what is thenormal range for glucose

Ok, first off, the FDA really doesn't have anything to do with whats "normal" for blood sugar levels.  There is a ton of stuff written in our threads on this topic but the executive summary is there is a double standard. "Whats acceptable for Diabetics" and "Whats acceptable for Non-Diabetics"!! The American Diabetes Association and most Endocrinologists will try tell you that as a "Diabetic" if you can keep your fasting blood sugar under 120, thats a good thing.  Now the same Endocrinologist will tell you if you are normal, you should be at 100 or less for your fasting blood sugar.

There are many reasons for this dual scale that Im not going into here; just know that it exists.  For my money, I TRY to stay on the "Normal Person Scale" rather than the "Diabetic" scale.  And I try and do this without undo scarifice or stress to my lifestyle.  I just figure that a little more aggressive control now will stave off diabetic related problems a bit longer in my later years.  Hope this helps.

 Warren

These are the ranges from the Joslin Diabetes Center- with diet, exercise, and metformin I am able to keep my fastings in the 75-90 range. My 2 hour readings are rarely over 120. I'll be going for my A1c in 10 days and I expect it to be below 6%.

I recently split my exercise into 3 sessions of 20-25 minutes (walk on treadmill or exercise bike) and am finding that my overall readings are trending downward - and I haven't changed the intensity or total time of the exercise, just the time interval. I hope it continues.

First to Chutsman-

At my diagnosis in July, my fasting BG was 457 and my A1c was 15- there is no doubt that I am a diabetic. I have been fortunate to bring my levels down quickly by diet, exercise and medication. I was first placed on Acto+ Met but the actos made me hold water like a sponge, so I refused to take it. My doctor upped my dose of Metformin, I upped my dose of exercise and refined my diet and my numbers have stabilized at my current levels. I have just decreased my night time dose of metformin because I see no difference in my AM or daytime readings.

To 4sons

I am a science writer and product development manager for a company that creates products for high school and college level classrooms and laboratory classes. I work for them as a virtual employee because we relocated 3 states away when my husband was downsized last year. They were unable to find a replacement and they offered to let me work from my new location until they hired someone or my current project wrapped up. So far- I'm still employed -

So, I exercise before work, duirng my lunch hour, and while I watch the evening news (which I would do even if I had to go to the office every day)- it's a habit now- I just go and do it.

I use the Insulin-Resistance diet to manage my carbs. It is a link and balance approach where you link 7 grams of protein to 15 grams of carb. You don't eat more than 30 carbs in a 2 hour period. You can go to Amazon.com and do a search- the book is there and there's a lot of reader feedback. I tried the diabetes diet prescribed by a diabetes dietitian that my doctor referred me to- it made my sugar stay high all the time (steady but high), I tried the very low carb approach that Bernstein advocates live by, but it was just too restrictive for my vegetarian lifestyle.

Using the link and balance approach, I eat more carbs than the dietitian allowed, but so far my sugar stays in control at all times. For example, my daughter and I baked a lot of cookies at Christmas - I was able to sample them by linking the carb to a protein (lo carb Hood milk or no-fat ***e yogurt) with no significant rise in my bg- I was so happy- other than that, I don't use artificial sweetners, eat only heart healthy fats and nuts, and try to avoid processed foods in general.

 I have been able to lose about 30 # since my diagnosis without pain too- an unexpected surprise- since my focus was on getting control of my BG first and foremost. I firmly believe that this is the result of daily exercise and linking and balancing my carbs.

peace-sandy

Too bad I didn't know about your cakes when my daughter was getting married- we sampled about 50 before she found the perfect looking and tasting cake at a little Polish bakery we stopped at to get directions when we were lost- that cake had about a 2 inch layer of buttercream frosting (my daughter eats it with a spoon-she loves it so much) and the most tender yellow cake with an almond essence that I've ever eaten. I didn ot want to make ot eat cake for a year after all that tasting!

I started with the Insulin-Resistance diet book- and changed it up to fit my personal needs. I am not brilliant by any means, but my PhD is in protein biochemistry so I have a fair understanding of how the metabolic processes in the body are supposed to work. This approach made a lot of sense to me from a biochemical standpoint and allowed me to maintain my vegetarian lifestyle.

The basis of the book is weight loss- in Border's it's shelved with the weight loss books  not the health books - I have lost about 30 pounds since I began eating this way- at first, 2-3 pounds a week and lately about 3/4 per week. I eat more than the 'diet' recommends- but I always follow the principles of linking and balancing. I have to say that I do not feel deprived in any way, and I can go out and not be a pain in the backside when it comes to choosing a place to eat. My friends have all adjusted to finding veggie friendly places - veggie and diabetic friendly might put a crimp on our fun otherwise. 

I just read a very interesting article about low carb diets and BG control, and how a doctor in Kansas treats all of her type 2's with a low carb diet (with lots of low carb veggies) initially rather than drug them up. I am going to try and contact her to see how she treats veggie patients. In the meantime, I am considering dropping my carb levels to around 75-100 net for a couple of weeks to see what happens. peace- sandy

Jeannie143 said...
Sandy,
"Phd is in protein biochemistry!?!?!"