Yay me! :)

[Moonglo]

I think I actually did relatively well at lunch today...

-one slice of cheese pizza
-small chef salad (lettuce, ham, turkey, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, red wine vinaigrette dressing)
-2 small slices of foccaccia (sp?) bread
-water to drink

I was out with a friend at a restaurant I was unfamiliar with... plus it was a big step for me to just eat one slice of pizza instead of 2.

And I just had a snack:
1 mini bag of pop smart popcorn (1 carb)
2 slices of cheese
1 peach

Could have been worse. :)

And I think dinner tonight will be grilled chicken strips made into wraps with low-carb tortillas, green beans as a side, and maybe a sugar free pudding cup!

Maybe I can do this after all...

[DannyK]

Of course you can....:)

Congrats!

[princesslinda]

Did you check your blood sugar after your pizza meal? I find that pizza will cause my blood sugar to elevate around the 3 hr mark....and it stays up for a good while. You could always get a "garbage pizza" and rake off all the toppings and eat them w/o the crust....I know, it's not the same thing. ;)

According to Calorie King, the pop smart mini bags have 21 carbs (1 serving of carbs is 15 carbs), and a medium peach has 9 carbs. I'd suggest having just the popcorn...or the cheese and peach as your snack next time.

One thing that has helped me was to buy the Calorie King pocket sized book which gives nutritional value by brand name, restaurant menus and food type. I look up whatever restaurant i'm going to and find the best carb options for me.

Congrats for managing to have just the one slice of pizza! Your dinner sounds great! YOU CAN ABSOLUTELY DO THIS!!!!!!!!! It just takes time to figure it all out.

[slwood321]

Great Job. Take it a little at a time like this and you will probably adjust much better than going cold turkey on carbs.

[Ray4Rick]

you can do it, you CAN do it :thumbsup:

Good job, keep it up
:wave:

[yannah]

what is your carbcounting knowledge?

and what is your idea of a good diet for blood sugar?

I am just asking to see if we can help, because that was a day of alot of carbs and not good ones either.

this is a doable disease, and I know you are scared, but you can do it, it does not suck, and everything will be okay.

this is not about low fat, or foood groups or anything like that anymore. it is about your blood sugar.

so are you testing?

and when are you testing and what are your numbers?

we can help.

and you have a great attitude! you will be okay!

[Moonglo]

Okay, I think I need to clarify a few things...

My doctor has not told me to test as often as some on here seem to do. While I am not disputing the effectiveness of testing before and after every meal, my doctor only prescribed enough test strips for me to test daily in the mornings and 2-3 times a week before bed. I don't know why she felt like this would be enough for me, but I do know that she is a very well respected medical professional within my community. So for now, I am going with what she says. I have a follow up appointment in a few weeks. If my fasting numbers are not where they need to be by then, I will ask about getting a prescription for more test strips.

I also need for people here to understand that I am not ready to be on a low carb diet. I have done everything I can to increase my fruits and veggies, limit my carbs to about 150/day (because this is a huge step for me in itself, as I am limiting myself to 3 carbs/meal and 2 in a snack) and to add protein to my meals where ever possible. And not only am I not ready to eliminate carbs too drastically, but there are toddlers out there who enjoy a wider variety of foods than I do; therefore, finding alternative foods can become very difficult for me. I do not like mushrooms, unions, most peppers, ricotta, cottage cheese, sour cream, milk, tea, and many other foods that are often found in "healthier" alternatives to my favorite recipes; therefore, for now I am doing what I can to make a difference by exercising control in portions. That may not be what you have found to work for you; but it is all I can do at the moment to make progress without making myself miserable.

Please do not misunderstand me. I greatly appreciate the help being offered by everyone here. And any tips you can give me are always embraced. But I know myself well enough to know that if I start out disallowing all foods that I enjoy, I will freak out, binge, get depressed, and make my situation much worse. This is the only way that I feel I can keep some semblance of control.

Are there any tips you can give me within these parameters, so that maybe I can edge my way into eating even better? I'm all ears (eyes?). Thanks so much for your help... I know I need it.

[Granny Shanny]

Please Moonglo . . . forgive a grouchy old granny for speaking her mind, but what you are describing is a recipe for disaster.

Yannah is right when she says the day you described "was a day of alot of carbs and not good ones either. this is not about low fat, or foood groups or anything like that anymore. it is about your blood sugar". Your response makes it seem like she got your ire up by being honest and straightforward.

I truly hope you are able to find a regimen that works for you. Somehow I can't see any positive outcome when you test only once or occasionally twice a day and are unwilling to accept that high blood glucose is CAUSED by eating starches which turn to sugar right in your mouth (your saliva is what begins the process).

Other "healthy" diets are not to be compared with a diabetic healthy diet, and with such strong food preferences as you describe, your choices will be more limited. A diabetic healthy diet means reducing processed/refined carbohydrates. Period.

I have no doubt that your doc is well-respected in your community, but you have now placed your very life in her hands, so I hope she is worthy of your total trust in her advice. At the very least, you should call her office and request a new prescription for more test strips.

Those are my "tips". If you can tell me that your doctor is herself diabetic, I will retract these words.

[yannah]

I am not saying you need to jump to a Atkins like diet.
(although that wouldn't be a bad thing)

but at least low glycemic type foods that do not make blood sugar spikes as high as pizza, white bread and peaches.
those 3 foods are not good for diabetes. you can google the glycemic index and rate BS responses - if you want to.
if you are going to eat carby things, which I just try not to do-but if you are some are better than others. and pizza is a universal - NO.
but the ony way to know what your BS is doing is to test.

doctors give all kinds of advice and not common to get advice that is not resulting in good control....it happened to me. and my doctor told me I would probably never have an AC under 7.
and I got a new doctor and my AC is under 7. but not because of any docotr, but because of me.

Diabetes is a disease that relies heavily on the patient.

I only tell you this and make suggestions because when I came here lost and confused, peple helped me here more than anywhere else and the result was that I lost 80 lbs, got good control, excersized and got off my actos, my statin and redused my blood pressure medication. that was do to suggestions I took form DF.

So I try to do the same for people who come here. I heard some things i did not want to hear when i got here. The whole diabetes thing was a scary pain in the butt.

I think its great you were able to reduce total calories for the day. that can be important as well.

and you sure do not have to take anyones advice, but I want to offer mine.

in the end, everybody makes their own choices.

and I hope that everything just keeps getting better from here for you.

[Moonglo]

I didn't mean to sound cranky in my response yesterday. I am very sorry if it came out in a bad way. I really do appreciate your help; I was just discouraged because I was making a real effort to do better, and being told what I did was bad. Peaches are bad??? I knew pineapple isn't good... but peaches? Sometimes I feel like the only reason a food is bad for me is because I like it. Or maybe the other way around. Like if I am enjoying what I'm putting in my mouth, then it can't possibly be decent. It's a scary, horrible feeling.

Sorry... getting a bit emotional. I hope you guys can be patient with me. I'm really trying. And I really do appreciate your support and your advice, no matter how much I act like I don't...

[princesslinda]

I think most of us have been where you are now. I remember being afraid to eat almost anything when first diagnosed...and it did seem that if I liked it, I couldn't have it.

One thing that really helped me was strictly cutting my carbs. It was really rough the first few days, but the longer I did it, the less cravings I had. Even now, if I "ease up" and have something more carby than i'm used to, I will be hit hard with carb cravings for a couple of days.

Peaches may not be bad for you, we're all individual in our tolerances. The only way to know is to test after eating it. That's why we are so big on testing after meals.

My doc was like yours and wanted me to test fastings only, saying when they were in line my blood sugars would be fine....to this day, 3 years into diagnosis, I am still not 110 or less fasting most days. Perhaps you could check a pre meal and then a 2 hr post meal # a couple days a week, picking a different meal each day, just to see how you fare with different foods.

What you eat is ultimately your decision...but your decisions should be made with full knowledge of how your blood sugar responds.

I'll bet there are lots of things you used to eat that you can still enjoy, but that you can modify to make low carb....fajitas for instance. I use the low-carb tortillas...burgers on either low-carb buns or with only one bun...or better yet bunless...same with hot dogs. I even make pizzas on the low-carb tortilla, brushing it with olive oil, crisping it in a skillet, adding a bit of sauce, toppings and cheese, baking until cheese is bubbly.

Hang in there! Don't be discouraged...most of us started out with the same struggles you're having.

[slwood321]

A website I used a LOT at first is calorieking.com. You can put in any food and it will tell you the nutrition information for it. This might help you some. I personally eat peaches without a problems, but it varies for everyone. If possible, have your doctor recommend a dietitian for you to see. If you do, tell her your dislikes and she should be able to find alternatives for you. Good Luck.

[foxl]

I eat half a peach :D

I eat nuts, olives, cheese, salads, soy products ... you could add meat in there.

I DO eat tomatoes. Half a tomato at a time.

I DO eat pasta -- but Dreamfields. And I WEIGH out 2 oz dry and watch the cooking and standing times. No leftovers.

[yannah]

I eat half a peach :D

I eat nuts, olives, cheese, salads, soy products ... you could add meat in there.

I DO eat tomatoes. Half a tomato at a time.

I DO eat pasta -- but Dreamfields. And I WEIGH out 2 oz dry and watch the cooking and standing times. No leftovers.

Dreamfeilds is a low carb pasta. I can't tolerate it but alot of people do.

don't get depressed darlin. just start feeling you immense power!

[Granny Shanny]

Boy, that about covers it . . . "if I am enjoying what I'm putting in my mouth, then it can't possibly be decent." BTDT, in spades!

Since others have posted while I've been composing, everything I'm about to say has already been noted. I am, however, going to post anyhow . . . you'll just have to forgive me again for the redundancy! :D :D :D

Because I used to eat & enjoy anything that, as the saying goes, didn't bite me first, I didn't turn down too many treats; and that explains how I got to be about 100# overweight.

Now I'm having to restrict my most loved foods, but I'm trying to find reasonable facsimiles for some of them. Keep in mind that said "facsimiles" don't necessarily LOOK like the originals, but are near enough in flavor, texture, mouth feel, etc., that they are acceptable.

I think I can speak for most of us when I say we'll do what we can to make your journey easier and are surely not trying to make you feel bad. Food has been an emotional comfort for many of us, and it's a really tough habit to break! My saving grace has been metformin, since it seems to assuage my appetite while it's helping my body utilize the insulin provided by my pancreas. It really helps with portion control.

Please recognize that each one of us reacts differently to foods, which is why you'll see the constant admonition to "test, test, TEST!" It's the only way each individual patient can determine exactly which foods "spike" their blood glucose and should thus be avoided or at least sharply restricted. My own doctor gave the same advice yours & Linda's did - get that fasting reading in the morning & then test later in the day, a coupla/three times throughout the week. I wonder if it isn't a platitude taught in medical school, because my doc truly should know better - his own wife is diabetic.

I know you can do this. If I (the least disciplined person in the WORLD! http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b202/sneezytwo/ohrats.gif) can do it, you CAN do it.

(and dadgummit! Just as soon as our next social security check comes in, we're getting some Dreamfields pasta!)

[Granny Shanny]

don't get depressed darlin. just start feeling you immense power!

That "semblance of control" issue can be a true reality when your meter readings start dropping. You go, girl! :cool: :cool: :cool: