Type 2 here

[Holly_Hobby]

Diagnosed 6/11 with a1C of 9.3 and avg BG of 220. Doctor prescribed Metformin, but I decided not to take it after doing a little research, as I really have to watch my kidneys from a prior Strep infection as a child, and Metformin is for people with fully functioning kidneys.

As I was obese, I went on Atkins. I lost 130 lbs. in 26 months. My last a1C was 5.6, avg BG of 110. It wasn't easy, but I have a diabetic friend who lost sight in one eye and both legs below the knee, so I took the diagnosis seriously.

I eat eggs, cheese, meat, veggies, yogurt. I take a magnesium supplement. I'm on Avapro for kidney protection. I'm not active because of spinal collapse, so exercise is really out of the question for me.

I have some microalbumin in my urine, not much, but there is some damage already.

I look forward to learning what things others do to manage.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

1. Those are great numbers!

Just curious, how many grams of carbs do you eat a day? I think I found my sweet spot at 60-90 grams of carbs per day, but the CDE wants me to eat 200-300 per day. At 200-300 grams, my BG roller-coasters up and down all day, so I think the CDE may be full of shit. Her advice to me was pretty much, "Hi Joe, you're diabetic, so carbs are essentially poison." Then, just minutes later she says, "and you can eat as many carbs as you want." There seemed to be a weird disconnect between what's suggested and what really works.

I'm Type 1:
A1C at Dx = 14+
BG at Dx = 900
Current 14 day average = 98
Lantus = 34 units/day
Humalog = 4-8 units/day

[Holly_Hobby]

2. Thanks...I eat 50-70 carb grams/day,

if I don't get at least 50, I lose more weight.

The friend I mentioned above is on insulin, he ate whatever he wanted and he still lost sight in one eye and both his legs because his doctor said he could eat anything as long as he got the insulin injections right. I guess that wasn't good advice for him.

The reason I was able to lose the weight and keep it off was because of one item - Kroger Carb Master yogurt - 4 grams of carbs in each cup, 60 calories. I eat at least 4 of those a day and enables me to live without sugar.

I'm a bread lover too, but I eat my burgers and tacos wrapped in lettuce leaves instead. I have never been hungry in the nearly 3 years of Atkins. I eat a lot of fat, mostly cream in my black tea, and that stops me from being hungry.

I forgot to mention that my bad cholesterol went from nearly 500 down to 117, and I eat tons and tons of cream and butter. My doctor does not approve of Atkins, but what can she say now that my a1C and lipids are normal? I will be rubbing her nose in it the next time I go in.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

3. That low-carb yogurt is a great suggestion!

I've got it on my shopping list. I love yogurt, and it's one of the things I miss eating. Didn't know about low-carb yogurt - how is the taste?

My doctor said he wouldn't recommend a high fat Atkins type diet, but also that he wouldn't stop me if I went that direction. With my numbers improving, he doesn't have much ammunition to get me eating low-fat/high carb. I refused the statin (an experiment with a statin almost killed me a few years ago), and my numbers are improving without medication. If my lipids get into the normal range, I'll also be rubbing my doc's nose in it.

That really sucks about your friend, and I'm not sure why doctor's and CDE's recommend so many carbs for diabetics. Both CDE's I visited told me to eat whatever carbs I want and dose my insulin accordingly. The studies I've read say that regular BG levels over 140 are the greatest risk factor for diabetes related complications, and the more carb intake per meal, the greater the chance that we bolus too much or too little. It's easier (and healthier) to just cut most of the carbs out of the diet. Like you, though, I have to eat at least a minimal amount of carbohydrate to keep my weight up.

[Holly_Hobby]

4. Kroger yogurt is wonderful...

My fave is the white chocolate raspberry, but I haven't found one I didn't like. You can get 10-6 oz. cups for $4. It's thick, creamy and tasty. Good frozen too, just put them in your freezer overnight.

The reason diabetics are told to eat 60% carbs comes from the ADA, who get their money from the drug companies. As usual, follow the money.

Stay as far away from statins as you can. I too had an awful experience - I think they caused my diabetes. There is none in my family, even though there are many many obese family members who aren't diabetic, but don't take statins.

My blood sugars don't even reach 100 anymore, and I'm so proud of that control. It stays between 75 and 95 100% of the time, and I eat nearly 3,000 calories a day. It truly is WHAT you eat, not how much you eat. I eat more now than when I was obese. And I get much less exercise because of a spine issue. I will sing the praises of low carbs for diabetics forever.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

5. Yea I got a stupid ADA pamphlet from one of the CDE's I visited

It talked about all the "freedom" diabetics have now that we can "eat as many carbs as you want and dose the insulin accordingly".

Your numbers are awesome, and it's good to see some long-term evidence that what I'm doing will work. The most recent CDE I visited told me (get this!) that I should shoot for 120 pre-meal and 180 an hour after eating. I literally asked her if she was insane! I'm shooting for ~90 pre-meal and 100-110 1-2 hours post-meal. Her thinking is that since my basal insulin is at 34 units per day, and the ADA recommendation for T1's is 50% basal and 50% bolus, I should up my carb intake so that I'm taking 34 units of Humalog per day to match the Lantus. I flat out told her "no!"

I've found that if I do about 20 minutes of light exercise (like walking) 30 minutes after eating, I don't have to even bolus for the minimal carb intake I do have.

[Holly_Hobby]

7. I went to a CDE early on too

She was so angry when I told her I was on Atkins, she walked out and said to come back when I want real help. So I did - after I lost 130 lbs. and showed her my new 5.6 a1C after 26 months on Atkins. She actually said I "got lucky"!

I have a collapsing spine, so I can't exercise, but I do walk my dogs for 30 min. every day.

I love what I eat and I'm not hungry.

When I was first diagnosed, we were doing a major renovation on our home and my Atkins book was packed away, as I had been on it about 6 years prior and knew it worked. So I went from memory, and at my next 60 day doctor appointment, I had lost 40 lbs. My random blood glucose finger stick in her office that day was 43! Oops! I skipped lunch that day, won't do that again, because I obviously don't have hypo symptoms. I stay between 75 and 110 now.

[Nay]

6. I love Carbmasters yogurt! It saved me, too. Also try the Breyer's Carb Smart

ice cream in vanilla or chocolate. I have some trouble with gas if I eat too much, but otherwise it's another sweet that doesn't bump up the BG.

[Holly_Hobby]

8. Oh I'm gonna have to try the ice cream, thanks for the tip

I was eating a 1/2 serving of Costco's no sugar added frozen yogurt, but it spiked me to 140.

[Nay]

9. no-sugar-added ice cream never worked for me, either. nt

[MichelleCollins68]

10. I can't beleave that I have diabetes.

In 2009 I was told that i had DIABETES. No one in my family has it. I was taking 1500mg of Seroquel. That is what gave me this. This was in November of 2009. In December of 2009 I was passing out at 170. My dog wakes me up when this happens to me. Any way my room mate is type 2 she gave me insulin and I was fine. I went to my doctors and I had to tel him 3 times that something was not right. You see my number are great. However I get to 170 or higher and I am in big trouble. My doctor said to me (You are now on insulin have an nice day) My room mate told me want to do. She told me how to eat and everthing. My doctor did not do a thing for me. I now have an better doctor. Every time I pass out I hope that Scruffy my dog can wake me up again. I some time tell myself that I am fine until something happen. I don't want to die or anything and I don't want this shit. I can reminber when I was fine not now I have to wach every thing that I do. My other meds messes with my Diabetes and that sucks. I pass out at lease 3 to 4 times an day. My speacialist wants to take me off of my insulin cause of my number being so good. But my body says something different. I am worry that one day I will pass out and not ever wake up. I HATE THIS SHIT.

[Holly_Hobby]

12. I'm sorry I missed your post...

I'm not on insulin, but something is wrong, terribly wrong. Do you see a specialist?

[Nay]

16. Michelle, you need to go to a diabetes specialist (they are often endocrinologists) to

help you with adjusting your meds, making sure you really have diabetes and not some other problem, and to have your fainting spells evaluated. No one should be passing out at 170 -- generally, you pass out when your BG gets too low (below 60), not when it is slightly high (like 170). There's another reason why you are passing out, and you need to find out what that is.

Change doctors, or insist that you be tested for other problems that might be causing you to pass out. Ask that your other meds be changed, if possible, to see if you can find a similar med that doesn't interfere with your diabetes meds.

Again, you should NOT be passing out several times a day.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

19. I completely agree with this advice

I spent months (or potentially years) with BG levels regularly above 500, and I never passed out.

Michele, if you can, find another doctor who can give you a second opinion. There are a multitude of other things that could be happening in your pancreas or liver. A good endocrinologist would be best, but even having a new GP with a fresh perspective would be helpful.

[meow2u3]

11. Another type 2 here

Last blood work:

BG: 110
Blood count: normal
a1C: 6.5

And I'm still obese. Being a picky eater who doesn't like most fruits and veggies doesn't help me.

[Holly_Hobby]

13. I'm an extremely picky eater

I eat eggs, cheese, yogurt, meat, cashews, drink cream in tea, tomatoes, green peppers, cukes. That's about it. I love those foods and I'm doing great on them. I feeling fantastic, except for my spine issues causing pain. I have a big Greek salad once a month. My latest a1C was 5.7.

[meow2u3]

14. You're lucky you prefer more healthful food

I've gotten so used to eating processed foods--foods I can afford--that healthful foods don't appeal to me. I can't afford fresh fruits and veggies, so my brain keeps telling me they taste like crap. Rationalization?

[Holly_Hobby]

15. It costs much less to eat my diet than processed food

At least in my case. Let me calculate how much I spent this week...

21 eggs $2
1 stick butter $1
60 cashews $4
2 pkg. pepperoni $8
7 tea bags $1
1 cup cream $1
7 tomatoes $9
7 green peppers $11
4 cukes $4
1 lb. swiss cheese $7
7 cartons yogurt $3

That's $52/week. Monthly, the large Greek salad is $7. So it costs $215/month for me.

[Nay]

17. Holly, as a Type II who is sick to death of cooking and eating, I am considering

the adoption of a similar diet. I have been doing low-carb for the 3 years that I have been diabetic, plus I take the minimum dose of Metformin daily. It's worked out great -- I consistently have an A1C of about 5.5 or 5.8 and my doc is over the moon happy.

But! I am pretty sick of having to eat like this; it's not very satisfying mentally. I used to love to bake, but of course I rarely do that now except for holidays when everybody comes over for dinner. I just find it too hard to eat just one cookie, just one tiny sliver of pie, just one chocolate, etc., so I've pretty much eliminated eating that stuff at all. I'm slowly assembling a set of standard foods/dishes that I can throw together quickly -- 3 different breakfasts, 3 different lunches, etc., and just rotate through these limited dishes to at least eliminate the hassle of cooking and the hassle of thinking about food. For example, my breakfast this morning was cottage cheese, 6 strawberries, 1 slice of low-carb bread and butter.

My doc, may he be blessed by angels, has given me a prescription for a fast-acting diabetes med to use when I am on vacation/at a holiday dinner so I can at least eat somewhat normally at the event. He's happy about my A1C, my daily exercise program, and my weight loss and he feels sorry for me when I go on vacation. Bless his heart!

[Holly_Hobby]

18. I don't get bored with my diet at all -

I view carbs as poisonous to me

[EvolveOrConvolve]

20. If you remove the tomatoes, that menu looks pretty familiar

Another thing I like to do is buy some super cheap beef like a chuck or round cut and crock-pot it on the weekend with some low carb barbecue sauce I found. Lasts me a whole week eating it with my lunch.

Where do you find the pepperoni? Every brand I buy seems to spike my BG at least 30 or 40 points higher than the carbs would indicate. Do you get the small pre-sliced packages, or the whole sausage?

[Holly_Hobby]

21. Kroger brand pepperoni has zero carbs

They come sliced in 7 oz. packages for about $3. My blood sugar goes up about 7 points after eating pepperoni.

I don't like to cook at all. The only thing I cook is scrambled eggs and bacon. Even before diabetes, I barely cooked.

Once in a while, my husband will make taco-seasoned ground beef and I'll eat that on a leaf of lettuce with tomato, onion, cheese, sour cream and hot sauce.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

22. That's good to know, I'm going to see if the local Fred Meyer store has them

I think it's a Kroger brand. Thanks!