurance covers only a very small % for this. So, my Primary tells me to Research for Myself Online. Yes, there's tons of info. out here, but much is so Overwhelming to me. Blood Sugars for example. These are super confusing to me and I just bought a Compact kit at Walmart the other day. It's trying to figure out When to do this, How Often, What the actual Numbers mean and so on. Next, I need actual Meal Plans and Recipes. I'm not good in the Kitchen. I really don't even like being in there or around Food for the most part. It discourages me and I have been on a steady weight-loss since January. It probably doesn't help that I'm either nauseous most days and vomiting every few. My doctor has yet to figure out WHY this is happening, for well over a year now. I'm a hot mess. I mean, yes I am hot all the time too and really dry, no matter How much Water I drink, sadly. Sorry this is so long. I feel like I can finally get this off my chest and many can relate to me, maybe?
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    edited October 2021
    Hello, I'm new - received a referral to this group from a member that reached out to me, on a post I made about "Managing my Diabetes Type 2". Thank you. I appreciate that. My name is Tina. I live in southern Wisconsin and have been searching for local Workshops, Classes, Events, etc. in my area without success. I was Pre-diabetic in 2019. So I started changing my foods and exercising more. Yet 2020 comes and here it's full blown DB2. To be honest, I was upset. I thought if I started changing my patterns, then I wouldn't get this and here I am. I'm actually Really Clueless to this Diagnosis. I need all the HELP I can get. I understand we have to watch our foods, portions, exercise, stress levels, sleep patterns, etc. This isn't enough information for me though. I have a Primary Doctor that diagnosed me. He told me the "basics", but kinda left me hanging. He mentioned a "Diabetes Nutritionist" and people online have told me to ask for an "Educator" instead, I guess it's all about the "wording". All I know so far, is that my health insurance covers only a very small % for this. So, my Primary tells me to Research for Myself Online. Yes, there's tons of info. out here, but much is so Overwhelming to me. Blood Sugars for example. These are super confusing to me and I just bought a Compact kit at Walmart the other day. It's trying to figure out When to do this, How Often, What the actual Numbers mean and so on. Next, I need actual Meal Plans and Recipes. I'm not good in the Kitchen. I really don't even like being in there or around Food for the most part. It discourages me and I have been on a steady weight-loss since January. It probably doesn't help that I'm either nauseous most days and vomiting every few. My doctor has yet to figure out WHY this is happening, for well over a year now. I'm a hot mess. I mean, yes I am hot all the time too and really dry, no matter How much Water I drink, sadly. Sorry this is so long. I feel like I can finally get this off my chest and many can relate to me, maybe?

    Okay, you need some help! I’ll try my best. I’m sorry your primary isn’t more use.

    First, about testing and numbers. Normal before eating is under 100 but up to 130 is considered “controlled” for a diabetic. After eating, normal can be up to 140 but controlled is up to 180. Since anything over 150 is damaging your nervous system at that exact moment, you really don’t want to go that high, though.

    For starters, test every morning to get a baseline, then test after meals - about two hours after eating at first, then vary it a little to see the effect. For example my blood spikes about 45 minutes after eating and goes back to normal by two hours usually, while some people have delayed spikes hours after eating. For starters though, try every morning, after meals, and before bed. If you regularly eat the same meals and start to see a predictable pattern, you can start testing less. It will cost a lot at first but before long you won’t need to test as often.

    As far as diet, start logging in MFP and keep an eye on the carbs column. You can subtract fiber (which isn’t digested) from carbs to get net carbs. Start by keeping net carbs under 45g per meal, and if that is giving you high numbers, go lower.

    I saw in the other thread your bg was almost 500. That is very dangerous and no wonder you are nauseated and vomiting. Do you also have blurred vision or tingling in your extremities? Anything over 500 you should go immediately to the ER.

    It’s also worrisome that you went from prediabetic to severe diabetes while trying to watch your diet and exercise. It makes me concerned that you may have something other than just diabetes type 2. Look up LADA, or late onset type 1 diabetes, which is caused by an immune reaction, not lifestyle. Doctors are famous for misdiagnosing lada and since it sounds like yours isn’t paying much attention, you need to ask how your doctor has ruled out lada in your case. We had another poster here who had similarly high numbers with no lifestyle based explanation and she turned out to have pancreatic cancer. I don’t want to scare you, but in order for treatment to work you need to have the correct diagnosis first.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    btw feeling hot all the time and really dry is a sign of your blood glucose being high. In fact diabetes means “siphon” in Greek because ancient Greek physicians noticed that diabetics drank water and peed all the time. What is happening is your body is desperately trying to filter sugar out of your blood through your kidneys. When you notice this happening, drink lots of water, and try to help the process along.

    Have you noticed your skin smelling different? That’s another sign of very high sugars. When I was first diagnosed I thought the palms of my hands smelled like pears, and my arms smelled like bread!

    “Safe” foods for when you feel bad have zero carbs and lots of fat. Try eating meat or fish, see if it helps.
  • 2t9nty
    2t9nty Posts: 1,572 Member
    Hello, I'm new - received a referral to this group from a member that reached out to me, on a post I made about "Managing my Diabetes Type 2". Thank you. I appreciate that. My name is Tina. I live in southern Wisconsin and have been searching for local Workshops, Classes, Events, etc. in my area without success. I was Pre-diabetic in 2019. So I started changing my foods and exercising more. Yet 2020 comes and here it's full blown DB2. To be honest, I was upset. I thought if I started changing my patterns, then I wouldn't get this and here I am. I'm actually Really Clueless to this Diagnosis. I need all the HELP I can get. I understand we have to watch our foods, portions, exercise, stress levels, sleep patterns, etc. This isn't enough information for me though. I have a Primary Doctor that diagnosed me. He told me the "basics", but kinda left me hanging. He mentioned a "Diabetes Nutritionist" and people online have told me to ask for an "Educator" instead, I guess it's all about the "wording". All I know so far, is that my health insurance covers only a very small % for this. So, my Primary tells me to Research for Myself Online. Yes, there's tons of info. out here, but much is so Overwhelming to me. Blood Sugars for example. These are super confusing to me and I just bought a Compact kit at Walmart the other day. It's trying to figure out When to do this, How Often, What the actual Numbers mean and so on. Next, I need actual Meal Plans and Recipes. I'm not good in the Kitchen. I really don't even like being in there or around Food for the most part. It discourages me and I have been on a steady weight-loss since January. It probably doesn't help that I'm either nauseous most days and vomiting every few. My doctor has yet to figure out WHY this is happening, for well over a year now. I'm a hot mess. I mean, yes I am hot all the time too and really dry, no matter How much Water I drink, sadly. Sorry this is so long. I feel like I can finally get this off my chest and many can relate to me, maybe?

    Okay, you need some help! I’ll try my best. I’m sorry your primary isn’t more use.

    First, about testing and numbers. Normal before eating is under 100 but up to 130 is considered “controlled” for a diabetic. After eating, normal can be up to 140 but controlled is up to 180. Since anything over 150 is damaging your nervous system at that exact moment, you really don’t want to go that high, though.

    For starters, test every morning to get a baseline, then test after meals - about two hours after eating at first, then vary it a little to see the effect. For example my blood spikes about 45 minutes after eating and goes back to normal by two hours usually, while some people have delayed spikes hours after eating. For starters though, try every morning, after meals, and before bed. If you regularly eat the same meals and start to see a predictable pattern, you can start testing less. It will cost a lot at first but before long you won’t need to test as often.

    As far as diet, start logging in MFP and keep an eye on the carbs column. You can subtract fiber (which isn’t digested) from carbs to get net carbs. Start by keeping net carbs under 45g per meal, and if that is giving you high numbers, go lower.

    I saw in the other thread your bg was almost 500. That is very dangerous and no wonder you are nauseated and vomiting. Do you also have blurred vision or tingling in your extremities? Anything over 500 you should go immediately to the ER.

    --snip--

    This pretty much sums up my counsel. You want to get a grasp of what the BG numbers are doing and log everything to understand what is going on. In terms of recipes, you are welcome to friend me - my diary is open to friends. It is not the most exciting diary, but it manages my glucose numbers. I mostly have bacon and eggs for breakfast, leftovers for lunch and grilled/roasted meat or fish for supper with a leafy green, broccoli, or cauliflower maybe. I make cole slaw and like that a lot.

  • tinaBawesome
    tinaBawesome Posts: 92 Member
    @rheddmobile I have never heard of LADA before, but sounds VERY SCARY. My last A1c was calculated at 384 (not 500) but closer to 400. Either way, probably not good, right? At least according to my Ob/gyn, she was worried for me. So that's what I get confused about. Are people checking this A1c or bg=blood glucose right? Then how do you know which Monitor to get? I mean one that works really well, especially for beginners like me. This us probably why my Primary told me NOT to worry about testing right now, because I'd be confused, but now my Ob wants me to check. I'm frustrated, but I also don't feel good, so....
  • tinaBawesome
    tinaBawesome Posts: 92 Member
    @rheddmobile I forgot to add that YES, I currently have the tingling usually in my feet and Yes, my vision has been off, getting blurry at times. I just have so many more health problems going on too, that I think I overwhelm my own Primary Doctor. 🤷‍♀️ At least he always acts overwhelmed when I'm there to see him.