kmartdollie's Journal, 01 February 2012

I feel for you. I was diagnosed right before Christmas. I highly recomend signing up with the American Diabetes Association. They have emails and lots of information packets they can send out to you with GREAT information. I also recomend doing one of the education classes. I am doing mine this Saturday and Next saturday. It is SO overwhelming and there is a huge learning curve. I don't know a whole lot but I am more than willing to share what knowledge I ahve gained in the last 45 days.  

I was diagnosed in August of 2011. I think it is a universal feeling to be overwhelmed at first. There is so much to learn and to watch out for ... it seems like the information is never ending. I follow the ADA guidelines for eating ... For me it is 1600 calories a day and 45 carbs per meal not to exceed 135 total carbs a day. There is NOTHING *forbidden* ... you must need to make good choices. I don't think of it as a "diet" I think of it as a "Live-it" since this is what I will be doing for the rest of my life. It is a lifestyle that I can *live* with and control the progression of this disease. Once you have your mindset, it really becomes easier. You are doing a good thing by label reading... It is amazing what you can discover about foods you thought were "healthy". Also, joining this group is a big help. You should also check with your local hospital or diabetes association (most communities have a branch) for diabetic support groups. They are wonderful! Mine meets once a month to share tips, stories, successes, failures, etc. You learn so much! What to do and what not to do... plus it gives you access to those who are managing their blood sugars successfully ... they can give you encouragement and insight! You mentioned yogurt ... try the Greek Yogurts - go for the zero fat choices ... and read the labels. Some of those "healthy" greek yogurts add so much sugar, the calories are high and the carbs are up there, even the "popular" brands like Chibani and Fage! If you have a Trader Joe's local ... their own brand of greek yogurt is a good choice... also the Athenos brand ... You want to stick to Greek since it has very high protein ... but look at those labels! You might also want to pick just the plain variety and add your own fresh fruit ... YOU control the carbs that way, and tastes so much better. I also try to package what I can at home into portion sizes. Crackers, snacks, etc. That way, I have it to grab and go when I need something quick - and also it keeps me from mindlessly eating the whole bag. As you gain experience in food choices, you will discover better choices ... I love chips ... but they are a bad choice for healthy eating ... but I found Sensible Portions Veggie Chips in the healthy food aisle. They come in a variety of flavors and as chips or as "straws" (kind of like Cheeto puffs) - I portion out into small snack plastic zip lock bags and they are very satisfying just to eat the portion. I was surprised at how tasty they were and now like them better than the chips I used to consume by the bagful! another *life line* for me is the sugar free snack packs of jello - 5 calories for the orange and strawberry flavors. Just a little dab of fat free cool-whip on the top and it is a tasty, dessert for almost no calories or carbs. Load up on fresh veggies -- lots of dark green veggies ... I eat a lot of fresh steamed zucchini --- very tasty ... and lots of big salads made with spring greens and spinach. Read the dressing labels... you can find very good low fat and no fat dressings with very little calories and carbs and a big salad is very filling. If you like ice cream, check out the no sugar added fudgesicle bars. 40 calories per pop... tasty and satisfies that ice cream "want" ... Now, I have mentioned foods because that is usually the first stressor that comes along after diagnosis. Once you have some knowledge and control you will feel much better and will see it is not really as overwhelming as it once was. The thing is, you must make your mind up that YOU will be in control of your disease, not the other way around. Everything will come much easier soon, I promise! Feel free to email me with questions or if you just want to vent about your diagnosis, I am happy to listen and help! BTW -- when I was diagnosed in August - my blood sugar was 399 and my A1C was 9.8. I was immediately put on Metformin 500mg 4 x per day. Now I only take it once a day ... my blood sugars are in the 80-90 range and my A1C is 5.6. I have also lost 92 lbs. Not saying this is what you will accomplish also ... this disease is VERY individual. But believe me.. I was the queen of fast food and NEVER exercising. But once I was diagnosed, I thought to myself, You have choices. Bad choices will mean a shorter, not so great life, or good choices will give me the edge to living longer, healthier and happier. Every day is the choice, every meal, every bite. I still test my blood 4 x a day ... I want to know what my body is doing and how it is reacting to the food I feed myself and the exercise I now get (dancing to Michael Jackson ... ha! You do NOT have to join a gym, take up running or do mindless miles on machines! - Put on a CD, Or a YouTube Video or Wii or Xbox and shake that booty! - my goal is to join a Zumba class in the summer.) Anyway .... let me know if I can help! You made a wonderful decision to start here ! Best to you! Catzz