MelismaMcG
Posted: Oct. 29 2007, 12:41 ET

I've decided that even though I'm not sure exactly when I'm going to start on Dr. B, and so I don't exactly know what's allowed and what's not, I can still get into the right mind-frame. Having decided that, I've stopped drinking coffee, and I'm using up my beloved Earl Grey tea, fruit teas, and powdered Splenda (and other powdered sweeteners) just as quickly as I can. I ditched the diet sodas, for the most part, a long time ago as I found they made me bloat up - one of my diabetic meds tends to produce a lot of gas in certain instances, and in combination with sodas is one of those. I'll make other changes as they occur to me. But I do hope you all can make suggestions, too...

I work in an office that gets very cold, so I'm constantly drinking hot stuff - I went through a phase of lots of coffee, and now as I said, I'm dealing with tea. But if I'm trying to avoid caffeinated teas (like my Earl Grey) and fruit teas (those are going to be HARD - I like to drink them both hot and cold, so tasty with or without sweeteners), what herbal teas can I try? I know that green tea is supposed to be good for weight loss, but I can't stand the taste. I brew a bag of it with a bag of another kind of tea to mask the flavor, that's the only way I can drink it. I've also got a box of Korean minsok tea (I think it's their traditional toasted barley tea, but since I bought it when I was over there, the box and bags are all labelled in Hangul, which I don't read or understand). Any other ideas of things to try, would be welcome...

Melisma

noma
Posted: Oct. 29 2007, 12:48 ET

There are a lot of great de-caf teas out there (and of course de-caf coffees too.) Pretty much any flavour -- orange pekoe, Earl Grey, etc -- is available in decaf, as well as the herbal teas of course. My favourite tea is Rishi brand Organic Rooibos De-Caf.

Also just so you're aware, green tea does have caffeine, though a de-caf version is available. Not sure about minsok tea.

Best of luck. Hope you can start soon.

MelismaMcG
Posted: Oct. 29 2007, 13:06 ET

As I understand it, minsok is completely decaf, and considered herbal. If there's a decaf Earl Grey I will be a really happy camper, tho... And I'll look forward to trying some new kinds of tea. (I've been called a food adventurer by some people - I just love trying new things

The other thing that I'm thinking about, being a type 2 diabetic... I have a lot of low blood sugar episodes, depending on my meds, volume of food intake, level of activity, etc. I have to carefully monitor my sugar levels throughout the day, and I carry dextrose tablets in case I have a low. Now, I know that Dr. B will help me regulate my blood sugar levels, and I can reduce or eliminate my meds (yay!). But in the process of losing my weight, what happens when I have a low? Will treating a low affect my ketosis? What steps will the clinic be able to do to help me with my fluctuating sugar levels *while I'm on program*? Guess I'm not being too coherent here, but if any type 2s out there have any experiences like thins, can you share with me?

(One of these days I will post my 'Why I want to lose weight' list that I started a couple days ago - first thing on the list is related to my diabetes )

Mel

BrookeB
Posted: Oct. 29 2007, 13:14 ET

Hi Mel

I really love the Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice tea when I am feeling cold.  I also drink mint teas and chamomile tea - I know I can be a stress-case if I start thinking I am not losing weight fast enough so I need all the calming teas I can get LOL

BrianB
Posted: Oct. 29 2007, 13:24 ET

Quote (MelismaMcG @ Oct. 29 2007,13:06)

As I understand it, minsok is completely decaf, and considered herbal. If there's a decaf Earl Grey I will be a really happy camper, tho... And I'll look forward to trying some new kinds of tea. (I've been called a food adventurer by some people - I just love trying new things The other thing that I'm thinking about, being a type 2 diabetic... I have a lot of low blood sugar episodes, depending on my meds, volume of food intake, level of activity, etc. I have to carefully monitor my sugar levels throughout the day, and I carry dextrose tablets in case I have a low. Now, I know that Dr. B will help me regulate my blood sugar levels, and I can reduce or eliminate my meds (yay!). But in the process of losing my weight, what happens when I have a low? Will treating a low affect my ketosis? What steps will the clinic be able to do to help me with my fluctuating sugar levels *while I'm on program*? Guess I'm not being too coherent here, but if any type 2s out there have any experiences like thins, can you share with me? (One of these days I will post my 'Why I want to lose weight' list that I started a couple days ago - first thing on the list is related to my diabetes ) Mel

If you're getting hypoglycemia as a Type II diabetic, it is of course due to your meds.  The bad news is that a dextrose tablet will surely screw up ketosis.  The good news is that you can expect to come off some of those diabetes meds very soon after starting the diet.  In my case, I had to switch from glipizide back to metformin literally the day I started because I was getting low blood sugars for the first time in my life.  So, I came off a diabetes med on day one.

Not all diabetes meds cause hypoglycemia -- only the ones that stimulate insulin release.  If you're able to back down to meds that only inhibit glucose production and absorption (like glucophage), then you shouldn't have any hypoglycemia issues.

Of course all this should be at the direction of your physician.  Because I'm such a know it all, I changed my meds on my own and created quite a stir.  Hey, I wasn't going to sit around getting blood sugars in the 60's waiting for someone to tell me to stop taking a medication that stimulates insulin release (duh).  That was a long time ago.  I got a good grin just now remembering that.

You'll find this diet will likely do wonders for your diabetes.  My fasting blood sugars are like always 89 now.  My A1C (glycoselated hemoglobin) is like 4.5 (a stellar number for a non-diabetic, much less a supposed diabetic).

MelismaMcG
Posted: Oct. 29 2007, 14:30 ET

Brian, which doctor should be the one to take me off my glyburide? (That's the one that is probably causing the lows...) Would it be the Dr. B doctor, or should I wait for my own GP or endocrinologist to advise that it's time? (My GP is a great dr, but he's told me a million times that I just have to take my meds and follow my diet and exercise more, and the weight will come off. Well, thanks to the PCOS and diabetes, it's just not that easy. So I'm half tempted not to tell him about Dr. B before I start - I rather expect he'd give me
crap about it. As would my parents, I'm sure, so I'm not going to tell them, either...)

Mel

MelismaMcG
Posted: Nov. 1 2007, 14:17 ET

An update on the diabetes situation - went to the doctor last night for my flu shot, and weighed in. I was 236, down from 242 about 2 months ago (a drop in the bucket compared to what I could do on Dr. B, I know). This so impressed my dr, that he reduced my Met dosage by 500 mg. Well, it helped that I had a low of 3.8 a day or two earlier, and I told him I was getting really tired of having lows...

For the info of any non-diabetics here, a normal blood sugar reading as well as a normal A1C level - the three-month average of your blood sugar levels - is anywhere from 4 to 7 mmol/dl, in every country but the States. Americans have a different measurement for the daily readings, mg/100ml. To convert to American, multiply by 18. To convert from American, divide by 18... So when Brian tells me he's got daily readings of about 89, that's just around 4.9 by my reckoning, a very awesome number to hit consistently indeed! Can't wait until I can claim the same thing

Mel

MelismaMcG
Posted: Nov. 12 2007, 21:03 ET

I keep replying to my own thread as I think of stuff

Anyway, I've noticed that besides carbs, proteins and fats, you guys seem to be keeping close tabs on your salt intake, which I've never done. I'm wondering if someone could give me an idea of what limitations the diet places on salt intake - an estimate would be fine - so I can start at least thinking about it as I get my mindset in place to start.

(Been re-crunching numbers again, and it looks like I'll be trying for an initial consult on or about January 18, unless I can get more overtime - if I can, I'll try for December 28 or January 4. I really want to get started as soon as I can!)

nickns2
Posted: Nov. 12 2007, 22:23 ET

They don't really put a limit on sodium....the huge majority of our food is low in sodium.  Worst case is that the nurses may ask you to avoid certain allowed foods that are higher in sodium if they think your holding on to water.


Really you don't worry about counting the sodium...carbs...fat...etc.  You just eat the allowed portions but at certain times you may be asked to avoid certain foods that may be high in a particular area.

MelismaMcG
Posted: Nov. 12 2007, 22:34 ET

Ah, I see...

I'm afraid I'm addicted to salty things - well, healthy salty things, mainly. Every once in a while I get a yen for a bag of pretzels or chips, but since they are full of carbs and fat I've gotten away from eating gobs of them like I did when I was young and foolish and putting on weight hand over fist. Rather, I tend to go for things like kosher dill pickles (eat them whole, not on sandwiches - this drives my mother crazy...) non-wine-cured sauerkraut, nuked or fried eggs with lots of salt, salt on tomato wedges, garlic or onion salt in these or other things I cook...

I suppose I can start cutting back on these kinds of things, but it's the salt that's added to packaged foods that makes me the most worried - being mainly vegetarian, as I've mentioned in another thread, I eat a lot of soy-based protein, and I've been checking the labels on that and other things in the stores when I shop. If I had a general number of grams of sodium in my head as a top limit per serving, I think I'd be able to improve the choices I make...

Mel