How much effort do you put?

Hi New...

Diabetes is a serious disease. The problem is, it doesn't seem or feel serious until you're in
serious trouble.

When you say "How many people put 75 - 100% effort into it everyday"... It's an odd question. I
believe I stick to my chosen meds/exercise/food plan close to 90% of the time, but as for the effort
it takes every day?... well... let's just say it doesn't rule my life. Unless I'm eating (or
exercising or popping a pill) I'm not putting much effort in at all. I just go about my life. And
for me it works. I've been able to maintain normal numbers for 4 and half years.

Here's the advice I give all newbies:

There is so much to absorb... you don't have to rush into anything. Begin by using your best weapon
in this war, your meter. You won't keel over today, you have time to experiment, test, learn, test
and figure out just how your body and this disease are getting along. The most important thing you
can do to learn about yourself and diabetes is test test test.

The single biggest question a diabetic has to answer is:

What do I eat?

Unfortunately, the answer is pretty confusing.

What confounds us all is the fact that different diabetics can get great results on wildly different
food plans. Some of us here achieve great blood glucose control eating a high complex carbohydrate
diet. Others find that anything over 75 - 100g of carbs a day is too much. Still others are
somewhere in between.

At the beginning all of us felt frustrated. We wanted to be handed THE way to eat, to ensure our
continued health. But we all learned that there is no one way. Each of us had to find our own path,
using the experience of those that went before, but still having to discover for ourselves how OUR
bodies and this disease were coexisting.

Ask questions, but remember each of us discovered on our own what works best for us. You can use
our experiences as jumping off points, but eventually you'll work up a successful plan that is
yours alone.

What you are looking to discover is how different foods affect you. As I'm sure you've read,
carbohydrates (sugars, wheat, rice... the things our Grandmas called "starches"😉 raise blood sugars
the most rapidly. Protein and fat do raise them, but not as high and much more slowly... so if
you're a T2, generally the insulin your body still makes may take care of the rise.

You might want to try some experiments.

First: Eat whatever you've been currently eating... but write it all down. Test yourself at the
following times:

Upon waking (fasting) 1 hour after each meal 2 hours after each meal At bedtime

That means 8 x each day. What you will discover by this is how long after a meal your highest
reading comes... and how fast you return to "normal". Also, you may see that a meal that included
bread, fruit or other carbs gives you a higher reading.

Then for the next few days, try to curb your carbs. Eliminate breads, cereals, rices, beans, any
wheat products, potato, corn, fruit... get all your carbs from veggies. Test at the same
schedule above.

If you try this for a few days, you may find some pretty damn good readings. It's worth a few days
to discover.

Eventually you can slowly add back carbs until you see them affecting your meter.

The thing about this disease... though we share much in common and we need to follow certain
guidelines... in the end, each of our bodies dictate our treatment and our success.

The closer we get to non-diabetic numbers, the greater chance we have of avoiding horrible
complications. The key here is AIM... I know that everyone is at a different point in their
disease... and it is progressive. But, if we aim for the best numbers and do our best, we give
ourselves the best shot at heath we've got. That's all we can do.

Here's my opinion on what numbers to aim for, they are non-diabetic numbers.

FBG under 110 One hour after meals under 140 Two hours after meals under 120

or for those in the mmol parts of the world:

Fasting Under 6 One hour after meals Under 8 Two hours after meals Under 6.5

Recent studies have indicated that the most important numbers are your "after meal" numbers. They
may be the most indicative of future complications, especially heart problems.

Listen to your doctor, but you are the leader of your diabetic care team. While his /her advice is
learned, it is not absolute. You will end up knowing much more about your body and how it's handling
diabetes than your doctor will. Your meter is your best weapon.

Just remember, we're not in a race or a competition with anyone but ourselves... Play around with
your food plan... TEST TEST TEST. Learn what foods cause spikes, what foods cause cravings... Use
your body as a science experiment.

You'll read about a lot of different ways people use to control their diabetes... Many are
diametrically opposed. After awhile you'll learn that there is no one size fits all around here.
Take some time to experiment and you'll soon discover the plan that works for you.

Best of luck!

Jennifer

new2type2 said:

I am a newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetic. I am now on Metformin 500mg 2x a day. My fasting average
is 9 mmol/L & my after 2 hour average is
11.4 mmol/L. I have changed my eating habits and have seen a slight difference in my readings.
Since I've found out, I've met co-workers and other people who are also diabetic - both who are
Type I and Type
II. I have recieved a variety of responses and attitudes towards their own view and care of
diabetes. A few people "cheat" and probably cheat a lot (one is Type I); some seem to have a
non-chalant attitude like it's no big deal. But I really wonder how much effort people are
really putting into their care of themselves everyday? Since I'm new to this, of course I'm
probably more sensitive to what others are saying. How many people really just wing it until
some obvious "signs" occur then do something about it? How many people put 75-100% effort into
it everyday? It hasn't even been a month, and I'm sure it'll take a while to get the hang of
what I should be doing. If the statistics are that diabetes is the biggest growing epidemic
and that the majority of costs/complications associated to diabetes are preventable, what does
that say about the effort that people are putting on this? I do not want to wait around until
some "complication" occurs, but then if I'm having trouble getting my numbers down, what is
that doing to the time building up to have a complication? I'm just rambling since I'm faced
with a lot of unknowns right now.

Thanks, new2type2

(new2type2) said:

I am a newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetic. I am now on Metformin 500mg 2x a day. My fasting average is
9 mmol/L & my after 2 hour average is
11.4 mmol/L. I have changed my eating habits and have seen a slight difference in my readings.
Since I've found out, I've met co-workers and other people who are also diabetic - both who are
Type I and Type
II. I have recieved a variety of responses and attitudes towards their own view and care of
diabetes. A few people "cheat" and probably cheat a lot (one is Type I); some seem to have a
non-chalant attitude like it's no big deal. But I really wonder how much effort people are
really putting into their care of themselves everyday? Since I'm new to this, of course I'm
probably more sensitive to what others are saying. How many people really just wing it until
some obvious "signs" occur then do something about it? How many people put 75-100% effort into
it everyday? It hasn't even been a month, and I'm sure it'll take a while to get the hang of
what I should be doing. If the statistics are that diabetes is the biggest growing epidemic and
that the majority of costs/complications associated to diabetes are preventable, what does that
say about the effort that people are putting on this? I do not want to wait around until some
"complication" occurs, but then if I'm having trouble getting my numbers down, what is that
doing to the time building up to have a complication? I'm just rambling since I'm faced with a
lot of unknowns right now.

Thanks, new2type2

Hi new2

My first request is to think up a new monicker :-) Very soon, you won't be new. Welcome to our club.
My second request is that, as soon as you finish reading this, go to alt-support-alt-support-Open ↗
diabetes.org and click on "newly diagnosed". The absolute best advice I can give you is to repeat
Jennifer's advice to "test,test,test."

You say "I have changed my eating habits and have seen a slight difference in my readings." In what
way, and how much.

This is simplistic but effective. Until you know better what you can and can't eat (test,test,test)
then drop all white starches and grains: white bread, rice, bakery products, cereals, potatoes etc.
You may be able to later re-introduce some, but I would suggest not until you drop below an average
in the 6 to 7 mmol region. And don't eat any toast or cereal for breakfast.

Others will be along to give some good advice. You've come to the right place. Just remember that
among the genuine people are occasional twits. It will be up to you and your common sense to sift
the wheat from the chaff.

Finally, many of the other posters will be from the USA. To convert your figures into theirs,
multiply by 18.

How much effort? You're betting your sight, your limbs and your life on it. You work it out.

Cheers Alan, T2, Oz dx May 2002, diet and not enough exercise.
--
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.

The people who come to this group are the ones who have decided to be proactive and learn how to
live with diabetes - with a minimum of complications for as long as possible. Most of the folks
who are in denial or just don't want to deal with the lifestyle change won't look for the
additional info.

By coming here, you've admitted you need the support and want to learn. Take Jennifer's advice and
after some time caring for your body's needs will be second nature. At that point, you'll probably
have a good idea for how to swap things to have the occassional treat.

Cindy Wells (My family has diabetics who were on opposites sides of the spectrum for dealing with
versus ignoring the problem)

T1 and T2 is managed very simular.. but T1's have alot more room for "cheating". especially those
that pump. we still have to follow a good diet and exercise, but can inject to cover food as our own
pancreas would have. we have zero to no resistance which makes matching carb/insulin much easier
then a T2.

Since I was an Adult Onset T1. I don't consider sitting down to baked potato and steak with texas
toast "cheating" i'm not overweight and have always eaten relatively healthy. Such as most T1's,
i'd think.

good luck. rk t1 "new2type2" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I am a newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetic. I am now on Metformin 500mg 2x a day. My fasting average
is 9 mmol/L & my after 2 hour average is
11.4 mmol/L. I have changed my eating habits and have seen a slight difference in my readings.
Since I've found out, I've met co-workers and other people who are also diabetic - both who are
Type I and Type
II. I have recieved a variety of responses and attitudes towards their own view and care of
diabetes. A few people "cheat" and probably cheat a lot (one is Type I); some seem to have a
non-chalant attitude like it's no big deal. But I really wonder how much effort people are
really putting into their care of themselves everyday? Since I'm new to this, of course I'm
probably more sensitive to what others are saying. How many people really just wing it until
some obvious "signs" occur then do something about it? How many people put 75-100% effort into
it everyday? It hasn't even been a month, and I'm sure it'll take a while to get the hang of
what I should be doing. If the statistics are that diabetes is the biggest growing epidemic
and that the majority of costs/complications associated to diabetes are preventable, what does
that say about the effort that people are putting on this? I do not want to wait around until
some "complication" occurs, but then if I'm having trouble getting my numbers down, what is
that doing to the time building up to have a complication? I'm just rambling since I'm faced
with a lot of unknowns right now.

Thanks, new2type2

here is a link to the American Diabetes Associations web site
diabetes.orgdefault.jspOpen ↗ go to a dietitian get a diet worked out for YOU.

"new2type2" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I am a newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetic. I am now on Metformin 500mg 2x a day. My fasting average
is 9 mmol/L & my after 2 hour average is
11.4 mmol/L. I have changed my eating habits and have seen a slight difference in my readings.
Since I've found out, I've met co-workers and other people who are also diabetic - both who are
Type I and Type
II. I have recieved a variety of responses and attitudes towards their own view and care of
diabetes. A few people "cheat" and probably cheat a lot (one is Type I); some seem to have a
non-chalant attitude like it's no big deal. But I really wonder how much effort people are
really putting into their care of themselves everyday? Since I'm new to this, of course I'm
probably more sensitive to what others are saying. How many people really just wing it until
some obvious "signs" occur then do something about it? How many people put 75-100% effort into
it everyday? It hasn't even been a month, and I'm sure it'll take a while to get the hang of
what I should be doing. If the statistics are that diabetes is the biggest growing epidemic
and that the majority of costs/complications associated to diabetes are preventable, what does
that say about the effort that people are putting on this? I do not want to wait around until
some "complication" occurs, but then if I'm having trouble getting my numbers down, what is
that doing to the time building up to have a complication? I'm just rambling since I'm faced
with a lot of unknowns right now.

Thanks, new2type2

new2type2 wrote in message ...

Quoted message said:

I am a newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetic. I am now on Metformin 500mg 2x a day. My fasting average is
9 mmol/L & my after 2 hour average is
11.4 mmol/L. I have changed my eating habits and have seen a slight difference in my readings.
Since I've found out, I've met co-workers and other people who are also diabetic - both who are
Type I and Type
II. I have recieved a variety of responses and attitudes towards their own view and care of
diabetes. A few people "cheat" and probably cheat a lot (one is Type I); some seem to have a
non-chalant attitude like it's no big deal. But I really wonder how much effort people are
really putting into their care of themselves everyday? Since I'm new to this, of course I'm
probably more sensitive to what others are saying. How many people really just wing it until
some obvious "signs" occur then do something about it? How many people put 75-100% effort into
it everyday? It hasn't even been a month, and I'm sure it'll take a while to get the hang of
what I should be doing. If the statistics are that diabetes is the biggest growing epidemic and
that the majority of costs/complications associated to diabetes are preventable, what does that
say about the effort that people are putting on this? I do not want to wait around until some
"complication" occurs, but then if I'm having trouble getting my numbers down, what is that
doing to the time building up to have a complication? I'm just rambling since I'm faced with a
lot of unknowns right now.

Thanks, new2type2

Type 2 diabetics who "cheat" or don't try hard end up dying young. . .but they don't mind so much
because their lives become so uncomfortable as death approaches.

Consider the common complication neuropathy which can result in 24/7 pain so severe that the patient
has to use morphine to sleep.

Be careful about judging the Type 1. A savvy T1 is injecting according to DAFNE. . .Dose Adjusted
For Normal Eating.

If a T1 is willing to shoot insulin 7-12 times a day, he can eat just about anything. If he is
clever enough, he can get away with it.

Of course, if he is not savvy, he dies quicker than the cheating T2.

A very ugly, ugly fact about these newsgroups: Everybody posting has been sentenced to die young,
and in pain. However, we have found a sneaky way out of the sentence; learning as much as possible
about the disease and using that knowledge to beat it.

One could say that we earn a daily reprieve by the "Workayobuttoff" technique.

You have made some changes in your diet and seen small improvements in blood sugar control. However,
your sugars are still unacceptable and you are headed for trouble.

However, you always have choices. One choice is meds; you can always trade meds for carbs, though
choose to eat enough carbs and you too will need insulin injections to control.

I take about 3000 insulin injections a year and, as you would expect, consider injections trivial.
It may not seem that way to you but you will have freedom of diet if you go that route. Remember
though that Type 2 diabetics have high heart attack risks which should be addressed by the anti-
heart attack meds like metformin, Actos, Avandia, niacin and even statins.

Regards
Old Al

I put in enough effort to maintain reasonable control -- not as tight as some here, though more than
most "average diabetics" (who don't populate these groups anyway). Some days it's closer to 75%,
some days upwards of 90%. Occasionally I just blow it entirely. bj

"new2type2" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

How many people put 75-100% effort into it everyday?

"new2type2" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I am a newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetic. I am now on Metformin 500mg 2x a day. My fasting average
is 9 mmol/L & my after 2 hour average is
11.4 mmol/L. I have changed my eating habits and have seen a slight difference in my readings.
Since I've found out, I've met co-workers and other people who are also diabetic - both who are
Type I and Type
II. I have recieved a variety of responses and attitudes towards their own view and care of
diabetes. A few people "cheat" and probably cheat a lot (one is Type I); some seem to have a
non-chalant attitude like it's no big deal. But I really wonder how much effort people are
really putting into their care of themselves everyday?

I think you'll find for the most part, people put very little effort into it. Most of the diabetics
I've met or heard of think they can just take a pill and be done with it. They don't care what their
BG is and they don't test very often or sometimes not at all! That is not the case with most of us
on this NG. I am very careful almost 100% of the time. There are some foods that I would simply
never eat any more, and others that I eat infrequently and in very limited amounts. I simply hate it
if I have to go to a dinner party and find that there is no acceptable food. I've been known to
bring my own food to such events, or to simply leave and eat elsewhere. I wouldn't/couldn't cheat.
Wouldn't be worth it for me. I have Neuropathy caused by diabetes. For me, that means any time my BG
goes much above 150, I am in extreme pain. I don't like pain and I'll do what I can to avoid it. I
do put a lot of effort into keeping my diabetes in control every day. I try to get some exercise
every day, sometimes pushing myself beyond what I should be doing. I have other medical concerns
besides diabetes, so I must be careful what I do. If I am sick, I probably won't exercise and I
might not be as careful with my diet, mainly because I know my BG will go up simply from being ill.
While I still won't exceed the amount of carbs I would eat on a good day, I might not cut back on
carbs as I would on a day when for some unexplained reason I have high BG.

Quoted message said:

Since I'm new to this, of course I'm probably more sensitive to what others are saying. How many
people really just wing it until some obvious "signs" occur then do something about it? How many
people put 75-100% effort into it everyday?

I put 100% effort into it almost every day! I do not slack or cheat. Not even at parties or on
holidays. But I do sometimes make mistakes. Like when dining out and eating an unfamiliar food.
Sometimes there are more carbs in a food than you realize. Or as I mentioned above, when I am ill.

Quoted message said:

It hasn't even been a month, and I'm sure it'll take a while to get the hang of what I should be
doing. If the statistics are that diabetes is the biggest growing epidemic and that the majority
of costs/complications associated to diabetes are preventable, what does that say about the effort
that people are putting on this?

I do not believe that diabetes is preventable. For starters, we don't know what causes it. Yes,
there are theories. But nobody knows for sure. Each time I see some article about obesity, junk
food, and couch potatoes related to diabetes, I cringe. I've always been a very active person and I
still got diabetes. I know many obese people who do not have diabetes. I know just as many people
who live on junk food and never exercise. Some are overweight, some are not. And they don't have
diabetes either. Therefore, I don't see how it could be prevented.

Quoted message said:

I do not want to wait around until some "complication" occurs, but then if I'm having trouble
getting my numbers down, what is that doing to the time building up to have a complication? I'm
just rambling since I'm faced with a lot of unknowns right now.

In my case, the complication (Neuropathy) is what brought me to the Dr. to begin with. Consider
yourself lucky.

--
Type 2 users.bestweb.net~jboveOpen ↗

(new2type2) said:

I am a newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetic. I am now on Metformin 500mg 2x a day. My fasting average is
9 mmol/L & my after 2 hour average is
11.4 mmol/L. I have changed my eating habits and have seen a slight difference in my readings.
Since I've found out, I've met co-workers and other people who are also diabetic - both who are
Type I and Type
II. I have recieved a variety of responses and attitudes towards their own view and care of
diabetes. A few people "cheat" and probably cheat a lot (one is Type I); some seem to have a
non-chalant attitude like it's no big deal. But I really wonder how much effort people are
really putting into their care of themselves everyday? Since I'm new to this, of course I'm
probably more sensitive to what others are saying. How many people really just wing it until
some obvious "signs" occur then do something about it? How many people put 75-100% effort into
it everyday?

I came down with type 1 in July and have never missed an insulin dose. As for cheating, the only
things I've ever done to cheat are (1) skipped a blood sugar test at times when I'm not feeling
symptoms, haven't eaten big meal, injected a big dose, thus not expecting a hight or low and (2)
Inject insulin, overeat, test blood glucose, then inject more to treat the high. #1 is the most
common cheat I do and that is only several times a week. #2 is a big pain, so it happens only once
or twice a month.

Quoted message said:

It hasn't even been a month, and I'm sure it'll take a while to get the hang of what I should be
doing. If the statistics are that diabetes is the biggest growing epidemic and that the majority of
costs/complications associated to diabetes are preventable, what does that say about the effort
that people are putting on this? I do not want to wait around until some "complication" occurs, but
then if I'm having trouble getting my numbers down, what is that doing to the time building up to
have a complication? I'm just rambling since I'm faced with a lot of unknowns right now.

Thanks, new2type2

[email hidden] (new2type2) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I am a newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetic. I am now on Metformin 500mg 2x a day. My fasting average
is 9 mmol/L & my after 2 hour average is
11.4 mmol/L.

FOLLOW UP: 1 week & 1 day on metformin. Have reduced intake of starch
- brown rice; this mornings reading was 7.0 mml/L fast & my after 2 hour reading is 6.3 mmol/L!!!!!
I think something is starting to work!!!🙂

I'm also down to 155 lbs. from 161 lbs when dx. Don't get me wrong..... I'm not content, just
pleased that the number is dropping.

new2type2

Jennifer said:

Hi New...

Diabetes is a serious disease. The problem is, it doesn't seem or feel serious until you're in
serious trouble.

When you say "How many people put 75 - 100% effort into it everyday"... It's an odd question. I
believe I stick to my chosen meds/exercise/food plan close to 90% of the time, but as for the
effort it takes every day?... well... let's just say it doesn't rule my life. Unless I'm eating (or
exercising or popping a pill) I'm not putting much effort in at all. I just go about my life. And
for me it works. I've been able to maintain normal numbers for 4 and half years.

Here's the advice I give all newbies:

There is so much to absorb... you don't have to rush into anything. Begin by using your best weapon
in this war, your meter. You won't keel over today, you have time to experiment, test, learn, test
and figure out just how your body and this disease are getting along. The most important thing you
can do to learn about yourself and diabetes is test test test.

The single biggest question a diabetic has to answer is:

What do I eat?

Unfortunately, the answer is pretty confusing.

What confounds us all is the fact that different diabetics can get great results on wildly
different food plans. Some of us here achieve great blood glucose control eating a high complex
carbohydrate diet. Others find that anything over 75 - 100g of carbs a day is too much. Still
others are somewhere in between.

At the beginning all of us felt frustrated. We wanted to be handed THE way to eat, to ensure our
continued health. But we all learned that there is no one way. Each of us had to find our own path,
using the experience of those that went before, but still having to discover for ourselves how OUR
bodies and this disease were coexisting.

Ask questions, but remember each of us discovered on our own what works best for us. You can use
our experiences as jumping off points, but eventually you'll work up a successful plan that is
yours alone.

What you are looking to discover is how different foods affect you. As I'm sure you've read,
carbohydrates (sugars, wheat, rice... the things our Grandmas called "starches"😉 raise blood sugars
the most rapidly. Protein and fat do raise them, but not as high and much more slowly... so if
you're a T2, generally the insulin your body still makes may take care of the rise.

You might want to try some experiments.

First: Eat whatever you've been currently eating... but write it all down. Test yourself at the
following times:

Upon waking (fasting) 1 hour after each meal 2 hours after each meal At bedtime

That means 8 x each day. What you will discover by this is how long after a meal your highest
reading comes... and how fast you return to "normal". Also, you may see that a meal that included
bread, fruit or other carbs gives you a higher reading.

Then for the next few days, try to curb your carbs. Eliminate breads, cereals, rices, beans, any
wheat products, potato, corn, fruit... get all your carbs from veggies. Test at the same
schedule above.

If you try this for a few days, you may find some pretty damn good readings. It's worth a few days
to discover.

Eventually you can slowly add back carbs until you see them affecting your meter.

The thing about this disease... though we share much in common and we need to follow certain
guidelines... in the end, each of our bodies dictate our treatment and our success.

The closer we get to non-diabetic numbers, the greater chance we have of avoiding horrible
complications. The key here is AIM... I know that everyone is at a different point in their
disease... and it is progressive. But, if we aim for the best numbers and do our best, we give
ourselves the best shot at heath we've got. That's all we can do.

Here's my opinion on what numbers to aim for, they are non-diabetic numbers.

FBG under 110 One hour after meals under 140 Two hours after meals under 120

or for those in the mmol parts of the world:

Fasting Under 6 One hour after meals Under 8 Two hours after meals Under 6.5

Recent studies have indicated that the most important numbers are your "after meal" numbers. They
may be the most indicative of future complications, especially heart problems.

Listen to your doctor, but you are the leader of your diabetic care team. While his /her advice is
learned, it is not absolute. You will end up knowing much more about your body and how it's
handling diabetes than your doctor will. Your meter is your best weapon.

Just remember, we're not in a race or a competition with anyone but ourselves... Play around with
your food plan... TEST TEST TEST. Learn what foods cause spikes, what foods cause cravings... Use
your body as a science experiment.

You'll read about a lot of different ways people use to control their diabetes... Many are
diametrically opposed. After awhile you'll learn that there is no one size fits all around here.
Take some time to experiment and you'll soon discover the plan that works for you.

Best of luck!

Jennifer

Hi new2

Ignore what I said. She said it better. Read it again.

Cheers Alan, T2, Oz dx May 2002, diet and not enough exercise.
--
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.

Thank you all for your words of wisdom!!! Well I went from eating fast food for lunch everyday and
eating more and more sweets to eating brown rice, whole grain breads, steamed veggies, more fresh
fruit (which was hardly ever). I need to ramp up on the exercise and get a better sense of what
foods do what. I'm sure that after awhile, this too will just be a part of my routine that I do not
have to think too much about. After all, if I can quit smoking, and drinking, then I have the
motivation to get myself on the right track.

And yes, a new moniker is in the works!!!

🙂

"oldal4865" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

A very ugly, ugly fact about these newsgroups: Everybody posting has

been sentenced to die young, and in pain. However, we have found a sneaky way out of the sentence;
learning as much as possible about the disease and using that knowledge to beat it.

Quoted message said:

That would be time ON for good behavior! bj

Quoted message said:

Type 2 diabetics who "cheat" or don't try hard end up dying young. . .but they don't mind so
much because their lives become so uncomfortable as death approaches.

Well that's why I've joined this newsgroup! To arm myself with as much info as possible so that I
can live another day.

Quoted message said:

Be careful about judging the Type 1. A savvy T1 is injecting according to DAFNE. . .Dose Adjusted
For Normal Eating.

Sorry if it seemed like I was judging. I'm learning more of the differences btwn Type I and Type II.
It's just that when a Type I was telling me she "cheated" and ate cake & ...., I thought that she
wasn't as "into it", only to learn that Type I have more of a window with food & their insulin.

Quoted message said:

If a T1 is willing to shoot insulin 7-12 times a day, he can eat just about anything. If he is
clever enough, he can get away with it.

A very ugly, ugly fact about these newsgroups: Everybody posting has been sentenced to die young,
and in pain. However, we have found a sneaky way out of the sentence; learning as much as possible
about the disease and using that knowledge to beat it.

One could say that we earn a daily reprieve by the "Workayobuttoff" technique.

Well that's why I'm here!!

Quoted message said:

You have made some changes in your diet and seen small improvements in blood sugar control.
However, your sugars are still unacceptable and you are headed for trouble.

So as a newbie, I'm told that it'll take time to figure out what works & what doesn't. But how much
time do I have??? When I see my doc on Dec 9th, I'll have been on Metformin for 6 weeks; I am
scheduled to see a dietician Jan 13th. Well it's the waiting game for these days to pass by. In the
meantime, I am walking more, and I've lost 4 lbs. Maybe I'm just stressed out. After all, I am
already allergic to eggs and that cuts out a whole lot of foods already. And now it's even more
restrictive (ok that's a relative word). I'm eating more whole grains, veggies etc..

Quoted message said:

However, you always have choices. One choice is meds; you can always trade meds for carbs, though
choose to eat enough carbs and you too will need insulin injections to control.

Well Old Al, thank you for your tough words. That's what I need any how.... some tough love. 🙂

Quoted message said:

Regards
Old Al

Thanks, I'm printing this out for my husband. He just found out his coronary arteries are
practically -gone-, and I think it's making him consider taking diabetes seriously. I hope.

Bonita

Jennifer said:

Hi New...

Diabetes is a serious disease. The problem is, it doesn't seem or feel serious until you're in
serious trouble.

When you say "How many people put 75 - 100% effort into it everyday"... It's an odd question. I
believe I stick to my chosen meds/exercise/food plan close to 90% of the time, but as for the
effort it takes every day?... well... let's just say it doesn't rule my life. Unless I'm eating
(or exercising or popping a pill) I'm not putting much effort in at all. I just go about my life.
And for me it works. I've been able to maintain normal numbers for 4 and half years.

Here's the advice I give all newbies:

There is so much to absorb... you don't have to rush into anything. Begin by using your best
weapon in this war, your meter. You won't keel over today, you have time to experiment, test,
learn, test and figure out just how your body and this disease are getting along. The most
important thing you can do to learn about yourself and diabetes is test test test.

The single biggest question a diabetic has to answer is:

What do I eat?

Unfortunately, the answer is pretty confusing.

What confounds us all is the fact that different diabetics can get great results on wildly
different food plans. Some of us here achieve great blood glucose control eating a high complex
carbohydrate diet. Others find that anything over 75 - 100g of carbs a day is too much. Still
others are somewhere in between.

At the beginning all of us felt frustrated. We wanted to be handed THE way to eat, to ensure our
continued health. But we all learned that there is no one way. Each of us had to find our own
path, using the experience of those that went before, but still having to discover for ourselves
how OUR bodies and this disease were coexisting.

Ask questions, but remember each of us discovered on our own what works best for us. You can use
our experiences as jumping off points, but eventually you'll work up a successful plan that is
yours alone.

What you are looking to discover is how different foods affect you. As I'm sure you've read,
carbohydrates (sugars, wheat, rice... the things our Grandmas called "starches"😉 raise blood
sugars the most rapidly. Protein and fat do raise them, but not as high and much more slowly... so
if you're a T2, generally the insulin your body still makes may take care of the rise.

You might want to try some experiments.

First: Eat whatever you've been currently eating... but write it all down. Test yourself at the
following times:

Upon waking (fasting) 1 hour after each meal 2 hours after each meal At bedtime

That means 8 x each day. What you will discover by this is how long after a meal your highest
reading comes... and how fast you return to "normal". Also, you may see that a meal that included
bread, fruit or other carbs gives you a higher reading.

Then for the next few days, try to curb your carbs. Eliminate breads, cereals, rices, beans, any
wheat products, potato, corn, fruit... get all your carbs from veggies. Test at the same
schedule above.

If you try this for a few days, you may find some pretty damn good readings. It's worth a few days
to discover.

Eventually you can slowly add back carbs until you see them affecting your meter.

The thing about this disease... though we share much in common and we need to follow certain
guidelines... in the end, each of our bodies dictate our treatment and our success.

The closer we get to non-diabetic numbers, the greater chance we have of avoiding horrible
complications. The key here is AIM... I know that everyone is at a different point in their
disease... and it is progressive. But, if we aim for the best numbers and do our best, we give
ourselves the best shot at heath we've got. That's all we can do.

Here's my opinion on what numbers to aim for, they are non-diabetic numbers.

FBG under 110 One hour after meals under 140 Two hours after meals under 120

or for those in the mmol parts of the world:

Fasting Under 6 One hour after meals Under 8 Two hours after meals Under 6.5

Recent studies have indicated that the most important numbers are your "after meal" numbers. They
may be the most indicative of future complications, especially heart problems.

Listen to your doctor, but you are the leader of your diabetic care team. While his /her advice is
learned, it is not absolute. You will end up knowing much more about your body and how it's
handling diabetes than your doctor will. Your meter is your best weapon.

Just remember, we're not in a race or a competition with anyone but ourselves... Play around with
your food plan... TEST TEST TEST. Learn what foods cause spikes, what foods cause cravings... Use
your body as a science experiment.

You'll read about a lot of different ways people use to control their diabetes... Many are
diametrically opposed. After awhile you'll learn that there is no one size fits all around here.
Take some time to experiment and you'll soon discover the plan that works for you.

Best of luck!

Jennifer

(new2type2) said:

FOLLOW UP: 1 week & 1 day on metformin. Have reduced intake of starch
- brown rice; this mornings reading was 7.0 mml/L fast & my after 2 hour reading is 6.3 mmol/L!!!!!
I think something is starting to work!!!🙂

I'm also down to 155 lbs. from 161 lbs when dx. Don't get me wrong..... I'm not content, just
pleased that the number is dropping.

new2type2

Way to go! Test,test,test - it aint easy, but it sure is worth it. Really good to hear the
good news.

Cheers Alan, T2, Oz dx May 2002, diet and not enough exercise.
--
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.

"new2type2" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thank you all for your words of wisdom!!! Well I went from eating fast food for lunch everyday and
eating more and more sweets to eating brown rice, whole grain breads, steamed veggies, more fresh
fruit (which was hardly ever). I need to ramp up on the exercise and get a better sense of what
foods do what. I'm sure that after awhile, this too will just be a part of my routine that I do
not have to think too much about. After all, if I can quit smoking, and drinking, then I have the
motivation to get myself on the right track.

And yes, a new moniker is in the works!!!

I hate to tell you this, but eating carbs is a problem for diabetics. Carbs are in rice breads and
fruit. Fruit can be especially problematic for diabetics. What does your meter say when you eat all
these things?

--
Type 2 users.bestweb.net~jboveOpen ↗

"Julie Bove" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

I hate to tell you this, but eating carbs is a problem for diabetics. Carbs are in rice breads and
fruit. Fruit can be especially problematic for diabetics. What does your meter say when you eat
all these things?

May I ask: so I know that white rice, white bread etc... are a no no. And it's recommended to eat
brown rice, whole grains etc... Does that mean that even that is suspect for Type II? I have been
eating brown rice every day except today. My after 2 hour bg was 8.4 (151) which was lower than it's
been: 11, 12. (198, 216). I also have been eating whole grain bread in the morning.

If one is lowering their intake of carbs, what types of food do you eat in a meal? Another
complication that I have is that I'm allergic to eggs and that affects a lot of things already.

For fruit, I've been switching between bananas, grapefruit and oranges.

I'm allergic to eggs also, well albumin specifically. I've never had an egg in my life, my allergy
was discovered when I had a vaccination as a baby, almost died so they say. The thing I did when
first dxed was to cut the carbs almost altogether. I've been adding them back in after checking with
my meter. I have discovered that mashed potatoes suck, but Sweet potatoes hardly do anything. You've
heard YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary), well that's why when I tell you what I'm eating it may not be
the same for you. I eat a lot of salad with meat, SF Jello, veggies, fish, and I discovered a nice
lo-carb bread so I have "Real" peanutbutter and SF jelly. However I eat no breafast cereal, no rice,
(except Rice Cakes) no potatoes and frankly....so what? At night I eat mainly whatever's being
served, only smaller. Portion size rules. My BG numbers are excellent, I've lost tons of weight, and
I think now that being dxed could have GIVEN me back years of life. blahblahblahblah. Eat to the
meter, get a notebook and keep track for a couple of months and before you know it you'll be Beep-
Beeping away from Mr. Coyote.

"new2type2" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Julie Bove" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

I hate to tell you this, but eating carbs is a problem for diabetics.

Carbs

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

are in rice breads and fruit. Fruit can be especially problematic for diabetics. What does your
meter say when you eat all these things?

May I ask: so I know that white rice, white bread etc... are a no no. And it's recommended to eat
brown rice, whole grains etc... Does that mean that even that is suspect for Type II? I have been
eating brown rice every day except today. My after 2 hour bg was 8.4 (151) which was lower than
it's been: 11, 12. (198, 216). I also have been eating whole grain bread in the morning.

If one is lowering their intake of carbs, what types of food do you eat in a meal? Another
complication that I have is that I'm allergic to eggs and that affects a lot of things already.

For fruit, I've been switching between bananas, grapefruit and oranges.