How Much Water Do I Need To Drink For The Best Hydration Level.

Good morning from South Jersey to all you diabetes warriors
Proper hydration, a loaded question, with many answers.

Those with kidney disease need to listen to their doctors.
Those on diuretics, listen to your doctor.
Those on sulfonylureas may need extra water.
If exercising, you may need more water.

Most of the rest of us fall into these categories
In general, data and recommendations from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine suggest that

Women 150 pounds, BMI less… read more

Does Diet Sodas Cause Higher Fasting Glucose Levels?

I have recently experienced higher fasting glucose levels over the course of about 6 weeks. Normally, I am at 80- 120 in the mornings, but lately have been about 140- 160. The only big difference of late, I can pin point is,.. I have been drinking, maybe 1 can of diet sodas with my evening meals. I have also had sinus/ allergy issues about the same time (farmers in the locale are harvesting- kicking up dust & mold). Just trying to get a grip on whether the issue is in the sodas (as my diet has… read more

Is Having Bowel Issues Common With Type 2 Diabetes?

Goodevening all.... I am new to this site and have a sorta uncomfortable question to ask. I have Type 2 Diabetes and take Metformin 1000 mg. 2x daily, Glimepriride 4mg once daily, plus 20 mg Lisinopril for high blood pressure. I have chronic constipation, followed by diahrea. I sometimes don't have any movement for 4 to 5 days. I get bloated, have stomach pain at times. Periodically I take magnesium citrate to get things moving, but after a couple days I start slowly plugging up again. I… read more

Should You Eat If Your Fasting Number Is High?

I haven't yapped for a while. Have been busy, tired - life has got in the way but have something to blab about this morning and we have dozens of new members who haven't been exposed to my drivel 😁

This morning my Fasting Blood Sugar was "out of range for ME".

It came in at a 6.3/113 which is a little over my (target) of 6.0/108 as set by my Diabetes Doc to maintain my level of control.

Not terrible, but a little high.

I "expected" it to be high because I slept in. More correctly I woke and… read more

How Long Do I Have To Get My Act Together After Initial Diagnosis?

That is an important question.

Often the reaction of someone newly diagnosed is “I needed to fix this yesterday”.

That can lead to panic, confusion about where to start and bring on stress or depression – after all, Type 2 is a pretty big topic to wrap your head around.

Most times if I reply to a new member’s initial post my first piece of advice is “try to relax and take a breath”.

I go on to say that “in general” (which means that it applies to nobody really – none of us are average but we… read more

Are We Sometimes Too Hard On Ourselves When We Measure Our Blood Sugar?

I can’t count the number of times I have seen someone post up “disappointment” in a reading and I comment “take the win”.

What exactly do I mean?

For those that are striving for a level of control (we) can often try to “over achieve” and get upset with ourselves if we miss some mythical target we have in our minds.

If we simply take a step back, and instead of being hard on ourselves (causing some stress which is detrimental to the very blood sugar levels we are trying to control) then maybe… read more

Do You Consider Skipping/delaying Breakfast If Your Fasting Number Is High?

I have seen many post up this concern when they woke up to a high fasting number.

I never, as in never-ever, skip breakfast because of a high fasting number

Why?

Because as I have posted many times, Fasting Numbers are the result of sugar released by the Liver when we are not eating for extended periods (sleeping, more than about 5 hours between meals).

There is a number of reasons why the Liver might get a little too generous with the sugar supply BUT the only way to "turn it off" is to eat… read more

Why Does The Dietitian Tell Us To Avoid Bread, White Potato, Rice And Pasta?

The simple answer is, 70% of Type 2's don't follow their treatment plan, much less any kind of "friendly diet" anyhow so it's kinda like the "eat less fat" mantra to try and protect people from themselves when they want a simple answer.

The real answer is "complex" but not complicated.

White Bread, Potato, Rice, Pasta and a few other "processed starches" metabolize to sugar almost quicker than table sugar and they keep us "high" even longer than table sugar. So it is sound advice for those… read more

Am I Too Harsh And Lack Compassion?

Most who read my posts become very aware that I don't tend to sugar coat anything.

Maybe that is because I have been dealing with Diabetes my entire life. My Parents, Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, Uncles/Aunts and cousins all have/had diabetes, at least the overwhelming majority of them, so if you are a "normal" member of the family, you likewise have Diabetes.

It didn't mean your life was over. It didn't mean that you life was limited, it was simply a genetic trait no different then… read more

Guys My Feet Are Burning And Can't Sleep At Night. What Can Help Me?