Any Type 2 Diabetics out there?

sheilamatt2005
sheilamatt2005 Posts: 12
edited September 19 in Food and Nutrition
Hi all - I was just diagnosed a few weeks ago and am trying to get my blood sugar under control! :angry:

Any tips for controlling carbs and sugars? I will *not* use sugar substitues (they all give me a stomach ache).

Any good recipes for low carb/sugar but still tasty?

I will admit I am a sugar and carb adict who doesn't eat enough veggies but am trying to change my ways...pasta, potatoes, dessert, soda are all my faves!

Any tips for staying good?

thanks so much!!!!!!!! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • gurgi22
    gurgi22 Posts: 182 Member
    I am a type 1 diabetic and have been for 21 years, so I know what you are going through. I would ask your doctor for a diabetic exchange list and try looking at foods that are "Atkins friendly" because Atkins is based off a diabetic diet. Also, if you can see a good nutritionist who can help you planning meals and give you more ideas. Stay away from Glucerna, it is advertised as a diabetic product but I have had many doctors say it is a waste of money and does not work any differently than other regular products. I hope this helps a little.

    **Also make sure you check your blood sugar and have your A1C checked by your doctor religiously. It is very important and can help prevent horrible side effects of diabetes!**
  • adopt4
    adopt4 Posts: 970 Member
    one thing i learned is to find out what does affect me a lot and what doesn't. like i can't eat any pasta or even half a baked potatoe at dinner, my blood sugar would be thru the roof in the morning (but i could eat a whole pie and it'd be fine, LOL).

    my dr has high hopes that mine will go away if i lose some weight... 70 pounds later, still not gone...

    also, when you're diabetic you can also swing the other direction, so eating small meals and making sure to get your snacks in to keep your blood sugar at an even keel, vs. up and down all the time. mine swings dramatically.

    i had to basically give up potatoes and bread and pasta except for lunch or breakfast and in small quantities. other people are affected by sugars, even fruit sugars, so it's a learning process to see what you are sensitive to.
  • faithjobes
    faithjobes Posts: 104 Member
    just make sure you walk everyday and get as close to your healthy weight as you can. strength training also helps alot!
  • tammym1964
    tammym1964 Posts: 11
    I am a type 2 diabetic. I have lost 34 lbs and 6-7 inches off the waistline. I have weaned myself off of (2) diabetic medications and also a high blood pressure pill. I was diagnosed with diabetes at age 30 and hypertension at age 35. I was on meds for 15 years. I finally said enough is enough. They wanted to put me on insullin for several years which I refused. I still eat most of what I always have, however I exercise 30 minutes a day, fast -walk 15 minutes a day and I cut my intake down to about 1250-1300 calories a day. I switch it up sometimes and eat more just to keep my metabolism moving. I could probably lose even more, however I like what I like and won't give it up. My goal is to eventually reach 140-145, but its slow moving now. I will have to step up my exercise a bit to reach it.. But I am pretty happy now, saving money and not filling the drug companys pockets with my money...

    Good luck, you can do it.. exercise it the key to controlling your sugar...
  • diana147
    diana147 Posts: 3
    I am a type 1 diabetic and have been for 21 years, so I know what you are going through. I would ask your doctor for a diabetic exchange list and try looking at foods that are "Atkins friendly" because Atkins is based off a diabetic diet. Also, if you can see a good nutritionist who can help you planning meals and give you more ideas.
    **Also make sure you check your blood sugar and have your A1C checked by your doctor religiously. It is very important and can help prevent horrible side effects of diabetes!**

    [/Stay away from Glucerna, it is advertised as a diabetic product but I have had many doctors say it is a waste of money and does not work any differently than other regular products. I hope this helps a little.
    ]

    I am so mad at Glucerna!! I just started using it and it really does nothing for my blood sugar. I find my sugars higher when I use it than when I don't!! I'm so disappointed in this product. I thought i was the only one. Sorry, I don't know how to use this quote function (lol)
  • azwildcatfan94
    azwildcatfan94 Posts: 314 Member
    A book I really liked, written by a writer with type 2 diabetes was: The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes by Gretchen Becker. No recipes there, but very informative.

    I too was a soda freak. I think getting off coke was one of the hardest parts. For me, I had to find a suitable caffeine. At that point, it was Diet Mt Dew. I just didn't like Diet Coke/Pepsi. Then, I worked toward getting myself off Diet Mt. Dew. Now, I do coffee with artificial sweeteners. I know what you mean about not liking those either. So, I just try to drink less and less every day. Right now, I'm trying to drink "white tea" since it is supposed to be good for you... But, I've never liked tea.

    Anyway, same has been true for foods. I just keep trying to get a little bit healthier with my food choices each day. The first week or so was the hardest. But, you do adjust. I miss potatoes the most. I think brown rice was the easiest adjustment. after avoiding refined sugars, exercise has been the best for helping me control my blood sugar. My last A1c was 5.3!
  • LeanLioness
    LeanLioness Posts: 1,091 Member
    Hi all - I was just diagnosed a few weeks ago and am trying to get my blood sugar under control! :angry:

    Any tips for controlling carbs and sugars? I will *not* use sugar substitues (they all give me a stomach ache).

    Any good recipes for low carb/sugar but still tasty?

    I will admit I am a sugar and carb adict who doesn't eat enough veggies but am trying to change my ways...pasta, potatoes, dessert, soda are all my faves!

    Any tips for staying good?

    thanks so much!!!!!!!! :flowerforyou:

    I am type 2 diabetic and I am living a low carb lifestyle finally!!! I have been doing the low carb yo-yo for years and have only made my diabetes better while low carbing and then worse then eating what everyone else eats.............

    Check out this website for recipes, FANTASTIC recipes!!!!

    http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/
  • LeanLioness
    LeanLioness Posts: 1,091 Member
    Read this article.................
    Does a low-carb diet really help control or even reverse type 2 diabetes? According to a study from Duke University, a very low-carb diet (20 grams or less a day) gave participants better blood sugar control and more effective weight loss than participants who followed a low-glycemic reduced calorie diet.
    Eighty-four people with obesity and type 2 diabetes took part in the study. During the study, both groups also had the supportive benefit of group meetings, nutritional supplementation and an exercise program. After 6 months, the low-carb group had lower hemoglobin A1c results, lost more weight, and 95% were able to reduce or even totally eliminate their diabetes medications. The reduced calorie group did lose weight, and 62% of them were also able to reduce or eliminate their medications, but the low-carb diet group had better overall results.

    "It's simple," says Eric Westman, MD, director of Duke's Lifestyle Medicine Program and lead author of the study. "If you cut out the carbohydrates, your blood sugar goes down, and you lose weight which lowers your blood sugar even further. It's a one-two punch."

    The low-carb diet used in the study is very restrictive on carb intake, with participants eating under 20 grams of carbs a day. This may be difficult for many people to stick to, but as Dr. Westman says, "This is a therapeutic diet for people who are sick," says Westman. "These lifestyle approaches all have an intensive behavioral component. In our program, people come in every two weeks to get reinforcements and reminders. We've treated hundreds of patients this way now at Duke, and what we see clinically and in our research shows that it works."

    Keep in mind that there is more to these results than just diet. Both groups also exercised regularly as well. Diet combined with exercise is the cornerstone of diabetes management. Before starting any diet program, please talk with your doctor, or healthcare provider.

    Source:

    (Jan. 5, 2009). Low-Carb Diets Prove Better at Controlling Type 2 Diabetes . Retrieved February 19, 2009, from DukeHealth.org Web site: http://www.dukehealth.org/HealthLibrary/News/low_carb_diets_prove_better_at_controlling_type_2_diabetes
  • diana147
    diana147 Posts: 3
    Thanks for the site link!! Tonight is grocery night and I was looking for some fresh ideas!
  • gemiwing
    gemiwing Posts: 1,525 Member
    I'm insulin resistant- not to the point of having to take insulin yet. *knock on wood*

    I've never really eaten a lot of white carbs so I didn't have to do much. Plus with other physical ailments I cannot do a low carb/high protien diet. I use metformin ER and it's helped me a lot.
  • sheilamatt2005
    sheilamatt2005 Posts: 12
    thanks everyone! I feel a little better already :smile:
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