New: just some information about myself

[vikjohn]

My doctor has recently upped my MF dose from 500 to 1000 per day. Last July I had to have the rest of my upper teeth extracted (had a fall and broke all the roots). Since then I have had to eat so differently, only soft foods while gradually trying to incorporate regular food. I was eating mac and cheese etc. I really can't eat meat much anymore except for ground beef, sausage, etc. soft meats and in small quantities. I was so depressed about the teeth that I even indulged in sweets I'm trying to get back on track my sugar this morning was 128. I'm hoping to go back down to 500 eventually, Keto is hard to maintain but that seems to be the only way diet affects my BS. I was thinking I was diagnosed in 2015 but it has been much longer than that I worked at a university and they did a wellness assessment every year. My BS was very normal - until my doctor put me on a statin. Shortly after that my BS went up. I'm looking into a more plant based diet although I can't eat anything but very cooked veggies as of now. Hoping for better in the future - I really need a big salad!! Well, that is about it - I'm and artist, musician and retired system admin for a library - loving retirement - mostly. Thanks for "listening" V

[skb]

Hi Vik,

Thanks for sharing some more of your life with us. As a child I met with an accident that knocked out 2 of my upper front teeth. I had to wait until I was an adult to get a fixed bridge as I was still in my formative years. But the 2 soon became 3, and if you count the teeth on either side to mount the bridge, I now have 5 upper teeth which are not natural. Fortunately, all of this never stopped me from eating what I wanted.

I learnt of a low carb (or better carb) way of eating on a forum just like this and immediately started to gain control of my numbers. The keto or high fat part, I learnt much later and that really changed health in a drastic way. I am not in ketosis as of now but every now and then there is an intent and swing in that direction. If you add enough and significant high quality fats to your diet eating a plant based ketogenic diet is possible. One of our members, and an old friend, is on a vegan diet and yet ketogenic all the time. 

I encourage you to use our forum features like the BG Tracker that will help you to keep track of your numbers over time in a systematic way and help you bring down your numbers even more.   

[Grammabear]

Thank you for sharing some of your story with us.  It is hard to eat properly when your mouth hurts.  I hope that your dental situation will heal well over time and that you can eat soft foods or other foods that you like.

I don't know if you have ever considered cooking a head of cauliflower and making cream of cauliflower soup from it.  My husband and I usually have that once a week during the winter months.  It is very kind to my blood sugar numbers and lower in calories also.

Be safe and stay warm.

[bigskygal]

vikjohn I can appreciate your problem with eating having teeth problems too. I am embarrassed to say my teeth are not in the best situation either. I have great medical coverage but no dental coverage. A trade off late DH made when he set up the medical plan. My teeth are in terrible shape and I actually welcome the masks as no one can see them. As time goes by I can eat fewer things. So many things I like and are good for LC/HF I just can't eat any more. It is a challenge but can be overcome by various methods of preparation as you probably already know.

Hang in there you can do it, we can do it. Share the foods you find and I will too! Thanks for sharing!

[vikjohn]

Thanks for all the encouragement. I started LCHF back when first diagnosed but found it a bit hard to stick with. I am not a huge meat fan, and veggies are ok if you throw in some pasta . With all the teeth issues now meat is mostly off the table, veggies have to be soggy - yuck. And to top it all off - Keto makes you cook!! Not a fan. My husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy so at present I'm actually cooking two meals. Keto also makes me lose weight which I do not need. Anyway, complaining aside ... I've been taking the 1000 metformin daily for about two weeks and my blood sugar fasting is still around 150-160. Too high. Adding more exercise. Till later ... thanks again. V

[skb]

Hello Vik,

Most non-starchy veggies are OK. If meat is a problem, I'd suggest that you go for eggs, cooked whichever way you like. Pasta is definitely "off the list" if you want to have better numbers. Exercise is a very good equalizer or leveler for BG but you'd need to experiment a lot in terms of what suits you best. What I have seen in most people is that a brisk walk for 20-30 minutes, 1 hour after a meal helps bring down numbers pretty easily. Play with variables like types, times, intensity and duration of exercise and you'll know what works for you.