Paolo thanks for sharing your diet improvements and advice. You should be proud of that 33 inch waist. I am also borderline diabetic and trying to control with diet. I was amazed at the amount of sugars in milk and pure fruit juices. I loved to drink all kinds of fruit juices and thought I was having something good. I now know it is better to eat the whole fruit. I also try to stay away from refined sugars and bleached flours. I love pasta and only have it when they have whole wheat pasta. I am also careful with anything marketed as low fat because they sometimes have added sugars to compensate for the lack of flavor from the removal of fat. What you said about cravings is so true that if you can go long enough without sugars they stop. By the way dark chocolates are better for you because they contain a lot of cocoa and not much sugar. The sugar busters diet suggests dark chocolates.

Something else to watch for is sodium content, especially if you have high blood pressure.

I don’t.

I was 102/73 with a pulse somewhere around 80. Seems to be consistent. But I also had some residual allergy meds in my system from the afternoon before. Ephedrine-based Sudafed-type meds can increase BP and pulse. Over the years, I’ve adapted, though, but it’s also something else to watch now.

Just because it says it has low or no sugars on the labels, and low or no carbs, you have to watch it. Particularly things in jars like pickled veggies. Pay attention to the serving size. One bottle may have, say, 2 carbs in it, or 600 mg. of sodium, but it also says serving size per container = 12. Watch out! Eat the whole bottle, and POW!

Tugon, you are exactly right about replacing elements in packaged food. Fill it with sugar and then make it taste good. Fat-free products are a sick joke. You have to replace the fat with something, and the body needs a certain intake of fat each day to run right. You’ll notice all the fat-free products are loaded with sugars and carbs. And bad ones, at that. Another thing to worry about is, is the label accurate? Are you being lied to? Better to eat the fresh pineapple, say, than trust the canned one. Same with fruit juices. Are they pure? Are they real fruit? Do YOU react to the natural sugars the same as I do? Probably not.

Sugar=sugar=sugar seems to be not true. Refined vs. natural stuff, as I said, effects me in totally different ways.

One other thing I think I forgot to mention was the water intake. I’ve been trying to drink water in ounces that is half of my weight. For example, if you weight 200 lbs., drink 100 oz. of water a day. High salt content also makes you thirsty, and retain water. That’s one thing I’ve found – a lot of the sugar free stuff is loaded with sodium! Think V-8 Cocktail vegetable juice is good for you? Think again. Read the label. I won’t touch it.

Still, there’s no substitute for exercise. If all you’re doing is sitting at a desk, then sitting in front of a computer when you’re off work, you’re going to gain weight and have problems.

That, and you got to learn to cook.

You can’t rely on boxed food.

I keep a fire extinguisher handy.

And as Sac_Mec mentions about clothing sizes, it’s obvious that the makers are changing labels to make the fat buyers feel better. It’s certainly nice to be able to fit myself into a size “L” shirt now. There’s usually a lot of them on the clearance racks, and I can even fit my chest into them now. I seem to be losing of the breast size I gained, too, but that’s not just from weight gain.

I've also read that movie theaters and auto makers are making their seats larger to accomodate the fat asses of their patrons now. Imagine...

Slammr also asked if I had Doc check my testosterone levels.

No, I didn’t.

I don’t know what it is now, and I don’t care. Still, I wonder if there’s a correlation to low T. and diabetes, after puberty, or with late puberty? As all five of ‘my’ boys hit it right on time, and they’re all fine, I can’t say.

And for those of you who don’t know, I saved this for last since it’s kinda gross for some, especially the straight guys, I’m sure:

If your semen tastes like weak syrup, sweet, that’s a sign of high blood sugar.

Mine was.

Very sweet.

It was a chore to get some out, and yes, I tasted it. Took a while, and about an hour of watching some erotic video, but I finally got it!

You mentioned drinking water and as my sister the nurse says think of your body as a toilet. It needs lots of water to flush out all the bad. Now you know where I get my class.

You mentioned the taste of sperm and I have mentioned to men in the past if it is way too salty or too sweet. Not right after of course. A good taste I think is the sign of good health.

A condensed guide

to diabetics and booze!

1 US cup = 236.6 milliliters

½ US cup ~= 118.3 milliliters

In diabetes, alcohol can also lower the blood glucose level. This makes a hypoglycemic reaction more likely - as does drinking on an empty stomach. Blood sugar droops, so do you, you fall down, pass out, possibly die.

The recommended limits for alcohol consumption are:

21 units per week for men. That’s 3 units a day, so you can spread it out.

14 units per week for women.

A unit of alcohol is: 250ml of ordinary strength beer. A bit less than a US measuring cup.

A 125ml glass of wine is a unit also.(4.5 ounces – about 5 glasses per bottle – figure 25 calories per ounce – American sources have a glass as 5 ounces.) 1 ounce is about 30ml. So a (1) 12 oz. can of beer is 360ml. That’s 110ml more than a unit. Two cans is 720ml. That’s roughly 3 units. So two cans a day is the limit for beer.

Wine for type 2 diabetic patients?

Institute of Clinical Experimental Research, Aarhus University, Denmark.

To ensure an acceptable quality of life for Type 2 diabetic patients, the food recommendations have to be as liberal and individualized as possible. Unfortunately, disagreements exists about the consumption of different types of wine.

Diabetic patients are advised by some to restrain their wine intake and to use dry wine containing little carbohydrates, while others are more liberal.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of dry and sweet wine on the glycaemic control in Type 2 diabetes. Twelve diabetic patients consumed a light meal with either 300 ml tap water, 300 ml dry white wine, 300 ml sweet white wine with ethanol added, or 300 ml dry white wine with glucose added. Similar glucose, insulin, and triglyceride responses were obtained in all four situations.

There was a greater suppression of the free fatty acid levels in the three situations with wine as compared with water (p < 0.001). This effect may be caused by an attenuation of the free fatty acid mobilization and esterification of free fatty acids to triglycerides induced by alcohol.

Our results indicate that patients with well-controlled Type 2 diabetes can drink moderate amounts of wine with meals without risking acute deterioration of glycaemic control. Whether the wine is dry or sweet has no impact on the glycaemic control.

Diabet Med. 1993 Dec 10(10):958-61.

If anyone has something to add to this, please let me know. -P.

I know this comment's way late, but here goes.

Paolo wrote: Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:53 am From what I’ve experienced, there seems to be a difference in the type of carbohydrates that you take in. I’m no nutritionist, but my own observations are:

Fruits and some vegetables are loaded with natural sugars and carbs, but these don’t seem to have the same effect (on ME) that carbs and sugars in processed foods do. By processed foods, I mean things like pasta, breads, any pre-made foods.

From what I've read, pasta is not as bad as white bread (apparently it takes longer to digest), and whole grain bread is certainly better than either (because of its high fiber content). Watch out for added sugar in bread. Most traditional breads are made without sugar, but some manufacturers add it to speed up fermentation or make it taste sweet.

Paolo wrote: Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:53 am In short, get up and move around. Stop eating junk. Get a little kid and a pet. Chase them around. Eat when you’re hungry – and by that, I mean when your stomach rumbles. Cut out anything processed, fast foods, and milk and bread. Eat only “real” food that’s not in a box. I guarantee you’ll see a change in a week…or less.

Milk? You sure about that? It does have a lot of sugar, but it's also very filling.

Paolo wrote: Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:53 am The case of the little boy down the road here, who didn’t start puberty until he was 16 and never ate fast food at all, and who couldn’t have been more active and had a better diet, came down with Type 1 and landed in the hospital right out of the blue. In fact, he almost died. The only thing was his paternal Grandma was Type 2, needing the occasional pill to control it.

Type 1 diabetes is completely different from Type 2.

Seeing as how some kind Soul contacted me and asked me to look at something, to which my answer is "No, I had nothing to do with it!" - spank you very much... -- I felt I should say hello to All and wish everyone well. I also hope everyone is having a good time. I see IE is hard at it. Good luck, buddy. Nice work so far, even if you did have a setback or 2. That is life, I think. Keep at it!

I also chose this thread for an update, in case anyone was worried. There's no need to be.

boing (imported) wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2006 4:59 pm From what I've read, pasta is not as bad as white bread (apparently it takes longer to digest), and whole grain bread is certainly better than either (because of its high fiber content). Watch out for added sugar in bread. Most traditional breads are made without sugar, but some manufacturers add it to speed up fermentation or make it taste sweet.

Pasta and bread are both very high in carbs, which can and do metabolize into sugar, and for those with diabetes, that means elevated glucose levels. Carbs are GOOD for energy, especially when working outside in hot weather, where you can lose up to 40 / points / hour of blood glucose and you need to keep it up. Othewise, they should be avoided.

boing (imported) wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2006 4:59 pm Milk? You sure about that? It does have a lot of sugar, but it's also very filling.

After Dr. Bruce's advice and reading the labels, yes, milk is loaded in sugars and carbs. Another bad idea. To quote the good Dr., "If you want calcium, get some tablets. Chew on a seashell. If you miss it that bad, go hug a cow." OK...

The key phrase there is "a lot of sugar."

Another bad thing is beans. Green beans are OK. Shelled beans, as in soup beans, are bad. 40 carbs to a 1/2 cup. Ouch!

Taking no chances on food, really. I'm not on medication, nor shots, and I have no intention to be.

boing (imported) wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2006 4:59 pm Type 1 diabetes is completely different from Type 2.

Yes I know. I am not authority yet, and I probably never will be. As I mentioned before, I have a third cousin or so who is 11, maybe 12 now, who is extremely Type 1 and a whole family ancestry I have dug up that had/has it. There are, I found, 2 other cases of Type 1, a great Auntie and her daughter, one granddaughter, so far.

To date, my electronic meter's 14 day average is 107. I limit myself to no more than 20 grams of carbs a day, 5 grams of sugar, and I make double sure I exercise. Walking, if nothing else. I have gotten to the point on diet where I only need to stick my finger once a day now. Soon it will go to once a week. My highest reading so far has been 159. The ADA seems to believe that 140 is the top limit. Generally, I stay around 110-125 if I do NOT consume anything unusual.

Dinner tonight was grilled pork chops, stir fried mushrooms, peppers and a bit of onion with chipolte seasoning, along with some cauliflower in home made no carb/no sugar cheese sauce. Also some fine dry Syrah wine, which also helps to lower the glucose level. See post on alcohol consumption.

I've also cut my caffeine intake down by about 2/3, I'd guess. Water intake - in ounces, half of the pounds of body weight. 200 lbs, 100 oz's of water, and so on.

My weight is now stable at 160 lbs., height of 5' 8.5". Waist has gone from 37" to a snug 32". But 33" is too hard to find. If I can shed another 1/2", I'll be thrilled.

More good news is that I've not set the house on fire in learning to cook!

So, I hope you're all having a good time and eating right and not getting a hold of anything nasty, like sugar, testosterone, or skanky partners...

Keep It Up, Paolo and Thanks for all the info. My Doctor just warned me about my blood sugar and to adjust my diet. I have to start changing my ways. H. Keep an eye on that, it's nothing to fool around with.

Just for the record, I seem to have stabilized at 155 lbs. in the last 2 weeks, and a loose 32" now. And 31" is almost impossible to find. Maybe someday I'll hit a normal size!http://www.eunuch.org/Public/Images/ea1/E9.gif

By the way, thanks to the 2 persons who emailed me to get my attention.

Paolo it is very good to read your updates. You have inspired me to learn to cook since your home is still standing. After all it is the only way to really know what is in your food. During my recent visit to the doctor he listened to my stomach. He said he was glad he did not hear anything. I asked "not even the McDonald's jingle"?

tugon (imported) wrote: Sun Oct 08, 2006 6:15 am Paolo it is very good to read your updates. You have inspired me to learn to cook since your home is still standing. After all it is the only way to really know what is in your food. During my recent visit to the doctor he listened to my stomach. He said he was glad he did not hear anything. I asked "not even the McDonald's jingle"?

You do not want to have diabetes. You have worked to have good health. You want to enjoy yourself.

Blaise (imported) wrote: Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:42 am You do not want to have diabetes. You have worked to have good health. You want to enjoy yourself.

Yes you are right. I used to eat for comfort more than for health. Now that I am receiving comfort from good folks in my life and in the EA I need to break all my bad habits with food.