@A DiabetesTeam Member

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HOW DO I CONTROL MY BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS ?

If every day is a so-so or bad day, you will need to work very much harder, to halt diabetes in its tracks, to stop it from completely taking over your life

If your blood sugars are high, then it’s likely that diabetes is controlling you

To feel better, you will need to begin controlling diabetes.

You cannot “wish” diabetes away
You cannot reverse diabetes
You will have diabetes for the rest of your life, but you can overcome it, by working very hard at it

Once you have control over it, you will not have to live with every day being just so-so or a bad day.

Controlling blood sugar involves maintaining a balanced lifestyle that keeps glucose levels within a target range to prevent spikes and long-term complications. The foundational approach includes a healthy diet, regular exercise, monitoring levels, and managing stress. 

Here are the very basic rules for controlling blood sugar: 

Focus on non-starchy vegetables (leafy greens, broccoli), whole grains (oats, brown rice), and legumes (beans, lentils) to slow sugar absorption.

Balance Your Plate: Use the "plate method": Fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables, one-quarter with lean protein (fish, chicken, tofu), and one-quarter with complex carbohydrates.

Avoid "Naked" Carbs: Never eat carbohydrates alone. Pair them with protein, fiber, or healthy fats (nuts, seeds, avocado) to prevent rapid spikes.

Limit Refined Sugar and Carbs: Reduce intake of white bread, pasta, white rice, sugary drinks, soda, and desserts.

Control Portions: Use smaller plates to manage caloric intake and maintain a healthy weight.

Eat Regularly: Do not skip meals, as this can cause blood sugar to fluctuate. 

Exercise Regularly: Aim for at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, swimming, or cycling.

Move After Meals: A short 10-minute walk after eating can significantly reduce blood sugar spikes.

Avoid Prolonged Sitting: Get up and move every 30 minutes. 

Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water to help your kidneys flush out excess sugar. If you have kidney problems, take advice from your Nephrologist.

Mentioned Users

A Diabete...

Diabetes cannot be cured. But it can be controlled. I was in clinical remission for 5 years. It took me 3.5 months to get my A1C down from 13.5 to 4.9. No diabetes medications with A1C in the 5s after that.

But to do that I can eat zero carbs. (I am a lifelong Japanese rice-aholic. I ate rice 2-3 meals a day.) And my total carbs per meal could not exceed 2-3 carbs. 1 serving of carbs is 15 carbs. 2 eggs is 1 carb. A deli slice of cheese is 1 carb. A serving of greens is 1 carb. A serving of cucumber if 1-2 carbs.

So you see how restrictive 2-3 net carbs per meal is.

I also work in my gardens every day. I walk 4-6 miles every day. I do yard work. I do maintenance on our cars. I do repairs on our 120 year old house. I bicycle. I also do 10-20 random acts of kindness daily for people I do not know.

So what I eat, physical activities, attitude, controlling my numbers to the nondiabetic range, and helping others is my plan.

I will get back to clinical remission.

Good luck as you find your way.

I don't think you can ever be over this disease, at least that seems true to me. I was diagnosed 23 years ago. I was freaked out when diagnosed. I finally found some advice where I worked. My PCP was useless for me. A researcher just told me to stop eating carbohydrates until my BG dropped to normal. This took about 3 or 4 days. This worked so well that I just quit eating carbs altogether for 4 months. I had trouble bringing back in green vegetables because the zero carb diet kept me in the normal range. I finally started eating broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and cabbage. I really like brussels sprouts. I found out why I liked them so much, they have the highest amount of carbs of the vegetables I eat. I was also lucky about where I worked at a medical school. My bosses were physician scientists who would keep track of my BG with their meter (I did not have one) and they would question me each day about what I had eaten the previous day. It was months before they stopped checking my BG every day and trusting me to eat properly. They also wanted me on an exercise regimen. They did approve of my PCP prescribing a large dose of Metformin each day. Other than that they considered my PCP an idiot. Here is a link that basically tells everyone what my physician/scientists told me 23 years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_6rdsBEBZ4