Yes, Dr. told me that pain affects diabetes. With back pain-2 surg. I also need knee replacement but i'm not having it down here in Delaware. I'm going to New York -Hospital of special surg. My Mom & Dad are 88 & 86 and they don't take any pills at all. I must of really screwed up my body. Smoked -pain pills and worked as a mechanic for 40 years. Never went to the gym. Growing up in the 60s & 70s-did a few other things...Paying for it now !!!!
Diabetes-- Help
- Thread starter S&W357
- Start date
Yes, Dr. told me that pain affects diabetes. With back pain-2 surg. I also need knee replacement but i'm not having it down here in Delaware. I'm going to New York -Hospital of special surg. My Mom & Dad are 88 & 86 and they don't take any pills at all. I must of really screwed up my body. Smoked -pain pills and worked as a mechanic for 40 years. Never went to the gym. Growing up in the 60s & 70s-did a few other things...Paying for it now !!!!
Doug M.
Member
*
So many factors can play into this, and I have no clue. Just another reason to get a referral to an endocrinologist.
Doug M. has some really good advice. When I took my classes, the nurse asked us all to set goals for exercise. The other 6 people all said they'd try to work up to 20 minutes a day. I told her I was going to be consistently doing an hour a day on my bike. I don't think she believed me.
My doctor told me that while Metformin is helpful, exercise is the key to keeping things in check.
I exercise one hour at least 6 days a week. I alternate, doing on hour on the bike one day and an hour on the rowing machine the next. When the weather is good enough, I ride my bike outside for about 1:20. Riding outside is better, but it's also weather dependent.
I haven't lost that much weight, but I've converted a lot of fat to muscle. Fat actually weighs less than muscle, which a lot of people don't know.
What you want to do is burn off as much fat as possible. Metformin helps that process by inhibiting the release of Glycogen from the Liver. That forces your body to use the fat instead. Controlling what you eat is also part of the equation. If you use up enough of the fat, at some point the body will start to burn off the Glycogen as well.
You don't have to live like a monk, but you do have to pay attention to what you eat. What will work for me might not work for you. I've started eating whole wheat or multi grain breads, eat a lot of bran cereal, eat a lot more fruit, cut back on potatoes, and try to eat as little rice as possible. When I do eat rice, I try to get long grain, not white rice.
As others have said, I've cut way back on diet soda and drink ice tea (no sugar) and water.
As others have said, I'm doing this so I can have more time to spend with my grand kids.
My doctor told me that while Metformin is helpful, exercise is the key to keeping things in check.
I exercise one hour at least 6 days a week. I alternate, doing on hour on the bike one day and an hour on the rowing machine the next. When the weather is good enough, I ride my bike outside for about 1:20. Riding outside is better, but it's also weather dependent.
I haven't lost that much weight, but I've converted a lot of fat to muscle. Fat actually weighs less than muscle, which a lot of people don't know.
What you want to do is burn off as much fat as possible. Metformin helps that process by inhibiting the release of Glycogen from the Liver. That forces your body to use the fat instead. Controlling what you eat is also part of the equation. If you use up enough of the fat, at some point the body will start to burn off the Glycogen as well.
You don't have to live like a monk, but you do have to pay attention to what you eat. What will work for me might not work for you. I've started eating whole wheat or multi grain breads, eat a lot of bran cereal, eat a lot more fruit, cut back on potatoes, and try to eat as little rice as possible. When I do eat rice, I try to get long grain, not white rice.
As others have said, I've cut way back on diet soda and drink ice tea (no sugar) and water.
As others have said, I'm doing this so I can have more time to spend with my grand kids.
S&W357,
I'm not much help on diabetes, but have a couple pointers on
going to the gym. I've lifted free weights on and off since my teens.
After one of my innumerable lazy times, I saw some
doctor claim that weights would lower chloresterol. At the time,
I had just been tested for that,=223.
A month later, had another test for insurance purposes=173.
Also, pushing yourself to find out how heavy to lift is
a sure way to get laid-up and lose whatever benefit you had
achieved. The really important part of weights is form and range
of motion.
Sounds like you're doing everything right, now, so you have time
to experiment.
I wish you the best with your condition.
TACC1
I'm not much help on diabetes, but have a couple pointers on
going to the gym. I've lifted free weights on and off since my teens.
After one of my innumerable lazy times, I saw some
doctor claim that weights would lower chloresterol. At the time,
I had just been tested for that,=223.
A month later, had another test for insurance purposes=173.
Also, pushing yourself to find out how heavy to lift is
a sure way to get laid-up and lose whatever benefit you had
achieved. The really important part of weights is form and range
of motion.
Sounds like you're doing everything right, now, so you have time
to experiment.
I wish you the best with your condition.
TACC1
Grayback
US Veteran
Your sugar goes up when you don't eat because the liver
"says hey we need more sugar in the body" and produces
more glucose. Goes down after eating because the liver
sees no reason to produce anymore glucose.....takes time
to work it all out. Good Luck
I am no expert in this but what you eat is critical - if you are having refined carbs of any kind (bread, starches, sugar - anything with a label of ingredients like corn flakes) it is a tough battle.
Pigs & cattle are fed grains (corn etc) to fatten them up - it will do the same to us.
Two slices of "healthy whole grain wheat bread" will spike your blood sugar more than a Snickers bar or 2 tsp of white table sugar.
The gov't still recommends "healthy whole grains" at the bottom of the pyramid but the diabetes and obesity rates are crazy - more "low fat" food is sold today than ever, but more people are obese and diabetic - crazy.
A low fat "diet" is a lie - it can never work unless you want to feel deprived and hungry.
In am -2 eggs with bacon-lunch -chicken and cheese -dinner lots of greens with a steak [cut the fat out]- Snacks- i have these peanuts butter n choc. protein bars. All less then 60 carbs a meal. Lots n Lots of water. I'm drinking 8 glasses a day. If i get hungry -i will steam up some broccoli with garlic. You can eat all the broccoli you want. I was big on fruit but not now. Even tho i can have 2 slices of bread 15 carbs each. Thats 30 carbs. That's 4 peanut butter n choc. bars. I was a big milk drinker. No more milk. Look at me -5 days ago i didn't know any of this.
I read two books .I can see how this is going to be a fight to the end. It can be done but for the rest of my life ? I'm buying a smoker. Start smoking fish.....
UncaGrunny
US Veteran
Don't cut the fat off your steak; the body will use fat for energy more readily than it can use protein (still need the protein for other functions), and that helps keep your blood-glucose under control.
Dietary fat is not as bad for you as has long been believed, and has little to do with serum cholesterol or weight gain. Tons of recent science has been showing that low-fat diets are unhealthy, primarily because they make you hungry for carbs because you are running low on easily-convertable fuel.
Well worth your time if you want to get a deeper understanding of what is currently known about diet and its effects on metabolism:
Start Here « The Eating Academy | Peter Attia, M.D. The Eating Academy | Peter Attia, M.D.
& especially this article from that site:
How did we come to believe saturated fat and cholesterol are bad for us? « The Eating Academy | Peter Attia, M.D. The Eating Academy | Peter Attia, M.D.
Dietary fat is not as bad for you as has long been believed, and has little to do with serum cholesterol or weight gain. Tons of recent science has been showing that low-fat diets are unhealthy, primarily because they make you hungry for carbs because you are running low on easily-convertable fuel.
Well worth your time if you want to get a deeper understanding of what is currently known about diet and its effects on metabolism:
Start Here « The Eating Academy | Peter Attia, M.D. The Eating Academy | Peter Attia, M.D.
& especially this article from that site:
How did we come to believe saturated fat and cholesterol are bad for us? « The Eating Academy | Peter Attia, M.D. The Eating Academy | Peter Attia, M.D.
It seems that the more protein i eat the lower my sugar. I when to the gym this morn because sugar was 190. I had hard boiled egg and did 45 min.walk. came back home -sugar was 106. I had lunch -went for a walk with the dog. at 2 pm today my sugar was 80. I never saw it that low. I go to the Dr. in 2 week [real Dr.]
In general I agree with you, but keep in mind that one of the things we want to do is burn off the fat on our bodies. While the fat on steak is tasty, it's not helping that goal. No need to be a fanatic about it, but some trimming is good.
Also, one of the things about protein is that it takes a lot of energy for the body to break it down and as such it doesn't produce a lot of energy. Again, this is where our body fat comes in to play.
A guy I know is a very serious biker. For a while he had a bike shirt that said "Powered by fat" on the back. He's not fat and that's because he bikes and does Nordic Skiing. Both use a ton of energy and if you have extra fat they will burn it off fast.
One thing I don't do is measure my BG on a daily basis. I discussed this with my doctor when he first made the diagnosis and we agreed. As someone else said, daily BG levels will vary and are of little value if you are orally controlled. The A1C is the important number and that's a trend over several months. When I was first diagnosed, I was tested every three months. At my last visit, the doctor told me that I only needed to be tested every six months.
What will work for BG control is different for everyone to some degree. Find what works for you and stick with it.
Also, one of the things about protein is that it takes a lot of energy for the body to break it down and as such it doesn't produce a lot of energy. Again, this is where our body fat comes in to play.
A guy I know is a very serious biker. For a while he had a bike shirt that said "Powered by fat" on the back. He's not fat and that's because he bikes and does Nordic Skiing. Both use a ton of energy and if you have extra fat they will burn it off fast.
One thing I don't do is measure my BG on a daily basis. I discussed this with my doctor when he first made the diagnosis and we agreed. As someone else said, daily BG levels will vary and are of little value if you are orally controlled. The A1C is the important number and that's a trend over several months. When I was first diagnosed, I was tested every three months. At my last visit, the doctor told me that I only needed to be tested every six months.
What will work for BG control is different for everyone to some degree. Find what works for you and stick with it.
Last edited:
Doug M.
Member
As noted, pain and other stress will likely crank up blood sugar. And, as already said, pushing too hard in the gym is a good way to hurt yourself in various ways. You are making some changes that take time. As for exercise, concentrate on improving your cardio as you start, because it will help your body deal with the stresses that come with other forms of exercise, and along with diet will help you cut weight, which also help with the BG stuff. You don't want to push so hard that you have an MI on the treadmill - I hear that is counterproductive.
There has been a falsehood out for many years that we are going to add weight as we age. We MAY, but we should not. Muscle weighs more than fat, and most normal people (not super-jocks, a group by which we mere mortals should not measure ourselves) will lose muscle a bit at a time as we age. As a result, even staying steady means we are likely adding fat, especially after we cross 50 or so (like me)
. I have also had to lighten up my lifting, going back to lighter weights and more reps, because my joints (especially my shoulders) have been screaming bloody murder.
I used to start lifting with a weight I could lift in good form at about 4-5 reps, then work down about 20% at a time to a final set at about 10 reps, preferably in 4 sets, with as little rest as possible between sets. I would often do this after running a substantial distance. A short run was 5 miles, and I was not above 9-12. Those days are gone. Now that strength and mass are not as important as when I was still in LE, I don't need to, and the drawbacks had to be considered. If/when you start into resistance training (which is part of a comprehensive fitness plan), don't be concerned about doing weights light enough to do 12-15 reps in good form. Even if your muscles can handle more, your joints and connective tissue may have some harsh words to speak until they get more able to deal with added weight, if they ever do. Don't be afraid to spend the money to get a good assessment from a real fitness trainer if available at your gym. We make lousy lab rats because of the variation in human bodies and minds; lab rats and mice are bred to be as identical as possible.
I see folks well into the 60s and 70s, and some I suspect are in their 80s, at the gym. Most of them do "modest" exercise because they are not trying to do marathons, power lift, etc. Regardless, they are taking care of themselves, and are probably "younger" in net effect than their actual age. There are a couple old guys who have been doing heavy stuff all their lives and whom I would not arm wrestle on a bet, but they are in the freak category, and you do not want to compare yourselves to them.Walking the dog can be good for both of you, my research with the house hounds over the years convinces me that a tired dog is a good dog anyway.
This is NOT an overnight process. It is a longer term evolutionary process, especially considering your description of your prior exercise history. Get in it for the long run, find ways to enjoy what you are doing and not just its benefits, and I'll bet that in 3-6 months, there will be some real changes that you don't perceive until measuring them.
There has been a falsehood out for many years that we are going to add weight as we age. We MAY, but we should not. Muscle weighs more than fat, and most normal people (not super-jocks, a group by which we mere mortals should not measure ourselves) will lose muscle a bit at a time as we age. As a result, even staying steady means we are likely adding fat, especially after we cross 50 or so (like me)
. I have also had to lighten up my lifting, going back to lighter weights and more reps, because my joints (especially my shoulders) have been screaming bloody murder.I used to start lifting with a weight I could lift in good form at about 4-5 reps, then work down about 20% at a time to a final set at about 10 reps, preferably in 4 sets, with as little rest as possible between sets. I would often do this after running a substantial distance. A short run was 5 miles, and I was not above 9-12. Those days are gone. Now that strength and mass are not as important as when I was still in LE, I don't need to, and the drawbacks had to be considered. If/when you start into resistance training (which is part of a comprehensive fitness plan), don't be concerned about doing weights light enough to do 12-15 reps in good form. Even if your muscles can handle more, your joints and connective tissue may have some harsh words to speak until they get more able to deal with added weight, if they ever do. Don't be afraid to spend the money to get a good assessment from a real fitness trainer if available at your gym. We make lousy lab rats because of the variation in human bodies and minds; lab rats and mice are bred to be as identical as possible.
I see folks well into the 60s and 70s, and some I suspect are in their 80s, at the gym. Most of them do "modest" exercise because they are not trying to do marathons, power lift, etc. Regardless, they are taking care of themselves, and are probably "younger" in net effect than their actual age. There are a couple old guys who have been doing heavy stuff all their lives and whom I would not arm wrestle on a bet, but they are in the freak category, and you do not want to compare yourselves to them.Walking the dog can be good for both of you, my research with the house hounds over the years convinces me that a tired dog is a good dog anyway.
This is NOT an overnight process. It is a longer term evolutionary process, especially considering your description of your prior exercise history. Get in it for the long run, find ways to enjoy what you are doing and not just its benefits, and I'll bet that in 3-6 months, there will be some real changes that you don't perceive until measuring them.
I know it's only 1 week now. Eating right and going to the gym .
I know i have to do this the rest of my life. I got my numbers down to 80. Why are my numbers so high in am? 220 is my sugar. Today i took my sugar 2 hours after i eat. 220 again. I went to the gym at 9 am and just took it 150. Something is going on with my body when i'm sleeping. I will find all the answers when i see the Dr. I'm just trying to get my numbers as low as i can. I don't want to use the needle.!!!!!!
WhiteLightning02
Member
You might need to move a snack to right before bed. This gives your liver the "night off". Diabetes is definitely a YMMV disease. Everyone is different and what works for one may not work for another. Don't be afraid of the needle. It is the only thing that is consistently able to work and be effective. I know, I've been on and off meds and insulin for over 30 years.
Doug M.
Member
You may need a modest snack as WhiteLightning02 said. When I was first out of the hospital, the doc had me eating a small pre-bed snack for that reason. I was eating a small amount of baby carrots, maybe 15 grams worth (don't trust my memory; that's a long was back in the process for me).
That is what i had at 9 pm. Baby carrots--then to bed. Tonight i'm going take my sugar at 2 am and at 4 am and see if it's low or high. Right now my sugar is 90. It seems that -it gets lower as i eat. I have been eating small -6x a day. I kind of like that because i'm always hungry anyway.
I'm not afraid of the needle -it's having it with me all the time. People that i know who use the needle are high then low then to low and they have to use sugar to get it high. i'm not one to take time out for my self. That is why i'm were i'm at now.
You might need to move a snack to right before bed. This gives your liver the "night off". Diabetes is definitely a YMMV disease. Everyone is different and what works for one may not work for another. Don't be afraid of the needle. It is the only thing that is consistently able to work and be effective. I know, I've been on and off meds and insulin for over 30 years.
After a week going to the gym and eating right, my sugar are still high in am 180 to 200 but right after i eat in am they start going down fast. Today at 10 am i was shaking so i took my sugar 70 - I eat again and got it up to 80 and feel better- Its holding at 88 all day. My dr. appt is next week. I never had low sugar. I don't know if that's because i'm eating right and the gym ? Or am i just getting worst?
Skootertrash
US Veteran
After taking my meds, if I don't eat again within a few hours, my sugar drops drastically. It has been as low as 44 and is a miserable feeling. If your sugar drops too low, don't panic, just get something sugary in you like orange juice or even some sugar. In 15-20 mins, your blood glucose will level out.
Doug M.
Member
I seem to run a little higher than most, and have been known to seem/feel as though I am sugar crashing at 100 or just below. Since I am not known for my pleasant disposition, only a few savvy folks can pick up the increased crankiness as it drops.
You have a learning curve in front of you. Don't expect to know much for a while - it's a process, not an event. You'll get there. I'll admit I am curious about the high levels first thing in the AM, which is not consistent with my experiences, but I'm not a doctor.
You have a learning curve in front of you. Don't expect to know much for a while - it's a process, not an event. You'll get there. I'll admit I am curious about the high levels first thing in the AM, which is not consistent with my experiences, but I'm not a doctor.
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