Re: food help needed

March 19, 2005

An elderly friend of mine got Meals on Wheels after her hip replacement. She

does not have diabetes. But she too complained that the meals were starchy

and full of fat.

It makes sense, as mashed potatoes are a " comfort food " and it's a lot

cheaper to provide a bit of meat, a lot of mashed potatoes and frozen peas,

and a piece of cake than it is to provide more meat, fresh greens, and

fruit.

The " town suppers " often put on around here as fund raisers are the same.

Starchy and buttery.

Gretchen

March 19, 2005

Hi Laurel

This is looong, for anyone who wants to skip to " next " .

OK, let me see if I can put it in a nutshell. Correct me where I go

wrong.

You are an insulin-using type 2 also on BP meds.

You have a meter, and when you use it you see 250-500 mg/dl.

You have a serious back/spinal problem and cannot stand or sit in one

place to cook, but you are mobile enough to go to the bathroom.

You are also overweight.

You have a microwave and a Foreman grill reachable from bed.

Your daughters are willing to assist, either personally or by paying a

helper.

I am wary of suggesting you cut carbs too quickly or too drastically,

because I don't use insulin. So, whatever I say, if an insulin user

disagrees – listen to them, not me. Make your changes in small

increments – eat a few less carbs each day.

The others have all given you some good advice. You may not like mine,

but what I say is said to help, not criticise. Usually, I put my sig

last, but this time I'm including it here to stress that I am not

medically qualified in any way:

dx May 2002 , A1C 8.2=>5.7, wt 117kg(257)=>95kg(209),

Diet and not enough exercise.

I have no medical qualifications beyond my own experience. Choose your

advisers carefully, because experience can be an expensive teacher.

OK, next:-)

First you have to make some decisions. The most important one is

whether you are ready to do what you can to help yourself. I don't

mean the physical problems, I mean the decision to lose the weight and

control the BGs whilst not aggravating your other conditions.

Because, if you don't do those two things, eventually the other

conditions will be the least of your problems.

If you have made that decision, then you will need to make some more:

what sort of diet, how to prepare and cook it, how to exercise (yes,

that's right, exercise); how to check on your weight and BGs progress;

whether you will need assistance.

I'll deal with the last first. Your daughters are willing to help. You

are very fortunate there.

Let them. If that feels selfish be honest with yourself (I told you

that you wouldn't like me). Which will be a greater burden for them:

helping you look after yourself as you are, or looking after you when

you add neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy or stroke (pick any or

all) to your other conditions?

On food – get a good microwave cookbook and use it, preferably using

fresh ingredients – as wide a variety as possible. I'll put some ideas

in separate posts in a day or two. If that's not physically possible,

the others have given you lots of ideas on prepared foods you can get

in your area. Just as an example, your daughters could cook up

casseroles and stews at home, freeze them in single serve

microwaveable containers, and store them in your freezer.

On BGs – test, test, test. Start by testing 90 minutes after each meal

or snack. If it was high, cut some carbs from that meal next time you

eat it. As simple as that – test, review, adjust, repeat. At every

meal until you know what will happen with everyhing you eat, then you

can relax the testing a bit. And I'll repeat here - do everything a

little bit at a time - no extremes.

On weight – don't replace the carbs you cut. Don't increase any

protein portions, but change some things, like less red meats and more

fish, less saturated fats and more unsaturated fats etc. If that

means a meal disappears (breakfast might) then move something from

another meal. For example, instead of a full serve of chicken for

dinner, have a half serve and have an egg with a small piece of smoked

fish - or ham - or bacon - or hamburger - in the morning to replace

the cereal, toast and milk that I suspect you'll no longer eat then.

That was " an egg " , not " eggs " . Not because of cholesterol, but to lose

weight.

These are just ideas. Pick from them what you wish. But first you have

to make that decision.

Oops - I forgot exercise. Move anything you can, that doesn't cause

you pain, as often as you can, with resistance. Push the flat of your

hand against the wall, hold hands and try to pull them apart, lift a

book in each hand with your arm extended, raise your legs one at a

time - think of ideas. But don't just lie there (It's alright - I

already upset you so there's nothing to lose:-)

Good luck,

Cheers Alan, T2, Australia.

--

dx May 2002 , A1C 8.2=>5.7, wt 117kg(257)=>95kg(209),

Diet and not enough exercise.

I have no medical qualifications beyond my own experience. Choose your

advisers carefully, because experience can be an expensive teacher.

Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter

March 19, 2005