confusion reigns

[theforester]

Hello everyone,

Can I ask a couple of questions please, to help me put together some sort of a plan of action regarding my recently diagnosed type 2?

I understand well enough that calorie intake control is a prime factor but am finding the world of calories, carbohydrates, fat, non-saturated and otherwise and all the other terms used to describe what we eat, a bit daunting...what is good on one level seems to be bad on another.

My RDI is, apparently, 2676 calories and I am well under that (I need to lose about 4 stone a bit sharpish) but my current difficulty is in determining my calorie intake with any accuracy...all the info available seems to be based on supermarket prepared food but we prepare our own at home...we steam all our vegetables and cook everything else in a halogen cooker, without added fats, and what I would like to ask is how I calculate the calorific value of say, a roast dinner cooked in the halogen, with steam-cooked vegetables...surely it would be significantly different to a supermarket produced meal?

Also, although I was diagnosed on the basis of a reading of 8.6 fasting, I was feeling a bit smug yesterday when my home tester showed a reading of 7 two hours after a meal, but was less than pleased to find that a pre-meal test today showed 9.8. Does that indicate a problem?

I have, in my life-time, been diagnosed with several unwelcome medical conditions which I usually handle without too much hassle, but this one has bent me sideways a bit and I could use a little help.

Thank you!!

 

[andcol]

Hi theforester. You blood sugars are not so much raised by your calorie intake but by the carbohydrate intake and the type of carbs. Generally if you eat a lot of carbs your body has to process them through into your cells. It does however need insulin to do this. Think of all carbs=sugar. There is another dimension to this some carbs get into your body much faster than others and this causes you blood glucose levels to rise more rapidly which puts more strain on your system.

I use the site nutritiondata.self.com to determine the carbs for example here is a link to hazelnuts http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3116/2 On this page it also tells you the Glycemic Index and Load which is a measure of how fast the carbs get into your system. You want these values to be low.

Hope this helps...

 

[annelise]

Forester,

I understand you have a double problem:

A: getting your blood sugar measurements (BGs) down
B: loosing weight

I think (only from my experience) that your first priority should be to get your bg's down as high bg measurements over time may cause complications.

Your second priority will, of course, also be to bring your weight down. This has helped many diabetics. But also very skinny persons will get T2, so don't blame yourself.

I would strongly advise you to check into to this: http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/index.php
This is what saved me.

Best, annelise

 

[theforester]

Forester,

I understand you have a double problem:

A: getting your blood sugar measurements (BGs) down
B: loosing weight

I think (only from my experience) that your first priority should be to get your bg's down as high bg measurements over time may cause complications.

Your second priority will, of course, also be to bring your weight down. This has helped many diabetics. But also very skinny persons will get T2, so don't blame yourself.

I would strongly advise you to check into to this: http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/index.php
This is what saved me.

Best, annelise

Hi Annelise...had a look at that site...seems full of interesting stuff...thank you... I already learned that blood sugar is likely to be higher in the morning (which I didn't know)...I'm seriously confused about carbs versus calories in the diet...I think I'll just go and eat beans, as they say.....

 

[theforester]

Hi theforester. You blood sugars are not so much raised by your calorie intake but by the carbohydrate intake and the type of carbs. Generally if you eat a lot of carbs your body has to process them through into your cells. It does however need insulin to do this. Think of all carbs=sugar. There is another dimension to this some carbs get into your body much faster than others and this causes you blood glucose levels to rise more rapidly which puts more strain on your system.

I use the site nutritiondata.self.com to determine the carbs for example here is a link to hazelnuts http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3116/2 On this page it also tells you the Glycemic Index and Load which is a measure of how fast the carbs get into your system. You want these values to be low.

Hope this helps...

It seems the fact of Diabetes is the easy part of this equation...learning all this other stuff is the really hard bit...thanks for your response

 

[andcol]

yes and the even more complicated thing is we all seem to react differently to the same things so what is right for one isn't necessarily for another

 

[lunarlinda]

Hi Annelise...had a look at that site...seems full of interesting stuff...thank you... I already learned that blood sugar is likely to be higher in the morning (which I didn't know)...I'm seriously confused about carbs versus calories in the diet...I think I'll just go and eat beans, as they say.....

I think that's worms isn't it? x

 

[annelise]

Hi Annelise...had a look at that site...seems full of interesting stuff...thank you... I already learned that blood sugar is likely to be higher in the morning (which I didn't know)...I'm seriously confused about carbs versus calories in the diet...I think I'll just go and eat beans, as they say.....

Forester,

Ha! Please don't go and eat beans – both the canned and packaged stuff is high carb – but maybe some fresh green beans …

You may freely dive into foods such as bacon and eggs, cheeses, butter, meats with high fats (lovely chicken skins!), most veggies – but not root veggies such as potatoes and carrots. (Oh how I miss the potatoes – sad face here). – And also rice and pasta.

Also grains (the breakfast products) and bread – in short all foods containing flour may do you in. And also fruit (but maybe not berries in a small amount).

But we are all different – so only explaining from my own experience (and from that of many others).

The important thing here is that you get a glucometer. Measure your bg before a meal and then two hours after. At two hours after, your bg should have gone down to the number of your pre-meal measurement. – If not, you will have to reconsider the foods you have eaten and adjust with a view to future meals.

Annelise

- but again I think that carbs rather than calories should be your first concerns. When carbs go down weight loss will follow …

 

[Daibell]

Forget calories and think carbs. Don't worry about fat, salt etc but do worry about carbs. Largely ignore traditional dietary advice and be aware the reducing the carbs will reduce both blood sugar and weight.