# Elevated blood sugar?



## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

Went for my yearly physical and the dr noted that my blood sugar was "slightly high" - whatever that means.... and that she was concerned considering family history, etc. I asked what could be done and she recommended structured exercise and a change in diet.
Well, structured exercise ain't gonna happen, with cutting and (hand) splitting firewood, walks in the woods, and numerous other physical activities I do I (as I told the dr) don't have the time......
So that left "diet" she said to cut down on (all) bread, crackers, and pasta. The bread I can do, don't eat much of it anyway, but crackers; cheese and crackers are my "midnight" snack. And pasta, oh no, not pasta I mean that's a main stay in my eating, that and rice. 
Well, wait a minute, on more "binging" (google) I found that rice is also a no-no.......
So what's left besides beans and meat - any ideas/help?????????

As a side note I do eat fruit and veggies, in fact I do go over the "recommended" daily servings of both.......


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

The concept is that you may be getting too much of the simple carbohydrates. One of the great attributes of my brethren is that they stabilize blood sugar levels. You also have the whole range of vegetables as possibilities.

If you do have a cracker or two at night, it won't kill you. If you have a whole wheat cracker with your cheese, it'll kill you even less. If you have hummus (my brethren all smushed up) instead of cheese, even better.


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## Explorer (Dec 2, 2003)

I am diabetic and can control my carb intake by only eating those with a low glycemic index.


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## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

Explorer said:


> I am diabetic and can control my carb intake by only eating those with a low glycemic index.


Such as????? 
So I'm to think that my reducing my carb intake will help make the dr happy and my number to go down? Hummmm. 
Could you please give an example or two?

Harry, that's what my crackers and bread are now (whole grain). :icecream: Sorry to say I've tried your "brethren" (hummus) and ahh, well, I, ahh, let me say - :nono: :hrm:


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## Explorer (Dec 2, 2003)

There are many, many that diabetics can eat. Do a search.

For example, oatmeal, pearl barley and green beans are just a few. What ever ones you choose, they must be eaten in limited quantiles with a large variety.

You should become very familiar with glycemic index foods.


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## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

Don't think of it as a diet. Think of it as a way of life. If you don't and your sugars get out of control you will be in bad shape.

Check the carbs and protein levels on everything you eat. Limit your portion size and exercise big time. What is 30 mins a day before your shower? Surely your life is worth that?


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## NamasteMama (Jul 24, 2009)

There is really two ways you can go. Heal your body and not be diabetic. Or continue down the path your on become diabetic, and eventually die a painful death. My grandfather was blind and had lost both his legs by the time he died of diabetes. You diet shout be lean meats fish and vegis, nothing else for the next year until your sugar is controlled and the n you can eat small amounts of fruit. But know this you could eat a iet completly on spinach and you could still be a diabetic if you do not excercise.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Micheal said:


> Well, structured exercise ain't gonna happen, with cutting and (hand) splitting firewood, walks in the woods, and numerous other physical activities I do I (as I told the dr) don't have the time......
> So that left "diet" she said to cut down on (all) bread, crackers, and pasta.
> 
> So what's left besides beans and meat - any ideas/help?????????


You aren't out of options. You didn't say how old you are, but it's common for blood sugar levels to drift upwards as you get older. That's type 2 diabetes (geriatric diabetes). It's not the same problem as type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is a disease of the pancreas where insulin-producing cells die off. Type 2 diabetes is more of an matter of your internal organs not working as well as they did when you were younger (an over-simplification I know, but it works).

While it's true that type 2 diabetes can be controlled with diet and exercise, you seem to have a reasonable diet and are active enough that you shouldn't need to modify your lifestyle. You might talk to your doctor about taking medication to help keep your sugar level down.

The most common medication for that is metformin. A small dose (maybe 250 mg) once or twice a day might put you right where you need to be. Ask your doctor about it. Metformin is a generic name and is very inexpensive. Metformin is not insulin, and does not work the same way insulin works. Metformin works by inhibiting your body's production of glucose, so there is less sugar in your body.


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## Dwayne Barry (Jan 9, 2009)

I'll second the recommendation above for engaging a regular exercise. Most folks who are physically active, still never reach the elevated sustained work rate of exercise, which appears so beneficial. Even just a 20 minute daily jog would probably help quite a bit.

Exercise improves the insulin sensitivity of your muscles and other tissues, it fixes the underlying problem, diet modifications simply help you avoid the elevated blood sugar that causes the complications of diabetes.

Exercise and diet is much more effective than metformin at preventing pre-diabetes, which it sounds like you might have, from advancing to diabetes.

Losing weight if you're overweight/obese would probably improve insulin sensitivity as well.


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## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

Ahh, lets see if'n I can add some info before you all shoot the victim (or OP, namely me). 
I'm 67+ to answer Nevada's question. 
I'm roughly 6 feet tall, weight 200lb, solid as per dr (not fat nor flabby and no "love handles").
I sleep maybe 5-5 1/2 hours a night - no I don't nap during the day.
I and the dog walk a steady 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour at a roughly 3-3.5 MPH maybe 5-6 days a week barring bad weather. This is up a grade, across my hay field, into the woods, along a ridge, back down a hill, along a pond and home. Only stopping if'n I see a thing of interest or that that has changed.
Other than the 2-3 hours (OK maybe sometimes 4) I spend on the computer I stay physically active with chores, repairs, and other projects on 57+ acres of land. I sit and watch maybe 2-3 hours of TV at night only to catch up on the earth shattering events that may have happened. or should I just say I watch the news...
I eat little meat, maybe 4 out of 7 days.
I eat a banana and 1-2 large apples a day along with a large variety of veggies.
I do eat oatmeal and some other grains (barley and buckwheat) maybe 3-4 days a week.
Oh and I do enjoy eggs, 2-3 times a week.
The only thing that - after talking to a few diabetics - I do not do is eat via a clock. I eat if and when I am hungry......... I may eat one large meal at 10AM than not eat again until 7-8PM. But then again I may eat 7-8 or more meals/snacks/etc in a day. Again when I feel hungry I eat.

Soooo, to those that have already posted I say thanks :cowboy: whether I agree with you or not may be another story. :bow:


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Micheal said:


> Such as?????
> So I'm to think that my reducing my carb intake will help make the dr happy and my number to go down? Hummmm.
> Could you please give an example or two?
> 
> Harry, that's what my crackers and bread are now (whole grain). :icecream: Sorry to say I've tried your "brethren" (hummus) and ahh, well, I, ahh, let me say - :nono: :hrm:


Small and often is the key. 

Have you been started on between meal snacks, yet? If your Doc hasn't, then she has given you poor dietetic info! This is a good example of my own diabetic healthy eating: remember I am a short female so you will need to adjust for your greater size and activity level!

Morning: 5? crackers to take with my diabetes meds.

2 hours later is breakfast of an egg and toast: my diet allows me 2 eggs but I am small and one egg is RIGHT!

Lunch is at least a meat exchange and 2-4 carb exchanges: In other words a sandwich and fries OR 2 sandwiches! ( a carb exchange is 5 crackers OR a slice of bread OR a piece of fruit, remembering that bananas alone have 2 carb exchanges)

Afternoon snack: letfovers or whatever.

Dinner: chicken cacciatore with only 1 cup of cooked pasta: it is better for me to fill up on meat!

Bedtime snack: leftovers or whatever: cheese and crackers are excellent! but, only 5-10 crackers

In other words, your body can only handle so many carbs at one time. you can eat the carbs but not too many at a sitting! That way your blood sugar will NOT go up!


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## Forest (Oct 14, 2010)

Have your Hemoglobin A1c checked. Be sure to keep that within normal limits.

Regular exercise, as others have said. Every day. Whether it's splitting logs or a treadmill doesn't matter, but it has to be regular.

Avoid peaks of high blood sugar. Eat regularly. Do five smaller meals/snacks a day, rather than two big ones. Choose foods with a low glycemic index.

Most important of all, get educated on type two diabetes and its natural progression. Your level of education, your genes, and your ability to stick with the above changes, will determine if and when "elevated blood sugar" turns into diabetes.

Do it now.

You have the chance now.

Do not wait until you have a diagnosis of diabetes. You want to avoid getting there at all cost. Do not make the mistake of putting your head in the sand and thinking that things will not progress into diabetes if you do nothing.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Micheal said:


> Again when I feel hungry I eat.


When I do that I overeat on carbs, which is what makes my blood sugar go up. I learned the hard way to eat my scheduled snacks, even if I do not always want them!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Dwayne Barry (Jan 9, 2009)

Micheal said:


> Ahh, lets see if'n I can add some info before you all shoot the victim (or OP, namely me).


Don't misconstrue providing info. for shooting the victim 

It sounds like you're pretty active and lean which is good. Regardless what the science tells us is that exercise and weight loss is really about all you can do to improve the insulin sensitivity of your muscles and they work better than Metformin at stopping the progression of the disease. Unfortunately, we simply don't have good drugs at this time.

The good news is it usually is a slowly progressing disease.

If it were me, I'd get rechecked soon. Based on what you said above the only thing I would suggest is perhaps consider weight lifting. Typically weight lifting doesn't do much for your health the way aerobic exercise does but it does appear to improve insulin sensitivity/blood sugar control well.

The most important issue is keeping your blood sugar as normal as possible. The complications from diabetes come from the high blood sugar not the reduced insulin sensitivity of your muscles per se. Controlling your blood sugar may also slow damage to your pancreas. If you're typical, your pancreas is probably producing abnormally high levels of insulin in order to compensate for the decreased insulin sensitivity of your muscles. When it can no longer do that, that's when you may progress from a pre-diabetic state to having frank type II diabetes.


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## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

Dwayne Barry said:


> Don't misconstrue providing info. for shooting the victim


Oh, no I don't, it's that I just don't want anyone to think that because I disagree and/or will not follow their advice that I'm a "bad" person and write me off.


> If it were me, I'd get rechecked soon.


I am, dr already sent me a script for additional blood work come the end of Jan - after all the holiday feasting(s).


> Based on what you said above the only thing I would suggest is perhaps consider weight lifting. Typically weight lifting doesn't do much for your health the way aerobic exercise does but it does appear to improve insulin sensitivity/blood sugar control well.


Humm, could carry weights with me on our (the dog and me) walks. It's a thought.


> The most important issue is keeping your blood sugar as normal as possible. The complications from diabetes come from the high blood sugar not the reduced insulin sensitivity of your muscles per se. Controlling your blood sugar may also slow damage to your pancreas. If you're typical, your pancreas is probably producing abnormally high levels of insulin in order to compensate for the decreased insulin sensitivity of your muscles. When it can no longer do that, that's when you may progress from a pre-diabetic state to having frank type II diabetes.


Again thanks to all for the suggestions and info.

It does appear that after almost 50 years of eating not only what I wanted but when I wanted - only if'n I was hungry - I need to change to eating by the clock....... or as per Terri - small but often.

One added side note (since I listed most of my eating habits):
I drink black coffee, green tea, and plain water - nothing added to the fore mentioned.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Safe holiday eating includes turkey, most other meats, diet jello with whipped cream (believe it or not!) veggie sticks with dip, and olives.

If you MUST eat sweets, chocolate is kinder to your system than most other sweets.

I realize that a person should not eat a lot of whipped cream and such, but it is less likely to make your blood sugar spike and a person is rarely perfect during Christmas!


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Micheal said:


> I'm 67+ to answer Nevada's question.
> I'm roughly 6 feet tall, weight 200lb, solid as per dr (not fat nor flabby and no "love handles").


You're a big boy. Metformin 500 mg twice a day wouldn't hurt you a bit. It's more of a mainstream answer than an alternative answer (as in the name of this forum), but still a good solution. To give you an idea how inexpensive this stuff can be, look at this link.

http://www.alldaychemist.com/353_Glucophage-500mg

Bigomet 500 mg is 45 cents for 10. You can take it twice a day for under $3/month. Talk to your doctor about it.


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## Ray (Dec 5, 2002)

I have diabetes and have been eating to help control it for a long time now, I eat alot of beans, any all kinds, dry and cooked at home. basmati rice, product of India only, there are counterfeits so it must say product of India. cinnamon, regularly every day helps greatly control type 2 diabetes, but it needs to be real cinnamon, not cassia. order online and keep in fridge. and exercise for gods sake, if you can there is no excuse!!! at least 3 times a week!!! and there a hundred other things to eat and herbs to take without using pharmaceutical patented fake molecules, which is required by congress to be classified as a drug in america today....by law you may not be prescribed a natural drug, there is no such thing, in the USA, according to the US congress, it must be an artificial molecule, to be patented as a drug, and called a drug!!! the pain drugs like percoset for example are fake heroine, as is morphine. all others are faked natural substances, so they can be patented and called a drug. check it out don't take my word for it, of coarse the natural herb they are trying to imitate is not prescribe-able period, nor useful, according to the pharmaceutical industry owned, FDA, only the imitation fake DRUG is prescribeable or effective according to our FDA!!! best wishes, ray best wishes, ray


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

Do you have a glucose meter? What you can do is use the meter to figure out which foods cause your blood sugar to spike and which foods are OK. A good web site which has free info is www.bloodsugar101.com. Click on the How to Lower Your Blood Sugar to see when to test and what the readings mean. She also has a book, but most of the info is free on her website.

Over the last 6 months I was able to get my cholesterol down to acceptable levels and am going to work on blood glucose over the next 6 months. Mine is only a little high at this point so I am pretty sure I can get it down by eliminating some carbs. The meter will help me figure out which ones are OK and which ones are not.


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## Astrid (Nov 13, 2010)

I have diabetes and the foods you mention such as rice, pasta, bread etc... all kill my blood sugar and immediately send it skyrocketing. Try eating meat, vegetables and salad. There are tons of ways of preparing foods that keep the amount of carbs low. I would also read "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon.


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## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

Again my thanks for everyone's comments and suggestions. 

MoonRiver; no meter here, just recently had the Dr express concern about the sugar level, so this is all somewhat new for me. That was the reason for the org post - looking for comments/ suggestions etc.
Since becoming aware of this problem I've discovered (thanks to the wife's yacking) that I know a number of people (locally) with an elevated sugar level and also a few with diabetes I'm learning more and more that "we" believe or at least think that most my problem comes from my "eating" habits - eating only when hungry and eating till I'm not.....
The sad part is that not that much of what I eat is "junk" food - well OK I do eat Heavenly Hash and DeathbyChocolate (icecream) but still most everything is fresh or frozen, homemade (I do the cooking), and in a normal sense "good" for you.
But, I have noted everyone's suggestions and comments and will discuss them with the Dr when I see her again at the end of Jan..........
Again to all THANKS!


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