Diabetes, life and all that - personal diary

[Jamrox]

That would be a dream , play in the snow then back home to the warmer weather . Jealous

 

[pavlosn]

I can understand the logic that a low carb diet must of necessity limit or exclude fruit since these are high in sugars but I still find this hard to accept.

They are after all full of vitamins and other nutrients that scientists are telling us are good for us.

These days I can happily go without bread, rice, pasta or even my old nemesis potatoes, particularly chips.

In fact it has come as quite a surprise how easy I am finding to ignore these, even when put right in front of me.

But I guess I am not completely convinced that I am not missing out by keeping something like fruit out of my diet.

So I try to include small portions whenever I feel I can safely do so without hurting my glucose levels too much.

This morning I woke up feeling that my sugar level was low and this was confirmed by a reading of 4,6 mmol.

I was about to go on my morning 5km walk and experience has taught me that to do so from this low a starting point would precipitate a liver dump of glucogen which would cause my glucose levels to rise anyway.

I am not saying that there is something wrong with liver dumps, they are a natural phenomenon anyway. But I preferred to exploite the opportunity to help myself to four or five tablespoons of these ruby red pomegranate seeds instead.

Not only do they look and taste great ( they have a more tart taste than normal pomegranates) but they are packed full of vitamin C and anti-oxidizing agents.

I tested again an hour later after coming back from my walk: 5 mmol, so happy enough with that!

Pavlos

 

[pavlosn]

Roses in a neighbor's garden in the middle of November.

 

[Mike d]

I can understand the logic that a low carb diet must of necessity limit or exclude fruit since these are high in sugars but I still find this hard to accept.

They are after all full of vitamins and other nutrients that scientists are telling us are good for us.

These days I can happily go without bread, rice, pasta or even my old nemesis potatoes, particularly chips.
View attachment 8266

In fact it has come as quite a surprise how easy I am finding to ignore these, even when put right in front of me.

But I guess I am not completely convinced that I am not missing out by keeping something like fruit out of my diet.

So I try to include small portions whenever I feel I can safely do so without hurting my glucose levels too much.

This morning I woke up feeling that my sugar level was low and this was confirmed by a reading of 4,6 mmol.

I was about to go on my morning 5km walk and experience has taught me that to do so from this low a starting point would precipitate a liver dump of glucogen which would cause my glucose levels to rise anyway.

I am not saying that there is something wrong with liver dumps, they are a natural phenomenon anyway. But I preferred to exploite the opportunity to help myself to four or five tablespoons of these ruby red pomegranate seeds instead.

View attachment 8267

Not only do they look and taste great ( they have a more tart taste than normal pomegranates) but they are packed full of vitamin C and anti-oxidizing agents.

View attachment 8268

I tested again an hour later after coming back from my walk: 5 mmol, so happy enough with that!

View attachment 8269

Pavlos

Same here .... cutting out pasta / rice / bread is easy ... but fries?

I'd kill for some ..... but then that's the challenge is it not?

Mike D

 

[pavlosn]

Same here .... cutting out pasta / rice / bread is easy ... but fries?

I'd kill for some ..... but then that's the challenge is it not?

Mike D

I am the person who used to order extra fries with just about everything.

These days I usually ask the waiter to leave them behind and bring me extra salad instead, preferring to not put myself in temptation by having them in front of me.

Yesterday, I forgot to do so and the great big serving of the photograph above arrived with the grilled chicken I ordered for lunch.
I decided to not make a fuss and send them back and that I was going to have three or four of them. In the end, I tried one and just decided that they were not worth the bother.

A case of my tastebuds changing or a case of mind over matter? Did I manage to convince myself that something that I knew was not good for me did not taste good?

These days fruit tempt me much more than fries, perhaps I can not convince myself that fruit is actually not good for me. But I still try to be careful.

Pavlos

 

[Mike d]

I am the person who used to order extra fries with just about everything.

These days I usually ask the waiter to leave them behind and bring me extra salad instead, preferring to not put myself in temptation by having them in front of me.

Yesterday, I forgot to do so and the great big serving of the photograph above arrived with the grilled chicken I ordered for lunch.
I decided to not make a fuss and send them back and that I was going to have three or four of them. In the end, I tried one and just decided that they were not worth the bother.

A case of my tastebuds changing or a case of mind over matter? Did I manage to convince myself that something that I knew was not good for me did not taste good?

These days fruit tempt me much more than fries, perhaps I can not convince myself that fruit is actually not good for me. But I still try to be careful.

Pavlos

Yep, hear you Pavlos

My wife has got the guilts about eating chocolate cake and sweets in front of me, not that she overdoes it. I tell her not to worry.

I have to be patient, tell myself it's gonna be OK, not stress about it and learn to climb this mountain .... that's MY responsibility as a man and a husband and I'm sure you're the same

Two red wine limit for tonite

Take care Mike

 

[pavlosn]

I agree Mike.

I am the one who is diabetic, not my wife and not my son. So why should they go without something they enjoy and that does not harm them, as long as they are sensible about it, just because I can no longer have it.

To be honest, it does not bother me to watch them or anyone else for that matter, enjoy some "forbidden fruit". Our fridge is full of chocolate for instance.

I guess that these days I prefer the empowering feeling that I can discipline myself and control my diabetes, over any transient pleasure to my taste buds.

Not that I do not have the odd treat every now and then, but even then, I get to decide when to have it, in the knowledge that once I have a treat then it will not be available to me for a while, if I want to maintain my glycemic control.

Honestly, I probably prefer the feeling that a treat is available to me at any time of my choice, to actually having the treat thus immediately making it no longer available.

More mind games I guess, but our minds are the biggest weapon we do possess in our fight against our disease.

Once we set our minds right then we can convince ourselves to do anything and half the battle is won.

Pavlos

 

[Mike d]

Dead right ..... have a great day

 

[pavlosn]

Morning walk just completed, putting another 5km and 6000 steps on the clock.

I will be needing new walking shoes soon if I keep this up.

With all this exercise and watching my carbs, I continue to shed the excess weight I am carrying.

I am now down to 91 kg a loss of 11kg or just over 24 pounds in the last two months. My BMI is now 27,5 so I have a while to go before I have to worry about slowing down.

To be honest the weight loss has been a pleasant side effect. My main goal has been and still is to keep a tight control on my glucose level.

It's the middle of November but you would never know it by looking at some of the flowers in bloom in the garden:

 

[PSS]

Pavlos

Absolutely amazing thread and truly inspirational. Keep it up and above all keep posting.

A question for you, do you not worry about going hypo if going for a long walk and your BG is just above 5?

 

[pavlosn]

Pavlos

Absolutely amazing thread and truly inspirational. Keep it up and above all keep posting.

A question for you, do you not worry about going hypo if going for a long walk and your BG is just above 5?

Hi @PSS

Glad you have enjoyed reading this thread. I sure enjoy writing it!

I am only on Metformin, in little risk of hypos. I would really have to try to go hypo.

I managed it once but that was when I was on a higher dosage and I skipped lunch after taking the medication because of a medical emergency involving my father.

Experience has shown me that if I am in the fours before I start my walks then I will probably induce a small liver dump during my exercise, my liver pumping out glycogen to boost my falling glucose levels. If that happens I will typically find myself in the low sixes at the end of the walk.

If I start off in the fives or, rarely these days, higher, the exercise will usually help to decrease my levels by about 1 mmol.

I do find however that on days that I do exercise in the morning, my levels later on in the day are easier to control.

Of course, with home monitor accuracy being what it is, I have no guarantee that a reading of say 5,4 is not really a 4,6 and vice versa but I can usually feel it when I am low on waking up - for me low is anything under 4,5 or so.

I do not know if a liver dump is something to be avoided, it is after all a natural response of our bodies, but I tend to avoid them exploiting days when I wake up in the fours and about to exercise to enjoy some fruit I would not otherwise been able to have. At least with fruit the carbs come in a package with fiber and vitamins etc

Thank you for your kind words

Take care

Pavlos

 

[PSS]

Hi @PSS

Glad you have enjoyed reading this thread. I sure enjoy writing it!

I am only on Metformin, in little risk of hypos. I would really have to try to go hypo.

I managed it once but that was when I was on a higher dosage and I skipped lunch after taking the medication because of a medical emergency involving my father.

Experience has shown me that if I am in the fours before I start my walks then I will probably induce a small liver dump during my exercise, my liver pumping out glycogen to boost my falling glucose levels. If that happens I will typically find myself in the low sixes at the end of the walk.

If I start off in the fives or, rarely these days, higher, the exercise will usually help to decrease my levels by about 1 mmol.

I do find however that on days that I do exercise in the morning, my levels later on in the day are easier to control.

Of course, with home monitor accuracy being what it is, I have no guarantee that a reading of say 5,4 is not really a 4,6 and vice versa but I can usually feel it when I am low on waking up - for me low is anything under 4,5 or so.

I do not know if a liver dump is something to be avoided, it is after all a natural response of our bodies, but I tend to avoid them exploiting days when I wake up in the fours and about to exercise to enjoy some fruit I would not otherwise been able to have. At least with fruit the carbs come in a package with fiber and vitamins etc

Thank you for your kind words

Take care

Pavlos

Hi Pavlos

Thank you for your reply. I am on just one Metformin slow release 500mg/day. I normally have mid morning snack of half a sandwich. Last week I missed it and I felt slightly dizzy as I walked down the stairs. I carried and checked the BG when I got back to my desk. My reading was 4.6 but the thought of hypo scared me and I stuffed my self with lots of carbs and within 15 mins my BF was at 7.9 and over 10.0 after 30 mins. It soon came down afterwards.

I totally buy in the liver dump theory but if it always works then no T2 will ever go hypo. And certainly not when on Metformin alone.

In my case I guess 4.6 assuming the meter is correct is no where near a hypo.

By the way you are doing great not only for yourself but for the community as well by sharing your experiences. I am fairly new to this site but I am finding the info and experiences of others invaluable.

Kind Regards

 

[pavlosn]

Hi @PSS

A true hypo involves levels dropping below four.

I can think of at least one diet controlled t2 (@AndBreath) who regularly finds herself with fasting glucose levels in the high threes, low fours without feeling any worse for it.

Especially if your body is used to running at elevated sugar levels, you can experience what is called a false hypo I.e. Hypo like symptoms at even higher glucose levels.

Hypo like symptoms include
- fast heart beat
- weakness/dizziness
- sweating
- feeling of anxiousness
- feeling of irritability
- feeling of intense hunger

In a severe hypo an individual may appear incoherent, almost drunk and even end up losing consciousness and falling in a coma, as brain cells are starved of energy with falling glucose levels.

Fortunately, I have never experienced one of these so far.

I would also start to feel uncomfortable at 4,6. I guess this is a good thing as it shows that we are hypo aware.

I would not go so far as to say that a t2 on metformin only can never go hypo, but in my experience it would be a rare occasion if this happened and would probably involve some unusual circumstance:
- illness
- high consumption of alcohol
- excessive exercise for the amount of nutrition received( the liver stores of glycogen are finite and can be depleted)

It's always worth carrying something sweet in one's pocket just in case. I tend not to when taking my usual walk as this never takes me too far from my own house or shops and there are usually other people around. I will make sure that I take something sweet with me, just in case, if I am planning a walk in the countryside though.

All the best

Pavlos

 

[pavlosn]

Following on from last night's conversation with @PSS I was curious how this morning's levels would be affected by my morning walk.

I almost wish there was something more significant to report.

On waking up I was at 5,2 and this rose by 0,3 to 5,5 following a fifty minute five kilometer walk.

So definitely no hypo and even allowing for the worst case interpret ion of meter error i.e. taking my true waking up level as 15% lower than indicated at 4,4 mmol and my true level after exercise as 15% higher than indicated at 6,3 mmol, that still comes to a liver dump of less than 2 mmol.

But playing around with meter error like that is probably not something we need to concern ourselves with.

I prefer to look at the two readings 5,2 and 5,5 mark them as two perfectly acceptable non diabetic counts and leave it at that.

No need to over complicate life.

Pavlos

 

[PSS]

Following on from last night's conversation with @PSS I was curious how this morning's levels would be affected by my morning walk.

I almost wish there was something more significant to report.

View attachment 8322

On waking up I was at 5,2 and this rose by 0,3 to 5,5 following a fifty minute five kilometer walk.

So definitely no hypo and even allowing for the worst case interpret ion of meter error i.e. taking my true waking up level as 15% lower than indicated at 4,4 mmol and my true level after exercise as 15% higher than indicated at 6,3 mmol, that still comes to a liver dump of less than 2 mmol.

But playing around with meter error like that is probably not something we need to concern ourselves with.

I prefer to look at the two readings 5,2 and 5,5 mark them as two perfectly acceptable non diabetic counts and leave it at that.

View attachment 8320
View attachment 8321

No need to over complicate life.

Pavlos

Pavlos

First of all lovely pics ! And thanks for your post.

I have definitely have had false hypos. It could be that I am trying to get a better contol of my BG.

I totally agree with everything you said. I was used to drink and have almost given up in the last couple of months as I read alcohol can cause hypos - sometimes even couple of days later !

Here is a link for you http://www.ourdiabetes.com/hypolgycemia.htm. Dr. Blumer says diabetes can not cause hypos, it is almost always the meds. Although in reality anyone can go hypo as you often see runners fainting in a race !

Finally, I liked your last comment - No need to complicate life ! If only we could always practice this

Kind Regards

PS: By the way where are you located? As I love the pics you post !

 

[pavlosn]

Hi @PSS

Thanks for the link.

I live in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. Most of the pictures are taken when I am out on my morning walks, usually in the area near my house. A lot are taken in the grounds of a nearby monastery, one of my favorite places to walk.

I almost always finish my walks by having a wonder round the garden and provides plenty of subject matter and inspiration.

My pet cat Ginger and Sheelba our black lab also feature prominently.

Some photos are taken at our farm in the village of Kormakitis in the north of Cyprus.

On weekends, weather and social calendar permitting, I like to visit different parts of the island and combine my need for walking with my twin loves of photography and discovering new places. Not forgetting visiting some nice restaurant for lunch. That is why the thread turn into a travelogue at times.

Generally I post whatever happens to attract my lens on that particular day.

Pavlos

 

[Andy12345]

your a lucky man indeed Pav

dang those chips looked good

 

[PSS]

Hi @PSS

Thanks for the link.

I live in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. Most of the pictures are taken when I am out on my morning walks, usually in the area near my house. A lot are taken in the grounds of a nearby monastery, one of my favorite places to walk.

I almost always finish my walks by having a wonder round the garden and provides plenty of subject matter and inspiration.

My pet cat Ginger and Sheelba our black lab also feature prominently.

Some photos are taken at our farm in the village of Kormakitis in the north of Cyprus.

On weekends, weather and social calendar permitting, I like to visit different parts of the island and combine my need for walking with my twin loves of photography and discovering new places. Not forgetting visiting some nice restaurant for lunch. That is why the thread turn into a travelogue at times.

Generally I post whatever happens to attract my lens on that particular day.

Pavlos

Pavlos

You lucky man ! We in the UK long for climate like yours! No wonder the plants and flowers in the pics look exotic

I saw my DN today, she is well happy with my sugar control although A1C was 7.5 last time. 'l wait and see how it improves over the next three months. She debated the pro and cons of normal vs slow release Metformin. But is happy for me to stay on slow release.

She also wants me to stop testing as often as I am not on insulin and not T1.

Her advice was eat healthy and don't think about going hypo too much as I had become obsessed with it.

Regards

PSS

 

[pavlosn]

your a lucky man indeed Pav

dang those chips looked good

Just seen that when the forum does not ban you it names you a legend.

Go figure! Lol

I don't thing I talked to too many legends before.

Well deserved I am sure. At least for your wit, charm and good spirits!

Take care

Pavlos

 

[Andy12345]

Just seen that when the forum does not ban you it names you a legend.

Go figure! Lol

I don't thing I talked to too many legends before.

Well deserved I am sure. At least for your wit, charm and good spirits!

Take care

Pavlos