Trying Again - Diabetic - Need Support

[duplissey]

Hi,

I am not sure if I am doing this correctly but here goes. I am hoping to find a support group so I can lose the weight. I am a diabetic and have a long line of diabetics in my immediate family. I am the youngest of seven children and have lost my oldest sister two years ago (she was 68) to complications of diabetes. The sister who is next to me is also a diabetic as well as my oldest brother. My physician told my husband at the time of sister's death that the remaining sisters would go either of two ways: they would get busy and lose the weight and take care of themselves or they would think "what's the use, may as well do what I want. life expectancy is short". Unfortunately, though not wanting to admitt it, I think we are opting for the second choice.

I have tried Atkins, Sugar Busters, a Nutrionist, Diabetic Diets but I can't seem to stay on them. I can't fall off one day and go back on the next. It's all or nothing for me. What makes it extremely difficult is that being from the south I was raised on white rice and flour gravy, fried chicken, corn etc. I feel defeated before I start and just give up. Also, the way our working schedules are, we usually do not cook but pick up something or snack. Although my husband doesn't realize it, I believe he sabatoges my efforts. He doesn't have health problems and brings things in the house (peanut butter cups, rice and gravy (he cooks), lots of bread) and expects me to "take care of myself". I do not exercise although once I get started, I love it. People I work with are all overweight and the only exercise we get at work is talking about it.

I am home ill today because of high blood sugar and once again I am going to try Sugar Busters. It seemed to work better for me when I was on it before.
I know I am rambling but it is helping me to type it all out!

So wish me luck

[elimy]

Welcome Duplissey! :wave:

I'm so sorry you've had a hard time. This forum is so supportive you'll likely get addicted like most of us! I personally am not very familiar with SugarBusters. But I know that low carb works. The last time I had my blood sugar checked I was at 75. I don't have diabetes, but I know that once I was on Atkins, I started to feel a much more stable level of energy, no more 2pm crashes after lunch. It's important to get a check-up when you have diabetes and/or on medications before going low-carb, so they need to keep a close eye on your medication levels, and adjust accordingly. You'll hear many stories on this forum about people going completely off their meds eventually, but you want to be careful.

A great thing to do on this forum is to start a journal. Just go to the "Journals/Bootcamp" room and start a new thread, that becomes your journal so name it wisely! It's a great way to track your journey, stay accountable. People will visit your journal with advice and encouragement and you can do the same in theirs.

Don't forget, everyone has their ups and downs on the way to goal. It's truly a lifestyle, not a diet. Just know that we're here and in this together!

Take Care!

Emily

[Cara73]

Hi there, Duplissey

Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to hear of the hard times you have had and are having. Making the decision and actually starting is the hardest thing. It seems that once you get going, it gets easier. This forum helps me a ton. I hope you fill find it does the same thing for you.

There is a website called www.fitday.com (http://www.fitday.com) and you can log everything you eat in there. They have preset values for food, and it breaks it all down for you and tracks it for you. I find it very helpful, along with the wonderful people here.

Good luck to you, and I hope you get a good start :D .

[DWRolfe]

Welcome to the forum!

I think you’ll find this to be a wonderfully supportive community. I know it’s a lifeline for me…

Have fun navigating around the site. You’ll find things well organized and links to a wealth of information.

Good luck to you!

Donald :wave:

[black57]

Everyone wh begins a low carb way of eating have to change their way of thinking. First off, don't buy ready made meals. Cook low carb meals ahead of time. You can make wonderful fried chicken by using soy flour instead of white flour for breading. Soy flour also makes good gravy if you make it from a rue. We had low carb freid chicken for Memorial Day this year. Do you eat greens cooked in pork? I grew up on Southern concepts but without alot of bread or rice because I didn't like them. Cauliflower is a good replacement for rice and potatoes.

[Marge]

Take it one day at a time, one hour at a time if need be. I too am a recently diagnosed diabetic and just went through a period of testing upping my carbs. The blood sugar started going up and I was feeling tired. back on Induction and I'm feeling better (except for the late nights caused by hockey) and blood sugar is already stabilizing again.

We are with you.

[duplissey]

Thank you to all of you who responded. I actually was placed on Sugar Busters by my physician. He also recommended Atkins. He feels that either of them will help me control my blood sugar.

I look forward to corresponding with all of you. My son came and took everything out of the pantry and refrigerator that wasn't acceptable on a low carb diet. He took it to his place and stocked up!

Thank you again for the tips and you will be hearing from me!

Have a blessed day.. :)

[duplissey]

Cara 73

I went to FitDay.com and you are right. It is an awesome website. Thanks for the info. I have entered my information . Have a good one

[Cara73]

Hey there Duplissey,

It sounds like you definitely have the right support at home :D . That's awesome. That can certainly make or break you. When you have eyes watching over everything you eat. At first, it's pretty irritating, especially when you want to cheat :nono: . Then it sure comes in handy and helps you stay on track!!! My 6 year old daughter does that for me. Everything I eat, she'll say "is that on your diet, mommy?" Too funny.

Yes, fitday.com is awesome. It sure helps you be completely aware of what you eat each day, and if you stay within your limits. Keeps things in perspective, which is a huge help for me.

Well, again, welcome to the forum. The support and help here is great!! One other thing everybody recommends is start a journal. That way, if you are having problems, somebody with maybe a little more experience can read through your journal and help you or make some suggestions. In the main listing of forums, you'll see journal/bootcamp. You can go in there and start a new thread, name it what you would like, and just log everything in there. I'm trying to find out how...you can post a link here to your fitday account so you don't have to type it out twice!!

Have a wonderful evening :)

[LilaCotton]

Hiya! I wasn't raised in the south, but I ate the same way--tons of fried chicken, meat dredged in flour and fried, corn used as a veggie instead of as a grain (every meal had to include one green veggie and one 'colored' veggie like corn, carrots or beets), potatoes and gravy at EVERY meal. I only wish my mom was still alive today so she could see where in all her efforts to provide 'healthy' meals for her family she was creating a monster.

The truth is, if you're going to succeed on any diet you're going to have to re-train your thinking, and it doesn't matter if it's the Diabetic Diet, Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers or what have you. In my opinion, the low-carb plans are the easiest for retraining because while you do give up the flavorless white stuff (like gravy, rice, potatoes, pasta, etc.) you do eat the most flavorful and nutritious foods out there--veggies, berries, low-glycemic fruits, meats, etc.

You may have to sit down with your husband and have a heart-to-heart and explain to him how his actions aren't helping your health, and that until you have the strength to resist these kinds of foods they're going to have to be off limits in the house. Many people have had to do this. I've seen where wives are low-carbing, but hubby isn't and doesn't need to. So for his lunch he eats pretty much what he wants and comes home to a nutritious low-carb supper.

I also might add here that after a couple of weeks of following an LC plan, especially if it is for the benefit of your health (like diabetes), it gets a whole lot easier to resist foods you shouldn't eat. :)

[duplissey]

Thanks again for your encouragement. I haven't figured how to do the journal yet but am working on that now! I have decided to go back with Atkins; after reading back through my information, I believe it will work best. Have a good one!