Question for Diabetics

I'm Type II. There are products that claim to cut carbs if taken 15-30 minutes before eating. If you've tried any can you make a recommendation?

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OP- your goal is to lose weight, assuming you are overweight which almost all type 2 diabetics are. If you are younger than 40 with a significant weight loss your type 2 diabetes will be no more, or as we say well controlled. As such counting carbs is not so much an issue as counting calories. Counting carbs IS an issue if you are a type 1 diabetic.
charlie
OP, earlier this year I posted that I was pre-diabetic and was completely panicked at the news. I cut a large part of my carbs and dropped twenty pounds in three months--now my hemoglobin is down to a normal level. It is incredibly hard to cut carbs, but you can do it. I even found I could have a thin bagel every day (only 60 calories!) with peanut butter on it and get a little bit of carbs in and still get my carb fix. My exercise was just walking in a hilly neighborhood for an hour every day, but I doing it helped me lose the weight so I am a normal weight again and am not panicked about having to inject myself or lose fingers and toes. And the weird thing is, giving up the carbs and the sweets actually made me feel better, and I don;t even crave them so much anymore. And I can eat a bit of them and still get my fix in every week. You can do it. It's hard, but make it your priority. Be patient, but stick with it.
OP here. I don't have a weight problem. My goal is to control blood sugar levels.
Since you know you're type II, why don't you ask your doctor? At the very least you should be on Metformin to keep your blood sugar and glucose levels steady. You should also preferably get the fuck off the couch and start exercising and eating right, given that type II diabetes is reversible in most cases if you can get back to a normal weight.
Just cut the carbs, OP. It's so much easier than the slippery slope from oral meds with side effects to insulin and the loss of limbs. Go to one of the bariatric physicians that treats with low carb diets. They will set you up with a proper diet and monitor your levels. Before long, you will be off your diabetic meds. There is a list at the url below. Look on the right for your state.
http://lowcarbdoctors.blogspot.com/
OP, I hope posters quit ignoring what you're really saying and stop talking around you. I guess they're stuck on being determined you have to lose weight whether or not it's true. I've seen those same ads and wonder about them. I was recently diagnosed as being pre-diabetic so I'm very invested in getting healthier. I could stand to lose about 15 pounds so I've upped my activity levels and I'm restricting my diet.
[quote]My exercise was just walking in a hilly neighborhood for an hour every day, but I doing it helped me lose the weight so I am a normal weight again and am not panicked about having to inject myself or lose fingers and toes. You realize the likelihood of progressing to this level of diabetes is extremely rare, right? And that type II diabetics control their blood sugar and hemoglobin levels through pills, not insulin shots?
What is your height and what is your weight OP? R3, I think you mean your HemaglobinA1C not hemaglobin! Bariatric surgeon are not the docs to see for type 2 diabetes unless you are in the market for bypass surgery. You want to see an endocrinologist.
charlie
OP here. 5'11", 158 pounds. Last A1C 5.9.
A doctor prescribed something called Prandin for me, which I'm supposed to take 3 times per day before meals. I'm not sure it 'cuts carbs', but it must help somehow. Last A1C was 5.5. ( I do closely watch my diet and don't over-do the carbs anyway).
Most MDs are clueless about nutrition or the Glycemic Index. Easier to write scripts for Metformin and Glyburide than to educate patients on how to reverse the condition. They can't educate because medical schools don't teach nutrition. They're trained to treat symptoms with drugs.
OP- no you are not overweight and according to your HgAIC you are controlling your blood glucose (sugar) well. The goal is to be less than 7%. Are you taking any meds like Metformin? If not, keep doing whatever you are doing because 5'11" 158# and an AIC of 5.9 is good!
charlie
Exactly, R12. My doctor told me she had 2 hours of nutrition in med school, nearly all of which has been debunked as bad science. She also had 2 hours of pharmacology, which she says is both typical of med schools and a major problem. She doesn't like to prescribe without knowing about side effects and efficacy but she admits it's a major challenge to stay on top of changes. We both do a lot of reading and online research but it's a constant battle.
charlie, answer the guy's question instead of diagnosing him. He knows his weight is fine and that he's on top of glucose levels and all. What he wants to know is whether the "magic pills" that are being advertised will allow diabetics to consume more carbs without causing health problems. Can he have a couple of Krispy Kremes without his levels going off the charts?
You need to understand "Glycemic Index". Read "The Zone" and get in touch with your body.
http://www.amazon.com/Enter-The-Zone-Dietary-Road/dp/0060391502/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352411010&sr=8-1&keywords=the zone
willywonkanot
Oops R15, so noted. OP, I know of no such substances that can "cut carbs" and thus "allow" you to eat more. In general beware dietary supplement ads and promotions. They can essentially say whatever they want legally- and do- since dietary supplements were deregulated in 1994. As I said, keep doing what you are doing- you weight and your HgAIC are both good!
charlie
My dinner was grilled salmon, steamed spinach, and a sweet potato. The reading when I awakened seven hours later was 239. Since everything I ate was low carb, why was it so high?
Dr. Oz's Anti-Diabetic Drink Avoid the rollercoaster ride of blood sugar highs and lows. Both the vinegar and fiber in the drink will help slow the absorption of sugar. Plus the vinegar works as an appetite suppressant, while the fiber will help you feel full. Ingredients 8 oz water 4 tsp white or red wine vinegar 1 tsp psyllium husk fiber product Mix water and vinegar together in drinking glass. Pour psyllium husk fiber into glass and stir. Drink every day before dinner to prevent the sugar spike and crash before bed.
R18, blood sugar levels are usually the highest upon awakening, since the body manufactures extra glucose overnight to help you wake and have energy.
And aren't potatoes, especially sweet potatoes, a trifle starch-y?
sweet potatoes have a high glycemic index.
R18, sweet potatos are NOT low in carbs. They are marginally better than a russet potatoe, but you should eat very small amounts of them. The rest of your meal was good, but next time eat a second vegetable like brocolli instead of the sweet potato. I've been struggling with lowering the carbs in my diet...but found my blood sugars are best when I just cut out potatoes, etc rather than have just a little. For what ever reason my blood sugar spikes horribly after as little as a quarter cup of rice and a quarter of a small sweet potatoe. Now I just do without.
Another non-medical way to avoid the Beetus is with vitamin supplements. There are multivitamins for diabetics that can help with keeping sugar levels down. One is called Alphabetic and there's one Target sells which is very similar. There's a few natural minerals/vitamins (chromium is the main one) that can help. Of course, this is in tandem with watching one's diet, etc. I ran into problems as a late eater and once I changed that everything went back to normal. But cutting carbs and eating smaller meals over a day, versus two or three huge meals, will help.
Type 2 here. Usually all white foods are bad. Rice, potatoes, sugar, bread, etc... I find bread of any kind, even 100% whole wheat to send me too high. Now, I eat low carb. The book Wheat Belly helped me a ton. I don't know about supplements advertised on tv. You can try Gymnema Sylvestre, Amla and Bitter Melon(Karela). The last two you can find in a powder form in any Indian store for cheap. Of course none of this is proven to work, but they have all helped me; and since they are basically just plants or foods, there is less of a chance of doing extreme harm to yourself. I still eat carbs and even wheat, but I keep the amounts low. I've lost 50 pounds and no longer take any medication. Last 2 A1C's: 5.2, 5.1.
OP: If you are referring to the supplements that are made from white kidney bean extract that supposedly block starch-to-sugar conversion, I have tried many brands of these and they do not work. However, I am not diabetic. The supplements I mentioned seemed to have no action whatsoever in assisting weight loss or cutting carb/sugar cravings. I have several points to make regarding the very popular fad of low-carb diets, which are high in proteins. First, I successfully lost 120 pounds by eating complex carbohydrates, no simple sugars, increased proteins, and no fats, along with increased exercise. Complex carbs are pure energy; proteins are not. What do all of you on high-protein diets plan to do if your kidneys start failing? As explained by several doctors, the human body is not designed to handle a lifelong diet high in proteins. We are not obligate carnivores like felines. You may see rewards in the short-term, but there are long-term consequences in addition to the fact that "pure proteins" are usually expensive. Kidney dysfunction is a genetic trait in my family. After trying this high-protein lifestyle for some time, I only lost about 2 pounds, there was no change in my BMI or muscle tone, no metabolic benefits as measured by lab tests were realized, and my kidney function worsened -- not to mention more frequent kidney stones! I didn't post to the thread on that topic, but for those of you who have never had one a kidney stone can make even the most stoic, masculine man literally turn into a crying invalid. Hopefully this high-proten fad, which I suspect is based on junk science, will pass before the donor lists for kidneys skyrocket and the world's protein supply is further overburdened.
Pay attention to R25, OP. R26, you're a dinosaur. Maybe you should read some real science for a change.
r20, since sugar is high when awakening why is 70-130 the American Diabetes Association range for a morning reading?
I'm Type II. Before sleep last night my last food was an 8-ounce cup of plain non-fat yogurt. When I awakened seven hours later my reading was 149. Why so high?