High Blood Sugar, What to Change

Nutrition
1

doc just told me my blood sugar went up 30 points since the last year. I know if things keep going up i could end up with diabetis. my question is what should I be changing.

my current diet:
breakfast:
raisin bran cereal, skim milk and some fruit

pre-lunch snack:
sunflower seeds

lunch:
1 ham and cheese sandwish no mayo no nothing
1 pb and j
some carrot sticks or clery or fruit

pre dinner snack:
usually nothing

dinner:
1 bowl of rice, some chicken, veggies

exerices:
lift then inclined walkin after 3-4 times a week

so wuts the deal with this high blood sugar stuff? i always thought only people who didnt do anything and sat on their ass got diabetis? please enlighten me.

2

so get rid of the rice, rasin bran and jelly? is there reason why these foods are bad? and what should i be looking for when picking foods?

3

Raisin bran contains highly processed grain “flakes.” That isn’t really “bran.”

The jelly is pure sugar and that’s a no-no. For that matter, I’d cut out the bread in both your sandwiches, or switch to Ezekial bread which is 1) relatively expensive and 2) an acquired taste. Even supposedly whole wheat bread contains a lot of refined flour.

Also, peanut butter and bread/jelly combines fats and carbs, which is a no-no.

The rice is probably white, which is highly refined and highly glycemic. If you like rice, cook up some wild rice mix. It’s different, but good, and non-instant rice is actually very easy to cook; it just takes longer.

Think about it…do you really need carbs in the evening? Move the carbs earlier in the day. Eat more vegetables throughout the day. Add in some green leafy vegetables.

I struggle with blood sugar too. I know it takes effort to monitor it and eat right.

4

From your sample menu- what is the reason for eating the way you are?

It doesn’t appear that you are eating complete, whole food protein with every feeding. Fats look unbalanced. But you cherish your starchy carbohydrates much more than fats and protein.

Also the servings of starch and sugary carbohydrates look to be much larger than the protein consumed. Which may be causing your insulin to not be as effective/sensitive over time due to the insulin spike. It doesn’t appear that you are eating too many fruits or many vegetables in your day. Now I don’t know if you workout before lunch, so I don’t know if the starch and sugar carbohydrate consumption through 2 sandwiches is justified.

Worried about increasing blood sugars? Luckily we have some good guidelines here at T-Nation. I would look up Dr John Berardi’s articles on G-Flux, for increasing activity and how to go about it, and his article on the 7 Nutritional Habits. Adhere to those two articles as guidelines and you’ll have a better chance of controlling your blood sugar.

As for me, I got control of my blood sugar too late. I got slapped with the type II diagnosis, but took the proper steps and I am mainly in pre-diabetes range. Always a couple points above normal. Did it with applying the discipline of G-Flux and eating more fruits and vegetables for my carbohydrate needs rather than starches and extra sugars.

5

thanks for all the quick and informative replies. The way im am eating the way im eating, is because i thought it was pretty balanced but i guess not, im still new at planing my diet so i will do some more reading and rework my diet.

so cut out the jelly, rice, bread, and any other unecessary sugars and carbs. add more proteins and good fats. i am lifting about 3-4 hours after lunch right after i get off work.

i have always had trouble watching my diet. im in college and i think its hard to always watch what i eat when people are scarfing down pizzas and such. I am definatly trying to change so that i dont get diabetis since my grandmother had it. i will look up those articles and try to change some habbits.

anyone else?

6

[quote]yorik wrote:
Raisin bran contains highly processed grain “flakes.” That isn’t really “bran.”

The jelly is pure sugar and that’s a no-no. For that matter, I’d cut out the bread in both your sandwiches, or switch to Ezekial bread which is 1) relatively expensive and 2) an acquired taste. Even supposedly whole wheat bread contains a lot of refined flour.

Also, peanut butter and bread/jelly combines fats and carbs, which is a no-no.

The rice is probably white, which is highly refined and highly glycemic. If you like rice, cook up some wild rice mix. It’s different, but good, and non-instant rice is actually very easy to cook; it just takes longer.

Think about it…do you really need carbs in the evening? Move the carbs earlier in the day. Eat more vegetables throughout the day. Add in some green leafy vegetables.

I struggle with blood sugar too. I know it takes effort to monitor it and eat right.

[/quote]

he may be shocked, but I go along with everything Yorik said here.

Some stats: age, height, weight, activity level and how high are we talking? Sounds like maybe 150 or 160. Mine was over 500 or 5 times normal and is now pretty much normal 99.9% of the time.

I dropped alcohol and everything else that comes in a box, bag, bottle, jar or can except canned salmon, got seriously back into weight training, lost a large ugly gut and it took care of itself in about 6 - 7 months.

Refined, processed foods and HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP which are EVERYWHERE are positively poisonous for people with glucose regulation issues. Avoid those like the plague.

7

stats:
5’7
184 trying to get back down to 175ish

activity level:
lift in 3 day cycles
mostly focus on the main 3 powerlifting exercies (deads, squats, bench)

saturdays are usually strongman events training.

so basically the gist of things here are dont eat anything that comes pre made and stick with stuff i have to cook myself. in the last couple years ive cut alot of junk out of my diet such as soda, candy, junk food etc. just another step in refining i guess. thanks for the help.

the doc never told me an exact number just said it was 30 points higher then last year, so i figuered id do something about it before it goes to something i have to really worry about.

8

[quote]catch2otwo wrote:
stats:
5’7
184 trying to get back down to 175ish

activity level:
lift in 3 day cycles
mostly focus on the main 3 powerlifting exercies (deads, squats, bench)

saturdays are usually strongman events training.

so basically the gist of things here are dont eat anything that comes pre made and stick with stuff i have to cook myself. in the last couple years ive cut alot of junk out of my diet such as soda, candy, junk food etc. just another step in refining i guess. thanks for the help.

the doc never told me an exact number just said it was 30 points higher then last year, so i figuered id do something about it before it goes to something i have to really worry about. [/quote]

Are you sure your doctor was talking about “blood sugar”?? Having it listed as “points” is not correct medical terminology for blood sugar readings.

Also, there really is no other way to do any longterm blood sugar tracking than an A1C test, which the results would be in the order of 3.0-10.0 (roughly), not “points” and certainly not “30 points higher”. It really doesn’t make any sense. The only thing I’ve seen listed as points is cholesterol.

This might be worth having you doctor explain to you exactly what he was testing and how it affects you. If he just randomly tested your blood to get a blood sugar reading, and it was 30 “points” higher than the last time he randomly tested it- well he’s not much of a doctor then, or doesn’t understand the human body very well in general.

Most of the suggestions the other guys listed are good, but after reviewing your diet (while not great for bodybuilding) it’s not horrible from a blood sugar standpoint, especially considering your activity level, height, weight, etc.

All in all I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I would take a look at your diet to make sure it meets your current goals, whatever they are.

9

Get a copy of those results from your doc.

There are too many questions here.

If this was just a Casual Plasma Glucose test then it could be a simply a matter of when you last ate and what you ate in comparison to your previous trip.

If it was a Fasting test (FPG) and you did it correctly (no cheating with coffee creamer or something) then we’d have more to go on.

Also, do you have other risk factors? Are you Hispanic, black, etc?

One of the other posters said that Type 2 IS insulin resistance but that’s not exactly accurate. Progessive beta cell disfunction plays a key role as does alpha cell disfunction…these are genetic problems (thats why not ALL fat people are diabetic).

But not to confuse you too much…find out more info on the test…especially fasting versus casual…

10

thats interesting. i did not speak to the doc directly, he called my house and i was not home. So it was my mom who relayed the info. So maybe something got lost in translation.

however, ive been trying to clean up my diet for a while and i guess changing my diet wont hurt. While not a body builder i have been trying to up my 3 main PL lifts since i want to try a meet next year.

as far as at risk, im asian 100% don’t know if that puts me in any kind of catagory.

about my doctor, i have little trust in him when it comes to diagnosing my weight and health. he tells me im way over weight just by using the bmi.

im going to get my percent fat and other stuff taken so i can see where i stand. i cant really switch doctors right now since im in the middle of school and im under my moms insurance blah blah blah but i figure once i get out i can find a more sports/athletics oriented doctor that might understand me more. but im working on the diet. thanks again

11

[quote]eengrms76 wrote:
<<<

All in all I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I would take a look at your diet to make sure it meets your current goals, whatever they are.[/quote]

Yeah if he means 30 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter) over normal I wouldn’t ignore it, but you aren’t on death’s doorstep either. Even normal people can get up to 160-180 after a heavy meal. If it’s 30 over after fasting that would be something to pay close attention to, but not too difficult to correct for most people.

12

[quote]catch2otwo wrote:
<<< as far as at risk, im asian 100% don’t know if that puts me in any kind of catagory. >>>[/quote]

I have a friend who’s 100% Chinese and is type 2 if that means anything.

13

What’s probably more important than a single sample of your blood sugar is your A1C level. The A1C gives your doctor a feel for the average blood sugar level over the past several months. A single reading of blood sugar could very easily be off based on your liver function, if you forgot and ate something even minor before the test, or any of a dozen reasons.

The A1C test is so common that’s probably what your doctor looked at.

More importantly, why you are asking T-Nation members? Take charge of your own health and get a full explanation from your doctor. It’s easy for doctors to forget that people don’t understand all this stuff they deal with every day.

14

[quote]Tiribulus wrote:
eengrms76 wrote:
<<<

All in all I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I would take a look at your diet to make sure it meets your current goals, whatever they are.

Yeah if he means 30 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter) over normal I wouldn’t ignore it, but you aren’t on death’s doorstep either. Even normal people can get up to 160-180 after a heavy meal. If it’s 30 over after fasting that would be something to pay close attention to, but not too difficult to correct for most people.[/quote]

He only said 30 “points” higher than last time, not higher than normal. Maybe last time he hadn’t eaten in 6 hours and this time he went to the doctor directly after hitting the McDonald’s drive through. Again the test the doctor performed without any control to it is likely the culprit for the worrying.

15

the reason i asked here is that i know there are many knowledgeable people here. im obviously going to get in touch with my doc to touch base but i figured why not ask here as well.

You guys mention alot about fasting and very specific guidelines for a test. I was never told to fast or anything. it was just an annual checkup and they just took some blood. i never did any specific tests or anything. and yes i did have lunch an hour before.

16

You definitely need some more info from the doc. Like others have said you need to clarify if it was fasting blood sugar, etc.

Also how lean are you? That definitely makes a difference in food choices. You should get your bodyfat done so you know what you’re dealing with.

To me, the diet seems a little poor. I would try to get the bulk of your food from whole fresh foods. With the majority coming from meat, eggs, fish, chicken, etc. and fresh vegetables.

Time your carb intake around workouts and possibly upon arising.

Generally, like somone else said, you don’t need carbs at night at all.

Do you think you are addicted to carbs?

Also, you don’t seem to be getting much protein and from good sources. For example, your breakfast lacks protein all together except for the little amount found in milk. Your lunch protein is ham, which again isn’t the best, but ok sparingly. Again, lean natural sources are best.

Even if you’re not trying to gain muscle, a highe protein intake would serve you better in losing fat making sure you maintain muscle, keep you fuller, and there is also the TEF of protein. I pretty much eat a higher protein diet year round.

Also, you definitely need to start taking your fish oil, and up your healthy fats like olive oil, etc.