I had blood drawn for a pre-surgical work up and was told 'ta-da' - from all
indications that I am the proud recipient of Type 2 diabetes. I was handed
a little yellow book titled 'Living with Type 2 Diabetes' patted on the
fanny and sent on my way......

I am familiar with the diagnosis, as my daughter is Type 1 and is controlled
with insulin, she is also a vegetarian, so she does a lot of her own food
prep at 17.

I know the theory of counting carbs, etc. but I have no idea where to start.
I have a multitude of cookbooks, including one called the 'Carbohydrate
Addicts Diet'......but where do I start. I have a follow up appointment,
from my original diagnosis of 7/27 of 9/5. Do I just frantically chew my
nails until then?

Help.
-ginny

Hey Ginny...

Why don't you join us over at alt.support.diabetes?

There are a lot of great people there, and much more traffic than here.

But until then, there are a lot of good things to eat besides your nails ; )

This is the advice I give all newbies:


Sounds like you're planning a move to take control of your diabetes... good
for you.

There is so much to absorb... you don't have to rush into anything. Begin
by using your best weapon in this war, your meter. You won't keel over
today, you have time to experiment, test, learn, test and figure out just
how your body and this disease are getting along. The most important
thing you can do to learn about yourself and diabetes is test test test.

More than most anything, what you eat will affect your diabetes and
your blood glucose numbers.

And more than anything you eat, carbs will affect your diabetes and
your blood glucose numbers.

So, the most important information you can begin to compile about
yourself, is how your body handles carbs.

This sounds like you would need a low carb food plan right?

You don't... what you need to uncover is YOUR Personalized Carb Number.

Which actually works better for most everyone. Because low to one
person is wildly high to another, but waaaaay too low for someone
else.

Is low carb less than 30g a day? Is it anything less than the
Pyramid reccomendations?

Finding your Personalized Carb Number is easy.

Here's how you can figure out your own Personalized Carb Number.

The single biggest question a diabetic has to answer is:

What do I eat?

Unfortunately, the answer is pretty confusing.

What confounds us all is the fact that different diabetics can get great
results on wildly different food plans. Some of us here achieve
great blood glucose control eating a high complex carbohydrate diet.
Others find that anything over 75 - 100g of carbs a day is too
much. Still others are somewhere in between.

At the beginning all of us felt frustrated. We wanted to be handed
THE way to eat, to ensure our continued health. But we all
learned that there is no one way. Each of us had to find our own path,
using the experience of those that went before, but still having
to discover for ourselves how OUR bodies and this disease were coexisting.

Ask questions, but remember each of us discovered on our own what works best
for us. You can use our experiences as jumping off points, but eventually
you'll work up a successful plan that is yours alone.

What you are looking to discover is how different foods affect you. As I'm
sure you've read, carbohydrates (sugars, wheat, rice... the things our
Grandmas called "starches") raise blood sugars the most rapidly. Protein
and fat do raise them, but not as high and much more slowly... so if you're
a T2, generally the insulin your body still makes may take care of the rise.

You might want to try some experiments.

First: Eat whatever you've been
currently eating... but write it all down.
Test yourself at the following times:

Upon waking (fasting)
1 hour after each meal
2 hours after each meal
At bedtime

That means 8 x each day. What you will discover by this is how long
after a meal your highest reading comes... and how fast you return to
"normal". Also, you may see that a meal that included bread, fruit or
other carbs gives you a higher reading.

Then for the next few days, try to curb your carbs. Eliminate breads,
cereals, rices, beans, any wheat products, potato, corn, fruit... get all
your carbs from veggies. Test at the same schedule above.

If you try this for a few days, you may find some pretty damn good
readings. It's worth a few days to discover.

Eventually you can slowly add back carbs until you see them affecting your
meter.

The thing about this disease... though we share much in common and we
need to
follow certain guidelines... in the end, each of our bodies dictate our
treatment and our success.

The closer we get to non-diabetic numbers, the greater chance we have of
avoiding horrible complications. The key here is AIM... I know that
everyone is at a different point in their disease... and it is progressive.
But, if we aim for the best numbers and do our best, we give ourselves the
best shot at heath we've got.
That's all we can do.

Here's my opinion on what numbers to aim for, they are non-diabetic numbers.

FBG under 100
One hour after meals under 140
Two hours after meals under 120

or for those in the mmol parts of the world:

Fasting Under 6
One hour after meals Under 8
Two hours after meals Under 6.5

Recent studies have indicated that the most important numbers are your
"after meal" numbers. They may be the most indicative of future
complications, especially heart problems.

Listen to your doctor, but you are the leader of your diabetic
care team. While his /her advice is learned, it is not absolute. You
will end up knowing much more about your body and how it's handling
diabetes than your doctor will. Your meter is your best weapon.

Just remember, we're not in a race or a competition with anyone but
ourselves... Play around with your food plan... TEST TEST TEST. Learn what
foods cause spikes, what foods cause cravings... Use your body as a science
experiment.

You'll read about a lot of different ways people use to control their
diabetes... Many are diametrically opposed. After awhile you'll learn that
there is no one size fits all around here. Take some time to experiment
and you'll soon discover the plan that works for you.

Best of luck!

Jennifer


Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:

> I had blood drawn for a pre-surgical work up and was told 'ta-da' - from all
> indications that I am the proud recipient of Type 2 diabetes. I was handed
> a little yellow book titled 'Living with Type 2 Diabetes' patted on the
> fanny and sent on my way......
>
> I am familiar with the diagnosis, as my daughter is Type 1 and is controlled
> with insulin, she is also a vegetarian, so she does a lot of her own food
> prep at 17.
>
> I know the theory of counting carbs, etc. but I have no idea where to start.
> I have a multitude of cookbooks, including one called the 'Carbohydrate
> Addicts Diet'......but where do I start. I have a follow up appointment,
> from my original diagnosis of 7/27 of 9/5. Do I just frantically chew my
> nails until then?
>
> Help.
> -ginny
>
>

On Wed, 16 Aug 2006 14:21:49 -0400, "Virginia Tadrzynski"
> wrote:

>I had blood drawn for a pre-surgical work up and was told 'ta-da' - from all
>indications that I am the proud recipient of Type 2 diabetes. I was handed
>a little yellow book titled 'Living with Type 2 Diabetes' patted on the
>fanny and sent on my way......
>
>I am familiar with the diagnosis, as my daughter is Type 1 and is controlled
>with insulin, she is also a vegetarian, so she does a lot of her own food
>prep at 17.
>
>I know the theory of counting carbs, etc. but I have no idea where to start.
>I have a multitude of cookbooks, including one called the 'Carbohydrate
>Addicts Diet'......but where do I start. I have a follow up appointment,
>from my original diagnosis of 7/27 of 9/5. Do I just frantically chew my
>nails until then?
>
>Help.
>-ginny
>
Hi Ginny

Just saying welcome and endorsing the advice from Alice and
Jennifer.

You won't realise for a couple of months how good that
advice from Jennifer was. Read it again and put it into
practice. You will never regret that. It works.

Just one extra note. Your daughter has the ability, as a
type 1, to balance the carbs that she eats with her insulin.
You will find that as a type 2 your situation is quite
different, despite the similarities. It is very difficult to
manage type 2 and be a vegetarian at the same time.

See you again over at asd:-)

Cheers Alan, T2, Australia.
d&e, metformin 500mg
--
I have no medical qualifications beyond my own experience.
Choose your advisers carefully, because experience can be
an expensive teacher.

Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.

Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:
> I had blood drawn for a pre-surgical work up and was told
> 'ta-da' - from all indications that I am the proud
> recipient of Type 2 diabetes. I was handed a little
> yellow book titled 'Living with Type 2 Diabetes' patted
> on the fanny and sent on my way......
>
> I am familiar with the diagnosis, as my daughter is Type
> 1 and is controlled with insulin, she is also a
> vegetarian, so she does a lot of her own food prep at 17.
>
> I know the theory of counting carbs, etc. but I have no
> idea where to start. I have a multitude of cookbooks,
> including one called the 'Carbohydrate Addicts
> Diet'......but where do I start. I have a follow up
> appointment, from my original diagnosis of 7/27 of 9/5.
> Do I just frantically chew my nails until then?
>
> Help.
> -ginny

Welcome to the club. The support group ASD has already been mentioned.
If you look through the archives here I've posted a few recipes that are
diabetic-friendly.
If you have specific things you'd like I'll be happy to see if I've got
anything in the files.

My main message to diabetics, including myself, is, "Diabetics don't have to
eat boring food".
With a bit of effort and guidance you can create tasty dishes that fit in
your meal plan.

Low carb is certainly a good way to start. But don't get hung up on "the ONE
true way".
There are many paths to reach the goal (glucose control) and you need to
seek a path that suits you. So try some recipes and test, test, test.
Soon you'll be right on track.

--
Pete Romfh, Telecom Geek & Amateur Chef.
T2, diet & exercise.
http://www.bigoven.com/~promfh
promfh (at) hal-pc (dot) org

My additional suggestion. Forget books on general low carb eating. We need
to eat low glycemic index carbs. I find that more important than the amount
of carbs. General purpose low carb books don't seem to address that point.
There are many books and websites that talk about glycemic index and why it
is important to type 2's.

Here is a link to a great website for all of us that talks a lot about
glycemic index (GI).
http://www.mendosa.com/gi.htm

It's a good place to start.
-Ed

"Virginia Tadrzynski" > wrote in message
...
>I had blood drawn for a pre-surgical work up and was told 'ta-da' - from
>all
> indications that I am the proud recipient of Type 2 diabetes. I was
> handed
> a little yellow book titled 'Living with Type 2 Diabetes' patted on the
> fanny and sent on my way......
>
> I am familiar with the diagnosis, as my daughter is Type 1 and is
> controlled
> with insulin, she is also a vegetarian, so she does a lot of her own food
> prep at 17.
>
> I know the theory of counting carbs, etc. but I have no idea where to
> start.
> I have a multitude of cookbooks, including one called the 'Carbohydrate
> Addicts Diet'......but where do I start. I have a follow up appointment,
> from my original diagnosis of 7/27 of 9/5. Do I just frantically chew my
> nails until then?
>
> Help.
> -ginny
>
>

On Thu, 17 Aug 2006 00:41:22 -0400, "Ed"
<ekirstein*nospammers*catskill.net> wrote:

>My additional suggestion. Forget books on general low carb eating. We need
>to eat low glycemic index carbs. I find that more important than the amount
>of carbs. General purpose low carb books don't seem to address that point.
>There are many books and websites that talk about glycemic index and why it
>is important to type 2's.
>
>Here is a link to a great website for all of us that talks a lot about
>glycemic index (GI).
>http://www.mendosa.com/gi.htm
>
>It's a good place to start.
>-Ed

You may find going to the horse's mouth better:
www.glycemicindex.com
However, while I have great admiration for Jennie
Brand-Miller I found the GI to be only of general guidance
value for me. I found the personal glycemic index that I
developed using my own meter, following Jennifer's advice to
newbies, much more useful.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
d&e, metformin 500mg
--
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.

"Virginia Tadrzynski" > wrote in message
...
> I had blood drawn for a pre-surgical work up and was told 'ta-da' - from
all
> indications that I am the proud recipient of Type 2 diabetes. I was
handed
> a little yellow book titled 'Living with Type 2 Diabetes' patted on the
> fanny and sent on my way......
>
> I am familiar with the diagnosis, as my daughter is Type 1 and is
controlled
> with insulin, she is also a vegetarian, so she does a lot of her own food
> prep at 17.
>
> I know the theory of counting carbs, etc. but I have no idea where to
start.
> I have a multitude of cookbooks, including one called the 'Carbohydrate
> Addicts Diet'......but where do I start. I have a follow up appointment,
> from my original diagnosis of 7/27 of 9/5. Do I just frantically chew my
> nails until then?

The others have given you good advice. There is no one diet we all follow.
And for me, glycemic index is rather meaningless. Also, the way I have to
eat today is not the way I ate when I was first diagnosed. Back then I was
able to handle a lot more carbs (particularly at breakfast) than I can now.

What I would do if I were you would be to cut back some on the carbs you eat
(assuming you have been eating a fairly carby diet) and increase the less
carby things like salads and green beans. But then when I was diagnosed I
was a vegetarian and eating a lot of beans, rice and pasta.

--
See my webpage:
http://mysite.verizon.net/juliebove/index.htm

Besides all the information here, go get your own meter. Most meters
store results and you don't want to mix your readings up with your
daughters. It could be bad for both of you. My endo has free meters
that the manufactor gives away. As you know they get it back with the
strips.

Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:

> I had blood drawn for a pre-surgical work up and was told 'ta-da' - from all
> indications that I am the proud recipient of Type 2 diabetes. I was handed
> a little yellow book titled 'Living with Type 2 Diabetes' patted on the
> fanny and sent on my way......
>
> I am familiar with the diagnosis, as my daughter is Type 1 and is controlled
> with insulin, she is also a vegetarian, so she does a lot of her own food
> prep at 17.
>
> I know the theory of counting carbs, etc. but I have no idea where to start.
> I have a multitude of cookbooks, including one called the 'Carbohydrate
> Addicts Diet'......but where do I start. I have a follow up appointment,
> from my original diagnosis of 7/27 of 9/5. Do I just frantically chew my
> nails until then?
>
> Help.
> -ginny
>
>

On Wed, 16 Aug 2006 14:21:49 -0400, "Virginia Tadrzynski" >
wrote:

>I had blood drawn for a pre-surgical work up and was told 'ta-da' - from all
>indications that I am the proud recipient of Type 2 diabetes. I was handed
>a little yellow book titled 'Living with Type 2 Diabetes' patted on the
>fanny and sent on my way......

Haven't seen you in a while. It's good to hear your voice.

There'a great book called Type II Diabetes: The First Year, or something
like that. It helped both Frank and me (Frank was diagnosed just the week
of that Cook In we had in Vermont that you came to back in 2001, I got
diagnosed three months later) a whole lot. We got under control very
quickly.

I strongly recommend that book, on top of all the good suggestions other
people have.

--
Siobhan Perricone
One trend that bothers me is the glorification of
stupidity, that the media is reassuring people it's
all right not to know anything.... That to me is
far more dangerous than a little pornography
on the Internet. - Carl Sagan

Hi Ray,

If you're genuine then you are sadly misguided.

Even those who are not as poor as I (and I'm not quite that poor) will send you nothing.

If you're a scammer then you are sadly misguided.

Even those who are not as clever as I (and I'm not that clever) will send you nothing.

Essentially everyone will send you nothing.

But you're probably a thick-skinned idiot who thinks most are even thicker than you (and we're not that thick).
So you probably won't even see this post, let alone read it.

But you'll still get nothing.

Ah well, such is life!

Take care,
Phil.

"One trend that bothers me is the glorification of
stupidity, that the media is reassuring people it's
all right not to know anything . . . . that to me is
far more dangerous than a little pornography on
the Internet."

http://uk.geocities.com/philadkinsp/diabetes.html
http://uk.geocities.com/philadkinsp/index.html

"Siobhan Perricone" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 16 Aug 2006 14:21:49 -0400, "Virginia Tadrzynski"
>
> wrote:
>
> >I had blood drawn for a pre-surgical work up and was told 'ta-da' - from
all
> >indications that I am the proud recipient of Type 2 diabetes. I was
handed
> >a little yellow book titled 'Living with Type 2 Diabetes' patted on the
> >fanny and sent on my way......
>
> Haven't seen you in a while. It's good to hear your voice.
>
> There'a great book called Type II Diabetes: The First Year, or something
> like that. It helped both Frank and me (Frank was diagnosed just the week
> of that Cook In we had in Vermont that you came to back in 2001, I got
> diagnosed three months later) a whole lot. We got under control very
> quickly.
>
> I strongly recommend that book, on top of all the good suggestions other
> people have.
>
> --
> Siobhan Perricone
> One trend that bothers me is the glorification of
> stupidity, that the media is reassuring people it's
> all right not to know anything.... That to me is
> far more dangerous than a little pornography
> on the Internet. - Carl Sagan

It's funny you would mention that, I ordered some books from Amazon for my
daughter's required summer reading and I was a few $$ short of the free
shipping amount. I ordered this book called Type 2 Diabetes - the First
Year, by a Gretchen somethingorother........I started reading it, and since
my daughter has the same meter the doctor's office gave me, I at least know
how to operate it.....
-ginny