I test myself every morning, my father in law is diabetic, so I test myself and have been in the high 70's, low 80's, He said that glucose is the only reason for losing weight. His is always much higher than mine, so he gets insulin, he will never eat right, I've tried.

He told me if I took one or two mg. of insuluin, I'd lose weight. Of course I said no, that's just crazy!!!!

My question is, is it better to be in the 80-120 range of diabetics or be higher or lower??

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Kristie




remember: weight loss slow and steady wins the race

OMGOSH!

Kristie, are you saying that he is suggesting that you take insulin -- even though you don't need it???

Forgive my tirade, but THAT IS INSANE!!!
Not to mention, unhealthy and quite possibly, dangerous.
What on earth is he talking about??? Does he not understand how insulin works in the body? Good grief! I am a type II diabetic and I absolutely REFUSE to go on insulin because I know (from reading/research) that it is a *trap*.
Insulin is a fat-storing hormone -- it does NOT help you lose weight! There is a PAINFULLY HEARTBREAKING thread in the diabetic forum (on this site) titled, "Insulin-Dependent Diabetics Don't Lose." Go read that. The woman's anguish is so clearly felt in her post...

The fact of the matter is, insulin makes it MUCH harder to lose weight. Yes, it brings your glucose down, but it stores more of what you eat as fat. As a result, your body becomes even MORE insulin resistant because of the increase in body fat. This sends a signal to your pancreas to release MORE insulin and the cycle continues.

Your fasting blood glucose levels are PERFECT. They are absolutely NORMAL for a non-diabetic. I would kill for those numbers right now!!!

Please do NOT listen to your FIL. Is he a doctor? (I already KNOW the answer to that -- NO)
He has no business giving you such misguided, dangerous advice.
You are doing great and your glucose numbers are very healthy. Just keep doing what you are doing!

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Summer

Amen Lawbooks! I have a sister who has to take insulin and it is a miserable way of life. No matter what she tries, she is seemingly unable to lose weight. By all means, stay away from insulin.

Your levels sound great.

My family has a history of diabetes, but fortunately I have not had to deal with it. Although if I had not started this woe, it was a definite probability.

You can fall anywhere in the range and be okay. Mine has always fallen on the lower end. Thank goodness. You are great right where you are. You do not want to get to low or your energy is sapped. As long as you feel great, then you have nothing to worry about.

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320/279/150
Started Atkins 1-19-04

Oh I would never every do what my father in law tells me (in any situation, lol). I was just curious what the "normal" blood glucose range was.

__________________
Kristie




remember: weight loss slow and steady wins the race

Kristie,

LOL!
Well, I didn't *think* you would! I was just SO APPALLED by his suggestion!

You know, it just amazes me the number of people in this world who have *conditions* like diabetes and never bother to educate themselves about their own conditions! It kind of ticks me off. His comments to you show that he really does not understand his own diabetes or how the insulin works in his system.

I have *known* you (via this board) for a while now, and I knew you had better sense than to listen to his nonsense, but it just struck me as SO insane -- I had to respond!

By the way, you can do a search on the internet about normal glucose levels. Here is a page I chose at random: Normal Glucose levels
And of course, you can always ask your doctor.
Your fasting levels sound really good, though -- not high at all and not too low.
I think *average* is around 80, but this definitely varies from individual to individual.

Thanks for letting me rant, Kristie!
You know how I like to do that. LOL!

Summer

He's had diabetes since he was 12, but never ate the right foods. He lost his eye sight because of it, about 20 years ago. He has numerous health problems because of this.

He also has neuropathy, which is so advanced now, that he is unable to move.

I think he doesn't even care about his health, or anyone else's for that matter. I just grin and bear it.

__________________
Kristie




remember: weight loss slow and steady wins the race

I just checked out that site, and I'm a little concerned that when I check it after fasting it normal is below 110, I'm lucky if mine is 80, just worried that it's "too" low. I feel fine, a little bit more tired in the morning, until I eat something, then I pep up a bit.

__________________
Kristie




remember: weight loss slow and steady wins the race

i would have to agree w/ summer, my MIL incilan dependant and she was an RN you think she would be more cautious of what she eats. esp since one of her sisters are on dialisis and she isnt even 50 i think she uses suggar sub but eats enourmose amounts of carbs
she weighs maby 180... and eats an entire box of Pasta ronie in addition to 2 pieces of some kind of meat or some kind of veggies.. she eats chips of diffrent kind ... 1/2 a bag at a time... she will eat 4 servings of tator tots or fries.. w/ tons of salt and other crap..
i know all of this beacuse she lived w/ us at one point in time... and i just couldnt handle to see how she was killing her self w/ food...

I my self have realy became conserned w/ my DH carb intake and suggar amounts ... i will not buy "store bought regular ice tea for him anymore. he would drink 1 gallon of it a day.. and there is so much suggar in that... he now drinks diet at least... and since this WOL... i hardly make carb foods for the rest of the family... only in a pinch or if he realy seems bored w/ what im makeing..

people w/ health conditions realy need to be aware of how they are hurting their own bodys by not watching their diets... or exersizeing.. some it becomes to late befor they ever start watching..

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01/02/04-248{ 4/29/04- 218} 6/30/04- 204
7-05-04 198 8/30/04 - 190 (got lost after that-)
4/03/08- 261 -
Goal-140-145

Kristie,

A fasting blood glucose level between 70 and 80 is perfectly fine, IMHO.
My dh is an MD and he said that is considered within "normal range." That said, he thinks you should ask your doctor if you are concerned. Everyone is different and only YOU know how you feel.
And if you are getting readings BELOW 70, then you definitely need to have some tests. You could have mild hypoglycemia which is often a precursor to diabetes or indicative of early insulin problems...
But if your fasting readings are between 70 and 80, I have been told that is NORMAL.

Never be afraid to ask your MD about concerns such as this. It's better to be safe than sorry!
HTH,
Summer