On Wed, 1 Jun 2005 09:20:11 -0500, "None Given"
wrote:

"Karen Sexton" wrote in message
.. .
About my BG level- I've had so many glucose tolerance tests (the 7
hour one) and it always comes out ok. Just once they said it was low,
but not low enough to be considered hypoglycemic.


You can be well on the way toward getting diabetes and they might still tell
you you're ok.

Oh great Now I'm paranoid! And all I wanted was good recipes:-)

You need to know the numbers and times of the results to
know for yourself. Having the symptoms you mentioned, I would want to take
action now to avoid a dx in the future, by tracking what different foods in
my diet were doing to my BGs and adjusting my meals to minimize BG spikes.

Aren't those glucose meters expensive? there are diabteics who can't
afford them.


Every time your BG goes high it could be causing damage to your body, before
your fasting #s or A1c reaches the dx criteria, even before the OGTT reaches
it. I think you have to be 200 to be dx but I feel bad 140 and try to stay
below that at all times.
http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/...0Diagnosed.htm


I try real hard to not let myself get hungry, so as to avoid low-blood
sugar- and to not eat a ton of carbs at meals, and try to eat healthy
snacks - somehing with fiber in between meals to prevent lows and
spikes- my husband learned that from a trainer who was teaching him
about working out. That was about 20 years ago- I hope I've done ok-
it's just that when you get older you think- "This is the only body
I've got- it has to last me"...



I just think that since I've been dieting, I got my system used to not
having sugar, and now it bothers me in some way.

If your diet has been serving to lower your average or PP BGs by reducing
the amount of fast carb you are eating, it is possible that your body was
accustomed to running with higher BGs than healthy and now you are getting
lower BGs and so you notice the difference when you eat the fast carb and go
too high.

So that would be good? I don't know what a PP is

KS

On Wed, 1 Jun 2005 10:19:34 -0500, "None Given"
wrote:

"Karen Sexton" wrote in message
.. .

My mom is 76, and even though she has no diabetes, I am concerned- she
is terribly overweight and eats so much sugar and starch. She knows
what she's doing is bad, but doesn't have the willpower to stop (she's
very depressed and eats "comfort foods". We both have physicals
regularly, but if a person doesn't have the willpower, what can you
do? I've tried to get her to go to weight-watchers, to no avail.


Take baby steps, start with a high protein breakfast.

Not sure if you're speaking of my mom or I. She knows very well what
she should do and not do- she's just having a hard time practicing it.
She's been through a lot of stress- we all have, emotional, financial,
etc. The trouble is, stress alone can do damage, even more of a
reason to eat healthy.

When carbohydrates
are a problem, morning can be the worst time to eat them, if you have any
foods containing carbs at breakfast make them lower carb ones, like peppers,
onion, mushroom, etc in an omelet or berries in plain yogurt, etc.
Adequate protein in the morning can help reduce carb cravings for the rest
of the day, whereas I found that eating oatmeal first thing in the morning
can actually triple my appetite for the rest of the day.

Also, add more non starchy veggies throughout the day for lunch, dinner, and
snacks. They have lots of water and fiber in them besides the vitamins and
things so they help fill you up. You can prepare ahead of time, carrot,
celery, or other raw veggie sticks/chunks for dipping, a sour cream, plain
yogurt, or cheese based dip, salad greens torn and mixed in a ziploc bag or
large plastic container and have other things ready like radish or cucumber
slices, small tomatoes, cheese cubes, boiled eggs, grilled chicken, whatever
sounds good to be eaten with the salad greens with some type of oily
dressing which helps your body metabolize the nutrients in the veggies.
Fill yourself up with good things and drink plenty of water to keep things
moving and you will almost automatically develop the willpower to reduce the
amount of bad things because it probably isn't willpower that's the problem
in the first place. Just make sure it's as easy to reach for the good
stuff as the bad stuff and eat often enough that you never get to the point
of being ravenous.

Many older women do not get adequate protein, especially when they are
filling up on comfort foods. Getting your mother to promise to add some
things to her diet may be much, much easier than getting her to promise to
reduce her comfort foods.

That's the problem- she has no trouble eating healthy foods- she LOVES
veggies and fruits- but still loves her pastries.

KS

Eating carby comfort foods raise serotonin levels
in the brain temporarily, then they crash again making you want more, I
think the effect is worse in the carbohydrate intolerant than in normals and
can be a factor in depression. Getting more exercise can help with that,
also, maybe you can get your mother to take walks with you, or if mobility
is a problem there are exercise videos available for special needs, the PBS
series Sit and be Fit is one resource. Make sure to consult with her
doctor about any health problems, for example, kidney disease may require
her to keep protein fairly low and go with mostly vegetable sources of it,
heart disease may affect what kind of exercise she can do.

On Wed, 1 Jun 2005 17:15:39 +0100, "Nicky"
wrote:


"Karen Sexton" wrote in message
.. .
My mom is 76, and even though she has no diabetes, I am concerned- she
is terribly overweight and eats so much sugar and starch. She knows
what she's doing is bad, but doesn't have the willpower to stop (she's
very depressed and eats "comfort foods". We both have physicals
regularly, but if a person doesn't have the willpower, what can you
do?

Try a low-carb diet - if she wants to, some would say that she ought to be
able to eat what she wants at 76! It has two great benefits - first it's
appetite-supressing, so doesn't need huge amounts of willpower, and second
it breaks the cycle that often builds up, where you eat something starchy,
your body over-reacts in terms of insulin production, so you get hungry
quickly, eat something starchy...

That's true...

KS


You might find you benefit too.

Of course, checking with a doctor first - particularly your mother - is a
good idea before starting any diet.

Nicky.

"Karen Sexton" wrote in message
...
Oh great Now I'm paranoid! And all I wanted was good recipes:-)

Paranoid is good, with diabetes. Can you get your last few glucose tolerance
test results, and discuss any trend with your doctor?

Aren't those glucose meters expensive? there are diabteics who can't
afford them.

The meters are cheap, or free. The test strips cost about 50c each.

I try real hard to not let myself get hungry, so as to avoid low-blood
sugar- and to not eat a ton of carbs at meals, and try to eat healthy
snacks - somehing with fiber in between meals to prevent lows and
spikes- my husband learned that from a trainer who was teaching him
about working out. That was about 20 years ago- I hope I've done ok-
it's just that when you get older you think- "This is the only body
I've got- it has to last me"...

Yup, good snack.

Nicky.

--
A1c 10.5/4.5/6 Weight 95/76/72Kg
1g Metformin, 100ug Thyroxine
T2 DX 05/2004

"Karen Sexton" wrote in message
...
I thought about it all last night- what you said about chocolate
recipes. What did you mean- that craving chocolate, even with Splenda
is a warning sign?

Some of us understand that craving chocolate has little or nothing to do
with diabetes - switching to dark chocolate, and eating it in moderation,
actually has some health benefits : )

Craving pastries, or potatoes, or pasta is a problem.

Nicky.

--
A1c 10.5/4.5/6 Weight 95/76/72Kg
1g Metformin, 100ug Thyroxine
T2 DX 05/2004

On Thu, 02 Jun 2005 06:01:03 GMT, Karen Sexton
wrote:

That's the problem- she has no trouble eating healthy foods- she LOVES
veggies and fruits- but still loves her pastries.

You'll find that for diabetics there are good fruits - and
dangerous fruits. Your meter helps you find out which is
which.


Cheers Alan, T2, Australia.
--
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.

On Thu, 02 Jun 2005 05:41:41 GMT, Karen Sexton
wrote:


However, for yourself, "watching my sugar" is not the point.
My general advice would be to buy that meter, not to get
stressed about it but to give yourself the advantage of an
advance warning if the time comes when you do need to come
back to us as a fully qualified member of the club.

I thought about it all last night- what you said about chocolate
recipes. What did you mean- that craving chocolate, even with Splenda
is a warning sign?

Hi karen

Splenda is irrelevant in this context. Actually the right
sort of chocolate - 70% cocoa, not too much sugar - is good
for you in moderation. That word - moderation - may
eventually drive you nuts but it's the secret to controlling
this beast. See my sig:-) Extremes and diabetes are
unhealthy partners.

In the recipe you initially wanted, the problem is not the
chocolate, it's the things that raise your blood glucose
levels, the carbohydrates and the sugar. It's not strictly
chemically correct, but I treat sugar as just another fast
acting carb, like flour, potatos, rice and the other
starches. NoneGiven's recipes were far superior to the norm
and very lowcarb. Personally I found that it was easier to
simply use alternatives to cake and cookies - because the
low-carb ones won't always be available to "feed the habit".
You may be different.

As to warning signs, hopefully you will never get any
physical symptoms if you use regular blood tests (whether
home-test BGs, or glucose and HbA1c at your doctor's) to
catch things early if they do appear.

I'm not trying to be alarmist, just cautious. Your genes and
your excess weight are enough to advise you to ensure that
your doc checks your BGs and A1c regularly.

This part is purely my opinion (as was most of the rest:-)
If you don't want to buy the meter (they're cheap, the
strips are the expense) then at least cut the starches and
cakes in your diet. If you like fruit, don't overdo it (high
carbs), berries are the best form, and treat fruit juices as
just as dangerous as sugared sodas.

I know you just came for a recipe - and got a lot more than
you expected. Sorry about that:-)


Cheers Alan, T2, Australia.
--
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.

"Karen Sexton" wrote in message
...
I thought about it all last night- what you said about chocolate
recipes. What did you mean- that craving chocolate, even with Splenda
is a warning sign?


Cravings can sometimes be the sign of an allergy, not all of them make you
sneeze or break out in a rash.
Whatever, I'm not giving up chocolate, myself, but I'm not eating a lot of
it, either, and it's usually the 70% cocoa type.

--
No Husband Has Ever Been Shot While Doing The Dishes

"Karen Sexton" wrote in message
...
Take baby steps, start with a high protein breakfast.

Not sure if you're speaking of my mom or I. She knows very well what
she should do and not do- she's just having a hard time practicing it.


Either one.
Not everyone knows, I always thought a bowl of oatmeal or dry cereal, fruit
and milk was a healthy breakfast, that is what I was always told. It just
drove me to eat more carbs, it was all a lie, at least for me. Eating
adequate protein in the morning reduced my appetite and suddenly I don't
need a lot of willpower and I don't feel like I'm starving all day.

--
No Husband Has Ever Been Shot While Doing The Dishes

On Thu, 02 Jun 2005 20:17:15 +1000, Alan S
wrote:

On Thu, 02 Jun 2005 05:41:41 GMT, Karen Sexton
wrote:


However, for yourself, "watching my sugar" is not the point.
My general advice would be to buy that meter, not to get
stressed about it but to give yourself the advantage of an
advance warning if the time comes when you do need to come
back to us as a fully qualified member of the club.

I thought about it all last night- what you said about chocolate
recipes. What did you mean- that craving chocolate, even with Splenda
is a warning sign?

Hi karen

Splenda is irrelevant in this context. Actually the right
sort of chocolate - 70% cocoa, not too much sugar - is good
for you in moderation.

That's what I do.


That word - moderation - may
eventually drive you nuts but it's the secret to controlling
this beast. See my sig:-) Extremes and diabetes are
unhealthy partners.



In the recipe you initially wanted, the problem is not the
chocolate, it's the things that raise your blood glucose
levels, the carbohydrates and the sugar.

I was looking for chocolate recipes w/o sugar- yes, I know flour is a
carb.


It's not strictly
chemically correct, but I treat sugar as just another fast
acting carb, like flour, potatos, rice and the other
starches.

So do I.


NoneGiven's recipes were far superior to the norm
and very lowcarb. Personally I found that it was easier to
simply use alternatives to cake and cookies - because the
low-carb ones won't always be available to "feed the habit".
You may be different.

As to warning signs, hopefully you will never get any
physical symptoms if you use regular blood tests (whether
home-test BGs, or glucose and HbA1c at your doctor's) to
catch things early if they do appear.

I'm not trying to be alarmist, just cautious. Your genes and
your excess weight

My "excess weight"? I beg your pardon-:-) I was 20lb overweight
until lately, now I'm only 10lb overweight- just wanting to be able to
wear some cap sleeves before I'm 60 years old:-)


are enough to advise you to ensure that
your doc checks your BGs and A1c regularly.

This part is purely my opinion (as was most of the rest:-)
If you don't want to buy the meter (they're cheap, the
strips are the expense) then at least cut the starches and
cakes in your diet. If you like fruit, don't overdo it (high
carbs), berries are the best form, and treat fruit juices as
just as dangerous as sugared sodas.

Yeah- I know- I see mothers starting their babies and toddlers on
fruit juice because they don't want to give them sodas- not good.


I know you just came for a recipe - and got a lot more than
you expected. Sorry about that:-)


I fogive you:-)


KS

Cheers Alan, T2, Australia.

On Thu, 2 Jun 2005 08:14:24 -0500, "None Given"
wrote:

"Karen Sexton" wrote in message
.. .
I thought about it all last night- what you said about chocolate
recipes. What did you mean- that craving chocolate, even with Splenda
is a warning sign?


Cravings can sometimes be the sign of an allergy, not all of them make you
sneeze or break out in a rash.
Whatever, I'm not giving up chocolate, myself, but I'm not eating a lot of
it, either, and it's usually the 70% cocoa type.

The darker, the better. These milk chocolate candy bars, especially
here in the US are so sweet, I wonder how I ever ate them. I swear
they have more sugar in them now than they did when I was a kid. it
completely ruins the chocolate taste.


KS

On Thu, 2 Jun 2005 08:32:48 +0100, "Nicky"
wrote:


"Karen Sexton" wrote in message
.. .
I thought about it all last night- what you said about chocolate
recipes. What did you mean- that craving chocolate, even with Splenda
is a warning sign?

Some of us understand that craving chocolate has little or nothing to do
with diabetes - switching to dark chocolate, and eating it in moderation,
actually has some health benefits : )

That's what I've heard- "feel good chemicals" or something:-)

KS

Craving pastries, or potatoes, or pasta is a problem.

Nicky.

On Fri, 03 Jun 2005 08:46:26 GMT, Karen Sexton
wrote:

I'm not trying to be alarmist, just cautious. Your genes and
your excess weight

My "excess weight"? I beg your pardon-:-) I was 20lb overweight
until lately, now I'm only 10lb overweight- just wanting to be able to
wear some cap sleeves before I'm 60 years old:-)

Sorry - I was going on the info in your first post where you
said:

"I'm not diabetic, just controlling my sugar intake and
trying to lose weight."

Congratulations on the 10lb - I know it ain't easy. As a
mere male I haven't the faintest idea what a cap sleeve is -
my goal is to wear the uniform I wore when I retired from
the Air Force 21 years ago. And I wasn't skinny then:-)

I actually got there - then got complacent, so back at work
now.




Cheers Alan, T2, Australia.
--
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.

"Karen Sexton" wrote in message
...

Some of us understand that craving chocolate has little or nothing to do
with diabetes - switching to dark chocolate, and eating it in moderation,
actually has some health benefits : )

That's what I've heard- "feel good chemicals" or something:-)


I found this interesting site, all about chocolate.
http://www.chocolate.org/

--
No Husband Has Ever Been Shot While Doing The Dishes

"Karen Sexton" wrote in message
...
The darker, the better. These milk chocolate candy bars, especially
here in the US are so sweet, I wonder how I ever ate them. I swear
they have more sugar in them now than they did when I was a kid. it
completely ruins the chocolate taste.


Everything seems to have more sugar in it than when I was a kid. A few
years ago I found a spaghetti sauce we liked, then it disappeared. Later on
I found a similar flavor with a slightly different name, same brand, I
suspect the slight difference in taste is due to the addition of high
fructose corn syrup.

--
No Husband Has Ever Been Shot While Doing The Dishes