A word of caution. Don't critise your friend but support them. Don't nag but show him/her proof that cutting sugar only hasn't worked.Oh update on friend at work. She let me test her today, before breakfast @ 9:51 8.2, 1 hour later @ 10:51 9.3, her breakfast was a large (poss about 400ml) of greek yogurt, blackberries and I think strawberries. Lunch was a salad with boiled eggs and a sugar free, zero carb dressing 6.6 pre lunch, 1hr post 6.7.
She saw her doctor yesterday and she told him about me and he told her not do what I was doing, asked if I had sought any medical help, then offered her a referral to a gastric band program aimed at diabetics.
I think maybe she was a little surprised when I tested her blood and more so after it got higher after breakfast. I did mention that the HBa1C test was an average over the last two/three months and did not educate as to what was spiking her blood and what didn't. I also mentioned that I had read that nerve damage occurs when the BG is 8+, she is already seeing the effects of another girl at work who told me today that they estimated she had been diabetic for several years before diagnosis due to the amount of nerve damage in her feet. But she also won't listen, insists that Doctors know best, she said she had read up a lot when she was first diagnosed but I doubt it because of the foods they eat. My other friend has not done any research based on what she was saying. She told me that she will give up her takeaway, that consists of a chicken burger in batter in a bun which she has after she has been swimming.
good find. I wont use it because granulated sugar substitute = Splenda, which I will not put in my body, and I have yet to see Xanthan gum on a shelf, but 60% of women don't get depression with Splenda, so maybe they can have it.
Karen I am relatively new to all this, but I am forever recommending Dr B's book and site to people. I get embarrassed that people will think, "There she goes again!" I also find Jenny Ruhl very helpful, and she too values Dr B highly.
Getting weight down is a crucial part of diabetes management. It is often disregarded. It shouldn't be. Pills and less carbs can only do so much over time. Weight is equally as important.Yes, she is very short and like a little barrel.
Girl at work is diabetic, diagnosed a year or so ago, she still eats loads of carbs and hasn't lost any weight (despite watching her sugars, just her sugars!) has increased walking and swims once a week. She is on Metformin and some other medication and her three/six monthly blood test comes back with her sugars ok allegedly.
So my question is, if she is taking medication that 'artificially' brings her blood sugars down, then how if I have to take them, do I monitor my sugars because surely the blood glucose monitor will show me as having lower blood sugar. Or is it a case that the metformin and other drugs bring your blood sugar down but you can still monitor to see which causes a rise and therefore cut those foods out of the diet.
Hope that makes sense.
As @bulkbiker has said Metformin does not have a big influence on Bs but helps with HbA1c. Be interesting to see what her HbA1c is and also her Bs .
As Metformin is said to help with fasting bgs, maybe it improves the A1c by lowering readings throughout the night, but for some people has less effect on the vitally important post prandial bgs. For me, it has helped across the board. Not least in giving me lower bgs which have motivaated me to make even greater efforts in my diet and exercise.Since an HbA1C is an average of the previous few months' blood sugar levels, it doesn't make sense to me to say Metformin doesn't have a big influence on blood sugar but helps with A1C, but I realize that's beside the point.
Getting weight down is a crucial part of diabetes management. It is often disregarded. It shouldn't be. Pills and less carbs can only do so much over time. Weight is equally as important.
A word of caution. Don't critise your friend but support them. Don't nag but show him/her proof that cutting sugar only hasn't worked.
In her/his presence read out some of the success stories and testimonials from this forum, aloud. Tell her not all these people an be wrong.
If she tried Low carb what would be the harm... She/he could still agree to bariatric surgery as it takes over a year for the op to take place (on NHS).
Tell him/her I'm still agreeing to bariatric surgery because of its reversal and remission rates. More than low carb (at the moment). The more low carb obese people, the more reversals.
Eating low carb looks like less harmful than bariatric surgery.
Why can she not have both, if low carb isn't enough for her IR then the bariatric surgery is a last resort.
Ask her to try low carb whilst waiting?
She must be very scared. It's a huge op, and even more so if it goes to open surgery due to obstructions. She may just be too frightened to experiment. Just not the right time for her? Once her body settles down from op (a year after op) she could start experimenting?I haven't criticised her, I have said why not give lo carb a go for three months whilst she thinks about the gastric band program. She just won't go against anything her doctor or dn say even though they are peddling the nhs guidelines.
I haven't criticised her, I have said why not give lo carb a go for three months whilst she thinks about the gastric band program. She just won't go against anything her doctor or dn say even though they are peddling the nhs guidelines.
Girl at work is diabetic, diagnosed a year or so ago, she still eats loads of carbs and hasn't lost any weight (despite watching her sugars, just her sugars!) has increased walking and swims once a week. She is on Metformin and some other medication and her three/six monthly blood test comes back with her sugars ok allegedly.
So my question is, if she is taking medication that 'artificially' brings her blood sugars down, then how if I have to take them, do I monitor my sugars because surely the blood glucose monitor will show me as having lower blood sugar. Or is it a case that the metformin and other drugs bring your blood sugar down but you can still monitor to see which causes a rise and therefore cut those foods out of the diet.
Hope that makes sense.
If you mean, it won't help lower post-prandial bg, I disagree. My bgs after meals are definitely lower now I am taking 2g Glucophage XR daily. And everything I am reading confirms this.Metformin moderates the release of glucose by the liver. It does sweet ***** adams for what you choose to put in your mouth.
If you mean, it won't help lower post-prandial bg, I disagree. My bgs after meals are definitely lower now I am taking 2g Glucophage XR daily. And everything I am reading confirms this.
A useful article from DiabetesNet says:
"Metformin lowers fasting blood glucose levels by an average of 25% (17 to 37%), postprandial blood glucose up to 44.5%, and the A1c by an average of 1.5% (0.8 to 3.1%). Metformin reduces raised plasma insulin levels in cases of metabolic syndrome by as much as 30% and reduces the need for injected insulin in Type 2s by 15 to 32%."
You can read the whole article here:
https://www.diabetesnet.com/about-diabetes/diabetes-medications/metformin
"Metformin lowers fasting blood glucose levels by an average of 25% (17 to 37%), postprandial blood glucose up to 44.5%, and the A1c by an average of 1.5% (0.8 to 3.1%)"The article pretty well confirms what I said. Fasting levels are the result of liver functions. Metformin works on this. The gist is that if you want to keep on eating cream buns and jelly beans, Metformin will do zip for you.
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