Tuesday?

ILoveBeachMusic

CharmedPam said:

short+sassy said:

More examples/suggestions:

• Hamburger wrapped in lettuce instead of bread.  Or, what I actually do lol, I keep just enough bun on one side so I don't get my fingers dirty.  And rip almost all the rest of the bun off for that side.  I do similar things with hot dog buns and burritos.  Rip off excess bread/tortilla that isn't adding to the flavor. I love doing this and usually an easy option when dining out
• For sandwich bread you buy at the store, read the list of ingredients.  For the majority, "sugar" is #2.  Avoid those.  Stick with breads that have no added sugar or it is further back on the list.  Hint: They're usually the "natural", preservative-free ones. Yes. Although not really into bread, trader joe's makes a great all natural one with 4 g of carbs per slice.  albeit very small slice!
• Same with peanut butter (if that's something you like).  Stick to the natural ones that don't have any sugar added.  If there isn't a layer of oil on top that needs to be stirred in, gua-ran-teed there is sugar in it.  I do love smuckers all natural, but I'm actually not big on peanut butter unless it's PB cups or flavored pb something.
• Pasta made with one of those veggie spiralizers instead of noodles.  You might be able to "trick" your brain. I cannot be tricked like this! LOL.  I actually did buy a bunch of those shirataki noodles to replace with anything that needs it in my homechef meals.
• Potatoes...maybe.  I remember my nutritionist telling me that potatoes are a mystery when it comes to blood sugar.  For some people, they have no effect at all.   For other people, they cause their blood sugar to sky rocket. I never tested potatoes when I did well on low carb years ago.  I'd love love love if I fit in the 'no effect at all' category. Did I mention love?
• No sugar-added "sweet" foods.  Eeeeehhhhhhh.  Eh.  There are a lot of no sugar-added foods out there.  Even your grocery store bakery probably has a few pies/cookies like that out.  There is also a special section in the grocery store that has no sugar added candy and cookies.  For someone with more of a sweet tooth, those might satisfy nicely when you just need something that tastes sweet.  But I find those products to usually taste "off".  Not bad, just not quite right.  The texture is sometimes weird also.  Though, every once in awhile I'll come across a great one. yeah, the bakery items with no sugar added are good for less sugar, but still use flour and usually, it's not low carb.  Atkins has good treats I'll buy into from time to time. 
• For the better no-sugar added options.  Ice cream actually comes pretty close.  And it comes in so many varieties of flavors...as long as it is vanilla or butter pecan, lol.  Jello and pudding are an almost perfect match to their sugar filled cousins.  If you have a Winn-Dixie grocery store near you, their no-sugar added oatmeal-raisin cookies absolutely blew me away.  Not so much that they are amazing cookies, but they taste exactly like cookies with sugar in them.  I am not kidding.  The first time I ate one, I was worried they'd been mislabeled and kept checking the ingredients.  And then kept checking my blood sugar.  JIC, lol.  But it was fine! wow, I want to to keep an eye out for those. We don't have winn-dixie
• Lastly, no-sugar added does NOT mean low in fat or calories. No, it usually doesn't.  Wish it did!

I remember you mentioning in some previous posts that you are considering a gastric sleeve.  I don't know much about them, but could see that helping if hunger pangs are a problem.

I realize this is a different and more extreme procedure, but I had a friend get gastric bypass a number of years ago.  I remember her telling me that, after the surgery, she was just never hungry.  She was only supposed to eat tiny portions a few times a day anyway, but said she often had to force herself just to eat those.  Though, over a long period of time, a bit of her appetite returned and she could eat larger portions.  Comparatively speaking anyway!  Her portions were still tiny.  She would still have a full meal, ie meat and two sides type thing, but each part of the meal was 3-4 bites. 

So I had to go a psych e-val for this procedure and the psych doctor told me something in the bypass surgery HELPS bring blood sugars down for diabetics.  Not sure of the science behind it, he told me, but it does.  Odd.  I don't think I want to do bypass.  I know two people who have had bypass and both have gained the weight back.  I know four people who have done the lapband and all four look great, but apparently they're in the 'new stages' of this and my doc told me the results for lapband are not long lasting and he's had some people come back and ask for sleeve or bypass.  He urged me to do the sleeve when I went in for lapband.  Told me he got paid the same for either, but he's not a fan of lapband for some reason. I have meant to talk to one of my lapband surgery friends to ask her what she thinks of my doctor saying that, but haven't gotten around to it.

edit words

I have read the same thing and my daughter (a PA) said the same. People go in as diabetics and come out with normal sugar levels. Good luck with whichever option you go/are approved for. I think the reason people gain the weight back is that they don't stick with the program and go back to their old way of eating and doesn't have anything to do with the procedure itself. I have a friend who had gastric by pass about 15 years ago. She got too thin at one point and went to see a nutritionist. She has put back on about 10 lbs and looks/feels great. She still doesn't eat big portions.

ahoywedding

ILoveBeachMusic said:

CharmedPam said:

-SNIP-

So I had to go a psych e-val for this procedure and the psych doctor told me something in the bypass surgery HELPS bring blood sugars down for diabetics.  Not sure of the science behind it, he told me, but it does.  Odd.  I don't think I want to do bypass.  I know two people who have had bypass and both have gained the weight back.  I know four people who have done the lapband and all four look great, but apparently they're in the 'new stages' of this and my doc told me the results for lapband are not long lasting and he's had some people come back and ask for sleeve or bypass.  He urged me to do the sleeve when I went in for lapband.  Told me he got paid the same for either, but he's not a fan of lapband for some reason. I have meant to talk to one of my lapband surgery friends to ask her what she thinks of my doctor saying that, but haven't gotten around to it.

edit words

I have read the same thing and my daughter (a PA) said the same. People go in as diabetics and come out with normal sugar levels. Good luck with whichever option you go/are approved for. I think the reason people gain the weight back is that they don't stick with the program and go back to their old way of eating and doesn't have anything to do with the procedure itself. I have a friend who had gastric by pass about 15 years ago. She got too thin at one point and went to see a nutritionist. She has put back on about 10 lbs and looks/feels great. She still doesn't eat big portions.

100% this. I'm a nurse and see a lot of patients who've had bypass/band/sleeve/etc, and a lot of my coworkers also have had it done. The "diet" you have to follow after is kind of strict in some cases, and depending on the procedure, easy to get off track. My coworkers who have gained the weight back have had a harder time losing it again. I had one coworker who didn't quite meet the insurance criteria (her BMI was a little too low for having no comorbids), so she GAINED WEIGHT to meet the BMI target to get it approved. She has since gained back the weight she lost from surgery. 

I think all of that is partly because it seems like it's being overdone sometimes, and patients aren't fully screened and prepared properly. It's a huge lifestyle change, and not everyone is ready to make those changes, however much they think they might want to. I think it's ordered too soon for some people, which decreases their chances of success post op. 

All that being said, if you're prepared to make changes in your life and you've got a good support system, those procedures can work wonders for diabetics who aren't able to gain BG control in other ways.