I was diagnosed with Type 2 back in April. Fasting glucose 182 and A1C 9.5.
I’ve always been very active lifting, running and cycling so didn’t change my activity level a whole lot but my diet was VERY carb heavy.
I tested everything with my stick meter and deleted anything which spiked me. The l
IMO yes a cheat here and there is possible but you need to control it. I tend to cheat when I think the numbers should be higher and are not. Eg: had a small piece of Angel cake last night and no spike. Humm could this be compatible? Tonight I just ate another small piece. Logically my BS should not spike. But with diabetes it’s not always logical.
My mom would make angel food cake for my birthday as a t1 kid. It doesn’t have a lot of sugar or carbs in due to the amount of egg whites. However, the decorating could be iffy (mom used unsweetened whipped cream). Fat and protein help slow the sugar spike, so there is also that.
Unfortunately it is not homemade but in a box. Yesterday was Christmas with kids and grand kids. I opted for this desert because I added fruits and whipped cream. I will check in a couple of hours and Tomorrow will tell because I tend to have a BS higher when getting up vs before going to bed.
do you have your mom's recipe by any chance? i would love to make it for my diabetic dad
She used the Betty Crocker recipe. This is of the same era https://www.reddit.com/r/Old_Recipes/s/6mAwR4xEJb I don’t remember her using almond extract or cake flour. She likely used just vanilla and all purpose. I’ve made it myself that way and it turns out great. Use a cold metal bowl to whip the egg whites as it helps. Happy baking!
thank you so much!! 🩷
Tada! My BS this morning is up by 1.4 I always go up from the last night. so for me this means that once in a while (big while) I can go for a small peace of angel cake.
It's possible to improve, but the blood sugar impact of something that is high fat and high carb like pizza goes past 2 hrs. Without a CGM you'd need to be checking it all day after eating it because the fat delays and messes with the carb absorption. Pizza and some Chinese food are basically the final boss of diabetes. Fettuccine Alfredo may be similar because of the cheese if it's good Alfredo.
Chinese gave me my all time high score almost 400
Chinese sends me into the 500 - 600s. Its brutal. Found out it was the rice. Rice is the final boss lol.
Rice but even General Tso’s chicken is a no go
I was picking up my son from college and stopped at a rest stop...indulged in panda express orange chicken and some stir fry dish and rice. I didn't have a CGM on at the time, but I could FEEL the surge and having to sit and drive for another 2 hours was not good. The highest I've ever seen my blood sugar go from food is around 210 (it goes a litter higher during very strenuous exercise but I've been told that's expected) with a CGM, and 210 didn't feel it nearly as much as with the evil Panda.
Even when I hit almost 400 I never felt any different. I probably hit that every weekend for decades :(
Chinese food has alot of sugar in it along with carbs. These sauces you think will never have it is what gets you. Now I just get beef n broccoli no rice. Maybe a small veg spring roll but thats it.
Sauces usually aren’t a problem for me. I think the breading to meat ratio for General Tso’s chicken is too high.
I don't know your results, but orange chicken/general tso/sesame chicken..those are like candied breaded meat, there is a ton of sugar in those sauces. Even seemingly healthier stir frys like chicken garlic sauce I think have more starch and sugar than people realize.
This is where a cgm is helpful. With a high fat meal like that, it can be hard to catch the glucose spike because the fat can delay the spike.
But also, I find a fatty meal gives me a lower glucose spike as well.
This is an important comment and I just want to add my anecdotal experience. I'm not diabetic however I wear a cgm. I've had many experiences where my meals where high fat and high carb and my body doesn't have a spike (anywhere between 30mg to 60mg jump depending on how high of a carb meal) 4 to 6 hours later.
Very large and celebratory dinners with plenty of sugary desserts will also cause some spikes overnight. Very concerning to see but seems like for now my body handles It well and it comes down quickly.
I can only speak for myself but I'm kind of starting to believe that the longer I'm in good control, the more carb meals I can indulge in occasionally. My glucose metabolism is best after 2pm.
That’s what I was starting to wonder if. I might have a little more flexibility than when I started.
Glad you're experiencing the same. It's been a relief for me to know I can still have something every now again - and oddly, also motivating - like I'm encouraged to do well 90-95% of the time just for that 5-10% that I can indulge.
Yes!
Since you are more controlled now and have lost some weight you probably can occasionally have a higher carb meal. The trick is to keep it to once in a while and not make a more frequent habit out of it. It’s easier to get back on track/stay on track when you’re starting from a good place. The more frequently you indulge the more likely you are to see generally higher numbers which will make it harder to come back to your current baseline.
You also said you’re on holiday- I don’t know if you’re meaning you’re actually somewhere else or just taking time off work but if you’re walking more (like one might on a trip), that can also help keep things from spiking as high as they would otherwise.
As others have said, with things that are high in fat like Alfredo and pizza, the spike can act
Physically and virtually in Margaritaville Hollywood,Fl. Got a fair amount of activity. 1.25 hr scuba dive, hour of snorkeling, mile of swimming, and a 14 mile bike ride. But I usually lift daily at home and clock 35 miles a week on the bike or 14 miles of running depending the season.
Skipped the umbrella drinks for bourbon and scotch which while not a solid plan long term seems to have a short term benefit for BS.
you lost weight and the reduction in fat increased your insulin sensitivity...you're probably not cured, but you're most of the way there. stay vigilant!
Meds can help blunt some of it too
I’m not on any. Just diet.
4 years ago I was 9.4 I had a fairly high carb diet and minimal exercise I got back my carbs and I lowered my portion sizes and started walking 4 km a day dropped 40 lb and lowered myself to 5.4. in the four years between then and now I've been anywhere between 5.0 and 5.4 and yeah I cheat every now and then like for example tonight I had a nice decent size plate of spaghetti because I felt like it and with all the other changes I've made I can do that from time to time and I find it doesn't negatively overly impact me. Plus it's better if you cheat from time to time then restricting yourself so much because I know with myself if I were to restrict myself fully all the time one day I would fall off the wagon and Binge eat a dozen donuts in a sitting.
Maybe someone can explain this better, but if you cook rice or pasta, put it in the fridge overnight and then reheat it, the chilling process does something to it that somewhat reduces its effects on your bg.
I can confirm this works for me with rice. The endo confirmed it as well. The starch molecules rearrange and crystalize and the result is less digestible. I don’t know the science behind it all to well but enough testing to know it works for me.
It appears you’ve become more insulin sensitive since April. Occasional or rare cheats will likely be okay, but if they become common or regular practice, you’ll lose your hard earned insulin sensitivity and be back in the same boat as in April.
Keep in mind that complex plus fat carbohydrates can absorb over longer than two hours. For a good burrito or a big plate of fettuccine Alfredo your BG might be rising for three or even four hours.
Yeh it's possible to improve what you can eat. I was very strict in the beginning and got my diabetes in remission. I have been in remission almost 2 years. I now average 200g carbs a day and 45g of natural sugar. Every morning my fasting glucose is under 100mg. I exercise 6 days a week with strength training and running. What allows me to this is understanding when my muscles are depleted of glycogen. My heavy carb meals are centered around my exercise. On heavy lifting and running days I make sure my muscle glycogen levels are full. This allows me the best performance in my workouts so I can burn as much glycogen as possible. This causes my muscles to seek the glucose in my blood stream, keeping my glucose numbers in the save zone. The one day I take for rest, I do lower my
I still need to work on this. On my runs and bike rides about the 1/2 hr mark I feel very depleted. I know I need to up my carbs on those days but am still in the mode of focusing on reducing. I will have to take that on soon
I love Fettuccini Alfredo but it is high in saturated fat. I am an old T1 with pump and Dexcom G7. After decades of moderate indulgence I am seeing doctors and nutritionist and RNs who monitor cholesterol and blood pressure. Low salt, low saturated fat, low carb all recommended.
This also means low flavor. Sigh. I must severely limit Italian and Mexican food eating out. I'm trying to get excited about salads. I have gradually dieted my way back to normal weight.