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Does it take time.....

Sarah69 said:
Thanks for your advice. I don't know how you have been diabetic for such a short time and know so much? It really makes no sense to me at all these bs readings! Two hours after my lunch at 1pm my bs was 7.7, I got in from work at 7.45 and my bs was 10.3, I've had nothing inbetween so why has it gone up. Does eating at regular times make any difference because that is something I can't do. I must say I didnt buy no added sugar because it wasn't on offer, it was the original 1. I also don't have lots of time when I go food shopping (i dont drive so have to go with someone else) to be looking at labels. I used to snack sometimes on sultanas and I see I'm not able to do that now. There are so many things with carbs in I had no idea! Is there anything like Tracker bars (couldnt think of another make) that are ok to have as a snack, I go down the aisles and there is so much choice the same with yoghurt! It seems from replies I've had flavoured ones are no good!
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Sarah, when I was diagnosed, I was 3 weeks before leaving the UK for 9 months abroad, in a tropical paradise, where I would have no access to the NHS, and where healthcare is paid for, as you use it. It's cheaper than the States, but nothing like the UK, and I didn't want to be claiming on insurance, so I set about learning as much as I could as quickly as I could. Of course, I drove my OH bonkers with it all, but driving ones loved ones bonkers is our job anyway, right? Irrespective of that, if I'm impacted by something, I need to know all about it, so although the timing was pretty rotten, I would probably have been the same anyway.

Original Alpen has 30g of carb in a portion. That's rather a lot at this stage in the game, Sarah, bearing in mind there milk to add to it. I would say it has to be a bit of a no-no for now, but it's up to you. My breakfast is now carb heavy, so I can't preach, but I can eat my oats without too,many blood glucose fireworks.

Your post-lunch score wasn't too bad. You must have been fairly happy with that one? I would think when it went up it was due to the length of time since you ate. After a while, and blood levels will also impact it, your liver will dump some glucose into your bloodstream to "help you out", although it doesn't always feel that way! Could you consider earthing a few nuts or maybe sunflower seeds, as you're on the go, just to keep your system happy? That really would help.

Going onto your tracker bar question. These bars are usually carby (sorry if it seems all gloom and doom). I usually have an individual pack of Belvita biscuits languishing in my handbag, and I have one in the glove box of my car, as my "emergency" food, so that I have something, even if it's not exactly how I would like to be eating. They don't go off, although they do get a bit battered over time. Belvita are around 35g carb, so really are my emergency food. I think breakfast will take a bit of tackling for you.

Going back to the during the day stuff, you could use Babybel or pepperami, which are extremely popular as excellent snacks, and shouldn't to horrid things to your bloods.

If you have myfitnesspal, you could spend some time at home searching the database for the foods you like, or would be willing to try, then you might be better prepared when you go shopping. Have you decided on any level of carbs you want to work to?

Keep going Sarah. You need to invest a bit of time to think about how you can make your food regime work. Unfortunately, it's not just a case of your bloods being high you have to consider, but the impact of that happening, but you know that. You're not daft.

Continue asking questions, and we'll try to help.
 
I was going to suggest that you do what Andy has already suggested, and research brands (and keep a list of OK ones) before you shop. I have to do this as my husband's "in charge" of housekeeping and cooking and will only have our shopping delivered, and I can't drive. So I do a "trial" shop using the information that Tesco have on their online grocery, and prepare my must have list from that. You only need to do this until you know what's OK or not, and if you use Andy's suggested list you should be OK anyway.

Robbity

PS Something else to watch as well as cereals is possibly the milk you use - including semi and skimmed milk - it all has sugar/carbs in the form of lactose, so maybe try Alpro Almond unsweetended milk substitute instead?
 
Like Andy I have searched in vain for acceptable snack bars. Almost all are terrible. The Peanut 9-Bars and Peanut Eat Natural bars are OK, less than 25% carbs. But only the peanut flavours. If you don't like peanut you are out of luck.

This diabetes thing... it really does have to be about changing what and how you eat. It can't just be about switching to a different brand of the same type of food. Sorry.

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Sarah69 said:
To lower your bs when you start low carbing? Yesterday morning my bs was 14.7, 2 hours after breakfast of Alpen and vanilla yoghurt my bs was 17.1 by lunchtime it had gone down to 8.7, 3 hours later it was 8.4 couldn't test at 2 hours as I was at work. It was 8.3 about 8pm I had a small bowl of scrambled egg and some yoghurt. I went to bed at 10pm and my bs was 7.2. My morning bs was 5.7, 2 hours later later after the same breakfast is was 12.4!?
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These results tell us

- your breakfast of Alpen and vanilla yoghurt raises your blood sugar
- your blood sugar does come down overnight, given a chance
- the evening meal of scrambled egg and some yoghurt worked fine
- you don't say what you had for lunch but that seems to have worked fine too
- whatever you ate the evening before, probably put your blood sugar up way high

So the good news is that it was a pretty good day apart from the breakfast. A lot of what diabetes is about is finding what foods you can't eat and which ones you can. So you are making progress with that!

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I never eat cereals in the morning now, since I found out they are full of sugar. I remember having an argument with my Doctor once, she told me there was more sugar in Cornflakes than what there was in a roll n sausage (that's Scottish square sausage), I told her she was talking rubbish! Ooops :)
 
I've had 2 quite hectic days so not been eating great food. I have been pleased so far with my bs results. Being diabetic would be so much easier if I preferred savoury food. Breakfast has been the same, lunch today was a 1/4 tuna mayo sandwich, 1/4 chicken + bacon mayo sandwich some sliced pepper, a mange tout and some doritos. I was on a training course. I had to rearrange my dietician appointment due to the training so that's now in August.
 
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