Diabetes HELP----PLEEEEZZZE!!!! Best 10 PTS!?

Issue
One of my very best friends just found out she might develop Type 2 Diabetes in ONE YEAR if she doesn't do something about it NOW. Well, I'm very worried about her and I'm asking for her if anyone knows of any really good books about diabetes prevention she should read - or if there is a good website that gives lots of good information. I was trying to search the net earlier for her but couldn't find anything too substancial... Any help you could give would be great - THANK YOU!!!

Best Tip

now is the time to start working on her health and you're a good friend for trying to help.

i agree with the first answer, diabetes for dummies is a good book. i like the dummies series of books and have a whole library of them.

possibly the diet that has worked the best for me is the American Heart Associations diet for people with cardiac problems. its a sensible diet---and helps you eat healthy and take the pounds off slowly.

now-here comes the hard part. actually two hard parts. your friend needs to cut out all unnecessary sugars. no more candy bars, no more shakes, no more little debbies. eat at breakfast, lunch and dinner and no other time.

is it hard? hell yes its hard. i went from a box of little debbies a day habit plus candy bars plus sodas to nothing. i thought i was gonna die! but after a while you get used to it. the other nite i bummed a fun size crackle bar from my wife---you know the little ones? it was so sweet i wondered---Gee, how did I ever eat TONS of this stuff?

and last, but not least---exercise. walk. walking is the easiest and cheapest method of cardiovascular exercise there is. 30 minutes a day--every other day. work up from there if you can.

its been two years since i was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and my life was turned on its head. i had to stop or unlearn eating habits i'd had for 48 years!

but it gets easier. now, like i said, candy bars are just too sweet for me. there are lots of diabetic cookbooks out there, google "diabetic cookbooks".

nows the time for your friend to get going---maybe head this off before she requires daily insulin injections--like i do. first thing i do every morning is stick my finger and check the blood sugar--every day. she wants to avoid that if possible.

best of luck to your friend and you also!

Others
Try Diabeties for Dummies, its a really good book and breaks it down to understand it better. It also gives ideas on meal plans and life changes to prevent diabeties. Best of luck
Diabetes Cookbook for Dummies by Alan L. Rubin, M.D., with Fran Stach and Chef Denise Sharf

Diabetes for Dummies by Alan L. Rubin, M.D.

The New Glucose Revolution Complete Guide to Glycemic Index Values by Jennie Brand-Miller.
okay here is the deal
the key is to keep the sugar intake low and keep the carbs low as well
Drink at least 75 oz a water a day

Take these supplements daily
THESE WORK WELL
200 mcg Chromium Picolinate
this will make the insulin that your body produces more Efficient
so the pancreas can excrete FAR less

1 pill Vanadyl Sulfate daily
the makes your glucose levels more stable on a consistant basis
and assist in efficient glycogen storage

Alpha Lipoic Acid - ALA
In addition to being a powerful antioxidant, alpha lipoic acid helps the body use glucose, hence alpha lipoic acid's potential role in improving blood sugar control. Alpha lipoic acid reduces complications from a high sugar diet. Lipoic acid is readily absorbed from the diet or as a supplement. ALA has a variety of benefits, particularly for diabetics.

In Germany, alpha-lipoic acid is an approved medical treatment for peripheral neuropathy, a common complication of diabetes. It speeds the removal of glucose from the bloodstream, at least partly by enhancing insulin function, and it reduces insulin resistance, an underpinning of many cases of coronary heart disease and obesity. The therapeutic dose for lipoic acid is 100-200 mg/day.
Switch from processed sugars and try to stick to fruits and organic sugar. Sure it costs more-but isn't $2 extra per pound of sugar really a lot better than years of medical treatments? Same applies for other foods, as well.
Losing weight can be done by eating more complex carbs(pastas, whole grains, beans, nuts, vegetables, fruits), less trans/saturated fats(try getting more fats from nuts, avocados, olive oil in place of vegetable oil), and drinking more water. Also-exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, at least 3 times a week. Remember to have her pace herself with the exercise, and to try to eat 6 small meals a day as opposed to 2-3, and always remember to eat within an hour of waking up.
SErach the web for the American Diabetes Society. They are the foremost organization for diabetes and how to manage this illness.

My daughter has type 1 but we know a fair number with type two or who are high risk of becoming type 2.

The best effort for avioding type two is to loose weight using good diet and excerise. Your friend nees to educate herslef on how to change her diet to be low carb. Carbs are the single biggest influence on sugar levels. Read packaging for foods and buy a couple of good sets of measuring cups. Measuring food to the proper portions gives you a visual understanding of how much you eat. We only measure items that contain carbs since non carb food does not affect blood sugar.

Watch high carb fat ratios like ice cream, muffins, cakes, fudge and candy. The presence of fat with carbs from baked good or even potatoes take signifcantly longer to process by the body so eating a muffin at noon may not release it's sugar into your system for two hours and will cause a spike in blood sugar lasting a few hours.

Have your friend try to stick to fast acting carbs the body uses quickly like juice, soda, sugar in coffee and fast acting candies like taffy or jolly ranchers if they just can't give up sweets and balance them against non carb options or very low carb like meats, cheese and vegtables- beware corn is highest amoung common veggies. If they keep the total carb count under 50 for each meal and under 20-25 for snacks during the day they should get weight loss along with better control. Testing suagr levels with a meter is very important it will give your friend better understanding of how her body uses carbs. Test before meals and 30 mins after eating at first then set a schedule such as before meals and once or twice a day in between.

Ideal sugar levels are 70-120 aim for 70-100 and they will see great health benefits and possibly avoid becoming type 2. Good Luck!!

Wow I saw some other posts and had to add- DONOT start supplements without discussing them with your doctor first many can cause complications with current medical conditions and are processed differently for overweight people.

75 oz of water is a ridculous amount and for overweight people could be dangerous and cause swelling- stick to the 8 glasses of 8oz a day most people can't even manage that much.

Walking is a great starter exercise- walk after lunch and dinner for at least 30 mins even slow walking burns calories and helps and it is easy to do with friends.
I'm a type 2. Once she is on meds it will be even harder to lose weight. Got to watch carbs, Got to stay away from junk food, limit pasta, white rice, white bread, sugar type foods like ice cream candy, etc. I lost a lot on Atkins but you need to be committed or else very low carb diets don't work. Only diet soft drinks and lots of water. You get the message. I found that exercise really, really helps get the glucose numbers in control. It can be done. I was on 100 units of insulin a day and now I'm down to no insulin and 2 pills (actos and glucophage). Good luck.