[SleepyGirly]

Hi all

First sorry about being a little confused.. kinda really new to this.

I went to Dr on Wednesday 5/20/09. Was given a glucose meter, an accucheck aviva, and materials for learning a diabetic diet, and contact info for education classes.

I am classified "hyperglycemic" for now, and wants me to check glucose levels after waking, and 2 hrs after dinner. I'm logging them in a book for her. In 3 months, she's gonna test A1C level, and wants me to have lost 25lbs by this time period.

I'm gonna try...

So far, yeah i know only 24 hours thus far...

5/20 2 hours after dinner 127
5/21 upon waking 114

I need tips on eating... Can you all provide me some.

Thanks,

Sharon

[foxl]

Hello, Sharon and welcome.

Tips on eating from ME (your Mileage May Vary or YMMV as it is said):

1) portion control

2) fewer carbs

3) fewer carbs

4) fewer carbs

5) try whey supplements for protein with lower fat intake

6) fewer hidden carbs -- milk was a big surprise for me

7) ADA is high carb compared to what many peopel are succeeding with.

[jenb]

Hi. Don't worry about being confused...there's a lot to learn. We've all been there!

As for food, try to eliminate or reduce the amount starchy foods (rice, pasta, potatoes, most breads) and concentrate on enjoying fresh lower carb vegetables (leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, etc.). Include yummy proteins (watch for carbs in some dairy products) and fats like avocados, olive oil, etc.

Get a book like Calorie King (they also have a great website and downloadable software) so you can determine how many carbs are in the foods you want to include in your meals. And beware of diet advice that includes an over-abundance of starchy carbs.

Hope this helps a little. Let us know how you do.

Jen

[bellicosejason]

25 pounds in 3 months is not a problem at all. Just gotta get motivated to better your situation so the next time you give us an update it'll have a smiley instead of a frowny.

[ShottleBop]

We must have the same HMO. That's pretty much what happened to me when I was first diagnosed. Use your meter. I started out avoiding all potatoes, rice, and refined wheat products; then, I measured my BG's two hours after each meal and cut from my diet any food that gave me a two-hour postprandial BG of more than 140. I lost 30 pounds the first three months.

Now, I try to keep my two-hour postprandial BGs under 120. I succeed about 95% of the time. I eat somewhere between 30-60 grams of carbs a day.

[owlyn]

Originally Posted by SleepyGirly

Hi all

First sorry about being a little confused.. kinda really new to this.

I went to Dr on Wednesday 5/20/09. Was given a glucose meter, an accucheck aviva, and materials for learning a diabetic diet, and contact info for education classes.

I am classified "hyperglycemic" for now, and wants me to check glucose levels after waking, and 2 hrs after dinner. I'm logging them in a book for her. In 3 months, she's gonna test A1C level, and wants me to have lost 25lbs by this time period.

I'm gonna try...

So far, yeah i know only 24 hours thus far...

5/20 2 hours after dinner 127
5/21 upon waking 114

I need tips on eating... Can you all provide me some.

Thanks,

Sharon

Finally- a good doctor is reported here. Congrats! Consider yourself lucky! Many newly diagnosed here are sent home with bad news, a prescription for pills, and little else.

[matingara]

Originally Posted by jenb

As for food, try to eliminate or reduce the amount starchy foods (rice, pasta, potatoes, most breads) and concentrate on enjoying fresh lower carb vegetables (leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, etc.). Include yummy proteins (watch for carbs in some dairy products) and fats like avocados, olive oil, etc.

a lot of "hidden" carbs are contained in fruit. it is a good idea to eliminate all fruit while you are trying to initially lower carbs.

if you do need to eat fruit - try to stick with berries only and then only in very small amounts - 100g (1/2 a cup) or so at a time.

eat nuts instead.

-- Joel.

[Ronin]

Hi Sharon!

Welcome to the club you never wanted to join.

Personally, I'm flabergasted at the MD's who make you wait for an HbA1c test (like you need to prepare). You really need a current base level.

On the issue of diet/eating choices and weight loss all of this is not going to work without the "E-word" as in Exercise. Yeah, we all hate that E-Word.

Why do you need exercise along with a change in the way you eat?

Muscles use glucose for their work, building more muscles increases your use of glucose therefore exercise causes your body to use more calories than you eat and they get the balance from your stored calories (a.k.a., Fat).

Exercise causes muscles to make more receptor sites for bringing in glucose (insulin being the key that opens the site) and the new sites reduce insulin resistance.

Exercise also makes you feel better and you find it easier to resist the temptations of the goodies you think you cannot live without.

What qualifies as "exercise?" Any activity that gets your muscles moving, makes you breathe a bit harder, raises your pulse rate, and makes you sweat a bit. Of course, the more you do the better, and the better your results will be.

So, pick an activity you like to do that meets the criteria of exercise. Liking the activity is the key, if you hate treadmills and gyms (does anybody "like" treadmills and gyms?) then you won't stick with it. Walking is fine, bicycling (my passion), whatever that works for you. Eventually you will not be able to envision a day without exercise. That plus changing the way you eat will cause you to drop that 25 (and probably a lot more) as well as resolve a lot of other problems.

[kosomodc]

Hi Sharon,
Welcome. I have found the most helpful advice here. And you've already received some. I am finding it quite enlightening how many carbs I was consuming each day; especially when I thought that I was not consuming many. Also, I'd suggest you try one of the A1C test from WalMart that you can do yourself for $9 to get a baseline reading. I tried one the same day I had one done at the Doc's office and they were the same. That would give you a good baseline.

Take care and hang in there.

paul

[Subby]

Originally Posted by matingara

a lot of "hidden" carbs are contained in fruit. it is a good idea to eliminate all fruit while you are trying to initially lower carbs.

if you do need to eat fruit - try to stick with berries only and then only in very small amounts - 100g (1/2 a cup) or so at a time.

eat nuts instead.

-- Joel.

Three questions come to mind...

What do you mean by "hidden carbs"? To find out the value of the carbs of any food, you're going to need to look up the nutritional values somewhere and make sure you get it right. That goes for any food under the sun that may involve nutritional elements you are not 100% sure of. You statement is a bit unclear... do you mean there are more carbs in fruit than are related through nutritional values?

What's the relevance of berries as a universal rule, apart from nutritional value? I eat a number of fruits that are kinder on my BG trends than berries.

In what ways, are nuts a replacement for fruit? Are you suggesting nutrition wise?

[jenb]

Originally Posted by Subby

What's the relevance of berries as a universal rule, apart from nutritional value? I eat a number of fruits that are kinder on my BG trends than berries.

Berries (black, rasp, straw, blue to some degree...) have the best of all worlds: High fiber, low glycemic index, high antioxidant content. At least in my tests, I can eat a larger volume of berries than any other fruit and still maintain great BG control. Some other fruits like cherries and oranges seem OK in my diet, but things like apricots, peaches, grapes, apples, etc. cause higher spikes. Vive le difference!

Jen