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Any diabetics using the FB?

Wondering if there are any diabetics out there who are using the FB and working towards weight loss?  I'm insulin dependent and trying to lose weight but more importantly trying to regain my health and physical strength while balancing everything.  A challenge a day! Love to hear your stories....

Laura
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992 REPLIES 992

MLGad,

Fantastic. A1c at 5.4 wow you really made a difference and moved it to normal. You know how to do it as you have lost 25 lbs. Cool. We have a Labor Day challenge in the discussion session. You may want to join us and set a goal for the next 8 weeks. 

Keep it up,

Barb

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Minto

I would aim for 125 carbs or less all day total  with only 27 at any meal. ADA recommends 129 a day as the maximum if I remember correctly. Simple carbs are the biggest problem as they turn to sugar in the stomach.  Veggies and whole grains are complex carbs with fiber and get used more slowly so as not to spike blood glucose. Exercise of course is soooo important everyday to burn the calories we eat and help circulation and strengthen muscles, etc. More muscle better calorie burn.

We can do this,

Barb

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I need some food advice.....  it's my wife's birthday, and she has chosen a very nice Greek restaurant for her birthday dinner tonight.  The menu can be found at  http://stellasrichmond.com/ .I have found most mediteranean menus (including Greek and Italian) to be a minefield of carbs.

 

Can anyone suggest a path here on what to order?  I obviously can skip the entire dessert thing, but what about FOOD?

 

Thanks for any reply.

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​My favourite tonight would be Dolmades, Classic Greek Salad, Mousaka and
if I was not driving , Retsina to drink - am fortunate to know Greece and
the Greek islands quite well, and I have enjoyed this many times - I would
rate it at 60 carbs - the desserts are normally full of sugar eg. Baklava,
so I do not touch them.

Enjoy

Paul
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LDE,
You should try Weight Watchers. Just so you can meet some new friends and get you on track. This is after you see your doctor and
discuss your problems. And if you can find a friend in your neighborhood or relative to go walking with you . I really hate gyms but
maybe join one of those. Or a YMCA will let you walk inside their gyms for free if you are a senior citizen.

I have a hard time finding people to walk with me. Including my husband. I bought an IPod and fitbit and walk by myself. We have
walking trails and a lot of parks near us. I also ride a bike. Really I prefer to be by myself because most people walk too slow. Or they
quit after 1/2 mile. Believe me I only use to walk a mile or less at one time.

I have notice people on our trails are by them selves. Usually people in their 50s and up. They too have their music going .
I have stopped and talked to a lot of them. Some people I haven’t seen in 15 years. Never see teenagers or even the younger
kids.

Good luck.
JStobinski@roadrunner.com



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@Mrsaireysson wrote:
​My favourite tonight would be Dolmades, Classic Greek Salad, Mousaka and
if I was not driving , Retsina to drink - am fortunate to know Greece and
the Greek islands quite well, and I have enjoyed this many times - I would
rate it at 60 carbs - the desserts are normally full of sugar eg. Baklava,
so I do not touch them.

Enjoy

Paul

Thanks, Paul.  I actually ended up with the Greek salad which turned out to be HUGE.  It got split three ways at the table.  I ended up splitting a pastichio with my daughter with a side of beets in olive oil.  I had a few "taste this" nibbles frommy wife's and daughter's plates.  All in all, not a bad night.

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

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On a completely unrelated note, my daughter has taken to referring to my fitbit as my "fat butt."

 

I get no respect.......   Smiley Happy

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I have a really time staying away from foods that spike my blood sugar.  If I give it a lot of though and time i'm able to control my sugar and shed some weight that is desperately need.  I wear my Fitbit Tracker every single day because it does keep me motivated, however I never seem to make the right choices in eatting.  Any suggestions on how to make small changes in the food i eat.

 

Thank you.

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Lagata

Do not say Never as it leaves no avenue to change. It is totally vital to get support to eat well and stabilize your blood sugar. Write down every single thing you eat AND see how many are healthy. Each day try another good food from the low glycemic index. 

Talk to your MD and get a referral to a nutritionist. There are classes for diabetic cooking hopefully near to you.  Make a list of healthy foods and only buy them. Eat lots and lots of veggies in salads, soups and steamed. Junk food makes people sick so kick it to the curb. 

DrFuhrman.com has excellent veggie recipes and wrote End to Diabetes. It is great information.

You can do this so start the positive self talk. Automatic negative thoughts lie so don't define yourself as a failure.  Each wise choice needs to be celebrated and noticed. 

 

Sending you good energy,

Barb

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Yum just Mike,

HB to your wife,

Barb

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@lagata0813

 

Everyone is different, but this is what I did to reverse my diabetes.

 

1. tracked all of my food with myfitnesspal to get an idea of what nutrients were in my normal diet.

2. bought an exercise tracker to determine how active I was.

3. Read Dr. Joel Furhman's book on how to reverse diabetes.

 

By tracking what I typically ate for two weeks, I determined that my diet did not have enough fiber, and it had too much fat.  I loved the food I was eating so I did not change anything.  I decided to add my fiber by juicing some fruits and vegatables.  At first this actually increased my calories, and my weight.  Juicing seemed wasteful and expensive, so I bought a nutri-bullet so that it would satisfy my appetite without breaking my budget.  I drank the juice not as a meal replacement, but as something to help provide the nutrients needed to help reverse my diabetes.

 

During the same two week period, I went about my normal day to determine how much activitiy was typical for me.  Mine turned out to be about 5000 steps which is pathetic for someone with good knees and hips.  I decided that I would have to at least double that to have a chance to lose weight while not changing my diet.  I don't believe in exercise three times a week.  I believe in cardio exercise 7 days a week.  At first I would only walk an extra two miles over my daily routine until it was no problem to walk an extra 5 miles.  You can add some workouts with weights two or three days a week.  I don't like weights so I use elastic stretch bands.

 

When you exercise you need more carbs which is exactly what doctors tell you not to increase.  What they don't all tell you is that there are good carbs, and bad carbs.  Whenever I was hungry I would eat almonds, cashews, and pistachios(all unsalted), or I would grind some up and add it to my daily juice to increase my carbs.  My average daily intake of carbs was, and still is well over 200.

 

I continued on this journey for four years.  I changed my diet slightly over the course of many weeks.  I eliminated processed foods, sugar, and artificial sweetners which your body doesn't know what to do with.  I did everything gradually over the four year period, and to my surprise when I looked at what I was eating I saw my diet had totally changed, I lost 48 lbs, and my body fat changed from 26.4 to 18.3%.  

 

When you get rid of sugar and processed foods your craving for crappy food stops!!!

 

Anyway, my diabetes is gone.  I still eat spaghetti once or twice a week.  And I eat some ice cream because I like to reward myself for working so hard.

 

Anyway, good luck. It's not easy, but it can be done.  Things will not change overnight, but they will change.

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Love your story Mikey1234. Lots of good info for Lagata. 

By the way if you have Aetna health insurance there is a program through Abilto.com that they pay for to help make healthy lifestyle changes. It is an 8 wk program to set goals, change to positive thinking and action to meet your health goals like losing weight and lowering your blood glucose levels. 

For some people it is possible to get your A1c and fasting BG into the normal range with wise food choices and daily exercise. 

Let's do this,

Barbara 

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Love your story Mikey1234. Lots of good info for Lagata. 

By the way if you have Aetna health insurance there is a program through Abilto.com that they pay for to help make healthy lifestyle changes. It is an 8 wk program to set goals, change to positive thinking and action to meet your health goals like losing weight and lowering your blood glucose levels. 

For some people it is possible to get your A1c and fasting BG into the normal range with wise food choices and daily exercise. 

Get a glycemic index chart on line and choose your food from the low end.  Eat lots of non starchy veggies, some nuts, lean protein and your health will improve. 

If you are on medication work closely with an endocrinologist as you lower your carb & sugar intake to adjust your medication especially if you are on insulin. Insulin leads to fat storage so you only want enough to replace the insulin your beta cells in the pancreas have stopped making which is determined by your food intake and exercise. Walk after your meals don't just sit for hours. 

Let's do this,

Barbara 

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Lalata,

I have learned that bread and potatoes spike my sugar count. If I do eat them it has to be in the morning or noon. Last night I ate one pizza slice which I haven’t
ate for months. Nothing else for dinner. Nor did I eat anything else till this morning. It went right up to 200 by 11:00 p.m. Makes me so mad.
I don’t get it either. I walk 20,000 steps a day. And this morning it was back down to 91.

My doctor says age has a lot to do with it. And EAT MORE VEGETABLES.

You probably know which foods trigger your sugar count by now. We all just have to be honest with our self and stay on track.

I do know losing 25 pds feels good and l like shopping for clothes for the first time in years. Yes I need to lose more. But it is a slow
process with me.

Write all your food down that hits your lips . That keeps you honest. I have a chart I have for my morning and night readings, steps I walked
for the day, how much insulin I take, and food I ate. I take it to the doctors office every 3 months when I go in. Also my weight is charted.
They also want me to chart my blood pressure. Haven’t done that yet because I have to buy a blood pressure gadget.

Keep walking and add more steps in each day.

Jerri Stobinski
JStobinski@roadrunner.com



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I have been Diabetic (type 2) since 1985.  Over the years I have finally been able to get my numbers down to within normal range.  One of the things that I learned is that most doctors have no idea as most of the doctors I have had over the years I know more about it then they do.  You do not want to work at getting high numbers and trying to work them off as you are shocking your body.  Do you have a belly that is larger than it should be.  If you do it is called Omentem fat which screws up your insulin in your body.  Eat a small amount of food every three hours starting one hour after you wake up.  Think of your body as a funace you must provide it fuel to keep it constantly burning.  When you don't eat for a number of hours your body will switches to starvation mode. Me I am already down 30 pounds in about two months.  DId you ever think that some of the food that you are eating you may be alergic to?  One big down fall is High Frutose Corn Syrup that is in most product thay you eat..  Avoid it at all cost that is one of the leading causes of obesity in this country.

If you would like to know more I will be happy to talk to you about it.

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@llchevy56 wrote:

Wondering if there are any diabetics out there who are using the FB and working towards weight loss?  I'm insulin dependent and trying to lose weight but more importantly trying to regain my health and physical strength while balancing everything.  A challenge a day! Love to hear your stories....


I certainly feel your pain. Three and a half years ago I was taking about 500 units of Insulin a day.  I was trying to do everything to lose weight. Finally, I had gastro bypass three and a half years ago and lost around a 100 pounds and no longer need insulin. I still need to lose at least 40 more pounds. I am doing that by walking and I am losing about a pound a week.  So I am there for you if you need an ear and know you can do it.  Good luck.

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Congratulations. I walk but if I could run I would.  You are  taking great steps right a way when you were learned you were diabetic.  I wish I would have started right a way like you did.  Keep on mving.

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Jerri

You can check 

bp at a pharmacy in your neighborhood.

You are doing it,

Barb

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Running is not the answer as you will be putting too much stress on your knees.  Why not try bike riding as you can lose more weight and not cause the stress that I mentioned

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Hi llchevy56,

I have T2 diabetes. I was diagnoised one year ago. I was losing weight good in the beginning, but the closer I got to the one year mark the more difficult it became for me to loose more weight. I decided to use fitbit to help me stay motivated and more focused on my goal. I stared out by using the app on my phone and later decided to invest more in my health, so I purchased the Charge HR for an early birthday present to myself. So far, I am loving it! I am a very competative person and fitbit helps me to step up my game when I begin to slack off.  

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