Two things I learned yesterday.

[hippywife]

They were really things I already knew but had confirmed.

Oh, about Nov. of 2005, my doctor told me I am diabetic based on my H1Ac. I didn't believe him at all. But I began watching what I ate and still allowing myself occasional treats. I started losing weight and when I went back three months later, he said he'd never seen anyone improve their overall blood labs that much without going through bariatric surgery. I kept monitoring my blood sugar and it was always perfectly within the normal range. So, I stopped monitoring figuring he was full of crap.

I'm a stress eater and I began doing really badly again after a terrible visit to OH to see my family, and continued through a very depressing holiday, much of which I spent in explosions of rage, as well. I've sorta gotten back to eating a little better for the most part. But yesterday, I decided I would have some biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast with an egg and some bacon. It's plentiful and next to free where I work. Not long after that, I could hardly control my stress and rage. The husband called me at work and I totally snapped at him and hung up. I was barely maintaining all day.

I guess I've decided that I really do need to stay on a diet of whole foods and whole grains as much as possible because that has to be the key to my incredible mood swings. I find that can have sugar if I limit it, and especially limit it to real sugar with the whole grains in my home baking, without that kind of reaction. I seem to be able to even tolerate pasta. White bread and white potatoes seem to be my triggers. That was the first thing I already knew but learned yesterday for certain.

The husband knew I was having a real problem yesterday based on our phone call. It was a totally stupid reason that I snapped at him and I wouldn't have under normal circumstances. We have a wonderful marriage, do everything together, and usually never utter cross words to one another. He went to Target yesterday to get something he needed and he also moseyed on over to cookware and picked up a Tramontina 6-quart enameled cast iron dutch oven for me. After I was such a bitch to him, he still thought enough to get something he knew I wanted and would cheer me up (even tho I was still evil and basically didn't talk to him the rest of the night anyway.) It's red, which I really don't care for, and I don't know what other colors they may have had, but I ain't sayin' a thing abou that! LOL

The second thing I already knew and learned for certain yesterday is that I have the most wonderful husband in the world. He's going to get either the NYT no-knead bread or the CI almost no-knead bread baked for him this weekend.

Thanx for reading all of this! I figure there are others with blood sugar issues here that could relate and we could all celebrate my new dutch oven! :hi:

[KatyaR]

1. I should probably track what I eat along with my moods--

I'm sure I probably have a similar problem. (I have lots of anger issues.) Maybe I'll do that next week.

I bought that very same dutch oven, and I really like it. But I will warn you, be careful how you season the rims--I was overly generous with the olive oil, and it stained something awful, and I can't get the stains off with anything.

The NYT no-knead bread works great in that dutch oven, BTW.

[hippywife]

2. Thanx for replying.

I have always noted the intense moods with my dad, who's been diabetic for awhile now. We always know when his sugar's up. I'm afraid that's what's happening with me, too. It might be a good idea to keep a log and see if that's what you're experiencing, too.

Thanx for the tip on the dutch oven. I wouldn't have thought of the rim. I was a little concerned about the bread. The packaging said that the knob is good to 400 degrees but the CI bread says to bake at 500, I think. I haven't looked at the temp for the NYT bread yet.

:hi:

[KatyaR]

3. I think I baked mine at 425 or 450, and it did fine.

It's just a devil to deal with when it gets so hot--it's so heavy, I'm always afraid I'm going to burn myself.

[sazemisery]

4. Sorry to here about your problems

Mrsazemisery is also affected by white bread and potatoes in the same fashion. I find if I cook naturally that both of us have less problems with maintaining a healthy body. If we eat this way I find we can eat anything in moderation.

We really goofed since the beginning of March. Our birthdays are a week apart and I bought this humongous birthday cake with the Crisco icing. Then Mrsazemisery had to have 3 month bloodwork done. Boy was he in trouble with his doc.

Thank goodness fresh food season is upon us and we will be eating almost everything fresh and organic/natural through the fall.

[hippywife]

6. That damn H1Ac!

Can't sneak many treats in without getting ratted out by that damn test! :hi:

I just placed my first order with the co-op this week. Not much yet but waiting for the good veggies to come in.

[grasswire]

5. carbs, carbs, carbs

Was diagnosed in December with type 2 diabetes. I was already eating a whole grain-low fat-no fast food-few sweets diet, but I learned very quickly that carbs put my blood sugar off the chart. As you say, potatoes and white bread are two of the worst items.

So I read the book by Dr. Bernstein about diabetic diet and learned a lot. He recommends to his patients that they only have 6 breakfast, 9 lunch and 9 dinner carbs per day. I wasn't able to meet that low a carb load, but I have cut them way way back and my blood sugar responded to that. I have no more than 1/2 slice bread per day. No potatoes. Nothing made with any grain except a few saltines occasionally. No pasta, nothing. Few fruits because of the sugar hit. But lots of vegetables and low fat dairy and a good supply of eggs and chicken.

I am steadily losing weight. I feel pretty good most of the time (although I felt better on glipizide than I do on Metformin).

Some questions for you: would you mind telling what your two H1Ac test numbers were? I'd like to know how dramatic the change was.

And I'm pretty sure it was the biscuits that tripped you up. Bacon and egg wouldn't affect blood sugar. Stress, you know, will also affect your diabetes. Stay on top of it all!

And thanks for creating this thread. :-)

[hippywife]

7. I'm totally sure it was the biscuits

and the gravy, too. Stupid, stupid thing to eat!

I'm not terribly off the charts at this point so I really think I am more pre-diabetic still than full blown. My first H1Ac was 7.1. When I went back it was down to 6. But it was the overall blood work, too...cholesterol, triglycerides, etc., as well as the sugar that was really improved. All the numbers were headed well in the right direction.

I still don't have to be on meds and seem to be able to tolerate quite a few things as long as I incorporate a lot of whole foods and grains in my diet. Just my own speculation, based on my own set of circumstances.

[The empressof all]

8. I'm pre diabetic (glucose intolerant)

I also can't tolerate a number of foods that increase inflammation and make my arthritis harder to live with. I've been on a carb binge lately and boy do I feel it. It's just so fricken hard to not "taste" a little bit of bread or pass up a cookie. I know that I won't stop with a taste or just one cookie. It's like something comes over me and I lose all control. I wish that I could feel so voracious for a spinach salad.

I know too that if I don't eat frequent small high protein meals, I get cranky and difficult to live with. Food (or lack of it) does affect my mood.

I'm blessed with a terrific husband too. I know there are days where I wouldn't put up with me. Also my way of eating has impacted his eating life too. I no longer can keep some of his favorites around the house. He was very kind and left the girl scout cookies at his work so I didn't go into a Samoa's coma this year.

[hippywife]

9. It's really great

to have a supportive spouse even when we can be hell on wheels. Glad you have one, too. Luckily for me, I eat very few sweets so I can keep my hub's favorites around.

I do understand that occasional loss of control, too. :hug:

[wildeyed]

10. I have been watching my carbs for more than 10 years.

In my mid-20's, I was so tired and cranky that I could barely get out of bed some days. I thought that maybe I should try eating healthier. This was the 80's, and healthy meant low fat/high carb. That diet almost put me in the emergency room. I felt so crappy. So I quit smoking and changed to a lowish-carb diet, and have felt relatively well ever since. I also took a supplement called Glycemic Factors that really helped. If I recall, it had B vitamins, chromium, and some aryuvedic herbs.

If my carb intake creeps up, I start feeling it and need to make adjustments. For me, bread and sweets are really bad. I can tolerate pasta, brown rice and sweet potatoes in moderation. I try to eat some protein and a little fat at each meal or snack to slow down the carb metabolism.

On the plus side, I weigh the same now, more or less, as I did in my 20's, I guess 'cause I have basically been on the South Beach diet for most of my adult life.

I am such a fragile little flower, everything bothers me. Can't drink, don't smoke, sweets and bread bother me, and, as the final indignity, I recently had to cut way, way down on caffeine. The coffee I drank in the AM was bothering my at night, causing insomnia :(