lowering blood sugar

Foxcyclops
Foxcyclops Posts: 12 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Wanting information on lowering blood sugar

Brief history: Doctor told me last year I was about to put the nail called diabetes in my coffin due to my weight and all. I’ve lost 30 lbs so far and soon will going back for a checkup.

What exercises are good for dropping the blood sugar?
What foods are good for lowering blood sugar?
What food should I avoid to not increase blood sugar?
Is there a good information source for finding this out?

Thanks
Andy

Replies

  • _hi_hat3r_
    _hi_hat3r_ Posts: 423 Member
    google it
  • saxmaniac
    saxmaniac Posts: 1,133 Member
    Your blood glucose at any given point should fluctuate between 70 and about 130. 70 when fasting, 130 after a carb-heavy meal. It shouldn't go out of that range very often. But these are just points in time and they are supposed to fluctuate. You can take two readings from the same blood drop and meter, and get a 20-point difference.

    What really matters for your health is your a1c, which is a 3-month average of your blood glucose. When that goes up, you are at greater risk for some complications. Lower the a1c, lower risk for complications. The science on this is very solid (see the DCCCT study).

    The single best thing you can do is it monitor and lower your total carbohydrate consumption, and lose weight. That puts much less challenge on your insulin production and storage systems. There is a very good chance that your a1c will drop dramatically once you do this.

    However, type 2 diabetes can strike people even with normal weight. In that case, the best thing to do is to exercise more to increase your insulin sensitivity. Barring that, oral medications like metformin can raise your sensitivity artificially.
  • Pamela777
    Pamela777 Posts: 66 Member
    Wanting information on lowering blood sugar

    Brief history: Doctor told me last year I was about to put the nail called diabetes in my coffin due to my weight and all. I’ve lost 30 lbs so far and soon will going back for a checkup.

    What exercises are good for dropping the blood sugar?
    What foods are good for lowering blood sugar?
    What food should I avoid to not increase blood sugar?
    Is there a good information source for finding this out?

    Thanks
    Andy


    Hi Andy-

    I'm a type 2 insulin dependent diabetic and the previous post was VERY good info. Just thought I'd add that Dr. Bernstein has a very good book out that I read, which has led me to Dr. Atkins' book. Both agree that low carb is what a diabetic requires. Not everyone agrees of course. Living low carb keeps insullin needs very low - ALL carbs raise sugar levels, protein does, veryyy slowly. I don't eat burgers all day - check out my diary it's open to all. I eat well balanced meals. Sometimes when working outside doing yardwork, I don't require any insulin for my next meal! My insulin intake has gone from 20-40 units per meal to 2-8 units per meal. Significantly lower, and have dropped 5 inches in my waist in 100 days! Of course exercise is really important for making ur body sensitive to insulin, as well as a little help from Metformin. I also take Alpha Lipoic Acid and Evening Primrose (which mimic insulin ). No magic foods or specific exercise - just keep carbs low and do whatever exercise u love. I know u can find both authors online, so u can read it for yourself. Keep this in mind when u hear skeptics about low carb and diabetes - if they cure it the government would be hurting financially, so would the doctors, and pharmacies. I'm not a fanatic lol! It is ur body and ur life do what u believe is in ur best interest! Good luck to u!
  • leslisa
    leslisa Posts: 1,350 Member
    What exercises are good for dropping the blood sugar?

    Walking is the most recommended. Even a 20 minute brisk walk is really effective.
    What foods are good for lowering blood sugar?

    Almonds and strawberries are my fav standbys. Both black and green tea will also make a huge difference but you have to drink a lot. Recently I've been drinking rooibos too (red tea). You can Google, or if you really can't find it, let me know. I'll post some research sites as to why I chose these.
    What food should I avoid to not increase blood sugar?
    sugar of all types, simple carbs (like spaghetti), fruits super high in sugar (bananas come to mind - 2 sugar servings per)
    Is there a good information source for finding this out?

    Yes :smile: . Folks told you to Google it but they didn't really give you guidance.

    My favs are Mayo clinic, Web MD, Livestrong and doing an advance google with .edu as the site. I generally put a lot more weight on the articles and info posted by physicians or done by reputable universities (hence the .edu).

    Best of Luck to you!!
  • Pamela777
    Pamela777 Posts: 66 Member
    I believe u have to educate urself on ur own health conditions. Docs r great, - but no one knows ur own body better than u. Funny thing - if u check out medical studies they find carbs r a diabetics' main problem. But rarely does a doc suggest lowering carbs. U have to find out 4 urself what works 4 u. I am definetly a low carber 4 life since seeing with my own eyes (blood work) how it has affected my own health. I mean dropping my HA1C from 9.5 to 7.2 in 3 months is significant, not to mention bad cholesterol from 305 to 177 in the same time frame.


    I wish you good luck in ur endeavors - nothing like having good health! :drinker:

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