Joella called today and reported she now has her fasting blood sugar down to 238. I didn't even ask what it was before. She was so excited to "get it down".
Since she lives in Florida and I live in Tennessee it is hard to get a handle on what she is really eating and doing as far as controlling her diabetes. The newest thing is that PUP (a Florida program tied to Medicare) is going to pay for her to go to a class about Food. It will be taught by Nurses and a Nutritionist.
I wonder what she is going to think when she finds out it is mainly the things that I have talked to her about for the last three years. Scheduled meal and snack times, take your insulin and/or oral medication 30 minutes before eating, stay within your calorie allowance when planning and eating meals, and most important get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day.
She recently moved, no longer has access to a pool but likes to walk and has an exercycle that she rides so doesn't seem to have a problem with the exercise part.
With the diet part of her program she has a problem. Since she likes to stay up almost all night, she really doesn't have a good eating schedule. Including fresh raw vegetables...even celery or lettuce is also a big problem. She tends to buy Plums, Bananas, Cherries and a few Apples. Occasionally Cabbage or a Cucumber will make it home, but forget Broccoli, Greens, Fresh Green Beans (she buys canned) Green Peppers etc.
This link is to a site that has a lot of good information on Diabetes and Blood Sugar Control. Just Click and go and enjoy. It features healthy snacks, just plain healthy eating and exercise routines. To come back here just click the back arrow.
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.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
What You Need to Know: How your body Processes Food
This is a wonderfully illustrated and understandable video which will help you understand how our bodies handle food. Will give you an idea of what happens when things go wrong.
After Watching Click Back Button to return here!
After Watching Click Back Button to return here!
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!
How To Eat A Healthy Breakfast On The Go
If you are going to be eating your breakfast on the go, you will need food that you can take with you in the car or on the subway – but this does not just mean you have to bring a bagel or a muffin along! One of the best ways to get your body going at the start of the day is by eating fruit, as it is healthy for you and will start you off with the energy that is necessary for moving forward in your day. Additionally, you can pack food at night – food that will be healthy and easy to take with you the next day – such as breakfast sandwiches (using regular toast, or using something like a bagel or an english muffin) or hard-boiled eggs.
A lot of people also have leftovers from their dinners, but they do not think of these as “breakfast foods,” and so they leave these leftovers in the refrigerator and end up skipping breakfast altogether – but there is nothing wrong with bringing “dinner” leftovers for your breakfast! Just load some of your extra food into a tupperware when you finish eating dinner, and the next morning you will have something that is easy to bring with you and either heat up when you get to work or eat cold on your way in!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Do You need to Lose Weight? Do you know the Symptoms of Diabetes?
The easiest way to find out if you suffer from diabetes, is to visit a doctor and get a proper analysis of your glucose. Usually for an adult it will be type 2 adult onset diabetes. You may have any of the three diabetes types - type 1, type 2 and pregnancy type. There are common symptoms in all types of diabetes.
The most common type is diabetes type 2. If you feel like urinating quite often and especially if you also wake up at night to do it, then it may be a sign of diabetes. Increased sensation of thirst will also be experienced by you, as the kidneys increase their activity to remove the extra glucose from the blood. These two symptoms always come together.
A sudden and unexplainable weight loss - up to 3-5pounds a month is also usually determined by a high level of blood glucose. This unexpected weight loss comes as a result of the insulin not providing the cells with glucose. Therefore, there is nothing in the body that the cells can use to transform sugar or glucose into energy, so the liver starts converting the proteins in muscles and fat to allow the body to survive. As the readings of the glucose become high, intense hunger may also appear.
The body asks for extra food to work properly, when its level goes down. Itches and dry skin are also symptoms of diabetes. The skin problems sometimes include dark spots in the areas of armpits and neck . Whenever you suffer from a wound or a cut and it takes a long time to heal can be a sign of diabetes. Obviously, your blood vessels are deteriorated and this is usually due to the high quantity of glucose. Other symptoms of diabetes are tiredness and foggy vision, nerve tingles and numbness. Often feet and legs will hurt at night and keep you awake. If left untreated diabetes can lead to damaged circulation, damaged eyesight, and because of damage to blood vessels lead to strokes and heartattacks.
On the other hand, the diabetes type 1 is less common, and affects younger people. Between the first symptoms and the diagnosis of diabetes 1, there is usually only a few months. The high need for water because of thirst and frequent urinations, tiredness, extra hunger, weakness and weight loss are included in this type of diabetes, the symptoms are almost the same for each type. These two types of diabetes are very different from one another, although the symptoms are very much similar. People with type 1 diabetes are often born with it and type 2 diabetes is usually the result of being overweight because of incorrect eating and no exercise. It is very important to know that any of these symptoms may be also common for other diseases, so make sure you ask for detailed professional tests when you consult a doctor. When two or more of these symptoms start showing up at the same time, the chances to have diabetes are pretty high.
Pregnancy diabetes suffered by a pregnant woman is generally without symptoms, just like the other two types of diabetes until it becomes severe enough to start showing the same classic symptoms. In rare cases, tiredness, extra urination and hunger may show up. During the 2-nd and 3-rd trimesters of pregnancy, the insulin demands of a pregnant woman are about 3 times higher than normal.
Whichever of these symptoms you may encounter, consult a doctor as fast as possible. There are many ways to prevent type 2 diabetes development, though there is not an official way to cure it. The best you can do is maintain control by following a scheduled meal plan, exercising and eating in moderation.
You are What you EAT!.
The most common type is diabetes type 2. If you feel like urinating quite often and especially if you also wake up at night to do it, then it may be a sign of diabetes. Increased sensation of thirst will also be experienced by you, as the kidneys increase their activity to remove the extra glucose from the blood. These two symptoms always come together.
A sudden and unexplainable weight loss - up to 3-5pounds a month is also usually determined by a high level of blood glucose. This unexpected weight loss comes as a result of the insulin not providing the cells with glucose. Therefore, there is nothing in the body that the cells can use to transform sugar or glucose into energy, so the liver starts converting the proteins in muscles and fat to allow the body to survive. As the readings of the glucose become high, intense hunger may also appear.
The body asks for extra food to work properly, when its level goes down. Itches and dry skin are also symptoms of diabetes. The skin problems sometimes include dark spots in the areas of armpits and neck . Whenever you suffer from a wound or a cut and it takes a long time to heal can be a sign of diabetes. Obviously, your blood vessels are deteriorated and this is usually due to the high quantity of glucose. Other symptoms of diabetes are tiredness and foggy vision, nerve tingles and numbness. Often feet and legs will hurt at night and keep you awake. If left untreated diabetes can lead to damaged circulation, damaged eyesight, and because of damage to blood vessels lead to strokes and heartattacks.
On the other hand, the diabetes type 1 is less common, and affects younger people. Between the first symptoms and the diagnosis of diabetes 1, there is usually only a few months. The high need for water because of thirst and frequent urinations, tiredness, extra hunger, weakness and weight loss are included in this type of diabetes, the symptoms are almost the same for each type. These two types of diabetes are very different from one another, although the symptoms are very much similar. People with type 1 diabetes are often born with it and type 2 diabetes is usually the result of being overweight because of incorrect eating and no exercise. It is very important to know that any of these symptoms may be also common for other diseases, so make sure you ask for detailed professional tests when you consult a doctor. When two or more of these symptoms start showing up at the same time, the chances to have diabetes are pretty high.
Pregnancy diabetes suffered by a pregnant woman is generally without symptoms, just like the other two types of diabetes until it becomes severe enough to start showing the same classic symptoms. In rare cases, tiredness, extra urination and hunger may show up. During the 2-nd and 3-rd trimesters of pregnancy, the insulin demands of a pregnant woman are about 3 times higher than normal.
Whichever of these symptoms you may encounter, consult a doctor as fast as possible. There are many ways to prevent type 2 diabetes development, though there is not an official way to cure it. The best you can do is maintain control by following a scheduled meal plan, exercising and eating in moderation.
You are What you EAT!.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Lose Fat Metabolic Cooking to Burn Fat Not Muscle
I found a Great new cook book. It has a lot of helpers...like menu planning, recipes with pictures and best of all a Shopping list you can print out after choosing your recipes so you know what you need at the grocery store.....
Not Sure I can get Joella interested. I don't think she likes to cook that much anymore. She had rather stand around in the pool talking to her friends. I do believe there is a section to help you get through the dangers of eating out.
Weight loss Now is a big issue for her. She is still in the yo-yo phase...lose four pounds then gain six. Very bad for your heart...Plus the fact that she is still fighting diabetes. Sugar control is barely being kept in the safe range...she is taking three oral medications plus Insulin.
From personal experience I know that Weight Loss, Portion Control, scheduled meal and snack times along with regular exercise are the only options for controlling diabetes that worked for my Adult onset Diabetics.
This Metabolic Diet Plan I found has a slant that I think will help someone with diabetes...It targets eating foods to keep the metabolism working which in turn keeps Blood Sugar from going up so high and then so low you turn into a starved maniac! I know from talking to Joella that she runs into a problem when she skips meals or snacks. First thing you know she STARVING so she starts eating and doesn't stop until she has blown the calorie count for the day...sometimes for the week. If you are interested take a Look!
If you would like a look at the Diet Plan scroll to the bottom of this page and click on the link...they have a nice video and Tons of information.
Click here to Find Out More About Metabolic Cooking
Not Sure I can get Joella interested. I don't think she likes to cook that much anymore. She had rather stand around in the pool talking to her friends. I do believe there is a section to help you get through the dangers of eating out.
Weight loss Now is a big issue for her. She is still in the yo-yo phase...lose four pounds then gain six. Very bad for your heart...Plus the fact that she is still fighting diabetes. Sugar control is barely being kept in the safe range...she is taking three oral medications plus Insulin.
From personal experience I know that Weight Loss, Portion Control, scheduled meal and snack times along with regular exercise are the only options for controlling diabetes that worked for my Adult onset Diabetics.
This Metabolic Diet Plan I found has a slant that I think will help someone with diabetes...It targets eating foods to keep the metabolism working which in turn keeps Blood Sugar from going up so high and then so low you turn into a starved maniac! I know from talking to Joella that she runs into a problem when she skips meals or snacks. First thing you know she STARVING so she starts eating and doesn't stop until she has blown the calorie count for the day...sometimes for the week. If you are interested take a Look!
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| Metabolic Cooking |
Click here to Find Out More About Metabolic Cooking
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