I was dianoged with insulin resistent as a part of PCOS in May. I had rapid weight gain over the last 2 yrs. I fought military docs to do blood draws for diabetes (total of 4 glucose testing in 2 yrs), my glucose was always in range. But they never told me, my insulin was starting to creep up. I finally switch my insurance so i could see a civilian gyno in the states during a extended visit. She had me do the 8 hr fasting with the 2hr glucose liquid. normal range for insulin is 0.0 to 24.0 mine was 31.9 after the glucose liquid. She put me on Metformin 500mg 2x's a day
Im struggling to manage this, my husband is finishing a deployment so im having to eat on my own til he is home. Then our meals get as overhaul. My commissary has a limited selection on diabetic friendly foods, they just recently started selling dreamfields pasta. So i got online and order more stuff from their product line. I found diabetic pancake mix on amazon so we can continue having our saturday pancakes.
I had another fasting test 2 weeks ago but i have wait til close to thanksgiving to review the results with my doc since he is training til the middle of the month.
Im struggling with the carb craving those are so bad. Im always craving ramen noodles.
I walk atleast 1 hr 3 times a walk plus a couple group fitness classes, plus we dont currently have a car so i walk to the base for everything.
You will find that if you significantly cut your carbs, those cravings will decrease. Try to shoot for 20-30 grams total carb for meals and 15 for snacks, and see how you do. You can go up or down from there. Do you have a glucose meter? You ought to pick one up. They have cheap ones at Walmart. Test your blood glucose before and 2 hours after your first bite of a meal. If you have more than a 40 point rise that’s too many carbs at that meal.
I was significantly insulin resistant but have become much less so since losing weight.
Yup. I’ve always had PCOS, probably since around 6 or 7 years old… And developed Type 2 Diabetes from it. We do have a group for Women with PCOS and Diabetes, that is moderated in order for us to ask private questions without any shame, and you are welcome to request to join at any time.
I might talk to my doc about that then. They have a few meters at my PX, but to get the strips i have to have a script to get them from the clinic pharmacy.
I did good tonight i had one serving of dreamfield spgetti plus i grilled 4 chicken tenderloins on my forman, then shredded them and added to the noodles with some sauce.
Yeah, I low carb, too. I eat about 80 grams of carb a day, or less, total… My meals are on average what Frances eats, except for breakfast… where I have about 10 grams of carb total, or less, because I am sooooo insulin resistant in the mornings…
i eat 2 multi-grain waffles with sugar free syrup in the morning. My lunchs are kinda odd depending on if im post or not, if im home. a sandwich, or a personal pizza. If on post i usually get a couple tacos from taco bell, or a 6" sub from subway, im fighting to stay away from charley’s (my fav). Supper is tuna salad or something with alot of protein, some carbs, with a side of fruit.
my meals will definately improve once my husband returns and i can fix real meals again. Cooking for one is so hard.
Diabetes is not about us needing to have sugar free things. Oftentimes manufacturers play on this to sell people products… but they are still loaded with carbohydrates, and carbohydrates = sugar. Even multi-grain, so called “good” carbohydrates are still sugar. We always need to test and learn to be aware of how certain meals/foods affect us, regardless of how healthy they seem… If it’s too many carbohydrates for your body to handle, you will spike, regardless of how good the type of carbohydrate is… It may be in 1 hour, or in 75 minutes, or in 2, or in 3… Use your meter to learn these changes, and to learn to adjust how many carbohydrates you can have per meal. This will go in a long way to help you manage your insulin resistance.
You ought to learn to count grams of carb, since the meals that you are describing are super-high in carbs. Pizza, sandwiches, waffles, fruit–all of them are carbs. Think more in terms of protein, non-starchy vegetables, lower-carb dairy products.
Ok, im thinking that Im going to have a book a appt with dietrican at the fitness center. To get more help on this. To atleast to get me started on the right foot then i know im going in the right direction. I may wait til my husband is home so i can book it on a day he can go with me and learn about this too. It took me 3 months to explain what PCOS is and that our diets will be changing because of insulin resisant.
Just be careful, because not all dietitians are educated enough on Diabetes, particularly at places like gyms and fitness centers.
Some basics:
Eat more leafy greens, and non-starchy veggies
Eat less starches, like grains, pastas, corn, breads, potatoes, etc.
Try to make those small amounts of starches that you eat as whole grains
Stick to lean meats, nuts, avocados, fish, and all other sources of good Omega-3 fats
Just take it one meal at a time. Take ONE meal out of your day, to test before eating it, and 2 hours after eating it, to to see how that meal affected you. Note the amount of carbohydrates you ate, and try to keep a little diary of this, and how many points you went up. This will help you learn and find your own eating habits. We don’t have to give up everything, but we do have to be savvy about how we eat it, and how much… Some foods will be worth restricting, and some not. I am not sure if where you are has a Certified Diabetes Educator, but those help, sometimes. You may give one of them a try, too.
Ok most likely for a Certified Diabetes Educator i would have to go to the air base 2 hrs away or up Landstuhl Regional up in Germany. Which if I have medical orders for it, there is a bus that does go to both places from where we are at. Most Im writing out what you are saying so i can talk to my doc about it. I was able to get one the best doc’s on post. I had to get the flu shot, he stopped on his way in to see me, to doucle if it was ok for me to recieve the flu shot.
Ok this going to be very interesting, im not much for lettuce, so im going to have to learn how to eat it. Im very picky on my veggies, so im going to have break that. My husband is going to get a kick out all this he is going to watch me try new things and knowing him he will whip the cam to get my funny faces.
I don’t like lettuce much either. lol I love other greens though, like baby spinach… There’s tons of different kinds of lettuce, too… so not all of it iceburg (which I don’t like) hehe. There are recipe groups in our community, if you look in the Groups section above… Lots of great ways to make a salad… or to eat steamed veggies. I had to get creative with the spices, olive oil, and red wine vinaigraitte, etc, because I wasn’t much for veggies myself. lol Now I just love em. Can’t get enough of them. Odd, huh?
Im going to call the fitness center to see if they do have someone on staff. I want to get on the right road and lose some weight i need to 20 lbs before im back in my normal BMI. I need to lose it so we can try to get pregnant.The more i lose before the better off im during pregnancy and after.
I’m sorry to hear things have been so challenging lately, but I thought it might be helpful to explain something: everyone is “insulin resistant” at a certain level. If I were to gain 10 lbs, I would become more insulin resistant because body fat literally blunts our sensitivity to insulin and requires us to need more. If I were to LOSE 10lbs I would need to reduce my insulin dosing because I would become more sensitive to insulin. So even if I haven’t been diagnosed as insulin resistant, there are still small things I can control every day that will help impact my sensitivity to insulin:
Exercise - even just walking daily has an awesome impact on your insulin sensitivity.
Food - not just carbohydrates, but your overall food intake, and most importantly: HOW OFTEN YOU EAT. Eating smaller meals more often helps your body become more insulin sensitive and it also helps keep your metabolism fueled. When we don’t eat for hours on end, our metabolisms slow down.
Stress - stress has an unbelievable impact on insulin sensitivity because it increases how much cortisol (and a few other hormones) that our body produces. Cortisol really, really, really blunts our sensitivty to insulin, so if you’re constantly stressed, and constantly producing higher amounts of cortisol, then you will constantly need more insulin in order to manage your blood sugar level.
I hope this is helpful! SMALL changes can have a BIG impact!
Metformin does work best with a low carb diet. Pancakes and pasta are not health foods for you anymore. Meat, fish, fats, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, peppers, cabbage, even fruits are a much better choice.
I walk a lot because we dont have a car, but when it rains i try to stay home which it has rained for the last 2 days.
Im married but with my husband deployed thinking of easy to fix 1 person meals is a stuggle somedays.
With this deployment my stress has been off the charts so once he is back i will finally get back to a life that is normal has it can be in the military.
Stress can also increase your insulin resistance through stress hormones, especially cortisol. Plus, when people are stressed, many will turn to familiar foods as a source of comfort – explaining your craving for ramin noodles, though it’s not the healthiest choice you could make and could wreck havoc with your blood sugars. I have military in my family, so I understand what you are going through with your husband being deployed. If you can, reach out to some of the other wives from his unit who are in your area. Having that support should help you not only with the emotional aspects of having your husband deployed, but may also help with your diabetes. Just remember: You’re not alone!
