This is to be an introductory paragraph, and I intend this blog to be not only about my own journey on the Diabetes journey track, as well as some of the recipes, foods that have worked for me up to this point.
The journey I already walked, included immediately losing the weight, adding exercise and along the way experimented with foods and diet. Starting then with Keto diet for weight loss and control. Seems that many are using the Keto diet to lose weight and quickly. Yes it does work for that reason, and I used it to quickly lose weight given my diagnosis of diabetes 2. I worked at it, along with exercise daily for 3-4 months, lost enough weight to bring my glucose numbers under control. However! It is very limited in what foods are considered Keto safe, and frankly speaking, after years of eating without weight gain, I do not at all like the foods considered safe on Keto diet. In fact, some foods on that diet are a bit of a surprise to me as I had not considered them safe or healthy foods in my otherwise foods days, ie, like pickles, or cream cheese. And definitely not the stevia, which acts as a sugar replacement. I think I would rather go without than try to substitute anything for the sugar. So I did – go without sugar!
Gradually I switched to low carb type recipes, and it is fairly easy to look up low carb receipes easily enough on internet. I believe I have my blood sugar/glucose numbers under control, and recently the A1C came in at 5.8 or thereabouts, meaning I am in the safe category. I think safe as long as I continue to eat as I have been eating, low carb, and exercise. Even so, it doesn’t take much for my numbers to go over the top, telling me that the diabetes I do have is still active and can act up in measureable numbers any time I shift away from the safe foods (low carb).
I have a breakfast each morning my husband makes of banana, avocado, meat, to make sure my body is getting the potassium and fiber it need. I can count on it daily! Throughout the day I can snack of what I call the ‘safe foods’ and along my way, decided not to give up fruits. Spring and Summer, even Autumn seems to allow for some kind of safe fruit, ie, berries, cantaloupe, oranges, watermelon, or something in the fruit family to make sure my body is getting fiber it needs. Helps immensely with my bowel movements, which I had concerns that Keto dieting was removing from me. In following the charts, making sure I ‘stick’ two hours after a meal, the numbers are gratifying. Here is the charted numbers I am following having searched them out on internet.
Fasting = 70 to 120 ceiling. I usually do my stick in the morning when I first wake and get up after washing my hands. The numbers are in the 80s, and that works well enough. However, if the numbers, ie, this morning 85 go down too close to 70 I would be concerned as too low will generate too low blood sugar will generate bodily reaction that I do not want.
Two Hours After Meal or Exercise = ceiling of 140. Higher than 140 is not a safe or good place for numbers to be. Mostly my numbers are at 100 + and when measure at over 140, I feel extreme disappointment, and concern as reminds me the blood sugar/glucose/hormones are still in the diabetes 2 range.
Given that I got the diagnosis in 2017 a couple years ago, I have lost the weight and pushed my A1C number down. I am relieved and pleased my doctor gave me the diagnosis as up to that point the numbers meant nothing to me, so the years of pre-diabetes numbers really could have been strong indicators to me that something was amiss. It took the stress of my mother’s dying in August 2017, and the years of caring for her prior to that time that put my numbers over the top. I was frightened then, have my diabetes 2 track fairly managed now. We will see.
I am 68 years old, my body still shows evidence of diabetes though, I rather doubt that will heal itself, ie, the brown color under my arms, the pouchy stomach even with the weight loss, the face blemishes I didn’t have before (a visiting nurse suggested that was body’s way of releasing toxins, okay that will work as good excuse for a while), and the itches on my palms if I eat wrong foods. I am watching my body, more than I’d like, as in maybe vanity, or selfishness or …..
Good bye diabetes! 