Re: New diagnosis...chasing the glucose levels?
- From: "Janet" <boxhill@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2011 16:59:19 -0400
Jbob wrote:
Newcomer to the Diabetes community. Was diagnosed a week ago as
prediabetic. Diagnosed using fasting glucose levels and A1c test. Got a
Glucose tester and have been reading a lot. My fasting sugar
had gotten to the 126 level since last Nov....last time I was checked
by my doctor.
For the last week I have really been trying to cut back in carb
intake and checking my glucose levels through the day....1 hr post
meal, 2 hour, etc. So far my fasting blood levels are remaining in
the 120 plus levels. In really watching my carb intake over the last
few days my glucose levels are remaining in the 105 to 130 ranges.
I'd consider that good for post prandial readings. Anything under 140 is a
widely agreed upon decent target for a T2, although it isn't really known at
what level damage occurs. (Some big diabetes organizations implicitly or
explicitly endorse higher target ranges, but what one might call the
activist diabetic community tends to disagree. :) There are plenty of
arguments about that here.)
did see a 190 reading after eating two sandwiches(4 pieces of wheat
bread) several days ago but nothing over 150 since.
Yeah, that's a LOT of bread in one sitting, even if "low carb" bread. (By
low carb, I mean 13GMs net carb or less per slice.) Regular whole wheat
could easily have twice that amount.
One of the things that many of us have had to jettison is the idea that
"healthy whole grains" and fruits can be the basis of our diet, at least for
now.
My doctor has prescribed Metformin 500MG ER. But so far I'm only on
my 4th day so not enough time for them to become fully effective.
I believe that the effective dose of metformin is 1000-2000MG/day. But
people build up to that over time in order to avoid gastrointestinal side
effects. I think that starting with 500MG is common. The pharmacist told me
that it takes about 3 weeks for met to kick in.
I have a pretty sedentary lifestyle but am not overweight(by
much...10 lbs). I do have many of the traits for Metabolic
Syndrome....high cholesteral levels(controlled),
hypertension(controlled), family history.
The last several days I've really tried getting my levels below 100
but so far that is illuding me. Since fasting doesn't seem to get it
below 100 is there anything extra I could try(exercize will begin
shortly) to see about getting the numbers a little lower?
Obviously(hopefully) the meds will help some eventually. I've pretty
much tried to cut as much carbs from my diet as possible to see how
far I can get the numbers down.
What do mean by "cut as much carbs as possible"? Theoretically, you could
cut them to just about 0 and survive. The first thing that most of us ask is
"what the hell can I eat?" Unfortunately, the answer is not simple. IMHO,
your goal should be BG control, not eating some specific targeted amount of
carbs. The type and amount that you can eat, and when, and with what, is
going to be something that you discover over time by testing.
Some advice suggests eliminating all carbs to start, then gradually adding
them back and testing. Another tack would be to establish a starter
goal--say no more than 15 gms of carb at any one meal or snack, with even
less in the morning and perhaps a bit more in the evening. (Many of us can't
tolerate carbs in the morning.) You should also establish a level of calorie
reduction that you can stick with until you've lost whatever weight you need
to lose. You could eat that way for a while while you ramp up your exercise
level and wait for the met to kick in. After a couple of months, during
which you will be a moving target, you should have a better idea of where
you stand.
Personally, at diagnosis I cut out all potatoes, oatmeal, fruit juices, most
fruits, chips, cookies, cakes, white rice, white bread, noodles, starchy
vegetables like corn, and just about anything else made with flour or sugar
or cornstarch or cornmeal. I eat no more than 2 oz, weighed dry, of Plus
pasta, and that is an indulgence. I eat no more than 1/3 cup of brown rice
at a meal (usually more like 1/4 cup). I eat no more than one slice of low
carb bread. (If you look around you will find low carb wraps and pitas.) I
do eat lots of green vegetables, other non-starchy vegetables, mostly lean
meats, fish, cheese (I love cheese--it's an indulgence), some low- or no-fat
dairy (cottage cheese and greek yogurt), and use olive oil almost
exclusively for fat. Part of this is to keep BGs low, part is to control
weight, and part is to improve lipids.
I would suggest that you get Gretchen Becker's book. It is very informative.
.
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- New diagnosis...chasing the glucose levels?
- From: Jbob
- New diagnosis...chasing the glucose levels?
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