Welcome ~ Please Intro.
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Hi Farrah, you start with a great advantage in that your'e young and you have most of the knowledge you need in terms of diet. You say that you just need the incentive to start taking control. Joining MFP and joining a Diabetic support group on MFP is a brilliant first move. The programme does work as can be confirmed by the members in this group.Take your time to look at the various boards and get a feel for the areas you need to work on. What the group cannot give you is to incenitise you to action. That bit must come from within yourself. You've seen what Diabetes can do, you have the theoretical knowledge, you have your whole life ahead of you. You can read for yourself on this site that it is possible to gain a really good level of control and begin the journey to a helathy and active life style. Only you can decide if you're worth it. I wish you well on your journey to health and a good future.0
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@jahsshh-I'm glad you found us. Getting control of your BG will make your energy level so much better and so will losing weight. I have some suggestions about your fluctuating BG. First off, you've lost a lot of weight and you may need to adjust your insulin levels. Your body may need less meds now than it used to. A good way to figure this out is to test often. Test after you eat (when depends on your body, most people it's 2 hrs after you start your meal), after you exercise, when you get up, before bed, pretty much all the time. You will start seeing patterns emerge. What different foods do to you, what different med doses do to you, what exercise does to you. MFP makes it easy to track your carb intake and you can note your BG in your menu (make a personal item in your foods and put your BG reading in it). It sounds like your problem is that you are chasing lows with sugar then rebounding into a high. You may need to go see your dr. or educator to help you refigure your correct insulin dose. Keeping your carb intake pretty steady can also help this.
@farrolei-Welcome. The thing that often keeps me going is I picture diabetics I've known who have had to have amputations. I don't want to lose my limbs or become so sick that I have no quality of life. I was diagnosed at 34 and know I have a long time to go. I want to see my grandchildren and be able to retire with my husband and do stuff. Sometimes, even when we know what to do it is overwhelming. Try making one small change at a time. That might be paying a lot of attention to reducing offending foods or maybe eating more vegetables, or maybe try to take a walk every day. If your goal is small you will find it easier to get there and then you can move along to the next goal. We are always here to support you so come back often.0 -
Hi everybody,
I'm a 56 year old male who was recently diagnosed with type II diabetes. I was (on that day) about 50 lbs over the weight recommended for a person of my age/height/build on the Met Life standard. Basically, I have a belly and get less exercise than I should. So when I went for an annual physical, the doc said that my urine exam was 117 for glucose. They did a quick blood test and I was at 230! So he said, "you have diabetes," and then the onslaught of feelings, learning, etc.
I'm kind of obsessed right now with "counting carbs" and following my eating with the aid of this app on my Android! So far, really good results. But I am not at ALL good with knowing what amount is a cup of this or 550 milligrams of that! I need to train myself a bit more on that whole portion size thing. I like the 9-inch plate thing. I live with another diabetic, someone who has been dealing with the disease, including insulin, for 40 or 45 years. So I learn like dogs learn -- by watching older dogs! Thank God, at this point I don't have to use insulin, but I do use Metformin.
So at 56, I'm changing lifestyle and I'm glad other people with this diagnosis are out there.
Good luck everyone. Don't give up.
Paul0 -
Hi Paul, you are off to a great start with the realisation that we are engaged in a change of lifestyle and are not on a diet. You've also got it when you say that the best way to learn is from others. We're all different , have different starting points, and different incentives for wanting to gain control. What unites us is our common desire to achieve and then maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. Like yourself I am Type 2 diagnosed last October and currently controlling through diet and exercise. You make a very valid point that under pinning everything is the need to measure and record everything we eat. MFP has proven a lifeline to so many of us and the diabetic support groups on the site have many members willing to share their experience with those of us recently diagnosed. There are a number of websites dealing with conversion tables for those of us who use imperial/metric measurements rather than the US cup system used by our friends across the pond. I'm glad you find the MFP site helpful and wish you well in your quest for a healthier life.0
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Hi Paul,
What Robert said. He's such a great welcome wagon.
Learning to figure out the size of a serving is tough. It is a pain but I used to measure and weigh everything. I eyeball a lot now but periodically will check to make sure I'm staying pretty close.
It takes time to get used to this but eventually you do and often times you will be healthier than you would have been without the diabetes.
Welcome to the club no one wants to join. Sorry you had to find us but glad you did.0 -
Hi All,
Thought I'd join in the fun..... Type 2 been diagnosed for approx 3 years now... 37.
Just started injecting Byetta as well as 3*850mg Metformin and 1*100 Sitagliptin, 1* 267mg fenofibrate a day.
Always struggled with my weight and have found for the last year or so that I had Gliclizide instead of the Byetta that loosing weight seemed to be almost impossible. Went from doing a half marathon 2 years ago to getting tired walking to the shops!
Seem to be getting slowly back on track now though.
James0 -
Welcome James. I'm sure you'll be back to running in no time. I have found that different drugs do different things to my energy level. Also higher BG can make you really tired. And really low BG can make you tired. OK, whenever your BG is sort of messed up you can be tired.0
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Hi, my name is Laurie and I am a newbie here to this site. I am 53 and live in Wisconsin. Been Type 2 diabetic for just over 10 years. Also have familial high cholesterol and hypothyroidism. I take more pills than I care to think of. Only thing I take for diabetes is Metformin. I was doing pretty well with my numbers but then life took one of its many twists and I fell off the wagon of testing and taking meds. While my numbers when in the tank, I did manage to lose about 10 pounds during that time. Not a clue how I did that.
So I am now back to being a good patient. I met with the dietitian who told me about this site. Taking my meds and watching what I eat. So far numbers have been pretty good. I hope to learn a few things here.0 -
Welcome Laurie. Glad you are getting back on track. Living like this can be tough. I was diagnosed nearly 15 years ago and have had times that I just ignored everything. Eventually I always get back to watching what I eat and testing because I know I have to. Now I just seem to have a day here and there that I ignore things.0
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Hi Laurie, welcome to this group where you will find lots of encouragement and really sound information from some really caring people. Take your time to look at the various boards and get a feel for the group. We are all in this together and that is a mark of our strength. It will take time but it will happen if you persist and are honest with yourself.0
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Hi my name is Amy I am a stay at home mom now of three kids ages 13,12,and 10.I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes a few months ago along with neuropathy in my legs and hands after a year of going to doctors who said nothing was wrong but severe sprains.We finally found a doctor who did the correct tests and found the problem.I am now on metformin er,capoten,and lyrica daily which the side effects are still coming and going when theyw ant to.The dr also put me on migraine pills to control the migraines that have cropped up even worse from the new meds.He put me on the 1500 calorie a day diet in order to get me into the target weight for my size.And let me tell you the diet plan is worse than the meds I have to take daily lol.I have always eaten healthy and have made sure my family does also but the diagnoses opened up a whole new playing field on the foods you can and can't eat.My husband has shown me 100% support and at times I want to smack him since he checks everything I put in the buggy at the store but I know he's doing it out of love.The day we found out we sat our kids down and explained to them just what was going on and how some days mom just wouldnt be up to being supermom due to the tiredness and other effects the meds have on me.They have been real troopers from day one and try to help as much as they can.I am a researcher of everything so I have surfed the web and read every book I can get my hands on but would love to hear about other tips and tricks others have used or have that might help.I know it's not my fault on the days I can't do as much as I used to but there is always a little tug of guilt that it's my fault even though I know it's not.The doctor said mine was hereditary since it runs rampant in my family and I was the one who drew the short straw out of my siblings lol.0
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Welcome Amy,
You are so lucky to have a supportive family. Trust me, the diet thing gets better. You eventually know what to eat and how much without having to put as much thought into it. And once you get adapted to your meds and get your BG under control you will feel pretty good. I was put on new meds a few weeks ago and they made me tired for a while but I'm bouncing back and ran 5 miles this morning. That's not to shabby for someone who didn't start running again until a few months ago.
I'm glad you found us, there are lots of supportive people here.0 -
Hello everyone! My name is Najah, I'm the proud mother of 3 beautiful children, 2 adorable gransons, a wonderful husband, and have been diabetic for nearly 3 years now. Diabetes and heart disease runs in my family on both sides (maternal and paternal). And though I was diagnosed nearly 3 years ago, I sat and did nothing at all to help my situation until recently. This past year, I've watched my Hemoblogin A1C level go from 6 to 11...! Awful, but of no fault but my own. For years, I've used all sorts of excuses as to why I couldn't eat healthier and/or exercise regularly. Years prior to being diagnosed with diabetes; my weight went from 160 lbs. to 323 lbs. It took a few years to get most of the weight off and down to 212 lbs., but I did so and naturally. At that point, I was at a stand still for several years, and couldn't drop below that weight. Then a few years ago, I started to lose a few more lbs, and was able to drop down to 188 lbs. Since then, I've been losing a pound here and there...slowly...but surely. I'm grateful to MFP and to some of the groups that are out here. I've been blessed to have met some really good people that can identify with what I've been through and that have become a very meaningful part of my health and life...Alhamdu Lillah...0
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Hi Najah, I'm glad you have found the MFP programme helpful. Your story will resonate with quite a few of the people on this group. The encouraging news is that the programme works. The testimony of many of the people on here proves that. It will take time, patience, persistence and an honest logging of everything you eat. You say you have been blessed with a great family so you don't lack an incentive to gain control. One of the most valuable pieces of advice which I received on MFP was the need to plan what you are going to eat and stick rigidly to your plan. By planning you know exactly how much of each food stuff you can eat. The other major help to me was the advice to get control over the number of carbs eaten per day. I aim for a total of 140 gms of carbohydrate per day. Other people can achieve better figures than this which brings me to my final point, we are all different and react to food differently. I'm afraid it's a question of constant testing to see what suits your body. I wish you well as you progress towards your personal targets.0
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Hello. New to online support groups and prediabetes. Not sure I am but thinking I will be as of tomorrow after the doctor appointment. Just about everyone on my mothers side has it....so why not me.:ohwell: Last fasting blood test was 6.4 A1C and 137 blood glocuse with the high triglycerides, high LDL, OK HDL. 55 pounds overweight. Think I am going to get yelled at.
So...anyway...could use any suggestions for losing weight. I am very active. I do a lot of house remodeling with my husband and I do a lot of the work along with swimming, gardening....etc. I seem to have too good of an appetite ; ).
So...question. I listed myself as lightly active and I have 1500 calories allotted to me every day. When I do some activity like gardening or canning, should I be adding those as extra and therefore getting the benefit of the extra calories. I have lost about 2 pounds in the last two weeks. That seems about right I think. What do you think?0 -
Welcome nnieland,
Yes, you should eat back your activity cals. I always figure for mfp calcs the best thing to do is set your activity level to what your average day is. If you have a sedentary job then most likely sedentary plus activity cals is good. If you have a job where you are moving around more but not super strenuous then I'd call it lightly active plus activity cals. I have found that regardless of what some formula tells you, your cal intake is sort of an experiment. Pick something, stick with it for about a month and see where you are at. You may need to adjust up or down.
Sorry you had to join us but glad you found us.0 -
Welcome Najah,
You have done a great job losing weight already. I'm glad you've decided to take control of your diabetes.
I have found that watching carbs really helps me. I now keep mine hovering around 100-125 per day. I mostly watch my BG to make sure I'm in line. Before the dr. put me on amaryl and I was just on metformin I was eating 25-60 which still didn't keep me in control. The amount that works for you can only be found with lots of testing. Eventually, you will figure out how much of what you should be eating. If you have to go extremely low then you will probably want to talk to your dr. to see if different drugs may help you. I feel much better now that I can eat more normally. The low carb left me very drained and I couldn't workout well.0 -
@nnieland, your question is one that often comes up. There are different opinions on the subject. One of the problems is that in any activity the calories burned depend on the intensity of the activity. Have a look at Azdak's blog on here where he has an excellent piece in the subject. For constant rythmic activity such as walking the calories burned will be relatively constant and depend solely on distance, time and gradient. Activitity such as gardening is more difficult because there is time spent standing fetching etc. As a rule of thumb I tend to just log calories burned from rythmic constant activity and accept the calories burned from any other calories burned as a bonus which of course would contribute to weight loss.0
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Hello, Diagnosed Type 2 diabetes over 10 years ago. When I first heard it scared me and I started watching everything I ate and exercising. Dropped 60 pounds but over the years have gotten used to the Idea and started putting the weight back on. Now have gained the 60 back plus another 30. My sugars and A1C skyrocketed . Sugars averages were in the 300s fasting and A1C was 10.7. The doctor started increasing and adding more and more meds. Metformin, Glibizide, and Januvia. Along with Statins and blood pressure meds (even though I my cholesterol and Blood pressure were fine.) This past January I found MFP. Have really taken to it and have dropped 46 pounds. (went from hating exercise to thinking about it as "me" time) A1C has dropped to 6.7 and fasting blood sugars are below 120. Blood pressure and Statin meds (cholesterol now 120 total with HDL higher than LDL) are gone and diabetes meds have been reduced. Still have a lot of weight to lose and a lifetime of control concerning the diabetes. Want to get rid of the medications and will work till that is a reality. Looking for whatever tips inspiration or anything can help with my journey. Thanks, Dennis0
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Welcome Dennis,
Great job on the weight loss. I also got a little lackadaisical about what I ate. I didn't really put on much weight but I wasn't watching my BG as much as I should have and was eating things that I shouldn't have been eating. I also got lazy about exercising. Now I'm back at it and feel much better. Glad you found us!0
