I'm scared!

[fluffy51]

Hey all--thank you so much for all the support thus far! I'm doing okay. My glucose reading has come down and is averaging somewhere between 150 to around 180. Once in a while it's up to 200. Always higher in the morning. I haven't officially begun Atkins yet but will do so Monday. I have orders from my friend that I WILL register with fitday, I will weigh and measure before I start and I WILL SUCCEED! I'm already being extremely careful about what I eat and did okay when I was on vacation. Sorta blew it big time the first day by having dessert.......it was sooo good but after that ate only sugar free desserts, didn't eat bread or pasta. I'm very anxious to get going to see how it affects my readings.

Looking forward to getting to know all of you!

[imagood1]

hi fluffy!! You are only hours from starting the best thing you'll ever do for yourself. I'm glad to hear your numbers are coming down - mine did and they are "normally" in the low 100's fasting and in the 80's before dinner (around 5:00 p.m.).

You are doing a good thing by getting a FitDay account and measuring before you start - FitDay is such a useful tool - I don't think I would want to be without it.

As far as sugar free deserts...make sure they aren't made with aspartame - that is known to stall weight loss. The first 2 weeeks only eat things on the acceptable food list, it's 14 days to a better you. Just think of all the days you have stuffed your mouth with junk ... you can now do 14 days of wonderful food that will make you feel so much better and help your glucose numbers!

You will find what foods agree with you and which ones don't. If you try something and don't really like it wait a few months and try it again. The foods I eat now are so much different that 4 months ago. Before Atkins I would start with a large piece of meat and work the meal around it -- now I eat so many vegetables and small amounts of meat it's amazes me.

I wish you much luck on your weight loss journey. Sherri was able to reverse her diabetes after just a very few days on Atkins and has had no problems for 5 years - she is the person I want to be like! I go to my endocrinologist June 2 and can't wait to see what my blood results are this time. Each time I've gone to see her my A1C has been lower - the last time it was right at 5 (down from 11) so I'm hoping there will be no less than a reduction in my medication again.

Here are some links to help you -- read through them and find a few new recipes - that was the most fun part of me when I started. If there is anything you need please don't hesitate to ask!!

The Rules of Induction can be found here:
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ead.php?t=6782 (What are the Rules of Induction?)
The Induction Acceptable Foods List can be found here:
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ead.php?t=6781 (What foods can be eaten on Induction?)


Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Daily Menus
Sugar Free Sheila's Atkins Low Carb Induction Friendly Recipes!
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...n-recipes.html (Never ending induction recipes)
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...pes-added.html (Induction Recipe Basics--More recipes added)

This is from the "Read before you start" post on the induction thread

Be sure to drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water each day, including:
Filtered water
Mineral water
Spring water
Tap water

Additionally (after your 64 ounces daily), you can have the following:

Clear broth/bouillon (not all brands; read the label)
Club soda
Cream, heavy or light (limit to two to three tablespoons a day; note carb content)
Decaffeinated coffee or tea*
Diet soda made with sucralose (Splenda); be sure to count the carbs (may cause a stall in weight loss)
Essence-flavored seltzer (must say "no calories" and should not contain aspartame)
Herb tea (without barley or any fruit sugar added)
Lemon juice or lime juice (note that each contains 2.8 grams carbohydrate per ounce); limit to two to three tablespoons

*Excessive caffeine may cause unstable blood sugar and should be avoided by those who suspect they are caffeine dependent. Everyone should try to avoid caffeine. Grain beverages (coffee substitutes) are not allowed. Alcoholic beverages are also not permitted during Induction; those low in carbohydrates are an option, in moderation, in later phases.

[fluffy51]

Okay, I need some assistance. I have a question and I hope someone can answer it for me. My glucose readings have been slowly inching downward, a few days ago as low as 105. For me, that's a miracle cause when I was diagnosed at the end of April it was 338. Okay, so my question is.....I've been sick since Saturday...fever, headache, cough, sore throat.....turns out I have a bronchial infection. Is it true that this can affect one's glucose readings? AND....I had blood work done on Tuesday, a doctor's appointment yesterday. My blood work showed that my A1C reading was 12.6. I'm not quite understanding this.......if my glucose levels go down, doesn't that reflect in my A1C reading? My doctor didn't explain this to me. And there's no way I will know my A1C reading except by going to the doctor to have blood work done, correct? I'm sorry if I'm sounding stupid here, I'm so new to this and am very confused by the whole thing.

Another thing......how will my doctor know if it's the "low carb" that is bringing my glucose readings down or if it's the medication? I did not tell her I'm doing Atkins...I just told her I was doing low carb and sugar free. She hasn't said one word about my weight loss and says I have three months to get the A1C reading down or I will have to do insulin! I REALLY don't want that to happen!

Can anyone help me!!???

[imagood1]

In answer to your question yes being sick can mess with your glucose readings. Your A1C reading isn't going to go down overnight -- from one 3 month test to the other mine has come down as I've lost weight.

I ask you before what medicine you were taking. As far as the question about the A1C this is what I found online:

This is from the Diabetes Care Coalition (Diabetes Care Coalition : What is an A1C?):

Your A1C is measured by a simple blood test that’s ordered by your healthcare provider. Your A1C result shows your average blood glucose (or blood sugar) level for the last 3 months, so it’s different from the tests you do at home with a glucose meter.

The A1C goal for most people with diabetes is less than 7%. Unfortunately, almost half of adults with diabetes have an A1C of 7% or higher.

When I was first diagnosed my A1C was over 11 -- after loosing 20 pounds (the last time I was at my endocrinologist) my A1C was just at 7 - that was almost 6 months after I was diagnosed. I didn't start loosing weight right after I was diagnosed, if I had my number may have come down faster. My endo also said if the meds didn't do enough to get my A1C down she would put me on insulin also -- the last time I saw her she adjusted my meds down and hasn't said another word about insulin.

[fluffy51]

Thank you so much for the information! Sorry I didn't get back to you about my meds. The first thing she put me on was metformin, twice a day. At my appointment this past Tuesday she added the gly...something something. I don't remember the exact name of it. And of course a z-pak for my infection. So Thursday morning my glucose reading was 102, Thursday night it was 92, this morning it's 82 so I don't know what's going on. It can't keep going lower can it? That's not good either. Oh, and I'm not seeing an endocrinologist, just a GP. She didn't check my A1C with my first blood work so can I assume that the 12.6 is basically my starting point? I'm so confused and even more scared now thinking that I may need insulin. And how are we supposed to lose weight when one of the medications' side effects is weight gain? And weight loss is supposed help control blood sugar? OMG........this is just nuts!

[imagood1]

take a deep breath and relax - you should get ahold of your gp and tell him/her what your blood sugar numbers are - you may need an adjustment of what you're taking. It sounds like you are pretty much taking the same thing I am -- I take glyb/metformin 5/500 in the morning and 1000mg metformin at bedtime.

It's too bad you don't have a real starting point with your A1C but I guess 12.6 is as good a place to start as any. You said you take metformin twice a day - what dosage? And the glyb that was added -- is that a seperate pill or a combo pill?

The diabetes meds will prevent you from loosing weight quickly -- but you can still loose weight - there are plenty of us who take it and are loosing. My average is about 2 pounds a week - not bad I don't think for being 4 months into the plan. At least I'm still loosing and now I've figured out I need to eat more on a daily basis to keep the pounds coming off.

Write down your blood sugar numbers so you can show the doctor how they have changed since the glyb was added -- you might just need a smaller dosage of that. I take 5mg at a time but my mother & husband only take 2.5mg -- my mother has a seperate pill and she only takes it when her numbers are up above a certain number. If I don't get off the meds this time with the endo I would at least like to have the mg reduced. That would be another step forward.

Good luck

[fluffy51]

So I just don't know what to say anymore. I am frustrated beyond belief. I called my doctor to let her know my glucose readings. She asked if I was following the American Diabetes Assoc. diet. I told her no, that I was doing Atkins. She practically blew up, saying I am not to do Atkins, that I NEED to eat carbs, etc. So I sort of conducted my own little experiment this weekend by adding some carbs to my diet...bread mostly. My readings went up. So, do I disobey my doctor and do what I think is best for me? I'm not a doctor after all. I'm beginning to think she's only seeing dollar signs and wants to keep me on medication forever. I'm hoping that somday I will be able to get off medication altogether by following Atkins.

I'm stressed, I'm a little depressed, and a whole lot confused. I have absolutely no appetite and can't really even taste anything....I think because I've been sick. I'm nauseous most of the time. Probably due to the medication and just have to get used to it.

Needed to vent......

[blondegypsy]

Hey there fluffy51,

The Atkins diet is one of the best things you can do if you are getting to the diabetic level or are in it.

I'm hypoglycemic and have been since I was 27 (found out), I'm 49 and Dr. Atkins Diet has been with me the whole way. Grab a piece of meat when you get a headache or feel weak. Cut the clock in 4 ways: 12,3,6,9, eat a small something just before those times (10-15 min before hour), even just a little protien and it will pull you through. Those are the main times blood sugar drops on the average
person and you feel shakey, dizzy, not quite all there. Forget math problems or anything else at that point!

I have had some really rough spells where I was eating small amounts every couple of hours and it brought me back to feeling human in afew days! Thanks Dr. Atkins for all you did! Hope this helps you Fluffy51

[blondegypsy]

Fluffy51, You want the meat and green veggies, stay away from white, yellow ,orange ones.

[Wintersnow]

Iesous Fluffy you should be scared and I hope the doctor gets your numbers down for you. Time to hit the Atkins and get serious. Diabetes is nothing to mess with. I'll fart around with my medical care but when it comes to diabetes I'm serious as heck and you should be too. The long term consequences of out-of-control diabetes are blindness and loss of limbs. We do not want to go there! Crap there are only a few ways that I don't want to die and being eaten is right up there with diabetes!

Three weeks on Atkins and you'll have lost weight and will no longer have those sugar cravings. You go girl. You try hard. You can do it. You prove to your doctor that Atkins works!