I am a type 2, dx. date was April 2009, and started on metformin ER in Sep or November 2009. My HGA1c just got worse: 6.7 in late March 2010, va. April 2009 (dx date), so I started reading all of Dr. B's books, and again of the Blood Sugar 101 by Jenny Ruhl (she was a lifesaver!) and since I enjoy taking photos - I decided to add affirmations to my pics. (super long run-on sentence duly noted).
By clicking on my profile photo, you can see the pics that I have added affirmations to. I would really really like to see some of your affirmations. I feel adrift in this sea called Diabetes - I have a zillion questions - on Metformin er, efficacy of same etc., how you deal with work and diabetes, etc.
Either way, if you would let me know your affirmations that get you through the day...would be most helpful
in louise hay’s book “heal your body” she sets the affirmation for diabetes as " this moment is filled with joy. i now choose to experience the sweetness of today."
she believes that all diseases have a mind/body connection…and that we experience diabetes because we have; longing for what might have been. a great need to control.deep sorrow. no sweetness left.
i DO have this affirmation written above where i do the majority of my testing and injections…im not cured yet, but i believe it helps somewhat.
i also say often that “i am healed” which really puts it all in perspective for me. i was very sick before dx. i am now healed. i might have to work at it, but i am no longer sick.
Other than the fact that every morning I say to myself in the mirror “This a beautiful day…wonderful things will happen today…” Health-wise I say " Loving myself heals my life. I nourish my mind, body and soul"…
I was diagnosed in Oct 2009 as T2. I was very disappointed in myself. I think my affirmations or self talk might be a little negative but I motivated myself by saying “I better go to the gym because don’t want my feet amputated” or “I don’t want to be on dialysis”. A little appalling, I know, but I feel goofy with the other type of affirmations. I still do this sort of self talk. I also say things in my head " this is my medicine". I then changed my self talk to “That doesn’t have to be my story” meaning that horrible diabetes complications do not have to be in my future.
Since Oct I’ve lost 109 pounds so I guess it is helping in a way. This what I do:
Excercise everyday- weekly mixture of cadio like spin classes, running and weight lifting classes mixed in with less intense days where I just walk.
I read Dr. B’s book Diabetes Solution and keep my food low carb
I also paid attention to other info in his book - chinese restaurant effect ( ie even low carb items like veggies will spike your BG if you eat enough of them. And stopped exercising in the mornings
I take 1500 of Glumetza a day which is a slow release met
I have a journal and record - these are the categories I record: food, exercise, meds/vits, BG/BP and time. that way I can see what is having an impact on my BG levels.
I just recently read the Rosedale diet and have tweaked my diet to accomodate some of his beliefs. It is high fat, low carb, moderate protein. It seems to have jump started my weight loss again.
My A1C in Nov 2009 was 6.1, in Feb it was 5.5 and I get it agian tomorrow - I hope that it is about 5 but won’t know until later this week.
Wow - most impressive - your A1c looks great - actually - on the affirmations side, I have some that are negative, but really positive - like I have a beautiful picture that says no sugar, no blindness, no colostomy, no heart attack. It is negative but it definitely tells me what I am trying to avoid.
Thanks for the suggestion about exercise in the am - better i the pm? haven’t gotten that far in Dr.B’s book. 109#!!! weight loss, that is fabulous! I am going to lookd up the rosedale diet - sounds a little Jenny Ruhl’s diet…
That’s a good idea with the picture. Maybe I’ll do something like that on my journal cover.
Yes Dr. B recommends that you don’t do exercise within three hours of waking up because it could spike your BG whereas exercise at other times in the day will decrease your BG. I can’t remember the science behind it but that seemed to be happening to me. I used to go to the gym for a 6:30 am class on week day sand exercise in the mornings on the weekend prior to being diagnosed. I think it messed me up because I think it would elevate my BG and then I would have a bigger insulin response and gain weight and feel hungry and eat more and the cycle continued all day. Now I exercise at lunch or after work although I still do Saturday mornings which is more of social thing for me. This effect has lessened since I lost weight and now I ride my bike to work a few times a week in the morning and just watch it but it is only 15 minutes.
I also came to terms that excercise has very little prophylactic impact on BG. For example, I used to work out for 1 3/4 hours on Saturday mornings and then go out with friends for a coffee and a muffin. I rationalized that I could have the muffin because I did so much excercise. I took my BG when I got home and it was 8.1 (146) one week and 7.6 (137) the next week. Now I do the same thing but I bring a bag of unsalted mixed nuts with me and have those instead of the muffin.
Anyway, slog through the Dr. B book and reread the chapters a few times if you need to. I still go back and read it. The Rodedale diet book is a pretty easy read although he is a little high on himself.
I just figured out how to read the whole comment and not just part of it - the rest of what you wrote is very inspiring - especailly the “i was very sick before dx. i am now healed. i might have to work at it, but i am no longer sick.”. Wow - what a mission statement!! I love Lousie L. hay - and it was really good to hear your bring her name up again - she is also a very inspiring woman. Thank you Boedica
Rachel - that is really good info from you - especailly about the am exercise effect. and the fact that you lost 109 lbs - how do you do it? How drastically do you cut the carbs ? Do you watch your protein intake? Where do you get your energy from?
I just have been doing Dr. B’s diet, and I am so tired and droopy - I think it is because I am not eating all the carbs like I did before for fast energy. I am hoping to get used to this new way of eating for life. Your A1c=5.5, wow, I would eb thrilled to get that low, but that is my eventual goal!! Thank you for the imspiration!
I haven’t had too much of a problem with energy. I have only been getting more and more energy. I have been watching my protein intake and saturated fats since reading the Rosedale diet. So I go easy on the meat and cheese. I was already eating fish for lunch 4 days a week. I’ve added more nuts and avocado.
Rachel what is glumetza? HOw do you take it? and if you go easy on the meat - what is “go easy on the meat” for you? I have like a ground turkey/beef patty or beef steak - 3 ozs for lunch, and eggs or those packaged 1 serving fish that I nuke every day, but have severely limited the amoun of vegies I eat to 1 cup per meal. There is not a whole lot I can do when watching carbs, altho yesterday I did have 1/2 cup 10 grain rice/beans mmixture, so I have some form of protein 3 times a day - how do you do it?
This is what I usually eat on the weekdays
prebreakfast - homemade iced green tea sweetened with stevia
breakfast- 2 hard boiled eggs
snack- mixed nuts - no cashews or peanuts, unsalted
lunch- One small salmon fillet - size of a deck of cards
cucumber - maybe 1/4 of one
mixed nuts
snack- more nuts
dinner-usually some meat like chicken, beef or turkey - lately- I’ve been into these ready made beef burgers from costco or turkey burgers - not pre-cooked, no bun
1/2 avocado
dijon mustard
olives
bedtime snack sometimes- more mixed nuts
I’ll often have a few nuts when I get home from workign out if I’m starving and some more of the tea. I really try not to have any grains or beans. For the non starchy veggies, I really try to keep it to the ones that are the lowest carb like cucumber, celery, brocolli or high fat like olives, avocado.
Glumetza is a slow release metformin that is available in Canada. I like it because I can take it all at once rather than three times a day and it doesn’t casue the horrible stomach problems regular metformin casued. It is in pill form.
Prior to reading Rosedale I was comeing home and hitting the cheese pretty hard and then having dinner with lots of protein - maybe two burgers in stead of one.
Rachel - so the rosedale diet keeps you from getting hungry? I admire your ability to be satisfied with those amounts - that sounds like the way my sister eats - and she is a size 6jeans ! I tend to eat a lot of protein, but am still losing about a pound a week, well - a lot of protein is about 58 grams a day. I am taking Metformin ER which is also a slow acting 24 hour drug, but I can definately see why your blood sugars are so in line - you are eating fabulously! I need to eat the same way also.
Thank you for your breakdown - it really helps me see how I need to mend my ways…I also eat about 2 turkey burgers (no bun of course) at lunch, and barely do the protein at dinner, but the goal is the same amount of food for lunch and dinner I understand.
Argh - so much to remember - so new to me! Thank you for being an inspiration!.
Wow - very beautiful and apt. Its like when you eat toomuch carbs instead of going - that’s it - might as well eat the whole thing - , you can kind of just stop and go - wait - every second is a chacne to start over," Thanks so much Devon - this is very apt for me. God bless you.
Hi there!!! I happen to be an affirmation specialist!!!! The key to successful affirmations require the following:
Must be said in present tense.
Must be powerful!
Must be personal!
Must be in he positive!
So.. an example of this would be... I Tigger..(insert real name) have a healthy body that works properly and supports my very being in this physical world.
An example of well intentioned but NOT accurate affirmation would be: I Want to have a healthy body so it will support my diabetic body in the physical world.
The problem with the second affirmation is it did not include YOU.. your name.. and the word WANT is not appropriate because the universe is very literal and you will alway WANT. Scientific fact is.. your brain does not know the difference if you speak to it as if you already HAVE what you want. Saying that you have a diabetic body to the universe... well then that is what will remain. As I mentioned.. the universe is VERY literal!
My favorite affirmation for myself is the following.. and feel free to "steal" it!!
I Karen, lovingly put healthy food in my body. It is always nourished and functions perfectly. I always get adaquate rest, and feel joyful when I wake up every morning! I am truely grateful for my ability to heal quickly!
Now I do this every morning and before I go to bed looking and speaking aloud to myself in the mirror.. I speak with passion, and from my heart. Then as I fall asleep I relax and picture my organs and blood in a healthy state. I imagine myself testing my BG and the numbers are perfect for me. It works..the only time I every have trouble with my BG is when I DON"T do this faithfully!
Everyday when I open my eyes, whether I want to get out of bed I tell myself, I am thankful I can get out of bed because many people can’t,and I am thankful I can.
Make sure you're eating enough protein. It's a bit of an adjustment getting used to low carb, but I promise you'll soon be feeling far better. I've been following Dr. B's recommendations for over 2.5 years. A protein calculator from Jenny's wonderful site. Critical to get enough protein, but also not to overdo it if you need to lose weight. http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/nutrition/a/protein.htm?nl=1is
Not exercising in the morning has to do with not extending the effects of the dawn phenomenon.
Low carb is NOT low fat. Progressive research shows that saturated dietary fat is not unhealthy & it's high carb diets that are responsible for heart disease. Read Gary Taubes for more info.
While staying within the carb guidelines, vary your meals. Nothing more unmotivating than eating the same thing day after day. Eat a variety of things to make sure you get a broad spectrum of nutrients.
