[TAutry]

Hi all,

Some of us have posted details of our approach to diabetes management in a now closed thread. I believe it may be useful to continue to explore the various views of our members. Be sure to stay with the topic and let's see what we can learn.

Travis

[Ashtur]

Well, I'm not entirely sure that I have alot to say, because I've only been doing this since the beginning of February. Anyway, I'm recently dxed T2, diet/ex only.

I'm basically trying to go with a balanced diet. More or less like the ADA guidelines, though a bit more weighted to meat than it suggests. Overall, I'm supposed to get 2200 calories a day. Each meal is 60gm of carbs (not counting green veggies, and lunch/supper is allowed 2 servings of non-starchy veggies). Generally 2 of those carbs will be bread or potatos (bread is generally a whole grain dark bread of some sort. Pepperidge Farm German Dark Wheat being a favorite), 1 will be fruit, and the other will vary (maybe a starchy veggie, maybe something else).

Then also 2 snacks during the day, allowing 4 carbs total.. so in the afternoon, and late evening, I'll have a 1 or 2 carb snack (I don't always go "up to" my limits). I know that's alot of carbs for the day (220-250 most days), but my numbers have been solid so far (last A1C was 5.4), so it's working. I also try to have some cinnamon with my breakfast (usually put it on something, or in my yogurt).

Also then I walk 30-45 minutes 5 days a week (at least).

I really think I'm fortunate. I was caught on a random test, and it seems that it was caught early enough that my system is still tolerably "forgiving" that I can do this without meds.

BTW, since my dx 3 1/2 months ago, I've gone from 243 pounds to 217 to boot, which I'm sure has helped things.

[HeatherP]

Moderation in all things: Food (both healthy and not), work, excercise, alchohol, "me" time, my cats, and fun.

If I eat a healthy, well-balanced diet 90-95% of the time, then the other 5-10% doesn't count.

The most anybody can ask of me is that I try my best.

My sugars are usually pretty good, but when they're not I don't beat myself up over it.

No matter what, I'm going to enjoy my life and have fun. I may not live to be 100, but then again I don't want to be that old.

[TAutry]

Ashtur and HeatherP,

Great way to start off this thread!

I think you both demonstrate the often overlooked element of a Positive Mental Attitude. It isn't always easy, but I believe that effective diabetes management requires a PMA.

Travis

BTW, congrats on the weight loss, Ashtur!

[Lorna]

Forward planning to do whatever everyone else is doing!

[Shalyndria]

Great idea for a thread Travis

Ash, never sell yourself short; you and you alone are responsible for your own success. And it is a success!

I am much like Heather in my life; while I am tolerant and watchful of my Diabetes, I don't let it control every decision I make. I do my best to keep my BG's in relatively good control for my own body, exercise enough to enhance my quality of life, and try to balance work and play as best I can. And I'm lucky enough that it comes fairly easy to me (perhaps due to PMA ).

And you're dead right Travis, it is easier for an optimist to have any disease

Shy

[SunniD]

I've had diabetes 43 yrs., dx at age 7. Was doing really well most of my life with A1C's below 6.5 for a type 1.

Human insulins didn't work for me so I had to change my lifestyle till they finally made an insulin named Humalog that worked for me. I was having such adverse rxns to it though. Life goes on and can use either pork or novolin now.

I have a daily regime of getting up at 5 and biking for half an hour before showering and getting ready for work. I walk 3-5 miles/day at work and take a 10-15 mins. walk at lunch.
I lift wts. in the evening and try to make it out for another walk
or use the treadmill.

I have gone back to a simpler lifestyle and eat a "whole food diet" not incorporating too much from a can or processed.
I do take vitamins/minerals and believe they are helping a lot.
Docs can't find enough complications to write letter for a pump
after 43 yrs. I tend to not agree because I prefer to pump.
I do have a slight neuropathy left and to me that's not nothing.
I have recovered from lots which I won't go into. I decided I
didn't want to live like docs were telling me I had to live so
I changed that. There is always Hope!! Am here now without using a C-Pap machine at nite to breathe and without taking any ACE/ARB bp meds. Don't need STATINS yet either. Am just on 1/2 diuretic because I'm having adverse affects to Novorapid insulin and I can live with this. Also on thyroid meds.

This is today and who knows what the future will bring but
I'm getting all the knowledge I can to decide what I prefer to do to handle the situation. Knowledge never killed anybody.<smile>

I also use a lot of Shiatsu massage and reflexology on the pressure points on the feet. I believe this has helped keep
my kidneys in good shape also as well as the vitamins/minerals.
My feet are also not too bad as they aren't numb or tingling
and can still feel vibrations which are usually the first to go.

Each person is different and I believe they have to do what's best for them. Sometimes the simplest of things like drinking tea
will help us the most in the long run. I also make sure I drink
only distilled water so my aging kidneys aren't overworked.*g*
I limit milk products and red meats for the same reason.

After being a single parent and spending most of my life raising a child this is the time I want to have fun and I mean to do it in a fairly good condition.

Sorry, this got so long.

SunniD

[TAutry]

SunniD,

Thank you for posting. In my book, you are a Diabetic All-Star!

I have been impressed during my time here with the encouraging and inspirational stories some of our longtime diabetics have shared. I hope some of the others will post.

Travis

[fishy]

I drink a lot, have a poor diet, more or less guess how much to inject by looking at my dinner, sucking my teeth like a plumber and then going "Hmm, about an 8 I think".

My Hb1Ac is always 5 point something, I have at most 2 minor hypos a month, my fasting BGLs are a rock solid 6.5, a reading above 10 is very rare, my chloresterol is low, I have lots of "good chloresterol", my blood pressure is low, etc. etc.

In fact my life is pretty much back to as it was before I was DXd apart from the injections.

[dpav]

Hello
I am a different story but I have good results now.
I got this at the age of 8. I have had T1 for 40 years. I was initially taught to alter the insulin with tests that I did not like to do. I had a serious thinking pattern that I could feel exactly where I was, High Low or just right. So I did not do many tests from the urine type. Then years later;
When I had been in business for a couple of years I had some blood leak in my eye. I did not understand what was happening. I did not see a doctor except to get scripts. I went blind, I had. Neuropathy, and my nephropathy was starting to get out of hand
I finally came to understand 20 years ago that I could not feel where I was accurately or even close. I started to see doctors and testing with the new blood testing devices. I had an A1C of 13 and I did not understand all I needed.

Now I have gone through surgery for my vision also laser as well. I have 20/40 and 20/50 eye sight. My nephropathy has reversed. And the neuropathy is the only part that is still a pain.

I now test 8 to 12 times per day. I am on the pump. I have regular control and I am at an A1C of 5.9 and that has been consistent for the past 2.5 years.
I taught myself to dislike foods that were bad for me. I actually hate sweets, I dislike bread based materials. I love vegetables. I eat small amounts of protein so I do not mess up my kidneys. That one was hard. But I am not interested in getting on dialysis. So I keep the protein low.
I do walk and I need still to do more in the exercise area. And I have improved in the past year. I have a lot of pain issues and I have been able to gain some control from keeping to the rules of diet, insulin regimens and testing.

I have been able to turn a mess around and I am greatly blessed with the present outcome from doing what I am supposed to do. Also the biggest thing I did to get corrected was I started to see an endocrinologist instead of a GP. That is where the major changes started. The education was very valuable. I have found that from total rebellion to doing things the correct way is not difficult to change to and it is not hard to keep up with. It just takes time.
Testing has helped a lot. Exercise is very helpful, Food types have greatly helped get balanced and kept me able to stay that way. Regular lab work has helped me understand where I am and what I need to do next. My Endo is very informative. I did not know how dangerous protein was and that after protein then cam potassium as a kidney danger. With good control the dangers have lessened very much. I would not have learned this with my past GPs.

I learn a lot from this forum. This has been very helpful. It educates me, lets me know I am not alone with similar situations. I am able to ask questions and I get good responses. These combinations have all helped.
Don

[TAutry]

Don,

You are another of our All-Stars!

As unpleasant as it was for you, that eye problem turned out to be a blessing. It got you on the right track. Thank you for sharing the story.

Fishy,

Yours style would seem to be the exception that proves the rule. Not many of us are able to be so casual and have the results be so favorable. If it ain't broke, no need to try to fix it.

Travis

[TAutry]

Ok Guys,

This thread has sat idle too long. Please share your 'trade secrets' here. Tell us what the key to your successful diabetes management is.

Travis

[KLD]

I posted a lot of this information in another thread, but this is a more appropriate place for it. I control my blood sugars with a low carbohydrate diet. I've eaten this way for two years, and have seen a vast improvement in my blood sugars (they never go outside a range of 4 (72) to 5.5 (99), my blood pressure has normalized, the numbness in my feet has gone, and my severe digestive problems (diagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome) has cleared up.

I eat about 12 grams of carbs four times a day, three meals and a bedtime snack. Contrary to many people's idea of low carb diets, I eat very little red meat, mainly because I live alone and can't be bothering cooking it just for myself. I have fish or chicken or dishes made with various kinds of cheese and/or eggs.

I eat almost no grain products; instead of bread I eat crackers made with unprocessed bran or low-carb tortillas, or bread I make with almond meal instead of flour. I make my own muffins with bran and/or flax meal (ground flax seed) instead of flour and add a few berries. The only fruit I eat is berries, as they are quite low in carbs. I don't eat potatoes, rice, or starchy or sweet vegetables (no carrots, green peas, or beets), but I have lots of cauliflower, brocolli, asparagus, brussel sprouts, green beans, raw snap peas, and a full range of salad vegetables. I also make a lot of soups, a couple of favourites being a chicken and cabbage soup, and one made with chicken broth, cream, gouda cheese, brocolli, and cauliflower.

For breakfast I occasionally have bacon and eggs, but usually I don't get up in time to cook it! More often I have half a cup of plain, full-fat yogurt sweetened with a DaVinci syrup or a bit of sugar-free jello powder, and one of my bran crackers. Another breakfast that I love is half a cup of ricotto cheese mixed with some cream, sweetener, a tablespoon each of bran and flax meal, with a few berries added. If I haven't had that for breakfast, I usually have it for my bedtime snack.

I don't drink milk because of the natural sugar it contains (lactose), but I eat all the cream I like (and I like lots!)

There are lots of delicious low carb desserts - on the weekend I made a berry cobbler with raspberries and an almond-flour crust, topped with whipped cream. Another favourite is baked custard made with an artificial sweetener and replacing the usual milk with half cream and half water. I have a wonderful raspberry dessert recipe made with an almond flour base, a middle layer of cream cheese, sweetener, vanilla with whipped cream folded in, and a top layer of sugar-free jello with raspberries mixed in. I make it in a spring-form pan and it looks elegant and tastes delicious. I often serve it to company, and I'm always asked for the recipe. Nobody believes me when I tell them it's low carb.

I eat almonds and macadamia nuts for treats, often accompanied by a square of 85% chocolate - it's 85% cocoa butter, so there's very little sugar in it.

So you can see that I eat well - far better than I used to - and I certainly don't suffer from lack of tasty food or variety in my diet. Besides the improvements to my health that I mentioned above, I have a lot more energy than I used to. I have some life-long heart problems (I have two mechanical valves and a pacemaker in my heart) and I had always put my lack of energy down to that, but I now know it was the way I was eating. And just as important as the physical improvements, is the powerful feeling I've gained of having control over this disease rather than its having control over me.

In no way am I trying to talk anybody into this way of eating. I'm simply responding to Travis's post asking what works best for us. This is what works for me.

Karen

[Harold]

Karen, that sounds like a really low calorie diet as well. From carbs your only taking in like 180 to 210 calories a day. How many calories a day are you taking in on your plan?

[KLD]

I haven't got a clue, Harold. I'm one of those people whose eyes glaze over at the thought of trying to figure out calories - mathematics definitely isn't my strong point! When I started this way of eating, I did it to control my blood sugars, not necessarily to lose weight, but I did go from 145 pounds to 116 quite quickly and began to worry that I was going to disappear completely. (I'm about 5' 6"). That's when I added the extra 12-gram bedtime snack and I went up to 120 lbs and have stablized there for a year and a half. I've found that it works best to add the extra carbs as an extra "meal" or snack, rather than add them to one of my regular meals. I definitely limit meals to 12 grams; otherwise my blood sugar levels go higher than I want them. My goal is to never go over 5.5 (99) two hours post prandial, and I very rarely ever do.

I do eat a lot of fats in full-fat cheeses, meats, eggs, custards, whipping cream, etc., so I probably take in a lot of calories that way.

In my journal on my other forum, I post my actual meals and resulting blood sugar readings, so if you really want to know, I could copy a few days' worth here. Maybe you could tell me how many calories I'm eating since I'm too stupid to figure it out for myself!

Karen