Re: Bill's progress

[Guest guest]

bill, It is so hard to give up everything you are used to eating, so instead

of giving it allup, just eat very small amounts. This is easy to do with

carb dishes ie. rice mixed lots of vegetables give you the taste of rice,

but if you use only about 1/3 cup of it, it ix that with veges and a sauce

of olive oil with garlic cooked in it. It's hard to get used to eating in

smaller amounts-keep trying, as it seems you are doing. I think Dr.

Berstein's 30 grams of carbs a day is too small amount for most of us, but I

have been able (with some goofs) to eat around 60 grams and am not hungry.

The trick is lots of veggies!Also, tofu is very filling and has few

calories. is only 15 grams. The same with spaghetti noodles-1/2 cup is 15

carbs and

Bill's progress

I went to my doc today for a monthly checkup and he says that my sugars look

like they're fairly well controlled though to give it another couple of

months to see if I gain further tighter control before we do anything else.

He also said that my cholesterol was 170 but triglycerides were 280 and that

150 should be my goal. But rather than putting me on another medcation to

control that, he said that Actos should start to help with the triglycerides

but it will take a bit more time to notice anything, and in the meantime I

have to " work more on my diet. " I'm not sure what that means unless it's

just to eat cardboard. Seriously, I do still need to get better on my diet

and especially on exercise but I've cut out so many things that I like

already. I am hoping to see a reduced triglyceride level without the need

for more meds. Any thoughts?

Bill

[Guest guest]

I believe getting your carb consumption under control will make the most

difference in your triglyceride levels as well as making you feel better.

I have been a carb counter for less than two weeks, and after 5 or 6 days of

consuming less than 60 grams of carbs per day, I got over my craving for

foods. In fact I have more energy and don't feel draggy, tired and

irritable like I use to do for the past four months.

So cut out those carbs altogether, or at least cut out as many of them as

possible. Get yourself into a relaxed frame of mind and repeat over and

over the mantra:

No bread No fruit No pasta No milk

until you feel completely at ease mentally and keep repeating this mantra to

yourself a few more times when you have achieved this complete relaxed state

of mind.

It is important to give your brain a good cleaning out and this brainwashing

technique works. If you are any thing like I am, I needed a good

brainwashing to get my head straight about my health and especially diabetes

control.

I use to take Actos and glyburide and feared injecting myself with insulin;

but no more. I am now taking no oral medicines for diabetes control and I

am just trying to cut out those spikes in the glucose levels with Lantus and

Humalog injections for a total of four insulin injections per day.

Really, I do feel better, and I hope to gain tighter control in the next

couple of weeks. I consume less than 60 grams of carbs per day presently,

and plan to continue doing so.

I hope you do and feel better, too!

Bill's progress

> I went to my doc today for a monthly checkup and he says that my sugars

look

> like they're fairly well controlled though to give it another couple of

> months to see if I gain further tighter control before we do anything

else.

> He also said that my cholesterol was 170 but triglycerides were 280 and th

at

> 150 should be my goal. But rather than putting me on another medcation to

> control that, he said that Actos should start to help with the

triglycerides

> but it will take a bit more time to notice anything, and in the meantime I

> have to " work more on my diet. " I'm not sure what that means unless it's

> just to eat cardboard. Seriously, I do still need to get better on my diet

> and especially on exercise but I've cut out so many things that I like

> already. I am hoping to see a reduced triglyceride level without the need

> for more meds. Any thoughts?

>

> Bill

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Another thought comes to mind, since you are on Actos, which is prescribed

for people with insulin resistance, which I also have. With the Actos and

the other oral medications you are taking you may tend to run low blood

glucose and get the shakes and sweats, so keep some glucose tablets on hand

to bump up your glucose level 20 points with each glucose tablet you

consume. I hated those low glucose levels that made me feel so badly, and I

am sure you do not like them either.

Bill's progress

>

>

> > I went to my doc today for a monthly checkup and he says that my sugars

> look

> > like they're fairly well controlled though to give it another couple of

> > months to see if I gain further tighter control before we do anything

> else.

> > He also said that my cholesterol was 170 but triglycerides were 280 and

th

> at

> > 150 should be my goal. But rather than putting me on another medcation

to

> > control that, he said that Actos should start to help with the

> triglycerides

> > but it will take a bit more time to notice anything, and in the meantime

I

> > have to " work more on my diet. " I'm not sure what that means unless it's

> > just to eat cardboard. Seriously, I do still need to get better on my

diet

> > and especially on exercise but I've cut out so many things that I like

> > already. I am hoping to see a reduced triglyceride level without the

need

> > for more meds. Any thoughts?

> >

> > Bill

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Harry,

Actually I haven't had too much of a problem with " sugar lows " , but for

those occasional times I do have glucose tablets. I picked up some orange

flavored ones from Rite Aid and they actually taste pretty dang good. (Gee,

let's not load up on them though...)

My biggest problem in dealing with carb control is that I do like pasta

which I eat probably once a week, I'm not much of a salad eater and though I

know things like broccoli and cauliflower are good for you, they are foods I

hate, so that does limit me some. And yes, I have always had a problem with

cutting down the amount I eat. What I try to do though it's not become

native yet, is to drink plenty of water about 20 minutes before eating to

fill up my stomach somewhat, then my brain gets the message not to eat so

much. I think I'm getting better at this because I am getting full much

quicker now whether or not I take the water so it's forcing me to cut my

portions back.

I didn't realize Actos was for insulin resistance, but it's what my doctor

prescribed for me at the start of my diabetes treatment rather than just

waiting to see what dieting would do on its own. I think the Actos is a good

med but I do wish I'd get to that point where it would give me better sugars

in that 2-hour period rather than waiting 3-4 hours. At least the two hour

levels aren't way high, just maybe 10-20 points higher than I would like as

opposed to 50-60+. Still, I guess I'm expecting too much too soon. But I

will continue on to succeed.

Thanks,

Bill

[Guest guest]

Hi Bill.

First of all, hang in there! And great job on keeping your bgs in good

control! Your doc even noticed that! The main thing that effects

triglycerides is sugar. So, carbs break down to sugar, sugar not only raises

bgs but also raises triglyceride levels. Question, how many carbs are you

eating a day? This is why docs say to not eat sweets when your triglycerides

are high. I know my mom has triglyceride levels of 300 and doc said you have

3 months to get it down and to quit eating sweets adn to watch your carbs.

She wasn't eating sweets at all. I trained good old mom on carb counting and

she is on 45 grams total a day. Prior to this, she was consuming 250 to 300

carbs a day, all from low fat foods mind you and thinking she was doing a

good thing to fight her cholesterol. Low fat foods are so misleading to

people who just don't know about carb counting. I'd never suggest 45 grams a

day for you but wanted to convey that carbs break down to sugar and sugar

raises your triglyceride level. Hang in there...

Bill's progress

> I went to my doc today for a monthly checkup and he says that my sugars

look

> like they're fairly well controlled though to give it another couple of

> months to see if I gain further tighter control before we do anything

else.

> He also said that my cholesterol was 170 but triglycerides were 280 and

that

> 150 should be my goal. But rather than putting me on another medcation to

> control that, he said that Actos should start to help with the

triglycerides

> but it will take a bit more time to notice anything, and in the meantime I

> have to " work more on my diet. " I'm not sure what that means unless it's

> just to eat cardboard. Seriously, I do still need to get better on my diet

> and especially on exercise but I've cut out so many things that I like

> already. I am hoping to see a reduced triglyceride level without the need

> for more meds. Any thoughts?

>

> Bill

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

very good advice patricia...

Bill's progress

>

>

> I went to my doc today for a monthly checkup and he says that my sugars

look

> like they're fairly well controlled though to give it another couple of

> months to see if I gain further tighter control before we do anything

else.

> He also said that my cholesterol was 170 but triglycerides were 280 and

that

> 150 should be my goal. But rather than putting me on another medcation to

> control that, he said that Actos should start to help with the

triglycerides

> but it will take a bit more time to notice anything, and in the meantime I

> have to " work more on my diet. " I'm not sure what that means unless it's

> just to eat cardboard. Seriously, I do still need to get better on my diet

> and especially on exercise but I've cut out so many things that I like

> already. I am hoping to see a reduced triglyceride level without the need

> for more meds. Any thoughts?

>

> Bill

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Good advice Harry. Remember Bill, your meter is your best friend. It will

tell you what foods are good for you and which ones are not. If you aren't

85 to 90 pre meal bgs and aren't 120 or less 2 hours past eating...

something gotta go or get cut back to smaller portions like was

saying...

Bill's progress

>

>

> > I went to my doc today for a monthly checkup and he says that my sugars

> look

> > like they're fairly well controlled though to give it another couple of

> > months to see if I gain further tighter control before we do anything

> else.

> > He also said that my cholesterol was 170 but triglycerides were 280 and

th

> at

> > 150 should be my goal. But rather than putting me on another medcation

to

> > control that, he said that Actos should start to help with the

> triglycerides

> > but it will take a bit more time to notice anything, and in the meantime

I

> > have to " work more on my diet. " I'm not sure what that means unless it's

> > just to eat cardboard. Seriously, I do still need to get better on my

diet

> > and especially on exercise but I've cut out so many things that I like

> > already. I am hoping to see a reduced triglyceride level without the

need

> > for more meds. Any thoughts?

> >

> > Bill

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Hey Bill try spaghetti squash. You pick it up in the produce section of your

local grocery store and boil it. You then take the inside out and it is just

like pasta noodles. It is a great low carb substitute for pasta and many

many low carbers love it! I think a cup has only like 4 grams of carbs.

Smother it with sauce and cheese just like pasta and it is darn good from

what I gather. However, don't ever try purchasing any low carb pasta noodles

or wheat noodles, those are crap LOL.

Re: Bill's progress

> Harry,

>

> Actually I haven't had too much of a problem with " sugar lows " , but for

> those occasional times I do have glucose tablets. I picked up some orange

> flavored ones from Rite Aid and they actually taste pretty dang good.

(Gee,

> let's not load up on them though...)

>

> My biggest problem in dealing with carb control is that I do like pasta

> which I eat probably once a week, I'm not much of a salad eater and though

I

> know things like broccoli and cauliflower are good for you, they are foods

I

> hate, so that does limit me some. And yes, I have always had a problem

with

> cutting down the amount I eat. What I try to do though it's not become

> native yet, is to drink plenty of water about 20 minutes before eating to

> fill up my stomach somewhat, then my brain gets the message not to eat so

> much. I think I'm getting better at this because I am getting full much

> quicker now whether or not I take the water so it's forcing me to cut my

> portions back.

>

> I didn't realize Actos was for insulin resistance, but it's what my doctor

> prescribed for me at the start of my diabetes treatment rather than just

> waiting to see what dieting would do on its own. I think the Actos is a

good

> med but I do wish I'd get to that point where it would give me better

sugars

> in that 2-hour period rather than waiting 3-4 hours. At least the two hour

> levels aren't way high, just maybe 10-20 points higher than I would like

as

> opposed to 50-60+. Still, I guess I'm expecting too much too soon. But I

> will continue on to succeed.

>

> Thanks,

>

> Bill

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I understand, but you are just going to have to get over it!

If you eat or drink those things you don't like for a period of three months

and reframe from eating and drinking those things you do like in the

meantime, you will aquire a taste for those things you formerly did not

like. It just takes time and persistence. For instance before I started

drinking diet Coke, I would only dring the regular Coke, which contains 43

carbs, and I would not drink those nasty diet things. Yuck!, Well, after

drinking diet Coke, which contains less than 1 carb for three months without

drinking a regular Coke, I learned to like diet Coke. Then, when I drank a

regular Coke, I thought I was drinking syrup, which I almost was, since a

regular Coke contains almost 2 ounces of pure sugar. Remember an ounce

contains 28 grams.

I still think diet drinks are still yuck, but I have learned to really like

better things like plain water, unsweet tea and black coffee. And if there

is only one thing I really hated, it would have to be coffee in any form.

Today I love it!

Re: Bill's progress

> Harry,

>

> Actually I haven't had too much of a problem with " sugar lows " , but for

> those occasional times I do have glucose tablets. I picked up some orange

> flavored ones from Rite Aid and they actually taste pretty dang good.

(Gee,

> let's not load up on them though...)

>

> My biggest problem in dealing with carb control is that I do like pasta

> which I eat probably once a week, I'm not much of a salad eater and though

I

> know things like broccoli and cauliflower are good for you, they are foods

I

> hate, so that does limit me some. And yes, I have always had a problem

with

> cutting down the amount I eat. What I try to do though it's not become

> native yet, is to drink plenty of water about 20 minutes before eating to

> fill up my stomach somewhat, then my brain gets the message not to eat so

> much. I think I'm getting better at this because I am getting full much

> quicker now whether or not I take the water so it's forcing me to cut my

> portions back.

>

> I didn't realize Actos was for insulin resistance, but it's what my doctor

> prescribed for me at the start of my diabetes treatment rather than just

> waiting to see what dieting would do on its own. I think the Actos is a

good

> med but I do wish I'd get to that point where it would give me better

sugars

> in that 2-hour period rather than waiting 3-4 hours. At least the two hour

> levels aren't way high, just maybe 10-20 points higher than I would like

as

> opposed to 50-60+. Still, I guess I'm expecting too much too soon. But I

> will continue on to succeed.

>

> Thanks,

>

> Bill

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Harry put you a packet of splenda in your tea and have yourself some sweet

tea. Well, who really knows what you'd really call it but it is good smiles.

BTW my sighted, non-diabetic, friend drinks ice tea and will only use sweet

an low in it. I find that odd. However, sweet an low is sweeter than sugar

by a mile but it isn't that good for you. I should say large doses of it.

Don't you know it killed labratory rats LOL LOL LOL ya know, after injecting

3 billion ccs in a minature rat. It died of cancer. hmmm. I wonder why? LOL

Re: Bill's progress

>

>

> > Harry,

> >

> > Actually I haven't had too much of a problem with " sugar lows " , but for

> > those occasional times I do have glucose tablets. I picked up some

orange

> > flavored ones from Rite Aid and they actually taste pretty dang good.

> (Gee,

> > let's not load up on them though...)

> >

> > My biggest problem in dealing with carb control is that I do like pasta

> > which I eat probably once a week, I'm not much of a salad eater and

though

> I

> > know things like broccoli and cauliflower are good for you, they are

foods

> I

> > hate, so that does limit me some. And yes, I have always had a problem

> with

> > cutting down the amount I eat. What I try to do though it's not become

> > native yet, is to drink plenty of water about 20 minutes before eating

to

> > fill up my stomach somewhat, then my brain gets the message not to eat

so

> > much. I think I'm getting better at this because I am getting full much

> > quicker now whether or not I take the water so it's forcing me to cut my

> > portions back.

> >

> > I didn't realize Actos was for insulin resistance, but it's what my

doctor

> > prescribed for me at the start of my diabetes treatment rather than just

> > waiting to see what dieting would do on its own. I think the Actos is a

> good

> > med but I do wish I'd get to that point where it would give me better

> sugars

> > in that 2-hour period rather than waiting 3-4 hours. At least the two

hour

> > levels aren't way high, just maybe 10-20 points higher than I would like

> as

> > opposed to 50-60+. Still, I guess I'm expecting too much too soon. But I

> > will continue on to succeed.

> >

> > Thanks,

> >

> > Bill

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Bill.

What Harry is saying about losing your craving for certain foods is true.

Think of it this way... if you used to smoke cigarettes, and quit, over

time, you begin to lose your craving for them. You may smell one here and

there that smells good to you, but the deep compulsive urge to smoke is gone

even if it smells good. You are able to say, boy that smells good, but yet

pass on smoking one. That is how it is with carbs over time... you lose your

crave for them. Of course, Bernstein says that certain individuals have a

genetic attribute to cause them to crave carbs and he prescribes a

medication for it. I can't recall what it is though.

Re: Bill's progress

>

>

> > Harry,

> >

> > Actually I haven't had too much of a problem with " sugar lows " , but for

> > those occasional times I do have glucose tablets. I picked up some

orange

> > flavored ones from Rite Aid and they actually taste pretty dang good.

> (Gee,

> > let's not load up on them though...)

> >

> > My biggest problem in dealing with carb control is that I do like pasta

> > which I eat probably once a week, I'm not much of a salad eater and

though

> I

> > know things like broccoli and cauliflower are good for you, they are

foods

> I

> > hate, so that does limit me some. And yes, I have always had a problem

> with

> > cutting down the amount I eat. What I try to do though it's not become

> > native yet, is to drink plenty of water about 20 minutes before eating

to

> > fill up my stomach somewhat, then my brain gets the message not to eat

so

> > much. I think I'm getting better at this because I am getting full much

> > quicker now whether or not I take the water so it's forcing me to cut my

> > portions back.

> >

> > I didn't realize Actos was for insulin resistance, but it's what my

doctor

> > prescribed for me at the start of my diabetes treatment rather than just

> > waiting to see what dieting would do on its own. I think the Actos is a

> good

> > med but I do wish I'd get to that point where it would give me better

> sugars

> > in that 2-hour period rather than waiting 3-4 hours. At least the two

hour

> > levels aren't way high, just maybe 10-20 points higher than I would like

> as

> > opposed to 50-60+. Still, I guess I'm expecting too much too soon. But I

> > will continue on to succeed.

> >

> > Thanks,

> >

> > Bill

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

,

On a good day I seem to stay within the 60 gm carb limit, but there are

times I'm still doing 70 ot 80 so I still have a ways to go in retraining

myself. The doc did convey not trying to drastically change diet but rather

to ease into it so that I don't feel I'm doing too much sacrificing which

could lead to burnout. Sometimes I feel like I already am sacrificing too

much but then the alternative of not treating myself properly wouldn't be

too pretty either.

On the upside though, I must admit that carb counting has made it easy for

me to think about what I eat or the consequences therein. Yesterday I

actually found some Peeps which I just love, they're " pumpkin " shaped Peeps

just in time for Haloween. Of course we know it's sugar and 8 of these

little things are 33 gm carbs so I ate 4 of them and then took an extra

half-hour walk to " work for my food " and my sugar after 3 hours was down to

its normal at 106. I didn't even try a 2-hour test on that. The idea of

thinking " carbs " though teaches me that if I eat something like that I have

to work for it or I have to pay for it.

What would be nice is if I do get my triglycerides down by my next

appointment and get it to a " tolerable " level. I know it won't go down to

150 but at least if I can get it somewhere halfway between the 280 and the

150 I'd be tickled.

Bill

[Guest guest]

,

What I do find interesting about using the meter as my gauge is that with

roughly the same food portions, using an arbitrary baseline of 95 pre, I do

see that my sugars are gradually coming down in the same 3-hour period. It's

not getting there at a 2-hour period yet but by 3, yes, but I hope to see

more of a decline. And it's easier to see the progress when I take more

readings, so I'm usually taking 7 readings a day; faasting then after

breakfast, pre lunch and after lunch, pre dinner and after dinner, then

bedtime. I know I beat myself up over slow progress but at least I see

progress with the numbers coming down gradually, and the doc says it will be

gradual since it took years to get like this to begin with, but still, I

wish it would happen 5 minutes ago.

Now if I can just really work on the serving size that will help even more.

Oh, BTW, one other thing I wanted to mention and kept forgetting. You know I

said I hate brocolli, and I probably always will, but I have found that I'm

OK with things like Green Giant brocolli with cheese and that's only 5 carbs

which I'm surprised at, I'd have figured it would be too high. So unless I'm

missing something there, at least this is something that I can cope with.

(Just thought I'd pass that along.)

Bill

[Guest guest]

Hi Bill.

60 to 80 total carbs per day is perfectly fine. You do mean total per day,

right? If your trigliserites are still high at that amount, it may be from

the choice of carbs you are eating smiles. Like those darn peeps! However,

yesterday I splurged and ate a ho ho so I have no room to point the finger

smile. We all treat our selves here and there but if it is to frequent, even

if it is within our total carb range and our bgs are in range, it will toss

off our lab work and other aspects of our diabetes.

Re: Bill's progress

> ,

>

> On a good day I seem to stay within the 60 gm carb limit, but there are

> times I'm still doing 70 ot 80 so I still have a ways to go in retraining

> myself. The doc did convey not trying to drastically change diet but

rather

> to ease into it so that I don't feel I'm doing too much sacrificing which

> could lead to burnout. Sometimes I feel like I already am sacrificing too

> much but then the alternative of not treating myself properly wouldn't be

> too pretty either.

>

> On the upside though, I must admit that carb counting has made it easy for

> me to think about what I eat or the consequences therein. Yesterday I

> actually found some Peeps which I just love, they're " pumpkin " shaped

Peeps

> just in time for Haloween. Of course we know it's sugar and 8 of these

> little things are 33 gm carbs so I ate 4 of them and then took an extra

> half-hour walk to " work for my food " and my sugar after 3 hours was down

to

> its normal at 106. I didn't even try a 2-hour test on that. The idea of

> thinking " carbs " though teaches me that if I eat something like that I

have

> to work for it or I have to pay for it.

>

> What would be nice is if I do get my triglycerides down by my next

> appointment and get it to a " tolerable " level. I know it won't go down to

> 150 but at least if I can get it somewhere halfway between the 280 and the

> 150 I'd be tickled.

>

> Bill

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

Not having seen spaghetti squash I'm not sure what you mean by taking the

" inside out " but I will check this out at the store today. I have to go get

a bunch of canned goods in preparation for the possible storm headed our way

since we might be right in the path of Hurricaine Isabel which could hit

Baltimore sometime Thursday afternoon. Oh that oughta be fun. Hope we don't

lose power cause then all we will have is our stove. Anyway, will check that

out.

You mentioned spaghetti sauce, and for years I've used Hunts or Del Monte

spaghetti sauce for pasta but last time I tried Prego pasta sauce and though

I don't have a direct comparison since I couldn't find the original

spaghetti sauce we normally use, I noted that with the pasta sauce it wasn't

as " thick " and therefore I didn't get that " bloated " feeling with my meal. I

suspect that Prego has less carbs than the traditional spaghetti sauce and

to me it tastes better and seems less salty.

Bill

[Guest guest]

Hi Bill.

Good for you man! Don't forget to use the finger pricking alternating

pattern I have posted to keep those finger tips in tip top shape smile. I am

glad to see that you are finding foods that you like, or combinations of

foods, I'm hoping others chirp up on list and share some low carb meals they

eat to give us all ideas. Not only can you experiment with your body Bill,

but as you explained, you can experiment with food choices to find stuff you

like. I'd encourage you to keep trying different foods. BTW seriously try

salad supreme, a dry seed type shake on veggie thing, since it adds some

good flavor to certain veggies. It's actually for potato salad or macaroni

salad etc. but tastes good on veggies. Certain veggies taste good with cream

cheese on them such as celery with cream cheese.

In closing, I'd just like to say Bill that you are doing a great job man!

Think of how crappy you used to feel all those years and now you are

feelling better than ever. That is a result of your hard work Bill, not any

one else but you. You did that man! Good job!

Re: Bill's progress

> ,

>

> What I do find interesting about using the meter as my gauge is that with

> roughly the same food portions, using an arbitrary baseline of 95 pre, I

do

> see that my sugars are gradually coming down in the same 3-hour period.

It's

> not getting there at a 2-hour period yet but by 3, yes, but I hope to see

> more of a decline. And it's easier to see the progress when I take more

> readings, so I'm usually taking 7 readings a day; faasting then after

> breakfast, pre lunch and after lunch, pre dinner and after dinner, then

> bedtime. I know I beat myself up over slow progress but at least I see

> progress with the numbers coming down gradually, and the doc says it will

be

> gradual since it took years to get like this to begin with, but still, I

> wish it would happen 5 minutes ago.

>

> Now if I can just really work on the serving size that will help even

more.

>

> Oh, BTW, one other thing I wanted to mention and kept forgetting. You know

I

> said I hate brocolli, and I probably always will, but I have found that

I'm

> OK with things like Green Giant brocolli with cheese and that's only 5

carbs

> which I'm surprised at, I'd have figured it would be too high. So unless

I'm

> missing something there, at least this is something that I can cope with.

>

> (Just thought I'd pass that along.)

>

> Bill

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

main thing is to check out carbs in spaghetti sauce since many are very

high carb per half cup. Bare in mind, tomatoes are actually classified as a

fruit, not a veggie, and can impact bgs pretty good. Try to find a spaghetti

sauce that is pretty low carb per half cup. Spaghetti squash is a squash

that you boil and then cut open and pull out the insides and it is like

spaghetti noodles from what others tell me. I've never cooked it or ate it

yet, but plan to, and all low carbers really like it. I've been following

the hurricane updates all week. your in my prayers.

Re: Bill's progress

> ,

>

> Not having seen spaghetti squash I'm not sure what you mean by taking the

> " inside out " but I will check this out at the store today. I have to go

get

> a bunch of canned goods in preparation for the possible storm headed our

way

> since we might be right in the path of Hurricaine Isabel which could hit

> Baltimore sometime Thursday afternoon. Oh that oughta be fun. Hope we

don't

> lose power cause then all we will have is our stove. Anyway, will check

that

> out.

>

> You mentioned spaghetti sauce, and for years I've used Hunts or Del Monte

> spaghetti sauce for pasta but last time I tried Prego pasta sauce and

though

> I don't have a direct comparison since I couldn't find the original

> spaghetti sauce we normally use, I noted that with the pasta sauce it

wasn't

> as " thick " and therefore I didn't get that " bloated " feeling with my meal.

I

> suspect that Prego has less carbs than the traditional spaghetti sauce and

> to me it tastes better and seems less salty.

>

> Bill

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Harry,

Oh I've been drinking diet Pepsi for the longest time. I can't stand regular

Coke or regular Pepsi, to me Diet Pepsi is the drink that God

made....wonderful stuff. It sure beats drinking plain water.

Some of the things I hate are things I can't even force myself to swallow

for some reason, like cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and to a lesser extent

brocolli. No matter how much I tell myself they're good for me, the gag

reflex just gets in the way. But I discovered by accident 10 years ago when

my brother, a very good chef, made up a chicken divan dish for me when I was

recuperating from eye surgery and didn't have the energy to fix food myself,

I found I had no problem with it as long as it wasn't by itself. And oh was

it good.

I know some things are an acquired taste and I will have to give more things

a try so I can have more variety, but dang it, some things just won't go

down. Another thing I can't do is avacados which would be bad anyway, but

their texture just won't allow them to go down the old hatch. Probably a

good thing. (But I love avacado dip though, another bad thing, fortunately I

hardly ever have it because I don't eat potato chips.)

Mister Bill

[Guest guest]

I don't think that Actos will bring down your post meal glucose level as

fast as the fast acting Humalog, but I cannot swear to this. So your post

meal readings may be a result of this or the amount of carbs you consume per

meal. Any way I think, if you are getting close; you are doing well!

Re: Bill's progress

> ,

>

> What I do find interesting about using the meter as my gauge is that with

> roughly the same food portions, using an arbitrary baseline of 95 pre, I

do

> see that my sugars are gradually coming down in the same 3-hour period.

It's

> not getting there at a 2-hour period yet but by 3, yes, but I hope to see

> more of a decline. And it's easier to see the progress when I take more

> readings, so I'm usually taking 7 readings a day; faasting then after

> breakfast, pre lunch and after lunch, pre dinner and after dinner, then

> bedtime. I know I beat myself up over slow progress but at least I see

> progress with the numbers coming down gradually, and the doc says it will

be

> gradual since it took years to get like this to begin with, but still, I

> wish it would happen 5 minutes ago.

>

> Now if I can just really work on the serving size that will help even

more.

>

> Oh, BTW, one other thing I wanted to mention and kept forgetting. You know

I

> said I hate brocolli, and I probably always will, but I have found that

I'm

> OK with things like Green Giant brocolli with cheese and that's only 5

carbs

> which I'm surprised at, I'd have figured it would be too high. So unless

I'm

> missing something there, at least this is something that I can cope with.

>

> (Just thought I'd pass that along.)

>

> Bill

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hey Bill. Try boiling the cauliflower and then whipping it in the blender or

whipping them like mashed potatoes. They will actually be the texture, or

close to the texture, of mashed potatoes. You then add butter to them and

melt cheese on top and it just might work man.

Re: Bill's progress

> Harry,

>

> Oh I've been drinking diet Pepsi for the longest time. I can't stand

regular

> Coke or regular Pepsi, to me Diet Pepsi is the drink that God

> made....wonderful stuff. It sure beats drinking plain water.

>

> Some of the things I hate are things I can't even force myself to swallow

> for some reason, like cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and to a lesser

extent

> brocolli. No matter how much I tell myself they're good for me, the gag

> reflex just gets in the way. But I discovered by accident 10 years ago

when

> my brother, a very good chef, made up a chicken divan dish for me when I

was

> recuperating from eye surgery and didn't have the energy to fix food

myself,

> I found I had no problem with it as long as it wasn't by itself. And oh

was

> it good.

>

> I know some things are an acquired taste and I will have to give more

things

> a try so I can have more variety, but dang it, some things just won't go

> down. Another thing I can't do is avacados which would be bad anyway, but

> their texture just won't allow them to go down the old hatch. Probably a

> good thing. (But I love avacado dip though, another bad thing, fortunately

I

> hardly ever have it because I don't eat potato chips.)

>

> Mister Bill

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

spaghetti squash can also be cooked in the microwave-cut it in half and

remove seeds, then cover the top with Saran wrap and cook for about 15

minutes. It comes out of the shell with a fork looking just like spaghetti

and it is really good. I like it too with olive oil cooked with garlic o

it.

Re: Bill's progress

Hey Bill try spaghetti squash. You pick it up in the produce section of your

local grocery store and boil it. You then take the inside out and it is just

like pasta noodles. It is a great low carb substitute for pasta and many

many low carbers love it! I think a cup has only like 4 grams of carbs.

Smother it with sauce and cheese just like pasta and it is darn good from

what I gather. However, don't ever try purchasing any low carb pasta noodles

or wheat noodles, those are crap LOL.

Re: Bill's progress

> Harry,

>

> Actually I haven't had too much of a problem with " sugar lows " , but for

> those occasional times I do have glucose tablets. I picked up some orange

> flavored ones from Rite Aid and they actually taste pretty dang good.

(Gee,

> let's not load up on them though...)

>

> My biggest problem in dealing with carb control is that I do like pasta

> which I eat probably once a week, I'm not much of a salad eater and though

I

> know things like broccoli and cauliflower are good for you, they are foods

I

> hate, so that does limit me some. And yes, I have always had a problem

with

> cutting down the amount I eat. What I try to do though it's not become

> native yet, is to drink plenty of water about 20 minutes before eating to

> fill up my stomach somewhat, then my brain gets the message not to eat so

> much. I think I'm getting better at this because I am getting full much

> quicker now whether or not I take the water so it's forcing me to cut my

> portions back.

>

> I didn't realize Actos was for insulin resistance, but it's what my doctor

> prescribed for me at the start of my diabetes treatment rather than just

> waiting to see what dieting would do on its own. I think the Actos is a

good

> med but I do wish I'd get to that point where it would give me better

sugars

> in that 2-hour period rather than waiting 3-4 hours. At least the two hour

> levels aren't way high, just maybe 10-20 points higher than I would like

as

> opposed to 50-60+. Still, I guess I'm expecting too much too soon. But I

> will continue on to succeed.

>

> Thanks,

>

> Bill

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

Interesting that your friend likes Sweet 'n' Lo, I find that stuff tastes

nasty. It's kind of bitter to my taste no matter how little or how much.

Splenda is much, much better. I use either Splenda or Equal in anything I

want sweetened. I use less than a packet in coffee, because really I don't

use it to sweeten as much as just to take of the " bitter edge " so that I can

enjoy the true flavor of the coffee or tea without sweetening it. And though

I still eat cereal a couple of mornings a week I have found that Splenda

works just as good if not better than sugar for that. We eat breakfast very

early in the morning (5AM) and sometimes just don't have the time to fix

anything elaborate.

What I plan to start doing is to begin my regimen of Egg Beaters and mix it

with things like diced ham, spinach, or other things, and get my wife to do

the same so we're not fixing one thing for me and one for her. We both have

to work on it, even though she's not diabetic.

We're just both learning as we go along and are trying to " get with the

program. "

Mister Bill

[Guest guest]

Those cravings can be tough, and learning to eat other foods can be tougher.

In the past 15 years I have probably smoked a combined total of about 5

months, having been a pack a day cigarette smoker most of my life prior to

my first heart attack in 1987, when I was also first diagnosed as a diabetic

following the heart attack.

Today I still consider myself as a non-smoking smoker, because I

periodically crave a cigarette.

Re: Bill's progress

> Harry,

>

> Oh I've been drinking diet Pepsi for the longest time. I can't stand

regular

> Coke or regular Pepsi, to me Diet Pepsi is the drink that God

> made....wonderful stuff. It sure beats drinking plain water.

>

> Some of the things I hate are things I can't even force myself to swallow

> for some reason, like cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and to a lesser

extent

> brocolli. No matter how much I tell myself they're good for me, the gag

> reflex just gets in the way. But I discovered by accident 10 years ago

when

> my brother, a very good chef, made up a chicken divan dish for me when I

was

> recuperating from eye surgery and didn't have the energy to fix food

myself,

> I found I had no problem with it as long as it wasn't by itself. And oh

was

> it good.

>

> I know some things are an acquired taste and I will have to give more

things

> a try so I can have more variety, but dang it, some things just won't go

> down. Another thing I can't do is avacados which would be bad anyway, but

> their texture just won't allow them to go down the old hatch. Probably a

> good thing. (But I love avacado dip though, another bad thing, fortunately

I

> hardly ever have it because I don't eat potato chips.)

>

> Mister Bill

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Bill.

The egg sandwich I posted takes like 5 minutes to make. Eggs in micro for 2

minutes 45 seconds on level 4 heat. They don't blow up and are not rubbery

and are done nicely and come out of the bowl on the tost and on top of the

cheese and they melt the cheese since they are hot. I let it cool for about

2 minute sthen eat it. So, it takes about 5 minutes to make and is very

filling.

BTW me and my wife eat differntly... it works best for us. I told her early

on to fix whatever you and Nick, my son, want to eat. If there is anything I

can eat in the meal, I'll do it. This works best for us. I told her just

because I have to eat restricted, don't feel that you have to. So she has

chocolate and treats laying around and for the most part, I don't touch

them. She normally cooks meals that I can eat having some sort of meat and

carb that I can pass on or substitute the carbs with salad or a veggie. I

hate to get tested and be high ... I get upset with myself and feel like

crap, physically, so I don't even screw around with them her treats/snacks

for the most part... to me, it isn't even worth the negative results. It

also throws off my sugars for about 3 days.

Re: Bill's progress

> ,

>

> Interesting that your friend likes Sweet 'n' Lo, I find that stuff tastes

> nasty. It's kind of bitter to my taste no matter how little or how much.

> Splenda is much, much better. I use either Splenda or Equal in anything I

> want sweetened. I use less than a packet in coffee, because really I don't

> use it to sweeten as much as just to take of the " bitter edge " so that I

can

> enjoy the true flavor of the coffee or tea without sweetening it. And

though

> I still eat cereal a couple of mornings a week I have found that Splenda

> works just as good if not better than sugar for that. We eat breakfast

very

> early in the morning (5AM) and sometimes just don't have the time to fix

> anything elaborate.

>

> What I plan to start doing is to begin my regimen of Egg Beaters and mix

it

> with things like diced ham, spinach, or other things, and get my wife to

do

> the same so we're not fixing one thing for me and one for her. We both

have

> to work on it, even though she's not diabetic.

>

> We're just both learning as we go along and are trying to " get with the

> program. "

>

> Mister Bill

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

I do know what you mean about losing the craving for certain things. I used

to crave bread and as I grew up was always told that bread was good to eat

if you were craving something quick to eat. Well, along comes carb counting

showing bread is a big no-no. Where I used to fix myself a burger with a

couple of slices of bread and then put cheese on it, now I'm OK with just

fixing the burger by itself and having veggies along with it, and that suits

me just fine. I don't even miss the bread.

And if I have to eat on the road, when I order that burger I can order it

without the cheese and without all the goopy sauce on it, and if it happens

to come on a plate at least I can take off the bread and eat the rest of it

leaving the bread behind.

For years I've rationed French fries when they come with a meal. I pick a

number from 1 to 10 in my head and that's the number of fries I will allow

myself. I throw out the rest. So if the number I chose was 3, I find 3 small

fries and that's what I eat. I know I get strange looks from people who ask

" why are you throwing out all those fries? " I just answer " well, I'd rather

throw them out than wear them. "

I know, it ain't a perfect solution, but it's good discipline anyway.

Bread has always been something I counted on and I love a good slice of

whole wheat, but I found I definitely CAN do without it. And I will do that

with other things pretty soon, too.

Bill