I was diagnosed with type 2 about 5 months ago. While I was never a big sugar eater, processed foods were my downfall. Soda, any type of white bread, pasta - all the comfort foods. For me the only way to deal with this was to see a nutrionist and cut out the bad carbs! In our family the joke is that if it tastes good its bad for mom! That being true, exercise was another outlet for me. I walk every day for 30 minutes and found that it is  a great stress reliever! So now I don't fry food, stay away from fast food and eat lots fruits and vegetables. I find that the wheat and whole grains keep me full and the fruits & veggies don't make my sugar spike. A treat every once in a while satisfy's some cravings but nothing overboard. Everything in moderation! I realized that my love of the bad food is never going to go away, I just have to mentally outsmart my stomach! It struck home when the family wanted KFC for dinner. I love the original recipe, loaded in fat and calories, especially the skin - the worst part! But I was good ordered the grilled chicken and when we sat down to eat told myself this little wing of original recipe will be ok. After eating both the original recipe and the grilled, I realized had I just eaten the grilled piece it would have tasted much better in my mind! It really was ok tasting but after the wing, it couldn't compare! So  I use the anaology to remind myself that I have to make the best of what I can eat. That although the foods are good they are not what I would pick without the type 2 but I want to enjoy my family and life for as long as possible! I think that mental attitude is the key to dealing with diabetes. What your mind can perceive your body can achieve! At last doctors visit I was able to reduce my meds by half with a goal that maybe in 3 months I would be able to stop the meds and just use diet and exercise! Good luck!

Feb 12, 2012 -- 10:53AM, copperhairpin wrote:

I want to comment again about my relationship with food.  I can go a long time controlling my eating and then I do something really horrible to myself.

My relationship to food is a bad one.  I know better and I still go through periods where I abused my health and mind with food that is really harmful to me and my glucose readings and shoot my numbers out of the roof.  It literally makes me sick and I cannot stop.

My mate is as bad as me.  Last night he suggested a brownie fudge sunday and all caution was thrown out the window for both of us.  We both go through periods of enabling each other.  So we ate it and went home and our numbers quickly rose.  My numbers were very high and I was getting physically ill.  I cannot describe how that feels to me.  I think sometimes there are things where there is not words to describe it.

I had been off of my quick acting insulin but I used it last night and it was quickly bringing my numbers down but I felt even worse.  Then I worried that the numbers would go down too much and later I took my long lasting insulin and had to stay awake to make sure that they didn't drop into the danger zone. I was so tired but had to stay up until I knew for sure that I was stable.

I swear each time that I do this it will be my last time.  I try to remember how ill I get when I do this but it just doesn't seem to come to mind the next time when I lose all sense of right and wrong.  I even got cramps and horrible back pains last night because I am lactose intolerant and the ice cream made me ill that way too.

I know how I should eat.  I do it often when I am normal mind.  I know what the long term consequences of abusing food can be.  I learn all the bad things that can happen so I can reinforce in my mind and not do this sort of thing again.  It does help sometimes.  My mate decided last night that that will be our last time and he seems resolved to carry through.  I hope that we will both straighten up this time.

There are times that I am happy with food.  My fantasy is to go to an all that you can eat buffett for I can get a huge amount of healthy vegetables.  I love vegetables by the way.  I love fruit and that doesn't spike my numbers either and if you don't abuse it it is much more healthy than carbs made of bread and processed foods. 

I hope someday that food won't be a sick issue with me.  I do try to correct myself as soon as I get my common sense back.  Most of the time I will keep my numbers within a healthy range for a while.  Until the next time.

This is my confessional.

 

Sally

Were human remember that,   if its not an everyday thing   move on,   just remember we had a long life of eating what we call junk.   The thing is 100s of millions of Americans eat this each day,    will they become diabetic,   I would say its possible with all the junk they put in foods these days. 

Hi Sally,

Try keeping a food journal.  Many people find it far more difficult to eat something they want to avoid if they have to document it in their journal.  Be sure to draw plenty of smilies next to meals  and on days  that go well!

Janis

Feb 10, 2012 -- 10:44PM, copperhairpin wrote:

That was not a silly question at all Furball.  Even when I was first diagnosed and I didn't take much medication I would get horrible lows.  My goal now is try to stabilize to the point where I will be able to start lowering my insulin.  It will take a while but that is my goal.  I dread the lows as much as the highs.  I can't imagine a predictable number.  I thank you for asking the question.  I really have to admit that I knew you would ask. *big smile*

 

Sally

I really wish they had a like button or thanks button on this system but thanks.      Yes  I hear what your saying,    you very well might have been hypoglycemic if you were having lows without meds,   it happens to many I have talked to its a precusor to type 2 diabetes. 

Feb 10, 2012 -- 9:22PM, copperhairpin wrote:

Furball, you are right that carbs turn to sugar and that will definitely if not attended to will shoot the readings up.  My problem is I have to have a certain amount for my reading not to bottom out.  I can get some dangerous lows too.  But I also know overindulging is simply going to make me sick.

I have been diagnosed diabetic for 9 years now Faith.  I rarely enjoy food to be honest.  I did tonight.  We get meals on wheels and we had sweet potatos and cabbage with a small piece of pork chop.  I am smiling as I write.  It was wonderful!!!

But most of the time I do spend calcalating the possible dangers of what I eat and I do feel extreme guilt for when I miss the mark.  It shouldn't be this way and there are lots of diabetics that love food and have the energy, money, and talent to make it pleasurable.  I Find it pleasurable when it is presented to me like tonight.

If I had my way I would be eating huge amounts of meat but we can't do that either.  But I have gotten use to the smaller portions of it.  I do not miss fried food at all.  But once in a while I get a craving for oil and salt and I use about four or five scoopable fritos and suck on them to get my pleasure and then I am ok again.

This is rambling.  But I took a nap and woke up late and I am a bit groggy.  That is another issue.  I worry that my sugars will drop really low as I sleep.

Just realized that thoughts about diabetes hit me on a few other fronts too.

Sally

I have a silly question but can you not cut back on the med so you do not have lows,    I know I know I deal with things also but we have to find the happy medium.