Falling off the wagon and getting scared

[Ohana]

OK, NO ONE should be diagnosed in December. That is just mean.

Long story short I was REALLY bad tonight. Candy, fudge, and stuff, (In moderation), but then I topped it off with sushi and wine.... Total eaters remorse.

Anyway, why does eating pure sugary chocolate not send me high at all?... (89 when I tested before the sushi), but I know sushi sends me up towards 200..

I know carbs are bad, but shouldn't sugar affect BG also?

How do you (personally) avoid falling off the wagon if you can't "correct" with meds?

I have the motivation, but sometimes I give into the cravings... how do you stop the cravings..?

Does anyone have good tips for gaining the mental control, especially if the support system isn't the strongest. (we can say an ENABLER lives here)?

I am really scared I will have complications if I can't get my cravings under control and therefore keep falling off the wagon... I am bad to use "just this ONE last time" When am I going to be able to say this is real - do or die time!?

This is my last set of questions for a while... promise! Everyone has been so much help - I love reading this forum. Wish me luck at the Dr. tomorrow!! (Getting a thyroid ultrasound and meeting with the diabetic specialist for the first time)

[G1nZeng]

As long as your A1c is good you shouldn't have much problems. I see yours is 5.2. The holidays are the worst of course but it won't kill you. Just correct as needed and you'll be fine.

Sugars in sodas and candy generally get flushed from the body much quicker than carbs which take a long tme to digest.

Also, depending on the type of insulin, such as peak times or level basal insulins, can affect how short acting sugars and carbs last.

[Subby]

For me the biggest cause of cravings are, the things you crave. Cut out the carbs that lead to more cravings and after a certain amount of time (I'd say half a day to 2 days) you should find a drastic reduction in the cravings.

It doesn't take much to get the cravings happening again. What this means is that for many things "eating in moderation" or "just a few" simply isn't a game plan you can afford, unless you want to deal with renewed cravings again.

Cutting down carbs in general may help. You may well find some people advocating a low carb diet. I'd tend to say mysef: try cutting the carbs that definitely cause cravings right out, and the carbs that may cause general cravings (pasta, bread, etc) right down. Experiment with this - at least for a few days - and see if you don't have less cravings.

I understand the lure of sweets and carbs, but it sounds like you're at a stage at the moment you are going through more pain from cravings and loss of control, than it's worth. It's your choice.

Chocolate is often fatty and may not be high GI. Looking into GI may help guide you in avoiding the more spiking foods. The Glycemic Index (http://www.mendosa.com/gi.htm)

As for other foods that you assume should spike but they do not, in some instances it may be they are in fact not typical spiking foods, (see GI again), in other instances it might just be your individual body. Also be wary of many assumptions from one or two events, may well be because it was the counterbalance to too much insulin in your system that one time.

However, observation and modification of your own reactions to certain foods, is your best tool.

Sugars in sodas and candy generally get flushed from the body much quicker than carbs which take a long tme to digest.

This statement doesn't make any sense at all. The sugars in sodas and candy will hit your bloodstream in full force very quickly. It doesn't get "flushed out". Whether you have the right insulin in the body to cope with it (whether on purpose or by coincidence) and whether a particular candy might be lower GI are just other factors in the picture. In general, such things will cause big raises in BG.

[LancetChick]

OK, NO ONE should be diagnosed in December. That is just mean.

Long story short I was REALLY bad tonight. Candy, fudge, and stuff, (In moderation), but then I topped it off with sushi and wine.... Total eaters remorse.

Anyway, why does eating pure sugary chocolate not send me high at all?... (89 when I tested before the sushi), but I know sushi sends me up towards 200..

I know carbs are bad, but shouldn't sugar affect BG also?

How do you (personally) avoid falling off the wagon if you can't "correct" with meds?

I have the motivation, but sometimes I give into the cravings... how do you stop the cravings..?

Does anyone have good tips for gaining the mental control, especially if the support system isn't the strongest. (we can say an ENABLER lives here)?

I am really scared I will have complications if I can't get my cravings under control and therefore keep falling off the wagon... I am bad to use "just this ONE last time" When am I going to be able to say this is real - do or die time!?

This is my last set of questions for a while... promise! Everyone has been so much help - I love reading this forum. Wish me luck at the Dr. tomorrow!! (Getting a thyroid ultrasound and meeting with the diabetic specialist for the first time)

Some people experience serotonin level changes after eating high-carb or sugary foods, and this makes them crave more carbs. I'm not one of those people, but I am on a high-carb/low protein diet, which works better with insulin for me. Fewer than 40g carbs and I spike -not hugely, but it's unacceptable to me.

If you are so into sugary things, keep in mind that consuming a huge meal will draw out the digestion time considerably, while injecting a compatible dose of insulin will not extend the action of the insulin by very much, so you might get a better match with high carb/high insulin doses. Maybe not, but it's worth a try.

Chocolate is nothing for me, and when I'm hormonal I'll have that and nothing else for lunch, and my blood sugar will remain steady throughout the digestion process (chocolate is VERY fatty). Sushi and other Asian foods are often deceptively high in sugars, and I generally have to bolus ridiculous volumes of insulin for those things. It's doable, but it's a matter of trial and error.

But none of this matters if you can't use insulin to correct high blood sugar -why can't you do that? You just take your bottle of Humalog or Novalog and inject the appropriate number of units to bring your blood sugar down. I mean, it takes a little work to figure out how many points a unit of insulin will bring your blood sugar down, but you can't achieve good blood sugar control without the ability to correct high blood sugar.

Unless you're newly diabetic? My advice to all newly diagnosed diabetics is to ignore the advice of your doctor, since doctors do NOT know what's best and they frequently advise dangerous insulin regimens and practices. Get a book like Using Insulin by John Walsh or Think Like A Pancreas by Gary Scheiner and start with that instead.

And good luck from a high-carber with good blood sugar control who wouldn't have it any other way!

[Subby]

Fewer than 40g carbs and I spike -not hugely, but it's unacceptable to me.


This is an amazing phenomenon compared to myself and so many, who through our own experience would place large amounts of carbs unequivocally ahead of any other element in producing unpredictable and hard to manage spikes.

The variety of different people's body's reactions to various forms of fuels and insulin never ceases to amaze me. This really outlines to the importance of finding the options, experimenting and finding out what works for yourself.

[LancetChick]

This is an amazing phenomenon compared to myself and so many, who through our own experience would place large amounts of carbs unequivocally ahead of any other element in producing unpredictable and hard to manage spikes.

The variety of different people's body's reactions to various forms of fuels and insulin never ceases to amaze me. This really outlines to the importance of finding the options, experimenting and finding out what works for yourself.

There is a very funny thread here (http://www.diabetesforums.com/forum/carbohydrate-and-calories/29526-ate-entire-pizza-cookies.html) which was shocking even to me when it comes to the number of carbs consumed. I mean, I really laughed out loud!

[Mich]

You are right, Ohana. It is just mean to be diagnosed during the holidays.

Subby is right, believe it or not, as you lower the number of quick-acting carbs you eat, you will crave them less. Instead, you will be eating protein, fat and extremely low carb items.

And I learned to slow my eating down. Nibble. (This was a hard lesson to learn because I spent most of my life in schools where you had to eat fast to get out to the playground :o )

At buffets, I go for the meat, green veggies (with cheese sauce--mmmm) raw veggies with sour cream type dip, salad with tasty dressings and sip a little wine, fresca with tequila or diet coke with rum. I keep a few diet drinks in the trunk of my car and take them to parties where they don't know me. I also keep flavored iced tea onesies to mix with water in my purse-- I like Sobe Ginsing Green Iced Tea.

At dessert, I eat a few bites of cheesecake or nibble a dark chocolate ( I love the way it tastes between sips of good red wine) or have a bit of no sugar added ice cream.

At home, try the recipe I posted for the almond flour biscuits. Butter one, break it up and top with some sugar free maple syrup. The almond based baked goods have a lot of protein and even though this is sweet, it makes you full for a long time.

Sugar free syrups are good for cooking hams, making sweet and sour dishes and for i(sugar free) ce cream toppings.

Don't deny yourself anything you crave, just learn to take a TASTE. One bite. (Okay, two if you have to, but no more.) It's the way to live with this beast without feeling deprived.

Now go out there and party!

Mich

PS, Don't overlook the appetizer table. While everyone else is hesitating to consider the fat in the good stuff like shrimp, baked brie and cocktail weenies, hop in there with your plate! You are a diabetic and NEED to eat protein.

[Dimes]

I'm falling off the wagon big-time.. kind of looking forward to January!

[IrishJoe]

its the holidays. Chill. :D