Tips we use to help us manage our diabetes.

[Defren]

I thought perhaps a thread where we could all contribute tips that we have found help us manage our diabetes might be handy. I know many of you will do things I haven't thought of, so if we all add our own little ways, maybe it could become quite a useful resource?

My tips. (I am a T2).

I always plan my meals at least a day in advance so I know what I am eating, and it's nutritional content before I eat it.

If I am unsure of the carb/sugar/calorie content of an item, and my books or web sites don't give it, I log onto my supermarkets, web site and check it there.

I always cook meals from scratch, and I also weigh everything. My tip here, a pair of kitchen scales is a must in my kitchen.

I drink loads of water every day, it seems to keep my BG under control, and I also exercise as much as possible each day.

I don't buy or use any low fat products any more, but have smaller amounts of full calorie/fat items.

 

[didie]

I'm Type 2.

I exercise 45 minutes to an hour after eating to burn back my sugar levels.

I test my fasting bloods in the morning, 2 hours post-breakfast and then 2 hours post-evening meal so I have an idea what my levels are going to be overnight.

I do check my feet every day and do wear shoes, except when I am doing exercises which I prefer to do barefoot.

 

[noblehead]

Never miss an injection and test regularly to keep an eye on bg.

Carb count and adjust insulin according.

Limit processed food wherever possible.

Eat over and above the recommended 5-a-day of fruit and veg.

Stick to healthy forms of carbohydrates that are beneficial to my health and have a lesser impact on bg.

Opt for healthy forms of protein such as fish and poultry over red meat.

Avoid trans fat altogether and limit my intake off saturated fat opting for monounsaturated/polyunsaturated.

Keep hydrated and drink regular.

Aim for a minimum of 60 minutes exercise a day.

 

[emmatree]

Wow you guys are brilliant, loving these tips!

Makes me thinks about tightening my own rules now I'm two months into my new regime.

I too:

Test before bed and test on waking

Plan, plan, plan those meals, always cook from scratch

Wear slippers for the first time in my life (I used to always be barefoot, now I never do!)

I use company websites all the time to check carb content, eg less carbs in a nero latte than a costa one!

Love M&S for my lunchtime snacks - prawns & cocktail sauce, bbq chicken, sliced turkey, salmon and soft cheese, mmmmmm!!

 

[Defren]

Batch baking and freezing saves a load of time, and always means you have a quick meal if the unexpected happens. My freezer is full of all kinds of low carb foods, from the low carb forum here.

Always having low carbs snacks available means you're never tempted to snack on things that are not good for you.

Always keep a spare battery for your meter.

 

[borofergie]

In order of priority:

1. Never eat anything derived from grains
2. Never eat anything with added sugar in it
3. Try to derive most of your energy needs from eating products of grass eating animals and eggs
4. Maximise saturated fat intake, especially from animal products (fat should make up 50-80% of your energy intake)
5. Minimise polyunsaturated fats (especially from vegetable or grain oils)
6. Eat as many green leafy vegetables as you can, and as many starchy vegetables as you can tolerate
7. Limit fruit intake to berries
8. Limit dairy to cheese and heavy cream
9. Limit nut, seed and legume intake.
10. Try and get as much good quality sleep as you can every night
11. Exercise for fun

The overall aim of this is to never spike my blood over 6mmol/l, and to ensure that I always have an excellent blood lipid profile. I feel healthier and happier than at any time that I can remember.

 

[Unbeliever]

Not inending o go offtopic or derail anything but "exercise for fun " was something my old Gp used to say but he couldn't explain why exercise you enjoy should be better than any old exercise. Would be interested in your thoughts on this Borofergie.
Is it just that we are more likely to continue wih a regime we enjoy? i walk several miles daily. rain or shine. Even before i knew I was diabetic knew i had to keep "amovin". hate it. Oh I enjoy the countryside etc. hate the exercise. I just know I have to do it.
the only exercise i ever enjoyed was riding which is no longer possible for me.
When i am walking I just keep thinking of all the more productib]ve things i could be doing. None of which would benefit my bg levels as much as the walking.
Am I missing something?

 

[borofergie]

Not inending o go offtopic or derail anything but "exercise for fun " was something my old Gp used to say but he couldn't explain why exercise you enjoy should be better than any old exercise. Would be interested in your thoughts on this Borofergie.

SInce I've diagnosis I've been running. Partly because I thought it would help me lose weight and increase my insulin sensitivity, and partly because I lost enough weight that it was practical for me to start again.

Running is horrible. It hurts. Everytime I lace up before a run I do so with a heavy heart and the first mile or so hurts like hell. But after a while my mind empties and I enter a near eurphoric state. Any stress that I had before I started will be gone by the end of the run, and I'll stay in that relaxed state for the rest of the day (which is not easy, I'm an intense sort of guy).

Animals don't just exercise for hunting purposes, they also exercise for fun. But it goes deeper than that.
I honestly think that exercising is fulfilling an evolutionary need. We're supposed to be hunter-gatherers, we're supposed to spend a large part of our day chasing down animals without weapons. Runner's buzz is evolution's reward for doing something that was necessary for survival. What's the fasted animal? It's not a cheetah or a horse. Over distances of 50 miles or more, it's a human. We didn't evolve to walk, we evolved to run.

I've run 600 miles in the last year (which is good for someone who is still 250lbs). I never worry about speed, and just run and enjoy the scenary. I'm very lucky to be able to regularly go for a 7 or 8 mile run through one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Weight loss and fitness are secondary. I run because I love it.

 

[Unbeliever]

You may have a point about humans having eveolved to run. I am pretty sure you are right about he euphoric state. In fact it can become addictive as i am well aware . My husband used to be addicted o it . he ran marahons regularly . if for some reason he couldn't have his daily run i was as if he was going cold turkey.
he has had problems a couple of times with his achilles endon bu a couple of years ago he ruptured his Achilles endon and is now lucky to be walking let alone running.
he now shows signs of becoming equally intense about h e alking although it doesn; give him the same buzz. he will walk several mles in he morning and happly walk again with me in the afternoon. I don;t think it gives him the same buzz as running but he finds i more effective for weigh loss .

maybe enjoying exercise is linked to personality and the effect of the exercise. I know physical exercise is supposed to help the mental sate but that doesn't seem to work for me - and I have tried various forms of exercise.
I feel the beneficial effects of th fresh air and just being outdoors but still resnt the sheer boredom of he exercise for its own sake.
thank you for your reply . Interesting.

 

[berjbruks]

In order of priority:

1. Never eat anything derived from grains
2. Never eat anything with added sugar in it
3. Try to derive most of your energy needs from eating products of grass eating animals and eggs
4. Maximise saturated fat intake, especially from animal products (fat should make up 50-80% of your energy intake)
5. Minimise polyunsaturated fats (especially from vegetable or grain oils)
6. Eat as many green leafy vegetables as you can, and as many starchy vegetables as you can tolerate
7. Limit fruit intake to berries
8. Limit dairy to cheese and heavy cream
9. Limit nut, seed and legume intake.
10. Try and get as much good quality sleep as you can every night
11. Exercise for fun

The overall aim of this is to never spike my blood over 6mmol/l, and to ensure that I always have an excellent blood lipid profile. I feel healthier and happier than at any time that I can remember.

Thanks for sharing some tips. I'll inform people in our community what I've learn from this forum. I know they know already most in the list but reminding them is the best thing to do.

 

[Sid Bonkers]

Always be relaxed while eating, look forward to your next meal and always eat slowly and savour every mouthful, do not eat while doing something else like sitting at a PC or even watching TV just concentrate on every mouthful. Sounds stupid I know but it does help and is one of the best tips I was given :thumbup:

When tempted to snack between meals I look at the time and tell myself "Its only 'x' hours till my next meal I will wait so I dont spoil it". This has helped change my eating habits/patterns and I rarely eat between meals now whereas before I used to eat as much between meals as with them :lol:

 

[borofergie]

When tempted to snack between meals I look at the time and tell myself "Its only 'x' hours till my next meal I will wait so I dont spoil it". This has helped change my eating habits/patterns and I rarely eat between meals now whereas before I used to eat as much between meals as with them :lol:

+1

I think that snacking is probably a sign that you're not eating properly. I'm much happier eating all my food in 2 or 3 bigger meals. I look forward to lunch and dinner, but I'm not starving hungry waiting for them.

 

[lovinglife]

I had loads of weight to lose - still a bit to go yet - the two things I did that totally changed my eating habits

In the early days used to have a "starter" of shredded lettuce, chopped cucumber and spring onion with a splash of olive oil - certainly takes the edge of your appetite.

This next one I still stick to today - it changed not just me but my family way of life and everyone in the family sticks to it - even my 16yr old trys not to break the "rule"

You can eat what you want when you want but you must set the dining table fully and sit down and eat it properly. It certainly stops the grazing as who want to set a full table for a biscuit/bit of cheese/anything you usually just stuff in ya gob! :lol:

Doing this means now we all sit down as a family at meal times instead of son on the computer me infront of one TV watching whatever and hubbby in front of other watching the news - it still works 3 years later

I forgot this one - don't think of your meals as "breakfast, lunch, dinner" just think of them as a meal and that you can eat anything at any time of day - changes the mindset of thinking cereal toast etc for brekkie and steak for dinner - as long as it's a food you allow yourself if you want to eat poached salmon for breakfast - have it!

 

[phoenix]

Type 1.5 using insulin

• Test regularly
  Make sure you understand what your insulin does .
  Know what your blood glucose targets are.
  If you use rapid insulin ,learn to adjust it according to carb intake
  Weigh carbohydrates; always at the beginning but even when you've learned to estimate do some spot checks.
  For the most part eat regular meals with relatively consistent amounts of carbohydrates.(feel free to break this rule on high days and holidays)
  Eat real food : Food that rots, nothing your Great Granny wouldn't recognise, nothing containing ingredients that come from a chemical laboratory rather than a farm or garden.
  Don't eat too much
  Eat lots of plants
  (last three influenced by Michael Pollans 'rules)
  If you lost weight before diagnosis, you will regain it . Check your weight regularly so if it increases too much you can turn things round quickly.
  Make sure you have all the necessary tests, keep records of the results,try to understand what they mean for you.
  Do some exercise daily

 

[minitata]

In order of priority:

1. Never eat anything derived from grains
2. Never eat anything with added sugar in it
3. Try to derive most of your energy needs from eating products of grass eating animals and eggs
4. Maximise saturated fat intake, especially from animal products (fat should make up 50-80% of your energy intake)
5. Minimise polyunsaturated fats (especially from vegetable or grain oils)
6. Eat as many green leafy vegetables as you can, and as many starchy vegetables as you can tolerate
7. Limit fruit intake to berries
8. Limit dairy to cheese and heavy cream
9. Limit nut, seed and legume intake.
10. Try and get as much good quality sleep as you can every night
11. Exercise for fun

I'm pretty much a follower of this list. Apart from the exercise as I'm not very mobile - I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome - and never have much energy.

I also regularly succumb to eating prunes - I can't live without them
The overall aim of this is to never spike my blood over 6mmol/l, and to ensure that I always have an excellent blood lipid profile. I feel healthier and happier than at any time that I can remember.

 

[FairyElephant]

Buy a food vacuum sealer, as eating lots of fresh food it extends the life of food in the fridge for extra days. I am on a sealing frenzy, all veg, cheeses, meat cooked or uncooked, lc bread etc. make extra meals seal them and you can take to work and microwave, or boil in the bag.

I just got fed up with having to throw away food, saved me loads of money and time.

 

[wiflib]

Live on your own. Failing that, tell everybody in the house that's it's your way or the highway.

wilfib