Food
OK — I’m convinced from what people have written that I can overcome
my fear of needles — espeically since it turns out I don’t really
have to look at it (thanks Marsha!)
So next, my questions turn to food. (Which I truly love) I understand
that Byetta slows stomach emptying, and that the more full your
stomach, the higher the probability of nausea. I also know that you
are supposed to take Byetta up to an hour before breakfast and dinner.
I assume this timing has to do with the initial insulin spike (alpha
cells) and then the excitation of the beta cells to slow the insulin
dump from the pancreas. Therefore, it would seem to infer that
breakfast and dinner should be bigger meals than lunch, and that
snacks should be small.
However, what does "a meal" mean? A regular human meal? A diabetic
meal where there are specific number of carb, fat and protein grams? A
500 calorie meal? Or is this one of the things one needs to find out
for oneself?
When I’m on the Zone — breakfast is normall 3/4c cottage cheese (low
fat), 3 Zone servings of fruit, and 3 macademia nuts. Does that sound
like a reasonable amount of food for a Byetta breakfast? Dinner is
usually fish or soy protein, salad, non-starchy veggies, a little fat,
and then 1/2 cup of something GOOD like brown rice or peas or a sweet
potato.
THANK YOU ALL YOU KIND AND WONDERFUL PEOPLE OUT THERE!
Jessica
September 21st, 2004 at 5:35 am
Jessica, I’m a "to each his own" person when it comes to eating, specially
with diabetes. We’re all different. For example, most coffees spike me (and
shouldn’t) but I can eat a very large amount of watermelon with little
effect. Go figure!
So, I think it’s like everything else, do what works for you! Check your bg
before you eat and again 2 hours later. Is it a good reading? Okay, that
combination must work for you. At least it worked that time.
I’ve found since starting Byetta that a meal is no longer what it used to be
for me. I prepare dinner but by the time I sit to eat it, about an hour
after injecting, I want very little of it. I’ll eat a few bites of meat,
green vegetables, salad, etc. and end up giving most of it to the dog! That
works for me, though.
I suggest that you need to wait and see what the Byetta does to you,
personally, before you can decide on just what a meal is. I have come to the
conclusion, though, that since I eat very little now, what I do eat needs to
be nutritious. So, we keep salads, good vegetables, and lean meat around and
I try to eat as much of my vegetables as I can.
BTW, I used to be a prolific snacker..now? Not so much. I do occasionally
have some cottage cheese with green onions and seasonings or some lc yogurt.
September 21st, 2004 at 9:58 am
Hi Jessica,
I’m on Bernstein, so the Zone looks like an extravaganza to me.
If I ate
what is today considered"a regular human meal" I’d hurl. Too much food! Some
others here don’t have that problem. I do. So, yes, ya gotta find out for
yourself. I’d suggest the slow method, so you don’t end up making offerings to
Ralf the Pot God.
I’ve had to readjust my intake a few times since March. These days I take a
bit, chew, chew, chew, swallow, take a sip of liquid, contemplate the state of
my stomach and then, if it feels acceptable to do so I will take another bite.
I can eat one Atkins bar for lunch and be fine (the new, smaller bars) but woe
betide me if I try to eat anything else. I am not friends with Ralf, but when I
overeat I’d like to be, just to make the stomachache stop. (wry smile)
What is your BG? If you can eat rice, peas, and potatoes and not have high BG,
then by all means, go for it. If you you can’t then don’t. Andrew saliently
points out that the meter will tell you what you can and can’t eat. Mine tells
me that starches and grains are off the menu.
Cheers!
Marsha
Who has always wondered how it works that I can plateau for days and then drop 2
pounds overnight
September 21st, 2004 at 1:48 pm
Thanks Denise — I’m hoping that I, too, end up feeding most of
everything to the dog — although she’s a pretty picky eater <grin>.
Do you find that by eating so little you end up hypoglycemic?
September 21st, 2004 at 8:11 pm
Dear Jessica, You are probably better off if you want to lose weight with
Byetta to do a modified Atkins or Bernstein type diet. Back off on fruits, no
starch, low glycemic foods. A great breakfast cereal is Golden Barley Cereal,
made by Whole Control, only available at website www.wholecontrol.com, (made by
a
person with diabetes). My rule is cruciform vegetables like Cauliflower,
Broccoli, Artichoke, Asparagus, etc. Solid proteins like fish, steak, lamb, lean
pork, chicken, eggs and related items. Keep carbs at a minimum, probably under
100 but better if 40 to 60. Control of portion size is also helpful. How much
weight do you want to lose? Do you use the BWI index?
I am not sure if your thought that the results of the Byetta injection to
slow the release of nutrients from the stomach is what creates nausea. I don’t
think that is what happens. The lizard spit creates it whether or not you eat,
it is a side affect that seems to go away after a couple of months. I think the
reason you usually have to eat within an hour of injection is because of the
half life on Byetta. Not because of the release of insulin. Maybe others here
September 22nd, 2004 at 7:22 am
Jessica, I do have to watch the bg carefully because of the lows. I take
about 1/2 the insulin I used to and eat way less than I used to. I generally
eat a few carbs at meals just to make sure I don’t bottom out and that works
for me.
Denise
September 22nd, 2004 at 7:53 pm
Now, we have drugs and knowledge and the internet and hope that we
won’t have to end up with the horrible complications. The only
downside is that "food" has gotten so bad and inactivity has gotten so
prevalent that kids in their teens are getting type 2 diabetes — you
see the pictures of them –> 5 feet tall, 300 pounds. For most people
I know, it didn’t hit until after 40 or so — decades fewer for
complications to develop.
OK — end of pontification…..