Re: My fasting blood sugar levels.

x-no-archive: yes

Susan Adair wrote: 
Jumping in on the low-carb/hunger issue.  I do agree with Kurt that
people who are obese eat for reasons other than hunger, and sometimes
can't always tell when they are hungry.

Susan, studies have shown that obese folks (clinically obese is defined as 20lbs over ideal weight, IIRC) have about a 20 minute delay, compared to thin folks, in the brain's getting the message that the stomach has had enough. For this reason, I now stop eating when I'm no longer hungry, and long before I feel full, this really makes a difference.


I was a bit shocked to see 
myself described as obese in the trauma center records from my
accident.  I never thought of myself in those terms, although
overweight was certainly in my vocabulary.  I was about 80 pounds over
the weight for my height; I'm now about 40 pounds over that weight.  My
weight does not show and did not show as much as some because the
places it gathers, gut, thighs, upper arms, are easier to disguise with
clothing.  I am now developing my eating to keep my bg low;  this means
a lot less carbs, and less carbs than the ADA diet plan because even
whole-grain bread, which I used to eat exclusively, takes my bg higher
than I want them.  I've been talking to an igt woman at work who is
also frustrated by the diet her doctor gave her, which is the standard
heart-health diet.  It's not working for her, any more than it did for
me.   Watching saturated fat is important, but the carbs are important
too.  Also, sometimes the emphasis on low fat suggests to the unwary
that they eat those low-fat foods that are high carb, and really
high-calorie.  I watch fats in meat, and the few baked goods I eat, but
I allow plenty of olive oil and nuts, because they help satisfy my
craving for satiety. I do need some of the grain foods to feel that I
have eaten enough, but I am using rye crispbread for a lot of that, and
I discoverd Sara Lee Delightful multi-grain bread ( thanks to all those
who mentioned the new Sara Lee bread; I would never have looked for it
otherwise) that I can use once in a while, including week-end breakfast
toast.

I am getting some control of my cravings, and I do think that reducing
the grain carbs in my diet has some effect, but there is still the
problem of see food - want food, and baked goods are a big part of
that.  I can't smell much any more, which does eliminate one temptation
that can be very powerful.  I don't recommend that anyone try my method
of reducing temptation, but it is a factor for me.  I am developing
snacks for those times I want to eat.  Nuts are good for this, and I am
trying to keep some at work so I don't go for the food brought in by
staff, or pay a visit to the coffee shop downstairs.  Low-carb yogurt
can also work, and a crispbread with a little peanut butter.  I have
also discovered that one small cookie, especially a short-bread type,
does not jump my bg very much and can satisfy my need to participate in
holiday parties.  I nibble, where I used to eat 3-4 cookies.  Cravings
are tied to social activites a lot, for me, or being chilly, or bored,
or tired, or damp, or seeing food.  In a lot of cases what is available
to eat at those times is high-carb, high-sugar, or both.  In earlier
years I ate what I wanted then because I was not extremely concerned
about my figure, which seemed to be the emphasis in weight loss talk.
I slowly gained more weight, but only in the last 3-4 years was it to
the point I was really concerned.  Testing is a wonderful thing,
because it keeps your eating honest; when I was testing as an igt I did
very well at control, and even lost weight.  When I stopped testing I
gradually returned to my earlier eating patterns, and here I am now.

This is a bit of a babble, and only loosly related to the previous
postings, but it seems to me that issues of eating for bg control have
much more tied in than just research results.

I think each person's experience is the only research that's critical for the individual. OTOH, often, science can provide answers and hints at how to alter our experiences for the better, often in counterintuitive ways. Information is always a good thing, IMO, the more the better. It's up to each individual how to apply it or not.

I am willing to read and 
believe many research reports, and try to take them into account in my
practices, but there is a social and emotional load to food that as
humans I don't think we can deny.

Reasonable people can disagree. I think smelling or seeing foods triggers a brain response, not a psychological one.

Susan
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