Report on the Grand Experiment

Well, I've been at this a few weeks now and I think I can live with it. It's not Atkins or South Beach, it's just meat and fruits and vegetables.(mostly) I have been awakening to numbers just a little bit higher than I used to have by only changing diet. One night I actually had a piece of pizza for dinner with the crust! and the next morning I awoke to 124 (6.8 EU) which isn't too terrible. Mostly I'm rising in the morning to 105 (5.8) or so. Used to get 90 to 100 (5.0 to 5.6) with the Avandia.

Tomorrow it will be two weeks on this food plan of avoiding grains and starches and eating mostly veggies & protein along with some very healthy fruits. My hubby has joined me in this little plan and both of us appear to be losing weight. My scale broke a few years ago and I just never bought a new one so I'll have to wait for the next doctor appt. for a weight check. Clothes are definitely fitting better so this alone is a good thing. Previous to this I was at a loss to figure out how to lose weight without goofing up my meds and having low blood sugar problems... I have had a few days where I was a little light headed and had some skim milk or carrots to balance things out a bit.

I find myself making lots of stir fry, grilling outside and trying many different kinds of vegetables. I don't particularly eat a lot of lettuce type salads but I'm mixing chopped raw veggies with EVOO, vinegar and italian spices for a great side salad. Last night I tossed raw slices of yellow squash, young zucchini and grape tomatoes together with fresh garlic and a light Italian dressing. DH said it looked like a stop light so that's what we are going to call it, Stop Light Salad.

One thing that I'm noticing here.. I'm running to the store more often for veggies. Nothing ever goes bad in the fridge because we eat it all up! I've found that by staying away from too many green leafy salads and having several kinds of veggies at each meal I have a full plate of good food that leaves me satisfied instead of feeling like a rabbit. Also, I've been using more peanuts with my meals for fat when oil wasn't used for cooking or as a dressing.

I am going to stick with this for at least a week more before trying to add in some barley (as suggested by one of you.) I'd like to continue without raising my insulin if possible. I'll be busy with baking season soon so I'll have less time for swimming but I'm trying!

Now if anyone has any suggestions for meal ideas I'm all ears. Oh! And if you could give me some pointers on how to cope with the Carbohydrate Dreams I'd appreciate it. Most nights I'm working in a popcorn factory, fixing pancakes... stacks and stacks of them with lots of syrup!... and baking big fat loaves of sourdough bread... or else I dream I'm working in a cafeteria and have to make waffles and put them on plates that people pick up and take away... I'm sure a therapist would have a field day with this but I'm chalking it up to my infantile personality that just wants what it wants when it wants it! (LOL!) Hope you're all KOKO! (Keepin' on keepin' on!)

Jeannie,

Your dream sounds like an episode of I Love Lucy- it made me laugh. Sorry! I'm sure it's causing you considerable pain. It was me who suggested the barley to you and lentils too. I grill a lot of different veggies and fruits. Here's what I do:

I put my flavored olive oils in spray bottles- I flavor with tarragon, oregano, basil or cilantro usually- sometimes rosemary, never garlic (I read that it can kill you- so I buy garlic oil).

I make a foil pouch (or buy the bags when they're on sale)- I chunk up zucchini, slice up mushrooms, slie up onions etc. Then I spray them with the oil and seal them in the pouch and throw it on the grill- shake it around a couple of times and enjoy.

I roast beets, carrots, asparagus, baby patty pan squash, and red peppers all the time. I've even done cauliflower and boy is it ever tasty with the oil and a little crushed red pepper.

Tofu on the grill is fabulous- I marinate it in ginger and garlic oil, then shake it off and grill

I grill peach halves when peaches are in season- my kids fight over them.

When it snows, I roast my veggies in the oven, I char my red peppers right over the flame of my gas burner.

Try the barley Jeannie- it might help your pancake dream go away

How about some Dreamfields pasta made into a nice Greek Salad with feta, tomatoes, onions, pimentos and fat Kalamata olives? (I make my dressing out of red wine vinegar, olive oil, a couple of drops of stevia and lots of oregano and basil) Only 5 net carbs in about 3/4 cup of that depending on which pasta shape you use! You might not miss your breads so much that way.

congrats on your continuing good control!!!! and weight loss!! I lost a lot when I quit the Actos and I haven't found it yet.

sandy

Isn't wood considered to be fiber????? It seems to me that back in the day- the first 'diet' breads (New Horizons or something like that) were laced with wood chips- I was in weight watchers at the time - and you could eat 2 slices of this type of bread for 1 portion- then the ingredient scandal ensued. I'll bet wooden desk is a zero carb food!

So enjoy sandy

Woo hoo, Jeanne! Good for you!!!!!!!!!

Since my melt down a couple of weeks ago I've been "good" and it really does make a difference. Lanie gave me some GREAT ideas for the veggie thing ... I now chop up my veggies and divide them into five batches every Sunday afternoon. I throw all my little containers in the freezer and grab one every night to add to whatever meat we're grilling. I vary the seasonings and they are DELICIOUS!

Sometimes I throw in a handful of nuts for extra crunch. I'm loving them.

Jeannie, microwave popcorn is one of my downfalls as well! I've discovered that when overcome by guilt a quick toss in the sink followed by a rush of cold water keeps me from eating the soggy stuff!!

I've been loving our MI asparagus as well! Try wrapping a couple pieces in a THIN slice of deli ham and with provolone. YUMMY!!!!!!!!!

Hang in there, Jeannie. You've done well so far and formulated a good diet. Last week on PBS there was a fascinating exercise show for people with limited mobility. Exercises included sitting on a kitchen chair, then twisting, bending, dipping with hand weights, moving the weights overhead, out sideways and to the front, etc. Those who could stand then stood behind the chair holding on and moving an arm in a range of motions, etc., taking a step to the side and back, and so on. So, don't give up with your knee problem because you can still get your heart rate up without bending your knees. You can also do abdominal "crunches" while lying in bed: just lift your head and shoulders a little (This is not a sit-up.) and then lower them and repeat. And some cheddar cheese is good with that whine, too!

Lanie

thanks for the perks! Now I have to descend into the bowels of hell, otherwise known as 'the bakery' and do my baking for this weekend's weddings. Lots of bending and twisting there, along with lifting 50 lb bags of cake mix... You are all the greatest!

Hey Jeannie! Isn't it a shame that
we have to think about food SOOO
much, just to be in control? I've
decided to just concentrate on portion
sizes and checking my glucose levels
often...and of course exercise,exercise,
exercise! I'm considering trying an
herbal/natural supplement...Diamaxol.
What do you know about these "aids"?
I'm compiling information on it and others
like it and it's interesting and confusing.
I tend to lean more towards natural
healing and treatments in other aspects
of my life (yoga for stress relief) and like
the possiblities of healing and natural
glucose control. I've lost 52 pounds since
my diagnosis(Oct. '05) and have the diet
and execise built into my lifestyle now.
My numbers are good but I like the idea
of naturally helping my body do these things,
as opposed to the synthetic drugs.
I value your opinion and input. Thanks! Walker

Herbals for the most part can lower blood glucose a small bit or they wouldn't be able to repeat sell them. There was one discussed here last year that did everything but raise the dead (according to their site) and they got in hot water with the FDA for false claims. The thing with herbals is that if they do what they say they can do then they are actually medication and fall under FDA jurisdiction. Herbals are not really 'more natural' than medication in any way, shape or form. Unless you are eating bitter mellon leaves (and they look like cactus!) from the farmer's market or getting your digitalis (heart med) directly from eating Foxglove blossoms you are buying capsules or pills that are compounds of ingredients. If the ingredients have proven medicinal effects then they are MEDICINE!

Now if you really want natural take insulin. As Warren says, "You can't get any more natural than cloned human insulin!" It's exactly what your body uses to move blood sugar into the cells. For myself, I find that the metformin I take has a very good track record for lowering blood glucose by assisting the movement of the sugar molecules thru the cell membranes. It doesn't need to make any false statements because it works.

Because of the way my body metabolizes sugars I am in a non-healthy situation. Lifestyle changes, diet changes and exercise were not enough to fight this progressive disease. My grandmother died of a massive coronary with diabetes and my uncle just died from complications of this darned disease after going on dialysis and going blind. I believe that my medications will offer me the best path on this rocky road to my end life stages. I do not want to be a burden to my children because I didn't take care of myself as best I could.

In my own humble opinion I believe that peeps who take herbals vs. real medications are still in denial about their diabetes and want to pretend it will just go away. I also believe that the companies who promote these supplements are enabling these poor souls into thinking they can dodge the bullet while fleecing them of their hard earned cash! But now that the major drug stores in the U.S. are offering metformin for $4.00 a month there is no excuse for any type2's here to not be working toward glucose control.

Part of facing diabetes requires that we grow up and see things as they really are, not as we wish they were. We must take responsibility for our behavior and accept consequences of what we eat and how we exercise. We also must accept our bodies' brokeness and deal with it as best we can. If a doctor who has spent over 12 years going to school to learn how to care for us says "Take medicine," you can pretty much bet that I will believe that person. If a sales person who has attended a seminar on sales techniques tells me a certain herbal will help my disease I will probably bury them in medical research and actual facts that I have learned about my diabetes. (And I will do this with EXTREME PREDJUDICE, I might add!) Ok- enough of my preaching.

By the way, since the beginning of the Grand Experiment I have lost 23 pounds. I was totally shocked at the doctor's office by my weight loss. Lab results aren't in yet but I'll keep you posted.