Calling Ruby59

[Efe]

Hi Ruby. I have noticed that you mentioned that you have diabetes in another thread. I was diagnosed last November with pre-diabetes (a1c 5. and am feeling overwhelmed by all the information (and misinformation) that is out there. I went on a low carb diet and increased my activity level immediately. I lost 18 pounds and test my fasting bg every day, along with testing after meals. My fasting bg was in the mid 90s, climbed to 117, and is back down to the mid 90s. I have tested with various foods and find that I react more to carbs than sweets. I just got results of a recent a1c and it is now 5.7.

I saw that you are able to keep tight control around 120 and I am wondering how you do it?

I appreciate any info you can share. Thanks much.

 

[ruby59]

Hi Ruby. I have noticed that you mentioned that you have diabetes in another thread. I was diagnosed last November with pre-diabetes (a1c 5. and am feeling overwhelmed by all the information (and misinformation) that is out there. I went on a low carb diet and increased my activity level immediately. I lost 18 pounds and test my fasting bg every day, along with testing after meals. My fasting bg was in the mid 90s, climbed to 117, and is back down to the mid 90s. I have tested with various foods and find that I react more to carbs than sweets. I just got results of a recent a1c and it is now 5.7.

I saw that you are able to keep tight control around 120 and I am wondering how you do it?

I appreciate any info you can share. Thanks much.

I am sure you are aware of the 5 whites that can cause the most problems - white bread, white flour, white sugar, white macaroni, white rice. It is all about moderation. Substitute wheat bread or multi grain or rye for white bread. Substitute wheat macaroni for the white. I only use sugar substitutes. But if you are in a situation where you can only have the white one - then maintain strict portion control.

One thing I do in restaurants where portions are huge, is when I order I ask for a doggie bag with the meal. Half goes right in there so I am not tempted to eat it all in one portion..

I check all labels on bread and packaged items to make sure that carbs are not above 28 percent per serving. If you like packaged snacks, stay away from pretzels. Also, if you like cheese its or fish crackers, etc. switch to the wheat ones. They break down more slowly as to not give you a spike.

Also be careful about fruit. Even though it is natural, it can still raise your sugar. I stay way from grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon and anything that ends in berry. Juices are also very high in sugar - orange, apple, cranberry.

I especially stay away from corn as it is very slow to digest. And be wary of alcohol. It is loaded in sugar. And be wary of the dietetic Low sugar products out there. Dietetic is not diabetic and in some cases can be worse than its counterpart because the sugar is often substituted for higher carbs.

And you are correct. I would have more of a spike if I had a piece of Italian bread then if I ate a cookie.

What I did when I was first diagnosed was to try to put healthy dinners together and then test myself afterwards. Immediately after eating, your glucose should be under 200. 3 hours later you should be under 110. If not, then I adjusted that meal until I could get those results. Remember - it is all about portion control. You can have that baked potato, but just a small one or half. Mashed potatoes - an ice cream scoop of it.

I test in the morning and again before I eat my evening meal. I try to stay under 110 fasting.

My last A1C was 6.5. Doctors want it to be under 7.

Do know that their opinions have changed over the years that too low is not good either.

For me, stress is a factor, so I try to stay as calm as possible.

Having a healthy BMI is very important so I keep a tight control over my weight. Exercise is also important which is why I try to maintain 10,000 steps daily.

One product I love and take with me everywhere is glucerna. They have shakes and snack bars. Part of diabetes is not only the highs but the lows. Too low and you can go into a diabetic coma. So you want to keep your numbers as steady as possible. I eat 3 small meals and have two snacks. I try to eat something at least every 4 hours.

Do know that some days are easier than others. And you may cheat and have a high glucose number. Do not despair, just be more careful the next day.

 

[Efe]

Thank you so much, Ruby.

I didn't mention that I have celiac disease and have been on a gluten free diet for over 10 years now. I am afraid that is how I got into issues with my blood sugar, since most everything is made with either rice or corn flour and I recently read that a lot of celiacs are now dealing with diabetes.

I have cut out all bread, pasta, potatoes, etc. I almost never eat packaged food and rarely eat out. Used to love fruit, but can't eat that either without a spike.

I was a little discouraged that my a1c only dropped to 5.6 in 4 months. I have read varying opinions on whether or not it is even possible to reverse pre-diabetes, but I figure that keeping tight control now will at least help slow the progression to Type 2.

Also, gotta cut down on the wine. I love a glass of wine in the evening and wasn't even thinking in terms of sugar content. Not sure why it didn't occur to me until you mentioned it.

Thanks again.

 

[lyra]

Efe, don't be discouraged. Your A1C dropping is still good news, and especially so since you are not on any medication yet. My doctor chose a very proactive route for me, which was to start medication very early. So I believe I started (Metformin) at A1C of 5.8. He said it helps to prevent the possible heart complications. That is just something to consider, and not to be afraid of. BTW, diabetes is incurable. If you actually have it, you will have it for life. But many people are able to stave it off with proper diet and exercise. The diet is really a lifestyle change. Sounds like you are motivated and that's great.

My daughter has celiac disease also, so I know how difficult that is. A lot of gluten free products contain higher carbs. I bet you're also sick of people not understanding that gluten free is not just a "personal choice", right? Ugh! She gets invited to company dinners where there is virtually nothing for her to eat but salad. Same for a lot of restaurants. People don't understand celiac disease is serious!

 

[Efe]

Efe, don't be discouraged. Your A1C dropping is still good news, and especially so since you are not on any medication yet. My doctor chose a very proactive route for me, which was to start medication very early. So I believe I started (Metformin) at A1C of 5.8. He said it helps to prevent the possible heart complications. That is just something to consider, and not to be afraid of. BTW, diabetes is incurable. If you actually have it, you will have it for life. But many people are able to stave it off with proper diet and exercise. The diet is really a lifestyle change. Sounds like you are motivated and that's great.

My daughter has celiac disease also, so I know how difficult that is. A lot of gluten free products contain higher carbs. I bet you're also sick of people not understanding that gluten free is not just a "personal choice", right? Ugh! She gets invited to company dinners where there is virtually nothing for her to eat but salad. Same for a lot of restaurants. People don't understand celiac disease is serious!

Thanks, Lyra for the information and the encouragement. It has been especially tough with diet changes for the blood sugar since the celiac already restricts my food choices so drastically. I see my doctor next week so I will talk with him about Metformin.

Re the celiac, I so know how your daughter feels. When the gluten free fad came along, it was a good thing because there started to be a lot more options, but also not such a good thing because people view it as a fad diet and don't understand why you can't eat something because they put "just a little bit of flour in it and what's the big deal anyway." Ugh. Your daughter probably knows this, but a lot of lipsticks have gluten in them. It took me a good while to figure that out after my diagnosis. Could not understand why I was still getting sick.

 

[lyra]

Yes, she knows about the lipsticks. I had to ask her, because I didn't know that. Makes total sense though. People don't get the part about gluten destroying your intestines a bit at a time. We have adapted virtually every recipe to GF. The only thing I don't love is GF pasta. Texture issues, except for macaroni. But really GF is healthier if you're just sticking to basics.