Hi cl2,

Yes, diabetes ...

I'll ask CZ to release my email address to you if you'd like.


Diabetes meds make me crave sweets to where I'm about to tear up my driveway and plant sugar cane.

If I may chime in.....
I was recently diagnosed with type II diabetes.
The person who diagnosed me was my eye doctor.

I had diabetic retinopathy. I almost went blind.

If this was 50 years ago, I WOULD be blind and all because of diabetes.

As it is, I have to endure having $2,000 worth of medicine injected into my eyes every month.

And I mustmustmust be a good girl with my diabetes, or I will end up going blind after all.

Here is how I deal with my sweet tooth.

Everytime I crave something sweet, I plunk a carton of blueberries, and a couple of cups of half and half into the blender.
When I drink it down, it feels just like I have consumed a blueberry milkshake.

Strawberries are okay too.

I could add artificial sweetener if I wanted to, but the milkshake seems sweet enough without any help. The berries provide an acceptable level of sweetness.

Half the pleasure of eating ice cream lies in the creaminess, not the sweetness. So the bluebery milkshake does the trick. You can have all the fat you want on a diabetic diet. I actually LOST weight on my high fat low carb diet. There may be other health hazards to this diet, but it kept me from eating sugar.

There are LOTS of diabetes dessert cookbooks out there, and lots of ways to get around using sugar or wheat flour.

You can do this. The actress Mary Tyler Moore had diabetic retinopaty, bur surgery got her her eyesight back.

I tell my story to everyone who will listen, because if I had had myself tested a few years back, all of my current misery could have been prevented.

Learn what acceptable sweets you CAN have, and be sure to hve them around, so you can satisfy your sweet tooth without sugar before you break down and eat that candy bar.

Lois

P.S. A good quick way to prepare an acceptable pie or mousse is to whip up a carton of whipping cream, add a packet of unflavored gelatin to make it more solid, mix in any acceptable fruit (pureed, with no added sugar) and pour it into a gluten-free pie crust and refrigerate.

You can add a little artificial sweetener if you like, but you will probably find it perfectly delicious without that.

The only fruit smoothie recipe I make at the moment consists of blueberries, greek yogurt, fruit juice, banana, matcha, and milk.

It is my pick-me-up and fills me up when nothing else will quite the same.

I was using soy protein, but can no longer use it since soy negates the anti-estrogen meds I must take. I learned that from Catnip. ((((Thanks Catnip!))))

The inestimable value of things we learn from each other - many of them totally unrelated to religion!!

I can't cook any more, since with severe low-spine arthritis, I can't be on my feet - standing or walking - for more than a few minutes at a time. We end up eating out a lot.

We try to make a point of getting at least two meals out of whatever we get when we go out, and this helps with portion control, but DH is still significantly overweight. Growing up as a Mormon, and denied all other pleasurable addictions, he loves to eat. After nearly 30 years, it still surprises me when we are watching TV in the evening, and several times he will get up, go to the kitchen, and get something to snack on. it's not like he hasn't already had plenty to eat. I learned long ago that there is ZERO point in nagging at him not to eat. Unless I want to trigger WWIII, that is.

I'm trying to remember the meds he takes - I think Victoza is one of them, and another is something like "Natglutinide" (I'm probably way off on that one.) He has to inject himself every evening and he hates it, but he understands the consequences if he doesn't do it. He uses these odd-looking "pen" injectors.

I wanted to ask about numbness in the feet. I've had that for several years. It has gradually worked its way from the big toe area, and now makes about the front third of each foot fairly numb. I can feel them, sort of, when I walk, but it's an odd feeling. I have mentioned this to any number of medical practitioners over the years. One neurologist checked me out but couldn't find anything.

Diabetes is rampant in my mother's family, but every time I've been checked, it was negative. Maybe I need to ask again. Heaven knows I don't need it or want it - dealing with failing kidneys is quite enough. But forewarned is forearmed.

Thanks Lois! Your advice is the very thing I was hoping to find for myself and Cl2, and anyone else who suffers with Type 2 diabetes.

I’m going to make that pie you suggested tonight.

I appreciate you response here VERY MUCH! And hope Cl2 sees it also.

:)

Take care and good luck with you eyes!

It's been a battle. As the years have gone by, I have given up just about every vice I had fallen into -- mostly bad habits I developed to rebel against Mormonism -- alcohol,tobacco, and all the rest of it.

The one thing I did allow myself was food. Whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it.

And now I have found that sugar is my enemy. And just as many New York babies are born addicted to crack, many Mormon babies are born addicted to sugar. Including me. Gotta support U&I sugar, don't you know.

Anyway, cutting out sugar was a Very Big Deal. This isn't like a diet where at some point you throw up your hands and say, "I'm not doing this. I'll just be fat."

This is your life you are talking about. This is your eyes, your pancreas your liver, everything. No sugar. YIKES!

So now whenever I see anything sugary, I picture a skull and crossbones. I know that white stuff is just as destructive as cocaine or meth.

And I still crave it.

The good news is that with more and more people devoloping Type II diabetes, more and more stuff is being developed to cater to their needs.

I wondered what all the fuss was about the keto diet.

Now I know.

I wondered why all the headlines were screaming to burn that belly fat.

Now I know.

I have been meaning to try the new artificial sweeteners (badbadbad your natural food friends will scream) but mainlining my blueberry half-and-half milkshake, I haven't felt the need to try them, even though I have bought just about all of them -- equal, swerve, stevia, splenda, and who knows what else. The blueberries and strawberries are sweet enough without anything else, and they are acceptable on a diabetes diet.

I'm still learning.

Sugar is one of my vices too.

The more I get control over other areas of my life, what is it about sugar that still wants my undivided attention?

It's been one of my food staples for I don't know how long. When I was Mormon it was my substitute for caffeine (that and chocolate.)

Now I use both. Alternately. My dad had diabetes 2. Mom was hypoglocemic.

I am on a medically supervised diet at this time, but it's slow going because of my food cravings. The anti-estrogen meds I was put on last spring only added to that.

Btw, Kathleen, did you have to take anti-estrogen medicine following your treatment from the U know what?

I'm supposed to be on it for ten years. It used to be five years. Some women go off it sooner because of the side effects.

I'm going to try and go the distance if I can. But it did increase my appetite for carbs and sweets. Finally, at long last the FDA has approved a medication for weight control that seems to be helping me, and it is designed for lifelong use, not just temporarily. So that is helping me control my appetite since the anti-estrogen meds began doing its thing. Take one med to offset one problem. It causes another side effect. Which leads to a new problem (weight gain,) which resulted in another net gain (I suppose) in that I finally got my doctor on my side to give me a prescription for weight loss.

No, Luckily, I was "cured in surgery" per my surgeon, and needed no other treatment. After that, the follow-up was somewhat chaotic. Our oncology center cycled transient doctors through, and each had such an extremely varied protocol and cancelled all meds and treatments that the previous doctor had lined out. So, I maintained what my surgeon originally advised, and nothing else. I'm now 5 1/2 years out and still cancer free. :)

However, I went a very radical route, surgery-wise, with my motto: "I won't play catch-me-if-you-can with cancer, and I opted for the 2X mastectomy, and no reconstruction. I dress nicely and look nice, so I'm not worried about my aerodynamic chest.

I barely remember having cancer.

wrong place



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/23/2019 10:15PM by kathleen.

I'm glad I didn't have to tear up my driveway for a sugar plantation :-) Ya got me with that one! ROTFLMAO !

I've been a type II diabetic for 30 years. How have I fared over the 30 years? Diabetic neuropathy such that I can't feel my feet (lost 1 toe...) Also it's attacking my stomach :-( But my eyes are still good, thank goodness :-) Overall, it's annoying but not fatal :-)

This may not help you guys much, but: I finally lost my sweet tooth after a few years.

Back in that day there wasn't much in the way of effective drugs for type 2's. Metformin was about it. You didn't get to do insulin for type 2. Now I'm on 2 different types of insulin and 3 oral medications!

When I learned I was a type 2, I had to give up sugar and not overload on other carbs. Had to give up Alcohol too. Nasty old liver processes alcohol into sugar, so 3 or 4 drinks is 3 or 4 hours of your liver happily pumping sugar that you can't handle into your bloodstream . I was miserable for a while, but after a while I equated sugar with not feeling well, and lost desire for it. Part of what made it easier for me was managing a restaurant. I professionally watched people eat all day, and you become immune to the desire for a piece of chocolate cake or an Ice Cream Sundae just because someone else is having some.

May I plant this suggestion: Don't get hooked on artificial sweeteners as a crutch that will allow you to eat sweet things.
Sweet is now a poison to you! Over time, you will find things taste sweet to you, that others find lacking in dessertability.
Stick to the berries if you can handle them.
For example: I snack a few frozen blueberries now and then, that's about it. And Perrier has a peach flavored soda water that is da bomb! No sugar or artificial sweeteners in it.

Best Wishes to all of my Fellow Type II diabetics. Type I's too :-)

I also suggest one of the many podcasts about ketogenic diet- 2 Keto Dudes. Both reversed type II diabetes and lost a lot of weight.

I was pre-diabetic, very close to going over the edge to diabetes, and this diet brought my A1C down to 5. You fill up on fat and protein, and that took away my sugar cravings. I've been eating this way for a year. I do make some treats using a sugar replacement called Swerve. I eat very little of carbohydrates, <20 net grams per day.

2 Keto Dudes and *Swerve* look very worth checking out !

Thanks, Liesarenotuseful.

Hi Kathleen,

Sorry to hear you have been diagnosed. I too have the beginning stages of diabeties, but it wasn't unexpected, my family is full of it. My brother has been insulin dependent for years. I was lucky to get to this age before getting it.

I understand your cravings. I too use small amounts of artificial sweeteners with banana smoothies etc to curtail the cravings.

Take care, and I send you all my best!!!

Thanks, fluhist. So many sweet responses here. :)

Have you tried Stevia? It’s completely natural.

at colleen84319@yahoo.com

I'm not good at taking care of my diabetes in terms of sugar I know. I swore I'd never do insulin and I did. I hate needles and I never thought I could inject myself, but I do 3 or 4 times a day these days. Of all things, the doctor I was going to just gave me the insulin, needles, etc., prescriptions and didn't show me how to inject. I went to the nurse at the hospital (I can see her free as my "husband" works there). Then I swore I wouldn't test and I didn't for years. AND I swore I wouldn't do long-acting insulin and short-acting and I do.

This last doctor I have is so nice that she can get me to do anything. The best doctor I've ever had. The other ones I just wanted to rebel against.

My eyes are fine. I get them checked regularly. My feet have some neuropathy, but I can feel them. I am on gabapentin and it helps A LOT with the neuropathy in my feet and my hands. I don't know if the pain I have in my hands is all arthritis or some of it is diabetes, but I have so much pain in my hands. The gabapentin helps that. I had a DEXA scan as my doctor was worried about my bones. I had the best DEXA scan she has ever seen per her report.

Personally, I am not afraid of death. I hang around for my kids and my dogs. I'm doing better at taking care of myself, but oddly enough, GRAPES are one of the worst things I can eat. My BS was higher this afternoon than it has been in years and the thing I had was grapes. Peeps didn't cause it to go as high as grapes.

Working at Sam's Club has helped A LOT.

Actually, I know this isn't supposed to be how you control diabetes, but if I don't eat, my bs is much better. When I'm at Sam's, I usually only eat once during the day and my bs is in the 100 range with my NovoLog and Lantus. In fact, when I first started on NovoLog, my doctor's assistant messed up calling in my prescriptions at the end of December and I end up having to wait until May to not have to pay a lot towards my prescriptions. My ex's medication covers the deductible as the drug company pays the deductible for us, but it takes until May. Anyway, I only used NovoLog for 2 months and my sugars have been better than they've been in years. So now that I'm sitting on my ass again working, I need to walk more. I have given up sugar in the past and the doctor I was going to at the time was an ass and so I quit going to a doctor for a while.

Anyway, I'll never be good at not eating sugar. I have 2 siblings who have insulin-dependent, too. I've led the way, though. I'm doing better than either one of them. My A1c has always been pretty horrible. It should be better this next time even with my Peeps. No Peeps in the store now. Like I said, had grapes today. They shot the bs high. I've done much better doing the NovoLog than I do long-acting insulin. I have much better control.

I really like my new job. It doesn't pay what I used to earn doing medical transcription, but it makes me feel HUMAN again and like I am capable of doing something besides loading and unloading carts. I'm on the edge of quitting Sam's if they push one more button. I'll miss the people, but I do NOT like the job. Don't ever work for Walmart. They treat their employees like shit.

Was that long enough? Anyway, anyone can e-mail me. I know I need to do better and now that Peeps are gone, maybe I'll be able to. P.S. I can't stand blueberries, barely strawberries unless they are in a pie, blackberries, etc. Don't like the feel of blueberries and blackberries in my mouth. Raspberries are okay. I know I should be more concerned, but I'm not.

And to me, diet is definitely a 4-letter word. I was always extremely thin until I found out my ex was cheating on me. I got pretty big. I've lost a lot of it, but not back to where I'd like to be. I refuse to diet as the minute I say diet, I eat everything in sight. It is the way I have to deal with my own issues. I'm still alive and surviving after some really horrible experiences in my life and I refuse to let this stop me from doing what I want. My dad had diabetes and so did my grandmother and they never had eye problems, etc. I'm not worried. Like I said, I know I probably should be, but I'll tell you, my hand pain is my focus these days and my bursitis in my ischial tuberosity I believe it is.

I'm so glad you responded. I was afraid you would miss the thread.

Be sure to keep an eye on your kidney health. Dialysis is my worst fear.

Yes, Walmart in our town is loathsome. There is one place in the city that smells worse than Walmart, and that's Juvenile Hall!

So much wisdom folks have offered us and other diabetics here. I love this place !

who else thinks that good 'ole Mormon Inspiration sh/could have included advice regarding the health dangers of sugar in the Lord's WoW?

It seems that that old Stan (science) knew (now still knows) more about healthy food-nutrition than Joe & his successors. Oh Well.

Wiki tells us that the (early) refineries were very dangerous work-places (unsafe machinery & practices), a six-year old was killed in one of the sugar factories in 1898.


oh, I guess dividends for stockholders, employment for U & I farmers & employees was 'more important', ha ha

Oh, yes, GNPE

... and food storage ... let's whole wheat ourself straight to dialysis !

My addiction is FOOD. I love all the bad things for me. Sugar, bread, potatoes. I could live on potatoes and bread.

One of the big problems with our diets today is the corn syrup that they put in everything. My boyfriend could give you a history of what the industry has done with corn. How strongly controlled and owned the corn industry is because of the money they make in putting corn syrup in all our products.

My sister's kids all smoke (my son does). She berates them constantly about it. Yet, she is very overweight and has diabetes, too. When I bought her daughter cigarettes as she had left her driver's license at home in Idaho, her mother wasn't pleased. I told my niece that I could tell her whether she could smoke or not when I was THIN and healthy. One of the first questions my "husband's" mother asked me after she found out he is gay and he had left us was "does he smoke and drink?" When I said, "No." She said, "Oh good." The insanity over the WoW is far reaching.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/24/2019 10:55AM by cl2.

I'm a foodie too, Cl2.

I read ingredients more often when shopping, to cut down on things such as corn syrup in products. Now I include soy in that list. Surprising how many things are made from soy products.

Smoking killed my grandfather on the fast track. He died from emphysema. I grew up in second hand smoke from my parents smoking until they stopped between the time I was six to sixteen when they divorced. Then they started again.

(They stopped when they went through the temple and during their active LDS years.) Two of my brothers and myself developed upper respiratory problems as a result of growing up in that second hand smoke.

I feel I have more control over what I put into my mouth than the air that I breathe. Wish my parents knew more about the dangers of smoking than we do today. But they didn't. The addiction to cigarettes is like a ball and chain. It's very hard to break once hooked. Tobacco manufacturers have made them even more addictive in recent years in order to hook more people.

My mom died from smoking related causes in addition to other things wrong with her. Food wasn't her problem. She was anorexic from not eating enough. Extremes both ways are bad.

For me, I have no self-control over food. Once I started anti-estrogen medication last year for breast cancer treatment, my appetite for carbs and sugar shot way up. For the first time my physician finally put me on a prescription diet medication to help me control my weight. It seems to be helping.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2019 10:15AM by Amyjo.

I was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes just last July and started dieting in August. My starting weight was 263 pounds. By October, I had lost 40 pounds and my A1C had returned to the normal range. By February, I weighed 183 pounds and had lost another 40 pounds and was in the normal weight range for my height. Since then, I have maintained a weight of 183 pounds.

My point is that diabetes is usually reversible. The neuropathy in my feet didn't completely go away but the daily pain was replaced with partial numbness (but no pain) and the neuropathy seems to have quit spreading. I decided that enjoying sweets just isn't worth it anymore. So while my friends and family are all having icecream, I go without. At times, I can be a bit fanatical about what I am willing to eat. I don't snack on anything for the pleasure of eating. Patatoes, pastas, breads, and other high-carb foods are a thing of the past for me now. I eat meats and vegtables, some nuts, and once in a while indulge in a small amount of sugar-free jello. But I eat very few carbs (50grams to 100 grams average per day - up from the 20g to 30g per day while I was losing weight) and still keep sugars down to around an average of 35 grams per day.

I had attributed many of my physical ailments and limitations to old age (at age 56). But the truth is that as many of those ailments and limitations went away, it literally feels like I am growing younger. After I had lost eighty pounds (and not before) I started exercising. With a normal body weight I have more energy than I know what to do with now. So I run about ten miles or more per week now. Diabetes isn't even on the radar anymore. Anyone can do what I did. You don't need any special abilities. For me, it was just a choice of whether I wanted to be overweight, sick and miserable, or if I wanted to feel young and healthy again.

There is a psychological element to this though. I also got some counseling for non-food/weight issues. Some cognitive behavioral therapy helped me to deal with some of the remnants of the damages caused by Mormonism. Some of my long-term stressors seem to have subsided most of the time. That helped. But mainly, I didn't want to end-up in a wheelchair and needing daily insulin shots.

Beaucoup congrats on doing what you've done!

Congrats, Azsteve! You've made great progress.

Were you put on Liraglutide at any point in your recovery from diabetes?

I ask because that is an ingredient in one of the weight loss products the FDA has approved for longterm use.

It helps to regulate the appetite and blood sugar.

I was on it for a while but couldn't handle the side effects so I had to go off of it.

Amyjo, what were the side effects you experienced from that? I need that, but I’m afraid to take it. I’m incessantly hungry. DH calls me “The Beast that Ate New York City.”

Luckily, I'm only about eight lbs overweight. But, still diabetic.

Interestingly: My BC oncologist said that if one had to choose being 19 lbs overweight or 19 lbs underweight, go with underweight.

would go away. I read somewhere that if you wake up starving in the middle of the night, not to eat, but to check your sugar and give yourself some sliding-scale insulin. I didn't want to be on sliding-scale insulin, but I prefer it to long-acting. I'm on both. I should do better and I do now and then, but then something stressful will come up and I go bonkers. I don't have pain in my feet. I have numbness. I have FOR YEARS. Because I type this stuff, I knew long before I was diagnosed that I had the symptoms. I just didn't go to the doctor. Those were the years I was a single mom working 2 jobs and going insane if I wasn't already there.

It has been my hands that I have trouble with. My joints are disfigured, etc. I was tested for rheumatoid arthritis as my mother had it, but I don't have it. BUT I have noticed that since I haven't worked for Sam's for 6 days now, that my hands don't hurt nearly as bad. AND I resigned from Sam's today. I've served my sentence.

I agree that what azsteve has done is AMAZING. I need to get my bike down and use it. My boyfriend bought me a new one 2 or 3 years ago and I've hardly ridden it. I have given up sugar before and I should again as I hate it really. I can't eat nuts as they break my teeth. I LOVE pistachios, but I can't stop, and cashews.

Luckily, I haven't had many side effects from diabetes so far. My dad didn't either. Neither did my grandmother--my mother's mother, so it runs in both sides. Oddly, my dad's siblings didn't have diabetes and my mother and her siblings didn't have it!! AND of my 6 siblings, 3 of us have it and our disabled brother, who is at least 300 pounds, DOES NOT HAVE IT. We are grateful!

Anyway, I love sliding-scale insulin as I'm able to control my sugars much better that way.

I guess I better get to work. I love my new transcription job. Doesn't pay as well as my old one, but I love doing something I enjoy after 5 months of Sam's Club.

kathleen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Amyjo, what were the side effects you experienced
> from that? I need that, but I’m afraid to take
> it. I’m incessantly hungry. DH calls me “The
> Beast that Ate New York City.” p

It shut down my appetite. It made me feel nauseous incessantly and I lost all appetite. For healthy food, not just the bad carbs and sugar stuff.

For weight loss the prescription is double what it is for diabetes. You might do better for diabetes because it's 1.2 mg per dose a day. For weight loss it's 3 mg daily.

It felt like overkill to me. It was just way too much.

For diabetes 2 it comes in two dosages, either 1.2 mg or 1.8 mg. I could handle the 1.8 mg a day and it staved my appetite for sugar and carbs, but wasn't approved for weight loss, per se. Yet the guidelines for diabetes does say on average that patients who use Victoza lose on average 12 lbs the first year.

That may be all you need to lose, if that. The 1.2 mg may be just right to curb your appetite and control your blood sugar.

The injections you give yourself once a day. With insurance co-pays it wasn't very expensive. Without insurance it is through the roof. You shouldn't have any problem getting a script from your doctor. If it doesn't work, you can always go off it. That's what I did for weight loss.

The lower the dosage the lesser the side effects I think.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2019 06:02PM by Amyjo.

Thanks Amyjo, I was put on metformin and used it until my A1C returned to normal which took only 90 days of dieting. Then I got off of it. I realized that some people (and apparently I am one of them) simply can't handle eating many carbohydrates and in fact get addicted to them quite easily. I looked around and didn't have to look far to see that a high percentage of the population has the same problem that I have. Most people think they are victem's (as I once did) and do nothing about their weight problem. I know that if I started eating as I once did, that it wouldn't take long for the obesity (some of us need to use that term on ourselves to really get it) and diabetes to return. One term that I coined for myself is 'carbohydrate poisioning'. The average American diet and commercialism pushes this on us. One of the hardest parts of eating differently is the social aspects, especially if someone who loves you wants to cook big carbohydrate-loaded meals for you and doesn't see a problem in doing it. Also, it takes some time and effort to learn how to cut most carbs out of your diet and still eat healthy. No one has to go hungry if you eat correctly. The lack of carbs naturally reduces hunger and I felt full (fully satiated) through most of my weight loss. I used Google searches and an android app called "My Fat Secret" to educate myself and to manage all food intake. Even though I now have normal body weight for my height, I still go back to the app again now and then when I start gaining weight again.

I read your post before I got outta bed this morning. Completely changed the breakfast menu. Thanks for this.


azsteve Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes just last
> July and started dieting in August. My starting
> weight was 263 pounds. By October, I had lost 40
> pounds and my A1C had returned to the normal
> range. By February, I weighed 183 pounds and had
> lost another 40 pounds and was in the normal
> weight range for my height. Since then, I have
> maintained a weight of 183 pounds.
>
> My point is that diabetes is usually reversible.
> The neuropathy in my feet didn't completely go
> away but the daily pain was replaced with partial
> numbness (but no pain) and the neuropathy seems to
> have quit spreading. I decided that enjoying
> sweets just isn't worth it anymore. So while my
> friends and family are all having icecream, I go
> without. At times, I can be a bit fanatical about
> what I am willing to eat. I don't snack on
> anything for the pleasure of eating. Patatoes,
> pastas, breads, and other high-carb foods are a
> thing of the past for me now. I eat meats and
> vegtables, some nuts, and once in a while indulge
> in a small amount of sugar-free jello. But I eat
> very few carbs (50grams to 100 grams average per
> day - up from the 20g to 30g per day while I was
> losing weight) and still keep sugars down to
> around an average of 35 grams per day.
>
> I had attributed many of my physical ailments and
> limitations to old age (at age 56). But the truth
> is that as many of those ailments and limitations
> went away, it literally feels like I am growing
> younger. After I had lost eighty pounds (and not
> before) I started exercising. With a normal body
> weight I have more energy than I know what to do
> with now. So I run about ten miles or more per
> week now. Diabetes isn't even on the radar
> anymore. Anyone can do what I did. You don't need
> any special abilities. For me, it was just a
> choice of whether I wanted to be overweight, sick
> and miserable, or if I wanted to feel young and
> healthy again.
>
> There is a psychological element to this though. I
> also got some counseling for non-food/weight
> issues. Some cognitive behavioral therapy helped
> me to deal with some of the remnants of the
> damages caused by Mormonism. Some of my long-term
> stressors seem to have subsided most of the time.
> That helped. But mainly, I didn't want to end-up
> in a wheelchair and needing daily insulin shots.

Good luck Kathleen, I found that Android app called "My Fat Secret" and now have full control over everything I eat and what the content (and daily and weekly sums) contain. I have no business interests in that app. It just saved my life and health as a user of the app. That is how I was able to give those numbers so confidently and accurately. You can do a search for "keto" to know how to set up your macros in the app. Use Google searches and online calculators to tell you how much sugar and carbohydrates a person of your age, sex, weight, and height should eat per day. Then listen to your body and eat a big salad and meat when you get hungry. I also found it necessary to use protein shakes from Costco to keep the protein high enough. High protein intake of about 1 gram per pound of body weight per day helps prevent muscle atrophy when you're eating roughly half of your recommended daily calories for weeks on-end. I am still amazed how I was able to do that since I can't do it anymore now that I have almost no fat reserves to draw from. But at only eight pounds over weight, I wouldn't go any lower than 500 calories per day below your recommended daily allowance. Eliminating sugar is probably your most important need now.

Hi Steve, I couldn't find quite the same app for iPhone, but I think there are many similar.

Since you posted this two days ago, I adopted your eating strategy, and my blood sugar PLUMMETED !!! to normal.

I hope others here have benefitted as much as me from your post.

:)

I was a lot bigger when I first got it. I knew I had it, but like I said, didn't go to the doctor until my hair started to fall out. I'm a survivor of everything I've been through. I keep getting up and moving forward.

I'm actually thinner than I've been since I was about age 40 and I'm 61, but the diabetes is still there. Since I was diagnosed, I've gone down 50 pounds or more. I should worry more, but I don't.

One thing I had to get over is the old Mormonism need for two years worth of whole wheat, rice, beans, sugar, and a 60-lb tub of honey in the garage and under the kids' beds. That and a bread machine calling to me from the kitchen counter.

--all deadly to a diabetic.

Another catch was my addiction to Coke.

I found that if I get up and drink 12oz black tea in the morning, that Coke craving is non-existent.

Did I say black tea? --oh the sin ! Better outer darkness, hell-bound exMormons, than dialysis.

AmyJo was taking for appetite suppression. Could someone tell me what it is? I'm going to ask my doctor about it. I'd really like to try it just to see what it does. I have good insurance. I just like to wait until my "ex" pays the deductible to go in and ask (he tells me to wait).

Hi Cl2,

The one I'm on currently that I'm able to tolerate is Qsymia.

It is one of the select few the FDA has approved on the market for lifetime use for those who are able to tolerate it. It isn't for everyone, because of its side effects.

Saxenda was the one I had to go off of because of the negative reaction I had to some of its side effects. I didn't mind because it was injectable, and I had difficulty giving myself an injection daily as it was.

Now I just take a capsule once a day. My co-payment is kind of high, but I get my prescription filled every three months so I save a little that way instead of buying it monthly.

You work up to a full dose of Qsymia by starting out on a low dose two weeks at a time, then gradually increase it to the full dose. The co-pays at first are a bit of a headache until I got to the full dose level. Now that I'm there, I plan to stay on it for the rest of my lifetime.

The medication in my insurance plan is considered a third tier medication, so it means I pay a higher co-pay for that than the other meds I'm on, because it's considered "elective." It's really more preventive medicine IMO.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/2019 11:17AM by Amyjo.

This thread has really inspired me. I know what I eat is killing me slowly, but I'm hooked and can't imagine not eating what I do. Typical Mormon diet, or worse. I'm way too heavy, look terrible, and have health issues. I really, really have to change. Thanks for all the great info.

Cathy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This thread has really inspired me. I know what I
> eat is killing me slowly, but I'm hooked and can't
> imagine not eating what I do. Typical Mormon
> diet, or worse. I'm way too heavy, look terrible,
> and have health issues. I really, really have to
> change. Thanks for all the great info.

I've always been a foodie myself. But I've re-prioritized my health multiple times over during my life. It isn't as easy to do, since turning 40 when the metabolism changed by slowing down.

Having been a smoker and drinker, I gave up both of those in my late teens, and haven't looked back. I decided I'd rather deal with a weight problem than a smoking addiction or alcoholism.

A key difference with food is it's a necessity where the others are not.

I try to set little goals instead of big ones.. it helps make it easier for me to reach them when they're smaller. Like I don't plan on losing a large amount of weight all at once, but to get healthier, so my clothes fit better, and to gain more energy, not necessarily to have to change out my entire wardrobe.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/2019 08:24PM by Amyjo.

I've tried all that, but I need to really get serious, at some point. I've actually lost about 30 lbs., but have 50+ to go. I have neuropathy in my feet, which isn't diabetes-related, and other issues. I have to do this - HAVE to. Ugh.

I've tried almost everything too as far as diets go. Like WW, JennyCraig, and those types of diets. Then my weight reaches a plateau and I stay there.

It can get to be so frustrating.

Since my bout with breast cancer my weight was fairly stable. Until I was put on anti-estrogen meds. Then I gained 10 lbs in six months, which was a significant gain for me as I'd been on a fitness program during that same timeframe.

So finally, my doctor approved me for prescription diet medication. That has stabilized my appetite so I don't crave sweets and carbs like I did after starting on the anti-estrogen therapy.

It does get harder to lose weight the older I've gotten. I had a neurologist (from Norway) I wanted to hug when he told me that I was the weight I was meant to be and that I was just "solid." That wasn't the reason I went to go see him that day, but I felt better after leaving there. ;)

My mother was anorexic for much of her life. I watched her suffer from the effects of slow starvation and bone loss. Her bones had deteriorated so much that besides shrinking in height, when doctors operated on her they told her her bones were so brittle they had turned to powder.

I've taken better care of myself than my mom did. But I still worry about things like that.

kathleen:

I asked the resident expert around here about the ravenous feelings, and he suggested BCAAs (Branched-Chain Amino Acids), in either powder form (you mix the powder with water), or in the form of sports drinks.

He says that the physiological situation you describe also applies, with lesser intensity, to adults in general as they sleep at night.

He suggests that you go to your nearest GNC, or Vitamin Shoppe, store--or that you go to your local gym because they will likely have BCAAs (in the form of sports drinks) there. He suggests XTEND as a possible brand name to begin with.

He says that if you take five grams of BCAAs (in either powder, or in sports drink, form) you will likely find that your perceived intense need for sweets will be ameliorated.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/01/2019 05:09AM by Tevai.

Thank you for that Tevai ! I shall head to GNC as soon as it opens. This could be a dream come true for me and lots of people I know.

I’m very excited to try it!

:)

Hi Tevai, I read up a lot on the BCAAs then went to the health food store and bought a trial side. They did indeed curb my appetite, but my blood sugar doubled.

Back to my computer research and found that one problem with BCAA's is that they make insulin resistance worse, which is why my blood sugar went up. So, I returned it.

Anyway, I still appreciate your thoughtfulness and asking on my behalf and recommending this product to me.

I know you were trying to keep that sugarcane outta my driveway!

Again, thank you, Tevai.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/03/2019 01:34AM by kathleen.

My insurance is in a situation where the deductible is paid by a drug company, but I have to wait until May 19th this year and then EVERYTHING is paid 100%, so that is when I'll ask about the first medication first. As far as injections, I do 3 or 4 a day. Once you get used to it, it is no big deal. I prefer short-acting insulin or I'd only have to inject once a day. I have better control with short-acting insulin.

I'm not retired yet, but I read today where some of the state and local retirement pension systems are bailing on their health insurance benefits to retirees.

I've been both a federal and a state employee. So I'm apprehensive about my healthcare benefits when I retire. Will they even be there?

The states that are bailing are Illinois, Kansas, South Carolina, and a few others. Those state workers didn't see it coming. They were promised health insurance into retirement, but because of the economy there isn't enough in the budget to sustain it is what they're telling them. It's first on the list of expendables to go.

Nor is it going to be offered to future employees.

If you can tolerate the Qsymia, I'd recommend you try that first. Only because the Saxenda has side effects that are well, I don't want to say it here. But study it because it can cause more serious problems IMO. That wasn't disclosed by my doctor or pharmacist (except on the fine print.) Saxenda was more scary to me after I read up on it.

Qsymia is a combination of two drugs: phentermine and topirimate. They work together to control appetite in a time delayed suspension dosage.

The Saxenda was less expensive co-pay wise for me than the Qysmia was. But the injectible needles weren't covered by my insurance. So those were out-of-pocket.

Saxenda is just a larger dose of Victoza. (And the side effects go up in proportion to the dosage.)

If you can tolerate the lower dosage of Victoza it's supposed help patients lose on average 12 lbs the first year. And is used to treat diabetes. The thing w/Saxenda is it is so strong it shut down my appetite completely and just made me feel nauseous all day long. Not a good way to lose weight.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/01/2019 06:36PM by Amyjo.

Side effects?

I read that SGLT2 inhibitors have caused GANGRENE OF THE GENITALS! which can kill you!

Well, there's one thing worse than Mormonism.