Rivka - that's very interesting and something I didn't know. And, of course, it makes absolute sense. I haven't eaten chocolate for a number of years - other than on the very odd occasion - but I'm sure that must translate into other foods too.
Paul, I think half the problem is I was never given a diet to stick to. At my initial assessment at the diabetic clinic, I spoke to a dietician. My diet was pretty healthy to begin with, I've been eating mostly all the right things for a couple of years now. So basically all she did was recommend a few basic changes - like eating pasta and potatoes, which I'd cut out of my diet as being unhealthy - and nothing much changed. The main change was having breakfast. I've never eaten breakfast, not since I was a kid, but now I make sure that I either have porage or Special K each morning. I have to anyway, as I take my meds then and it's recommended that you eat then to avoid any stomach pains which the meds might otherwise give you. That's been a positive change too, because it means I no longer forget to take my other meds - for high bp and cholesterol - as I take them all at the same time, just before breakfast, rather than whenever I happen to remember I forgot them. <g>
And thanks for the clarification on carbs. I knew from talking to my dietician that there were two kinds of carbs - bad and good - but I hadn't really grasped what the differences were - so that was very helpful there.
Roo - glad to hear that your brother is doing so well! No, no classes to take. I've had an initial assessment, when I got general information and spoke to the dietician, and my yearly foot and general exams - which turned out very well on all counts, so I was pretty pleased there. And I took an hour's class on how to take my blood glucose count and use the monitor. But really at the moment that's all I need to know really. There's nothing much other than that to learn. At the moment, my type II isn't having that much of an effect on my health and I'm getting off much more lightly than many others who have this, I presume. In fact, ironically, it's really had nothing but a positive effect on my life since I was diagnosed. I've stopped telling myself I'm
going to start going for long walks with the dog and take more exercise, get myself fitter and healthier (which has been my procrastination mantra for some years now) - and I'm doing it. And it's amazing how quickly just a walk a day starts to have a positive impact. And for the past few years I've been plagued by spells of being so lethargic it's been an effort to do anything - and not knowing why. Now I do know what causes that and the diabetic meds seem to be countering it most days. The exercise seems to help too. I find if I miss my daily walk I'm very dopey the next day. Whereas if I keep up my walks I feel more energised and alert than I have in years. So - for now at least - I've got very little to complain about.
Irene - LOL, no fear there. Hate popcorn. <g>
Anita - thank you! But, no, as I say, no diet to stick to. Just the general healthy diet that experts currently recommend, more or less. Plenty of fruit and veg - well, I was eating that anyway - chicken, fish, that kind of thing. No junk food, chocolate, alcohol - other than rare treats. My dietician says I can have a Chinese takeout every four months or so and no harm - which is basically again what I'd already been doing.
In fact, she pretty much mirrored your advice, Pearlieq.
And thanks for the reassurance on the count. It's been bothering me that I couldn't get it consistent. At the class we were told to mark down anything that was likely to have caused a spike, but since there really wasn't anything I was baffled as to what was causing such a wide variation. I'd been expecting a pattern to emerge right away and for me to be able to get it to a consistant 5.7 within days. Glad to know I've perhaps been over-optimistic there. I'll just keep plugging along then and have a word with my GP when I go see him. Thanks for the other fascinating information too and the recipes! All very useful.
And, yes, that's always been my main problem - since before I was diagnosed and after. I tend to start out with lots of variation in my diet and then gradually, mostly because I'm a very lazy cook <g>, I end up eating the same things day in, day out, just because it gets into a habit and I cannot be bothered thinking about what I'm eating. I get in a rut and then by the end of the week I cannot bear to look at chicken and pasta again and I'm stuck wondering what to make for dinner. I really just need to get some imagination going.
Thanks again, everyone, for the information, best wishes and help. I knew I could count on you guys.
This has all been most helpful and I think will enable me to sort out the minor problems I was having.
LabRat
