178900 Sat May 11 14:43:58 -0700 2002 5 15 Pennsylvania 0 962270 I got the results of the tests on Tuesday. I've had chicken breasts & salad since, I'm scared to eat anything else. Any ideas on how I can chow and still be healthy? Mosca Sat May 11 14:43:58 -0700 2002 0 Mosca 1 962271 Greetings Mosca I have had great luck with SugarBusters, which is based on the Glycemic Index and if followed prudently is NOT the "Fad Diet" that detractors assert it to be. Here's the text of a post I did on a non-affiliated discussion forum dedicated to the SugarBusters program ( http://www.sweettalkplus.com/forum/index.php ) "Just got back from the Doctor. Was Diagnosed Type II Diabetes at the beginnng of March. He wanted to put me on meds - Metformin. I wore him down to the point that he would let me try SugarBusters and Exercise with no meds for a couple of months. The results: Fasting Blood Glucose down from 155 to 105 A1c down from over 8 to 7.0 Overall cholesterol from 235 to 182 Improved HDL and LCL but I don't have the starting points. Weight Loss: 8.5% of starting weight Yeah, SugarBusters seems to work for Type II Diabetes." To take things locally, I'm getting my whole grain bread at Metropolitan Bakery and shopping a lot at Fresh Fields. SugarBusters is easy to follow at most restaurants. It's important you get a glucometer and measure your blood sugar often. It's instant feedback as to how well you are doing on the diet or, as it has to be for someone diagnosed Type II, you new, long term, way of life. I also recommend the book "Diabetes for Dummies." Though it's a couple of years old, it's as good an explanation of the disease and how to manage it that you will find. You have to accept that your life has changed. You need to manage your sugar levels through exercise, diet and, if the doctor recommends, medication. But you should be able to take control of the diabetes, and ward off any of the scary, long term complications. Feel free to email me directly if you'd like to talk some more. I'm only a two month wonder on the subject, but have been doing a fair amount of research. Holly Moore HollyEats.Com (Yeah, I see the irony between the focus of HollyEats.Com and my commitment to SugarBusters. But a few non-sugarbuster meals a month haven't seemed to affect my fasting sugar level or weight loss.) Link: http://www.hollyeats.com Sat May 11 19:34:57 -0700 2002 962270 0 Holly Moore 2 962274 Wow... knowing that you can do it gives me great strength. I'll visit the forum you mentioned, thank you. I have some other complications, heart disease being one of them; I too had talked my doctor into allowing me to try diet and exercise alone, but after some research I decided to take the pills as well. With diligence on my part, I should be able to keep posting my chow finds from the wasteland of Northeast PA! (Old Forge and Hazleton excepted) Tom Brenholts Mosca Sun May 12 11:09:24 -0700 2002 962271 0 Mosca 3 962275 Tom, First let me say, were I in your situation, I would suggest a nutritionist and reading some of the books & web sites that are out there on diet for diabetes and on heart disease. I'd also get in touch with the Natl Associations who may have a lot of info with you. Certainly they have web sites. My personal experience is limited to an ancient bout with hypoglycemia (the flip side of the blood sugar coin). You will be able to continue to eat well if you take control. As I understand it the diet part of your treatment for diabetes is essentially, no sugar, no alcohol and reduction of simple (white, mostly)carbohydrates which are quickly transformed into blood sugar. The heart issue complicates it because you also need to restrict fats. And many of the protein alternatives are, alas, relatively high carb. The more you learn about the foods you eat, the more you take control of your diet, I think you will find you can still eat satisfyingly. Another issue besides what you eat may be WHEN you eat. My understanding is that you need to eat smaller meals with intervening snacks that occur approximately 2 1/2 hours after your meal. This is to stabilize the blood sugar and keep from pounding your system with alternating bursts of insulin and adrenoline seesawing through your system. Skipping meals can be a big problem In reasonable amounts, fish, chicken, pork tenderloins (which are have little fat and are easy to prepare without drying out), some game, bison, ostrich, and, yes, tofu are probably available to your diet (though you may find some of them only on line). When you do eat carbs, avoid the white ones. The whole grains and beans generally release sugar into the blood more slowly. And many vegetables are low carb. An invaluable tool would be a book that tells you exactly how much fat (and specifically how much sat fat), how many grams of carbohydrates are in your food. Your doctor give you specific numbers of grams of these substances to keep within. Even without either heart disease or diabetes, I often consult such a book so I have a sense of which foods to chose to keep my intake in balance. You'd be surprised at what different foods contain. I use "A Guide to the Foods You Eat" published by Black Dog & Leventhal Publ (dist: Workman Publ; ISBN 1-57912-030-X). I am not totally satisfied with it, how it's organized, some things it leaves out, etc., but it does cover a full range of foods in their natural state and is more useful than those that tend to concentrate on processed foods. Anyone with a better guide, please let me know. Also keep in mind that serving size measurement in these books is not equivalent to what we typically call a serving in the US. Get a scale so you know how many oz of particular foods you are eating. It's an important part of taking control. You may find support groups either locally or on line who will have good information for you. But most of all I suggest you consult a professional nutritionist who specializes in your diseases. The Natl Assoc's for Diabetes & Heart disease may have lists of those who so specialize. (When my sister was diagnosed with cancer, the Natl Assoc had such a list as well as a lot if information and suggestions about support groups.) There are also a number of food sites on the web that give nutritional information of food Looking on this as a new adventure in eating, exploring new foods and methods of preparation will make these changes more acceptable and perhaps even attractive than if you look on it merely as deprivation. Sun May 12 12:47:05 -0700 2002 962274 0 Saucyknave 4 962279 Avoiding "white" carbohydrates is not, by itself, wrong. If you can adhere to that type of restriction, you can control your blood glucose. Most people, however, find that next to impossible. By expanding the variety of foods you eat, and restricting quantities rather than eliminating favorite foods, one can control diabetes successfully. It really doesn't matter what "type" of carbohydrate you consume. What does matter is the total grams of carbohydrate consumed. A piece of angel food cake containing 15 grams of carbohydrate, or 15 grams of sugar straight from the sguar bowl, or a half-cup of cooked brown rice all have an equivalent impact on blood glucose levels. Yes, a few types of carbohydrates, like legumes, are transformed into blood sugar more slowly than others, and it is certainly a good thing to work these foods into your diet. (I happen to love beans!) But to successfully control blood glucose levels, a person with diabetes must adopt a diet he or she can sustain. (Note: Alcohol and fat actually tend to depress blood glucose levels -- at least initially. In many individuals, three or four hours after consuming immoderate quantities of alcohol or fat, blood glucose levels then take a trip north.) If blood glucose levels are your only concern, carbohydrates are where your nuitritional focus should be. Obviously, if cardiac and other issues are involved, these have to be taken into account as well. All the more reason to consult with a professional nutritionist. The bottom line for most diabetics is, yes, you can have a piece of cake and eat it, too -- so long as it's a small piece, and you figure it into your daily carbohyrate budget. That budget should be established with the help of a nutritional counselor, preferably one associated with a diabetic education program. I highly recommend newly diagnosed diabetics to find a diabetic education team they can work with. Many area hospitals and/or their endocrinology departments offer such teams to help you successfully manage diabetes. They regularly schedule introductory workshops for small groups, so you know you're not alone. Mon May 13 00:35:04 -0700 2002 962275 0 Bob Libkind 5 962291 Thanks all for the advice. I'm mostly concerned about giving up something I love, good eating; saucyknave's advice to look on it as a new adventure in taste tells me that it's really all about attitude! My doctor has prescribed a diet high in plants, beans and grains, with some animal protiens. He has prescribed a new "smart drug", Starlix (info: http://www.starlix.com/starlix/ ) . I plan to be here for some time, passing on those chow sites to everyone! Tom Brenholts Mosca Mon May 13 23:27:38 -0700 2002 962279 0 Mosca