GD Check In For April

starla487

Hello fellow D-friends. Here is a thread for April.

1) How’s it going? Any struggles with the new routine? What can we help with?
2) Latest recipe discovery?
3) General Questions?
4) Next appointments or tests (EG NSTs) on your calendar. 
5) Tips and tricks.

izza2

Bumping this!

@starla487 (or anyone else who could answer, if there's anyone else ) - What snacks do you go for that don't mess up your BS levels? Do you use any apps or anything to help you figure out carbs/sugars for food you take in? Do you use those apps to track your sugars and carbs, or do you write them down in a separate journal?

I failed the 1 hour pretty badly, and have to go in for the 3 hour at some point when I have time, but I'm just assuming at this point I'll fail that and I'm trying to figure the logistics out. I know a decent amount about GD thanks to school, but I've never looked at it in a "this is my life" kind of way, so it's a bit different. I've been trying to think of what I would be telling my patients right now.
I joined a GD group on Facebook to get a little bit of information/guidance there as well, but a lot of what I've seen so far is just "this good food raised my glucose and this bad food didn't; eat whatever you want guys!!" and "my nutritionist is an asshole". Which isn't helpful to anyone.

I guess I'm looking for some tips and tricks for getting started?

ramennoodlegif

@izza2 The nutritionist I met with when I first had GD gave me this book. It's kind of like my bible. 
For snacks, (about 2 hours after breakfast, 2.5 - 3 hours after lunch, and 3-4 hours after dinner.) I do one serving of carbs (15g), one ounce of protein, and one serving of healthy fats (skip this w/the after breakfast snack.)
My healthy fats usually come from nuts, black olives, avocados, or sour cream.
My fave snack before bedtime is tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream/olives. Apples (small or half of a big one) and peanut butter (2 T.) is a big one for me, too.
It is true, though, you will find some carbs affect you differently (I can't do rice at all) so it will be trial & error for awhile. 

ramennoodlegif

1) How’s it going? Any struggles with the new routine? What can we help with? Fasting sugar this morning was 114! I had rice for dinner, though, so I shouldn't be surprised. I also went 10+ hours without eating, so that doesn't help. 
2) Latest recipe discovery? I am on the lookout for something resembling alfredo sauce, but it's tough finding recipes without any sugar
3) General Questions? Why didn't I have a bowl of potato soup before I took the 3-hour?!?!?!?!
4) Next appointments or tests (EG NSTs) on your calendar. I have a checkup on Tuesday, where I'm sure we'll discuss my failing test, as well as my anemia.   
5) Tips and tricks. I calculate net carbs and try not to indulge too often in artificial sweeteners. Oh, and unsweetened almond milk is a lifesaver!

starla487

Hi @izza2!

Snacks: So I’m a bit different because I’m taking insulin already, but graham crackers and PB have been my go to bed time snack since childhood/summer camp days. One cracker is 12 grams of carbs, then basic nut butters can vary in sugar content. I had other GD moms on my last BMb swear by the Snickers Ice Cream bars because the fat and protein content sustained them all night. For me, the sugar would just sky rocket me and keep me there, so I don’t risk it. 

I do like Halo Top Ice Cream and Yasso products. (Lots of protein.) You can also stick to nuts, cheese, keto-friendly snacks, etc. It’s a bit of an experiment; so I’d not get totally frustrated if you try something and it doesn’t work. 

Apps: Calorie King has carb counts for almost anything, including restaurants. Most chain restaurants have nutrition facts posted.

For tracking/logbook apps: try MySugr.

starla487

@kfren You had potato soup because it is amazing and delicious. But, yeah, that stuff is like pizza for me. Hits me later and then I never come down. I once had a CDE tell me that pizza can remain in my system for up to 12 HOURS!! 

ramennoodlegif

@starla487 No, I didn't have potato soup but I should have. Pizza, too. I was told I could maybe have a slice or two before baby comes   I think it's the sugar in the sauce. There's a place here locally that makes crust out of cheese, so maybe if I did that, with no sauce...

starla487

Oh wait... I read that wrong.

Tomato sauce is tricky. We tend to make our own, which helps some. I’ve seen coconut flour crust recipes, but I’m Skeptical. Also, coconut pizza...

ramennoodlegif

I could maybe get behind a Hawaiian coconut pizza.

catlady1215

@izza2 i don't have GD this time but did with my first. I had a few go to snacks. My night time one was 95% of the time an apple with peanut butter. I also got really into special protein snack bars.. think it was a choc and peanut one? I continued eating those for yearsss... till this pregnancy actually when I didn't want PB. And graham crackers were a good afternoon snack usually.

momac1919

I dont have GD this time, but did last time also (and my BMB didn't have any one else who actively participated on it with GD which definitely might have made getting a grasp on it easier). My go to snacks were Greek yogurt, peanut butter chocolate protein bars, string cheese and for dessert a scoop of ice cream or peanut butter on graham crackers...thank god for peanut butter because it got me through. There are a lot of good keto recipes too. I found that routine worked best for me and I ate the same breakfast, morning snack, and lunch every day and just changed up my dinners and night snack. Honestly the foods I was limited to didn't bother me near as much as how frequently I had to eat. Once you get a grasp on it, you feel better and you find that even if you want to go out and eat there is still quite a few places you can go and have good low carb meals. And don't stress too much initially, you'll figure out what effects your numbers on way or the other...any kind of crust or bread and my numbers would stay high, ice cream or milk products and my numbers were perfect so it takes some trial and error and everyone is different. It's super overwhelming at first, and quite honestly I fully expected to have it again this time so I've been following my diabetic diet since about 20 weeks just to be proactive (and I like the way I feel in general when I eat this way so I'll probably be stalking your recipes), but you've all got this

izza2

@kfren - Thank you! I know it's touch and go for each person, but that whole group just reminded me why I don't like random FB groups, hah. It's not helpful to tell people new to GD that they can eat whatever they want, just because one person can eat a "healthy meal" and have a bad glucose reading, and then eat a "bad meal" and get a good reading.
The nurse in me wanted to rage and tell them why they're really harming their new members, but, everyone was like that and I would've gotten a lot of backlash, I'm sure. *eye roll*
But again - thank you!

@starla827 - I forgot about Halo Top! I'll have to see if the stores near me have some good flavours. And thank you for the app suggestions!

@catlady1215 - Thank you! I'm on the run a lot, so protein bars may be a good idea for when I'm driving but need a snack. And sounds like graham crackers are a definite go-to!

Thank you @momac1919!



I created a board on Pinterest to collect some GD-friendly meals, too. They all look so delicious, lmao.
Another question because I'm a needy person:
I have a glucose meter that we bought when H was having some light headed/dizzy spells a few years ago (expensive, because he didn't want to go to a doctor; I don't suggest anyone buy one OOP!). We have plenty of strips, but are running out of lancets at the moment (which aren't that expensive anyway).
Should I proactively try to check my blood sugar now and see if I can find out foods that I should avoid, and ones that are okay - or should I just focus on stocking up on healthier foods/snack options and wait until after the 3 hour glucose?
I've checked my sugar levels a few times this pregnancy when I've felt off/bad, and they were in normal range (for having just eaten shortly before hand) except for one time my BS was extremely low (50s, I believe).

ramennoodlegif

@izza2 I would advise doing whatever will give you peace of mind. If checking your sugar now will make you feel better, then do it. If it's going to cause anxiety, don't do it; just wait for the GTT results. 
As far as eating healthier, there's never a good reason not to do that. If you're really concerned, just try to limit the carbs and make the ones you do eat good carbs.   

catlady1215

Oh! And fudge pops were recommended to me! 

starla487

I always find that the more data you have, the better. I test myself 13-15 times a day. My doc only requires me to test 8. But the whole picture is what I look at to make adjustments. But I’ve also done this all my life and it’s hard to have habits die.

Dirty little secret: most T1s probably change their lancet twice a year. It’s kind of a running joke to change your lancet when DST ends or begins. So if you are running low on lancets... eh. But, you didn’t hear this from me.

ramennoodlegif

@starla487 With DD & DS1, I changed lancets weekly. Now that I have like 200, I do it every day, because why not?

starla487

Yeah If you have them, cool. Use them. But I think @izza2 mentioned she was running low on them. If she’s got one box left, she’s probably good. 

starla487

Also, @izza2 on the protein bar thing, start getting into the habit of looking at nutrition facts. Protein Bars can have a tooooooon of carbs. (I’m looking at you, Power Bars!) Full size Cliff Bars are like 40 grams.

Stick to the ones that have 20 or less per serving for OTG snacks. Nature Valley has a decent “protein” granola bar that I think are 18 grams.

izza2

@starla487 - Thanks, girl. I know I've always looked at nutrition facts for protein bars purely to see how many calories and how much protein there was to see if it was actually worth the hype or if it was really a sugar bar, but I've never really worried about carbs, so that'll be new for me to look at.
Same with groceries in general.

catlady1215

@starla487 lancets as in the finger pricker needles? I def used mine as long as I could. But if it got dull, it hurt worse. 

And the speckal k protein bars were recommended from me from the nurtritionist cause it's low carb. When you factor in the dietary fiber, the carbs per bar are like 15... which is what I was to hit per snack. 

catlady1215

Wait! I take that back! I wasn't eating special k protein bars. It was a nature valley protein bar. Yes, those were great with the carbs.

ramennoodlegif

Looks like if I don't get my fasting numbers down over the next week, I'll have to talk to someone about insulin For the last week, all of my fasting numbers have been high. I've tried two servings of carbs for my nighttime snack, and just one serving. Doesn't really seem to matter. OB said to tweak things to see if I can find something that works, but so far, nothing does. 

starla487

@kfren First time on it? I’ve been on pretty much every insulin known to most formularies so let me know what they hook you up on. (I’m going to guess NPH.)

starla487

Can you try no carbs? Like some scrambled eggs or something?

Have you done any checking at like 2 am? Or midnight?

ramennoodlegif

@starla487 Yeah, it was diet-controlled the other times. I like the protein-only suggestion and will probably try that tonight. I typically only test 4 times a day (before breakfast, then 2 hours after each meal.) I was told not to go more than 10 hours between bedtime snack and breakfast, and I usually eat around the 9 hour mark. I may just need to change the intervals between the two. 

starla487

Yeah, I’d be curious what what going on overnight. Midnight would give you the data to support any change in snack. 2 am is generally when Dawn Phenomenon starts, or can start. (EG your liver kicking out extra glucose to prep you for waking up.)