If you have not read Part 4 of this
series, please do so. This is also about food, but I will be
discussing the type of medications and food plans with them. First
please understand that I use insulin and this allows me to eat some
foods that people on oral medications cannot eat with any regularity.
I am still maintaining less than 80
grams of carbohydrates per day, and I am slowly working my amount of
fat up. I no longer have the problems I had early on of using the
porcelain fixture in the bathroom more than I wanted. I continue to
adjust my protein levels – some days more, but often downward. This
depends how the protein is fixed and the number of eggs I consume.
I admit that my lipid panel test
results are improving and I have hope in the near future that statins
will come off the list of medications I take. This to me is exciting
and one more goal I have hope of accomplishing.
The landscape and attitudes of doctors
is changing, albeit slowly. My blog here discusses a few of the
actions and a little of what is happening. This doctor did surprise
me and garnered himself two patients and was more understanding than
I have heard about many doctors. He is in a largely rural area and
apparently understands diabetes better than many doctors.
I am hearing more about doctors
advising a low carb, high fat, medium protein food plan for people
with diabetes and this surprises me. Yes, I think this is right, but
for doctors to suggest this is unusual when most are still following
the low fat mantra.
I will again emphasize that there is
not a one-size-fits-all food plan. The quicker you accept this, the
easier it will be to build your own plan or adapt another food plan
that fits your needs. Use your meter to help you adapt or build your
food plan, as this will aid you in finding one that you can accept
and use on a daily basis. Other people often build a week's worth of
menus so that they can vary what they eat. Several members of our
support group have done this and they exchange recipes and test to
see how their body reacts to the recipe and then adapt it if they
need to do this.
One of our new members has tried a few
recipes that A. J and James have been eating and said he was having
trouble feeling full. They explained that he needed to test and see
what his blood glucose level was at about one hour and again at two
hours. He reported that his blood glucose had only increased 15
mg/dl from before to after meal testing. A.J suggested that he eat
10 more grams of carbs with the meal and see what happened. He did
and said his blood glucose had only risen 20 mg/dl from his premeal
reading. He added that he felt better and less hungry. A.J told him
that was what worked for him and he could try adding another 5 grams
of carbohydrates and do the same. He reported that he felt full then
and his blood glucose had only increased 3 mg/dl above what the 10
grams of carbohydrates had been.
He and A.J discussed this and he now
understood what could be done with different recipes that were
testing too high and if he did this regularly, he could adapt more
for himself. A.J is presently off all medications and the new member
is on metformin. James is on insulin and has been long enough that
he has been able to reduce his insulin use and he is no longer
hungry. He has lost the few pounds he needed to lose and then his
weight loss stopped.
A.J suggested that he eat more slowly and chew his food more thoroughly, as this could help him feel full sooner and this could help him cut his carbohydrates. The new member said this worked well for him and he was now maintaining his carb level below 60 grams of carbohydrates with no problems.
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