Thanks for your response @contentandwell. I think maybe it all boils down to trusting the doctors and being assured that they know what they are talking about and not just throwing different meds so they don't have to bother with actually talking to the patient and not trying everything Big Pharma has on the market.
She is the one that told me everything was in range, but when I looked at the printout there were several outside the range. She never said anything. Then she sent me the letter with "You have diabetes!" No instructions, no info. on what to do. All she said was get a blood meter and check your numbers. The end for her on the subject. That's when I started researching and purchased the Mayo books and read everything I could find. I went to the endo. and he's a nice old-fashioned dr. He will sit and talk but has no answers. He's practically closed his practice except he has two PA's now to collect the money and take blood pressure. So I am my own dr. I take no meds for diabetes. I have been trying to follow foods that are suggested, but I have gained weight doing that. I'm just taking care of myself as best I can by researching on the internet.
I tried peanut butter, but that did not work for me. I'll look for something else that might work. I had oatmeal sprinkled with a few nuts and that didn't work either. So I'll keep trying.
I am glad you are having good reports.

retiredteacher

@retiredteacher My advice is to stay away from grains even though the information says the are ok to eat. They shoot my blood sugar very high. I've had T2 diabetes for 15 years now, and have figured out what I can eat and what I can't. I have found out
1. I must count my carbohydrates. Eat nothing with more than 15 gr of carbohydrates, and keep sugar grams 10 gr or less.
2. I can only have about 50 gr of carbohydrates total each day. That includes vegetables, fruit, nuts, grains, milk, etc.
3. Walk or do some kind of exercise for 30 minutes a day.
4. Stay away from all sodas, diet or regular.
5. No fruit juice unless you're having a hypoglycemic attack, which you shouldn't have since you arent taking meds.
6. Find low glycemic fruit, i.e. no bananas or only 1/2 if you eat bananas. Strawberries, blueberries, almost all berries in moderation.
7. One serving is 1/2 cup. That's 1 serving of vegetables or fruits. Keep meats lean and 4 oz is enough. That's the size of the palm of your hand.
8. When I have carbohydrates, I also have something with fat and protein with them. The fat keeps my blood sugar more steady. It's a balancing act. Peanut butter works as a snack with it on celery sticks. I also eat nuts (1/4 cup), Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese. Yogurt & cottage cheese are low in carbohydrates (get the 4%--not the low fat) and high in protein.

Good luck with managing your blood sugar. It will not always work even if you do everything right, so expect days where your blood sugar is up for no apparent reason. Just stick with the routine anyway and it will come back down.

Thanks for all the good info. Some of it I can do and other items not. Everyone is different is the saying I've heard over and over. Basically, diabetes is a horrible disease and a horrible diet. I have eaten so many green beans, turnips, kale, broccoli and the like that I think I am turning into a green vegetable.

You are right. Whether I follow the diet or eat something not on the list, it doesn't seem to matter. I'm still trying to decide if I will go to the endo. or just let the PCP do the blood work panels. As long as there are computers, they don't have to know much to read a printout.

Appreciate your sharing.

retredteacher

@gailb Only 50 gm of carbs a day is ridiculously low. I can't even imagine what you must eat. I was told 45 per meal and a couple of snacks of about 15 each. I find I tend to go higher in the morning and then lower in the evening.
JK

I agree that 50 grams of carbs total and most of the other low numbers are not foods for three meals a day, at least not for me. Even the dietician in training and the Mayo diet call for more than that and the plate division pyramid says more than that too. That's what I was told. So once again what works for one doesn't work for someone else. If I eat the wrong food, my blood numbers go up; but if I don't eat enough; they really go up. I was told it's better to eat the wrong food than to skip eating. I have found myself in situations where there is no healthy, low count anything (celebrations, tailgating, dinner out, etc.) so I eat what is prepared and put on the table. I know my numbers will go up. The next day I get back on the Diabetes food wagon. I was brought up not to discuss sickness in public gatherings; people don't want to hear that and it also distances people who are well and want to have a good time. They don't want to be dragged down by having to say, "How awful or You poor thing." Then they go on having fun and you are left alone as if you have the plague. Talking to someone on this forum is one thing since we are all dealing with the disease, but ruining a party or a dinner or a fun gathering is just not appropriate for me. So we each do what works, and I keep experimenting to see what I can add to my food list.

retiredteacher

@retiredteacher I admire your attitude, you really are doing well with your restrictions. Are you active? That of course helps a lot they say. I myself have not really compared my numbers from when I was active to now when I am pretty active, I will be interested in seeing my A1c the next time I have that type of appointment.
I agree that you do not want to discuss sickness at public gatherings and eating can be a problem. I was at one of those recently and did eat things I would not usually eat. I paid for that for three days afterwards.
JK

@retiredteacher oops, I meant to say from when I was inactive to now, being active. They so say activity helps to bring your A1c down.
JK

When I was young, working, and going all the time, I also was taking aerobic classes, swimming, riding my horses, walking, and generally on the go. I was skinny all my life and never had any fat. As I got older and had to deal with a number of personal problems, I gained weight. Since I retired, I do not do any organized exercise. I have a bad knee, so I use a cane and the exercise I get is what I do walking around in the house or going to the grocery store and the like. I have a tread mill, but the knee gets worse when I walk on it. I walked on the tread mill every day for one month, to see if I could tell any difference; I didn't see that it helped and I gained weight! I thought I would lose, but it didn't happen. So that's about as active as I get. I know I should have a schedule for exercise, but I don't. I count the walking I do as enough for someone my old age. I don't drink alcohol of any kind; I don't smoke. I try to eat as healthy as I can and monitor my blood. Except for being labeled a diabetic, which I hate, I feel pretty good for someone my age. My A1C is at 6.0 and my average blood draw for A.M. and P.M. is 120. So unless something catastrophic happens, I am doing what I can and what is okay for me.

retiredteacher

@retiredteacher it sounds like you are doing well but I just want to say, I too have two compromised knees, one is having a TKR in October. Since getting a lot of exercise, primarily in the pool, my knees are much better than they were and my limp is not really noticeable to most people. My ortho told me the more exercise I could get, the better because if you strengthen the muscles around your knees that really helps, and it definitely has for me.
JK

Bless your heart. I hate to hear when anyone is having to have surgery. Good luck and hopefully a fast recovery. Hospitals scare me and I avoid them, even to visit people who are in the hospital. I'm rather squeamish; I guess that would be a mild way to explain it. The pool would be wonderful; I'm sure, and I've always owned a home with a pool, but the last time around, we bought a home and hubby said no pool. There are no pool facilities in my area, and I am not comfortable being in a pool with people I don't know. I guess I have germ phobia. I went to physical therapy after seeing an ortho. He sent me to PT. One time with this knee and the guy almost broke my leg! I couldn't walk at all the day after he finished his routine, so I never went back. I think walking around in the house and going up and down stairs since I live in a two story house and doing other errands are good. For my age, I'm doing the best I can.

retiredteacher