Please Answer ! I am 22 & been diagnosed with type 2

Hi AM and Welcome to the Forum,

If you are newly diagnosed and you don't have runaway bloodsugar numbers there is good news!! (no Im not going to tell you, you can save a bunch of money on your car insurance).  Diet and exercise can make all the difference in the world, and in many cases reverse the disease to the point where you do not have to take medication.

Weight is a key factor.  If you bring your weight down just a little bit it can have a dramatic effect on your BS.  If you are overweight, take this advice to heart as that extra weight seems to affect BP and cholesteral as well as a number of other nasty risk factors for heart attack and stroke.

Exercise is vital.  If you can't go to the gym and work out, walk at LEAST 30 mins each day without stopping.  Im sure you can find 30 minutes in your day.

Last but not least is diet. Read about the Glycemic Index and know what foods are bad for your BS and what foods are acceptable.  You DO NOT have to do anything radical like the Bernstein Diet but you do have to eat healthier than you probably have in the past.  I'm gonna also recomment that you take a vitamin and mineral supplement as most people don't really get what they need from food; including diabetics.

Don't be a couch potato....in fact give up potatoes and you will live a long healthy life and possibly avoid medications and most probably avoid ANY complications!!

Take some time and read down through the forum, theres some good stuff on what to do to stay healthy!

Warren

AM,

I have probably lived through undiagnosed diabetes since the birth of my second child in 1975. In the mid-nineties the numbers used to define who was diabetic were lowered and ovenight I was diabetic. Having learned to work with the choices I need to make in a serious manner I can tell you that you have a long and happy life ahead of you IF you approach this disease in a mature manner with realistic goals for yourself.

I have an aquaintance who is diabetic and essentially a 'crybaby'. She is always bemoaning the things she can't have, complaining about her insulin and generally not taking responsibility for her own health choices. She cheats on her diet constantly, isn't honest with herself about her menu plan and seldom tests. Crybaby doesn't know it, but she has done me a great service showing me how NOT to handle my diabetes.

I attended diabetes classes, research on the internet, get a diabetes magazine with tons of new ideas every other month and especially read the input on this forum. Most everyone here is trying to learn better ways to handle diabetes and also trying to share their experiences with things that work to keep sugars in line.

You have bravely taken two giant steps toward a long, rich life that happens to contain a diabetes diagnosis. First you have admitted you have diabetes by researching it on the internet and second you have had the guts to post here and try to find your way to a good life. For a while, much of the new stuff you need to do is confusing, but just like a new job you will get it all figured out.

Tools and tips to get started and get going:

1. Take a diabetes class at a hospital or med education center near you. If there isn't one, check with the nearby university hospitals and see if they have classes or student nurses who teach the class.

2. Get ahold of some kind of 'carb counter' software or book. I personally use CalorieKing.com. It's pretty good and you can use it for 2 weeks free before deciding to buy it. When I did buy it the cost was only $15. After using it a while you will find you have learned the food counts of your most familiar foods. It will make life a lot easier.

3. Start eating vegetables a lot more. I use spinach or mustard greens instead of lettuce on my sandwiches and in salads. I fix squash and beets and a lot of other fresh veggies. They are a bit more expensive than I was used to paying for canned veggies, but hey, I'm not spending $4 on a bag of chips anymore and $4 will buy a lot of good-for-you veggies!

4. Except for cauliflower take a good hard look at the white food you eat. Plain white rice, potatoes, pasta, bread... these things can really goof up your diet plan. Start substituting brown rice, sweet potatoes, barley, wild rice, spaghetti squash for part of the pasta in a meal... I like to buy little flour tortias for veggie/meat roll-ups since they are ususally about 15 gm carb and help keep me in line. I can really stuff them with lots of good-for-me veggies, droozled with some tasty olive oil and thin sliced deli meat or breast of chicken.

5. Keep a good supply of monounsaturated fats on hand for eating and cooking. I 'fry' with peanut oil and olive oil, use peanut butter on toast and french toast instead of butter, add oil and vinegar to my salad instead of dressings that contain sugars, and I snack when I've got the hungries on peanuts and cheese. (18 peanuts and an inch by inch block of motzarella cheese to be exact) Fats stave off hunger, help you absorb all of your fat soluable vitamins in your intestinal tract, give foods a great mouth feel and help keep your skin and scalp healthy. Good fats (in moderation) are an invaluable tool to help keep you on target for your healthy eating.

There are lots more ideas in the posts about how to make life better with diabetes. If you stick around you soon may be helping others here with your posts and we will welcome your input. Read back a bit and let us know how we can help you.
Glad to have a new friend here, even if it is for the dumb reason of diabetes.

Take care,

Hi AM,

"The fixation on cholesterol as a major cause of heart disease defies the last 15 years of science and deflects from real causes such as the damage (via glycation) that sugars such as glucose and fructose inflict on tissues, including the lining of arteries, causing chronic inflammation and resultant plaque."

This is from the following article and probably a good read for you.  If you get enough exercise and keep the blood sugars under good control, I think the rest kinda takes care of itself.  Read this article and decide for yourself.

http://www.mercola.com/2005/may/28/cholesterol_heart.htm

Warren

Dear Jeannie & Warren,

Thank you for your sterling views on the topic. You have again helped me shed a lot of worries.

Regards,

AM

I agree with everyone's opinion of how to control this disease. This is one thing you can only contain and control by doing. You just have to do this, monitor portions, monitor carbs, exercose monitor weight, monitor blood and study effect and cause. You have to look at the effect retrace your steps and figure the cause, and make adjustments. A good anology would be you have to look into the window of your body. You need constant feedback. You have the rest of your life to practice and learn. I've know much more about this disease throug reading, classes and message boards and my own personal feed back. It's like being in a dark room and all of a sudden the light goes on. This is something I think you learn as you go. Sometimes it feels like you have to be your own doctor. The more knowledge, the better choices, the better choices, the better rersults. It' and old cliche, but the truth is experience is the best teacher, you learn from both success and failure.

You have to not let it get out of control. Like Warren said, you can reverse this if you have the right diet and exersise. Learn about nutrition. A few supplements and a very good diet should easily bring this under control.

What kinds of foods are you eating now. Whats a typical day for you right now?  (what foods, supps, fats etc..)

Dear Heather,

Thank you for your words of hope. Since, we seem to be on a similar boat, I was just curious about your exercise regimen. How did it help you in shedding weight i.e. how did you start with it and then continue along? Since, I am still in the process of designing my own, I wanted to know, how did you manage your own one?

In addition, after I was diagnosed with diabetes, my father helped me see a silver lining to it. According to him, if you keep your BG under tight control i.e. through strenuous diet and exercise, not only do you avoid diabetic complications but you also remain healthier than other normal people of your age (non-diabetic people who do not exercise or diet). Hence, at the end, let's say at 50, when people around you start being diagnosed as diabetics, you are in a far better position than them (healthier, fitter, stronger). I Hope both of us can one day be in such a position of envy!

Regards,

AM

AM,

Regarding exercise, I finally worked up the guts to go to the gym at my school. I started just doing 35 minutess on the eliptical glider (30-minute workout plus a 5-minute cool-down). After doing that for a couple weeks or so, I added 35 minutes on the stationary bike, 10-15 minutes on the rower, and 10 minutes on the arm peddling things. I've been doing that pretty regularly for a semester now, and I periodically move up a level on the eliptical and the bike. If I do the whole 90-95 minute workout, I burn at least 800 calories. (I'd like to add some weight lifting for toning, so hopefully next semester I can get someone to show me how to use all the wieght lifting machines...) Fortunately, I've never had any problems with lows during or after exercise, but that's something you should be aware of; exercise can cause your blood sugar to drop significantly.

As for the weight loss, if, for whatever reason, I only make it to the gym once or twice during the week, I'll only lose about a pound (if that much), whereas if I go four or five times, I'll usually lose two or three pounds. I'm also doing the low carb thing, which is supposed to help with the weight losss (and before I get reamed for doing the low carb thing, I try to stay pretty low fat, too!). Anyway, I've dropped just over 50 pounds in about 4 1/2 months.

I'm currently on 4/1000mg of Avandamet twice daily, and between that, diet, and exercise, my blood sugar pretty consistently stays between 90-110. Before I started working out, I almost never got it below 120, even fasting.

Hope that helps!
Heather

Hi!!

My husband was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes just a couple of days ago.  We have checked his blood a couple of times and it has been high.  We can't get in to see a dietician for another month.  Does anyone know what I can feed him in the meantime?  I have been trying to figure things out but I am starting to get a heeadache looking at all the sites.  Here is what I usually feed him (he has been dieting for a few months now):

2 slices of whole wheat toast with peanut butter and banana on them for breakfast

2 slices of whole wheat bread with turkey or ham with tomato and onion and lite miracle whip

2 big things of water, one with a crystal light packet in it

reduced calorie doritos

2 90 calorie special k bars

1 100 calorie pack of Reese's mix

1 100 calorie pack of cookies

a bunch of grapes

a mug of diet V8 with breakfast

dinner varies but it is usually chicken or turkey, always baked or grilled, with at least one vegetable

Is there anything that I can do different?  I know the Reese's mix and cookies and special k bars are probably bad.  But I do not know what to give him.  He works 14 hour days and everything but dinner is eaten at work and it is always on the go. 

I just need some suggestions and advice if I am doing the wrong thing.  I wish I had someone to guide me through this now instead of a month from now when things could be bad.  Thanks.

Thanks for the advice. I am not sure what to do since he eats on the run. I was sending salads with him but he can't put them in a fridge because he drives a bus and they don't get lunch breaks. Anyway they were not standing up too well with the heat and stuff. This is going to be extremely hard. Thanks again.

Ok, that makes it tricky.  If I were you, I'd get him an Igloo or a small size plastic lunch box and put one of those freezer packs inside to keep things cold.  Salads may not stand up to the heat even in a box and they might be hard to eat on the run anyway.  He could then pack luncheon meats and sliced cheese.  Check the back of the packages for the carbohydrates.  Canadian bacon (Oscar Mayer makes this.) or any other that's not 'glazed' or 'honey' would be a good choice.  Maybe one slice of bread and/or a couple of the cheese puffs from Dr. Bernstein's book.  You can find how to make the cheese puffs if you look back to last week or so on our forum topics here.  It's easy, really.  I know it will be a complete change for him and you but honestly the only way to get his numbers down will be to change what he's eating.  Unfortunately, the packaged food is mostly high in carbs.  Try several slices of the luncheon meats, a couple of slices of cheese, some celery with cream cheese or natural peanut butter and maybe half a cereal bar so it's not like he's being punished.  When he sees better blood sugar readings, he'll look forward to packing his food like this.  And - encourage him to go for a walk after dinner with you.  Exercise will also help with the numbers.

He needs encouragement and he and you will find that here on the forum.  We've been where he is.

Lanie

Ok, then to narrow down the food you can pack for him.... :   Luncheon meats (with low or no carbs: check the package), slices of cheese, those mozzarella sticks that come in plastic sleeves, celery sticks with natural peanut butter, a handful of nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios in a baggie, a couple of the cheese puffs (check out how to make them as I'd written before) and 1/2 of a cereal bar as a dessert.  Going cold turkey is never easy!  Check the carbs in the Miracle Whip.  What he needs to cut down on is the carbohydrates.  I envision several baggies with food!  That's what I did when I packed food for myself when I went to work.  The frozen water can indeed be the ice pack!  There are re-usable lunch bags he can use.  Some have a little handle on top, too.

(Ruth!  Hi!  If you're reading this, Shorty is not the person who originally posted this at the beginning.)

Lanie