Nobody has Eaten More Candy than me!!!

[Spock]

And I mean nobody-through (almost) age 58-has eaten more candy than me. I have (had??) a well-known sweet tooth. So don't feel bad for me.

Well, after years of skirting along with pre-diabetic numbers-last week-July 2-I finally hit the very bottom number for diabetes. Doc wanted to put me on Ozempic-but I resisted as I am not ready for that major lifestyle change yet-I am not ready to go the (very) low carb route.

Instead, I am in the bargaining stages of grief and I am working on some of the low-hanging fruit first to see how things look at my next appointment. For decades, I have drank Diet Pepsi by the gallon-but in the last few months, I have gotten bad about drinking a fair amount of regular Coke-tastes really good on a hot day.

So that is one change. Almost completely eliminate sugar pop by the next appointment-before I worry about the major!!!! lifestyle change of working on diet pepsi. I did have small root beer float at a birthday party on Sunday and part of me regrets that.

Then there is the afore-mentioned candy habit. Plain milk chocolate Hershey bars are my preferred poison. I have been really good since July 2nd. I have been in convenience stores several times and I haven't bought one. I had to laugh about the clerk today as she looked for my normal candy bar and it was not there.

Word of warning-do not buy Hershey's stock for a little while until this downward sales blip works it's way through the financials-I hope nobody loses their jobs over it(LOL). I ate a LOT of Hershey bars.

Candy since July 2
1) A hershey bar that Mrs Spock gave me before she realized the situation-I have no willpower

2) 2 small flavored tootsie roll type things at a parade

3) A small handful (from a vending machine) of Mike and Ike's after a nice supper to clear the palate.

4) A small box of purple Nerds that was in a candy jar at a business meeting yesterday

This may sound like a lot (or not)-but I am very proud of the small amount (for me) that this indicates.

Re-Desserts

I am not a big dessert guy-I had a piece of cake at the afore-mentioned birthday party.

But Ice cream is a problem. I eat a lot of ice cream-My plan is to cut out most of the habit and eliminate Vanilla topped with butterscotch or chocolate toppings.

BUT, I will not cut out (yet?) Ice cream and strawberries which is probably my favorite thing and is a much more occasional thing than the butterscotch/chocolate thing.

My Dad was diagnosed at about the same age I am-and he solved a lot of the problem with diet. I haven't told them yet as Mom will go nuts.

When my dad was diagnosed, a neighbor said he didn't feel sorry for him because of all the candy he had. I am in the same boat.

My paternal grandfather who grew up very poor-always insisted on having access to Hershey bars and Ice Cream bars once he was better off. There were always treats in that freezer.

[BackInTex]

Good luck.

I too and fluttering within spittig distance of Type II. I will never go on a maintenance prescription. I will do the drastic lifestyle change (for me, no more eating after dinner, I'm a grazer). I just need the proverbial gun put to my head.

[ghostjmf]

Kind of weird you were to start on Ozempic.

But it didn't exist when I was diagnosed.

I was given Metformin immediately, & I think glipizide. When glip stopped working I was assigned to an endocrinologist. My general practitioner had already started me on maintenance daily doses of Lantus, long-term insulin. I tried one of those newer drugs, Januvia I think. Made me throw up more than anything.

I now take Metformin, Lantus & Humalog, a short term insulin. Medicare switched me from Novalog, a faster short term insulin. Basically I take some before I eat anything sugary/starchy.

When 1st put on Metformin & glipizide I immediately lost 50lbs. Without trying. I've got 30 more I'd like to lose.

I test my blood sugar every morning. Medicare should pay for 4 tests/day, but no longer will because I also wear a CGM, continuous glucose monitor, only mine isn't continuous, only works when you bring monitor up to sensor. Its very inaccurate, as much as 50 points lower than blood test.

So I'm resisting industry pressure to get an insulin pump, which would rely on interstitial fluid for testing as does CGM, not blood tests, & wouldn't give me enough insulin.

I've got my A1C, the measure of how much sugar is literally sticking to my blood cells, down to 7.4 from 11+. This gets tested twice a year.

It should be around 5.5.

There's a theory going around & being tested that Metformin will keep you young. It interferes with your mitochondria turning ADP into ATP for energy, which you'd think would be a *bad* thing but apparently isn't.

[Spock]

Kind of weird you were to start on Ozempic.

But it didn't exist when I was diagnosed.

I was given Metformin immediately, & I think glipizide. When glip stopped working I was assigned to an endocrinologist. My general practitioner had already started me on maintenance daily doses of Lantus, long-term insulin. I tried one of those newer drugs, Januvia I think. Made me throw up more than anything.

I now take Metformin, Lantus & Humalog, a short term insulin. Medicare switched me from Novalog, a faster short term insulin. Basically I take some before I eat anything sugary/starchy.

When 1st put on Metformin & glipizide I immediately lost 50lbs. Without trying. I've got 30 more I'd like to lose.

I test my blood sugar every morning. Medicare should pay for 4 tests/day, but no longer will because I also wear a CGM, continuous glucose monitor, only mine isn't continuous, only works when you bring monitor up to sensor. Its very inaccurate, as much as 50 points lower than blood test.

So I'm resisting industry pressure to get an insulin pump, which would rely on interstitial fluid for testing as does CGM, not blood tests, & wouldn't give me enough insulin.

I've got my A1C, the measure of how much sugar is literally sticking to my blood cells, down to 7.4 from 11+. This gets tested twice a year.

It should be around 5.5.

There's a theory going around & being tested that Metformin will keep you young. It interferes with your mitochondria turning ADP into ATP for energy, which you'd think would be a *bad* thing but apparently isn't.

She put me on Metformin at my last (pre-diabetes) checkup in January. I have been taking one pill in the morning with breakfast. She wants me to take 4 a day-2 in the morning-2 with supper. I think I will push back a little and only take 2-one with supper and one with breakfast and see where my numbers (including weight) are in November after cutting out the candy and other low-hanging fruit.

My A1C was 6.5.

[silverscreenselect]

And I mean nobody-through (almost) age 58-has eaten more candy than me. I have (had??) a well-known sweet tooth. So don't feel bad for me.

My Dad was diagnosed at about the same age I am-and he solved a lot of the problem with diet. I haven't told them yet as Mom will go nuts. When my dad was diagnosed, a neighbor said he didn't feel sorry for him because of all the candy he had. I am in the same boat.

My paternal grandfather who grew up very poor-always insisted on having access to Hershey bars and Ice Cream bars once he was better off. There were always treats in that freezer.

Good luck. I've got a number of the same weaknesses but I've been "hooked" on diet sodas and unsweetened tea for my entire marriage. I buy candy in the Halloween treat size bags and keep a bag available where I can get to it easily. It takes as much effort to open an individual Hershey's piece or mini-Resse's cup as an entire bar and I get almost the same satisfaction from eating the smaller amount. I can usually get by on 2-3 pieces a day, which are about the size in total of one-half a bar.

[ghostjmf]

I've been on 2 Metformin in the morning, 2 in the evening since say 2013 & have not grown antlers (or whatever) yet. Go for it. I'm currently down to 12 units of Lantus in the am because taking any at night was putting my blood sugar dangerously low. The cure for that is ice cream if you are around any. I do carry candy with me just-in-case.

I get very sweaty & shaky when my blood sugar is low. Sometimes cold-sweaty.

I diagnosed myself, confirmed by MD of course, with diabetes when I started being thirsty all the time & drinking quarts of water. My blood sugar was 318.

Now if I don't eat anything my sugar is around 100. Of course, you do have to eat.

[Spock]

I've been on 2 Metformin in the morning, 2 in the evening since say 2013 & have not grown antlers (or whatever) yet. Go for it. I'm currently down to 12 units of Lantus in the am because taking any at night was putting my blood sugar dangerously low. The cure for that is ice cream if you are around any. I do carry candy with me just-in-case.

I get very sweaty & shaky when my blood sugar is low. Sometimes cold-sweaty.

I diagnosed myself, confirmed by MD of course, with diabetes when I started being thirsty all the time & drinking quarts of water. My blood sugar was 318.

Now if I don't eat anything my sugar is around 100. Of course, you do have to eat.

Eating is not a problem for me-LOL.

This is a new world for me-what is number where blood sugar is low? I asked Doc about it-and that apparently is not an area of concern for me at this time.

[ghostjmf]

Low won't or shouldn't be a problem for you until they put you on insulin injections.

Low for me is 45. At 45 my Mom almost died (the recovery place, for something else, had doubled her glimiperide without our permission. They did this *twice*. They fired the nurse who saved her the 2nd time after nurse couldn't get hold of supervising Dr. because nurse had given glucose IV. When we offered to protest nurse said "don't".)

Reg Dr. later told us glimiperide & glipizide don't work reliably for people over 70 anyway.

Its better to have high blood sugar because it won't kill you instantly. Low will.

[ghostjmf]

They tell you not to worry unless blood sugar goes under 70.

[littlebeast13]

I bought a five pound bag of Pez candy off Amazon back in April that I polished off in a little over a month.

I've paced myself much better with the second bag.... limiting myself to only four packs a day.

Between all the soda and food and candy I eat plus family history, I have no idea how I'm not a toothless diabetic yet....

lb13

[Spock]

And I mean nobody-through (almost) age 58-has eaten more candy than me. I have (had??) a well-known sweet tooth. So don't feel bad for me.

My Dad was diagnosed at about the same age I am-and he solved a lot of the problem with diet. I haven't told them yet as Mom will go nuts. When my dad was diagnosed, a neighbor said he didn't feel sorry for him because of all the candy he had. I am in the same boat.

My paternal grandfather who grew up very poor-always insisted on having access to Hershey bars and Ice Cream bars once he was better off. There were always treats in that freezer.

Good luck. I've got a number of the same weaknesses but I've been "hooked" on diet sodas and unsweetened tea for my entire marriage. I buy candy in the Halloween treat size bags and keep a bag available where I can get to it easily. It takes as much effort to open an individual Hershey's piece or mini-Resse's cup as an entire bar and I get almost the same satisfaction from eating the smaller amount. I can usually get by on 2-3 pieces a day, which are about the size in total of one-half a bar.

LOL-Like I could keep a bag of candy where I could get to it easily-that sucker would be gone in hours. No willpower. But, in many ways-willpower is coming-I went to town and got a haircut-normally, I would stop for a candy bar-but I didn't and I didn't miss it.

But, keep in mind-I just had a bowl of ice cream and strawberries-possibly my favorite food-so I am not really wearing a hair shirt yet. But better than doing that, plus the normal candy bar.

[Spock]

I bought a five pound bag of Pez candy off Amazon back in April that I polished off in a little over a month.

I've paced myself much better with the second bag.... limiting myself to only four packs a day.

Between all the soda and food and candy I eat plus family history, I have no idea how I'm not a toothless diabetic yet....

lb13

You piker you-a month!!!! That would be a lifetime for me. I would have it gone in days.

I am right there with you as to wondering about why Diabetes had not struck yet.

I think about you-(I think it was you anyway) with the kidney stones and the orders to cut down on diet pop. Knock on wood, but not a problem yet.

Well, into the double figures as to daily intake of Diet Pepsi-probably should work on that too0but not yet.

Nobody knows yet-except the wife-I will not tell the Spocklette because she will be very firm with me as to diet and stuff I and don't want to face her wrath, orders and firmness.