Diabetes diagnosis + 2 months

2 months down and so far so good. After a brief venture into the 100s, my fasting blood glucose has been staying around the 110 level for almost the last two weeks. I probably haven’t been quite as low-carb as I could have been and I’ve been getting a little off track with the diet lately, which just happens to correspond to the end of the spring CSA. I think getting back to lower-carb eating will help get me back down to the 100 level.

Blood glucose chart

The gym workouts are helping and I’m starting to notice a difference when it comes to my clothes. Weight has been static, but the pants and shorts are definitely getting roomier.

Hungry

Now that I have my blood glucose levels down to more respectable levels (100-120), I’ve noticed that I feel hungry all the time.

I wonder if this is normal. Maybe I’m just not eating enough.

Diabetes diagnosis + 1 month

4 weeks since my diagnosis and with a couple exceptions, fasting blood glucose has been near 100 for the past week.

It’s been a bit of a trial adjusting to this low carb lifestyle, but I’m slowly figuring out what things I can and can’t/shouldn’t eat.

High fiber foods are not so bad. The Caribbean Jerk sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings not so good. Most fruits are ok, which is good.

Discovered yesterday that coffee is not so good for my blood glucose levels (BGL). The borscht/beet soup I made wasn’t too bad on BGL though. That’s good because there’s still a lot left and I’d hate to have to get rid of it.

Started the second week of working out at the gym, because I’m told exercise is good for blood glucose control. Going pretty well so far. Been doing a little cardio and mostly strength training. Yesterday was 30 minutes on the stationary bike and back/arms workout. Going to start adding in more cardio workouts this week. Just doesn’t feel like a proper workout unless my heart is racing and I’m breathing hard at the end.

Blood glucose levels – 3 weeks

Had a follow-up appointment with the doctor today. He was pleased with the progress I’m making with my blood glucose levels. Morning blood glucose levels have been in the 100s for the last couple of days. I think my body is getting used to the lower levels now because I don’t feel all weak and low-blood-sugar-y like I used to when it went down that low.

I’ve definitely noticed an improvement in the way I feel. The eyes seem to be working a little better now too.

A chart showing my blood glucose levels dropping over a three week period
Blood glucose levels over the past three weeks

Getting blood sugar under control

Two weeks post diabetes diagnosis and my blood glucose level is starting to get to a much more respectable level. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) has been under 140 for the last few days and I’ve been able to keep my blood glucose levels below 160 throughout the day for the most part. Still needs to go lower though, but at least progress is being made.

I’ve been using a program called OnTrack on my Cliq to keep track of things. It’s a pretty handy little program that’s very customizable so you can track all kinds of things. You can even email logs and charts with it.

So far the biggest challenge has been cutting back on the carbs (which has drastically cut down/out much of what I used to eat) and the sweets. Drastically reduced are most of my beloved starchy foods like rice, pasta, potatoes along with all the things that fuel my sweet tooth, particularly chocolate.

The new focus on diet has put me back in the kitchen though, which is a good thing. The last few years I’ve been pretty lazy about cooking for myself and not doing much in the way of being creative in the kitchen. Starting to reacquaint myself with my cookbooks, looking at different recipes with an eye towards low carb modifications. Picked up a few new ones too.
There is more emphasis on veggies in what I cook. This had started somewhat with joining Ambrose Farms CSA, but now even more so.

I’ve been making an effort to try to be more active, although those efforts got hampered somewhat from catching a cold last week.

The metformin I’m on has a few unpleasant GI related side effects, but I’ve found that as long as I eat a good amount of food before I take the pill, I don’t really encounter them. If I don’t eat enough, hoo boy look out.

On the plus side of all of this, I’m down about 20 pounds since the beginning of the year. Ironically that was one of the things that prompted me to see the doctor, leading to my diagnosis.