← Return to Blood Sugar and A1C levels: Tips and Insight for Staying in Range

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@mummy43

serving size is key for me. It's not so much that I eat bad stuff. It's just that I eat too much. Even of the good stuff. Does that make sense? I just eat too darn much. When I cut back, I end up wandering around looking for something to satisfy me. I must admit that talking to you does give me inspiration. I live alone, and not close to anyone. I started going to church, hoping to meet more seniors like me. Hopefully we can do that again soon. Marie

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Hello @mummy43

Eating habits, like any other habit, can be difficult to change. You need to give yourself time to choose more healthy habits. I think all of us can relate to "grazing" at times. As you work at it, you will find your stride.

@mummy43 eating too much of the good stuff is a problem I have too. Once my doctor suggested that I just eat less and voiced it in a way that indicated he trusted that I was not eating junk, which I was not.
You do sound very similar to me though. It's a daily struggle, basically a food addiction. I did manage to lose a substantial amount of weight a few years ago. For me, getting started was the hard part. After I got started and saw results on my scale it spurred me on. My motto is "success breeds success", and it does.
I have gained some weight back and am trying to get that start on eating less. It all started when I fractured my femur last summer and not being able to do much, coupled with being stuck at home, caused a weight gain. I was just getting beyond that and beginning to lose a few pounds and our isolation at home happened. I am trying to stay as busy as possible, and I am not buying tempting things, or baking (much to my husband's dismay).
I am also diabetic but my numbers are very good. I rarely test my blood but my A1c has been under 5 the last two times I had that test. I most often have either oatmeal or yogurt for breakfast. With both of these, I add a very generous amount of Ceylon cinnamon. It's called the "true cinnamon" and has less flavor than the Saigon cinnamon that is generally sold in the stores. It also has substantially less coumarin, which is a blood thinner and you don't want to have too much of that.
From livestrong.com:
"Ceylon cinnamon has a sweeter, more delicate flavor than cassia does, which may make it preferable for flavoring desserts and lighter dishes. But the more important distinction may be the presence of a chemical called coumarin, a natural plant chemical that acts as a blood thinner." The livestrong link has a lot of info about Ceylon cinnamon, it's worth a read.
And from healthline.com:
"Cassia contains a lot of coumarin, which can be toxic in large quantities. It is much safer to choose Ceylon if you eat a lot of cinnamon."
I really think the cinnamon is helping, but if you try it make sure you buy the Ceylon variety so you can use more of it. It is not generally in most supermarkets, but Whole Foods has it and so does Amazon. It won't hurt you, and it may help.

We can battle this together.
JK