How to lower blood sugar without medications is the beginning of a new way of living. Most diet programs available today could be adapted to keeping your blood sugar in control. However, you must plan your calorie intake each day to match what your caregiver has prescribed for you whether it is 1200 calories or even 2000 calories depending on your body size, gender and activity level. So to get started let's discuss implementing your sugar control diet.
Meal plan or meal planning is necessary to successfully control blood sugar while becoming healthy from what you eat. The first step is to plan your schedule for Meals. Optimal results are obtained by eating: Breakfast, a mid-morning snack, Lunch, an afternoon snack, Dinner and a "just before bedtime snack". In other words 6 "meals" each day.
Healthy dieting must include foods in proportion from all the food groups: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. These food groups include most vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and beverages. Protein in small amounts in each and every meal and snack is required to make this sugar control diet work.
Protein is slower to digest, which keeps your metabolism working and helps prevent feeling hungry and deprived. Acceptable proteins include lean red meat, ideally no more that 3 oz.s. three times per week unbreaded fish, unbreaded chicken, raw nuts, eggs, cottage cheese and unsweetened (plain or flavored) yogurt can be used to satisfy your requirement for protein which should be 10% to 35% of your overall diet.
Dried beans, nuts and seeds can be considered protein but are sometimes "incomplete" so must be eaten with other foods so care in portion and calories is advised.
Carbohydrates includes fruits, vegetables and grains.
Vegetables: Vegetables, especially raw vegetables are your friend. Raw green and red vegetables are unlimited. Eat as much as you want at any meal or snack. Some vegetables have the reputation for burning more calories than they provide especially Celery. Lettuce, Cabbage, Broccoli, are great "treats" when combined with a homemade yogurt dip flavored with zero calorie spices from your spice rack. Cooked vegetables regardless of color and yellow or orange vegetables and potatoes, rice, bread are in the measure category: 1/2 cup equals a serving or the equivalent of one slice of bread and must be calculated into your daily calorie allowance. The exception is corn creamed or whole kernel which is 1/3 cup. Some fun recipes are available at Cararta's Facts including peanut butter celery sticks.
Fruits: Fruits include almost any fresh fruits or berries except for mango and bananas. No fruit juice...except as listed under beverages! Fresh means fresh so no canned, dried fruit. Can use frozen if no sugar added.
Grains: Some diets restrict bread, oatmeal, grits and rice however I often have a sandwich for lunch including two slices of bread, all you have to do is make sure to include these calories in your daily allowance and have a protein filling and you will be fine. The body needs a certain amount of carbohydrate for quick energy while waiting for the protein to digest. A small baked potato with 1 tablespoon of regular sour cream with dinner is also acceptable. Again just keep track of what you eat!
Beverages: Water is great!. Unsweetened tea is fine and I especially like green tea which some tout as a helper in the weight loss game. If you count the calories in the juice, you can have fresh fruit juices with no added sugar and diluted with water...half water-half juice (grape is good) but again count the calories! I love coffee, but found more than a cup per day seemed to slow down my weight loss. Your choice!
Not listed but important is fat. Every diet should include a certain small amount of fat. You can get this from lean red meat, oily fish, certain nuts, olive oil (salad dressing) canola oil...an amount daily equivalent to 3 pats of butter! Fat helps with sugar control as it's digestion takes longer than carbohydrates so it helps maintain a level sugar rate with fewer spikes and lows. Forget the fake "butters" what is in them is worse than fat!
While on the food part of this program: I personally do not like "lite" fat free, reduced fat, sugar free or artificially sweetened anything. Besides their unpalatable taste, they often contain more calories than the original because of attempts to make them"taste"acceptable. It has become accepted that some of these altered foods can cause digestive problems (diarrhea when over consumed). Decide for yourself.
Final recommendation regarding the diet part of the control blood sugar plan. There are certain supplements and herbs that can help control blood sugar. Two that I use are Cinnamon and Chromium. Do your own research or talk to a nutritionist.
Exercise: Exercise is necessary to lose weight and control blood sugar and stop taking medications. Just like the scheduled meal plan, exercise should be on the "menu" every day. The easiest, least expensive and probably the best exercise is Walking. Walking uses your whole body, especially if you swing your arms when you walk. Thirty minutes a day or the equivalent is required. Riding a stationery bicycle if you can't walk or don't have a place to walk will meet your exercise requirements. If you can't walk for 30 minutes, break it up into smaller amounts, gradually increasing until you can walk for 30 minutes.
Adhering to this diet will improve your life by improving your blood sugar level. If you are currently taking medications for your diabetes, keep a close check on your sugar levels and consult with your caregiver regarding adjustments to medications. Losing weight usually reduces blood sugar levels and leads to having more energy and less of that tired feeling common with uncontrolled diabetic blood sugar levels.
A footnote: If you are overweight or have close relatives with diabetes and uncontrolled blood sugar, there is the possibility that using this diet will help prevent diabetes or delay the onset of diabetes.
Finally follow your scheduled eating times using the correct food combinations and do a little walking and you will soon know how to control blood sugar levels without medications!
I am a Retired RN who has lived with Adult Onset diabetes for 30 years without taking medications and have outlined my diet and exercise program for reducing, controlling and lowering blood sugar levels. My site Diabetes Diet has more information to help in your quest for sugar control. In my case a 1200 calorie diet was necessary to lose weight and lower blood sugar. As I get older the exercise is required to maintain control.
My younger sister's Joella's fight with diabetes is detailed in a blog, Cararta's Facts with recipes and the ups and downs of trying to live on a Diabetic diet. She has an ongoing problem with combining the correct amount of food and exercise necessary to control her weight, blood sugar and diabetes.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carolyn_C_Cooper.
You can also find more information at
Lose Weight, Lose Fat, Control Diabetes and
Diabetes Diets
Day Lillies
This site does not give medical advise. Consult your physican if you have a medical problem. This is a conversation among people who are finding a new direction in eating and living.
Showing posts with label control diabetes with diet and exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label control diabetes with diet and exercise. Show all posts
Monday, January 28, 2013
Monday, November 26, 2012
Fight Diabetes2 and Win isn't on Joella's Menu
Update, Made on another site. Shared here to explain what is going on with Joella and her Fight with Diabetes 2.
Unfortunately things with Joella have not improved.
She did diet and exercise enough to lose down to 161 pounds in February of 2012.
However, as of October, 2012 when our other sister went to visit her, she was back up in
weight to 184 pounds, even though she was telling me on the phone that her weight
was 168.
She has now either disconnected her telephone or has a different number. I am no
longer able to talk to her unless she calls.
It is disheartening to think about what is going to happen to her.
As far as I know she is still taking Insulin and two oral medications to try to control her
blood sugar and therefore manage the diabetes.
It will work for awhile, but if you don't eat a reasonable diet and exercise there comes
a point where the drugs can no longer be depended on for sugar (glucose) level control.
Elevated (high) glucose readings are the indication that the body is not able to process
the extra sugar and remove it from the blood stream.
Results?
1. Nerve damage...eyes, rest of body especially arms and legs.
2, Lack of sensitivity to injuries allow injuries to not be noticed and treated.
3. Circulation: blood vessels that supply all the cells and organs become etched and plaque begins to build
up.
4. Poor circulation and nerve damage combine and result in:
5. Tingling feet and swelling....easy for sores to develop and not healing.
6. Heart attack and Strokes ...the final answer to untreated diabetes, most start because of 1 and 2 listed
above.
The last time I talked to Joella in October she said her glasses weren't working as well.
She said she might go get new ones. She got new ones in early 2012 when she had lost weight and her sugar readings were lower.....the glasses were not as strong as the old ones she replaced. So here dieting and exercising in order to get her foot sore healed paid off with better vision.
Now with the weight gain, it sounds like the improvement is gone.
Another complaint....she said, "my feet and legs are tingling again and keeping me awake at night." Her solution before was to drink milk every hour or so, all night long because it seemed to stop it.
Guess we can assume this is her same solution to the problem.
Until I manage to go see her, this is the last update I can do. No information.
There is information about Diabetes, it sysmptoms, diets and articles with helpful suggestions available at:
http://SugarControlDiet.com/
This site has videos, articles dealing with what diabetes is and some suggestions and tips for managing diabetes. This site: Cararta is more Joella's personal journey with diabetes for the past few years.
Sometimes funny, sometimes sad. You are welcome to visit
Sugar Control Diet and read. You may find something helpful that will change your direction if you are trying to lose weight or control type 2 diabetes.
Joella Update November, 2012
The last time I updated was in 2011.Unfortunately things with Joella have not improved.
She did diet and exercise enough to lose down to 161 pounds in February of 2012.
However, as of October, 2012 when our other sister went to visit her, she was back up in
weight to 184 pounds, even though she was telling me on the phone that her weight
was 168.
She has now either disconnected her telephone or has a different number. I am no
longer able to talk to her unless she calls.
It is disheartening to think about what is going to happen to her.
As far as I know she is still taking Insulin and two oral medications to try to control her
blood sugar and therefore manage the diabetes.
It will work for awhile, but if you don't eat a reasonable diet and exercise there comes
a point where the drugs can no longer be depended on for sugar (glucose) level control.
Elevated (high) glucose readings are the indication that the body is not able to process
the extra sugar and remove it from the blood stream.
Results?
1. Nerve damage...eyes, rest of body especially arms and legs.
2, Lack of sensitivity to injuries allow injuries to not be noticed and treated.
3. Circulation: blood vessels that supply all the cells and organs become etched and plaque begins to build
up.
4. Poor circulation and nerve damage combine and result in:
5. Tingling feet and swelling....easy for sores to develop and not healing.
6. Heart attack and Strokes ...the final answer to untreated diabetes, most start because of 1 and 2 listed
above.
The last time I talked to Joella in October she said her glasses weren't working as well.
She said she might go get new ones. She got new ones in early 2012 when she had lost weight and her sugar readings were lower.....the glasses were not as strong as the old ones she replaced. So here dieting and exercising in order to get her foot sore healed paid off with better vision.
Now with the weight gain, it sounds like the improvement is gone.
Another complaint....she said, "my feet and legs are tingling again and keeping me awake at night." Her solution before was to drink milk every hour or so, all night long because it seemed to stop it.
Guess we can assume this is her same solution to the problem.
Until I manage to go see her, this is the last update I can do. No information.
There is information about Diabetes, it sysmptoms, diets and articles with helpful suggestions available at:
http://SugarControlDiet.com/
This site has videos, articles dealing with what diabetes is and some suggestions and tips for managing diabetes. This site: Cararta is more Joella's personal journey with diabetes for the past few years.
Sometimes funny, sometimes sad. You are welcome to visit
Sugar Control Diet and read. You may find something helpful that will change your direction if you are trying to lose weight or control type 2 diabetes.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Review: Mika Make You Happy
I searched for Someone with lots of young followers to put on this site about Diabetes. I found Mika and his brand new video. Must be fate!
I listened and watch about ten videos. The music is different and his own!
For some reason thoughts of Michael Jackson kept creeping in...don't know if it has to do with the carefully constructed presentations or the voice. Enjoyable.
Here is his video, hope if you watch it here you scroll around and do some reading.
So many young people are developing type 2 Diabetes (formerly called Adult Onset Diabetes) mostly because of "lifestyle" eating the wrong food and not moving enough. When Teens and preteens develop Diabetes2 they seem to have a much harder time coping with it, often not successfully.
Here Are Some Food Toys to Help with Your Dieting.
I listened and watch about ten videos. The music is different and his own!
For some reason thoughts of Michael Jackson kept creeping in...don't know if it has to do with the carefully constructed presentations or the voice. Enjoyable.
Here is his video, hope if you watch it here you scroll around and do some reading.
So many young people are developing type 2 Diabetes (formerly called Adult Onset Diabetes) mostly because of "lifestyle" eating the wrong food and not moving enough. When Teens and preteens develop Diabetes2 they seem to have a much harder time coping with it, often not successfully.
Here Are Some Food Toys to Help with Your Dieting.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Do You Lose the Same Ten Pounds Again and Again?
I don't know what happened, how it happened....well I guess I do.....don't eat the right food, don't keep to a scheduled meal time and depend on Insulin, diabeta and metformin (all three she takes) to try to keep your sugar readings low.
Don't exercise every day the equivalent of walking for 30 minutes.
She is now enrolled in a nutrition class at the local hospital. Seems excited about it, said it is taught by a nurse and a nutritionist.
As a no longer active RN I wonder what her reaction will be when they tell her the same thing she has heard from me for the last three years: Only eat amount of calories that caregiver prescribes, eat at least three meals and two snack each day, try to eat at the same time each day (called meal scheduling) include as much fresh produce in diet as possible, take prescribed meds when you are supposed to take them, check blood sugar as requested by caregiver and keep a log of sugar readings, medication taken and amount and type of food consumed and when.
At least she has dropped some of the weight. Think it made an impression on her when she sat down on the floor and then couldn't get back up. She had to have someone help her.
Even though it is positive that she has lost weight, I'm still a little down. It is the same pounds that she has lost and gained back in the last few years. Should have know when she called about the great bathing suit she found a nice 3X but bought some shorts to wear over it because the skirt (from the top) left some of her stomach bare.
Peace.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Diabetes Symptoms: Do you know what to look For?
Diabetes is a sneaky disease with symptoms that aren't always visible.
You don't hurt, have a headache or aching bones.
What you might have is tiredness and fatigue especially after eating, dry mouth, thirsty all the time even though you drink a lot of liquids.
Having to urinate frequently especially at night (when you never had to get up and go before)!
Dry, itchy skin, frequent fungual or yeast infections of groin or vaginal area.
Finger nails and toe nails often become infected with the fungus because of contact when scratching infected areas.
It is a hidden disease for many, quietly damages their body until the damage becomes unmanageable.
Education and Information about Diabetes is our greatest weapon.
Find out the symptoms, read eveything that you can find out about it. One of the most visible indicators is body weight. Carrying extra pounds or a sudden weight gain or an unexplained weight loss could be an indicator.
It is worth a trip to your caregiver to find out.
A simple A1c blood test that is available in most physicians office gives a very good indicator. It only uses a drop of blood and the results are available while you are there, no waiting to send it to the lab.
Diabetes is an unnecessary disease most of the time unless you were born with it.
It can be brought on by being overweight which is often the results of continuing to eat more calories than your body needs for the amount of your daily activity and not exercising enough to burn up the excess calories you have consumed.
People often gain weight slowly without really being aware of the effects of those extra pounds on their body. Along with the symptoms of Diabetes, we develop the deadly side effects that eventually cause blindness, nerve damage, amputation of limbs, heart attacks and strokes.
Fighting Deabetes requires dedication and Education.
The only real solution to diabetes is to prevent it by healthy eating and daily activity.
Living is more fun if you have energy and can do the things you want to do. I encourage you to educate yourself, get the knowledge necessary to create a healthy diet and then add exercise to your lifestyle.
Walking doesn't require a gym or equipment and is very effective. Begin with 5 minutes several times a day if you can't do more. Work up to 30 minutes a day.
It might take awhile to implement your new lifestyle, but the results will be worth it. It is possible to control and often prevent Diabetes and its symptoms by making a few small changes in your lifestyle.
Here is a link to two videos that explain more about Diabetes and its Symptoms.
CLICK HERE!
You don't hurt, have a headache or aching bones.
What you might have is tiredness and fatigue especially after eating, dry mouth, thirsty all the time even though you drink a lot of liquids.
Having to urinate frequently especially at night (when you never had to get up and go before)!
Dry, itchy skin, frequent fungual or yeast infections of groin or vaginal area.
Finger nails and toe nails often become infected with the fungus because of contact when scratching infected areas.
It is a hidden disease for many, quietly damages their body until the damage becomes unmanageable.
Education and Information about Diabetes is our greatest weapon.
Find out the symptoms, read eveything that you can find out about it. One of the most visible indicators is body weight. Carrying extra pounds or a sudden weight gain or an unexplained weight loss could be an indicator.
It is worth a trip to your caregiver to find out.
A simple A1c blood test that is available in most physicians office gives a very good indicator. It only uses a drop of blood and the results are available while you are there, no waiting to send it to the lab.
Diabetes is an unnecessary disease most of the time unless you were born with it.
It can be brought on by being overweight which is often the results of continuing to eat more calories than your body needs for the amount of your daily activity and not exercising enough to burn up the excess calories you have consumed.
People often gain weight slowly without really being aware of the effects of those extra pounds on their body. Along with the symptoms of Diabetes, we develop the deadly side effects that eventually cause blindness, nerve damage, amputation of limbs, heart attacks and strokes.
Fighting Deabetes requires dedication and Education.
The only real solution to diabetes is to prevent it by healthy eating and daily activity.
Living is more fun if you have energy and can do the things you want to do. I encourage you to educate yourself, get the knowledge necessary to create a healthy diet and then add exercise to your lifestyle.
Walking doesn't require a gym or equipment and is very effective. Begin with 5 minutes several times a day if you can't do more. Work up to 30 minutes a day.
It might take awhile to implement your new lifestyle, but the results will be worth it. It is possible to control and often prevent Diabetes and its symptoms by making a few small changes in your lifestyle.
Here is a link to two videos that explain more about Diabetes and its Symptoms.
CLICK HERE!
Monday, June 20, 2011
How To Quit Drinking Coffee If you are trying to lose Weight!
Drinking coffee while dieting slows down your weight loss. I know this from personal experience. Years ago I went on a 1200 per day calorie diet and found to my sorry (I love Coffee) that on days when I drank coffee, my weight loss came to a standstill. I've researched and can't seem to find the reason, unless the stimulation in coffee changes the metabolism so that calories are conserved instead of burned.
Even though coffee is entirely legal – as evidenced by the prevalence of coffee shops all across every town – it is a stimulant, and it is actually quite similar to a drug. Of course, coffee does not have the adverse effects on the body that many drugs have, but if you try to quit drinking coffee, you will find that the withdrawal symptoms will make it feel a lot like you are trying to quit something much harder than coffee! If you have come to the realization that you are dependent on coffee to make it through the day, and you want to break this cycle, here are a few tips for weaning yourself off coffee – without experiencing the headaches and fatigue many others experience!
Slowly cut back: By slowly cutting back on your coffee intake, you can eventually reach a place where you no longer need coffee. The first step of cutting back is to figure out exactly how many milligrams of caffeine you consume in a day; once you have come up with this figure, try to cut twenty percent off this original level of caffeine every week, until you are no longer dependent on coffee!
Find alternatives: There are certainly a lot of alternatives to coffee - but realize that this does not mean you should switch to energy drinks instead! There are plenty of foods that are “energy foods,” and once you start adding these foods to your regular diet, you will be able to cut coffee out far more quickly!
Drink water: Water is the biggest need for your body, so when you start cutting back on coffee, you should help your body make the transition by giving it as much water as you can. Water will make it less likely that you end up with those nasty caffeine headaches, and it will also help to give you natural energy.
Even though coffee is unlike a drug in that it is not horrible for your body, it is always nice to be able to have coffee as a “treat” instead of because you are dependent on it; once you follow these tips, you will be that much closer to cutting coffee off your “needs” list completely!
Even though coffee is entirely legal – as evidenced by the prevalence of coffee shops all across every town – it is a stimulant, and it is actually quite similar to a drug. Of course, coffee does not have the adverse effects on the body that many drugs have, but if you try to quit drinking coffee, you will find that the withdrawal symptoms will make it feel a lot like you are trying to quit something much harder than coffee! If you have come to the realization that you are dependent on coffee to make it through the day, and you want to break this cycle, here are a few tips for weaning yourself off coffee – without experiencing the headaches and fatigue many others experience!
Slowly cut back: By slowly cutting back on your coffee intake, you can eventually reach a place where you no longer need coffee. The first step of cutting back is to figure out exactly how many milligrams of caffeine you consume in a day; once you have come up with this figure, try to cut twenty percent off this original level of caffeine every week, until you are no longer dependent on coffee!
Find alternatives: There are certainly a lot of alternatives to coffee - but realize that this does not mean you should switch to energy drinks instead! There are plenty of foods that are “energy foods,” and once you start adding these foods to your regular diet, you will be able to cut coffee out far more quickly!
Drink water: Water is the biggest need for your body, so when you start cutting back on coffee, you should help your body make the transition by giving it as much water as you can. Water will make it less likely that you end up with those nasty caffeine headaches, and it will also help to give you natural energy.
Even though coffee is unlike a drug in that it is not horrible for your body, it is always nice to be able to have coffee as a “treat” instead of because you are dependent on it; once you follow these tips, you will be that much closer to cutting coffee off your “needs” list completely!
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