GI/GL Index eating

[Jewels]

Being Pre-diabetic my Dr. wanted to start me on Metforim. I said what about going low carb? He said how about the GI/GL Index diet? Guess he feels some complex carbs are ok since they don't make your glucose rise.

Sounds like a compromise. I'll try eating and exercising to get it down and see what happens.

Do they usually give Metforim for Pre-diabetes?

Anybody else doing the GIGL Index woe?

[CookinsForMe]

I tried GIGL and found that many foods that are low GI and low GL raise my blood sugar, some raise it waaay too much. There are a few that don't, though, so I incorporate those with great moderation into my WOE. So, you probably need to be very careful with the GIGL foods. Do you have a meter to use regularly to know what the foods do to your BG?

And yep, Metformin is often prescribed for pre-diabetes.

[Jewels]

Yes, I have a meter. I will check newly introduced foods. Do you just check after 2 hours or after 1 hour too?

From what I've been reading the GL is portion control. So if it says ½ cup (Under 10) that's all you are to eat at one meal.

This is all so discouraging. I do eat small meals all day long so that is a plus for me. I don't eat large meals at all.

[CookinsForMe]

I check upon waking, right before each meal, two hours after taking the first bite of a meal, and right before bed. If I eat a new food or a new combination, I check at the one hour mark, too. Let us know how it goes.

[Jewels]

Thank you so much Denise.

[amphigory]

Originally Posted by Jewels

Being Pre-diabetic my Dr. wanted to start me on Metforim. I said what about going low carb? He said how about the GI/GL Index diet? Guess he feels some complex carbs are ok since they don't make your glucose rise.

Sounds like a compromise. I'll try eating and exercising to get it down and see what happens.

Do they usually give Metforim for Pre-diabetes?

Anybody else doing the GIGL Index woe?

I was on the GI/GL diet for some time as a pre-diabetic, and after some initial results was disappointed. While, theoretically, eating lower GI foods reduces the rate at which your pancreas must produce insulin which should have some benefits, in practice once your pancreas is already compromised it doesn't seem to be a large enough intervention.

So, I think that eating a low-GI diet might be a great way to eat for someone who is not already insulin resistant or pre-diabetic, or who has successfully reversed these conditions. But I don't think it's going to be a big enough intervention to help prevent the slide into diabetes if you're already pre-diabetic.

Have you considered South Beach? Most doctors like South Beach pretty well, and it's a relatively moderate low-carb approach that should be sufficient to reverse pre-diabetes (but is not in my experience sufficient once you progress to full-blown diabetes.)

[hpjrt]

According to Bloodsugar 101 ... the Glycemic Index is based upon the blood sugar rises and falls of people who have normal blood sugars. The Index would be very different for someone who already has problems with blood sugar levels ... ie Diabetics.

That makes perfect sense. Had the GI been based upon Diabetics it might look very different. Actually, since Diabetics seem to have individualistic reactions to various foods, it would probably be very difficult to quantify said foods.

So ... to my mind, that's why Low Carb makes perfect sense ... and why eating to your meter is very important. What might give me a huge spike in blood glucose might raise someone else's minimally.

Just my thoughts ...

Mary

[Jewels]

Originally Posted by amphigory

I was on the GI/GL diet for some time as a pre-diabetic, and after some initial results was disappointed. While, theoretically, eating lower GI foods reduces the rate at which your pancreas must produce insulin which should have some benefits, in practice once your pancreas is already compromised it doesn't seem to be a large enough intervention.

So, I think that eating a low-GI diet might be a great way to eat for someone who is not already insulin resistant or pre-diabetic, or who has successfully reversed these conditions. But I don't think it's going to be a big enough intervention to help prevent the slide into diabetes if you're already pre-diabetic.

Have you considered South Beach? Most doctors like South Beach pretty well, and it's a relatively moderate low-carb approach that should be sufficient to reverse pre-diabetes (but is not in my experience sufficient once you progress to full-blown diabetes.)

Well gosh, that's scary. So tell me, how low are you going with your carbs and do you think it's helping?

I heard the SB dies was similar to the GI diet. No, I haven't looked into that one yet.

Mary, I bought the "Blood Sugar 101" book along with the "GI Index for Idiots." Guess I should read that one first. I am expecting an email from my Dr. today and would like to quote that from the BS 101 if you know what page it's on for me.

My problem seems to be higher fasting first thing in the morning. Testing myself after meals hasn't shown high numbers so I was surprised that my A1c came back at 6.5.

I will look into the SB diet. Thanks to both of you for your insight.

[zelia]

Have you read the Blood Sugar 101 website?

Originally Posted by Jewels

My problem seems to be higher fasting first thing in the morning. Testing myself after meals hasn't shown high numbers so I was surprised that my A1c came back at 6.5.

I have this pattern, too. Your blood sugar probably starts rising while you're sleeping and keeps rising for several hours, without being affected much by what you eat. I take 500 mg of metformin xr in the morning and the evening, but I need Lantus at bedtime to get my fasting sugar down. I've eaten LC for years and don't need insulin in the daytime.

[Jewels]

No, I haven't even read the book yet. I've been trying to get through the GI ones but will start the Blood Sugar 101 book and go to that site. Thank you.

[hpjrt]

Hi Julie,

Here's a link to the article ... it's from the sister site of Bloodsugar 101

Is the Glycemic Index a Scam?

Good luck!

Mary

[amphigory]

Originally Posted by Jewels

Well gosh, that's scary. So tell me, how low are you going with your carbs and do you think it's helping?

Well, I'm a full-blown diabetic now, and so am on a pretty strict low-carb diet for both BG control and weight loss. It's certainly helping a great deal--my average BG has gone from the 170's to 107, and my A1c has gone from somewhere over 7 to 5.1. (Sorry about the fuzzy numbers, but my iPhone's dead! Arg!)

My problem seems to be higher fasting first thing in the morning. Testing myself after meals hasn't shown high numbers so I was surprised that my A1c came back at 6.5.

There's a phenomenon called the "dawn effect" that could be to blame. I'd highly recommend that you look into getting Richard Bernstein's book. It's written for diabetics, but much of what he says will apply to you as well--excerpts are available at Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. A Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars. Official Web Site.

[Jewels]

Mary, I think you've convinced me to go low carb vs GI. I am afraid I can't stick to it though. I did LC for 2 years and stuck to it to a T. Got really tired of meat and now can hardly stuff it down. Can I do this for the rest of my life, I don't know. I will have to find out how low I have to go.

amphigory, I have read a lot of the Dr. Bernstein diabetes solution. Thanks for the link.

[hpjrt]

Hi Julie,

Do some reading on both Bloodsugar 101 and on the sister site. Don't confuse "low carb" with "high protein". Read this article:

Is Your Low Carb Diet Safe?

It explains why a low carb diet should NOT be a high protein diet ... and this information might help you adjust your thinking on low carb eating.

Also, bear in mind that while low carb might work for me ... and a host of others ... the form of that low carb diet can be very different from person to person. You have to have a balance and find something that you can follow successfully.

Remember, even if you manage to reduce your blood glucose readings and get them into the "near normal" range, that doesn't mean that your diabetes is gone. You will always be diabetic, so you need to find something that will work for you forever. There are too many adverse side effects of out-of-control blood sugar to ignore it.

I have a friend whose husband is diabetic. He is one of those diabetics who wasn't overweight ... and he's done remarkably well on the CDA [or ADA] diet. I, on the other hand, have quite a bit of weight to lose ... and the low carb diet works for me to help control my sugars along with losing weight.

Your protein sources don't need to be red meat. Chicken, fish, eggs and cheese are also protein sources.

Hope that helps ...

Mary

[CookinsForMe]

I second Mary's comment about not confusing low carb with high protein. We eat a lot of chicken and fish. We do eat red meat but we keep it down to a dull roar and try to eat other sources of protein as often as we can. Unfortunately, most chicken now is not much leaner than beef so sometimes we have a real quandary. We try to do lower carb/lower fat since for DH and I calories, fat, and protein DO affect the weight loss and blood sugar.

Keep playing with your food - it will pay off!

[Jewels]

Thanks Mary, that makes me feel better.I do have to find something that will work for me. I am thinking I should balance a few carbs throughout the day.
I am reading Jenny's book as fast as I can. She makes a lot of sense.

Thanks Denise, I need all the support I can get.

[brandyxoxo25]

I really think diet depends on the individual. Take me for instance. I am diabetic, but if I eat the way your DR is suggesting my BS would get back out of control. Here is an example. I test often to make sure that I am regulated throughout the day and to see how what I am eating effects my BS throughout the day. Last night we had chicken with whole wheat pasta. You know the "healthy" kind. I decided to have a small serving of pasta, since it was on my complex list for Diabetes, and 2hr after eating my BS had shot up to 195 and this was with taking R insulin before my meal.. This tells me one thing for sure, I personally have to maintain a strict LOW CARB diet to control my diabetes.