Newly diagnosed diabetic

Demitra1 · ‎03-11-2010

I know there are tons of articles on dos and don'ts on-line, but I'm looking for personal responses.

Will you share your most important tips, FOODS, and advice? I have quit all bread, starchy vegetables, and desserts.

Do you have good snack suggestions?

Thanks in advance. I'm determined to change my diet and have been doing well I THINK for the past six weeks. I will have an A1C test in September. I do not have a monitor as of yet. My doctor will talk to me about that after he gets my results next month.

traveler · ‎03-09-2010

tryhttp://www.diabeticlivingonline.com/ Diabetes is different for everyone. Think twice about taking anecdotal advice. I have been given some very strange advice.

Kiakc · ‎11-14-2010

My husband and I both took a class at a local hospital, which our insurance paid for. They give you correct information, lots of food tips, and teach you how to count carbs. Ask your doctor to refer you to a local class.

bonnielu · ‎03-11-2010

Many local hospitals have classes and if the doctor writes for it insurance will cover it (most insurances). I went to such a class but was given a choice which one to take. I chose to work with a diatician and together we reversed the "type 2 diagnosis " in a matter of a month or so. Lost 25 pounds. That did it.

I used my Fitbit to log in exercise and joined myfitness pal on line.

Buck-i-Nana · ‎09-28-2010

@demitra wrote:
I know there are tons of articles on dos and don'ts on-line, but I'm looking for personal responses.

Will you share your most important tips, FOODS, and advice? I have quit all bread, starchy vegetables, and desserts.

Do you have good snack suggestions?

Thanks in advance. I'm determined to change my diet and have been doing well I THINK for the past six weeks. I will have an A1C test in September. I do not have a monitor as of yet. My doctor will talk to me about that after he gets my results next month.

I would STRONGLY suggest you get yourself a monitor. The WalMart brand, ReliOn, is very affordable, including the test strips. I use them instead of the monitor and strips my insurance covers as the ReliOn full price is less than my co-pay on the name brand and I did dual testing for about a week to compare the readings from my oneTouch and my ReliOn and they were very close every time.

Once you have the monitor, TEST OFTEN. What may be a big time trigger for glucose spike for me might not be the same for you. Once you can start testing your glucose levels after eating, you can keep a log of what foods work best for you and eventually if you see you can keep your glucose under control, you can reduce the amount of testing you do. You can also keep track of your moods in that log - I know I get really cranky when my sugar levels are off.

Walking is really beneficial in helping to control your sugar levels, better than any other exercise. Also, you didn't mention beverages - word to the wise, fruit juice is a big NO, even unsweetened. It's concentrated sugar.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

@Kiakc wrote:
My husband and I both took a class at a local hospital, which our insurance paid for. They give you correct information, lots of food tips, and teach you how to count carbs. Ask your doctor to refer you to a local class.

EXACTLY. I can't believe how many doctors just prescribe a pill and do not make any attempt to educate their patients about this many faceted disease. Diabetes can cause so many other conditions such as blindness, heart disease, neuropathy, kidney disease, strokes and many others.There is so much more than simply cutting back on eating carbs. That doesn't even scratch the surface!!! When I went to nursing school we studied diabetes for one entire semester and that still did not cover every aspect.

I also agree that you will get a LOT of misinformation on both this board (for certain) and out on the Internet. This is not something you can self teach.

sidsmom · ‎11-25-2011

It's ALL about the food. Reduce the fat immediately & your BS numbers will improve immediately. No need to avoid starchy vegetables...it's the fat one puts ON starchy vegetables that gets wonky BS numbers. A plain baked potato is satiating & very little fat. No need to avoid plants. Unprocessed carbohydrates are your friend!

I belong to many vegetarian online communities. They all say the same thing. Low Fat, Whole Foods, Plant Based will make diabetes a thing of the past....ESPECIALLY when adhering to low fat (15-20% of your total calories).

Animal products, which have saturated fat, will stop any improvement. If you have this ailment, moderation is NOT the way to go. N.ip it in the bud once & for all! But that will take BIG changes...but BIG & positive results will reward you!

I would link a diabetes success video, but there are too many to choose from. Take your pick...good luck!

https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/stars/stars-video/

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

My husband was diagnosed with diabetes 18 years ago, and I have been focusing on my pre-diabetes condition for 5 years. Our local hospital has a diabetic educator, and registered dietitians on staff who meet with every hospital inpatient who has diabetes. This same hospital offers free diabetes education classes quarterly; twice a year they are scheduled in the afternoon, and twice a year they are scheduled in the early evening hours----we have attended these classes twice. Local doctors refer their patients to these classes, as well as to the registered dietitians for free nutritional counseling---we have have had one on one meetings twice. In our household, nothing is off limits, and we do not do sugar free or fat free. We do not serve bread with all meals, and limit our intake of white potatoes and pasta. Carb control is our main focus, which also means limiting watermelon, cantaloupe, and the milk and graham crackers with peanut butter snacks my husband likes before bedtime. Being determined to change your diet is exactly what you need to do, but your body needs good carbs as well as fats and some starch for proper function. We continue to enjoy cake, pie and cookies, but not often, and we focus on a proper serving. We treated ourselves to DQ last week, but it was the only time we've been for the entire year thus far. Every day we focus on making wise choices and doing the best we can for that day. Best wishes to you with your journey with diabetes. Remember that your health insurance will cover diabetic supplies like glucometer, test strips, and lancets. When my brother was diagnosed with diabetes last week, his doctor gave him a brand new glucose meter while in the office, along with the prescription for the test strips and lancets.

sidsmom · ‎11-25-2011

@RedTop wrote:
My husband was diagnosed with diabetes 18 years ago, and I have been focusing on my pre-diabetes condition for 5 years. Our local hospital has a diabetic educator, and registered dietitians on staff who meet with every hospital inpatient who has diabetes. This same hospital offers free diabetes education classes quarterly; twice a year they are scheduled in the afternoon, and twice a year they are scheduled in the early evening hours----we have attended these classes twice. Local doctors refer their patients to these classes, as well as to the registered dietitians for free nutritional counseling---we have have had one on one meetings twice. In our household, nothing is off limits, and we do not do sugar free or fat free. We do not serve bread with all meals, and limit our intake of white potatoes and pasta. Carb control is our main focus, which also means limiting watermelon, cantaloupe, and the milk and graham crackers with peanut butter snacks my husband likes before bedtime. Being determined to change your diet is exactly what you need to do, but your body needs good carbs as well as fats and some starch for proper function. We continue to enjoy cake, pie and cookies, but not often, and we focus on a proper serving. We treated ourselves to DQ last week, but it was the only time we've been for the entire year thus far. Every day we focus on making wise choices and doing the best we can for that day. Best wishes to you with your journey with diabetes. Remember that your health insurance will cover diabetic supplies like glucometer, test strips, and lancets. When my brother was diagnosed with diabetes last week, his doctor gave him a brand new glucose meter while in the office, along with the prescription for the test strips and lancets.

@RedTop I would passionately advise you, your husband & brother to look into Dr. McDougall's site for diabetes management. Limiting potatoes, cantaloupe...which are good carbohydrates...are unnecessary. Limiting/eliminating processed carbohydrates like bread, milk, crackers, cake, pie, cookies would be highly advisable.

With a recent diagnosis & 5-18 yrs of Diabetic management...this clearly indicates something's not working...how about just try something different for 30 days & see if it helps? Adult onset Type 2 Diabetes is a preventable disease. It pains me to see such a simple, inexpensive solution not, at least, researched. Thoughts?