Welcome to A Healthier Me
I was diagnosed with diabetes in August 2006 and consequently my lifestyle has changed to accommodate and improve my diabetes. Since the beginning of 2007 my blood test results have been in the normal range and I hope that this blog will help me to continue on my quest for good health and also be of interest to people who wish to improve their own lifestyle.
I am hoping to share tips about healthy eating, losing and maintaining weight, exercise and also general topics concerned with keeping healthy and living with diabetes. I hope we can enjoy this journey together.
Please remember while reading this blog that I am not a medical professional and everyone is different. What works for me may not work for you. If you are looking for medical advice or have any medical concerns you should talk to your doctor and not rely on anything you may read on the internet, including here in this blog.
May 29, 2009 1:14 am 
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Carol, May 29, 2009 @ 2:46 pm
I am looking forward to following this blog – I am not diabetic, but am always open to healthier lifestyle suggestions
Val P., May 29, 2009 @ 7:05 pm
Great way to start! It seems like I’ve had lots of folks with diabetes – of all sorts – around me most of my life. Fortunately, I haven’t been diagnosed with it myself yet, but if I don’t lose some weight, I’m sure I’m headed that way. I’ll be interested to see how your blog develops.
Have fun!
Val P.
Sliloh, May 29, 2009 @ 8:13 pm
Great topic for a blog. I’ll be following with interest also.
Anita
Maureen, May 29, 2009 @ 9:19 pm
Hi Jan
This is an interesting topic that affects all people, particularly me.
I don’t have diabetes but have been attending Weight Watchers for the past 10 months and lost 15 kgs Inearly 34 lbs) It’s a lot, isn’t it and I’m only half way there, but I’ll continue on as being obese is bad for my health
I’m looking forward to your tips – especially on healthy eating. Good luck with your project.
cheers
Maureen
Terry Armstrong, May 31, 2009 @ 3:13 am
Very nice Jan! I’m sure this will benefit a lot of people. I can only relate because I had a diabetic dog which I had to give injections to twice a day.
Jan, May 31, 2009 @ 6:55 pm
Thank you for your comments, Carol, Val, Anita, Maureen and Terry. I hope to make this blog useful to anyone wanting to improve their lifestyle, not only people with diabetes. This is only where my interest in this subject originated.
Mary, June 4, 2009 @ 5:42 am
Hi Jan,
Wondering what your thoughts are on the protein part of a healthy diet, particularly as it relates to diabetes and how the body regulates food intake. It seems there is SO much emphasis on carbs that the role protein plays in stabilizing blood sugar goes unnoticed. It is my understanding that eating protein every time you eat will go a long way towards preventing the spike/dip that happens when eating sugar/carbs alone.
I am no expert–was married to a doctor and this is something I gleaned from him. Just wondering if this has come up for you since your diagnosis.
Best of luck with your new blog!
Jan, June 4, 2009 @ 10:46 am
Hi Mary. Thanks for your comment. I normally try to follow a low carb/low fat diet and I try to keep the carbs I eat to low GI ones.
I have found that eating protein and fat has very little effect on my blood glucose levels but carbs do have an effect. A healthy diet should include all three in various proportiions but most people with diabetes struggle with eating carbs and keeping their BGL stable. I suppose this is why there seems to be more emphasis on carbs.
Everyone is different so it is important to find out what works for you. When I was first diagnosed I came across Jennifer’s Information for the Newly Diagnosed . I tested very regularly in the early days and this gave me some idea of what foods I could eat without my BGLs rising too much. I hope this helps.
Bean Fairbanks, June 4, 2009 @ 5:31 pm
I was diagnosed with diabetes two years ago but was able to reverse the diagnosis by diet alone. I did the no-low carb way. I must admit it was really hard for me. Pasta is my comfort food and I could easily eat fruit all day long. My brother has type 1 diabetes that is poorly controlled. He is hosptitalized several times a year and has to test his serum glucose levels 5 times a day. Watching him is enough incentive to keep my current diet on the very low carb end of the spectrum. My service dog has been trained to detect abnormal serum glucose levels so I rarely have to poke myself any more.
Jan, June 8, 2009 @ 1:06 am
Hi Bean,
I understand what you mean. My weakness was bread. I loved white bread, especially baguettes with their soft inside and crusty outside. There is still nothing as delicious to me than the smell of a bakery. However, I now mostly only eat wholemeal pitta and only in small quantities. I find I can make a delicious filled pitta with far less carbs than I could by using two slices of bread. I fill it with some lean meat or fish (sardines or mackerel are my favourites) and add some lettuce, tomato and cucumber. This makes a very easy lunch and can be transported easily too.
I am pleased you are keeping everything under control with only diet.