Wanting a new start

[Pat Stanley]

I have been diabetic for at least 12 years that I can remember. I had gestational diabetes during my last preganancy which was 36 years ago. I have ignored the diabetes for years. My blood sugars are averaging 270 during the day. I take metformin, glyburide, diavan, paxil and vit d. I am a food addict with my drug of choice sugar. I have tried every diet program known out there. I need to focus on me so I am retiiring from my 26 year teaching to finally take care of me. I do know that I need to eat 3 meals a day and write my food down. I need to eliminate sugar (especialla colas) and bread. I have a gym membership that I pay for monthly but rarely use. I have decided that now not later is the time for me to commit to these things that I know are good for me. I only go to my doctor when I am scared. She will yell at me if I go and will tell me I am the worst patient she has when it comes to being compliant. I want to start my plan and go see her after I have been doing what I am supposed to for a month. This uk support group has a reputation for being the best...so I ask for any suggestions you might have about my plan. My weight has stayed the same for 20 years...250 lbs.

 

[LeeLee]

Hello Pat, Welcome! You CAN do it. How do I know this? I did. 🙂

The one thing that saved me was a slimming club. Do you have a local group that you could join? Maybe your nurse or pharmacist can recommend something near you.

(My choice was Slimming World because their Original (Red) plan is lower carb than the others. They're mainly UK-based, but I know that last year they were trying to start up in the USA. I think that was more online membership though, which I less good IMO because the group support is lacking.)

 

[Bloden]

Welcome to the forum, notso newbie! Sounds like you're determined to look after yourself but need guidance and some emotional support. Well, you've come to the right place. There are some really kind and experienced people on this site (I'm a bit of a new girl here too).
This is only my opinion, but I think you should involve your doctor in your journey to a renewed you, and as many other people possible. It's hard doing something like this alone, so get lots of people on board!
Good luck and keep posting here - i felt the benefits almost immediately.
A big hug {}🙂

 

[robert@fm]

Since you have such a sweet tooth, one thing which could help enormously is to switch to using artificial sweeteners. Contrary to what is claimed by various crackpot websites, no artificial sweetener has ever been shown to be harmful at standard dose levels, or even at 100x such levels; not even the cyclamates, which is why the former UK ban on those was repealed. (The fact that the cyclamates were ever subject to a knee-jerk ban is a source of embarrassment to the British Government.)

The experiments supposedly demonstrating "harm" in sweeteners are some of the worst-designed ever; the dose levels used were so absurdly high (equivalent to a human eating kilograms of the stuff every day) as to render the whole exercise meaningless and pointless, for anything is toxic at a large enough dose level; even water. Oxygen is lethal at a level not far above that needed to sustain life, so the same "logic" which claims that we shouldn't use sweeteners, also says that we should all stop breathing. 🙂

In particular, aspartame (which seems to be the main target of the nutcases) shows that the nuts have failed basic schoolkid biochemistry; its breakdown products are two amino acids which occur naturally in nearly all foods ? in vastly greater quantities than in sweetened products, so if aspartame were even one-tenth as toxic as the nuts would have us believe, we would all be long-dead of all those nasty diseases.

Sorry about the long post; I hope it helps.

 

[Redkite]

Hi Pat,

Good for you deciding to make a fresh start! 🙂. You'll get plenty of advice on the weight loss forum, but generally speaking I would advise trying to reduce your carb intake (not just sugar), and try to keep carb amounts consistent each day so that you get a better idea whether your meds are at the right dose. You should incorporate treats into your diet in modest amounts - no need to exclude cake and chocs if they are part of your daily allowance, otherwise it will be too hard to stick to!

Do you have a blood glucose meter? It's a good idea to test your BG level on waking, and before and 2 hours after a meal. If you record these results and keep a food diary, you'll be armed with all the information a doctor could possibly want! Then he/she can make adjustments to your meds to help you get better control.

Re the exercise, you need to find something you enjoy (gyms aren't everyone's cup of tea!). Failing that, it's a good tip to go out for a 30 minute walk immediately AFTER a meal - this is when your pancreas will be putting out insulin, and the exercise makes you more sensitive to this insulin, making it "work harder" so to speak.

Don't give up if you fall off the wagon, especially with the Christmas feasting season coming up, just start again. Good luck with your efforts, you'll feel much better for it! 🙂