With my blood results in, I found myself again in front of my doctor (2 or 3 days after going to the ER and starting Metformin twice a day from that). I was in the proper mindset to receive direction. I thought I had begun taking steps and doing what I needed to do. My doctor however quickly made me see that the changes I would need to do were deeper and more definitive than I previously thought.
Healthy diet and lots of exercise meant different things to him than they meant to me. He also taught me this was a lifestyle change, not a diet or exercise period - this was to be my new life or I would see the consequences. Diabetes doesn't get cured - you adjust to it so it doesn't damage your body so quickly.
His first statement was that now I would avoid carbs like the plague. This means no bread, no rice, no pasta. No sugary kid's cereal, no candy, no sodas, no sugary drinks at all. White meat and vegetables - avoid red meat as much as possible because of my triglycerides. I almost fell out of the chair. Immediately I had questions. Well, what carbs can I eat?
Here is where I learned that there are foods that we can call diabetic friendly. In normal life, you may not think they are very different, but in terms of carb content and glucose, they are very different.
Hey also explained there were no shortcuts or miracle workarounds - no matter how good the food, if you have several servings, it won't be good for you. You have to embrace portion control! And you have to read the nutritional label and be responsible for everything you put in your mouth.
After this quick talk with my doctor i saw that my meals would have to change dramatically. I had to rebase my meals to be mostly leafy or meaty (but not starchy) vegetables and lean protein from poultry and white fishes. The things I bought in the supermarket would need to change, the things I ordered when eating out would have to change, my wife, who is not diabetic, will also have to change - or we will have to eat different things!
The other thing that took me by surprise was what he said was even more important: exercise. Hopefully everyday. At least 30 minutes, but hopefully one hour. Exercise is the only way to decrease blood sugar in a natural manner. You have to spend what you eat!
Wow. For someone that didn't exercise at all that was suddenly a tall order. I don't know how i'm going to do this, but the fact is I have to do it! I had already resolved I would tackle this head on like a man, I would have to learn and adapt!
I left the doctor's office with my head in a whirlwind, but with my mindset that I could tackle on this problem, I opened up google and started reading and investigating. I immediately bought a couple books in amazon and started reading diabetes related material on the internet - which gladly there is a lot of. It is a very widespread disease :'(
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