Diet Controlled...

Diabetic-Canada · #1 (**permalink**) 01-02-2004, 10:24 PM

Hi everyone... I have just been diagnosed with diabetes, and I am interested in learning about controlling it with my diet. How many people control theirs with their diet?

Did you start from the begining with the diet controlled or did you gradually switch from insulin shots?

This is something I am interested in doing, or trying. Since I got my Glucometre, I have been testing my blood four times a day, before each meal and before going to bed. I have also tried to cut out all sugars and carbs. My blood sugar level has gone from around 15, to around 8. This has only been 2 days, and I have yet to see the specialist about it, but I am definately interested in a diet controlled method. So Please share your stories

David

Oracle.dL · #2 (**permalink**) 01-03-2004, 06:33 AM

Hey David, welcome to the forums

Do you have Type I or Type II diabetes? If you have Type I I think it would be really hard to try and control your diabetes with just diet and excercise; insulin shots are almost a must for any Type I diabetic...plus insulin shots would probably make it easier on your life anyway (not having to worry about cutting out your carbs and sugars for every meal).

If you are Type II though, I can see controling with diet and exercise to be much easier...and you may consider oral diabetes medication to aid you some.

Basicly, if you can control your diabetes well with your own methods by all means go for it; but I think it may be beneficial to see a diabetes professional in either case (mainly to gather more information on the disease and to get a little guidence).

Also, I've been Type I for about seven years now and have always controled by insulin shots; so I am probably not as much help to you as someone who does control with diet and exercise.

Take care,
-Chad

DeusXM · #3 (**permalink**) 01-03-2004, 08:32 AM

Same thing as Chad said - are you T1 or T2? If you're T1, sorry, but you HAVE to have insulin shots or you'll have kidney and liver failure in less that a month and you'll be dead in 3. If you have T1, you don't produce any insulin at all, so you can't process any of the carbohydrate or sugar you consume, which means your body has use any fat it can get in your diet to keep you alive. Unfortunately, metabolising of fat results in your body quite literally eating itself, since muscle tissue is broke down in the fat metabolising process, and the byproducts of this are toxic and destroy your kidneys and liver.

You say you've cut out all sugar and carbs. Don't. You'll die, since you'll only be metabolising fat, and everything I've just written above WILL happen to you. The Atkins diet works on exactly the same principle and it's highly dangerous to carry it on for more than two weeks. The human body simply cannot survive without carbohydrates.

If you have T2, you can control thought diet and exercise alone, since you do produce some insulin, but not much. However, most people with T2 take oral medication since the diet and exercise routine is very restrictive and it's much easier to take a tablet instead.

Get some carbs in your diet NOW and go and see your specialist IMMEDIATELY. I cannot stress this enough because right now you are living very very dangerously indeed.

rzrbks · #4 (**permalink**) 01-03-2004, 04:13 PM

When I was first diagnosed I got a "Song and Dance" from my DR. that "We'll have you on the insulin(two types) and oral meds for several months then see how you're doing after that.

Went to the classes run by professional CDE and she goes, "Well, I don't want to speak ill of your Dr., but you should really think about getting on ther pump."

CDE was right and DR. was wrong. So I was on injections from the beginning.

Good luck and get some Carbs in you.

Diabetic-Canada · #5 (**permalink**) 01-03-2004, 10:00 PM

Thanks for all the responses... I am not sure I wether I am type 1 or 2. I am seeing a specialist on Monday, so I'll learn more then. Thanks for the info on the carbs, etc. Basically, I just cut them out for a couple of days to get my blood sugar down to more normal levels. I would NEVER recomend a no carb diet, but since I planned to do it for just a couple of days, I thought it would be fine.

Thanks again for the responses, and I'll let you all know what the specialist says.

DeusXM · #6 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 07:11 AM

Given a look at your date of birth (sorry for being nosy!), you're only just 20, so I'd have to say that it's going to be T1, unless you've got a very rare case of MODY (Multiple Onset Diabetes of the Young).

I'm afraid it's going to have to be injections, which might seem a bit daunting, but trust me, taking a shot ends up being as second nature as brushing your teeth.

Diabetic-Canada · #7 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 02:13 PM

well, if injections is the way to go for me, I'll handle it. All of you guys do, so I think I will be able to

I'll see what the the specialists says and the results of the latest blood tests say.

On the subject of carbs, I have come to the conclusion that cutting out carbs is impossible. Everything has carbs, all veggies do, all meats do, even tofu does. And just for a little laugh, I looked at an Atkins protien bar at the store. It had 1 more gram of carbs than protien. So much for cutting out protien in the Atkins diet. lol

Tony · #8 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 02:53 PM

If diet and excerise is working for you now. You may not have to start off taking insulin. Once diet and exercise dosen't work then you go on insulin..

Can't cut carbs out of the diet.

Most of us have to count the carbs we eat. Then we take so much insulin to match the carbs.

Protein is good for people with diabetes.